Kopi Siew Dai = CL?: originally uploaded by jinn

I ordered take-away Kopi Siew Dai (coffee less sweet) & other hot beverages at a foodcourt. After she had finished preparing them, she told me that the one marked with CL was the Kopi Siew Dai. I've been wondering since what CL really means. Why not just an asterisk or SD?

I found these 2 incredible stories and videos and have to share them. Most of us take our bodies and simple daily tasks for granted.

Story #1
Jamie Gillentine dove head first into what he thought was the ocean. But he didn’t know it was a sand bar. He shattered his 6th cervical vertebrae. Spinal fragments were lodged in his spinal cord. He lost all feeling and movement from his upper-chest down to his legs. He had some arm movement but no hand dexterity. This is a video of his recovery which took several months.

[video link]

Story #2
When he was 5, Dustin Carter contracted meningococcemia, an acute bacterial infection of the bloodstream which required extensive amputations of his limbs. Despite that, he decided to become a wrestler. He has compiled a 41-2 record this season for Hillsboro High School and has earned a berth in the state’s Division II wrestling tournament. This a video of his training regime.

[video link]

Sometimes, injury and sickness hit us in the face when we least expect them. But while we are able-bodied and healthy, we should make an effort to exercise and eat the right thing, and be thankful of every simple task that we are able to do today.

p.s. After I have typed everything, I realised that the version of my blog engine didn't allow me to embed the video clips. Hence the video clip links instead. Argh. Gotta upgrade my blog. *grumbles*

Photo by ChazWags

I always try not to park my car under any trees to avoid things like fruits and bird shit dropping on my car. But somehow, I still find bird shit on it sometimes, when I collect my car. Don't the birds need to rest before they shit? Or is the diarrhea so bad that they need to let go in mid-flight? Don't they need to focus on their flying? Or is that what you call multi-tasking? Man, they are toxic.

Yesterday I finally attempted to squat with an empty Olympic barbell. That's 20kg on my back. The first few reps were a bit apprehensive; trying to balance the long barbell on my back. But the next few sets, I felt confident and actually squat with some speed. It felt really good!

Now I have 2 of my major lifts on barbell - Deadlift and Squat. The next 2 major lifts to proceed to barbell would be the Overhead Press and Bent-over Row. I think those can be done by next week.

Photo by macbiff

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope everyone has had a fruitful 2007.

Health and fitness wise, I have learnt a lot through my long and sometimes disheartening ACL rehabilitation this year. I will continue to learn, work hard and get fitter. I never knew I would get so interested in weight training. So you see, everything happens for a reason. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

For this new year, I hope to use the barbell for all my compound movements (with correct forms, of course); I'm only using the dumbbells now except for Deadlift. I also hope to get to play more sports and put on a few KGs of healthy weight.

May all your wishes come true. Have a healthy and positive 2008!