CrossFit #153 Fight For Hope

Fight For Hope was the name of the CrossFit Workout we did for #OBW2014.
It was a workout I thoroughly enjoyed and saw many people work hard for.
But I suppose if I can sum up a little of how this year feels like, well, it's a Fight For Hope
This year has been a particularly hard one. Not a bad one at any level at all.
But it's been pretty rough and hard. It required quite a bit of me at almost every stage of the game.
I was stretched, pulled, trampled, washed up, woken up, smacked out and revived.
However, it was a real Fight For Hope simply cause "Hope" isn't exactly the easiest thing to come by.

Real genuine hope is probably hard to come by.
Hope is different from worry, so very different.
Worry gets you know where, Hope propels you forward, to the next step.
So why Hope?

I guess a big part of the year, I have been in a worrying rut.
Setting up Innervate and making the effort to make opportunities come to pass.
It's a totally not easy job AT ALL.
You do what we can, we really do, but at the end of the day.
We can only Hope.
And that, very honestly, has been a struggle for me.
Now yes, Hope is important and many back their hope up on all the effort that they have put in.
Students hope for the best results but a big part of their confidence in that hope resides in the amount of effort that have put in to study.
It somewhat overlaps with Faith even.
However, for me, I guess I've been doing that.
I've been putting my faith, and been backing my hope up based on the effort that I've put in,
Be it in design work, working on my craft as a coach and athlete, marketing efforts, business development.
I've come to realize, that all of that, is for nothing.

I guess as a believer and a Christian.
Hope is something close to me.
But not because of my efforts.
I can hope simply because I have Jesus.
This Christmas, I was gently reminded of that fact.
I can be happy, I can walk out head held high, I can be confident about myself, I can have the hope that I am going to succeed and be the head and not the tail.
Not because of my efforts, not because of who I am even.
But simply because I have Jesus.

I guess when we start seeing Jesus in everything that we do, that is when things become better.
It's true when Jesus says, "my yoke is light." It makes it easier to live as a believer.
Because when we start having hope, we don't rely on our Strength but on His.
We start seeing things differently.
That no matter how good or bad the day, week, month or even year has been.
We can have hope that God is in control and that we, have Jesus with us.
 Then it becomes something different.
It now implies that our "bad" days, aren't really BAD.
We need to simply have a change in perspective and a change in where and how we place our hope.

Begin Hoping in Jesus.

Heroes

"You're not just anyone. One day you're doing to have to make a choice. You have to decide what kind of man you want to (grow up to) be. Whoever that man is, he's going to change the World."

Something that we all have.

Every single one of us have.

Even God didn't touch this.

We have the power of free will.

Yes, there's the whole debate on whether we really do have a free will or is everything pre-destined or fated for us all.

Ultimately, I believe we do have a free will and to a certain extent can control our future and our paths.

With that free will, comes the next big thing.

A choice

We can choose to stand and say yes.

Or crumble and say no.

We can choose to be shaped by the standards and words of another.

Or you can choose to say that I am a Child of God

We can choose to let our successes be defined by the amount of money we make

Or you can choose to have your success determined by the number of lives you change.

We can choose death.

Or we can choose life.

At the end of the day, the ball really, is in your court.

How you feel when you wake up tomorrow, is your choice.

Choose to feel awesome.

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything."

Gina Pt 1

**Disclaimer, this blog post is a mess, writing it isn't easy at all. I'm sure there's gonna be a better version as time goes by but oh well, if I get lazy, then so be it eh? (PS. it isn't coherent and English is all over the place, so if you can't stand it, well, don't read it k?:) )

There's got to be a thousand possible ways to deal with this.
I'm not good really.
I'm quite terrible at dealing with goodbyes.
Coming back home and realizing that this is going to be happening regardless of what I do.
Clueless is really the word to describe how I should be feeling right about now.
I could be hiding in the corner, sobbing weeks before it actually happens.
Alternatively, I could be whining on the phone for hours over.
Not saying they won't happen, there's a good chance it'll happen eventually.
However, right now.
I guess I find some solace in confiding in these few words.
It probably won't be the only post about this, but hey, we'll see.

Gina is going home in a couple of weeks.
I mean, she is GINA.
She is part of my Family. She is part of the household, She is part of me.
She's been taking care of me for the past 25 years.
Yes, she has made her fair share of mistakes.
But who hasn't? I mean, I know I have.
I have messed up so so so so many times and to see me come back, given multiple chances and yet Gina not being given that unreserved grace, somehow aches me.
Apart from all of that, she's done so so many things for my family.
Of which, a few things like holding the entire family together when it was about to crumble etc.
I mean, that's just naming a few things.
But really, she's done so much more for me.
She literally, brought me up. She has seen me grow up and seen me through so many things.

