Not so long ago, I caught the movie Night At The Museum and I remembered being intrigued by the character Sacajewa. What little I could find out from the movie was how she singled-handedly led 2 pioneer American colonists to discover new lands, when much of America was still shrouded with vast forests, endless plains and a multitude of fauna and flora. Surfing the Internet had shed much more light about this indigeneous Indian lady who played such a pivotal role in the earliest days of American history.
This time, the sequel to the same movie Night At The Museum 2 had the same effect in arousing my curiosity again. The energetic Amelia Earhart lit up the movie and I really liked how her character was portrayed - courageous, adventurous, passionate, and candid. To me, she really encapsulated what an American was all about. My wife and I agreed that early generations of Americans must have possessed that same 'can-do' spirit which made that country such a great and prosperous nation today.
And again, I troughed the Internet for more information on Amelia Earhart, and what an inspiration she is. Amongst her long list of achievements, she is most renowned for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Not content with that, she decided that she would attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world. In 1937, with the world behind her, she took off, in her bid to realise her dream. Sadly, while flying over the Pacific Ocean, she disappeared, while on her final leg of completing her historic journey. Numerous searches were conducted but no traces of her or her plane could be found.
Sometimes we just don't know how uninspiring we sound. In this crazy world we live in, we lose sight of who and what we are in our endless pursuit of success.
It is ironic that it takes a wax figure of Amelia Earhart (which comes to life in the movie) to teach me something which struck me so profoundly that I really could not stop thinking about it. Maybe it was her piercing blue eyes. Perhaps it was her irrepressible sense of adventure and fun. Undoubtedly though, that character left an indelible mark in my memory, and it sobers me to think how I can live life in a different and more meaningful way.
And yes, I did enjoy that movie very much!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Not the easiest choice to make
The Sundown Marathon was something I had been looking forward to all year.
Last year's inaugural night marathon was memorable in many ways - I bravely but foolishly turned up at the start line despite a severe lack of sleep (due to my newborn baby's hunger cries in the nights), and falling asleep twice while hobbling along the route in Tampines and Bedok. It was easily the hardest and my slowest marathon. So, to be able to cross the finish line meant a lot to me, having overcome severe temptations to give up.
This year, I felt better, more confident. At least I had proper rest. My only worry was whether my back injury would hamper me. I told myself that should my injury flare up, I would just walk to the finish line. Otherwise, I would keep on running as long and as far as I could.
During the race, the non-stop pounding provoked niggling aches and stiffness. I was simply not able to do a decent run. Walking became labourious. I fell further and further behind the endless stream of runners overtaking me.
At the 14km mark, a sea of thoughts ran in my head - do I walk, and risk making the injury worse? Or do I fall out, take a cab home, and rest?
I am glad I'm no stubborn fool. Had I continued, I would have worsened my injury and risked more complications.
So I made the most prudent decision. I walked away from the marathon route, headed for the East Coast Service Road, and hailed the cab home. Immediately, once I sat in the cab, the throbbing aches dissipated.
I am indeed disappointed that I could not finish my 8th marathon. How I wish I could run the midnight race and finish it by the dawn.
Though this injury might have cut short my race, I pray that by the next race (the OSIM Singapore Triathlon), I would be completely recovered and ready to run again.
Last year's inaugural night marathon was memorable in many ways - I bravely but foolishly turned up at the start line despite a severe lack of sleep (due to my newborn baby's hunger cries in the nights), and falling asleep twice while hobbling along the route in Tampines and Bedok. It was easily the hardest and my slowest marathon. So, to be able to cross the finish line meant a lot to me, having overcome severe temptations to give up.
This year, I felt better, more confident. At least I had proper rest. My only worry was whether my back injury would hamper me. I told myself that should my injury flare up, I would just walk to the finish line. Otherwise, I would keep on running as long and as far as I could.
During the race, the non-stop pounding provoked niggling aches and stiffness. I was simply not able to do a decent run. Walking became labourious. I fell further and further behind the endless stream of runners overtaking me.
At the 14km mark, a sea of thoughts ran in my head - do I walk, and risk making the injury worse? Or do I fall out, take a cab home, and rest?
I am glad I'm no stubborn fool. Had I continued, I would have worsened my injury and risked more complications.
So I made the most prudent decision. I walked away from the marathon route, headed for the East Coast Service Road, and hailed the cab home. Immediately, once I sat in the cab, the throbbing aches dissipated.
I am indeed disappointed that I could not finish my 8th marathon. How I wish I could run the midnight race and finish it by the dawn.
Though this injury might have cut short my race, I pray that by the next race (the OSIM Singapore Triathlon), I would be completely recovered and ready to run again.
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