Envision

Lately, I've been reading plenty of newspapers. And as I always do, I look for the interesting articles to read. Hmm... nothing much interesting really at the moment: Anwar's sodomy trial postponed, Tiger Woods no longer has any girls hanging off his golf stick. Well you might think I'm off my mind reading all these obscene/personal stuff, but I insist it is only human for me to do it and I am being very honest here - I like reading them!

So, out of nowhere the sports section came up with a sex scandal relating to England and Chelsea footballer John Terry. His news poured all over the headlines of the sports sections on newspapers. I loved the way the editors make use of his name to write the headlines. They came up with titles like "A TERRYBLE STATE OF AFFAIRS", "WHAT A TERRYBLE MESS", "IT'S TERRYFYING!"

It is indeed rather terrifying for such a respected sportsman. Generally speaking, John Terry has a prominent sense of leadership no one else, except Beckham, in the England team has got. To see him spectacularly fall from grace is such a disgrace. Terryble, really. Cheated on his wife, his family, hanging out with some (insert 18PL word). Stripped off his captain armband and booed on the pitch of a football match, things went gloomy.

So, almost immediately after that, there was a little bit of silver lining. John Terry led his Chelsea team to a win in the Premier League. He played very well and showed good leadership qualities. Headlines came out, "TERRYFIC!"

Immediately, something came to my mind. Why on Earth does the English language use such close-sounding words to describe overly contrasting definitions? Terrific is a positive term, while terrible is a negative term. TERRIFIC basically means GOOD, while TERRIBLE technically means BAD.  Both seem to have relation to the terry, although the English language does not prove that right.

Terrific and terrible are like brothers of the similar origin, but grew to become foes. Like a divorced couple, they make the bitterest of each other after divorce. Very metaphorical my words, I know. But it's something that doesn't quite make sense.

I know I'm not getting anywhere by writing this out, but it's just some inner workings of my head I need to blurt out. Some food for thought lah.

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It's been exactly half a year since the last time blogged. Reasons being a total lack of inspiration, too much idling and lack of a life. And heck does time fly.

With reference to the title above (gosh I've been writing too many letters as a secretary), I was somewhat intrigued by this year's school Cross Country Run. Long distance running has never been my cup of tea, especially under the hot sun of Malaysia.

A special mention to our school running champion. Even though I do not know him personally, I salute this guy. Doing the feat twice in a row isn't an easy task. I noticed, when I began running down the slope of the school towards the car park adjacent to the school hall, I caught a glimpse of this fella sprinting down the 100m running course.

Our top two runners did two significant feats:

1 Break the school record of 35 minutes for 8km

2 Overtake the L2 boys' category champion even though starting 10 minutes after L2

Our champion runner reminded me of the African marathon runners I watched in the Olympics. Tall, slender, tanned, agile, fast and most of all; full of stamina. Olympics level marathon is indeed very far-fetched for us, with an average of 42km for men. I can only run for 3km, which is only 7% of the run. If I continue walking, I'd take half a day to complete the course.

Being realistic, running 8km is really difficult for an ordinary person. 42km? These African runners are well trained in their respective countries. Currently the records are dominated by only two nations: Ethiopia and Kenya, whereby the only Ethiopian record holder is by far the very best we, mankind, have.

To be entirely frank, I could've run for much more than I managed on Cross Country day. What's most important is mental endurance rather than physical abilities. My PE teacher constantly reminds us to push ourselves when running. Quote the PE teacher: Run at your own pace constantly. Never stop, slow down or speed up. Just run. I can only do that when pushed by him during PE lessons, and I am always in awe of what I am capable of. But I just can't conjure up that mentality when running during Cross Country. I needed someone to constantly push me, a motivational hydraulic to remind me of what I'm able to do. Special thanks to Mr Lim Chee Keong who made me a stronger person physically, mentally and psychologically.

So basically, the thing about these runners is their mental strength, it's what pushes them, powers their legs to go forward, and never give in. It is something not everyone has. I salute these people because I personally cannot do that. They are able to self-motivate, to constantly stretch their body (machine) to perform at its best, beyond what is expected. That, by itself, is a gift.

The African marathoners are symbols of mankind's willpower and mental capabilities. What they are achieving does mankind proud.

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The 2008 Olympics were over in a flash. Beijing has broken several world records and cracked olympic records. Thanks to the mighty athletes of the world who pushed themselves to the limits of human power. Here they are...

1. Usain Bolt jamaica running

Three events. Three golds. Three world records.

Usain "Thunder" Bolt has struck Beijing which such force that stuns the entire anxious crowd at the Bird's Nest Stadium. 100m sprint completed in 9.69 seconds, 200m run completed in 19.3 seconds and 4X100m relay completed with his fellow Jamaicans at another world record pace.

What a runner.