Some may really be thinking.
Well, she's just a helper, she's just a maid.
No.
No she isn't.
She's more than that.
She has transcended even the term "Family".
I think back and perhaps, I find her being the closest to me in this house hold.
I find her understanding me the most amongst all my relatives.
I see her keeping my secrets, even sharing some with me and I with her.
I remember how she has consoled me when I am down with the worst of heart breaks.
I recall how she pushes me to be better when she knows I can be better.
I fondly think back of the many times she has held my hands and felt my forehead, making sure that my fever has gone down.
For 25 years, she has become someone who can never be replaced.

I can't care less about how awesome the food is when she's around.
I really can't be bothered about how clean the house is as well.
What I do care about.
Is every time I walk through my doors.
Will I see her?
No matter how good or bad the day is, getting 6 A's for A levels, coming back from a long week in the Air Base, coming back with a dislocated shoulder from KL, returning home after a rough day at the box, returning home after the opening of the box for the very first time, coming home after countless exams in NUS, coming home after a very tiring long night out at zouk, coming home after studying 18 hours straight, coming back home when sometimes, I just don't feel like coming back home.
For the past 25 years, I've been greeted by the same person.
Every single time, the questions vary but the look of concern is always, always present.
That look, sometimes I take for granted, very honestly. That look, however, keeps me sane for just one more day.
It lets me know that perhaps, I can fight yet another day because someone else is willing to fight this battle with me.

You know how they always say, that friends can come and go, even relationships can change in a snap of a finger.
But I guess, this is something very very different.
I've been alive for 25 years, and she has cared for me for all 25 years.
So yes, I am getting a little emotional and incoherent in this blog post. It's not for readers, really, it's just sorta a coping mechanism for me...
So back at it.
Things can change in life, really.
And Gina leaving, will be a huge dramatic change to this entire equation.
I'm going to be blunt. She has seen me in the happiest of my days and comforted me when I have been the worse at my breakups, failures, sicknesses, disappointments and utter drunkenness.
Now who is gonna be doing that? I have no idea at all.
Perhaps it's time for me to really man up, for me to really really grow up.
Well, she's gonna be leaving yes, but that doesn't mean she's going to be totally cut off
Thank God for FaceTime yeah.

I do feel sad that she is leaving and I mean, this is honestly worst than any possible break up or heart break that I have experienced.
I recall once, when I was on exchange in the States.
I missed home. I really did. But hey, I was having fun and a ball of a time. I didn't really care much.
However, one day, I heard from someone, that Gina, sometimes still wakes up, walks up to my room at 8am in the morning, keen on waking me up and realizes I'm not home. She missed me.
I know my family and loved ones missed me, I really did but it really broke my heart to hear that Gina missed me.
Now that really made me miss home.
Wherever she is, that to me, is definitely going to be home.

I'm not very good with expressing myself in person or doing this at all. I'm quite a mess right now but oh well, it's my blog, whatever. I just hope that Gina, you can somehow read this one day.

I'm going to miss you Gina.
I'm going to miss you so so so much.
I haven't had the chance to say this before.
But thank you for keeping me alive when life was pretty shit when I was a kid.
Thank you for loving me in this family that is so hard to love.
Thank you for bringing me up.
Thank you for being who you are.
Thank you for loving me with your food, your smiles, your joy, your words, your hugs and your kisses.
Thank you for holding my hand while I walk to school when I was 9 and thank you for hugging me when I opened Innervate CrossFit.
Thank you for loving me.
I will see you again very soon, I'm sure, be it in Singapore, Ilo Ilo, online or anywhere else in the World.
I love you, Gina.

Cross-Fit #151 The Perspective

Sometimes, perspective is all you need.

You don't need more time, more money, more strength, more fitness.
Sometimes all you need is perspective.

When you start seeing the situation around you differently, your reality changes.

No matter what people say.

No matter how the facts are laid out in front of you

Reality is shaped based on your perspective.

A friend once said, that you gravitate towards the news that suits your character.

You simply reject those which aren't aligned with yours.

And how true is that.

I can tell you that a beef is good for you.

But if deep down inside, you know with all your heart, that rice is best.

Sorry, I can't do much for you.

It's a matter of perspective.

Not to say we don't try to steer those off tangent back in line.

