.Just A Note.

..wow.
i started off writing this testimonY (yes lise, not testimonIAL!) simply to tell people about my experience, and i can't believe the amazing feedback i have got. wanted to reply your tags on my board but figured if i did that it'd be so long it'd just spoil everything..so thought i should thank all of you for your replies, messages and all - good or bad. here goes..*deep breath*

**this is in no order of importance..just whoever comes to mind first**

Ann - thanks girl..you have always been there for me since that day, and i'm just happy you still believe in me, whatever we went through in the past. your always going to be a special friend and confidante, so don't change! heh..oh, and also coz i'll need you when i get lonely in Melbourne..=P

Rachel - miss hui..you are one crazy, emotional girl..but "what the hell", i love you all the same..haha..i'm glad it made you tear, u know..coz it shows that He is still in your heart..and He will always be..and you know what? i thank God for friends like you..because that's what makes life so special..(btw, don't forget u owe me dinner for last week! -grin-)

Sarah - hey girl..wad can i say? besides the fact i havent seen you in ages..i'm glad you liked it..even though it was for entertainment purpose!! haha..oh, and i think you + gab are very very sweet..always reminded me of smelly..=/

Lise lise lise - MY dearest breast fren..besides the fact that i know your always there for me..to nag and to laugh..i'm just thankful to Him for you..i don't have to say much here because you know i always always always will be here for you..=)

Sherlyn - wow girl..another one of the tear-ers..heh..thanks for being so supportive..even though i only know you as one of my faithful readers..it touching to know that i have inspired you with something as simple as letting you know about my live..thank you so much..

Crystal - Hey you..i have your link on my blog..but i still don't know anything about you! haha..but you are one of my silent supporters & reader..so please continue to read anything and everything i post..and msn me if u can! =)

Vintage - A new reader..i'm always glad to see new people tag my board (positive word would be preferable, of course..haha) sure, you can rip my testimony if you want..just don't alter anything inside or use it to hand up as homework essay please..haha..also, msn me if you can! you can get my email from lise..(she listed on my links..and my personal censor too..haha)

Anon - Hrmmm..whoever u are, u must not be a believer of God..well, let's hope one day He touches your life in a way you cannt explain..just like i couldn't explain that feeling i left the church with that night..=) oh wait, actually i know He WILL touch your life..God bless you..

Mel - Smelly!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha..my ever-present laughter..i'm glad you like the testimonial..always go to Him when you need help, ok? even when i'm not here to talk to you or whatever..lise and i will always be here for u..see you tonight! heh..

Sis-in-Christ - Another one of my new reader! heh..i LOVE getting you people..truly the power of God's word..i will always always give him my utmost glory..because without Him, nothing would be possible..thank you for reading my testimony..whoever you are..and like i always say to people i don't know..add me on msn or contact me! =)

Issy - Hrmm one of the more cynical people on my tagboard..in an amusing way..i know u tag Mark's blog too..heh..and since this time for once i don't see something acidic..i'm going to take it as a big compliment..it's nice having you around, stranger..=)

Marianne - Hey girl...wah i've known u for like how long? almost 5 years already..heh..still remember the time we first met in Kunming..we really are full of nonsense..=P anyway, thanks for the sweet message..and thanks for always being a friend..and i hope one day you find that one guy who you will always always love..=)

..well and lastly to everyone else whom i didn't address..its kinda like 3am in the morning so i might not be at my most alert state of mind..but thank you thank you thank you for being so sweet, all of you..it touches my heart to know you all like it so much..i'm gonna take a bow for all of you..and for all your words..

-bow-

-lu

.Update update update.

..sorry i havent been updating for a few days..been so busy catching up with friends since i got back that i havent had time to sit down. Anyway, i have been working on my testimonial for church, and i'm going to post it here. Feedback would be really nice, guys..thanks so much and Happy New Year to all of you..enjoy! =)

Testimonial

My name is Lionel Lee. I am a Christian, and a national swimmer. This is my testimonial.

Swimming has always been my passion – a sport that I loved since young. Having done it for almost 12 years, I never wanted to give up. The many hours spent in the pool, the rushing from school, swimming pool and home and even the sacrifices made were unable to deter me from it.

However, at the start of 2005, my career took a turn for the worst. I swam horribly at meets. Training became frustrating, as I couldn’t find a solution to whatever was preventing me from doing well no matter how hard I swam. Discouraged, I started to lose focus. I started to skip training sessions, choosing to “focus” instead on my social life. Clubbing, partying and socializing became my three favourite pastimes.