2. Michael Phelps usa swimming

Probably the greatest swimmer of all time. Phelps has realised his dream, grabbing a total of 8 gold medals in Beijing.

More like a dolphin than human, Phelps has the perfect body line for aquatics. Totally unbeatable in all events - butterfly, freestyle, relay; he is unstoppable.

3. Yelena Isinbayeva russia polevault

Yelena has already cracked her own world record a couple of times.

She's done it again in Beijing, vaulting over 5.05 meters to extend the women's world record height in pole vault. Higher, higher!

4. Guo Jingjing china diving

Another aquatics sensation. This time from the other side of the world, and in diving.

Grabbed quite a number of golds in Athens and Beijing, both in synchronised and solo effort. Poised to be the greatest diver of all time, and considered the most successful woman athlete in China.

5. Rafael Nadal spain tennis

What a successful season he has had. Two grand slam titles up his sleeves, and dozens more to come.

Tennis wonderkid Nadal has claimed no.1 ranking for the first time and also clinching a gold medal in Beijing. Roger Federer, his main rival, has lost his form which gives way for the young prodigy to step up the ranks to be the best in the world.

6. Lionel Messi argentina football

Lionel Messi had to negotiate with his club to allow him to play for Argentina in the Olympics. The effort paid off.

Messi orchestrated Argentina's gold medal victory, scoring and assisting at the same time. They have played so well thanks to this man - defeating Brazil 3-0 in the semifinal was inspired by Messi.

7. Ma Lin china pingpong

Ma Lin has waited for such a long time to get a gold. With the Chinese dominating table tennis, his chance was slim. His final appointment with world no.1 Wang Hao was a hot encounter. But he deserved to win.

He injected more venom in his shot, injected more experience in his play. Yes, he's the best ping pong player in the world.

8. Lee Chong Wei malaysia badminton

He should have clinched the gold. Let the Malaysian national anthem be played for the first in the Olympics.

Carrying all the hopes of Malaysia was probably a heavy burden. Chong Wei did a fantastic job this time round. Malaysia's hero fought till the very end, at least he got a silver to share with Malaysia.

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Perhaps the most recognisable name in the footballing world, Manchester United is one team that really impresses me, so has it impressed millions of others. What makes United such a strong team is the flawless mix of attacking, defending and midfielding forces.

The perfect blend of dynamic youngsters and experienced playmakers; speed demons and net hitters. Manchester United mixes brute force and finesse very well which seems to be the key to their victories in various competitions. The ferocity of their attack is swift and aggressive, the modesty of their defense is tough and hard to break down.

The whole team seems to fit into the game perfectly. Van der Sar is such a diligent goalkeeper; Ferdinand and Vidic and defenders who can withstand waves of assaults; their captain Neville, co-captain Giggs and playmaker Scholes are intelligent and experienced; Evra and Nani are wing speedsters; Hargreaves assists midfielding, defending and creates momentum; Rooney and Tevez are the top net-hitters. Lastly, the wonder kid Ronaldo - a speed demon, net hitter, playmaker, momentum creater and a cool penalty taker.

The very presence of Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch for Man Utd is essential to the team's success. There is no replacement for such a star. But hey, what can you predict? We said the same thing with David Beckham the last time, and he left, being replaced by this bloke.

Another trademark of Manchester United is that they do not buy good players, they grow them. Teams like Barcelona, AC Milan or Chelsea would be eyeing on famous players like Ronaldinho and Kaka. Man Utd however, groom their own famous players. Before this, players like Ronaldo, Rooney and Beckham were nobody until they joined the Red Devils. The coaches have such eyes that could see the growing potential within a player.

Now that they are crowned Champions of Europe, they have completed a famous double - the UEFA Champions League and the English Premier League, two of the toughest competitions in Europe.

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Football was invented in England. And England cannot play the sport well. Instead, other nations like Brazil and Italy are on the top of the world. Why do the inventors of the game suck at football at this time?

In the qualifying sessions for Euro 2008 - England, under coach Steve McLaren, lost twice to Croatia, lost to Russia, drew with Israel and Macedonia. They could only boast when they thrashed minnows Estonia and Andorra. In the end, they failed to qualify for the prestigious Euro 2008 competition, behind Russia and Croatia. Steve McLaren was sacked.

But on the other hand, English clubs in the EPL are very strong and dominant in Europe. Check out the UEFA Champions League now, in the semi-finals, 3 out of 4 teams are from England. They are Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool. Barcelona is the only remaining team left in the competition which is not from England.

Due to the success of English clubs in Europe, we would certainly expect great performances by England in international competitions. True, these English players have massive talent and skills, but they lack teamwork. Individual skills won't work well in football. Troubleshooting should be made by the English FA in order to find out the problem now faced by England.

Now, England face humiliation after being dropped out of the top ten ranking in world football. Under new coach Fabio Capello, England have a spark of new hope in their quest in crawl back to acclaim victories in various competitions.

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