Monday, September 7, 2009
July 25, 2006
BOWLING
Teo finds right mix in bowling, medicine
Medical student bags Singapore 's first gold at World Youth event while juggling studies
By Leonard Lim
OVER the years, Singapore has produced a host of distinguished athletes who have gone on to become doctors.
Bowler Valerie Teo looks set to be the next.
The third-year National University of Singapore medical student bagged Singapore 's first gold medal at the World Youth Championships in Berlin on Sunday.
Teo racked up 1,193 pinfalls in the girls' singles to pip teammate Cherie Tan for the gold by three pinfalls.
The 21-year-old is competing in her first tournament after being sidelined for six months with a fungal infection.
She said: 'It feels great to dust off the rustiness immediately and win a gold.'
She is among a rare breed of Singaporeans who have juggled medical studies and represented the nation at the highest level.
Other notable Singaporean athlete-turned-doctors include luminaries such as water-polo player Tan Hwa Luck, netballers Yap Hui Kim and Lee Bee Wah, sailor Benedict Tan and swimmer Tay Khoon Hean.
Given the demands of excelling at both sports and medical studies, how does she cope?
Said Teo: 'There are only 24 hours in a day, so I have to discipline myself a lot to succeed in the two.'
The kegler has a personal time-table where she focuses on studies when exams approach, and on training and competitions at other times of the year.
But balancing sports and the rigours of medical school is bound to take a toll on an athlete, admitted former national sailor Benedict Tan.
'It's just like holding two full-time jobs. There are definitely sacrifices to be made,' said the 1994 Asian Games gold medallist.
Dr Benedict Tan, Changi Sports Medicine Centre's head and a consultant sports physician, has fond memories of his NUS days during the late 1980s.
He said: 'In between tutorials, I would rush to the gym for a few hours.
'Then once my lectures ended at around 4pm, I would go to East Coast to catch as much daylight hours as possible for my sailing training.'
One major sacrifice he had to make was putting his medical career on hold for nine months in order to train for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
At times, he had to rely on classmates, who supported him by lending him their lecture notes.
It also helped that the Laser sailor was allowed by the university to skip classes when he had to go for competitions.
'The only condition was that if I failed the exams, I would not blame it on sailing,' said the 39-year-old.
For ex-national water- polo player Tan Hwa Luck, 61, the sacrifices he made remain fresh in the mind even after over forty years.
Besides attending classes at Anglo-Chinese School , he had to train twice a day six times a week before the 1961 South-east Asia Peninsular Games.
Dr Tan Hwa Luck, a veterinarian at Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital , quipped: 'As a result, I didn't have time at all for girlfriends.' [Clara's expression: =) ]
After competing at the 1962 Asian Games, he went on to study veterinary medicine at Glasgow University on the prestigious Colombo Plan scholarship.
Despite the hectic regime, juggling sports and medical studies does have its benefits.
He said: 'You emerge a much better person. It improves your emotional quotient, helps you to manage time properly, and teaches you discipline.'
Like Teo, women have also shown they can excel in sports and medicine.
Two examples are Professor Yap Hui Kim and Associate Professor Lee Bee Wah.
National netball teammates in the 1970s, both are former President's Scholars.
They are currently consultants at the NUS medical school's Department of Paediatrics.
Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine, would be proud.
limze@sph.com.sg
http://straitstimes.asiaone.com/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=06a21008ce599010VgnVCM1000000a35010aRCRD&vgnextfmt=vgnartid:e47184dbea1ac010VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD
Race's record:10:09 PM
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Thursday, September 3, 2009
"An idiot repeats his mistakes. A smart man learns from his mistakes.
But a genius learns from the mistakes of others."
GET A LIFE
By Brian Houston
There is a quality that is the possession of every person. It is an inheritance available to all, but claimed by few. This quality is called POTENTIAL.
There is a proverb that tells us that “much food [potential] is in the fallow ground of the poor”. Just under the surface is an abundant lifestyle, but many people miss it and live frustrated, dissatisfied, under-productive lives.
Potential is “what might be or could be, but does not yet exist.”
A young child is seen running around the football or baseball park showing extraordinary flair and skill. With incredible agility and the quick thinking of a veteran he steers his team to victory. Talent scouts mark him as someone who “COULD be anything. Several years later we witness that very same person. He’s the overweight storyteller at the bar having one too many drinks, the has-been who COULD HAVE BEEN anything. Through lack of discipline, lack of integrity, lack of determination or wrong choices the young man voted “Most Likely To Succeed” has missed his true potential. In reality this make-believe scenario, is repeated far too many times all around the world.
What is the difference between “should be” and “should have been”, or “might be” and “might have been?” It is the fine line between FULFILLED OR FAILED POTENTIAL. It is the fine line between getting a life, or missing it completely.
One day while I was walking through the streets of Sydney with my father, we were almost knocked over by a drunk man who came flying out the front door of hotel. The smelly, dishevelled man landed on the pavement in front of us, covered in alcohol and vomit. I thought to myself, “This man’s life appears to represent a series of wrong choices.” His life, like all humanity was full of potential, full of could have beens, but he appeared t be forfeiting his opportunity.
Many people live captive to a victim mentality - a passive, powerless philosophy. This defeated thinking believes you have no control over your future. “Whatever will be, will be. You get what you are given, and that’s that.” What a lie! Potential is within every person. Potential to change your world for the better. But in order to have it and utilise it we first have to actively seek it out.
In the hit movie Forrest Gump, winner of seven Academy Awards, the central character believed that life was like a box of chocolates: “You never know what you’re going to get. Life may hand out challenges and trials and no-one has any influence over the outcome.”
Gump’s philosophy, which he wisely used to deflect any attempt to put him down, was Stupid is as stupid does.” In other words, you are rewarded according to what you believe about yourself.
If you believe that you’re clumsy, you will be. Believe you’re unemployable and you won’t find a job. Believe you are not worthy of success and you will never achieve anything. And if you believe you are stupid, you will do stupid things.
When I was a young boy at school, a teacher decided to play a game. He lined up the students around the edge of the room and asked each one to spell a word. Any child who failed had to sit down. The well meaning teacher thought this “game” would teach us to spell better, but the game was actually humiliating, and emphasised weakness. The medium is the message.
What you believe IS, sets the tone for your life. That belief then establishes foundations in your life which are vitally important. It is possible for a person to live their entire life on a platform of perception which may be ripping them off. It is imperative that you and I genuinely believe that we have a purpose in life and that we are capable of fulfilling it.
Understanding this then establishes a starting point for realised potential. If you live with a positive foundation and act according to that belief, you will be rewarded.
Helen Keller once said “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” How many times has somebody emerged from mediocrity to become great because they had MORE courage, MORE perseverance and MORE faith than the average person? We see this in the sporting arena, music industry, the arts, and it is clearly seen in the business world.
During one of my speaking trips to Queensland , I met a young man who told me his brother lived in my hometown of Sydney and captained a football team. I asked which team it was, expecting an answer such as the C Grade Guildford Brawlers, but he replied “The Manly Sea Eagles.” Straight away he had my attention. Manly is one of Australia ’s finest professional rugby league teams. When I asked who his brother was, I was again impressed. It turned out that he was a famous international footballer who later became a TV commentator and the host of one of the most popular sports shows in the country.
This young man explained that he also had had great potential as a footballer, but a heavy tackle damaged his knees and from that moment his rugby league career was reduced to what could have been. Rather than take the soft option and retreat to a life of unfulfilled memories and lost potential I’m happy to add that, unlike many people who give up, he changed his focus and is succeeding in other areas. Serious injury could not deter him from achieving great results.
[Clara's note: BELOW IS IMPORTANT!]
Realising your potential requires that you ignore:
· the limitations and expectations of others.
· the limitations and restraints of your own thinking.
· the limitations of your environment and upbringing.
When you subject yourself to these limitations you become an underachiever. But when you choose to live according to your potential, you find yourself going above and beyond, far exceeding all limitations.
· ABOVE – discovering the higher way
· BEYOND – going further
· EXCEEDS – easily surpassing
These words describe a life of success, a life that impacts others, and a life of plenty. Now that is not the life of an underachiever. Napoleon said “
Impossible is a word found only in the dictionary of fools.” Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. They push past the acceptable levels that many settle for. They push through the barriers that contain and they go over the top in the arena of achievement. They are the kind of people history tends to record.
Much of today’s established perception stifles potential. It has people thinking “from behind”, from the “bottom of the pile”.
Looks at modern day living in the light of wisdom for the heart. It endeavours to reveal the quality of life available to you. It unlocks the process of claiming that potential, living it to it’s maximum and helps you discover fulfilment along the way.
“You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough.” (Joe Lewis)
GET A LIFE! IT’S YOURS FOR THE TAKING.
Race's record:7:25 AM
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