TEAM

2011-08-31T18:51:00.003+08:00

Sooo it's been like a full year and a month since the last post (de Sala)and since I really don't feel like reading stuff and this cropped up on my newsfeed and it is such a novel way of procrastination... I. well. yeah. am doing this. ¡Buenas tardes mis amigas! ¿Cómo estáis? ¿Qué hacíais durante el año pasado? :D

Aight ignore that. (Which wouldn't be too hard considering probably no one is going to see this until maybe never.) Anyway, reading through some of the old posts, I enjoy the one that said that you guys *cough cough you know who you are* are planning on taking a trip to Australia sometime June next year, i.e. two months ago. Lol. HAVE YOU GUYS EVEN STARTED UNI YET??? O______o Wait, you kiddies, have you actually started uni yet or are you still sort of bumming around selling your soul to camps and stuff?

~~YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO COME TO AUSTRALIA PRIS!!~~ *cough*

とにかく、今晩ご飯を食べに行きたい。それから、じゃあまたな。

2011-08-31T18:45:00.002+08:00

Dear Weining...... yes it is. :)

2010-07-01T12:42:00.002+08:00

Hi all!

It's only been a few days after my previous post, but July has no birthdays so there's nothing much to talk about. And who knows when I'd next feel the urge to rant? And so, I'm posting now. :)

Shao's gone. There goes all the random visits to shao's house, and the petting of her dogs. Especially kira. Who's the cutest of them all. I don't care what shao says, kira is way cuter than hans. Amazingly, this is not the main point of my rant today.

On the 1st of July, 2010, I took my practical driving test. And failed. By the accumulation of 40 demerit points. (I can't believe cheryl passed with 6! That's just inhuman!) And so, after learning my regrettable grade, I indulged in a bout of emotional eating. (Have you guys tried kim's famous hokkien mee? You should! It's great!) With my stomach satisfied, I retired to my lonely apartment where I am now, sitting (lying actually) in front of my laptop and writing this post. For some strange reason (maybe it hasn't hit me yet) I don't really feel the overwhelming sorrow and disappointment I expected. Maybe sometime around 3 am tomorrow morning I'll burst into tears and remain inconsolable for half an hour.

But still, that is not the main point of my rant. So moving on... Here's the main point. -insert drumroll-

-pause for further suspense-

How on earth does one juggle school with driving?!

I know lynette, shao and charissa (for those people who don't know, she's the weird one that pops up randomly, sometimes with a guitar, and mostly hangs around with lynette and shao. When she sees me, we usually start trading insults/friendly jibes. Then again, ppl tend to do that when they see me. Hmm. This deserves some looking into...) all managed to do it, but the idea just seems so impossible. Despite the fact that lynette and shao are fetched everywhere, and charissa seems to have alot of time... Ok, maybe that does explain alot. But back to the problem at hand. I'm going to nus! Which is in the west! (that rhymes!) And i'm staying in the dorm which means that i'm going to have to travel to the east and back. -dies- Gah. Looks like I'm going to have to sanction off all saturdays for driving. It's so sad! Or maybe I'll learn from qy, kangx, juat, etc and start learning when I'm more likely to be able to get a car.

Well, now that I've got that off my shoulders, I feel much lighter. (Or maybe that's just my food being digested) By the way, QY told me not to fail or lynette and shao would laugh at me. This is my reply: Lynette, being nice, didn't laugh at me (well, not to my face, anyway). Shao, who is currently residing across the ocean, is physically incapable of laughing at me. Since any sounds that are not heard (by me) don't exist. So there!

And so, I'll end here. :)

2010-06-28T12:11:00.002+08:00

A month has passed and I've now been rendered jobless. Of my own volition. So it's great. :D Shufeng has quit work too. Lynette and Shao are still slacking (lynette's tuition and shao working for her mum doesn't count). Juat is also unemployed (lifeguard doesn't count either). Qy, kangx, hannah and sylvia are the only poor people who are still working. Bwahahaha! I actually have no idea what vic-ki and huishi are doing but I think they're unemployed. Or maybe giving tuition (in vic's case). Hmm... that's about all the updated information I have. I shall hope I didn't give away any confidential info and move on to other matters.

Uni is starting soon, and many people are preoccupied with camps. I, on the other hand, am as of now, campless. Sad right? Oh well. I'm probably registering for a camp this week though. With qy. And effectively leaving kangx as the only campless one. Take that, kangx! That's for thrashing me at poker. It's UNNATURAL! I bet you have a second deck up your sleeves that just so happens to match mine without ever seeing mine beforehand. Perhaps you have a deck that can change patterns? I wouldn't put it past you. I will find out your tricks and beat you! Just you wait!

Ahem. Err where was I? Right. Camps. Lynette, being the extreme weirdo that she is, has signed up for who-knows-how-many camps in a row. Or almost in a row, anyway. Juat, vic and sylvia have alr started their camping sprees. Shufeng's dragging her feet every step of the way (apparently smu has alot of compulsory camps). No news from huishi and hannah.

As for shao, she's in a completely different league. While the rest of us camp in various areas of Singapore and her offshore islands, Shao's sailing off into the horizon. Well, she's flying off, but whatever. And this brings us to our main point of today. SHAO'S DEPARTURE! She's flying off tonight (to australia). I'm not going to reveal her flight details for fear of some random stalker of shao's stumbling onto this blog. Though I'm quite sure no one's brave enough to stalk shao. But you never know with all the psychos in today's society.

On another note, happy belated birthday sylvia! Sorry I forgot to wish you on the blog. I did text you though. :D

2010-05-26T22:47:00.001+08:00

Buenas noches! Que tal, mi amigas?

(Forgive any grammar mistakes above. In fact, feel free to correct any. :D)

So... What's new in the lives of hwa chong soccer people? People are either working(08/09 batch) or studying(09/10 and 10/11 batches). Well, that or slacking off, like certain unemployed people I could name. One anoynamous being even admitted to not waking up before noon for at least a week! Don't you normal people feel like killing her? I know I certainly do. As for upcoming events, the juniors are about to have their annual dance night cip this weekend. Anyone up for going down to kachiao them? We can laugh at their flower wrapping skills and then sneak into the audi to watch dance night without tickets. :D And perhaps steal some of their drinks (if they're selling drinks). Though hopefully noone would drop the ice block on the floor...

Oh yeah! I forgot the most important thing! PAINTBALL!!! Shufeng has told me all about how you evil evil people have daoed her message. REPLY!!! Especially the juniors. After how anning threw a tanthrum about not being invited, I expected you guys to be more enthusiastic about this. Anyways, though I doubt anyone will see this, all the details are at: http://www.paintball.com.sg/h_playing.html. So go take a look.

Oh right, since uni is starting soon and some (one) of us are going overseas, that only leaves us with two options to keep in contact: 1) Having a mass constantly ongoing email conversation or 2) Reviving this blog and conversing through it. Or I guess we could use facebook or other sites, but that's so... boring.

On a happier note, we're planning a trip to australia next year! It'll probably be in june, at least that's when I think school lets out. But the juniors would be able to make it since they're free and lazing around after their a levels. And if they're working... well leave can be taken.

That seems to be about it. I'll post another update next month just so all the months will appear on the network link. Adios!

Hasta pronto!
Sarah. :D

Juniors' Fixtures

2010-04-05T11:46:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE SCHOOLS SPORTS COUNCIL

& FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE

NATIONAL INTER-SCHOOLS GIRLS’ ‘A’ DIVISION SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010

Updated 24 Feb 2010

Group A	Group B
VICTORIA JC (VJC)	SAINT ANDREWS’ JC (SAJC)
RAFFLES INSTITUTION (RI)	MERIDIAN JC (MJC)
INNOVA JC (IJC)	HWA CHONG INSTITUTION (HCI)
MILLENNIA INSTITUTE (MI)	TEMASEK JC (TJC)
NUS HIGH SCHOOL OF MATHS & SCIENCE (NHS)	SERANGOON JC (SRJC)
NATIONAL JC (NJC)	JURONG JC (RJC)

	VENUES
VICTORIA JUNIOR COLLEGE 20 Marine Vista, Singapore 449035 Tel: 6448 5011 Fax: 6443 8337		SAINT ANDREWS’ JUNIOR COLLEGE 55 Potong Pasir Ave 1, Singapore 358389 Tel: 6285 7008 Fax: 6285 0037
MERIDIAN JUNIOR COLLEGE 21 Pasir Ris St 71 Singapore 518799 Tel: 6349 3660 Fax: 6349 3667		JURONG JUNIOR COLLEGE 800, Corporation Road, Singapore 649809 Tel: 65624611/4804 Fax: 65624505

FIXTURES

	Game No.	Venue	Group	Time	Team 1		Team 2	Result	Winner	Remarks
Day 1 Wed 24 Mar 2010	A1	VJC	A	3:00	IJC	vs	MI
	A2	VJC	A	4:30	NHS	vs	VJC
	B1	MJC	B	3:00	TJC	vs	SRJC
	B2	MJC	B	4:30	JJC	vs	MJC
	A3	SAJC	A	3:00	RI	vs	NJC
	B3	SAJC	B	4:30	HCI	vs	SAJC
Day 2 Wed 31 Mar 2010	A4	VJC	A	3:00	NHS	vs	RI
	A5	VJC	A	4:30	IJC	vs	VJC
	A6	SAJC	A	3:00	NJC	vs	MI
	B4	SAJC	B	4:30	TJC	vs	SAJC
	B5	JJC	B	3:00	MJC	vs	SRJC
	B6	JJC	B	4:30	HCI	vs	JJC
Day 3 Wed 7 Apr 2010	A7	VJC	A	3:00	IJC	vs	NHS
	A8	VJC	A	4:30	NJC	vs	VJC
	B7	MJC	B	3:00	SRJC	vs	HCI
	B8	MJC	B	4:30	TJC	vs	MJ
	A9	JJC	A	3:00	RI	vs	MI
	B9	JJC	B	4:30	SAJC	vs	JJC

SINGAPORE SCHOOLS SPORTS COUNCIL

& FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE

NATIONAL INTER-SCHOOLS GIRLS’ ‘A’ DIVISION SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010

Updated 24 Feb 2010

FIXTURES

Day 4 Wed 14 Apr 2010	A10	VJC	A	3:00	NJC	vs	IJC
	A11	VJC	A	4:30	RI	vs	VJC
	B10	MJC	B	3:00	JJC	vs	TJC
	B11	MJC	B	4:30	HCI	vs	MJC
	A12	SAJC	A	3:00	MI	vs	NHS
	B12	SAJC	B	4:30	SRJC	vs	SAJC
Day 5 Wed 21 Apr 2010	A13	VJC	A	3:00	RI	vs	IJC
	A14	VJC	A	4:30	MI	vs	VJC
	A15	MJC	A	3:00	NHS	vs	NJC
	B13	MJC	B	4:30	SAJC	vs	MJC
	B14	JJC	B	3:00	HCI	vs	TJC
	B15	JJC	B	4:30	SRJC	vs	JJC

Post As activities XD

2009-12-05T22:31:00.002+08:00

Hey all!

