life...

i look forward to julys and augusts... these are the most eventful months... july 25, 26 esp are memorable days... 3 years ago was one of the turning pt of my life... 1 year ago on 25 july, a friend's friend passed away and today, my church friend passed away too, cuz of brain tumor... though i wasn't very close to him, but i felt kindda sad when i heard the news in the evening... he was diagnosed with brain tumor at the beginning of this year and he went through surgery and chemotherapy... ever since may, he has been recovering, he started building up his physical strength by walking around his house for 100 rounds everyday, with the aim of being active again... but sadly, his condition suddenly turn for the worse 3 weeks ago, a new tumor had devp and he fought it bravely for his last 3 weeks... his mom passed away 5 years ago due to cancer too and he's the only child... his greatest wish before he left us was that his dad can receive christ one day... i pray that his wish can be fulfilled and that his father will be able to cope with the lost of the 2 closest ppl in his life...

he was a j2 guy from tj, only 18 years old... he has many dreams like us, he loved mountain climbing, he wanted to trek the himalayas... but he didn't live long enough to experience all these... but was it unfair for him? why should such a guy full of potential and vitality be subjected to these kind of disease and why should his life be taken away? whether izzit fair or a pity that he's not ard anymore, is not that impt now, but rather the quality of life that he has spent has been indeed purposeful... maybe leaving this world is betta for him cuz he doesn't have to suffer in pain... the fact that he managed to battle the tumor for all these time, has already displayed his courage and strength in facing adversity, which is far more tougher and critical as compared to our common worries, studies, money, stress... i would say that he has experienced the true essence of life,  while we are in fact very well sheltered...

dear friends, cherish each other, your loved ones... u'll never know when such things will happen, life is really fragile... don't wait till the person is gone, then start regretting bout not cherishing the person enough... life is really short... before u know it, you'll be 50... cherish life, yourself and your loved ones...

"live our lives as though it's the last day of our life so that we can really cherish it..."

broken records...

"records are meant to be broken, and they will be broken eventually..."

 
i was very happy today when i heard that a junior of mine has a high chance of breaking my rec... it stood there for 5 years and it's time for someone to claim it... ang told renjie that his 6.27 rec will last for at least 10 years, but it was broken 6 years later... similarly, i hope my junior can break it this coming monday...

things will come and go, things will never stay the same... the stage is different... nothing is going to last forever... records are just labels...

 

thank you...

dear friends...

thank you for being here... i appreciate it alot... i'll be alright...

where is calvin?

where is calvin?

.. 10%
..... 25%
.......... 50%
................. nil
.. 10%
..... 25%
...... 30%
............................nil 
 

all the way team hwachong...

a boys - rj 94, vj 77, hc 67, ac 63
b boys - chs 135, sji 47
a girls - rj 92, hc 83
b girls - rg 51, ny 50, sn 42
---------------------------------
 
i'll like to extend my warmest congratulations to 2 of my juniors, i'm very proud of you... fong yi and joo xiang for doing such a great job in b div long jump... 6.64 and 6.33... fong yi's feat is really remarkable... it's only 2cm away from my pb set last year... i  wanted to break the b div rec but failed miserably 3 yrs ago, but fong yi has come close to it and i'm very happy for him... he's a really good jumper and junior... i'm sure he has more potential to release when he comes to a div...
 
the results of b div is more or less settled, chs will win the overall title again... i'm very impressed by the talent in this group of juniors... it's the strongest batch ever, i remember 2 years ago, they had a clean sweep of 237 pts, hehe hopefully they can break the 200pts barrier... but our c div is kindda weak... well, whatever things that go up, must come down... i believe the fate of chs will be likedat too... although i hope that chs is always remain strong, but it's an ardous task to be reigning all the time... esp with the entrance of the sports school... hmm, it's really unsual for chs c div to be unplaced currently, but anyway, there are very little c boys events now...
 
well, i feel what's more impt after all these years is not about winning, but rather the process in striving to win... and the picking up after each failure... what i can see with our hc guys team is the strong will in fighting during comp and trg, which i think my batch lacks in it as compared to my jnrs... i think they are much more knitted together despite the diff trg progs and locations... we were down a few days ago, the upset in long jump, pole vault and so on... but we have risen over these few days... today for the a div triple, wee ming, daryl and jiesong have displayed their potential and their determination, and they came in 3,4,6th... and for shot put, 2,3,5th... it's a good come back even though we're currently 3rd... i'm happy for jenson... after all these years, he has went through many ups and downs... and he didn't perform for his discus... but he has displayed his strong determination, by getting a silver for shot put... it's only attainable through sheer trg and concentration during comp... i'm not sure if it's his pb, but i'm sure that he has given his best in rivaling vicky... jie ren is very commendable for his effort... although he only managed a 7th for 100h, but he was facing a very strong field of competitors... even for cliff who went to volleyball camp back to do high jump... his 1pt is very valuable to the team cuz we lost by 0 pts last year...
 
as for the girls, although they are in 2nd place, but i believe they have a very high chance in winning the title this year... thanx to the ny juniors who are so zai! well, after a few years, the girls team is once again ny dominated... this was the batch who won the c div for 2 consecutive years... well, i have full faith in the girls team man... it has been a great showing for the past 5 days, keep up the good work...
 
we may not have the strongest thrower, fastest runner, swiftest jumper, and we may be very different in many ways, but we have come together, closely knitted together...
 
