But I'll explain later. Today started of with me waking up at 6 in the morning. I look out of my window to watch the downpour. Freezing. After a quick breakfast, I grabbed my bag and paddle, tightened my watch (This is my personal sign of a) 'I mean buisness' or b) 'I just came from a place that made me mean buisness, for this case a).) and headed for my Dad's car. I took a minute or two to figure out how to ft the paddle into the car through the left front door, but once done we drove off to Lower Seletar Reservour. Still freezing, I tried to increase the air-con temperature to 28 degrees. My Dad felt the chills too and decided to switch off the air-con altogether and open the windows slightly. Big mistake. The temperature outside was actually 23 degrees. Brrrrrrr...
When dropped off at the reservour, I marched off to the designated place for the school team to meet up at. At this time, the place was still very dark and cold and only a few canoers were seen within the area. But as time passed by, the numbers gained, the brightness grew and the temperatures rose. And by about 7.45, the protected plot of land where the boats were were opened, and many of us rushed i to quickly get our boats out.
Now here begins the first conversation with God for the day. You see, last Thursday, we were suppose to choose our racing boats, but Jedd, my partner, wasn't present. Thus, I had to practice on that day with a single's canoe and didn't get the chance to chose our boat. So on Saturday, we were only left with All Blue, a very old boat which had bad-conditioned seats, rusty wingnuts and a large crack that spanned on the hull just underneath the Frontman's cockpit. Jedd and I were somewhat dissapointed, and as I brought out my boat from the fenced area, I started to have doubts...
God: So, dissapointed with your boat, huh?
Me: Sort of. But I know that you...
God: Tell Me one special thing that I made Samson do.
Me: Samson killed an estimate of a thousand men using only a donkey's jawbone?
God: Now tell me, what's a jawbone compared to that boat your carrying?
Me: Erm... I get it, Lord. As long as You're with me, whatever that I have can be used to do miracles. If Samson can kill many with a tiny jawbone, I can surely do lots of stuff with a simple canoe. Just as long as you're with me.
God: Good. Now be gentle with that boat....
Once out, we were being distributed our number cards and bibs to place onto our boats and to wear reespectively.
By 8, all participants had to go for a briefing about the race details, basically touching on starts, routes, portages and finishings. Oh, and that we had to have our bibs on at all times. Here's the route:
If you can't see it, I'll zoom in to the north first...
The Main Track is where you make your average rounds. Start at the Starting/Finishing Line (The line marked out with one big buoy and two small flagged buoys). Make sure that when you make your turn, be at the right of the buoys marking the turn. While you're still completing the race, always pass through the buoy gate with the big buoy and the center flagged buoy. If you're going to Portage, firstr pass through the big buoy and the center flagged buoy before making a right to the Portage Ramp. From the Portage Ramp, get out of your boat and carry it across the 110 meter course marked out by safety strips. Once at the other end, quickly place your boat into the water, get in and paddle off to continue your rounds. When done, DO NOT go through the big buoy and the centre flagged buoy. Instead, break of the track and head in between the flagged buoys.
In the next couple of maps, I'll use thick blue lines to represent my progress.
Immediately when the briefing was announced complete and when the judges wished us all good luck, all the racers ran for their boats and quickly brought them into the water. Being new to this boat of ours, we quickly tried out different configurations in the boat as quickly as possible, not waisting anything larger than a split-second. Once comfortable, we hurriedly paddled to our wave (Novist Wave) and waited for our turn to be started.
Trying to be as far left as possible so that we'd have a lesser distance to cover just to reach the first turn, we tried to paddle our way through the mess of boats, only to be left somewhere a couple of boat lengths away from the desired spot. Oh, well...
After waiting for about twenty minutes or so, it was our wave's turn to be released. At 8.45 a.m., the judges gave the blowhorn signal for us to paddle our guts out, and so we did. Just as far as a few strokes, the pain was beginning to kick in. I was trying to think of ways on consoling God for relief, then...
God: Remember your post in your blog?
Me: The one about Tongues?
God: Now what can Tongues do?
Me: Relieve pain.
God: There you go.
Me: But I don't know how to...
God: Remember the story about the robber and the fridge owner?
Me: Yah. 'When a robber comes to your house and steals your fridge right in front of you, you wouldn't go, " Oh, how I wish I had a fridge. I know it'll come one day, and I'll eagerly wait for it. I'll keep waiting. I know it'll come..." No! You'd go, "Who on earth are you?! Give me back my fridge and get the heck out of my house!"' Oh, I get it!