Now we have a few post-A levels activities lined up in front of us. So, I hope you guys are geared up and ready to go! :D

First up, we have LUNCH WITH COACH. Well, lunch or dinner, I guess. I really doubt we'll be treating him to breakfast... Anyway, we'll need to ask coach when he's free. Can't have the vip not showing up, can we? So, we'll be doing that next tuesday (aka the day after prom). Training's at 1000 for those who didn't know. People who are going (which does not include shufeng who claims that she'll be hung over) will ask coach. :D So basically, the plan is we get the dates and then wing it from there. Unfortunately, it seems we're busy busy people... So Coach's treat will probably be next year. Oh well...

Next, we have the SENIOR VERSUS JUNIOR MATCH. Tentatively fixed at 16th Jan 2010. We haven't actually asked coach or the juniors yet so... Let's just say it's subject to change. :D Now, since our muscles have pretty much turned into putty, we will require training so as to not be mauled and utterly thrashed by our dear wonderful juniors. Right now, the plan is to crash all the juniors' trainings. So we can analyse their strengths and weaknesses as we train. Just kidding! Lynette's just lazy to plan trainings so she's dumping the burden on coach by sending us all to his training. :D However, if we find ourselves in desperate need of emergency help, then we will have no choice but to have extra training. So people, if you want to have a holiday, train hard! :D Oh and btw, please inform juat of your holiday plans so she can draw up a schedule.

Last, but certainly not least, we have the... -drumroll- ... MALAYSIA TRIP!!! The dates are tentatively set to be somewhere in the last week of Jan 2010. Please confirm attendance by 13th Dec 2009. Err... It'll be best if you confirm with Lynette cos I won't be in Singapore soon. Heh. But I confirm my attendance! :D So go ask your parents! And sign up quickly! Btw, did you notice that 13 is my jersey number? :D Going back on topic... After we have fixed the numbers, dates and budget, we will go to the travel agency and find out more about the package deals. Date for going to the travel agency is 21st Dec 2009. We are going to have a free and easy, but travel agencies offer package deals for travel and accomodation, which would be much cheaper. And that is very good since we're on a budget.

So far, the plan is to go on a 6 day trip to Malaysia. First to KL, then Genting, then back to Singapore. But it may be changed to Genting, then KL. Depends on the travel package we get. Also, some of us are eager to try out the night train, so if we end up not getting a travel package, we might come back at night (as in ride the train overnight) and have breakfast in S'pore before going home. We have divided the planning/researching into different sections:

Accomodation in KL: Shao
Accomodation in Genting: Shufeng
Itinerary/Entertainment: Kangx
Food: Sarah
Travel: Juat, Lynette

People whose names are not there are free to help researching in anything they want. This is just so that we don't leave out anything. People whose names are there are also not restricted to reseaching their topic only. Oh and the accomodation part may be completely inconsequential since we're might be getting a travel package but just in case, you know? :D Plus, this way, we can compare prices. For people researching accomodation, take note that our first priority is safety, followed by cost. :D Our total budget for the trip is tentatively set at S$700.

That's about it, folks. Oh and a reminder that soccer camp is from the 28th to 30th Dec 2009. Shufeng, we need to get ready our "don't forget the lyrices". I know there are alot of 'tentatively's in the above message, but most things should be fixed in our next meeting. Which, admittedly, we have not set a date for yet. No worries, though. It may seem as if we have a lot on our plate, but I'm sure we'll be able to rise to the occasion and complete all our activities successfully!

Wow. I think Juat should post the minutes for the next meeting. Mine seems to be horribly messy. Oh well. You guys will just have to deal with it. I'm sure your super brains will help you dissect the super long paragraphs and pull out the important information. :D See ya all soon!

Regards,
Sarah The Great. :D

Blood Donation Drive on 30th July

2009-07-27T19:50:00.003+08:00

Hey people!

Here's a question: how would you guys like to donate BLOOD?

The following is taken from the SMB message:

"The Second run of Blood Donation Drive will be held on 30 July 2009 (Thursday) from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm at the Reading Room (Block A, 3^rd level). Please participate actively in this blood donation drive. If you are not 18 years of age by 30 July 09, please obtain the parental consent form from your Class Representative or print a copy of the parental consent form from the attachment in this EMB. You need to bring the duly signed consent form on the day of the blood donation drive (30 July 2009, Thursday).

If you are keen to be a blood donor, kindly note the following:

i) You must weigh at least 45 kg,

ii) You should not display any symptoms of flu, cold or sore throat (specific medications and other diseases will be evaluated by the attending Medical Officer), and should not be on any medication for the three days prior to blood donation.

iii) You are advised to eat a well-balanced meal, including plenty of fluids (avoid caffeine) 3-4 hrs prior to the blood donation.

iv) Students who have not turned 18 years old by 30 July 09 will need parental consent to donate blood. Please get the consent form signed by your parents/guardians and bring it along during blood donation.

v) Please also bring along your NRIC or other photo identification showing date of birth to the blood donation venue.

vi) You are NOT ALLOWED to skip lessons (lectures/tutorials/practical) for the purpose of blood donation.

You may also wish to access the websites www.redcross.org.sg or www.donorweb.org for more educational information on blood, eligibility criteria and the process of blood donation.

Do show your kindness and help to save lives."

So anyone interested? If so, please inform Lynette Seow or myself (Sarah Ng) and we can arrange to meet before donating blood together as teammates. We shall face adversity and overcome our fears together. Join us in saving lives!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

EXCO 09/10

2009-07-26T20:42:00.000+08:00

So (uninformed) peeps, here's your new EXCO for the coming year:

EXCO 09/10
Co-captains: Anning and Weining
Secretary: Lay Eng
Treasurer: Jessie
Quartermistree: Pris
Welfare Rep: Cheryl
PT Rep: Nicolea

And for those who didn't know who was in the previous EXCO...

EXCO 08/09
Captain: Lynette
Vice-Captain: Sarah
Secretary: Juat
Treasurer: Kaihui
QM: Shao
PT Rep: Shufeng
Welfare Rep: Qiaoyue

SOCCER CAMP '09

2009-06-20T19:12:00.005+08:00

Hey all here is the packing list for Soccer camp!

For those who have forgotten, it'll take place next week from 24th to 26th of June.

Now pack your bags!

Day 1:
2-3 sets of clothes
Swimming costume (optional)
Goggles (optional)
Soap and shampoo (we're bathing in school, so these won't be provided)
Towel
Water Bottle
Contact lens cases

Day 2:
2 sets of clothes (including one white shirt that you don't plan to use in the future unless you don't mind splatters of paint)
Water Bottle
Toiletries (soap, shampoo and towel)

Day 2-3 (after going home to wash up and on the way to kembangan):
2-3 sets of clothes
Flash light
Any object you need in order to sleep (e.g. teddy bear, baby blanket, etc)
Water bottle
EZ-link card
Towel
Contact lens cases
Camera (at least one per team - groupings will be released on day 2 before you all are dismissed, a camera phone would do as well)
Umbrella / Raincoat (optional - if you want to get wet, we respect your decision)
Your thinking cap (from what I hear, the Amazing Race is going to be tough)

PS. The no. of sets of clothes include the set you have on
PPS. Please wear sports shoes or footwear you can play in. No slippers or sandals allowed (though you can bring these to wear by the pool).
PPPS. A set of clothes include undergarments.

We hope everyone enjoys SOCCER CAMP '09!
And happy mugging people! :D

2009-06-16T19:33:00.002+08:00

may be crude... viewer discretion is advised

2009-06-09T20:56:00.003+08:00

Right, as a little side-entertainment for the holidays, there is a proposed MAKAN BIKE HIKE

EXCITING?

YEP (:

while the food hasn't been planned yet, the FUNNESS and AWESOMENESS is guaranteed,

see, you get to EAT good food and feel HALF the guilt because we'll be doing what the tough OAC people do, CYCLE!

but except they do every month, do it all night and do not have makan breaks

but that's not the point, point is, we all need a break,

some of us need the food,

and some of us need the cycling (me!).

So whichever one you need,please say you can make it

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

算我求你，让我这个吃斋的享受一天的美食，好吗？

DETAILS:

Date: 12 June (THIS FRIDAY)

Location: To be confirmed (we're finding bike rentals)

If it's too expensive, we can probably take a bus and improve our knowledge of the transport system (:

While the food hasnt been planned out yet, here's to whet your appetite:

YEP, its totally INDECENT!

:D

ps christian louboutins are NICE!

SOCCER CAMP '09

2009-06-06T16:18:00.003+08:00

SOCCER CAMP
Date: 24th to 26th June 2009

Day 1
0900-1000 hrs Human Fooseball
1000-1200 hrs Socby
1200-1400 hrs Lunch + Stationary Games
1400-1600 hrs Non-soccer related games
1600-1700 hrs Wash up
1700 onwards Go to Hannah’s house (Dinner + Pool Games)
Day 2
0900-1100 hrs Street Soccer
1100-1300 hrs War Games + Showering time
1300-1430 hrs Lunch
1430-1500 hrs Break, ICs set-up logistics for next event
1500-1700 hrs Telematch
1700-1900 hrs Go home and wash up
1900 onwards (optional) Meet at Kembangan MRT at 1900 hrs
Go to Shao’s house (Dinner + Night Games)
Day 3
1000-1730 hrs The Amazing Race (final destination: Newton MRT)
1730-0000 hrs BBQ Games / Pool Games

VOTE NOW

2009-05-30T18:48:00.011+08:00

Hi all, welcome to HCGS (Hilariously Corny Game Show)!

Today, we'll be casting votes for the.... *drumroll*....

HOTTEST COUPLE!!!

Here are the contestants:

1)This couple is enjoying a few tubs of ice cream on their first date. Nothing like some cookies 'n' cream to sweeten your relationship. Of course, personal hygiene must be observed (especially in this period when swine flu is a serious threat) and sharing of utensils is highly discourage. Kudos to this fine couple who understands the necessity of personal hygiene! Vote for them by tagging "ICE CREAM DUO" now!

2) Here we have our second couple engrossed in their favourite past time - camwhoring! They are both staring at a mirror and making funny but endearing poses as they click away maniacally with their camera phones. This might seem as an unusual way to spend one's first date, but these two unique individuals are never afraid to break barriers and start trends! Cast your votes for this hip couple by tagging "Camera Duo" now!

3) Our third pair of contestents are much more conventional. Graduating from the same Junior College, they have felt it prudent to visit the nearby Coronation Plaza in commemoration of the day they met. Their relationship is that of a fairy tale story where the young prince happened upon the distressed princess who was in a quandary about where she should eat (Golden Rooster or Cosy Corner? ). Like a knight in shining armour, Prince Shufeng swept in and pointed out a third and the obviously perfect choice - Sushi!

4) This last couple has a rather shady background. Well known in the underworld as "Kangx the Killer", Wan Kai Hui is THE most noctorious mafia boss in the world. Despite tremendous efforts from M18 and FBI, Kangx remains at large. Consistently making it into MITE's annual list of "Top 10 Richest Men in the World". Of course, behind every sucessful man is a women. Kangx would never have made it so far if not for his greatest advisor and lifetime companion - Bohtea. Bohtea is not a woman to be trifled with. Being the mastermind behind several worldwide operations, Bohtea has pretty much conquered the black markets in most of the Asian countries. She also dabbles in other professions such as hotel management and is suspected to have ties to Boh Shufeng - owner and manager of HCGS (the most well-known chain of hotels in the world). This game show host has received quite a few anoynimous death threats and will thus implore the voters to give this powerful couple your votes. Tag "Mafia Duo" and save your life!

