CROSS-fit #81 Get Real or get out

The innate nature of human beings is to be biased.
We can't trust our own judgement at times. Most of the times, we can consider ourselves right or wrong...
However, more often than not, we're biased.
Giving biased and unfounded comments on a certain subject or worst still a certain person.
And you'll notice that you're never wrong.
Even the best of the best, when they're in it to win it, they're always right.
"My lift is the best, my metcon is superior"
"My train of thought is more in depth compared to yours"
"Your training methodology is inferior, I'm obviously better."
We all think of it, it's natural.
But it's a totally different thing to act on it.
We're biased towards ourselves.
Something Coach K frequently does in a very subtle way...

He never boasts to say that his training methodology is the best, he let's the records and numbers show it.
With the number of incoming trainers from overseas, partnerships, sponsorships, athlete growth.
It's all staggering.
That is something that you can't be biased about. Hard facts.
Real numbers.
If you're good, you'e good.
Enough said.

CROSS-fit #80 Is it about you or them?

Our lives and our World revolves around people; friends and family alike.

Some of them, close enough to define our lives.

Close enough to shape whatever you do and guide your thoughts and dreams.

But is that supposed to be the way?

Are our lives ours? Or simple what others make it to be?

In the recent workouts I've done (Not many due to the pending papers approaching), one of which was really different and a first if I may add.

It was a heavy heavy workout, muscle ups and 170# thrusters. 9-6-3 in that order with a 10 minute cutoff.

Thought to myself that I should be able to do it, I have to do it, mentally I need to win.

Think Coach saw that in me that day and so 3-2-1 Go.

1st round done and it took a staggering 4 minutes. WHAT!? I've got 6 more minutes to blast through everything I just did and I'm gassed and exhausted...

2 rounds done and I'm at 8 minutes.

"Why on Earth is time passing SO FAST!?"

Then the countdown began on my last thruster. 10 seconds left....

Last round was completed in the nick of time with a second to go.

Or so I thought....

"8:21" said Coach.

Whoa whoa whoa, I thought it was like 9:58 or something, 8:21!?

Part of me felt extremely played, but another part, extremely glad I decimated the WOD.

So whilst breathing hard on the floor, I realized....

Do we do workouts or things for that matter to attribute it to our own level of expectations or that of others?

Many a times we gauge our standards based on what others tell us.

Of course it's a pushing factor but what we do know, is it for ourselves anymore?

Or to reach an elusive goal that someone else has set for us?

Then again, sometimes we don't know our limits and those who know us better than ourselves can push us better...

Taking a step back, it's actually simple..

Having the idea that you want it in your head, badly and letting others guide you along the way.

It's just like how anyone starts a fitness program, they have in their head, an idea that they want to get fit.

Thereafter, it's all on the trainer to guide, shape and mould that...

No man is an island, that's right.

But what everyone else needs to do is have something in mind, for yourself.

Then get whatever everyone else is saying and align it to what you want to see...

Gotta start somewhere, might as well start up in your head...

CROSS-fit #79 Trade off

There's always a trade-off.

No matter how small or big.

If you focus on your strength, your metabolic conditioning is bound to drop.

Focus on flexibility and stamina, your strength may just plummet.

Do heavy reps and never attempting a 1 rep max. Soon, the reps will catch up to you.

So how to be a all-rounder? One that's good at everything.

To be great at lifts and met-con at the same time.

The elites have somehow found a way to perfect it and no,  it's not just the genes.

As they always say, crossfit is constantly varied, purely functional, highly intense.

But then again, you will only get random success with random programming.

To ensure success, have proper programming.

The beasts out there have been training day and night for months.

However, it isn't just the sheer volume of workload they do every single day.

It's about what they do.

Carefully planned, meticulously scrutinized training regimes.

Every workout is planned and executed precisely as planned.

This is key.

The magic doesn't begin with the plates or the rack.

It begins on the white board.

What're you planning today?

Proper growth plans or just random scheduling.

The latter is easily disguised as the former.

Be careful to distinguish between both of them.

Patterns are not uncommon for good trainers It may seem to be a contradiction to "constantly varied".

But as said before, it isn't random success we're looking for.

It's a sustained one.

CROSS-fit #78 Don't let your dreams die.

So comes the end of the Crossfit Open Games 2012.
Maybe to some, so concludes their ever elusive dream of competing in the main arena.
Where the big boys roll.
To some, it's just the start of something big, something amazing.
But at the end of it all, do we become better or bitter?
Do we stand taller than how we were like before?
What have we learnt...