But we need to respect free will.

Either way, this isn't about others.

It's about us. It's about YOU.

If you start thinking every other day, that your circumstances just suck.

Then perhaps, they will.

If you wake up, thinking to yourself, UNFAIR, LIFE IS UNFAIR.

Then perhaps, life will be unfair.

If you wake up, thinking to yourself. Troubles may come but, I'm a fighter.

Then maybe, just maybe, life will be better.

OR if you wake up being CONVINCED that God is Good all the time.

Then maybe, life will be really awesome.

Because no matter your situation, no matter what you're going through, life is going to be awesome because God is a good plan for you. That if he cares more for the sparrows, won't he do the same or more for your lives?

It's about perspective. 

See through a different lens.

CROSS-FIT #150 And a new phase begins

Finally, after so many years of education, it has finally come to an end

My days of mugging endlessly in a bid to climb and run the rat race has finally come to an end.

It's really funny, how my perspective of life has changed all these years.

I mean, I take a good step back and look back at my younger years (Not to say I'm really old)

But wow, it's really been quite an awesome ride, it really has.

And honestly, I thank God for that.

I mean, take a look at the blog archives on the right, this blog has existed for quite some time.

Because of that, I guess it somehow chronicles my entire life.

From the things I value, to thoughts that dominate my mind

Yes, it's fun. However, right now, it's time to move on to the next phase of life.

The graduation hat has been thrown, the words have been said and I've been cast into the deep.

One thing I do remember and has lasted through all my days.

Is passion for people.

From my younger years, I've always had this inclination to work with people.

To work to benefit others and make their lives better.

Thus I initially wanted to become a teacher, helping others grow!

However, after some time, I guess I got pushed to think of the corporate sector instead.

I guess after all this time, I've come one full circle.

Because when the call really comes, you can't run from it.

I've always wanted to make people better and this is what I'm going to do.

Innervate CrossFit was birthed because of that.

Because me, Moses and Lenny want to make a difference in the lives of others.

We want to Forge Elite Lives and Make People Better.

To make this a "Box without walls" and to find a need and meet it, a weakness and strengthen it.

As I step into this next phase of life, there will be MANY obstacles and MANY sleepless nights.

There's no doubt that if the ride is a smooth one, then something is wrong.

It's definitely gonna be a rocky one.

But I'm ready for it and I'm excited for it.

Mid Year Gratitude

This platform has been largely neglected.

All the busyness, hasn't been very helpful in creating time to update my blog.

It's not that I don't think that I have nothing good or no new revelations about CrossFit and Life.

I just didn't have the time to come out of my hiding hole to get it all typed out.

Well it's a Sunday and I guess its about time I did something about that.

Right now, after such a long hiatus, I don't really know where to start anymore or where to begin.

I suppose it's only right if I take some time to take a step back and be thankful.

Might sound like I'm being all sentimental and nostalgic by taking time to reminisce about everything that has happened in my life, especially this year.

But it's half way through the year, think it might be a good time to just recap a couple of things that has happened.

1) Innervate CrossFit

2) BootCamp Kick Start

3) Finishing FYP and SDP 

4) Finishing University Education

5) CrossFit Singapore Progress / 5th Year

6) Emerge

7) CrossFit Kids Course

8) Commitment to Serving and Humility

9) Many Many Cell Groups and Services which have been profoundly impactful

10) Ning's Birthday!

11) Second Attempted Tech Start-Up

12) First Tech Start-Up not being realized

13) CrossFit Games Open
14) Coursera Courses!

Well, some things might seem trivial to some. However, these are just a few things which are etched in my mind in the first half of the year. It has been quite a ride, really. Thank God for the amazing things that has happened thus far. Things will only get better (and busier) 

Why do this? Why count your blessings so early on? Or as what others would say, why count your eggs before they hatch? I guess it does something to you. Something Dr Robi (A clinical Psychologist) said previously was this, when you engage in gratitude, what doesn't ill you only makes yo strongerand that grateful people are less likely to feel envy, regret and produce stress in our lives. 

So what can we be excited about in the coming few months? I don't know man, but one thing that I'm certain of, I can't wait for them to happen. I can't wait for those breakthroughs and am hoping for amazing things to happen.

PSA. If you haven't heard, Innervate CrossFit is going to be opening soon. STAY TUNED!

Cross-Fit #149 The Dry Spell

I don't know if you've noticed but Singapore just overcame perhaps the biggest drought in like fifty years or so. It came to an end when the rain hit just a week ago.