Then God took over.

I was in Melbourne visiting when a friend took me to her church. Being a non-Christian then, I was half-hearted about it. Sitting through the service, I was only looking forward to dinner after that. After the speaker gave his speech, he did the usual prayer for the congregation. Asking everybody to close their eyes and bow their heads, he asked for those who hadn’t and wanted to accept Christ to raise their hands. He added that God had told him that there was people in the crowd who were struggling to come to terms with important things in their lives, and were losing focus because they were feeling discouraged. I raised my hand, but only because I knew no one else would know. After he was done with the prayer, he called on those who put up their hands. I did not go. Many people went up, but I refused to, for fear of embarrassing myself. The speaker then called again, saying that there were some people who were still in their seats. Again I refused. He then called on the congregation one more time, but this time he said, ”God has spoken again to me. He tells me there is a young man, and he is struggling with the decision. I want you to know that there is nothing to fear by stepping out. If you want to be His child, trust in Him and step out.” I was stunned. For some reason, something in me decided to stand up and walk all the way to the front. As I walked towards him, the speaker smiled. “I knew you’d come, young man,” he said. “We were all waiting for you.” When I heard that, tears streamed down my cheeks uncontrollably (I don’t cry that easily.) and my first instinct was to look away, onto the ground. He immediately said, “You don’t have to look down anymore, young man – Because you are now a child of God.” That night, I went back with the most amazing and unexplainable feeling. It was a very relieved feeling, as if I had just found something precious that I had lost long ago.

I had found God.

Returning home, I knew something had changed. I started to become very thankful for everything in my life. When it came to things that I couldn’t explain, I prayed and talked to fellow Christians. I went back to training, this time with a new attitude. I did not bother to frustrate myself with why I was not performing well at meets, but instead concentrated on training hard and taking it one step at a time. Soon, it was time for the SEA Games time trials. Everyday before I swam, I prayed. I told Him the same thing every time – that I knew I had trained hard and done all I could for the meet, and I would leave the rest up to Him. Through His grace and blessings, I qualified. Soon the next phase of training for SEA Games had started.

For the next 12 weeks of training, I put in my all. The sessions were long and tiring, but I had God in me. I knew that He would make everything right, and all I had to do was trust in Him. Every weekend at COOS, I thanked Him for bringing me back to church every week, for that was all I wanted. It wasn’t long again before SEA Games drew close. On the 20th of November, the Sunday before I left for Manila, I walked up to Pastor Derek during alter call. He prayed for me, and I remembered one sentence he said in his prayer for me. He said, “God told me that through your swimming, you will show His true glory.” At that moment, I never felt happier. It wasn’t because I knew I was going to do well; but because I knew that when I swim in Manila, I would be swimming for Him. With Pastor Derek’s blessings, I left with the team for Manila on the 24th of December.

29th November - My first event was the 400m Individual Medley. I came out of it with a bronze medal and a personal best time. It was my first medal, but the work was not done. I prayed to God before and after every heat and final of all the events I raced, always asking Him for only one thing – peace of heart.

1st December 2005 will be the day I always remember. The 400m Freestyle was the event I had been training for. There was a medal chance for me, and I wanted the national record as well. In the heats, I had qualified forth. The defending champion had a personal best time of 4 minutes flat. My best was only 4 minutes and 4 seconds. As I stood infront of the Philippines crowd, I did a silent prayer.

“God, this is it. Whatever the results may be, I lift it up to You. I am going to show Your glory through my swim, and even if I do not win, I am going to try my best doing it.”

For the past 10 years, Singapore Swimming has only had 1 male individual SEA Games gold medallist. And for the past 20 years, no Singaporean male swimmer has ever won the 400m Freestyle in SEA Games. But that night, God performed a miracle. Not only did I win the 400m Freestyle, my time of 4 minutes 00.5 seconds was a new national record. The older one had been there for 5 years.

People always ask me – “What do you think was the main reason you won the 400m freestyle? Hard work? Discipline? Determination?” My answer is neither. It was because of God. God is the sole reason for everything I did and am doing now.

To God be all Glory.