They say that every single day is just a sum of whatever that has happened in days before.
Well, it is true. Everything that happens today, will eventually affect tomorrow.
Disregard your entire past, it's all about today.
The past has come and gone, results have come and gone, past relationships, past sins.
All of them have met their expiry date.
Yeah, you may have messed up in all the open WODs, man you may have even messed your entire life up...

But what are you going to do about it?
Let all those dreams slip away? Beat yourself up over it? Or get up and learn from them...
No matter what happens in the future, you can better yourself NOW.
I kind of messed up in all the Open workouts. In one way or another...
Shouldn't have been drinking in the months before that... weeks before that even.
Should have gotten more rest.
Should have worked on my weaknesses more each time....
We all have our 'should' and things we could all place blame upon.

Don't!

Pluck that courage up and admit that you've made them mistakes.
That you aren't strong enough and you've got things to work on.
After competing, over the past few days, I've come up with a list...

Am I ashamed of my weaknesses?
Nope.
I'd rather be aware of them, expose them, so they have no power over me...
Cause one day, my weaknesses will becomes strengths.
Items on the left will go to the right.

Make it YOUR decision today.
It's only march and the great thing is that the year is barely through. Make some decisions for yourself today...

To be a better you, tomorrow.

CROSS-fit #77 Again?

The last and final Crossfit Open WOD, the much anticipated workout which would tip the scales for many...
The FRAN LADDER!? What! A repeat!?
So much for creativity aye HQ guys.
Many have threw in comments like it's poor programming, lousy methodology.
The net thrown won't be big enough to encompass everyone...

What is everyone talking about!?
I say I'm glad it's a repeat! Most are going on whining about it cause they're afraid.
Are you?
Take it as a platform for those guys whom can't go anywhere near the regionals or to the games itself to gauge themselves. It allows for them to look at themselves and see if they've gotten stronger.
I know I definitely did. In such a setting, with my mind and body in tune.
What better scenario to throw in a benchmark workout then in the Open.

So, Have you gotten stronger? Or have you slacked off?
Whatever it is...
There's next round, next year.

CROSS-fit #76 2 years and going strong

So much can change in a span of a few months.

Take that and think of it in terms of 2 years.

Look back and see how far you've come. Just once in a while, I'd like to do that.

It's been 2 years since I started the Sport of Crossfit.

I have no idea where to begin...

It's been a long and tough journey, week after week. Getting beaten and battered every single time.

Learning from the mistakes and the victories.

Getting reprimanded from leaving the bottles around, getting encouraged when the workout doesn't go too well and getting praised for making that PR.

Time and time again.

So many have asked me, why do I still go back?

Crossfit, in general and not just at CFSG, is an expensive place to be training at!

You pay top dollar for great coaching but hey you can get a similar (but of course a lousier) experience at a much cheaper Fitness First gym.

Recently, many have called crossfit a cult, a 'religion' even. 

So why, why do people pay and still come back again and again, to get bruised on the legs, the neck, the collarbone.

To experience immense pain and love it, to go back at it almost everyday. To smell the weights and love it.

There's no local competition in which we have, it is growing I must say, but there isn't a very large scale one.

Yeah there're the Crossfit games Open, the international competition, but face it, no way am I going all the way in the future. So what is it?

Maybe it's the people? The way they shout, cry, encourage, bleed, scold, laugh and smile with you

Or it's the results that it has produced? The numbers that come along with it and the many PRs... 

Or maybe the relief from stress? 

Probably it's really just fun! Weird ass scenarios like Ops GA.

The love for competition maybe? Like how there're the local and international Games along with almost every workout being some sort of a competition.

Or I guess it's the food that comes with the workouts? The many crazy BBQs we've had.

Perhaps it's the way that it actually gives back to the community in an amazing way. Like OBW and coaching the youths of our generation...

Coach says that Crossfit Singapore is going to be known as one of the best Strength and Conditioning places in the World. I have got to agree with that.

However, I'm going to take it further, it's probably one of the best places to be at, period.

I couldn't describe CFSG with just a simple phrase or just one line.

Like how I can't describe Crossfit with one line. Like how I can't summarize my entire 2 years into a sentence. It's well, everything that I could ask for..

I Crossfit because of everything above. 

I Crossfit because it's me.

Is there more to life other than this? Yeah, of course.