God: Tongues is in you. All you need to do is just to 'fane to flames' the gift.
Me: But God. In a time like this? Isn't it, well, embarasing?
God: Name me one of the Christian songs in your computer.
Me: Undignified
God: What's the chorus?
Me: 'And I'll become even more undignified than this!
Some may say it's foolishness,
But I'll become even more undignified than this!
Leave my pride, by my side!...'
God: What does this tell you about what Christians would go through whe they serve me?
Me: They'll be undignified? Shamed? Looking ridiculous?
God: So one way or another, you'll be an embarasment in the eyes of others when you serve Me one way or another. What makes now any different?
Me: Thanks, Lord! (Starts trying to speaking in Tongues)
Me: (pant pant) I can't speak in Tongues anymore. (pant pant) Too exausted. (pant pant) Will stop talking. (pant pant) But will still keep praying inside. (pant pant pant...)
At around this area, Ryan starts to catch up with Jedd and I...
Ryan: C'mon Jedd! C'mon Raem! Don't loose to me! I'm a K1! You MUST beat me!
Me: C'mon guys!
But soon, he was beating us by the second turn, and I knew that if he was gonna win us now, he'd start preaching to me again that God would be dissapointed with me and that I owed Him an appology for slacking below his standards, which I knew was all a lie to condemn me. And that irritated me.
Me (In my head): Dear Lord, I don't want to be angry at anyone right now; I need the energy more for paddling through these rapids! I know you love me very much, and that You will always be there for me no matter how badly I fair in what I do. But when I reach that finishing line with Ryan infront of me, what can I tell him to prove that you'd still love me even if I lost to him?
Me: Yeah. She donated what was worth less than a modern penny.
God: Then what did My Boy say?
Me: "I tell you, that widow has given a whole lot more that the other rich men who gave portions of their living."
God: He appreciated the widow more than the rich men, didn't He?
Me: I get it! As long as i give all that I've got and dedicate it all under You're Name, You'd appreciate it for a long way! You'd actually be proud of me no matter how little I contribute to Your Glory! Thank's Dad!
God: Now you've still got a portage to cover. Just trust in me and I'll help you...
The Portage was harder than I thought; although 110m is a standardly short distance, there are also other factors that weigh you down; such are like the weight of a canoe on your back, the calf-deep mud that you'd have to actually run through and the fact that you're partner can't take the pressure of running already. Honestly speaking, I really felt like walking afer running 5-6 meters. It was shockingly tiring. But I somehow managed to keep running. Although this was a bad thing as Jedd was trying to shout at me to slow down since the boat was slowly slipping off his shoulders. Ah, well.
Once we got through the Portage, we got onto the Exiting Ramp, placed the boat gently but speedily, and canoed off to continue the final lap.
Somewhere along 9k, God then reminded me about the 'prodicle son', the story about a younger son who rejected his father, demanded his inheritance from him and spent it all on dirty luxury and prostitutes. Once he spent all the money, he became so poor he had to be a pig farmer and eat pig's feed, a job reguarded as the lousiest at that time and place. He then developed a plan to go back to his father and ask if he could work as the father's slave. But when he came to the region that the father's house was, and when the father caught sight of the son, he ran all the way from his house to the son and hugged and kissed him. Before the son could actually ask to be a slave, the father quickly ordered his servants to fetch his best robe and sandals and refused to let the son walk any further until he had them to wear. He then brought the son into the house and ordered a feast involving the fatest calf they had. Even when the elder sonbecame jealous and complained to him, the father told him to relax and be greatful that his brother has come back and is now found.
This was another set of verses that supported what God told me earlier; that He'd always love me no matter how phathetic I'd become. That boosted my faith level a lot more further and paddled with a whole lot of joy in my heart. And true enough, after trusting the Lord for that while, a P.U.B. boat started to cruise along, giving extremely choppy waves that later capsized Ryan. So in the end, God gave me a great advantage as now he'd have to wait another 15 minutes before the P.U.B. boat comes back to rescue him! Not saying that I'm happy someone had to suffer at such humiliating costs, but it's just that God answered my prayer, and in a way I'd never expect. 'God works in ways we cannot understand.' Oh, well...