It was really hot and really dry.

It was so dry that the grass along the pavements started to brown out.

Gosh, I recall everyone just pleading for it to rain already.

It's as if the rain came miraculously and suddenly.

When it came, gosh it came mightily. 

Sometimes, we have dry periods.

We do.

We experience dryness not just in work or in life or even in the weather.

We experience dryness in our training in CrossFit.

You seem to hit a wall.

You can't progress anymore.

Every single day, suddenly the training program becomes more and more arduous.

You're more inclined to sit at home, order a pizza and watch YouTube than go and hit the box.

CrossFit does that to you sometimes.

In fact, I think every sport does that to you.

I won't call it a burn out, no no.

It's just a really dry period. Things are just hard going in every aspect.

And often, our lives aren't segmented that easily.

One thing affects another.

If training is bad, gosh, it spills over to your relationships, time management and lifestyle.

But what happens when the brook dries up?

When happens when you have somehow no more gas to continue?

Where is the rain? Where is it when you are truly desperate?

I guess that's what Faith is all about.

It's when the dry spell comes and is here to stay but you keep on the good work.

Your spirit is down, you are tired.

This is when you must remember what God has done for you.

You must remember what he has done for you in your past victories and also defeats.

You have to recall the promises in the Bible and his hand upon your life.

Each step of the way.

Every single step of the way.

Remember that God is Good all the time.

And all the time, God is Good.

Like how the dry spell came to an end in a spectacular fashion.

Your dry spell has an expiry date too.

You too, can come back stronger than ever.

But hang in there. Hang in there.

Remember your dreams, remember your visions.

Let it be the guiding force of your life.

Let what you do, resound with passion every single day.

Because rain will come.

#Cross-fit 148 Are you ready?

It's less than a week away...

It's the time of the year yet again.

The Opens!

This year, however, was slightly different.

After last November, the shoulder was quite out of action.

So it really dealt quite a big blow to be physically as well as emotionally.

Strength wise, i wasn't able to do very much for my upper body.

Mentally, I just somehow lost a whole lot of spirit.

Then for some amazing miraculous reason, I started to recover, FAST.

One and a half months ago, I was pretty sure, I wouldn't be in the running for the Opens.

Weights being pulled were simply not there yet.

However, right now, I'm just a couple of pounds shy of my previous maxes.

Which in turn translates to my shoulders pretty much being at a 100%.

So yes, just a week ago, I signed up for the opens.

Unprepared. Completely unprepared.

I signed up for the Opens.

Why? I mean, I haven't been really focusing and dialing down the extra metcons.

I haven't been working as intensely as previous years.

So why bother?

I realized that at the end of the day, the CrossFit Games is really gonna be a test of my fitness.

Right here, right now, how fit am I?

How capable am I of certain tasks? No matter my current physical state.

But that's life isn't it?

There isn't gonna be any big sign boards telling you to prepare for a big ordeal coming your way.

It just happens.

And when it does, how're you gonna respond to that?

Are you gonna face up to the challenges or flee completely?

The Opens is upon us, I'm facing that head on.

Irregardless of how I perform, how well or how badly I do.

I'm gonna be happy and thankful that I'm given this opportunity to do so.

CrossFit Games Opens 2014.

Let's get it on!

Cross-fit #147 Attention

There's a kid in all of us.

We all love to move, jump, throw, run and do things that kids all like to do.

And it's not exactly a bad thing. Just like kids, seeing some people do things they never thought they could, makes it all worth it.

However, just like kids, we adults sometimes have the attention span of kids as well.

Ever had a few moments where you just came back from a rough day of work.

Walked in to the box and gosh the workout is extremely tough.

And to add to the fire, it's technical too.

The movements need to be carefully taught before executed.

And now you grow impatient. Then you do the one thing that is so natural.

You switch off. You begin looking around, playing around with your own weights and bars without really paying attention.

However, its the minor details and attention you give that would really help in producing a great athlete in you. It's the attention you give that will prevent you from being injured.

Just like kids, we all love to have fun.

Sometimes, we take it overboard.

Then we get hurt, we come home crying and complaining about this teacher or that.

However, instead of being kids, now we're adults. We aren't exactly in the position to go home to mummy or daddy. Then what do we do? We take it upon ourselves and just not show up altogether.

Each step of the way, we have to learn to pay attention to the simplest of instructions, no matter how mundane, there's always something new to learn or better still, remember.