2009-05-18T23:57:00.005+08:00

BEFORE THIS DAY IS ALMOST DONE,

let's take a moment to ponder the immensity of 18/05

18 years ago, on this very day, in a remote corner of a remote island in a remote corner of the Earth,

our dear Captain, LYNETTE was born

HAPPY (EIGHTEENTH) BIRTHDAY :D

And guess what, according the Wikipedia,

the number eighteen in chinese can be read as 幺八 (yāo bā), which means "one is going to prosper" !

In the United States, eighteen is the legal age where one can legally get a body piercing and tattoo without parental consent, gamble, vote, drive a car, bear arms, get an abortion, donate their bodies to science, serve on a jury and marry without parental consent.

In the Netherlands, eighteen is the minimum age one must be to procure marijuana legally ! LOL !

And in the UK, eighteen year olds can finally (legally) purchase booze, tobacco, vote, go to war and model for pornography(!)

All the joys of being eighteen !

Once again, HAPPY EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY (:

(and consider yourself very lucky, there wasnt any pink colour in the presets !)

Reflections

2009-05-14T23:25:00.002+08:00

So before the idea of season ending gets too stale, let me do a customary shout-out/ reflection/ whatever about our journey and the awesome people involved. So here goes.

It could have gone either way, but it didn't, did it? One lapse of concentration pretty much sealed it for us. I think the subsequent 2 draws were immaterial because of that single match. But shit happens. We knew that we'd given it everything, but there's a fine line between success and failure. Regrets? No, I don't think so. There's a lot that I can look back on with pride and I'm just happy to have been part of this incredible team.

Talk about brief, but I just figured that words are superfluous. :)

BOREDOM

2009-05-11T19:15:00.002+08:00

Boredom is an emotional state experienced during periods lacking activity or when individuals are uninterested in the activities presented to them. The first record of the word boredom is in the novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens, written in 1852, in which it appears six times, although the expression to be a bore had been used in the sense of "to be tiresome or dull" since 1768.
Boredom has been defined as "an unpleasant, transient affective state in which the individual feels a pervasive lack of interest in and difficulty concentrating on the current activity." Another definition is "“an affective experience associated with cognitive attentional processes.” These definitions make it clear that boredom arises not from a lack of things to do but from the inability to latch onto any specific activity. Nothing engages us, despite an often profound desire for engagement.
People ranked low on a boredom-proneness scale were found to have better performance in a wide variety of aspects of their lives, including career, education, and autonomy.In a learning environment, a common cause of boredom is lack of understanding; for instance, if one is not following or connecting to the material in a class or lecture, it will usually seem boring. However, the opposite can also be true; something that is too easily understood, simple or transparent, can also be boring. Boredom is often inversely related to learning, and in school it may be a sign that a student is not challenged enough, or too challenged. An activity that is predictable to the students is likely to bore them.

Heehee. The things I'm willing to do to get out of studying for chem spa. :) My next word of the day shall be "procrastination". Stay tuned to Venerated Vocabulary (alliteration!).

Initiatives...

2009-05-04T20:11:00.002+08:00

Just 'cos season is ending doesn't mean we can't have fun. Here's a list of POST-SEASON ACTIVITIES. Feel free to add to it. :D

1. TRAININGS! (it'll be fun, seriously)
2. Paintball (ha, where we can get injured and it'll be ok)
3. JTS (cough cough)
4. Escape (particularly for those who missed out the last time)
5. Wolverine! (come on, who doesn't like good 'ol Logan?)
6. Dance Night CIP (if you were there last year, well. we've learnt some lessons, eh?)
7. Seniors vs Juniors (as in seniors vs juniors in an 11-a-side full field game)
8. Treat Coach to a meal (need ideas for this)
9. BIKE RIDE (no, not the 100km one we were thinking of doing. this will be self-organised where we basically meet in the morning to rent bikes and spend the day going around as I bring you to fantastic MAKAN places you may or may not have had the privilege of visiting before :P)

Damn, I wanted to stop at 9, because that's an awesome number, but I can't leave this out of the list.

10. JUNE CAMP 2009

Stay tuned.

PHOTOS for the people! :D

2009-05-03T17:48:00.003+08:00

Some select photos to brighten your day. :) Haha. For more, refer to Facebook. (if you can find me. Muahaha...) Righto then. :D

-from your oh-so-unknown (and unofficial) photographer

2009-04-29T21:01:00.003+08:00

hello,

if we feel bad, it's only natural, BUT

keep our heads high and we MUST give it our ALL next/next-next wednesday

it's a chance to REDEEM ourselves (as lynette puts it)

JIAYOU PEOPLE !

WE'LL PLAY LIKE THE WORLD IS ENDING TOMORROW!

anyway here's a funny picture :

2009-04-28T21:27:00.004+08:00

NEWS FLASH: HC GIRLS SOCCER SUCCUMB TO THE 'TAP TAP DOMINATION' CRAZE

2 HC soccer girls were seen playing tap tap domination in a certain hawker centre in beauty world a week ago. The two girls were engaged in a battle to emerge as the ultimate "tap tap" champ. Tension grew as the song came to an end and thoughts of xiao long bao soon flew away. These girls are certainly *taps the side of head*. :D

NEWS FLASH: THE ATTACK OF THE "HUISHI-LLA"

On a certain wonderful morning, at the bench in the canteen where the HC soccer girls normally gather before assembly, THE SALA was subjected to a sneak attack by the human biter, the HUISHI-LLA...THE SALA hides her face in shame after letting out a shriek that could raise the dead from here all the way to her homeland, Africa.

Signing off,
The intrepid reporter

P.S. Sala, interesting enough for u?

2009-04-21T19:26:00.002+08:00

Lets hope they dont read our blog hee.

wat t watch out tml:

Exploit space at their defence cos their defence organisation is bad

Note: their 3 strikers put pressure during goal kick

Don’t goal kick into centre

Cant let 33 cross ball into our box

During our corners, can play back to lynette to send to other side of the goal post cos their defence is weak

Our defence must be composed

Their 8 can shoot

Our right n left mid shudn shift too deep into their half

Our strikers should try to head balls into goal

Rmb how to pressure during their corners and

watch out for ah fat!

shufeng get well soon!

finally, smth from postsecrets

lets just be calm and steady (:

JUST FOR LAUGHS

2009-04-19T21:02:00.002+08:00

To relieve some stress and tension before wednesday's match:

You know you live in 2008 when...

1.) You accidentally enter your password on a microwave.

2.) You haven't played solitare with real cards for years.

3.) Your kids are shocked when you hear that people CAN actually survive without cable.

4.) The reason for not staying in touch with your friends is they dont have a screenname or myspace.

6.) You'd rather look all over the house for the remote instead of just pushing the buttons on the TV.

7.) Your boss doesn't even have the ability to do your job.

8.) As you read this list you keep nodding and smiling.

9.) As you read this list you think about sending it to all your friends.

10.) And you were too busy to notice number 5.

11.) You scrolled back up to see if there was a number 5.

12.) Now you are laughing at yourself stupidly.

13.) Put this in your profile if you fell for that, and you know you did.

101th post!

2009-04-19T18:51:00.003+08:00

Woohoo! This is the 101th post! And since there hasn't been a new post for quite a while, I shall console myself as I grieve my beloved Arsenal's 1-2 loss to Chelsea (congrats Vic :( and any other closet Chelsea supporters). So please, indulge me. (steam of consciousness: damn, Fabianski)

Arsenal Football Club (often simply known as Arsenal or The Arsenal, or by their nickname The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London. They play in the Premier League and are one of the most successful clubs in English football, having won thirteen First Division and Premier League titles and ten FA Cups, and hold the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the English top flight.

Arsenal were founded in 1886 and were the first Southern club to join the Football League, in 1893. They won their first major trophies in the 1930s, with five League Championship titles and two FA Cups. After a lean period in the post-war years they became the second club of the 20th century to win the League and FA Cup Double in 1970–71, and during the past twenty years have recorded a series of successes – in this time Arsenal have won a Cup Double, two further League and FA Cup Doubles, the Premier League title unbeaten, and became the first London club to reach the UEFA Champions League Final.

The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, which have evolved through history. Similarly, the club have changed location over time; the team were initially founded in Woolwich, south-east London, and in 1913 they moved north across the city to Arsenal Stadium, Highbury. In 2006 they made a less drastic move to their current home, the Emirates Stadium in nearby Holloway.

Arsenal have a large fanbase, who hold a string of long-standing rivalries with several other clubs; the most notable of these is with neighbours Tottenham Hotspur, with whom they regularly contest the North London derby. Arsenal are one of the richest clubs in English football (valued at over £600m as of 2008), and thanks to their stature, have regularly featured in portrayals of football in British culture. Arsenal Ladies are the most successful English club in women's football and are also affiliated with the club.

Proof of how good they really are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0habEZozCAk&feature=related

2009-04-14T22:25:00.000+08:00

LET'S GO HWA CHONG, LET'S GO! SHAKE THOSE DARK THOUGHTS AND FEARS OUTTA UR HEADS N LET'S HAVE SOME FUN WINNING THE MATCH TMR! :)
-your friendly welfare rep-

2009-04-14T22:00:00.002+08:00

sorry i think this came abit late.
anyways, heres the comments we wrote ourselves for the VJ match:

didn pressure fast enough
man marking at set pieces
kick off can bring forward instead of sending back all the time
didn drop back to support the person who went in front
not aggressive enough for 1 on 1
lack initiative to get the ball
running with opponent when they have the ball, no intention to get it
didn keep eyes on the ball
watch positioning when defending and when they shoot
ball passed across goal
didn mark man and allowed her to shoot
overshifting
should kick the ball out faster
formation of defense line when under attack
body positioning when man marking

a few points seem repeated. so bottomline is:

more aggression- WANT THE BALL!
mark man correctly

NO REGRETS

2009-04-13T21:16:00.002+08:00

Hey everyone, let's all do our best in the upcoming match against TJC. Remember what coach said about needing the will and desire to win? Our greatest opponent is not TJC, but ourselves. I want to see everybody giving their 100% out there on the pitch. We can do it. We WILL do it. If not for ourselves, then for coach. Let us play our very best. GO HWA CHONG GIRLS' SOCCER!

2009-04-06T22:16:00.005+08:00

Yoyo people! Nicolea, Atiqa and I went to watch the guys face off TPJC at TPJC this afternoon... the match was very fast-paced and some of the guys' skills were damn good and hold lots of learning points for us...haha, n i bet we can do it too! anyway, the match is not really the point, but if u wanna hear abt it, just ask the 3 of us...