Lionel Lee
P.S. – Pastor Derek, thank you for reading my testimonial. I hope it inspires you to continue helping people believe in miracles and channeling their lives towards God, just like you did for mine. I have enclosed some statistics about myself just as you requested. Thank you so much for believing in me, and God Bless you.


Lionel Lee:
-400m Freestyle National Record Holder
-800m Freestyle National Record Holder
-400m Freestyle SEA Games Gold Medallist
-400m Individual Medley Bronze Medallist
-Only male swimmer in 2005 to clinch a SEA Games individual gold medal
-200m IM, 400m IM, 400m Freestyle and 800m Freestyle national champion

-lu

.One More Item.

Got It!! hehe..prada boy metal keychain..only bern and i know the truth shhhh..haha..

-lu

.Christmas in HongKong.

..so it looks like Christmas 2005 will be spent here in HongKong..not that there was going to be any doubts..heh..but kinda hard to believe its already the end of the year already..seems like only yesterday when i was swimming like a bloody flotsam (or izzit jetsam?) in Aussie Open..and then S'pore Open..then Montreal..then the 800m..then SEA Games..and suddenly the whole year's over..and next year (or rather, in like 3 weeks' time) i'll be off to Melbourne to flip open a new chapter in my life..it's like i told someone before - i didn't do much planning mentally about how life would be after the games and suddenly its here. Oh well never mind..for now i feel like singleserves now..living in HK and blogging..heh..just dat i don't have any sexual exploits here to blog about..although the girls here are pretty, i must say..from a pervert's point of view..they wear little, and seem to cover all the wrong places even though its so cold..haha..guess that's HK fashion for you..
well..it's going to be X'mas Eve Celebration in Room 511 later - a.k.a. my cussie's room/drinking+cards+getting high and laffing at ourselves..so here's a big big MERRY CHRISTMAS to all from lu here at Hongkong..love you all!!

-lu

Merry Christmas to all From Intercontinental Hotel, Grand Stanford, Hong Kong.

 

lu went to disneyland today!
hahahhahaa.
i cant imagine them singing "under the sea" in cantonese.
or eating dimsum while waiting for rides instead of hot dogs.
so cute.
hahahahaha.
ohwells.
i <3 hk so i hope he's living it up!
-> oh, and HELLO ALL OF LU'S NEW FRIENDS ON HIS TAGBOARD!
...im lise! i just got back.nice to meet you!:)

.Goodbye!!!!!!!!.

..it's time once again for us to part..lu has to go to HK tmrw..to see Mickey in Disneyland, to see Guess, Zara, LV, Paul Smith (i hope), Topshop, Polo RL and wadeva else my heart desires..as such i will not blog till i get back (exhausted from shopping + eating, i hope too..heh)..it breaks my heart to have to leave..but remember - it's not goodbye..it's only farewell.

..whatever, mr. mushy..

my flight leaves tmrw at 11am..see you all in 10 days' time..ciao!

p.s. - merry christmas y'all! Have a blessed blessed one..=)

-lu

.A Story For You.

Once upon a time..there was a boy named lionel. He went to a party @ a club near the sea..
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..where the evil bartender/mixer in black Polo RL shirt resided..
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..he had a few drinks of many kinds..and loads of laughs and conversations held..
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..and many many many pictures taken..with all kinds all people - beautiful, funny, lovely, crazy. nice and famous..
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..before he finally couldn't take it anymore..and fell asleep on the floor of room 2026 in Swissotel. End of story.
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Item #0000001 - Got it.
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.Happy Happy.

Item #0000002 - Got it too.


-lu 

.Jumbled Up.

..HK is beckoning - 3 more days before we leave. Can't wait, really..spending some time with my family + shopping + eating + meeting Herbert and possibly Mark there = i so want to go ASAP! okay i hasn't updated for 2 days already..so better fill y'all in first..

went to CSC with leo, nic, marc, yiming and my mommy dearest to play badminton a few days ago..and now my butt, arm and wrist is still sore..bloody hell. Worst thing was that i thought i was doing quite well until the team started to come in to train..and they CAN HIT. smash, flick, whack, ralley (or wadeva it is), backhand, lob, wadeva..even the girls seem so bloody good at it. so i tried to learn the most impressive movement - the smash. Well, let's just say it's harder than it looks. and it doesn't look that easy already haha. But it was enjoyable lah..and plus i got 2 souveniers - in the form of blisters. Luckily a heavenly dip in the pool proved to be good. Had dinner with the whole gang, and amanda (a.k.a. ah lian) came along to join us.

spent the last 2 days with miss tay..she left for KL with her bf this morning..they're staying in Shangri-la lah!! (oops..that sounds funny..) and will only be back on monday. So won't see her till i get back..oh well..which reminds me - anyone wants anything from HK??