Is there more to come after the past 2 years? Definitely.

But one thing is for sure, this Crossfit journey isn't going to stop in the near future.

There has been rough times, really rough ones when juggling it all hasn't been easy but....

Crossfit has changed almost everything. 

Here's where I found much of what I'm passionate about.

Where God is and always will be the center of it all.

That is CROSS-fit.

CROSS-fit #75 Let's go

It takes time, but come on, let's go.
Get off the couch, stop chewing that bread stick and munching on those chips.
Your life is in your hands.
Not in the hands of a machine, a car, a system an order per se.
Living in an Ergonomic environment, we all want to live life based on what we have.
No matter how we argue it, we reside in an environment whereby technology, exploitation, rules.
In turn, we have come up with so many problems and difficulties for no one but ourselves.
We take a little time to look at our surroundings and you have people complaining about lower back pains.
We have issues such as pained shoulder joints.
Therefore sparking the rise of contentions and the need for addressing 'problems'.
We begin to look at the way our lives which has been greatly revolutionized and begin to insist that the change is good.
However like an old philosopher once said, (or maybe 9gag)
"Not all change is good".
No doubt, change is the only constant in life but we have to recognize that not all of it is good.
We have become reliant on technology, compatibilities, we become slack, we lack the desire to effect more innate change in ourselves.
Instead of correcting an issue of sitting less, we make a more comfortable chair to ease the back pains.
But really, is making a new chair going to solve the problem or is simply sitting lesser the better option??
We have made a mountain out of a molehill. And this is coming from an engineers perspective.
Not one whom is a fanatic on fitness, but one whom looks at human kind and wonders if all these advancements are worth while.

When I bring across the term, 'old school', what do people think of?
What do you think of?
Something good? Or bad?
Think of the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson.
Look at how 'amazing' we've become. Yeah, there's been the rise of stars such as 'Usain Bolt'.
But sorry, Old school is just old school.
It comes across as Strong, fierce, determined, undeveloped for sure but resilient.

I'm not trying to bring the past back to the future. I'm trying to bring across the need of the fundamentals.
No, it's not just in fitness and crossfit (though I could give a whole lecture on it)
It's about our lifestyles in all ways.
Let's go, get up and let's go.

CROSS-fit #74 Sunset

It is now close to the halfway mark of the games.
Workout 12.2 wasn't the easiest as we had all imagined it to be.
Amrap Snatches!? Something has got to be up with Castro's mind. But nonetheless, a good workout for the masses, not just the crossfit guys.
However, that aside, how's everyone holding up in the games??
2 workouts in and the rankings are really starting to shape up.
Those who are in the running to make it to the regionals, keep going, but for those who're pretty far away, what's running through that mind of yours?
It's 2 workouts in, if you had initially thought that getting in to the regionals would be a breeze, think again.
Not such a walk in the park is it?? But hey, nothing in life is.
The 1RM backsquat doesn't come with you sitting down on a chair in front of your computer everyday.
It comes with real, concentrated effort.
On the form, on the sets, on the reps. Every single one of them.

I guess I know how it feels, to be that close but still that far, but the games ain't over yet.
The day isn't over till the sun sets on you.
So don't you give up on it now. It'll be a waste to all that you've worked for.
Nobody looks back thinking that they were lousy even though they gave their best, they only regret with the thought that they're lousy cause they didn't give their best.
So come on.
Let's go.
12.3 awaits.

CROSS-fit #73 To win it all

Taking out the everyday Workouts and the tiring rat race in society
It's been about 4 years since I've actually competed.
Competed in any form of athletic competition at all.
The CROSSFIT GAMES. The challenge and quest to find the fittest on Earth.
Last year, Rich Froning took it all.
The year before, think it was Graham Holmberg.
Of which, legends such as Chris Spealler, Jason Khalipa all fought it out to win it all.
However, All of them, every single one of them have had their hits and misses.
We're all in it to win it all. One way or another. Everyone here competes thinking that they can go all the way.
Either that or they've got a goal in mind, something like I wanna beat my old record, my old standing.
For me, I want to see where I stand, I want to hopefully, try to make it to the regionals in Asia.
At least make it in terms of standings.
Next year is another battle altogether.
However, every wondered, what if... Just what if.. You don't make it.
Sorry folks, there's only 1 person in the entire World that's gonna take that title of fittest on Earth.
I'd think that that's quite an exclusive title if you ask me...
So Rich Froning took it, then what about Spealler? What about Khalipa?
Simple, they don't give up.
I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times, but Champions aren't those who never fail but those whom never quit.
But, really, it's as simple as that....
You're never the winner all the time, it's not going to be peachy perfect all the time.
So embrace it and learn.
In whatever cause you're striving for, if you miss by just this much, or miss by a whole yard.
Who cares...
There's always the next round, and the round after that...
Even if that fails, there's the next field, the next industry, the next profession.
So long as your heart doesn't die, then your drive wouldn't.
No matter what happens in 2012 Crossfit games, let's do this, not just for the games, but for life.
So yes, you, you and you. If' you're fitter than me, watch out, cause one day, maybe tomorrow, maybe a few years down the road, I will get better.
We will get stronger, together.
PS. I'll be cheering for ya.

