"Date: 8th Sept
Time: 10am - 1pm (buffet lunch from 11am - 12.30pm)
Venue: Cedar Girl's Sports Hall

I've decided to hold it at Cedar Girl's as it holds many fond memories for all of us. The building will be undergoing renovations for the next 2 years and Cedar will move to a temporary location. Hence it'll be a good chance for us to walk around that day before the school closes..."

coach's 80th birthday. its the 3rd year that i've missed it, or rather, going to miss it for some reason, somehow.

the only time that i managed to make time for it was last year. and i was so happy. to be able to meet up with him and coach chen wen. adore them both.

every year, the captain of '97 faithfully contacts all the captains that coach has ever taught before, and informs us to invite our own batch for his birthday every year! always blessed by her thoughts of coach and wanting him to be happy.

i was just sharing about him to suet and tlp that day. about how his faith in me has helped me to grow in tabletennis. i vividly remember the day where i ran into the training ground at 10 min to end of training time.

i wanted to just drop by training after some extracurricular classes that day. and i was very sad that i missed training for the day.

so when i had that last 10min, i went to the sports hall, wanting to just watch the rest play. i was still in secondary 1 then. and very very raw in this game.

and when i saw that some of them were packing the tables up at some corner while a senior continued training with coach, i decided to change out of my blue and grey, and wore my training stuff to help in packing up cos i didnt want to dirty my uniform.

and guess what, my innocent act of appearing even though it was already 10minutes to end of training; changed into training gear; and helped in packing up left an impression in coach's heart. i mean, that's what he told me at least. hahas.

he told me, that was one of the determinants that he have decided to invest his time in me, to build me up, cos i have demonstrated desire to learn, and even positive attitude as a sportsman.

haha. now thinking of it, i was just being simple-minded. i just wanted to lend a hand, and want to keep my blue and greys clean.

but anyway, the lesson i learnt from this experience and carried over to my life now is, 10minutes are powerful things. 10minutes offered to someone may seem trivial, but they can make a difference.

it translated into my spiritual walk as well. no matter how tight my schedule may be, if i can be there for the last 10minutes for a gathering of some sort, i ll still try as far as possible to turn up.

and use the 10minutes to fellowship, and most likely are walking to train stations with them.

to me, it may seem to be time-inefficient at times, but as far as i know, i think this 10-minute principle has brought me opportunities to build new friendships, and strengthen old ones.

sometimes, i just need to stop doing the hard calculation, and make some heart decisions. and i qualify, not all the time, but at least, to your best possible.

i think the 10minutes principle speaks to me, of "you are still very important in my life."

of course, sometimes, i failed. sometimes, i cant even meet for 10minutes. sometimes, i cant turn up at all.

but as far as i can, i ll try my best.

anw, today had student host training for La Trobe's open day this sunday! am assigned to simpson lawn (which i have no idea where, and that it ever existed) to be a guide to visitors.

pretty exciting, to be in red shirt and red cap, ushering and directing people around the school which i half know. hahas. i think i better study the map hard first.

me and suet are eyeing the freebie that they are given out to kids. hahas, its a red frisbee! hahas!

played basketball, or rather, watched some of the brothers play thereafter in the sports hall. think they have made new friends! :)) eric was there too. and i think the lactic acid built up in his muscles will make it very sore to carry baby Rhema in his hands from tomorrow onwards! hahas.

and the heidelberg household met jon for ikea. meatballs!

i love ikea. always cheers people up, and you can just walk inside and out without any purchase, but leaving feeling refreshed.

the bright colours and the simplicity in their designs are what i like. pretty down-to-earth concepts.

it was fun; took silly photos and did silly things. like competing with suet who can roll on the trolley over a longer distance. hahas.

and i welcome to the heidelberg household, a few new little friends. namely Rat; Ostrich Pink with green neck; Giraffe Blue and last by not least, Camel Yellow with red polka dots.

i love ikea!