..i should start sleeping at more normal times..6am in the morning to 11am and then 2pm to 6.30pm is really not it, lu..tsk.

i finally got my camera!! hehe..yes, the one i was blog-gushing about. (and also real-gushing to everyone whom i've talked to..) dad and mommy brought me to Best to get it coz my mom was convinced it was a good deal (even though i got it cheaper at MS!). Although i do agree with her it's a safer choice, though. -shrugs- what matters is i've finally got it..so can also finally do some photo-whoring of my own. Watch out, world..here we come..my Sony and I. haha.

Realised i havent done this kinda day-by-day, blow-by-blow account for awhile..it's kinda fun, but totally boring to people who don't care. haha..which is everyone in the world except me..alvin's finally back from the Cali, by the way..woohoo!! haha..can see him tomorrow at polo..

..saturday's finally going to feel like a saturday for once..

..i'm out.

-lu

.Forbidden.

I kissed you,

You pushed me away;

You pulled me back,

But still you looked away.

You kissed me,

your lips say everything.

You close your eyes,

and all i can do is take you in.

I breathe in your scent,

and my hands start to shake.

My heart stops racing,

now it just plain aches.

I touch your face,

and slowly trace the outline of your jaw.

it seems so perfect,

but i can only stand in awe.

You say he's like a rock,

and me - a bomb.

He's always going to be there for you,

and i'm the type you'll never bring home.

Your smell lingers,

I can't get it off

It sticks to my fingers,

and it's makes my legs go soft.

You say you don't understand

why we had to meet so late.

I nod, but inside i scream

It's fate.

It must be fate.

Coz i never want to be too late.

..i want to live it over and over again. Because your smile is worth it.

-lu

.All I Want For Christmas Is Youuuuuuuuuuu.....

Sony DSC-N1 - 8.0 Mega Pixels. 151 grams. 3.0 inch touchscreen LCD. S$899/-.


I.AM.GOING.TO.GET.IT.EVEN.IF.I.HAVE.TO.STARVE.

-lu

 

.Aren't you all sick of pictures yet?!.

..more pictures!! haha..the pictures are pouring in from everywhere..so either love 'em or close your browser..=)

-lu 

.Lu Almighty.

..it's funny how sometimes the weirdest and least expected things in your life teach you the lessons you need to learn. was just watching 'Bruce Almighty' on cable just now and picked up this line that Morgan Freeman said. "No matter how filthy the floor gets, you can always clean it up if you put in the effort." Some of you might roll your eyes, but if you knew where he was coming from, u'd understand. It's kinda like a metaphor in your life - your life may seem boring, or loser-ish, or meaningless, or hopeless, but if you actually stop looking at God for answers and start lifeting your a*s off the ground, nothing's impossible.

Our speaker said yesterday that anything is possible for him who believes. It's simple, really. He didn't just mean believe in Him; but believing in yourself. Having confidence to go out there and get what you want is what life's about. It's not about going to bed every night and praying for half an hour to God asking for all the things and then waking up in the morning and waiting for God to show you where to go. That's just not it. Auntie hann said yesterday,"God helps those who helps themselves." - that's the way it is. A miracle is not winning a gold medal in SEA Games, or striking the lottery, or running 42km at one shot. A miracle is a child who chooses to study instead of sniffing drugs. You see, it's simple - you have to make a choice. God's not going to make it for you; he's just the planner.

YOU have to go and do it.

Going back to what i said in my opening sentence, i was really 'impacted' while watching the show because i suddenly thought of my own life. it seems that before i got back, i kinda had this expectation that my life'd change. that i'd be hounded everday by reporters and sponsers - well honestly that's not it. it hit me - that my life HAD changed. God had it all planned for me to win that race because it was to make way for a bigger plan. it was a testimony to what i can do if i actually put in the effort and not think so much of everything else. its THAT simple. and as this year draws to a close and next year starts, He's telling me i've got to do the same thing to get what and where i want. "Mop the floor and you'll see a shiny place." - that's the message.

