It's actually good to be back home! 5 days in Qatar for the world championships meant great fun spelt in thousands of ways-
- Getting to meet the greats of the sport
- Competing in my first major competition after 2 and a half years of training
- Many fun mealtimes spent with the international lifters
- Getting video footage of the competitions in which I'm getting an income by selling them to eager buyers
- Setting a new PR
- Many nice photos!
- and getting my Russian improved.
Okok, so it's not a thousand ways, but you get the picture! I was really thrilled by the food there during my stay because for one, every meal was spelled B-U-F-F-E-T; and it finally meant that my body could take some time off from the fried stuff (either that or the food's nutritional content is low) I'm forced to eat in my school canteens just about everyday.
Driving around Qatar was another eye-opening experience. No, I meant the drivers..not me, though I wish I could and I nearly did by means of car rental, which was so conveniently placed in the hotel lobby. I think I'll get back to this later but I'll talk about the drivers first. I think just about everyone I know has heard me say this but for the benefit of those who havn't, I'll elaborate. Man, the Qatari drivers are insane :D Driving on tiny roads at 130km/h and braking within 20 metres of stoppage demands not only great skill but some serious balls. And hence, an eye-opening experience for the riders because you'll be forced to look out for oncoming cars and most probably brace for a car crash.
Anyway, all that bit about driving got me a little bit stupid and all because I really don't know what got into me- thinking about driving in an entirely foreign land, without a license, without insurance, possibly speeding when in the car, driving on the right side of the road and with a right handed gear shift. Was I mad? Hahahahah..I think yes, but hey, 40 bucks was too much to resist. I think my mom and sis would flip if they imagined me doing such a thing :) I actually found the propsect of driving a car in a foreign land wild and captivating, albeit reckless. But well, I didn't get to go car-zy on highyway 66 eventually because the Qataris were so disorganized that the car rental booth was hardly attended to by anyone.
Now that I'm back, I think I've got plenty of things to be thankful for. A good life, great family and friends, and such safety. Seriously, I'm grateful to be Singaporean when I look at the lives and countries shadowed by crime overseas. I don't know why people choose to move out of Singapore; you guys must be mad :D This country has gotta be the safest place in the world. The next time someone tries to rob you, all you gotta do is kick them in the nuts and run away. Try doing that in the middle east and you'd probably get your testicles (if you're a guy) hung up on a road-side stall the next day.
Back to the point..It's just good to be back home -all smiles-
Pictures from the World Championships!
Taken with 2004 85kg Olympic Champion- George Asanidze (georgia)
85kg Asian and World Champion- Yuan Aijun (china)
Superheavyweight (over-105kg category) Olympic Silver medallist- Viktor Scerbatihs (latvia)
With legends of the sport, Stefan Botev (bulgaria) and Nicu Vlad (romania)