CROSS-fit #72 Nativity

I'm not so into fitness and Crossfit till I neglect everything that circles in the World behind my walls.

Or should I say across the border for that matter.

There's been just way too much hype about one certain individual in the NBA nowadays.

They call him "Linsanity" or Jeremy Lin.

Born and raised in Taiwan, China. A strong Christian and graduate from Harvard University.

Now let's just take a moment and think about it.

This fella isn't half bad! He doesn't have unnatural genes like Yao Ming or a huge body like Dirk.

He's got something which well, I must say Asians exemplify.

Determination.

He drives, dives, fights and practically does anything for the ball.

No matter how much of an underdog he may be. He's got heart.

And being placed in a totally foreign land, I gotta say, he's got courage too!

So no matter where you started from, damn don't give in to that 'stereotype'.

Lin didn't. So live it up and be someone special.

They say that change is the only constant in life.

But man, so many of us just avoid it. Try to cover it and are seemingly ignorant towards it.

Get some courage and face that change.

CROSS-fit #71 Beautiful

It has been a concept in everyone's mind. That to be fit, to be strong means not to be unshapely.

For a guy, fine. To be big and strong, who wouldn't mind that?

But really, what matters is how you define yourself isn't it? It's who you say you are here and now.

It's what you've got...

Right now, in the states, it's a perception that being a size 6, is a plus size.

Pardon me for my ignorance but a size 6!?!? I don't think that's too big...

But man, to see how people just condemn, look down on someone who's a size 6!

No wonder so many are afraid to get strong, they just don't want to bulk up, to look 'ugly'.

No wonder girls just don't wanna lift weights, even though, really, it's essential to them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing other sports whatsoever.

Some exercise is better than no exercise.

But that's how you get many sidelined forms of fitness, yoga, pilates etc etc, but sorry, that ain't fit in my books.

It's an all encompassing broad range of qualities that no one thing can provide.

If they could only look beyond the numbers on the scale, look beyond what the magazines, the media tells them. That hey, no matter what, you're beautiful.

That liberty comes when you can do anything and everything, to believe in YOURSELF and not the numbers.

Don't think I haven't thought of it.

Guys, you're not all clean as well. Cosmetic fitness ain't gonna cut it.

Getting big, strong, firm, hard doesn't say a single thing.

Man even your clean and jerk doesn't say much.

Your squat weight doesn't tell the story of who you really are.

Maybe, it's how you are when you don't get that weight.

When there's just nobody around to care, are you still gonna do it?

Be beautiful, in your own ways, deep down inside.

CROSS-fit #70 Big and Strong

We all coin the term big and strong, big and strong, big and strong.
To get strong, inside or out, you gotta get big, inside or out.
But what if that just isn't you to begin with?
I've seen many people raise questions about their own physique, stating that...
"Hey, my body just isn't meant to be this way, it isn't meant to lean out and grow".
Or, Crossfit just isn't for me, I don't wanna bulk up.
Well, I don't condemn any one of those statements but I'll just question back.
Which is better? Fitness or how your body looks like?
It's the simple priorities in life.
Yeah we all wanna get big (for guys)
Look like a million dollars when we step into the room.
But when it really boils down to who you really are inside.
I'm sorry to say that I don't think the ripples in your body will do you any good.
Rather, it's the substance beneath that which proves who you really are....
Being fit, being able to do things you know others can't, being able to accomplish a feat you never though possible. Now that's something that'll bring confidence up.
Of yourself, of those around you and of those looking up to you.
Yeah, looks are great, but come on, get with the program, go for being fit.
No one likes a superficial person do they?
So be who you really are....
If you're Big and Strong, you'll naturally show.
Inside and out.
(To me, looking good is just a bi-product of fitness, Just saying...)

