Sunday, May 28, 2006

Whew... I juz got back from Toa Payoh Swimming complex for my gold star swimming test.. And Guess wad??? I PASSED!! YEAHH!! Got medallion, woven badge and a certificate.. Soon I will be going for life saving... ( How, muz learn CPR leh.... Imagine if i've to, eew.... Puke blood) , but nvm... kks, back to topic lah.. Here are the events..

When reach there that time, i was full of anticipation and hope, but inside me, there is a sense of fear, disturbing thoughts like " wad if i don pass the 1500m(30 laps swim), will i be able to pass the speed swim".. Despite that, i tried my best to appear strong. My mama and 2 of my sisters tag along too...and like, duh, under stress lah..i was like screaming inside me lah.. my test time is starting at 1230 hrs, and it was raining cat and dogs... it was like 1200hrs when i got there... 1215, i went to report lah... How i juz wished that time can stop, and everything around me can freeze... but there is no stop to the minutes and seconds that pass... the time can never reverse... " My number cap is 5, yellow in colour.. I walked over wif a worrying heart.. the events are as follows..

First event, " Jump down from a 3m platform with a life jacket and swim to shore".. I was the 5th one to jump down lah... When i looked down... I could feel my heart palipating.... But i remembered my instructor's words " do not hesitate more than 10 seconds, if not u will not dare to jump.." I looked down.. The ripples the drizzle created made the water surface looked blur.. So it helped in a sense.. I Slowly walked to the end of the 3m platform... I was breathing hard... I said to myself, jump at the count of 3... 1... 2... 3.. My heart skipped a beat... Before i knew it... I was accelerating at 10 metres per second per second.. my skin are all accelerating at differen speeds.. I am doomed.. Before i knew it, " SPLASH", it was over.... I climbed up.. phew, it was over..But by looking back it was kinda thrilling...

Then, the rain got heavier... So we gotta stop for a while lah...Nxt event was the speed swim...

Second event, the speed swim... I was looking down at the pool, crystal clear... Butterflies were all inside my stomach.All of us 10 pp were looking down at the water that we are gonna splash in anytime... Was looking at the water and all wanna faster get done wif it.. Ready? The tester boomed.. i put on my goggles.. And changed into a diving position.. GO!!!! He BOOMED once more... " Splash" sounds like 10 fat elephants have juz jumped into the water... I was swimming as fast as possible... The Guy sharing the same lane as me, juz so irritating, his movements were likeblocking me... I treid to swim faster than him.. but he is equaly fast.. In then end, i gave up, i swam slower than him lah... But luckily, my timing was 2 min.... yeah...

Third event, We all had to go back into the water.... The tester threw in life jackets.. We all had to wear it in the water...No problem.. Easiest event... We all wore it with ease... Slipped ourselves into the jacket.. Zipped the zip... And had to swim 25metres in it ( headed towards shore) We got up, and took off our life jackets. Nxt event was the one we all hated.. the one that will drain us out of our energy.... And if we don't do well in it, it will cause us to fail the whole test... the one that we all wished that we can skip. - Long distance swim..

Fourth event, Long distance swim... We had to swim 30 laps in 45 min. - Back stroke 10 laps, sidestroke- 10 laps and front stroke( i chose frog style) - 10 laps... SO we started.. I gained time and was leading the others by half a lap... My backstroke rawkz... then i like started the sidestroke early... Cos i was leading.. But i sucked at it.. So i began to alow.. ans soon the others catched up.. I was veri tired... But a voice inside me told me to perserver, to be determined to pass this test...and i felt like vommiting wad i ate for breakfast today... But i juz had to pass... I continued... My head was spinning...A thousand and one thoughts raced across my mind.. Am i juz gonna give up?? and waste 20 dollars on the test fee.. and give up the hopes my parents had had for me?? NO!! i am never gonna do it.. this kept me going on.. When it cam e to the last 10 laps to swim- the front stroke.. I realised i was 5th.. I maintained my position... I kep on going at a steady speed.. The momentum is there... I could feel it.. " jia you! You can do it!! think of it!! 10 more onli!! Jiayou!!!" Despite that i really felt like giving up, i muz not, i cannot.. i WILL not!! And i contined... And finally, the last lap of the long distance swim... I was tryin my best and givig it my 100% effort.. And kept on believeing in a sentence i have comed acorss and it had left a very deep impression im my mind... " Do the best that u can do, and the best will come back to you!!" The last lap.. I swam like a crazy man... And i camed in 5th.. actually it is not the position that matters, it is whether u pass the 45 min a not.. I checked my timing 40min 45 sec. passed... Hooray!!

5th event- Climb up from the side of the pool without any assistance.. Duh, who also can do that...

And so VICTORY was mine!! all mine!! I conqured those disturbing thoughts and made it.. And i passed!!!!

Well, that;s all for today.. am busted and exhausted... kks, going to rest liao..

-bb
-JeRm