Cross-fit #146 The habit

"I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. Half of the things you do you might just as well turn over to me and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed – you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great individuals and, alas, of all failures, as well. Those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human. You may run me for profit or run me for ruin – it makes no difference to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
I am Habit"

Habits is the root of commitment to a lifestyle or anything at all in life.
Your life is effectively determined by it.
In the small and big things.
From hygiene to business.
From lifting to walking posture.
Habit forms the basis for success and it's going to be so especially in Crossfit.

Form the habit of walking up to the bar with the same procedure every single time.
Form the habit of mentally cueing in your head when it does get tiring.
Form the habit of simply showing up day after day even after a totally smashed day.
Habits like these make the progress easier, it makes the ride less painful.

Similarly, habits form the basis of any successful individual out there.
Do a quick Google and you'l notice many habits of successful people and the small little things that they do.
Notice that, the habits aren't big noticeable ones.
Most crucial habits are the small ones. Those that go unnoticed.
But those habits are the ones that will bring discipline, maturity and confidence in your life.

Jesus had the habit of praying daily, even when he was so tired in the garden of Gethsemane.
Because of this habit, he had the mental capacity to deal with the other issues which needed more drive.
Form good habits.
Because they're going to determine, You.

Cross-fit #145 Caution vs Fear

In the midst of rapidly recovering from my injury, I feel like I'm just starting out all over again.
I find myself re-learning movements, re-learning the basics of basics.
And excelling at them, even though they're darn simple.
Then there're movements which are just ground-breaking, those which I (Kinda) never thought I was going to do ever again, or at least not in the near future.
Things like Snatching, Jerking, Toes To Bar or Muscle Ups.
I recall doing them and being in utter amazement at how great God is.
But of course, there's always that fear in the back of my head.
So many, what-ifs....
What if I fall and injure myself? What if I snatch and somehow dislocate my shoulder?
So much fear.

Of course, I went into those movements because I was given the green light by none other than Coach.
He encouraged (Forced) me to do them.
So after succeeding, there's still that sense of fear.
Coach asked, "Any pain? Any at all?"
The response was, "No, but I'm scared, really scared".
Coach replied, "It's not fear, it is now caution and you need to be cautious".

I realized that there's really a fine line between being cautious and being fearful.
Being cautious is to take extra care, to pay extra attention to every detail that is in a movement. It focuses and brings out the best while pushing the limits bit by bit.
Being afraid, simply just causes you to be all over the place. You keep thinking of the problem, such that there's a good chance that it might just actually occur. You focus on the problem not the solution.
We should be cautious and not afraid.
In our movements, approach to Crossfit and even to life.
Be cautious of a workout, know that it is going to be spicy but give the appropriate attention to the smallest of details to make you succeed. Being afraid just causes you to hesitate and might even "fear-out" from doing it altogether.
Be cautious in life, be aware of your surroundings and your environment you're working in. Be aware of the fine points in that big presentation. Don't be afraid because that'll just cause you to stumble.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
Even in our relationship with God.
Live life, not just as one whom is afraid of God and the consequences that might arise because you sin.
But to know and have Godly fear, to be aware that his presence is here and to live life because you want to do it right, not because of the potential downfalls.
We all live for the Glory of God in our lives. So when the time comes and we have to actually make certain decisions to live it right, are we going to do so because we're afraid of going to hell? Or are we doing so because we want to please God.
The mental state of both approaches are so similar but are in fact, very different.

Live life differently.
Not being afraid, because living in fear or things isn't going to help you grow.
Live life with caution and embrace that God-given freedom you have.

CROSS-fit #144 The little battles

Social media, advertising and marketing have sensationalized the big battle.

You see the big games on the court or field. You see clips of big dunks and big lifts.

You see the big battles and big victories.

Little do they know that the big battles have already been decided weeks before it has even begun

The media has perverted the way someone actually achieves success

it begins in the small battles and the big one is just the one tipping point of it all.

It's the little things in your life that count, not the small ones.

The BIG battles could be, Making that big Clean or Snatch.

It could be the big business deal which is about to be clinched.

But really, the important moments are the small ones.

Just turning up day after day, is a victory in itself.

Deciding to show up, deciding to make a conscious decision to push yourself daily.

Not giving up when you're tired, not from the workout or from your job, but deep down inside in your spirit.

That's a small victory.

It's these small victories which make a man.

Rich Froning wasn't made overnight. I'm sure he had many small battles.

Live life like Christ, fight those small battles day after day, to make yourself count for Christ.

Fight the temptation, that nudging thought in your head, it might be a small battle, but win them all.