To Be Or Not Meant To Be?

history repeated...

date: sunday, 23-sep-07
event: asia’s first ladies triathlon
venue: east coast park
disciplines: swim 1.5km, bike 40km, run 10km

it was all bright and sunny on our way to east coast park. we were still happily chatting and commenting that it's perfect weather for the tri... who would have guessed, that in a few moments later, dark clouds will move in swiftly and before we know it, the sky was already an angry overcast...

-- thunderstorm brewing


not long after our wave started, I felt splashes of water hitting my face as I surfaced to breathe. RAIN. as a result, the swim leg was reduced to 1 loop and officials waved us on to proceed with the biking leg. disappointingly, only after completing 1 out of 4 loops of the biking leg, the whole race had to be cancelled as the national environmental agency has issued the "category 1" status...

-- biking out in the rain

it happened again. the fate of osim triathlon was repeated at the ladies triathlon. my friends joked that perhaps it's a sign that i'm not meant to take part in triathlon...

was it really not meant to be?


climb every mountain

very often in life, we are met with challenges, mountains we had to climb. i read this article the other day and thought it's very meaningful. here's an excerpt:

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"the phrase 'climb every mountain ' encourages people to confront their challenges instead of shying away from them.

while there are lessons to be learned from exposure to a variety of experiences, people lead such busy lives that they need to be able to differentiate between the challenges that are worth confronting and those that can be safely side-stepped in favour of more meaningful pursuits or for peace of mind.

climb the mountains that deliver the best reward for you. only you will know what each challenge represents in terms of rewards (such as more money or recognition) or consequences (such as a stressful lifestyle or poor relationship).

single out challenges with rewards that are worth striving for and bring lasting satisfaction or fulfilment. consider what you will gain and when -- think short-term, mid-term and long term -- and what you will be giving up in those time frames to achieve your goals.

make mountain-climbing memorable, focusing on the quality of the journey rather than the destination. make it a journey that will bring a smile to your face whenever you think about it in the future."

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how true... very often, people get caught in the web of "take it as a challenge" and climb any mountain that was presented to them as a challenge. however, after they had conquered the mountain, instead of satisfaction and fulfilment, there's only weariness. they may not be happy. they may have suffered much. they may have even lost a limb or two in the quest...

friends asked me if i will take part in another triathlon again since twice the races was cut prematurely. well, it depends, i tell them. triathlon is not a mountain i wanted to climb dearly. if the conditions are suitable, i may attempt another summit. :)

anyway, completing the triathlon is one thing. the journey getting there is equally important, so even with the race cut off, we still had a good time!

-- the happy tri ladies

-- will there be a 3rd "first time"?

to be or not meant to be? the choice is yours to decide, to climb or not to climb the mountain. :)