Experiential Bliss in the Wisdom of Community

It was archery that showed me true strength did not come from the ability of a physically weak kid to pull a 24# wooden recurve bow. But rather the will to want to become an asset to those around me, by becoming a better person by straining and growing under the effort to endeavour... little by little we are encouraged to go further, for small successes and the intrinsic celebration of milestones, do bolster confidence. Let the young people make their decisions and mistakes, defend their own causes, for them to experience the toil and necessary growth that will in turn bolster their communities. From that, we in turn, will be fulfilled.

We know the hearts of our kids, we know they are good kids at heart. We know that their journeys will see them come into their own; and we have to take courage to watch them fly. Believe that God has a purpose for all, and that each person has their own journey of discovery to embark on, with just the right amount of time, not more, and never less!

...resourcefulness is discovered, not taught. If we want it, determined to seek, we will sleuth and solve. The question is how determined we are, and how critical the need! I do not teach my students or kids to be sportmen, those I synergise with, toil with me to simply provide opportunity for the youth to become better versions of yourselves, that all may in turn build up our communities. All we ask is faith and positivity, that there will be better days ahead, tough days too, but the better ones will be worth the trouble and toil.

For through toil and strain, we grow to be stronger yet of body, spirit and mind! I am blessed to have been given the chance to learn and compete in archery at 14, from being a timid, weak, self-conscious, introverted kid, unable to handle a 24# basic wooden bow then, to standing upon sporting arenas in multiple roles and capacities; we know the chapter in life for the youth is unique in many ways, but we allude that positivity and solutions focus - with community and critical mass backing the battering ram - will open doors to opportunities, inaccessible to solo strife alone.

It is still often observed that it takes a village to raise a child; for not all parents are equipped with the resources to guide their own, but the wisdom of the village at large will always see hearts, hands, and minds step up to assist in the needs of the growing young minds, who seek, strive, and endeavour to never yield in the face of adversity.

Make a daily commitment; share values through sports...

"Plus est en vous! Move often, move well; one life, live it well! For we are the adventures we live!"

Make a daily commitment; share values through sporting endeavours!

“That moment when the tension breaks, and the arrow is cast, as swift as the follow through... that resolute moment of stillness, when all is as it should be... is unadulterated joy.”

And that skilled act of releasing arrows purposefully into the wind, towards the sighted target... at all speeds, with calculated routine, is at once stoic and zen. Unpredictably guided by the buffeting wind, yet all methodologically hitting home into a tight grouping, that’s perhaps the best metaphor for the endless pursuit of self-improvement.

Some days the arrows shot are clustered into a dense grouping, other days they're spread a little apart, but all days, I relish the time and space it takes to make good the shot process.

It’s a long haul. And each day is what we make of it.

Still, I am glad to be able to share the joy of movement literacy with others, as a physical education & sports lecturer, multi-sports life-coach, and friend. This is sport, this, is our journey. Come be a part of the community! Live the excitement, the toil, the epiphany, the calm, the confidence, the spark, the tension, the relief, and the camaraderie.

Sport is therapy, sport parallels life. We learn that even at our best, we win some, and lose some. That our greatest fan or critic is actually the person in the mirror. And that the best equipment, is that which you grasp in the moment, and you learn to make good with what you have.

Enlightened Legacies... strength, resolve, and an extra dose of kindness

The Age of Technology ought beget broader viewpoints on all sides. Long haul journeys require wit and mettle, charisma and resolve; there are no sovereign models to emulate in this multilingual city state of religious understanding and cultural synergy. In all its iterations, the islanders who have come to call this land home are no slack-jowled idealists. We grew up caring enough to pull our neighbours kids along for skills tutoring and meals, car-pooled and shopped wet markets together, shared tales of weal and woe in each other’s homes, worked through shared candles during power outages and took care of each other’s chores... never forget that it is this heart of camaraderie, this essence of gotong royong that allowed our little red dot to harbour all through this current calamity of Covid’19. If anything, this be the time to share innovation, cherish informed viewpoints, marry solutions and most importantly work to reunite our neighbourhoods. Many have put in too much... we owe it to them, to ourselves, and those who come after, to get our act together... this island was and should continue to be the bedrock of shared relief, just as sailors had once scrambled onto land, having braved the arduous voyage and harsh seas, united by a common code to do better by their fellow man, and strove to grow what scarce resource we shared. Let the unifying trait hark back to one of industriousness and the code of stewardship. To tend and nurture, to bolster and grow. For this is our shared home. Look to nature, if in need of insight, the geese and flocks of birds oft remind us, we all need to lead at times, and at times, simply allow others to do so, while keeping pace, ever ready to helm when need beckons.