-lu

@ Rouge with the guys from office + yiming, apple and lise. This is Jonny looking at our creation as he contemplates escaping.
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Me & Renkai @ Rouge.
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Chicken Little & Perhaps Love - 2 Movies i watched yesterday. =)
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.Shout ShouT ShOUT!.

Albert from ST just sent this to me yesterday..and i thought its super nice so better share with (and haolian to) you all..haha..its been a week since the 400m already..and life is almost back to normal..except that i'm getting fat and my liver is starting to shrink from all the Bailey's..

Just got back from church..which i will blog about later coz i duno where to start and mahjong is beckoning..=P (i know i know..cannot put God behind mahjong..i'm not!!) haha..actually just wanted to say something to everyone who's been reading my blog faithfully (and still are, hopefully.) i know that there are always going to be people who have different views and opinions of what i say, who i am and what i do..and i'm not pissed off that people like singaporean tag my blog and say it. I think i appreciate honesty more than anything..especially since i got back. there are all kinds of people who pretend to praise you and blow hot air up your backside when u do well..and its always good to have people like s'porean posting their views. BUT..and here comes the big but..if you are going to say something about me, you sure as hell better be ready to accept the consequences and be able to back up what you say. i think everyone's entitled to their opinions..and my tagboard is for that exact reason. i didn't start this blog to cater to anyone else but me, selfish as it sounds. it's the truth.

i don't need to answer to anybody, because i don't think i owe anyone a living, just as no one owes me.

..winning the gold doesn't change me - as a person, a Christian, an athlete, a friend, a son, or a blogger. i will not blog just to please people. i started off blogging about my life and thoughts, and that's going to stay as it is. There is only a certain limit to which i will change it.

On a lighter note, thanks to all of you readers. it's very heartening to see new people reading my blog day after day..thank you for your support. lu's out.

..now for mahjong.

-lu

.Busy Bee.

..dis weekend looks pretty packed..so before i abandon all and go out, i better blog first. Gonna go town in a minute to meet amanda (a.k.a. ah lian) for movie + shopping..hehe..i've got a confidential amount of spending credit from my dad and mommy so guess i can let loose..heh..for those people who have told me wad u want for Christmas, pray that my undisclosed amount is enough to buy all your stuff hehe..if you havent, then too bad. =P well tonight i've got dinner 'date' with the ever-hot aimee sin (i mean, her surname's ''sin''..so isn't that self-explanatory? haha) at C&F again..again coz i just had dinner there with dear ann last night. I think the C&F staff are gonna think i'm in love with the place or something..

Sunday looks rather hectic for lu too..i've got church (can't wait to see Pastor Derek and talk to him..hehe) with rach (lise is out of town..she's in Hawaii looking at Pearl Harbour, etc etc.) and ann if she wakes up..then lunch with both ladies..then gotta rsh home and play MAHJONG! haha..havent done tt in awhile..so i'm really looking forward to it..and u all know wad? Dinner at C&F again!! hahahah..coz aunty hann just reminded me i owed all of them dinner at ''..the place with super nice mushroom soup.'' i think C&F really should give me Platinium Member's Card or something..dat'd be cool..

..and monday i've got dinner with a beautifiul stranger..

Wah faith (a.k.a. Rhythm) just commented i've got my future installed already..because i'm blogging about e weekend that isn't even over yet..heh..she's my original #1 lionellee.blogspot.com fan so all must give a little respect to her! haha..speaking of which, i've been meaning to (once again) thank all of you people for being so sweet..esp on my tagboard and all haha..i'm just very happy that you people appreciate my thoughts and posts..thanks =P

Oh no it's 11.05am already! lu's gotta run..have to send my mommy+aunty hann to novena first coz i think they want to buy some stuff..just an announcement : Guess is having sale now, SK II is having sale now, Apple @ Orchard is having sale now...OMG! haha..so much things to buy..so little money to go around..=P i'm out..have a good weekend, y'all..

-lu

.All I Want For Christmas Is...

(From L-R) : Bose Quiet Comfort Earphones; NASA Ecosphere, Apple Powerbook G4, PS 3.

Personal note : There was supposed to be Apple Widescreen Monitor, Bose BeoSound 9000 and a rich girl added. But those would be totally impossible, huh? =P


-lu

.More Pictures from Manila!.

Camera : S$720/-
Racing Suits : S$300/-
Expenses : S$200/-

Memories & friendship built : S$10,000 - Priceless (hehe)

-lu

.Zouk.