 
"i run therefore i was,
i jump therefore i am
i throw therefore i will be
the best..."
 
 
all the way team hwachong...

stay out

i saw the mo today with my specialist letter and he gave me 3mths stay out and put me on medical board for perm stay out... yay~

but it doesn't really matter now...

nothing matters...

the winding path...

sigh... i missed it... why did i?

LOVE ~Destiny~

it has been 3-4 years since i last heard this song... it's really nice... here's the english translation of it...

LOVE ~Destiny~
Lyrics: Ayumi Hamasaki
Composer: Tsunku
Arranger: Shingo Kobayashi, Yasuaki Maejima

---------------------------------------------

Eternity really doesn't exist.
I wonder when I first realized that.
But I'm prouder than anyone else that
the days we spent together weren't lies.

I've lived up to now. Although the length of time is a little different.

Just having met you, just having loved you,
even if we can't share our thoughts... I won't forget you.

Why, even though it hurts so much,
can't I think of anyone but you and I want to be with you?
But I'm used to how I think of even small
things as happy memories.

Even cliches and meaningless words, if they're said between us,
have meaning.

Just having met you, just having loved you,
just having shared our thoughts... from now until forever...

I should think of you as proof that I live without taking my eyes off of truth and reality.

Just having met you, just having loved you,
even if I can never see you again... I won't forget.

paying a visit to DR EVIL...

i just went to endorse my medical letter today and a some interesting facts about the great diff of attitude of the MO in this unit and SAFTI...

apparently, when i asked for stay out, the MO immediately exclaimed "NO!" before i could finish my sentence... when i tried explaining myself, he kept interrupting me by saying no... i told him bout my ankle condition, which doesn't really allow me to climb 4 storys of uneven stairs to the bunk... although i can climb but i'm susceptible to sprains especially when the stairs are in bad condition... the answer the MO gave was just to fu1 yan3 me... "i can't do anything, NO! i can't give you stay out. so what if ur ankle has prob and loose... if u can't climb 4 storys of stairs, ask ur CSM or OC or CO to shift the bunk down to the 1st level... WOW!!! what a "great" idea!!!

*clap*

the 1st level is office... obviously he's just trying to fu1 yan3 me... he tried to end of the conversation by saying that he can't do anything...

it's not that i'm pissed not getting the permission to stay out but the attitude of the MO is questionable... the resounding NO even before i could explain myself, the way he rejected me... i feel that his immediate reply was becuz he feels that i'm another chao geng person... well, it's true that i'm kindda chao geng to get stay out but theoretically my specialist has said that i should avoid climbing of stairs... it's the way the MO puts ppl down that is annoying... he could have rejected my request nicely n not in a hostile tone... anyway, my friend to me that the medic says the MO is just lazy in writing reports...

sigh, i was sitting beside this guy while waiting for my endorsed slip of paper... he had the same ankle problem as me, maybe even worse, and the interesting thing was that he was only given 6mths excuse lower limb but he wasn't downgraded... this is an obvious difference in this MO and the SAFTI's MO... why was i downgraded with only 3mths of excuse lower limb while the other guy wasn't? why is there such a discrepency? maybe it's the mentality that when a man visits the doc, it indicates that he's trying to chao geng but when a cadet or officer visits the doc, it indicates that he's really ill... apparently, the guy who saw the specialist for his ankle, wasn't referred by the medical centre but he went to polyclinic himself and got a referral from the polyclinic... i feel that if i wasn't in ocs and was in this camp, i prolly won't know bout my ankle and heart condition, cuz a normal sprain ankle won't be suspected as a torn ligament problem and a perfectly normal ECG won't be suspected as a biscuspid aortic value problem...

sigh... life is not heaven when you're downgraded... although you'll do admin work but it can be quite stressful when work piles up, even if you ignore the meagre pay... then you'll have guard duty too, stand 2, prowling, turn outs... sounds worse than guard duty in ocs n bmt...apparently, even with my excuse lower limb status, i prolly still have to do guard duty... but thankfully, my unit is not that bad already... i heard that the pes C clerk with slip disc condition still have to be in full battle order during exercises and have to do road march even with ex lower limb status...

to brotherhood... don't be too sad that you're doing all the shitty stuff or your superiors are unreasonable cuz imagine if you're downgraded with a pay cut and together with condition, you still have to do all the shitty stuff, which is no diff from being a combat fit soldier, you'll prolly feel more miserable...