Looking back

There're just moments in life, when you look back.

Sometimes you smile, sometimes you frown.

But ultimately, 2011 is coming to an end.

It's really ending, all the good times, the bad times.

It's all coming to a close and we're all gonna start afresh again in 2012.

Maybe not everything has a restart button to be pushed and tadah, everything is sweet and peachy again...

We may not be able to change the situation we're in but....

Perhaps we can change our perspectives of the year.

Looking back, 2011 was by far, the most dramatic year of my life, ever.

I must say that I've thoroughly lived every single moment of it...

I've grown, I've stumbled, I've learnt, I've changed.

This year, I've found myself, who I am and have lived that way ever since.

Doubt I'll really be recollecting moments... Cause these moments aren't exactly defining of the year.

I guess I wanna pen down, well, the things that I've learnt from these events the past year.

1) It takes a decision.

Your heart shifts, it changes, it gets pulled away from one corner to the other.

But really, what does it stand for?

Yeah, as much as it's an emotion, it's a decision. 

To choose what you want to do and not to let your life simply go with the flow.

Guess this was in January and February, the seperation.

Times were good, they were great. The past will always be gleaming with hope.

But there's a better life ahead waiting for both and every one of us.

2) Your heart is rasher than you think

The heart makes dumb decisions which well, fool you into eventually making them.

Choices are at your disposal.

Don't just use your heart, use your head as well.

However, mistakes of great proportions may be made along the way.
I've made some real dumb ones this year, there're many.

However, one, I really wish I could take back. Rui.

However, live and let live, move on head strong and let's see how things can change.

3) Pillar of Friends

When you're down and out, yeah, that's when your few buds really play in.

This year, I never thought that those who came to me were them.

I really never expected the BDPs to run to my rescue after being in the rut for so long.

Sadly, even family didn't help much. But they did...

Thus, I've gotten much closer to them, many of them have had their own trials and we've stood by ever since. I honestly don't think I can find a better bunch.

It's how these boys just love who you really are...

Not just them but many others as well, YX, YL, Abel, Brenda, Audrey, Der and the 1989s.

All of them have made such a long lasting effect on my life.
These friends in 2011 will never be forgotten and I guess I now know the true need for friendships
Thanks for all the suppers, meet ups, jokes, drinks and laughter

4) Temptations and Mistakes will always come.

It isn't the easiest to differentiate the good from the bad when you have nothing at all.

Everything just seems bad.

So yeah, it all happened so quickly, so easily, to simply fall for another.

When it was all pretty much a wrong decision altogether.

Friends have told me, God has told me but a stubborn man is just a stubborn man.

So sometimes, hold on, but sometimes, let go.

PK was pretty much a big flaw of that sort.

However, I eventually found what I want and what I didn't want.

I had to be at peace with myself, that, I realized.

5) Not everyone is gonna take you as you are

Not everyone is going to accept you as you are, even if they say they will.

Judging is one thing altogether but accepting is a totally different story altogether.

A higher level of acceptance I must say.

Some friends may take you as you are, but some just demand more.

I've learnt that there're people of such sort, that you need to put in effort for it.

That, I have mistaken and never thought it would come to such standards.

Not everyone functions and thinks like you. Some may eventually have the false impressions of relationships.

I had hoped to salvage certain relations but really, some people are simply better off without me.

They simply live happier lives without me.

I know YL will for sure.

6) God is still present

There're moments when you think that everything has gone down the drain and you're pretty much done for.

That's when God suddenly turns up and well, picks you up.

Telling you that there's still an impact in your life.

That he hasn't left you and that YOU can do greater things in every situation and moment.

In Loud Camp, I was given opportunities to do things I never thought I would ever again/

Higher made me realize how dependent I am on GOD and how I simply can't let go so easily.

And Audio Mob reminded me of the impact that we can have on society and the World.

With man this is impossible but with GOD, all things are possible.