..after 6 months of almost non-existent nocturnal activites (i.e. clubbing, sitting at pubs and chilling, basically staying out past 2am in the morning..dinners, suppers and shopping till 10pm aren't counted. haha), i finally decided to go for mambo night last night. In my mind i had e same picture of partying as i did after Vietnam '03 (a.k.a. one whole week of consecutive clubbing.) - knocking back shots till i couldn't take it anymore, dancing like a fool and not giving two hoots, making out with strangers, laughing my heart out at anything friends said, and den a hearty and blurry-eyed supper followed by a whole day's sleep..Conclusion : disappointing. Firstly, jon, fatty and i stood in Phuture's queue for about 45mins only to find out the tickets had sold out when we were halfway into the line, perspiring as if we just ran for dat long..then when we finally got into Zouk, the place was PACKED.

..i know wad some of u will say, "but the place is always packed! especially mambo."..true enough. but call me swakoo or wadeva, it was the first time i ever saw zouk putting up the 'full house' sign infront of both Phuture and Zouk itself..that's how bloody crowded it was. Being me, i always like to walk out in the middle of a few drinks or a dance just to get some air and meet some people..but hell, even getting out of the dance floor and the bloody tunnel itself took 15 mins! Bloody hell..

So after 2 trips in and out, i finally gave up. Found drei and mark tan sitting at winebar with mr. chay and his gf..mark tan bought me a double baileys on the rocks..so sat down with them and enjoyed the air-con + seat. Met cubby too, who bought me another 4 Pineapple Malibus (nice stuff..just found out they existed yesterday only haha) on top of e one in my hand. Shyam came along (S'pore's fastest man, mind you.) and we talked awhile..kinda miss that guy.

Then it bloody rained.

And it wasn't the soft drizzle-for-5-minutes-just-to-make-some-people-run kind of rain..it was the raining-cats-and-dogs-and-whatever-else-animals kind of rain! Rfgh..so i went back in AGAIN and jonny found me, and we went to look for fatty, yiming and davis. dey decided they wanted to go into the dance floor so in we went again. I bopped my head and tried to dance, but after 20mins i gave up. It just felt dumb standing in the middle of a dance floor, bumping into someone's body whenever u shifted or turn around, pretending to enjoy the music when i really wasn't..and i guess i just wasn't high enough to not care. (Maybe bryan's right..i've grown up. Yeah right.) So i left, and went for dinner with some of the guys from outside. Let me tell you, people - running in jeans through the rain and shivering in the cold waiting for the valet guy to get e car just isn't fun, no matter where u are.

Dumb Dumb Dumb.

I figured i won't be going back for awhile..no, make that a long looooong while. i hate waiting, i hate crowds and sweaty bodies, i hate being rejected from entry coz the place is full, and i hate pretending to enjoy doing something that i don't. Oh, n i know i might receive flak for saying this. But i'm get realy put off by gays. SERIOUSLY. Enough of guys coming up to get my number, whispering to my friends that i'm cute or wadeva, staring at me as if i'm going to bend over for them..screw that. i'm not gay, and i sure as hell don't plan to be one. So if any of you out there are reading this, get lost. I guess the only good thing was the drinks, n e quick one outside Grand Copthorne. Thanks, pretty stranger. =)

Any of you people out there heard of Carrie's Models? Tag my blog if you have..thanks. =) lu's out..its a quiet thursday for me.

-lu

.Happy Happy (belated) Brithday Jonny Dear.

When i first met you i thought you were spas,
and now after so long i can say i'm right at last.
You have always been able to make me laugh,
with your big words + acting tough.
Your big nose is just so hilarious
even when you try to be serious.
My 2 years in NS flew by so fast,
and the time spent have gone like wind-blown dust.
But the memories will always linger,
beause our friendship is so much deeper.
And as you cross the big two-zero,
i shall try and rhyme it by saying you are my hero.
So here's a dedication post, pic and poem just for you,
written, created and with lost of love by who else but..
lu.

LCP (NS) Jonathan Chan - a soldier, an accomplice..a friend.

.Stolen one more time.

..i really should start bringing a camera along to trips and everywhere else i go..these are some pics that i found from Team S'pore webbie + lise's camera..will get the load as time goes by..lu's out.

-lu 

.Sweet Singapore.