AND! if u wanna hear dark stuff abt Mr Tan, our teacher-in-charge, (for those who have been living in a cave), come ask us too :)

anyway, some friendly advice for the J1s or those who have never played in a tournament before from a nice senior and friend:
1) Be prepared mentally and emotionally. DO NOT let the scoreline bring you down. You will only truly be defeated when YOU defeat yourself! (wah, super deep...)
2) Eat more healthily and drink lots of water during this period so that you wont fall sick. (Pris, especially YOU!)
3) Take care of yourself during trainings and matches and dont come out the worse for wear.
4) Keep a tight lid on yourself during the match. Dont lose your temper at your opponents and the referee.
5) Communicate! Do not be afraid to speak out when you feel that you have a point to make. Communicate necessarily on the field!
6) DO NOT adopt a defeatist attitude before even fighting the match, or the opponents will have already won have the battle.
7) Prepare yourself mentally because there will be people watching the matches. DO NOT let the spectators affect your mood or get to you.
8) Channel your full concentration and energy towards the match and VICTORY! Do not think about other stuff during the match.
9) Do not bear a grudge towards teammates for past mistakes committed. LET IT GO! Every mistake is a learning point!
10) Sleep early the day before matches to ensure vitality during matches!

here's how you should be spending your math tutorials to gain energy for the matches:

here's what you shoud be doing during council elections to make you life more interesting:

n best of all, here's what you should be doing to make people around you, like your teammates, happy! :)i bet u all nv knew this side of Atiqa... :P

cheerz people,
your friendly welfare rep :)

2009-04-06T21:32:00.002+08:00

Hi everyone!

You may or may not know that season is starting (if you don't, you are either very blur or completely cut off from civilisation), but it is! In 2 days! Whee! Isn't that exciting?

Our first match is against VJC this coming wednesday, so JIAYOU everyone! Play your best and have fun! Remember everything that we have learnt and don't panic. Follow these nuggets of wisdom and all shall be well. :) Let us give it our all so that we may emerge satisfied with our performance.

ALL THE BEST, HWA CHONG GIRLS SOCCER!

Now, to end it off on a light note, I have a brain teaser for you!

Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on Earth?

Ans: Mount Everest

2009-04-03T22:12:00.005+08:00

heres coach's comments on the friendly match videos!

um sorry i don understand some stuff tt i wrote :/ but i tink it'll be clearer when watchin the video heh.

1. RJ (1)

04:15 - girl on the left unmarked. weining lose ball. lynette kick, shufeng go ->2 vs 1

04:31 - lynette sala weining an ning marking same man but not aggressive enough t win the ball. lynette outta position

04:33 - juat shouldn mark on the left too much cos opponent can turn and go from right

05:05 - not aggressive enough to fight for the ball

07:06 - an ning didn mark man properly

07:34 - shufeng and weining need t communicate

10:35 - an ning could have kept opponent away if took out hand, should go forward and not backwards. must control after turning

11:46 - K (right back) should be K' , L and J can 2vs 1. opponent on left is centre mid's man.
(heh sorry bad drawing and dno how t put it in words)

12:28 - distance between right back and right mid too far. during goal kicks, right mid should be slightly down the middle line

13:19 - shufeng overshift

14:08 - 1. girl in front of lynette not taken

2. lynette should pressure, then juat and shu feng tuck in. must be tight to prevent wall pass.

15:02 - 1. gap betw lynette and juat

2. nobody take thrower if ball knocked back

so lynette should stay

16:07 - weining should get the ball and knock back

16:53 - an ning pressure too slow

20:02 - shufeng overshift, weining din pressure fast enough

20:53 - clear first time

21:41 - shufeng should show her out, not in

33:05 - girl with ball not marked. lynette could have pressured crosser, run diagonal left-backwards then shufeng drop to cover lynette. juat din mark striker. centre mid din mark man.

2. NJ (1)

00:20 - overshift

00:54 - crowding!

05:08 - kick first time

3. MJ

07:07 - sala and weining run tgt but both didn get the ball

07:39 - space in front not covered

09:15 - strikers and midfielders should drop push up more cos their defender drop back alot

09:32 - sala could hav turn left and kick with right feet

11:33 - the other striker should support hui shi

14:00 - overshift

10:51 - should throw to weining, can receive and turn to goal directly. after that, can still pass to kaihui to pass to weining.

19:16 - weining din mark man. vicki should stand with last defender

21:26 - lynette outta position

22:49 - kaihui overshift

28:35 - shao can dribble back in and catch w hands!

31:59 - shao position

34:03 - push up too high

IF YOU WANT IT, YOU CAN. :]

2009-04-02T20:41:00.001+08:00

SIX MORE DAYS TO TOURNAMENT! All e best! :)

2009-04-01T22:46:00.001+08:00

HAPPY 18th birthday, Vic! :)

2009-04-01T22:35:00.003+08:00

SEVEN more days to our first match! If you are not prepared yet, get started!!!

lemme copy sala n do a post on the no. 7! (which is my jersey no. :) )

7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8.
It is the smallest positive integer to be spoken with two syllables when pronounced in English.
It is also a Newman-Shanks-Williams prime, a Woodall prime, a factorial prime, a lucky prime, a happy number and a safe prime. (happy number! haha :) as for the rest, go check up urself...lol)
Roy G. Biv = red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet were originally named as the seven colors of the rainbow, though blue and indigo are considered by some to be the same color.
The number of spots on a common ladybug. (haha, i didnt know that!)
Seven is the number of holes in the heads of most mammals. (Omg, amazing! )
A neutral pH value between acidity and alkalinity. (heehee!)
The number of stars in the constellation of The Big Dipper.

7 is also an important number in many religions. So, what r u waiting for, start praying for us! :P

-QYzzzzzz-

Protein and Performance

2009-03-30T20:03:00.001+08:00

Traditionally, protein-rich foods have been synonymous with muscular athletes. The (misguided) theory is that if you eat a lot of protein, you will build a lot of muscle. But extra protein does not build extra muscle, exercise does – heavy weightlifting, push-ups, and other forms of resistance exercise that build and strengthen muscles.

Carbohydrate-rich grains, fruits, and vegetables are indeed the best foundation for every type of training programme. Even bodybuilders need a carbohydrate-based diet because carbohydrates are stored in the muscles for energy. You can’t lift weights and demand a lot from your workout sessions if your muscles are carbo-depleted. Protein-based diets that are low in carbohydrates provide inadequate muscle fuel for you to exercise hard enough to build to your potential.

The best sports diet contains adequate, but not excessive, protein to build and repair muscle tissue, grow hair and fingernails, produce hormones, boost your immune system, and replace red blood cells. Most people who eat moderate portions of protein-rich foods daily get more protein than they need. Any excess protein is burned for energy or, as a last resort, stored as glycogen or fat. Humans do not store excess protein as protein or amino acids, so we need to consume adequate protein each day. Daily protein is particularly important for dieters who are restricting calories, because protein is burned for energy when carbohydrates are scarce.

Too Much Protein (oops)
Contrary to what most people think, too much protein can create problems with health and performance (even though the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn):

If you fill your stomach with too much protein, you won’t be fuelling your muscles with carbohydrates.
Anyone who eats excess protein may need to urinate more frequently, because protein breaks down into urea, a waste product eliminated in the urine. Frequent trips to the bathroom may be an inconvenience during training and competition, to say nothing of increasing the risk of becoming dehydrated and burdening the kidneys.
A diet high in protein can easily be high in fat (juicy steaks, bacon and eggs, pepperoni pizza, and so on). For the sake of your heart and for improved athletic performance, you should reduce your intake of the saturated fats found in animal proteins.

Protein and the Vegetarian
The trick to eating a balanced vegetarian diet is to make the effort to replace beef with beans. If you eliminate meat, you need to add a source of plant protein. You can easily get adequate protein to support your sports programme by including kidney beans, chickpeas, peanut butter, tofu, nuts, and other plant proteins in your daily diet. Some non-meat eaters, however, simply fuel up only on carbohydrates and neglect their protein needs.

Iron and Zinc in Foods
Iron is a necessary component of haemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen from the lungs to the working muscles. If you are iron deficient, you are likely to fatigue easily upon exertion. The target iron intake (of 18 mg) is high because only a small percentage is absorbed. The best iron sources are animal products and fish; the body absorbs far less iron from plant foods.

The mineral zinc is part of more than 100 enzymes that help your body function properly. For example, zinc helps remove carbon dioxide from your muscles when you exercise. Zinc also enhances the healing process. Because the zinc from animal protein is absorbed better than zinc from plants, vegetarian athletes are at risk of eating a zinc-deficient diet. Like the target for iron, this target is also set high (11 mg) and may be hard to consume. But athletes who sweat heavily and incur zinc losses through sweat should try to hit the target intake.

The Balanced Vegetarian Diet (specially summarised for Shu Feng)
Without question, a diet based on plant foods can contribute to good health. A plant-based diet tends to have more fibre, less saturated fat and cholesterol, and more phytochemicals – active compounds that may play an important role in preventing and treating diseases such as cancer. Foods rich in phytochemicals include not only fruits and vegetables but also the protein-rich foods common to a plant-based diet: nuts, legumes, dried beans, and peas.

But some vegetarians often turn to cheese for protein. They are unaware, though, that cheese has far more saturated fat than lean meats and that eating a cheese sandwich is, in that respect, worse than a lean roast-beef sandwich without mayonnaise.

Tofu and other soy products, such as soy burgers (may I say ‘Yuck!’?) and soy milk, are excellent healthful additions to a meat-free diet. They not only contain a source of high-quality protein that is equivalent in value to animal protein but also have properties that may protect against heart disease and cancer. If you make the effort to include soy foods in your diet, the more likely you are to lower the bad cholesterol.

Milk, other dairy foods, fish, poultry, meat, and all animal sources of protein contain all eight or nine essential amino acids and are often referred to as complete proteins. The proteins in soy foods such as tofu and soy milk are also complete proteins. The proteins in rice, beans, pasta, lentils, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods are incomplete because they have low levels of some of the essential amino acids. Therefore, vegetarians must know how to combine incomplete proteins to make them complete. Vegetarians who drink milk can easily do this by adding dairy to each meal, such as combining milk with oatmeal or sprinkling grated LOW-FAT cheese on beans.

Eliminating Carbohydrate Confusion

2009-03-30T19:59:00.001+08:00

Without question, wholesome carbohydrates are the best choices for fuelling your muscles and promoting good health. People of all ages and athletic abilities should nourish themselves with abundant fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods, with adequate protein and health-ful fats balanced into the meals and snacks.

Some athletes mistakenly think that honey is nutritionally superior to refined white sugar. If you prefer honey because of the pleasant taste, fine. But it’s not superior for health or performance! Sugar in any form has insignificant amounts of vitamins or minerals, and your body digests any type of sugar or carbohydrate into glucose before using it for fuel.

Plants store extra sugars in the form of starch. In contrast, fruits tend to convert starches into sugars as they ripen. (Remember all the stuff I was saying about bananas? ) The potatoes, rice, bread, and other starches that you eat are digested into glucose, then are either burned for energy or stored for future use. Humans store extra glucose mostly in the form of muscle glycogen and liver glycogen. This glycogen is readily available for energy during exercise.

Sugars and starches have similar abilities to fuel muscles but different abilities to nourish them with vitamins and minerals:

The carbohydrates in sugary soft drinks provide energy but no vitamins or minerals.
The carbohydrates in wholesome fruits, vegetables, and grains provide energy, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and phytochemicals – the fuel and spark plugs that your body’s engine needs to function best.

Carbo Loading for Endurance Exercise
Carbo Load Daily
Your daily diet should be carbohydrate-based and balanced with adequate protein and appropriate fat. A daily 55-65% carbohydrate intake prevents chronic glycogen depletion and allows you not only to train at your best but also to compete at your best.

Do Not Fat Load (Note to self)
To reduce your fat intake to 20-25% of your calories, have toast with jam rather than butter, pancakes moistened with maple syrup rather than margarine, and pasta with tomato sauce rather than with oil and cheese. A little fat is OK, but don’t fat load.