7) Be who you really are

There're just times when you need a timely reminder of who you are in GOD.
I guess the past 21 years have been hidden, a mystery, a confusing venture whereby I just had so many sides of Lionel that it wasn't even funny to begin with.
I guess it caused me to break down deep inside bit by bit which eventually climaxed this year.
However, it was also a year whereby I started to find who I really am again.
Be that person and be proud of that, no matter what anyone else says.
In whatever you do, really, your Heart was what mattered.
As much as we all do the things which form our World, guess I learnt to live happy deep down inside.
There was one particular turning point too, when no one else but my brother preached on Uncertainty.
We all do live in uncertainty, every other moment, struggling, but we do so in Faith, Hope and Love.
Yeah, I wanna be a person with stronger resolutions.
But ultimately I realized, I'm a person who will do all I can to get what I want.
When decisions are made, I'll make an effort to make it happen. That's just Lionel for you...

8) Your future is still ahead of you

If there's one thing I've learnt about dreams at all. Is that they don't give up on you that easily as well.
All your dreams, visions are what remains till they're fulfilled.
So they'll remain as that till you do something.
Good news? They'll ALWAYS remain there!
Crossfit did for me despite the worst few moments in the start of the year.
I eventually got certified and was really happy I could finally do something with my talents.
Yeah I've got a long way to go. And I know it, but who cares! It's the journey that counts.
Thank God for not letting such dreams and passions slip away.
There's always always hope for a better future no matter what.

9) Life isn't just about the race
We were all born with a leash around our necks.
Be it in small disciplinary issues to major educational decisions.
We're all just governed by how our society deems us to behave like.
We're all thrown not into something that we wanna do but in my brothers words, our choices are really not our own. So something I learnt this year was to well...
Break away.
To do things from a different perspective cause you just like it. Cause you value your friends.
You're not going through that oh so sad routine but making the most out of your life.
This year, I've met some amazing guys, Rishabh, Arjun and all the other ISE guys have given me that insight

So come on! Live life already.
Stop looking back and forth for the greater good! But take some time to really appreciate what you've got.
In your hands, in this moment of yours. Take just a few of them.
To smile, to be happy and to embrace what you have. Treasure them? Then don't let business take that away. Don't let your options distract you from the priorities.

10) Family matters
It probably means much more now than any other time in the year cause it's the Christmas season.
Family really does mean something to you doesn't it?
I realized that when well, I kinda lost so much. Guess I only had my family left.
Yeah, at times they didn't understand, didn't accept and didn't agree with everything I did.
But eventually, I suppose it isn't just about whether they do or not, but it's that they're family.
Whatever it is, they're always around.
Especially this year when well, we lost Grandpa, never knew he meant that much for all of us.
Never knew how much my family meant to me.
Gong Gong, you're missed dearly by all of us. I just wish you could still be around to see me do great things.
But the legacy you've left behind is amazing. I know you're there looking down...
I guess I  somehow how got some inspiration from other families and realized that the family has to be happy.
Happy with what they have, who they are, not so much of all the achievements and possessions.
But to just be happy with each other.

Also, I learnt that as a Family, I found where I belong again.
As part of my cell group. As part of E406.
You've made every single moment even better this year :)
With all the fun, laughter, tears, sweat and every other thing you can think of!
I really love you E406! You've made me really really a better person. I chose this family :)
Sounds and noise eventually make music, yeah, you guys make the music in mine.

11) The trick is to never ever give up

May sound cheesy but you get what you fight for.
Not everything is served to us warm and hot. Some served cold.
But it's what you make out of it which counts.
I've learnt, this year, to never give up, never relent.
I could've thrown in the towel so many times this year. In my studies, in Crossfit, in relationships.
Most of them I didn't.
Well, that's how I got Kris. Oh yeah.
Be a persistent, stubborn, optimistic Ox as I would call it.
2011 was one filled with trials, challenges and new experiences.
But really, don't forget what makes you, YOU.
This is me, I never give up and I learnt that about myself this year.
Well, to 2012! Come what may! Bring it!

12) You can always learn to Love again
We were all made/meant to be happy. To smile and enjoy life as it is.
However, sometimes when life shuts you down a little, you gotta learn to start the engine again :)
I never knew that it was possible, to actually change myself for the better.
To rid myself of playing and all these bad habits.
But man, it took some effort but I guess it worked. To love and be loved again.
I never knew that really, that 20 seconds of courage, that embarrassing bravery would carry me this far.
Call it what you want, but I suppose I learnt that to love, you gotta plunge deep.
Don't think, Just Do.
To pour everything you are, everything you have into one simple happy person.
From the many date nights, to the uncertain moments between us, to actually getting together and being happy, from ice cream to Krisfit, to the lowest of moments and to the best of them.
Well, it wasn't just simply that, she helped me grow, she changed me. Made me know who I really am.
She brought the better side of Lionel of out me. She gave me the courage to step up and out.
She made me look at the World in a different light, my family and friends with passion.
She made me realize the real meaning of appreciation and Love.
She made me really happy and all true to myself.
I hung that title for her and will never look back. Playa no more.
But really, thank God for Kris. :) 
2011 was a rocky one but it turned out well. Primarily cause of this!
"I'll always run back to embrace you, swing you around and make you smile!'