..after a 2 hr bus ride + 3 hr plane ride, i have finally made it home. firstly, i must thank everyone and absolutely everyone for everything..all the support, all the congratulatory messages they sent to me, the emails, the handshakes and lovely words and smiles, the gifts, the encouraging words and of course my wonderful readers..thank you for everything. i really don't know where to start talking about Manila because i have got like a billion thoughts going in every direction now..i guess everyone(well ok, not everyone EVERYONe..but just everyone hu has been reading my blog faithfully..) wants to know how i feel about the 400m free so lemme try to re-enact the scene and my feelings..-lu takes deep breath-
when i touched the wall that night..and spun around to look at the results, i was surprisingly calm. it was as if i already knew God had given me something wonderful. I didn't know it was the gold, (lise and some others who i've talked to will testify to that..they sed i had no reaction..) but when it was the record i was the happiest man alive there and then. I knew that He was going to give it to me..and all i had to do was trust in Him. it wasn't till after i got out of the pool and stood at the warmdown pool with marcc that he commented i had won..(and me being so blur..thinking that Akbar had actually won it, said,"huh? u mean akbar got disqualified??") i did a small momentary dance there..and it never hit me till the medal presentation. i mean, i kinda had one before that for the 400m IM already..but with the national anthem playing and all..with everyone at the stands and poolside standing at attention, and Team S'pore singing loudly along with me..cliche as it sounds, it was beautiful. Now i know why some people say this is the kind of moment that makes everything worth it.

But nothing beats making my parents happy..i think that was what made everything worth it for me..i hope my mommy and dad reads this..thanks for everything, bu + daddy-o..i know the 6-hour-on-the-road-daily trips you two had to make were tiring..and i know the Gold medal was in my name..but i want u two to know part of me was happy i did it because at least i made your trip worth it. i love you two. =)

..yea, so kinda a really self-centred, all-about-lu update here..i really really hope you guys just tell me what you thought..thanks once more for everything..and all of you who tagged me..if you all ever want to contact me..just get my email or whatever u need from my personal secetary - the ever-lovely and lively Lisa Chong Wei-en..she'll do a background check + STD screening and then give you my contact..hehe..goodnight y'all!

-lu

IT'S A GOLD!

hey everyone!
lu is extremely extremely happy and i think he'll blog about that later.
but just to tell you (in case you were too excited to read the title)... the proud owner of this blog (.lu.) has WON THE GOLD IN 400M FREE [men]
and in the process, he also SET A NEW NATIONAL RECORD!
4.00.51
i dont know about you, but i nearly got a heart attack slash almost started spasming during the last 50m....
stupid camera angle, made it look like akbar was gonna win! *grr*

you know, the first thought that went through my mind when i saw lu pulling away from the rest was "Go God!", then "Go Lu!" ahaha. priorities priorities=p
truly, God is a great and awesome God and with Him, all things are possible:)
lu said his suit was really tight at the chest when he plunged in...and he was thinking "shit shit!" but then he realised that God>tight suit, and he just swam his heart out...

sorry if i sound preachy...i am just so incredibly happy for lu
it's what he's been training for almost his whole life, seriously!
and this entire year..oh boy....try training 10 times a week...having to wake up at 430am every morning... (how many of us already moan and groan like honeymooners when we have to wake up for school at 6am?!)
well i did it...and game-overed in 6 weeks.
whirlwind, quickie..whatever you call it, i certainly lack the grit and the guts our swimmers possess!

oh and please, if you are free and want to die of laughter, listen to both the english and chinese mediacorp radio channels tmrw...lu got interviewed!
hoho. time to spasm and heart attack for a whole new reason!*grin*

anyway, i dont really wanna ramble on too much because lu's gonna come on later, i think.
and it really is his day and his moment of glory. so i'll give him the honour of giving you a blow by blow...
but arent we all bloody proud of the boy.
shiet i feel like a grandma, beaming like a fool (...oh, am so tempted to post photos of lu in his goofiest moments on my blog...but i shall resist..ohm)

...oh, and dear marc is up tmrw evening for the 1500m freestyle!
he'll be racing against akbar, miguel mendoza and the thai guy (sorry, his name too long alr..haha)...let's all cheer our hearts out for him too!
thirty laps is not easy, at all.
go marc, go marc, goooo!!!!

alright bye guys! and congrats once again to lu..i think his family, his closest friends and his training mates will agree that he certainly deserves it:)