To achieve a 55-65% carbohydrate diet, you have to trade some of the fat calories for more carbohydrates. For example, trade the fat calories in two pats of butter and a dollop of sour cream for a second plain baked potato. When you trade fat for more carbs, you need to eat a larger volume of food to obtain adequate calories.

Carbohydrates for Building Muscles?
Carbohydrates are fundamental for athletes because unlike protein or fat, carbs are readily stored in your muscles for fuel during exercise. Adequate protein is important for building and protecting your muscles, but you should dedicate only one-third of your dinner plate to protein-rich foods.

Are Carbohydrates Fattening?
Fad diets preach the message that carbohydrates are fattening. Wrong! Carbohydrates are not fattening. Excess calories are fattening, in particular excess calories of fats are fattening – butter on bread (meep L), oil on pasta, mayonnaise on sandwiches, cheese on crackers. Fats provide 36 calories per teaspoon, compared with 16 for carbohydrates. But the conversion of excess carbohydrates into body fat is limited because you burn the carbs when you exercise. Your body preferentially burns the carbohydrates and stores the fats. But be aware that a continuous intake of excess calories from carbohydrates will eventually contribute to weight gain. When your glycogen stores are filled, the excess calories will be stored as body fat.

Rather than try to stay away from breads and bagels and other grains, remember these points:
Carbohydrates are less fattening than fatty foods.
You need carbs to fuel your muscles.
You burn carbs off during hard exercise. Carbohydrates are a friendly fuel; the enemy is excess calories of fats.
When dieting to lose weight, you should energize with fibre-rich cereal, whole-grain breads, potatoes, and other carbohydrate-dense vegetables but reduce your intake of the butter, margarine, and mayonnaise that often accompany them.

NINE

2009-03-30T19:13:00.004+08:00

Hey everyone,

Today, Lynette and Shao reminded me of a very important fact.

-drumroll-

THERE ARE NINE MORE DAYS TO TOURNAMENT!

NINE! As in:

lynette's jersey no.
kyuu (japanese)
neun (german)
neuf (french)
εννέα (greek)
nove (italian/protuguese)
nueve (spanish)
九 (you had better know what language this is)
9 :)

JIAYOU EVERYBODY!

FYI:
9 (nine) is the natural number following 8 and preceding 10. The ordinal adjective is ninth.
Nine is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1 and 3. It is 3 times 3 and hence the third square number. 9 is the first composite lucky number (this is a good omen!).

Nine is the highest single-digit number in the decimal system.

There are nine Heegner numbers (don't ask me what they are. Google it if you're that interested).

A polygon with nine sides is called an enneagon (technically) or nonagon (in common usage). A group of nine of anything is called an ennead.

In base 10 a number is evenly divisible by nine if and only if its digital root is 9. That is, if you multiply nine by any natural number, and repeatedly add the digits of the answer until it is just one digit, you will end up with nine:
2 × 9 = 18 (1 + 8 = 9)
3 × 9 = 27 (2 + 7 = 9)
9 × 9 = 81 (8 + 1 = 9)
121 × 9 = 1089 (1 + 0 + 8 + 9 = 18; 1 + 8 = 9)
234 × 9 = 2106 (2 + 1 + 0 + 6 = 9)
578329 × 9 = 5204961 (5 + 2 + 0 + 4 + 9 + 6 + 1 = 27 (2 + 7 = 9))
And so on. Cool right?
(The only other number with this property is three.)

There's alot of interesting stuff on wikipedia. Seriously, I never expected such a long entry on the number 9. Well, now I know. :) Damn, I'm learning from shufeng with the wikipedia research and all. NOOO!

~Sarah

JERSEYS!

2009-03-25T23:54:00.004+08:00

Hello children.:) Haha... Right. Ok. Just so I do not have to go passing my phone around over the next couple of days [though I bet I'll still end up doing it...O_o] here're the pictures of the two jerseys we're getting. They're blurry and overexposed and sideways(._.) and frankly quite badly taken. And if you want to complain. Deal with it! Yup. Righty then.:)

Here's the first one aka the red one aka the nicer one (in the opinion of some) aka our "home" jersey. Yeah..

And here we have the second one aka the white one aka our "away" jersey. Yup yup. Don't strain your necks looking at the pictures please.:)

13 MORE DAYS TO OUR FIRST MATCH!! Whee!!:D

random.

2009-03-25T00:15:00.003+08:00

some nice photos :)

A brain teaser

2009-03-17T08:58:00.002+08:00

This is a purely hypothetical situation:

There were 4 girls shooting in the rain, one of them decides to drop kick the ball and it ends up stuck in the leaves of a palm tree. The palm tree also happens to be the one infested with giant red ants. How will you now attempt to get the ball down?

--

No, it wasn't hypothetical. Anning, Shufeng, Sala and I were playing ytd when AN got the ball stuck in the tree. Our attempts to get the ball out were in vain. -.-lll

Attempt 1:
Use body to knock tree.
Result:
A rain of red ants.

Attempt 2:
Throw a frisbee
Result:
Frisbee was infested with ants.

Attempt 3:
Throw a rock at the ball.
Result:
Rock got stuck too.

Attempt 4:
Throw a tennis ball.
Result:
Another ball stuck.

Attempt 5:
Throw a metal rod.
Result:
Rod was too heavy/dangerous, missed.

Attempt 6:
Throw a water bottle
Result:
Water bottle got stuck.

Attempt 7:
Throw another water bottle
Result:

SUCCESS!!!

---

And, a new discovery!

SALA IS SCARED OF RED ANTS!!!!!!!!

Seriously, she totally squealed. XD

Oh, that and..

SALA HAS ADMITTED TO BECOMING BIMBO!!!! :D:D

Psyching up for RJC match

2009-03-14T22:22:00.002+08:00

Just to re-open some old wounds to hopefully serve as some motivation for Monday's match. Enough said.

http://redsports.sg/2008/04/27/rjc-hci-football/

Tournament Fixtures!

2009-03-14T22:14:00.006+08:00

Season fixtures are out!

1. HCI vs VJC

8 April 2009

Venue: VJC

1630-1750

2. HCI vs TJC

15 April 2009

Venue: MJC

1500-1620

3. HCI vs MJC

22 April 2009

Venue: MJC

1500-1620

4. HCI vs SRJC

29 April 2009

Venue: MJC

1500-1620

5. MI vs HCI

6 May 2009

Venue: VJC

1630-1750

Top 2 teams of each group qualify. Schools in Group B are: SAJC, RJC, NJC, JJC, IJC.

6. Semi-finals

13 May 2009

7. 3rd/4th placing

19 May 2009

8. Finals

20 May 2009

2009-03-13T00:25:00.004+08:00

mg. so sweet. thanks! :D

yall dont have unglam shots o me! HAHA.

yay tis entry shall b dedicated t shufeng then. its 31 mins since the start o her birthday.

feel free t edit this post lol.

im nice, so im postin a super pretty photo o shufeng

ta-da! hee.

happy 18th birthday shufeng!

love you for being an excellent defender, an understanding PT rep and a lively vibe o the team!

(and for being labelled bimbo w me heh)

when u wan t smoke or buy alcohol, we go try tgt HOHO.

alright.. happy birthday again :]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUAT!

2009-03-12T23:18:00.002+08:00

Haha, this post shall be dedicated to our awesome, our fantastic, SECRETARY, Juat!

Today is Juat's birthday.

For another 35 minutes.

So to commemorate this momentous occasion of her turning 18,

what better way than to post an (unglam) shot of her. :D

Ok, it's not very unglam,

Just a very evil-looking Juat!

HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY, JUAT!

(may you continue to have many many more free text messages...)

Fuelling During and After Exercise

2009-03-10T21:00:00.002+08:00

Because I'm sick of KI...

___________________________________________________________________

Fluids during Extensive Exercise
During hard exercise, your muscles can generate 20 times more heat than they do when you are at rest. You dissipate this heat by sweating. As the sweat evaporates, it cools the skin. This in turn cools the blood, which cools the inner body. If you did not sweat, you could cook yourself to death (and I don’t think it’d be very tasty). For this reason, you shouldn’t push yourself beyond your limits in extremely hot weather.

Thirst, as defined by a conscious awareness of the desire for water and other fluids, usually controls water intake. An abnormally high concentration of body fluids triggers the sensation of thirst. When you sweat, you lose significant amounts of water from your blood. The remaining blood becomes more concentrated and has, for example, an abnormally high sodium level. This triggers the thirst mechanism and increases your desire to drink. To quench your thirst, you have to replace the water losses and bring the blood back to its normal concentration.

Unfortunately for athletes, this thirst mechanism can be an unreliable signal to drink. Hence, you should plan to drink before you are thirsty. By the time your brain signals thirst, you may have lost 1% of your body weight, which corresponds with the need for your heart to beat an additional 3-5 times per minute. A 3% loss can significantly hurt your performance. Exercise can blunt thirst, and the mind can override it. You may voluntarily replace less than half of sweat losses. To be safe, always drink enough to quench your thirst, plus a little more.

Muscle Cramps (WEI NING! READ THIS!)
Muscle Cramps are often associated with dehydration. They most commonly occur among athletes who work their muscles to the point of exhaustion. They are likely related to over-exertion, but fluid loss, inadequate conditioning, and electrolyte imbalance may also be predisposing factors. To prevent dehydration-induced cramps, drink more than enough fluids before, during, and after you exercise.

Recovery Fluids
After you finish a hard workout, your top dietary priority should be to replace the fluids you lost by sweating so that your body can get back into water balance. Ideally, you should have minimized dehydration during the event by consuming at least 80% of sweat losses, but that can be hard to do during intense exercise. Hence, the best choices for replacing sweat losses include one or more of the following:

Juices, which supply water, carbohydrates, vitamins, and potassium
Watery foods such as watermelon, grapes, and soups that supply fluids, carbohydrates, vitamins and potassium
High-carbohydrate sports drinks or soft drinks, which supply fluids and carbohydrates (but minimal, if any, vitamins minerals)
Commercial fluid replacers, which supply fluids, some carbohydrates and sodium, and a few vitamins if fortified with them
WATER, which tends to be convenient, well-tolerated, and least expensive

2009-03-08T23:51:00.001+08:00

Snacks for Cravings and Pre-exercise Energy
Wise Snacking
Many people believe that snacking is bad, because they snack on glazed doughnuts, candy bars, cookies, colas, and other lacklustre choices that fail to offer the nutrients needed for optimal performance. If this sounds like you, remember: Just as a car needs gasoline and spark plugs to function, your body needs calories (gas) and the vitamins, minerals, and proteins (spark plugs) found in wholesome foods to function well. If you want to have quality workouts, high energy, and good health, you need to fuel your body with quality calories. You can do this by thinking second lunch instead of sweet snack.

Some people try not to snack because they believe that eating between meals is sinful and fattening. The truth is that snacking is important. Active people tend to get hungry at least every four hours (no kidding, I can testify to that), so even if you have breakfast at 0800 and lunch at noon, your body will still want a snack by 1600, if not sooner. If you will be exercising in the afternoon (cough), you need added fuel to energize your workout. Snacking is good for you and your workouts, and you should plan it as part of your sports diet. (No complaints with that…)

Snacking is important
Most active people need and should eat snacks to keep them fuelled throughout the day. The snack also prevents extreme hunger that commonly leads to extreme cravings for sweets and other such treats. By snacking on grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods from the base of the food pyramid, you’ll be able to curb hunger and be content to enjoy carrots rather than carrot cake, and apples rather than apple pie.

