Mission Impossible 4 outing

A few Trident swimmers and I held an outing this evening at Queensbay Mall. Those who attended were John, Joyce and Jess Lee, Eusoff and Elyas, Sean and Eunice, and a small kid, Shi Ken.

 

Everyone getting ready to dig into their steamboat dinners.

 

Shi Ken enjoying his chocolate milk shake.

We had our steamboat dinner at Johnny's Restaurant in Queensbay Mall. After dinner, we adjourned to the cineplex for "Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol".

The movie was great. It had the audience on the edge of their seats and was RM12.50 well spent. The only thing lacking perhaps was the continuity from MI3 and adequate character development. Apart from that, it was very entertaining and highly recommended.

I really enjoyed the time I spent with these kids this evening. Looking back at my PISA days, I dare say I have mellowed or changed a lot in terms of temperament and patience.

Looking at the present day, I dare say that these moments are the moments that I enjoy the most.

FML

Farewell to Coach Kenneth

Yesterday, 30th November 2011 marked the last working day for Coach Kenneth Lok with PISA Swimming Team and Trident Swim Team.

We held a farewell gathering for him on Sunday, 27th November:

I wish I had a better present to give him.

Kenneth has been working with me in PISA Swimming Team for the past four years. I dare say the team would not be what it is today if not for the invaluable contributions, sacrifices, hard work and dedication from Coach Kenneth.

We have been through good and bad times together. He has been my assistant coach, my sounding board, and the voice of reason and conscience for me. I shall miss his presence on the deck. I have never worked with a better coach before in my many years of coaching.

I wish Kenneth all the best in his future undertakings and his career. I hope someday our paths will cross again and that he will once again return to coaching. But more importantly, I hope he achieves great wealth and happiness in his pursuits.

Thanks Coach Kenneth, and all the best to you.

A new home?

I left the National Squad after a few months of service. When I returned to Penang, PST was on the brink of extinction and most of its swimmers had left for greener pastures.

To ensure PST swimmers' survival, I had no choice but to merge PISA Swimming Team with Permata Swim Team. The end result from this was Trident Swim Team -- a name of my own choosing.

With the loss of PISA Aquatic Center as a training venue, we had to use Permata Sports Complex as our training center:

A panoramic view of Permata Sports Complex's 50-meter main swimming pool.

Not too shabby, but certainly not as properly equipped as what we were used to back at PISA Aquatic Center.

In any case, this is now our new home. But is it my new home?

JBS learn-to-swim

I conducted an examination for the Penang Jabatan Belia dan Sukan (JBS) Learn-To-Swim program in May 2011.

The learn-to-swim kids doing their stretching exercises.

Although more than 20 swimmers were recruited to join Trident Swim Team in June, only 5 swimmers actually joined the team. But from those 5, only 3 swimmers remain in the team to this day. I find this very disturbing.

Back @ Blogging

After an eight-month hiatus, I've decided to resume blogging. So stay tuned!

What's wrong with this picture?

Answer: the truck on the left has an awful colour scheme.

A new life

Today is my 46th day of working at Bukit Jalil.

On 19th January 2011, I reported to Bukit Jalil as coach for the National Elite Squad. So officially, that makes me a National Coach.

Since I arrived in Bukit Jalil, I have gone through some challenging times. But I have no regrets in joining the national team at Bukit Jalil. Though it saddens me to leave PISA Swimming Team's deck, I feel that I've made the right decision.

Admittedly, my departure from PST has ruffled some feathers in the team. But I made a decision that was necessary for my career and future. Accepting this appointment is a step forward in my career, a step that no person in his right mind should blame me for taking.

Sure, my decision is self-serving. But whose isn't? Like the many swimmers who have come and gone in PST, I too have decided to move on.

I hope to return to PST someday, maybe when my stint with the national team is over. But some things back home are not going the way I had hoped it would, and I'm really uncertain of PST's future. But I guess we'll see. Que sera sera.

New Year Day's dinner

This was my New Year Day's dinner:

Malaysian chicken curry with rice.

Corrections. Australian-made Malaysian chicken curry with rice.

After nearly 5 minutes of microwaving:

The end result.

I didn't like it.

One thing I've learned is that frozen food, no matter how good it appears on the box, never tastes good.

Happy New Year 2011

It's 1st January 2011. I'm sitting at a balcony in a serviced apartment at West Perth watching fireworks going off in the far distance. This is my first new year away from home. Happy New Year 2011 everybody.