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis develops as we age and is often called "wear-and-tear" arthritis. Over the years, the thin covering (cartilage) on the ends of bones becomes worn and frayed. This results in inflammation, swelling, and pain in the joint. An injury to a joint, even if treated properly, can cause osteoarthritis to develop in the future. This is often referred to as traumatic arthritis. It may develop months or years after a severe sprain, torn ligament or broken bone.



The foot joints most commonly affected by arthritis include:

The ankle - Where the shinbone (tibia) rests on the uppermost bone of the foot (the talus)

The three joints of the hindfoot - Where the bottom of the talus connects to the heel bone (calcaneus); where the talus connects to the inner midfoot bone; and where the heel bone connects to the outer midfoot bone (cuboid)

The midfoot - Where one of the forefoot bones (metatarsals) connects to the smaller midfoot bones (cunieforms)

The great toe - Where the first metatarsal connects to the toe bone (phalange); this is also where bunions usually develop

Symptoms

Symptoms of arthritis of the foot vary, depending on which joint is affected. Common symptoms include pain or tenderness, stiffness or reduced motion, and swelling. Walking may be difficult.

Treatment

Depending on the type, location and severity of your arthritis, there are many types of treatment available. Nonsurgical treatment options include:

-> Taking pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medication to reduce swelling

-> Putting a pad, arch support or other type of insert in your shoe

-> Wearing a custom-made shoe, such as a stiff-soled shoe with a rocker bottom

-> Using an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO)

-> Wearing a brace or using a cane

-> Participating in a program of physical therapy and exercises

-> Controlling your weight or taking nutritional supplements

-> Injecting a dose of steroid medication into the joint

Surgical Options

If your arthritis does not respond to conservative treatment, surgical options are available. Your orthopedic surgeon will discuss the type of surgery best for you, which will depend on the type of arthritis you have, the impact of the disease on your joints, and the location of the arthritis. Sometimes more than one type of surgery will be needed. The primary surgeries performed for arthritis of the foot and ankle are:


Arthroscopic debridement. Arthroscopic surgery may be helpful in the early stages of arthritis. A pencil-sized instrument (arthroscope) with a small lens, a miniature camera and a lighting system is inserted into a joint. This projects three-dimensional images of the joint on a television monitor, enabling the surgeon to look directly inside the joint and identify the trouble. Tiny probes, forceps, knives and shavers can then be used to clean the joint area by removing foreign tissue and bony outgrowths (spurs).

Arthrodesis, or fusion. This surgery eliminates the joint completely by welding the bones together. Pins, plates and screws or rods through the bone are used to hold the bones together until they heal. A bone graft is sometimes needed. Your doctor may be able to use a piece of your own bone, taken from one of the lower leg bones or the hip, for the graft. This surgery is normally quite successful. A very small percentage of patients have problems with wound healing. These complications can be addressed by bracing or additional surgery.

Arthroplasty, or joint replacement. In rare cases, your doctor may recommend replacing the ankle joint with artificial implants. However, total ankle joint replacement is not as advanced or successful as total hip or knee joint replacement. The implant may loosen or fail, resulting in the need for additional surgery.

Bicuspid Aortic Valve

The bicuspid aortic valve is the most common congenital heart defect. It is estimated to exist in 1 to 2 % of the population, predominating in males.



The normal aortic valve, as shown in the drawing, has three leaflets (flaps, cusps) that move flexibly, opening and closing to control the flow of blood into the aorta from the left ventricle of the heart as it beats. When the cusps come together as the valve closes, the shape is that of a trisected circle.

In contrast, a BAV has only two leaflets, also shown in the diagram on the left. It is sometimes described as resembling the mouth of a fish as it opens and closes. Depending on the degree of malformation and associated malfunction, blood flowing through the valve may make an abnormal sound, called a murmur. While some bicuspid aortic valves are silent, the detection of a murmur may be the first indication of abnormality of the aortic valve. Over time a bicuspid valve may lose its ability to open widely, close properly or both.

ez link student pass is INVALID!!! I'M OLD!!!

went ps today with wenz to window shop... oh my, there were lotsa jc students hanging around, esp hc ppl, bump into some 04s62 ppl too... guess they just finished their block test today... well, it's great to see jc stdns around, brings back memories of jc days... but looking at them, makes me feel old... though, it's been 6 mths since jc ended, but it seems quite distant... the past will always be the past, i can never re-live those days... though memories won't fade, but they still belong to the past... sigh...

well, another indication of aging was that when i tried to top up my ez link card, the machine said that it's invalid!!! i can't use my stdn pass to travel anymore, i'm OLD!!! but i shall keep it and get discounts from pool and prince, if i ever get to go there and eat again...

hmm, i'll prolly take leave or off on 28th july to watch nats finals... it'll be at national stadium this year... well, visting national stadium is a benchmark for me to see how much i've aged... i can always remember when i 1st stepped into natl stadium in sec1, i asked myself, how long do i have to wait before i come here again... very soon, a year has past, and i'd ask myself again... so, it was not long that 6 years have past and now i'm going back there as a spectator, not as a competitor... see, i'm aging!!!

i should settle down...