So the year is over, here's to 2011! It was one helluva year!
It's been filled with so many different forms of emotions, so many different phases.
It was just last year, exactly one year ago, whereby I looked back at 2010 and yeah, it was a year of accomplishments but really, 2011 was one of change, of decision of being truly happy.
If I could change anything in 2011? Nah, I wouldn't, not one thing at all.
I'm contented with the way things are now, I don't wanna ever change any of it.
On this last day of 2011, I can only appreciate all that has happened.
But I believe that in 2012, we will all reach greater heights, cause of everything that has been around me!

So to the 2012 future me.
You'll be happier with your friends, with your family.
You'll achieve more! With the passions that you have. Do what you love!
Don't give up on what you set out to do!
Live life with a full heart, being happy with everything that you're doing!
Appreciate the smaller things around you. Go ahead and do it!
Choose Love! Choose Love! Choose LOVE!
Hopefully this time next year, you'll look back at this post and you'll know you lived a great one in 2012!

"Why would it be a great 2012? Well why not?"
Lets do 2012 together...

Christmas

I suppose it means different things to different people.

I'm sure that it sparkles in our hearts one way or another.

Be it in gifts, be it in family, be it in Church.

Really, isn't this a great occasion?

But what does Christmas mean to you?

No, it isn't just another time for a good hangover.

In fact, it struck me only just.

Man, Christmas is here, it kinda marks the end of the year and the start of magical times!

Just my 2 cents.

Christmas is simple, it's nostalgic but it isn't really bout the music, food, songs or even friends to church.

Maybe, probably, it's about having those great ones beside you.

About the renewed hope that Baby Jesus was born this day.

That cause of him, we can always be happy.

It's probably not just about me, about the revenue to be earned but the love to be shared.

Not so much of the food but the company which comes with it.

Christmas is a time for you and for me, to be together as Jesus was born this day.

To celebrate life and all it's trials and victories.

Somewhat to be happy and enjoy every moment in this period.

Merry Christmas everyone!

CROSS-fit #69 Vanish

It so begins readily, steadily and it just slips your mind, your schedule, your life altogether.
Perhaps it wasn't too much of a bright idea to start something to think that it'll run by itself.
It's just me, likely just me.
I can't keep something progressive for long, I can't commit. I'm just not that person.
However, this is me, making an effort....

Cause The one without commitment has to make way for a larger change in life.
We all talk about intensity but really, what matters is the long run.
What is your work capacity across ALL modals and domains?
Is it gonna be a continuous output? Or will it die down after a couple of minutes.
Man, you gotta last in this life. You Have to last...

So what does it take to revive a dying or dead passion?
Something so cold in your life after not touching, feeling or experiencing it for days over.
Honestly, I have no idea...
Cause on certain occasions I have, certain occasions I've evidently failed.
But as one whom is relatively easily influenced by the sights and sounds of a vibrant society.
I guess it'll really be who I'm with, what I see and what I hear.
It all surrounds me , embraces my life and makes me see things in a different light.

Recently, just by a few words, I was inspired to try ultimate frisbee yet again.
It'll be a good tryout to see how crossfit has helped me in the game.
I'm sure....
it was really cause Kris pointed out that it could be fun and great.
Thinking about it, I really did return to the game for her...
Now I definitely want 'in' for different reasons...
However, I can see how such small words, sights, impressions shape my life.

Good? points of views are challenged and balance is always a necessity.
For now... I need to envisage to become a firm man. Cause that's what all man are made to be.
Making decisions cause YOU made them.
Not be one who says that our decisions are shaped by reality itself.
I'd rather shape my reality than let it work me.

CROSS-fit #68 Live for Today

We all lead a wayward life at some point in time.

I for one have done so, quite a number of times I guess.

Everyone has, be it big, or small...

We've all had our bad, rotten past and somehow, we've moved on.

We're a new creation, no longer subject to the things of the old you.

However, it comes back once in a while, to haunt you.