Last K. Just had to keep paddling for that extra 1000 meters. By now, Jedd and I were extremely exhausted and the flagged buoys we had to pass through just to complete the race was literally glowing in front of us! But at thesame time, the winds were starting to pick up and the waves were absolutely choppy! Waves that splashed as high as 30 centimeters! Now I know what The Perfect Storm felt like. So Jedd continued to keep our spirits high, I continued to try to steer and navigate the boat through the fluctuations and both of us just kept on paddling.
We then did a final burst to the buoys and finally ended our rounds. Relieved, we slowly paddled our way to the loading shore, where a smiling (I'm serious; a ear-to-ear smiling) Mr. See greeted us.
Mr. See: Welcome back, Raemiguel! Welcome back, Jedd! Did you enjoy yourselves?
Me: (nod nod)
Jedd: Yah. Somewhat.
Mr. See: By the way, Jedd, are you sure that's a comfortable configuration? Your knees seem a little too high! Nevermind. Get out of the boat. Joshua Wu! Ka Fu! Help them carry their boat! No, Jedd! Do not carry the boat! Just walk around! Come up here, lah!
Just the right scenario for me to see when I just remembered the prodicle son.
By the time we were back, only 3 or 4 boats from our school were back. Eugine, Kenneth and Junn Sin were on shore already. Mr. See was also chatting away with us on our experiences and attending to wounds and cuts (He is a biology teacher after all...) He was also telling usif we wanted to keep our racing bibs and cards, which he wouldn't mind the penalty of paying sets of $5 to the organisers for. Jedd and I gleefully grabbed the stuff and debated over who gets what! In the end, I get the bib while he gets the card! Yay! But by the time Mr. See had the chance to start an official talking session with us Novists, the anouncers were announcing that free soya bean milk was going to be distributed. The moment the lady finished pronouncing the sylabal 'milk', Eugine and I quickly turned around and made a dash for the supply tent, just right in front of the others (our school + other schools)! Mr. See didn't even have to say, "Okay, gentlemen! Go get your soya bean!" and the crew dissapeared before his eyes.
When we had our well-sealed packets of milk, we started mingling with each other, talking about stuff like how was the marathon, the sudden waves that always hit you when you make the return trip, any injuries obtained and how to get the darn packet of milk open in the first place.
One by one, the other canoers slowly came back to shore, each canoeist filled with good stories that we can tell our grandchildren. We gathered round a cliff that faced the loading shore, sharing these stories and cheering on anyone from our school that passes by or that has completed his sessions. I actually found out that Joshua Wu and Ka Fu actually sang a silly song out at water which made many surrounding canoers laugh, stopping them all in their tracks and giving the two a great advantage. A new tatic Mr. See could recite to the next generation(s) of canoers.
But once most/all of us were present, Junn Sin's dad brought 4 boxes worth of MacDonalds to the site! Food, glorious food! We all ate to our ful and even gave some of it to seniors that are now in JCs. In total, I had a double cheeseburger, two cups of fries and a cup of green tea! So full, I could burst! Wait, NO! Not canoeing burst, literal burst.
After a good meal and agood migling, the anouncers called for all competitors to report to the main tent for prize presentation. Claping our hands off, we endured the next half an hour applauding those who recieved a medal or new paddle. If memory serves, Ting Wei, Nick Ng, Joseph, Eugine, Neil, Daniel, Lucas, Weng Ai and a few others won prizes! Yay for the school! Jedd and I wern't within the medal spectrum, but I think we were still somewhere in the front for Novists. Ah, well.
After prize giving, everyone gave three cheers for the marathon and declared the race over. We divided into our schools and settled with our boats, figuring how to get them to the trucks each of us ordered, which means a whole lot of trucks, causing a jam as far off as the dam. I helped out for a while until my parents and Morriel came to fetch me. Saying bye to Mr. See, I hopped into the car and rode off for dessert at Bristo Delefrance! And boy, was the foods there sweet! My Mom also bought water-proof plasters to bandage my pussing blisters while my Dad sponsered for my new gym gloves! Such caring parents!
We then went home and fell asleep. Typical Singaporeans.
At about 7pm, we went to the Budget Terminal to fetch Uncle Eking (Sounds like Aik Ling, just that he became 'king'.). He heard about Uncle Alex's sucess in finding a job here and also wanted to try his luck here. God be with him on this one.
Sorry for making this post this long, but if you've reached here, congradulations!
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