When and if you choose to snack on sweets and treats, be sure to eat only a small amount from the tip of the pyramid, after you have climbed to the top by first eating basic foods. Otherwise, your diet will end up the shape of an upside-down pyramid that topples your health and sports performance.

Appropriate pre-exercise snacks benefit optimal performance by preventing dehydration and maintaining normal blood sugar levels. You should consume adequate pre-exercise fluids and carbohydrates, as tolerated by your body. In general, most active people can enhance their performance with 200 to 300 calories of carbohydrates within and hour or two before the workout.

March Trainings

2009-03-08T19:20:00.005+08:00

Day	Date	Venue	Time	Programme
Mon	9	HCI	1630	Training (J1s only)
Fri	13	HCI	1630	Training
Sat	14	HCI	0730	Training
Tue	17	RJC	1700	Friendly against RJC (Meet at Bishan MRT at 1545)
Wed	18	HCI	0730	Training
Thur	19	ITE Bishan	1630	Friendly against ITE Bishan
Fri	20	Greenview Sec	1500	Friendly against Greenview Sec.
Mon Wed	23 25	HCI HCI	1530 1430	Training (for J1s and J2s who've finished Blocks) Training
Sat	28	HCI	0730	Training
Tues	31	HCI	1430	Training

Post-Blocks Activities Proposal

2009-03-01T21:31:00.002+08:00

Ok, to let us have something to look forward to after the dreaded BLOCKS, Sala and Shu Feng have kindly done some research into a few FUN activities we can indulge in after blocks. So take a look and VOTE please. Thank you very much.

1. Rock Climbing
Yishun SAFRA Country Club
10 minutes by foot from Yishun MRT Station
68528200
6 15m panel walls
Climbing gear available
Pool to cool off in (o_O)

SAFRA Tampines

SAFRA Toa Payoh
1000-2100 daily

2. Swimming
Sala or Lynette's house
Or some very nice pool place with giant slides :)

3. Laser Tag
Student Price available! (Bring EZ-link cards/ Student Passes! We are kids!)
Mon-Thu - $28 (kid); $30 (adult)
Fri-Sat - $30 (kid); $33 (adult)
Sun - $33 (kid); $36 (adult)
Additional Missions - $12
www.lasertag.com.sg
Anergy Singapore office
By appointment only
Register online!
We pick our own venue.
They will deliever the ammunition!
Possible venues: Labrador Park, School, Telok Kurau Park (Shao's house)

4. Paint Ball
Singapore Discovery Centre
67926188
$48/player (We're in a technical recession now!)
0930-1130
1130-1330
1330-1530
1530-1730
4-20 pax, choose 2 hours
Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays!

Red Dynasty Paint Ball Park
Bottle Tree Park
$10 (30 pellets)
www.bottletree.com.sg
81 Lorong Chen Charu (Yishun)
Khatib MRT Station
15 minute walk to Bottle Tree Park Sidegate
Oppositie Yishun Stadium
Bus: Alight at Yishun Avenue 2 opposite Yishun Stadium
39, 851, 852, 853, 854, 855, 857, 858, 965, 969

5. Fall Back Plan!
Cycling/ S-League Match

Note: Any errors probably arose because I can't read Shu Feng's handwriting. Heh...

Better Diets Begin With Breakfast

2009-03-01T16:20:00.001+08:00

Woohoo, I summarised that sports nutrition guidebook I was reading into 7 pages to share some stuff with you guys! :D But it'll be posted in stages. 7 pages at one shot is still a bit FWAH!

Boosting Your Calcium Intake

Here are some tips to help you boost your calcium intake to build and maintain strong bones:

For breakfast, eat cereal with one cup of low-fat milk or skim milk (or soy milk)
With crunchy cereal, like granola, use yogurt in place of milk
With hot cereal cook the cereal in milk or mix in one-third cup of powdered milk
When grabbing a quick meal, choose pizza (no kidding!) with low-fat mozzarella cheese or sandwiches with low-fat cheese
Make calcium-rich salads by adding low-fat grated chest, cottage cheese, or tofu cubes
Blenderize soft tofu or plain yogurt with salad seasonings for a calcium-rich dressing. Read the labels on the tofu containers, being sure to choose the brands processed with calcium sulphate; otherwise the tofu will be calcium poor.
Drink low-fat, skim, or soy milk with lunch, snacks, or dinner
Add extra milk (instead of cream) to coffee and enjoy lattes (J)
Drink milk-based hot cocoa in place of coffee
Snack on fruit-flavoured yogurt rather than ice cream
Enjoy frozen yogurt or pudding made with low-fat milk for a taste low-fat calcium treat
Chow down on dark green, leafy vegetables (yech)

Milk Myths

Myths abound regarding milk for athletes. The following stories highlight common concerns and questions about milk in a sports diet.

A high school swimmer who drank A LOT of milk was concerned that this much milk would lead to calcium deposits. For most healthy people this is unlikely. When you consume more calcium than your body needs, your body excretes the excess.
One football player thought that milk causes cotton mouth. It doesn’t. They dryness he experiences before competition was caused by nervousness and anxiety, not milk.
A runner had heard that milk is hard to digest and causes stomach cramping. It doesn’t unless you’re lactose intolerant. Low-fat milk and dairy products are comfort foods that tend to digest easily, but some people have trouble digesting milk because they lack an enzyme (lactase) that digests milk sugar (lactose). They need to find alternative calcium sources such as yogurt, hard cheeses, or even small amounts of milk taken with a meal.
Drinking extra milk does not hasten healing processes. Time and a balanced diet, in general, do.

Better Diets Begin With Breakfast

Don’t Skip Breakfast
Of all the nutritional mistakes that you might make, skipping breakfast is the worst. Skipping breakfast can hinder your workouts and leave you drained for the rest of the day. In comparison, a high-energy breakfast sets the stage for a high-energy day. Nevertheless, many active people come up with familiar (and lame) excuses for skipping the morning meal: I don’t have time… I’m not hungry in the morning… I don’t like breakfast foods… I’m on a diet… If I eat breakfast, I feel hungrier all day.

Excuses, excuses. If you skip breakfast, you’re likely to concentrate less effectively in the late morning, study less efficiently, feel irritable and short-tempered, or fall short of energy for your AFTERNOON WORKOUT. For every flimsy excuse to skip breakfast, there’s an even better reason to eat it.

You Do Have Time for Breakfast
Breakfast doesn’t have to be a sit-down, cooked meal. It can be a substantial snack while riding to school. Plan and prepare a breakfast-to-go the night before. Make the effort to do one of the following every day:

Take a sandwich to work to eat within 4 hours of waking.
Buy a bagel, yogurt, and orange juice at the coffee shop.
Take an early break and enjoy a hot breakfast at the cafeteria
Keep emergency food in your bag, e.g. granola bars, crackers, peanuts, and dried fruits.

No Morning Appetite?
If you are not hungry for breakfast, you probably ate too many calories the night before. Late night snacks such as chips while watching TV or a 0200 pint of ice cream can curb a morning appetite, contribute to weight gain, and even result in an inadequate diet if too many MUNCHIES replace wholesome meals.

Breakfast for Dieters
Everyone knows that diets start at breakfast, right? Wrong! Skipping breakfast to save calories is an unsuccessful approach to weight loss. If you are tempted to save calories by skimping on breakfast, remember that you don’t gain weight eating this meal. You do gain weight if you skip breakfast, get too hungry, and then overindulge at night. IF YOU ARE GOING TO SKIP ANY MEAL, SKIP DINNER BUT NOT BREAKFAST. You goal should be to fuel by day and eat a little less at night (applies even if you’re not dieting)

the unforgettable friendlies

2009-02-26T15:00:00.002+08:00

get Lynette t send you the videos if u wan t review!
here are the comments by coach that lynette took down:

1. Whitley (1)
01:20 - watch organisation during corners
01:40 - crowding 3vs1 ->LOSE BALL -> individual responsibility
02:12 - 8vs5->goal keeper out of position
03:27 - positioning during goal kick-> win first ball!

2. Queensway (2)
00:18 - remember to put our arms to shield ball and block opponent when controlling throw-in
03:48 - slow wall-making
05:40 - overshift (goal keeper, right mid and right back out of position)
06:14 - lynette flinched and gave too much space
07:00 - use right leg for goal kick from the right
08:08 - overshift
09:28 - Lynette din cover juat
09:39 - organising defending corners (Right mid take. Left Mid, Centre Mid drop)
12:58 - RB way outta position
14:06 - defence line should push up when Left Back taking throw -> equidistance betw defence, midfield and striker
14:40 - free kick direct t keeper!
15:29 - right back and right mid over shift
16:29 - direction of clearance
17:07 - centre mid must cover right mid
17:43 - good organisation
18:24 - kick off, if possible, turn and go if the opposing striker attempts to win the ball from the pass back
18:54 - clear first time, dont control
21:00 - face the ball, not turn your back
22:01 - right back no cover
22:45 - right mid and centre mid next to each other when receiving throw-in
23:03 - opposing centre mid not marked
25:38 - right mid too slow in putting pressure
28:05 - free kick direct to keeper again!

3. Queensway (3)
01:46 - sala must shield the ball when receiving
02:30 - both an ning and hui shi standing in front of corner taker
02:58 - qiaoyue foul throw
04:48 - kaihui must hav open body position
06:41 - sala, just shoot! dont control too much
07:46 - everybody goes ->GAP
14:23 - wasted 2 free kicks
16:45 - lynette and qiaoyue's body position
20:54 - just shoot!
27:28 - MAJOR OVERSHIFTING
28:02 - sala modelling !
28:13 - opponent at far post unmarked->manpower wastage (inefficient allocation of resources hee)
28:53 - gapp betw defence and midfielder during goal kick, hannah off position
29:58 - gap between defence and midfield again
30:00 - empty space on left wing not exploited
31:11 - qiaoyue foul throw again
35:44 - attackers standing in the box already, but static

coach said that these are our main problems:
1. organisatoin and positioning
2. need to improve clearance at first touch
3. take initiative to go forward and meet the ball

we can do it people! :]

announcement btw: friendly match against RJ on 16th march Mon.
i believe we will learn from our mistake and improve this time!

MINUTES

2009-02-22T20:40:00.006+08:00

DATE: 11/2/09
TIME: 6pm - 6.30pm
MEMBERS PRESENT: Lynette, Shao, Juat, Sarah, Sylvia, Shu Feng, Hannah, Kai Hui, Qiao Yue, Hui Shi

1. J1s’ training
- Starts next Monday (16th February)
- Soccer “tutorials”
i. after Saturday trainings
ii. small groups consisting of seniors and juniors
iii. j2s help j1s in skills
iv. objective: to bond the team and to improve juniors’ skills

2. Soccer tournament
- Group A
- Schools: VJC, SRJC, MJC, MI, TJC

3. Thurs trainings
-compulsory
-self-training/PT/study sessions
-3pm-5pm

4. Soccer CIP
-sale of flowers
-Vic-ki’s draft:

Hwa Chong Soccer Girls’ CIP Event 2009
Proposal
1. Aims and objectives
- To provide opportunity for Hwa Chong Soccer Girls’ team to work together and provide service in support of school events.
- To promote inter-CCA collaboration between Music and Dance society and Hwa Chong Soccer Girls.