It's a fact, whatever happened, has happened.

It's the past, you can't change that whatever happens.

Probably nothing to be proud of but gosh you gotta kick it aside!

Don't live for that.

Live for today. Cause if not, you're gonna miss it altogether.

You don't base your Olympic lifts on the PRs of years back.

You base them on your performance now, today.

So don't give excuses and said that you've fallen and had it rough before, thus resulting in the broken you now.

That's the worst ever. 

Cause what matters is that you come back and live, Today.

CROSS-fit #67 The new level

We want to be the best of it all. We want to champ the rest.
It's likely the human instinct in every single one of us.
In our blood, it's gushing to beat the other fella in the WOD.
I mean, we all want to do so, who wants to lose right?

You may be good at something but they always say that good is the enemy of best.
So be the best at what you do.
To do that? It's a whole new level of 'Suck'.
Yeah, you're already good at what you do, you've beaten those around you...
So what?

Doing a normal WOD, you're able to take on every one else.
Doing a simple job, you're likely to be better than the rest, but what's stopping you from going on to a whole new level altogether?
Yeah, you do have to bear that new level of 'suck'.
You've got to put on that weighted vest and gas mask to do that WOD.
Now that's when the real challenge begins.
Doesn't matter if you've moved from top dog to lousy scum.
It's a whole new level.
Remember, it's always you against yourself...

CROSS-fit #66 The word

To get you through, to get you by,

It's quite common, the strongest, the toughest of people all have it.

Even the most successful of men boast about these.

Their words in their lives.

The words they keep close to their heart which they live by.

Many of these words have swarmed the net in the form of quotes and catch phrases.

It has become statuses, it has become tag lines.

However, sometimes, these words become another persons lifeline.

There quotes become something another invests in to aspire and live strong.

Crossfitters all have their own phrases to push themselves.

"Breath and Fire".

"Live strong".

"Lift heavy or go home"

"Your workout is my warm up"

We base our workouts and our regimes on alot of science and a whole lot of data.

But sometimes, its these phrases which keep the WODs fresh, keep crossfit, really Crossfit.

So what are the quotes, words, tag lines in your life?

What're the words you live by? Are they from one whom truly matters?

Or are they as unreliable and as untested as the wind?

Live by the solid rock.

"I am more than a conqueror, through Christ who loves me."

CROSS-fit #65 Second Chances

It's likely that we all dream about it.

The better life that we think exists beyond those walls of ours.

And how man, great things could have happened if you did this or did that.

You'll probably have one or two lifts in the day whereby you go...

"shucks, I should've done this better..." or,

"Darn it, would've been great if I really gave it my all".

But maybe, just maybe, things ain't so bad. Cause you're given that second chance aren't you?

You're still here, still standing, still breathing.

You can still try.

And try again, you should.

Make that second, third, fourth, fifth, hundredth attempt.

Cause the fact remains is that you're still here and you're given that chance to try again.

if you could, why not give it a shot?

Take a chance to be happy again, to be joyful again.

A risk it is, but take one! To be satisfied in your spirit.

Maybe it's lost but try again... To love God with your Heart, Soul and Mind.

I was given that second chance just yesterday.

To love and be loved.

Who cares about the failures, at least now I'm given that second chance.

And I swear I'll make it better.

CROSS-fit #64 Burdens

Walking past those doors...
Everyone has them, hanging loose on themselves.
Their mind, body and spirit is simply weighed down by it.
And no, they don't need you to add to it.
Burdens...

Maybe your exam didn't go too well.
Maybe your kid just wasn't the best behaved in school.
Or maybe sh*t just happened in the office and you got messed for it...
Whatever it is, we all walk through those doors with some sort of care in our heads.
Everyone does....

So really, we're all here for the same reason aren't we?
To release our mind, get a hold of our lives.
To recreate ourselves in a strange sense by making our bodies feel...
Don't come in thinking that you deserve respect.
No, in fact, you don't. Cause everyone else has their own rights.
Come in and enjoy the community.
You're always welcome to be a part of this recreation.
But if you're going to throw your weight around demanding stuff, then sorry, not the place for you.

Though rough and tough...
Really, crossfitters are more in touch with themselves compared to most people I know.
They know their weaknesses like the back of their palm.
They know their strengths by the pain that exploits it.
They learn about themselves and the burdens that they face when they actually do something impossible.
So come with the burdens, and be real about it...
Cause everyone in the box is...