Hurt rechannelled, does not diminish pain

Memories blur into bulleted points, mere talking points; convenience headlined, droned pompously, lest we forget. Sharp, vivid, yet inaccurate; skewed to narrative wiles. Harnessed, impassioned; gongs are ringing, sounding for change. That rhythm and beat familiar, yet lost in cacophonous, nuanced, familiar repetition.

Where one broods in comfort and convenience; another bleeds despair. Can light, bright and searing, be felt, whilst conditioned by the jaded dread of blistering, cold indifference? When far removed from cause and root, visual screams and the guttural visage of carnage, does one cower, shell-shocked, numb, or savour silence in privilege.

Plans ought form into bulleted points, kindness shared, form talking points. Plights headlined, for just-actions, championed, lest we forget. For the cries are not lost in the ocean of sorrows. Though courage is needed. Truth does not free. Duty calls, egos be humbled, to stand for others - a plight primeval - as a steward of life in the face of danger and not as war-influencer in the temptation of spoils.

Blessed is one, who can choose where they stand, few can say they share the privilege. Heavy the heart, head and hands that carry the cause, for to seek the end, is to nurse one's enemies, raise their children, tend their wounds and walk the mile with those who'd wronged them. When purse and coin are invested in hospitals and gardens of the mind; when budgets for strife and conflict are unequivocally redirected to disaster relief and infrastructure, we know the tides have turned.

Know free-will, it is, that directs bulleted points; where values fostered and shared, remain common threads that bind. Farming tools need edges too, yet to smelt all plowshares for swords, may be to lose ourselves to the ravenous lone wolf that plagues a village. In blind rage, all is lost. Civility, logic, and calm, may reduce the monster in the woods to the one animal in need of redress. Be firm, but kind, in all matters to be handled. Yet in the better times to come, let not vigilance fade, lest we forget.

Each village scourge tackled, undoubtedly fosters capabilities, draws mind and hearts closer. There will come time when we are done standing against the common foe, will we wait till then to pledge to stand for common goals? Or is it too much to ask that we stand up now and call out that which we know cannot be allowed to propagate, lest common decency be lost, and destruction thrives.

Life as we know it has ended, we are forever changed

Our city state is built upon the backs and visions of migrants. Most of us come from migrant ancestry. The pandemic makes no distinction, it's continued propagation taxes the healthcare system. The quick community spread is not only due to living conditions but the culture of BAU in a country state that has never allowed itself to be stalled. Its continued exponential spread uncovers and addresses but some of many weak links and blind spots that surfaced. We need to do better to care for each and every life, whether or not they have the financial means, those infected and all who will be. We are born of migrant stories too, yet to this day, we have not done enough to take care of those who keep the country going. What is meritocracy, when humanity is battling a disfunctional moral compass? Collective wisdom critical now, solutions focus; just hold the blame. No need to damn authorities, but we do need to do better. Truth is, some of the individual dumb decisions, committed in a moment of folly, for selfish myopic reasons, would irreversible change the fates of others who may not survive the complications of the illness. Civic-mindedness and grace to forgive, may appease the frustration, but we would all not be at ease with our own conscience if we have not done our utmost to expand our circle of influence to take effective action. Do what we can within our means, lest we be the downfall of others. May we all strive to drive sense into the hearts of those about us, and increase compassion to include more we can care for, if we are to beat this. Implore moral courage in communities to talk down poor and flawed conceptual discussions, before minority idiocy becomes public policy. Else we are as guilty of inaction. Staying home is not action, it is a minor temporary inconvenience for some; making a positive difference in the world by starting with the decision to be an asset to others, daily, that is action. Resources and alignment to selfless causes, will then come. It's never been resource limitations, its always been moral urgency or rather, its dalliance. May the pandemic that has opened our eyes, move our hands, just as it has moved our mouths.