2. Proposed CIP event
- Brief outline: The Hwa Chong Soccer Girls’ team is keen on selling flowers at a booth during Music and Dance society’s annual performance, Dance night 2009.
- Target audience: Performance-goers who want to buy flowers in support of their friends performing.
- Beneficiary: Music and Dance society
- Participants of CIP event: Hwa Chong Girls Soccer team: ?? people + namelist
- Targeted CIP hours: ?? hours (8 to 10)

3. Details of proposed CIP event
- Date of event: dance night
- Venue of sale: Booth outside Auditorium
- Preparation dates: 1 day before dance night
- Venue required for preparation: 1 classroom (1500 to 1900 hrs)

4. Logistics and accounts

5. Proposed sale prices
- 1 carnation stalk: $1.50
- 1 rose stalk: $2
- 1 sunflower: $3
- 1 bouquet(3 roses, 2 carnations, 1 sunflower): $10

lotsa lotsa credits t VICKI for being so efficient and detailed :]

2009-02-17T14:57:00.004+08:00

Hello people, don't feel !@#$%^&* okay? Every team goes through bad patches, even arsenal! and look how they beat Cardiff 4-0 (: so cheer up and train hard !

anyway since i am damn free today, here's a little bit of fun fact about the innocuous soccer ball:

In the past, footballs were made from inflated pig bladders. YES! inflated pig bladders, disgusting on so many levels. True, humans don't eat pig bladders, but i'm sure they are considered delicacies in some remote regions of the world, so you're basically playing with your food which will in turn annoy your mum real badly. Besides, think about the poor piggies! We can consume their flesh but think of how indignified they will feel in Rainbow Bridge when they see their mortal remains inflated and crudely kicked about. But that's not the point, as you can see we humans have evolved and now have specialised teams of engineers and scientists working around the clock to create the PERFECT BALL (:

Law 2 of Association Football states that all footballs must be air-filled spheres with a a circumference of 68-70cm, mass of 410-450g and inflated to a pressue of 8-12 psi. Modern footballs are stitched from 32 panels of waterproof leather/plastic: 12 regular pentagons and 20 regular hexagons. This 32-panel ball is a spherical polyhedron that is similar to a truncated icosahedron.

The ball is spherical only because the air pressure within cause the panels to bulge (: Can you imagine kicking a truncated icosahedron around? It will be so mathematical!

Acknowledgements: Wikipedia

FRUITS(:

2009-02-16T00:15:00.006+08:00

i need to do hmeoorwk !

PATIYA (DRAGON FRUIT)

Fruit of several cactus species, most importantly of genus Hylocereus
The fruit is commonly called 火龙果 (huo3 long2 guo3)
It is native to Mexico, Central and South America and is also cultivated in Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Phillipines, Sri Lanka and Malaysia
The Seri people of northwestern Mexico still harvest the highly appreciated fruit, and call the plant ziix is ccapxl – "thing whose fruit is sour"
Patiyas can be red or yellow:

Nutritional Values per 100g of Patiya
Vitamin/Mineral/Nutrient	Mass
Water	80-90g
Carbohydrates	9-14g
Protein	0.15g-0.5g
Fat	0.1g-0.6g
Fibre	0.3-0.9
Ash	0.4-0.7g
Calories	35-50 kcal
Calcium	6-10mg
Iron	0.3-0.7 mg
Phosphorus	16-36 mg
Carotene (Vitamin A)	Traces
Thiamine (Vitamin B1)	Traces
Riboflavin (Vitamin B3)	Traces
Niacin (Vitamin B3)	Traces
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)	4-25 mg

Patiyas contain significant quantities of phytoalbumin antioxidants which prevent the formation of cancer causing free radicals
Coach likes patiyas
Please listen to Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron and Wine (: it's my latest earworm

2009-02-15T16:24:00.017+08:00

YO! i see that soccer blogs very much alive.. haha.. i know this is a little late but finally rmb to post these pictures that i took.. ENJOY! (yes, i finally posted smth:))

Painting the soccer banner..

lynette's fat and little out of shaped 'S' :))

sewing the hula hoop...

our captain attempts home econs:

Step one: thread the needle Step two: poke the first hole

The wrong result:

Trying to fix the problem...

Apparently it was quite bad so the next step's redo-ing it

Switching from home econs to accupuncture.

(She was holding the needle with her mouth and it dropped.. haha)

Anyway, i think juat's doing a better job than lynette:))

Random picture at Whitely match

Finally finshed uploading the pics.. spent like >half hr on this post cos my com keeps lagging and stupid pop-up msgs appear everytime when blogger tries to autosave.

GAH. i'm bored from studying econs.. i am so going to flunk it.. :((
dunno what to write so i'm ending here..

FRIENDLY TMR! WOOHOO! (random)

sayos,
kh

Incomprehensible words

2009-02-13T23:36:00.002+08:00

Hey everyone!

This is something i came across on the net:

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas toghuht slpeling was ipmorantt! tahts so cool!

Ins't tihs so cool? I'm ginog to tpye lkie tihs form now on! Tihs ttolaly porves taht Egnsilh lsesnos are cmolpeetly uencesarsy ;)

LOL' I'm bored.
Sraah.

Speed speed speed

2009-02-10T19:05:00.001+08:00

What is soccer speed?
There are many factors which influence the pace at which one performs on the field. They include reflexes, tactical anticipation, agility and so on. Playing at high pace is increasingly important at the more competitive levels. An effective speed training program must incorporate realistic aspects from the game. Soccer speed is not confined to sprinting alone as players rarely sprint for over 20 meters at a time. It is just as important to practice rapid change of direction, acceleration and above all, speed with the ball.

Physical attributes affecting speed

Power (in relation to total body weight)
The more power your body can output, the faster you can run. Therefore, if your muscles are weak you won't be able to run very fast. To increase your strength and power, you need to stress your muscles beyond their maximum capacity. As a result, your body will "overcompensate" by developing stronger and bigger muscles. Having well-developed musculature also decreases the likelihood of injury. There are numerous exercises designed to "overload" your muscles, the most simple and soccer-specific of which is sprinting. Weightlifting is another effective method for building up your body. Plyometrics is a dynamic training method used for developing the power and responsiveness of your muscles. It's based on series of jumping exercises.

Technique (with and without the ball)
Sprinting, in contrast to jogging, requires that you contact the ground with your toes. Your upper body should be slightly bent forward. You must keep your arms aside of your body. Put emphasis on driving your legs forward with each stride. By feeling out the ideal length of your stride, you can adjust for optimal performance. Once you have adapted a good sprinting stride, you should not change the rhythm by shortening or lengthening your step. Mixed sprints of "slow motion running" and top speed bursts are a good way to get a feel for your technique. This will give insight whether you are marking superfluous motions while at top speed. You can practice your ideal stride by placing a line of cones with an equal distance between each. When you sprint next to the cones they will give you a sense of the consistency in your stride and speed. Remember to swing your arms parallel to your path rather than across the body as it preserves energy. It is all about re enforcing economical technique.When a player is moving with the ball at speed, he has to keep a low center of gravity. His knees are bent and he is leaning slightly forward. When dribbling in a straight line, the ball has to be pushed with the instep and should not spin. Control is extremely important when working on your speed with the ball. If you feel that you are losing your handle, you are moving faster than your skill level allows.

Body condition
Your nutritional habits also affect your speed indirectly. Excessive body fat acts as baggage when you're trying to run. Maintaining a sensible diet can help you shed some fat and gain more pace.

Flexibility
While often overlooked, flexibility is a major component of speed. Without good flexibility, your form will suffer, your stride will be shorter and you'll be at higher risk for injury. It is also said that poor flexibility increases the effects of fatigue.

Soccer Video

2009-02-03T20:27:00.002+08:00

Since I learned how to upload photos, let me give videos a shot...

Nike Sale!

2009-02-03T20:25:00.001+08:00

2009-02-02T23:13:00.008+08:00

Ze Intrepid Reporter is back!

To start off this exciting Lunar New Year, zis reporter is glad to bring u some very interesting news...

ze HC girls soccer team has gone through a arduous thinking process and have come up with a team......MASCOT! zis mascot will hopefully serve to bring ze team lots of luck in the coming times...

however, since we have anticipated your desire in joining zis great decision-making moment for such an honourable team, we have decided to carry out an event... Zis event has taken ze world by storm, with its effective and reliable method of getting needed information. It is also recognised by major companies and they have also deployed large amount of their workforce to carry out zis event year after year...
Presenting to you, the One and ONLY SURVEY of ze year :)

Survey title: How much do thee like ze chosen HC soccer girls mascot?

Background Info:

--> ze Mascot:

--> another shot of ze mascot:

--> yet another of ze mascot:

what wonderful shots they are!!!

Questions:

Question 1) How do you feel about ZE MASCOT?

Reaction A) OMG! It is just bee-you-ti-fool! Just look at ze wonderful symmetry of colours! Black, white and just ze right touch of red! What passion! What art! Oh! My heart is beating furiously in my chest to signify my wondrous amour for it!!! Oh, my darling...when will you be mine? My heart yearns for ze day when you and i can be ONE! oh oh!... (to be continued on in a irritating French accent with lots of spouting of poems and love sonnets...)

Note: the speech above is accompanied by a lip smacking gesture... [1) Display your right hand in an action which involves putting all 5 fingers together to point upwards. 2) place the hand next to your pursed lips. 3) Move your hand away in a horizontal diagonally right direction while separating your fingers. 4) Accompany action 3 with a loud "muack" ] If one does not get the action, then too bad...

Reaction B) i luuved the legs n hands...they r a nice touch to the mascot and signify the use of hands and legs in the game of soccer. They also have a deeper meaning...In soccer, one must achieve Soccer-lightenment, with one becoming 1 with the ball...when one's mind, body and soul are 1 with the ball, then one can move with the ball when one has the ball...similarly, when one is 1 with the ball, then the opponents will find it very very very difficult to seperate one from one's ball... (yadah yadah yadah, blahblahblah...One must accompany the speech in a very enlightened tone and have a uplifted expression on one's face. If possible, sit down in a Zen-like position and arranged hands in Zen-like gestures...)

Reaction C)
It's...erm...ok...erm...i...think...it...looks...quite...erm...nice...but...erm...still...got...room...for...erm...improvement...erm...yeah...n...erm...

Reaction D) yucks!

Note: If you chose ze option D, please visit ze HC soccer team on their off-training days for some "Self-Defense" lessons... As they say, ze best type of knowledge comes from experience...( hint hint!)

Question 2)

--> refer to Question 1.

Question 3)

--> refer to Question 2.

Question 4)

--> refer to Question 3.

Question 5)

--> refer to Question 4.

Thanks for doing zis survey! We hope that u had a fun time doing it and have learnt more about ze HC girls soccer team in the process :)

Bye! :)

-Ze Intrepid Reporter signing off...

