Darth Squeaker - Ramblings Of An Misunderstood Scientist

Meme

Some time (a few months or so) ago, my brothertried to start a meme on his other blog where he wrote the first line of his top ten favourite books and readers would try to guess them and then put down the first line of their top ten books in their blogs. Heh. Seemed like a fun idea, just took me forever to get around to doing it.

Couldn't quite remember if it was the first line of the first chapter, or the intro counted. In any case, I've left it as the first line of each chapter.

1. This is my favourite book in all the world though I have never read it.

2. "I've watched through his eyes, listened through his ears, and I tell you he's the one. Or at least as close as we're going to get"

3. The house stood on a slight rise just on the edge of the village.

4. On February 24, 1815, the watchtower at Marseilles signaled the arrival of the three-master Pharaon, coming from Smyrne, Trieste and Naples.

5. No matter how hard you try you will never be able to grasp just how tiny, how spatially unassuming, is a proton.

6. Every life is different from any that has gone before it, and so is every death.

7. On 14 August 1571, a gigantic ship's pennant of silk damask passed through the congested streets of Naples.

8. To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman.

9. War is a question of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death, the road to survival or ruin.

10. In a village in La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire to call to mind, there lived not long since one of those gentlemen that kept a lance in a lance-rack, an old buckler, a lean hack, and a greyhound for coursing.

I know there is one or two that's the same as my brother's. Haha. Oh well?

And so we go on...

I haven't yet written about how the National Swim Championships went. And I'm sure many of you have wondered about it since I haven't talked about it at all. Or wondered how I've been since I haven't talked much in the time following. Truth be told, I did improve during the meet and it wasn't a really bad swim. Still, I didn't improve as far as I wanted and seeing everyone shoot ahead of me when I knew I had trained much harder than most, if not all of them, was very... depressing. It was shattering not to make the team, and not only that, to have done so badly in comparison with most of my team mates.

Before the race, John said to me, "I know you can swim but can you race?" Evidently, I'm still having trouble with that aspect. Funny thing is, I felt much more relaxed and psyched for this meet than I've been for any other meet. Much less nervous and much less stressed out. Why I performed badly is beyond me. I did great on the first day and in the morning of the last day.

In the past few days, I took a break from swimming. For most part to reflect on what had gone wrong, where I go from here. And also, to a lesser extent, to avoid seeing everyone at the pool. It was just a painful reminder of where I'd failed. In many ways, I resented and still resent some of them for doing so well while I got left behind. So, it was difficult to see the last night at the dinner. In any case, seeing them was good. It helped me overcome my resentment, for one thing. Which, though wrongly placed, I couldn't shake off previously.

In any case, I've been thinking about it and I guess I still enjoy swimming too much to stop. And I still have NS, so I'll be swimming for a year more at least. Not ready to go back to the pool yet. Probably will by next week. But not now.

Huh.

You Are A Romantic Realist

You are more romantic than 40% of the population. You tend to be grounded when it comes to romance. Sure, you can fall hard... but only for someone you've gotten to know. And once you're in love, you can be a total romantic goofball... But you'd never admit it to your friends!

Oh. And I got my Ipod. Whee!

This title has nothing to do with my entry.

Wow. The Singapore Sports School is huge. And the pool is nice. Haha. Went there yesterday afternoon to get used to the water which is about 6 degrees colder and the blocks which are completely different from what we use in Toay Payoh. Hmm... Although, they have a nice full length pool for warm down purposes that is, as yet, still unused. Talk about under-utilised.

The water is nice. Mm... We were commenting that we should have something similar at Toa Payoh. A covering overhead. Wouldn't be as hot and all. Then Cong mentioned we wouldn't get up if there was lightning anymore. Jeff's sudden turn around in attitude was nothing short of hilarious. Heh. Course, then again, I think most of us enjoy having one session off from time to time. Although our coach more or less makes sure we make up for it. Oh well.

Sea Games trials is in a weeks time. Heh. Getting geared up for it. I'm pretty sure I can make at least the 200 or 400 Free. If not both. Just have to have more self-confidence, of which I'm sadly lacking. Then again, the sports psychologist I'm seeing, a.k.a. my shrink, as I like to call him, is helping me with all that. So, it'll probably be much better. Heh.

In other news, got posted to NDU. The Singapore equivalent of the Seals. Whoo! Now, I can go up to girls and go, 'yes, I was in NDU' and not be lying. Heh heh. 'Course, we'll just leave out the fact tht I'm an ASA (Clerk) and Pes C. Which no one needs to know.

Brother is is Dover trying to kill himself with hypothermia. Haha. For those of you who don't already know, you can go to www.theswimforsingapore.com. Anyway, good luck with preperations, kor.