HOME-BASE EVERYTHING... Times are achanging!

It takes a village to raise a child, nothing yet said if you've got yourself more than one XD ...for not all children are satisfied to conform to mediocrity, and yet others have callings beyond what their families are prepared for. We all do what little we can, God will find a way, He is the shepherd, and with Him, we are never lost.

Life throws many challenges, but if we miss opportunities simply because of comfort and convenience, we would undoubtedly be poorer for it

Seeing a surge in masked students congregating at sports facilities, asking to sit out of sports and training. Please, if one is unwell, do ensure separation from others, especially when coughing, sneezing and wheezing. However, it seems like a learned response, that the ill immediately cough and clear their throats in our general direction, as if to prove they are genuinely unwell, whenever we staff approach them to enquire on their well-being or even to converse.

Gentle reminder to students, not to come in for community sports session when ill (flu, fever, cough), though if you must come in to observe the session, it is a then a civic responsibility, especially during these trying times, to be considerate of those with vulnerable family members, namely, the aged and the young, whose immunity may not survive a strong viral infection. Never thought I'd say it, but thank you all for your attention to personal hygiene and kind cooperation, as we do our utmost to carry on with life at large, with an eye for personal accountability, and prudence. Mask up, maintain separation, while avoiding cross contamination of items and equipment.

Advocate eating, sleeping and hydrating well, balance your diet with adequate fruits and vitamins, so as to ensure a stronger immune system, and more critically be disciplined in getting routine exercise. In a time of workaholic-ism, this may even be a stoic reminder and excellent time to advocate nutritional needs and self-care. Take care all, rest where possible, for the longer academic and life journey ahead with Sports & Wellness, my friends!

"...this is madness!?!!" "THIS... IS... PE!!!"

There are good days, and there are trying days, but the days spent alongside this amazing team of spirited 'Movement Educators' are true blessings we can count on. Between the 'hellgates' of nCoV, conscientious personal hygiene advocacy & body fluid isolation briefings, hurried working lunches, stoic perimeter patrols, grim temperature screenings, throngs of guests & graduates streaming into campus for Graduation week, IPPT training & trial assessments, tedious admin processes, after-hours gym duties, student make up hours, CCA guidance & development, sports coaching sessions, strength conditioning rehab/prehab remedial training, student counselling, CA dialogues, First Aid rendering, differentiated coaching, special needs interventions and youth leadership development... I am truly grateful for your strength, and camaraderie in this amazing Phalanx of the Physical Education and Sports Dept! We ARE Physical Educators!!! Blessed by choice, to stand together! ...tonight, please, dine well, take care of yourselves, brothers and sisters, the legacy you build will always be appreciated, as I take this moment to reflect in gratitude, and thank each and every one of you for moulding minds, moving the seemingly immovable, motivating hearts, and inspiring positivity each new day!!!

Go... Team!!!

Growing up, growing older... feeling younger 💪

To each his own.. impart skills, equip values, and above all, allow self expression... we've all got but one unique life, it's our penultimate call to decide whether to traisp, meander, saunter, sprint or crawl... we're not going to regret living with purpose, however odd the purpose, but we're going to be sore about  not finding a semblence of a higher purpose... be kind to all we meet, for they are working on being better versions of themselves, some just dont know it yet, but they will, trust me, it's not worth sweating over the small stuff, and the secret's out, it's mostly small stuff... so think big, open up yer hearts and love, live! You owe it to yourself, and the people  whose lives will yet be transformed by your efforts upon the adventure that is YOUR life!!! In turn, be they inspired, influenced, guided, repelled, convicted in shared or opposing beliefs, its not ours to bemoan nor begrudge... If there's anything we can or must... just be... NICE, ALWAYS!!!