February Trainings

2009-01-31T20:39:00.004+08:00

So January's ended. February's here. And we're even closer to season! Below is the list of training dates with Coach, subject to amendments due to friendlies, etc. Note: Self-trainings on Mondays at 1530 will continue as per normal. SSS on Thursdays, if you're free. :)

4 Feb (Wed): 1630 - Friendly vs Whitley Sec at Whitley Sec (kick-off at 1700)
7 Feb (Sat): 0730 - Friendly vs NJC at NJC (kick-off at 0800)
9 Feb (Mon): 1630 - Training (Note: Self-training this week will be on Wednesday at 1430)
14 Feb (Sat): 0900 - Training
18 Feb (Wed): 1430 - Training
21 Feb (Sat): 0900 - Training
24 Feb (Tue): 1630 - Training
25 Feb (Wed): 1430 - Training
28 Feb (Sat): 0900 - Training

Note: All Saturday trainings will be at the high school field.

Keep working hard, guys! We're getting better and stronger everyday.
-Lynette-

Extra unrelated stuff: Have you ever tried NOT suanning Sala for 30 minutes? I FAILED!

DUMBBELLS

2009-01-24T23:30:00.005+08:00

THE PT SCHEDULE!

for people w/o this document, click on the picture below

why are dumbbells called dumbbells?

well back in Tudor England, athletes used to train with real church bells. And since training with real bells would have caused a hell lot of noise pollution, they took the dingdongthings out from the bell (otherwise known as clappers). Hence, the church bells could no longer make sounds, effectively rendering them dumb. Thus dumbbells became known as 'dumbbells'.

In Russia, they athletes trained with imba heavy kettlebells, a cast-iron weight that resembles a cannon ball spouting a handle. "Kettlebell workouts are intended to increase strength, endurance, agility and balance, challenging both the muscular and cardiovascular system with dynamic, total-body movements."

Now for our dumbbell fantasy (:

They have really pretty ones (multicolored too!):

~~Sarah's~~ secret dumbbell fantasy, PINK dumbbells!

Dumbbells that look like Hercules's toys:

SOLID STEEL DUMBBELLS FOR THE MACHO(INNER)YOU

Not satisfied? We have shiny chrome ones:

And the ultimate 100pounds/kgs/dunno-what-unit-of-mass dumbbell that looks like it can crush an elephant and still not be dented

There are also the ponderous kettlebars that I really hope we never have to see or use in trainings:

REALLY NICE GREEN DUMBBELLS (:

2009-01-22T23:54:00.006+08:00

heh-heh-heh, was at chem tuition trying to be smarter than I really am. anyway to prove I'm not as bimbotic as sala thinks, today's post is in I shall add as much blue as it is possible to this post.

so anyway, your pt rep is here with numb arms and (great/bad) news:

I have decided after testing out in front of my guffawing brother, an alternative to push-ups in our pt schedule, or if you guys are hiong enough we'll just include this as part of self pt on slacker days.

Basically, we'll use weights, and the best part we don't have to go and buy professional metal alloy weights (: see the 1.5 litre bottles lying around your homes? Well, go collect two and fill them up with SAND. yes SAND! because (i'm not sure how much they weigh) they are really quite heavy, 2kg plus. Go steal sand from the nearest sandpit or our friendly neighbour Indonesia. I'm really not sure where the difficulty comes from, from the mass or the diameter of the bottle or maybe its just me and my weak arms (so that's why I really need your help in testing it out).

1) Holding the two bottles in both hands, stretch your arms sideways (LIKE TITANIC) and move them up and down. Keep arms straight and go raise your arms as parallel to ground as possible.

Okay, this is bimbotic, but I have NEVER watched Titanic before! so I am NOT bimbotic. This is a fallacy, bimbos don't know fallacies (:

2) Holding the bottles in both hands, stretch your arms in front of you. Raise arms in up and down motion. Keep arms as straight and raise them as parallel to ground as possible.

3) Holding bottles in both hands, raise arms upwards above head in an up and down motion. Keep arms as straight as possible. At resting position, bottles should be help near head (the ears. It really feels like pull-ups when you hold the bottles horizontally !

4) Use bottles to do bicep curls. Hold bottles in both hands,raise lower arms up and down. Feel your biceps begin to BURN! Um this is the best description I can come up with.

5) Right, the last one. This is extremely relevant in vball but not in soccer but optimising muscles to efficiently smack people is always a good and viable method of self defense. Holding bottles in both hands, bring both wrists into an up and down motion, curling wrists up and down. Kinda like a wrist curl.

Each exercise (1-5, 5 is extremely optional) is done up to 8 counts. For example, for Exercise 1, at count 1, raise arms above sides as parallel to the ground as possible; at count 2, bring them back to resting position.

Repeat thrice, best done when watching television (: Not in front of exercise-obsessed/hyper-muscular person who scorns at puniness.

I bet he despises un-manliness and frankly it's quite disturbing. but I guess he loves it so ... ... ):

Since my brother claims these weights are damn light, rare people in phase three (population : 1, lynette) and ~~above~~ please adjust weights accordingly. You can fill up bottles with some sort of denser material which I can't think of at this moment, but i suppose you can fill up the gaps between sand particles with water, cement, concrete or simply invest in heavier ~~barbells~~ dumbbells. (: People in phase one/two (the masses), enjoy the arm-numbing experience (:

5.5 days holiday! Have fun and have a ~~profitable~~ auspicious Chinese New Year (:

CHINESE NEW YEAR

2009-01-22T21:01:00.002+08:00

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúxī. It literally means "Year-pass Eve".
The 2009 date for Chinese New Year is January 26.

But who cares about all that. What we should really focus on is the nice long break we get! 5 days without school! I think that's the longest break we get aside from the termly ones. Be sure to eat, sleep, enjoy yourself and completely forget about homework. ;) Cheers to the new year!

PS. okay, i admit it. I'm really really bored. Why aren't any of you online at all? Can't even bother anyone. Woe is me!!!

Letter from Mr. Tan

2009-01-20T17:51:00.002+08:00

Ok, so below is an email from Mr. Tan, our new teacher-in-charge, who came by for yesterday's training. He seems pretty enthu and wants to get involved, so that's kinda cool.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
Hi Lynette,

here are some of my observations of the team's training session yesterday:

a) Running
15 x 400m, 2 mins each round and 2 mins rest in between
- this is a very tough program and the girls did well to complete within or near the timing given
- if the team can maintain this regime, you can see and feel the effect in 4 weeks' time i'm sure
- u did well to gauge the team's level of fitness and cut short to 10 rounds
- progression is the key, hence do not train too hard too soon else it will be counter-effective
- looking at your team which has many members who have little sports background, 10 x 400m is already big step for them. Hence i suggest u girls to carry on for another 2 weeks before you gauge to go to 12x400m or even 15x400m
- do take note of the hot weather and the possibility of heat injury (i attach a file on heat injury and prevention, pls share with the team)
- as the captain, please ensure that they drink plenty of water (at least 500ml) before you run/train!

b) Possession/monkey drill
around 14/15 players, split into 2 groups with 2 monkeys in each group
- do go for smaller teams e.g. groups of 5(4 passing and 1 monkey) or even 4(3 passing and 1 monkey)
this is to encourage more touches per player as smaller teams means the players are forced to touch the ball more times and hence have a higher chance to improve
- keep moving to make yourself available for your teammate to pass to
like i mentioned, i observed that most players were stationary throughout the whole drill
- do not change monkey unless the monkey has gained control over the ball
this is to create a games-like situation as during a game, possesion does not change simply becos the opponent has touched the ball; instead the opponent has to be in control of the ball
practising the will to have control of the ball or to get it back will aid your team in a real match
- do not take turns to change monkey
only the monkey who has control of the ball gets to join the rest of the group, and not cos it's her turn; this is to encourage monkeys to really go all out to defend, and to discourage lazy players
- free play to 3 touches to 2 touches to 1 touch
the progression should be from free play(some dribbling should be encouraged) to 3 then 2 then 1 touch

c) wall pass and overlap drills
- i like the idea of 3 in a group as it encourages more touches per player
- the shooting part however, could be better organised
- i suggest that everyone line up in 2 rows and do a 1-2 then shoot, followed by the next pair and so on, rather than stay in the groups of 3 and wait for one another: the training pace became sluggish and slow

the track is too crowded as be seen yesterday and it will be like this on mon, wed, fri. The track coaches feel that it is dangerous and not productive for all involved in training on the track and suggest that you either run on tue, thu or run at a later time e.g after 6pm when it is cooler. Please ensure that this is followed and confirm with me the timing soon.

in conclusion, i would like to say that i support coach ramesh's programs and training methods, but at the same time, i want u to continue to give feedback about whether or not the team can take it, like u did well in cutting the 15x400m to 10x400m. Please let me know how I can help the team, especially on days the coach is not around. I can also conduct training sessions if needed.

Lastly, i think you have a passion for the sport and the girls are all trying their best in training. This is very heartening to see and i hope long may this continue. Keep up the good work! :p

regards,

Mr Tan
_____________________________________________________________________________________

So, would you like him to conduct our self-trainings?

minutes !

2009-01-12T01:15:00.004+08:00

1. Soccer Camp Debrief

i. pros
1. most camp preparation was quite good- station set-up and time management
2. fun
3. enthusiastic
4. promotes interaction among team through games

ii. cons
1. some lag time (eg. At Shao’s house)
2. exceeded budget
3. bad war games preparation -> overshot time limit
4. no wet weather plan (Day 1 evening)
5. lack of initiative to interact when there are no games

iii. '09 Soccer Camp
- early June
- J1s and J2s each plan a day’s activities
- Choose J1 excos at end of camp

2. Procedure for choosing J1s exco
- J2s will not vote; only J1s vote
- J1s will have 2 votes per position
- J2s discuss and confirm the positions of new excos after J1s vote

3. CCA orientation
- video to be played at the booth
- old card handouts to be distributed again
- team divided into booth deco committee and banner painting committee
- booth deco:

a. think of how to decorate the booth
b. plan the rosters on CCA orientation
c. suggested ideas: display table soccer, create “mini football field” with Styrofoam board

- banner painting:

a.venue: central plaza
b. must state venue of soccer bench
c. must be eye-catching
d. suggested ideas: circular banner (use hula hoop?), diagram on soccer shirt

-booth deco: Shu Feng, Kai Hui, Qiao Yue, Vicki, Sala, Sylvia
-banner painting: hannah, lynette, juat, shao, kelly, xiaoxi

4. Jersey
- sourcing and quoting on 12.1.09 (1st day of school) at Queensway
- jersey numbers to be collated by 18.1.09 (Sunday) by Sala

5. AOB
i. punctuality- must report on time (eg. By 0730 sharp)
ii. attendance- no more strange reasons accepted
iii. team goal

- enter semi-finals!
- Communicate more!

iv. Improvements the team needs
- To brace ourselves up even when we are not winning (eg. When the opponent scores)
- Everyone to put in more effort during trainings
- Have more initiation to ask for the ball
- Have more trust in team mates, ie. Don’t doubt the ability of team mate when passing the ball, especially if she is in a favourable position
- Communicate more
- Don’t stun when something shocking happens (eg. When ball hits someone’s face)
- Recover from mistake fast and move on quickly
- Positive thinking: “I’ll do better” instead of “I’m sorry”
- Keep chasing the ball until its out; never give up

v. individual goals

Ok people! A new school year has begun! enjoy ur last jc yr! :D

ps. soccer blog is soooo informative. like an encyclopedia!

2009-01-11T16:42:00.004+08:00

Can you imagine turtles without shells?

I THINK TURTLES WITHOUT SHELLS WILL BE GROSS LOOKING!

But you can see a turtle without shell here (: