I'm glad the weather these 2 days is good.
Disappointed. Did i expect too much? But looking at past occurances, you weren't like that. Everything don't tally. What's going on?
I think I'll just go with the flow. Sigh... Maybe now's not the time.
Biological chemistry is THE challenge of the year.
At 11.12am, I had a smile on my face.
Buy or don't buy. Eat or don't eat. Sleep or don't sleep. Study or don't study. Go class or don't go class. Meet or don't meet.
I miss these days, those times. (look at louie's hair!)Are we all too busy or not putting the effort? sputnik spunned @10:36 AM
Friday, August 22, 2008
Natalie du Toit -- When taking part is more important than winning
Natalie du Toit practicing in the pool
The road to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was bumpy for many athletes but surely no tougher than that of South African swimmer, Natalie du Toit.
The 24-year-old, who lost her left leg in a road accident in 2001, has become the first leg amputee to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Although Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka was the first arm amputee to compete at Beijing 2008, du Toit chose to tough it out in the most arduous event on the swimming roster – the 10k open water race - an event which has been likened to "wrestling in water", which requires immense physical strength and endurance and was on the Olympic roster for the first time in Beijing.
"There was lots of dunking and it's always going to be dangerous," said du Toit after the race, in which she finished a creditable 16th out of a field of 24 swimmers, in a time of two hours and 33.6 seconds, just over one minute behind winner Larisa Iichenko.
"The best thing is not to panic. You have to stay with the pack or you lose momentum. But the pack is always a dangerous place to be, especially with the buoys. When I hit the buoy I lost rhythm and pace."
Unlike her South African compatriot, Oscar Pistorius, a sprinter who failed to persuade the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow him to use artificial limbs to compete in Beijing, du Toit does not use a prosthetic leg.
"I didn't have a great race but I did my best. I would have liked to have been in the top five. As a seasoned swimmer there should be no excuses. I'm a bit disappointed, but when I got out of the water I couldn't move so I gave everything."
Competing in her first Olympic Games has been an ambition Natalie had nurtured since she was a six-year-old.
"To be here, is a dream come true. A dream is something that you set for yourself, not what other people set for you. When I qualified in Seville [at the 2008 World championships in which she finished fourth] I burst into tears. I couldn't believe that I was going to the Olympic Games."
Natalie's career got off to a remarkable start. The Cape Town swimmer set multiple national age group records as an able-bodied swimmer in both medley events and she competed in the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998 at the young age of 14.
But a road accident in February 2001, sustained when Natalie was steering her scooter through rush hour traffic when traveling from school to training, changed her life.
Doctors couldn't save her left leg, so it was amputated and a titanium rod installed. Incredibly, the road to recovery began the next day when Natalie got out of bed.
"I just wanted to get back to life again - swimming four hours a day - and I wanted to be able to walk again so that I would be able to do things by myself," she recalled.
A year later she won her first major international medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester when she raced as both an able bodied and disabled competitor. She finished eighth place in the able bodied 800m Freestyle, and won gold in the 50 and 100m Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD) races.
She was also presented with the first David Dixon Award for Outstanding Athlete of the Games, ahead of legendary Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, who had won six gold medals and set a world record in the 400 meter freestyle.
Natalie repeated the same Commonwealth feat four years later in Melbourne.
With the Olympics out of the way, she will now switch back to the pool to defend the five Paralympic swimming medals she won in Athens 2004: the 100m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle, 200m Individual Medley, 400m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle (all gold), and aim to go one place better in the 100m Backstroke, in which she won a silver medal.
Natalie du Toit
Her double-selection also means she's had to shape a training schedule to meet the demands of both events. She focused on endurance for the Olympic 10k Swimming Marathon and will now switch to speed work for the Paralympics.
"I never thought of myself as being disadvantaged," said Natalie. "My message isn't just for disabled people, it is for everyone. It's to use the negatives in a good light."
Indeed her website boasts the inspiring motto: "Be everything you want to be."
A few years back a coach gave her an unattributed poem:
The tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals,
The tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for.
It is not a disgrace not to reach for the stars,
But it is a disgrace not to have stars to reach for.
If you are looking for true Olympian spirit you will find it in Natalie du Toit. sputnik spunned @11:08 AM
Natalie du Toit practicing in the pool The road to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was bumpy for many athletes but surely no tougher than that of South African swimmer, Natalie du Toit.
The 24-year-old, who lost her left leg in a road accident in 2001, has become the first leg amputee to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Although Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka was the first arm amputee to compete at Beijing 2008, du Toit chose to tough it out in the most arduous event on the swimming roster – the 10k open water race - an event which has been likened to "wrestling in water", which requires immense physical strength and endurance and was on the Olympic roster for the first time in Beijing.
"There was lots of dunking and it's always going to be dangerous," said du Toit after the race, in which she finished a creditable 16th out of a field of 24 swimmers, in a time of two hours and 33.6 seconds, just over one minute behind winner Larisa Iichenko.
"The best thing is not to panic. You have to stay with the pack or you lose momentum. But the pack is always a dangerous place to be, especially with the buoys. When I hit the buoy I lost rhythm and pace."
Unlike her South African compatriot, Oscar Pistorius, a sprinter who failed to persuade the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow him to use artificial limbs to compete in Beijing, du Toit does not use a prosthetic leg.
"I didn't have a great race but I did my best. I would have liked to have been in the top five. As a seasoned swimmer there should be no excuses. I'm a bit disappointed, but when I got out of the water I couldn't move so I gave everything."
Competing in her first Olympic Games has been an ambition Natalie had nurtured since she was a six-year-old.
"To be here, is a dream come true. A dream is something that you set for yourself, not what other people set for you. When I qualified in Seville [at the 2008 World championships in which she finished fourth] I burst into tears. I couldn't believe that I was going to the Olympic Games."
Natalie du Toit competes in the Marathon 10km Swimming event.
Natalie's career got off to a remarkable start. The Cape Town swimmer set multiple national age group records as an able-bodied swimmer in both medley events and she competed in the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998 at the young age of 14.
But a road accident in February 2001, sustained when Natalie was steering her scooter through rush hour traffic when traveling from school to training, changed her life.
Doctors couldn't save her left leg, so it was amputated and a titanium rod installed. Incredibly, the road to recovery began the next day when Natalie got out of bed.
"I just wanted to get back to life again - swimming four hours a day - and I wanted to be able to walk again so that I would be able to do things by myself," she recalled.
A year later she won her first major international medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester when she raced as both an able bodied and disabled competitor. She finished eighth place in the able bodied 800m Freestyle, and won gold in the 50 and 100m Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD) races.
She was also presented with the first David Dixon Award for Outstanding Athlete of the Games, ahead of legendary Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, who had won six gold medals and set a world record in the 400 meter freestyle.
Natalie repeated the same Commonwealth feat four years later in Melbourne.
With the Olympics out of the way, she will now switch back to the pool to defend the five Paralympic swimming medals she won in Athens 2004: the 100m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle, 200m Individual Medley, 400m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle (all gold), and aim to go one place better in the 100m Backstroke, in which she won a silver medal.
Natalie du ToitHer double-selection also means she's had to shape a training schedule to meet the demands of both events. She focused on endurance for the Olympic 10k Swimming Marathon and will now switch to speed work for the Paralympics.
"I never thought of myself as being disadvantaged," said Natalie. "My message isn't just for disabled people, it is for everyone. It's to use the negatives in a good light."
Indeed her website boasts the inspiring motto: "Be everything you want to be."
A few years back a coach gave her an unattributed poem:
The tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals,
The tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for.
It is not a disgrace not to reach for the stars,
But it is a disgrace not to have stars to reach for.
If you are looking for true Olympian spirit you will find it in Natalie du Toit. sputnik spunned @11:08 AM
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
listener.
advicer.
mediator.
problem-solver.
secret-keeper.
rubbish dump.
since july till now, my mind hadn't had any rest. unknowingly became the female version of the Love Guru and Hitch mixed together. the least expected pple suddenly pop up and seek advices and opinions. huh?
beginnin of the 3rd week of sch and i'm totally drained. the travelling's partly to blame.
when things are ok, i am nth to you. why did i even bother to protect you? i guess you no longer need me, now tat you have him.
and i keep thinkin abt what i've said and whether my words were the exact words that steered their directions.
silly assumptions that i'm angry and that i'm depressed. the more you ask if i'm ok, the more you think that i'm not, the more irritated i get. wth. i hate to explain myself. explain i'm ok just cos u think i'm not. explain this, explain that. and yes, stop probing and probing, asking those silly, meaningless qns.
he's right. we are born like that. putting others before self. even though we say we wouldn't do it again, we still will. and in the end, we get hurt to make pple happy. fucking silly pple we are.
playin dumb from now on. avoid. avoid. you. so that i wouldn't hv to know anything anymore.
i seriously need a good rest. sputnik spunned @4:33 PM
advicer.
mediator.
problem-solver.
secret-keeper.
rubbish dump.
since july till now, my mind hadn't had any rest. unknowingly became the female version of the Love Guru and Hitch mixed together. the least expected pple suddenly pop up and seek advices and opinions. huh?
beginnin of the 3rd week of sch and i'm totally drained. the travelling's partly to blame.
when things are ok, i am nth to you. why did i even bother to protect you? i guess you no longer need me, now tat you have him.
and i keep thinkin abt what i've said and whether my words were the exact words that steered their directions.
silly assumptions that i'm angry and that i'm depressed. the more you ask if i'm ok, the more you think that i'm not, the more irritated i get. wth. i hate to explain myself. explain i'm ok just cos u think i'm not. explain this, explain that. and yes, stop probing and probing, asking those silly, meaningless qns.
he's right. we are born like that. putting others before self. even though we say we wouldn't do it again, we still will. and in the end, we get hurt to make pple happy. fucking silly pple we are.
playin dumb from now on. avoid. avoid. you. so that i wouldn't hv to know anything anymore.
i seriously need a good rest. sputnik spunned @4:33 PM
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.
The seriousness of your love:
You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.
Your views on education:
Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. Deep inside you want to start working, earning money and living on your own.
The right job for you:
You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.
How do you view success:
You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.
What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.
Who is your true self:
You are full of energy and confidence. You are unpredictable, with moods changing as quickly as an ocean. You might occasionally be calm and still, but never for long.
Really?? sputnik spunned @4:17 PM
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.
The seriousness of your love:
You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.
Your views on education:
Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. Deep inside you want to start working, earning money and living on your own.
The right job for you:
You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.
How do you view success:
You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.
What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.
Who is your true self:
You are full of energy and confidence. You are unpredictable, with moods changing as quickly as an ocean. You might occasionally be calm and still, but never for long.
Really?? sputnik spunned @4:17 PM
ok.
27th Sept 2008. I've probably have spent close to $1k just for that day.
I am in a mugging mood already. *beams* just let me pass the 3.5 mark. I'll thank the heavens after that.
then I will go on holidays at ease.
Melbourne from 14th - 20th Dec 2008. Visiting Chocolate Factory, viewing the fairy penguin parading up the shore, farm visit... I guess I'm lucky.
certainly hope we will go JB to count down to 2009.
I haven't tried the food at the new canteen. Yeap, this is so random. But I'm probably the only one who hadn't had a meal there. YET. and I want to eat the toast from canteen 14.
I still prefer to be a northener then a southener. Mr Bean, I'll get sick of you one day. sputnik spunned @12:29 AM
27th Sept 2008. I've probably have spent close to $1k just for that day.
I am in a mugging mood already. *beams* just let me pass the 3.5 mark. I'll thank the heavens after that.
then I will go on holidays at ease.
Melbourne from 14th - 20th Dec 2008. Visiting Chocolate Factory, viewing the fairy penguin parading up the shore, farm visit... I guess I'm lucky.
certainly hope we will go JB to count down to 2009.
I haven't tried the food at the new canteen. Yeap, this is so random. But I'm probably the only one who hadn't had a meal there. YET. and I want to eat the toast from canteen 14.
I still prefer to be a northener then a southener. Mr Bean, I'll get sick of you one day. sputnik spunned @12:29 AM