Yup.  I did it!

Thank you to all who believed in me.

Thank you to all who believed in my cause.

Thank you to all who donated or who are going to donate.

I actually hit my target of $5000.  All going to The Singapore Cancer Society.

You can still donate if you want to, I got another 11 days more to go!

Remember….. every little bit counts!

And.. if you, like me, believe there is a way to fight cancer….

Just click HERE!

Well… it has been confirmed.

I did another 1hr 04min run.

Thanks to all who have supported me and who have donated to my cause.

There is still time to make a donation if you want….. remember… every little bit will go to a very good cause.

Well…. I’ve done it!

All 3 races in an attempt to raise some funds for the Singapore Cancer Society.

Just last Sunday (22 July), I ran my third and final race.  The Race Against Cancer 2012.  I had the company of SJ and Joel for this race although SJ was running in the 15km.  Joel ran with me to help me “bring it home”.  Nice clear skies and weather greeted us that morning we knew, it was going to be a good day for a race.  Hot… but good.

Stopped for a quick toilet break and some stretching to limber up and soon enough, it was time for SJ to head to the start for the flag off for his race.  I bumped into some of the good peeps from the Singapore Cancer Society and was brought to be introduced to some VIPs.  I even had a little bit of time to do a quick interview with a reporter from My Paper.

I was then asked to get on stage to say a few words and before I knew it…. we were off!  It was nice running in familiar territory.  It was just like another training run, but this time, with a lot more people pounding the pavement with me.  Young and old, everyone was there for a great race for a great cause.

I was keeping an eye on my watch because I sort of set a target for myself, but I quickly realized that my target was never going to be reached.  So by the halfway mark, I had already set a new target and that was to try to match my time for the Pocari Sweat Run.

Well, I am glad to say that I may have just been able to do just that.  The official timings have not been released yet, but based on my own timing, I did another 1hr 04min race.

Now, all that is left is for me to hit my target of S$5,000.  So, in my final appeal for donations, if you think you would like to support my cause, and help donate to the Singapore Cancer Society, just visit the link here and make a donation.  Big or small, any amount will help and will go a long way in this fight against cancer.

I have had many generous donors and I would like to thank each and everyone who have donated so far.  If you haven’t, but are planning to, you have 13 days to help me achieve my target and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you in advance.

If you would like to maybe challenge yourself and do something like what I did, why not sign up as a charity athlete as well and do something good as well.  You’ll definitely have my support!

Check out the Give.sg website embark on a new challenge today!

And just like that… my 2nd run is done.

I am not sure how I did because somehow, my watch didn’t record my timing properly and I didn’t start the recording on my phone as well. So I guess I will just have to wait until the official results are out before I can share it with you.

This run was held at the beautiful Gardens By The Bay and I think there were a lot of people taking pictures while running.  The views were hard to resist.  It was scenic and pleasant, very different from the usual tarmac and roads and buildings that we see on the usual race routes that we run.  I feel that once all the construction is done and the Gardens are fully ready, it will be a great place to run and visit. The usual group met up and after taking the usual pre-run photos… we were off!

Now for my race report: all I can say is, I felt good throughout the run, the legs felt loose and moved freely. I even managed to keep a constant pace for most of the race. I had great company for the first half of the run and my determination for the second. For the awesome company for the first half, I have Hans, Ching and Andrea to thank. They were patient enough to keep me company all the way until the 6 km mark.

At the end, there was only 1 result and 1 winner.  I completed the race, and am that much closer to raising funds for the Singapore Cancer Society.

So that leaves me with just one more race to go and that will be the Race Against Cancer at East Coast next Sunday the 22 July 2012.  So, if you are in the area, make sure you stop by to support the runners, and if you happen to see me, make sure you give me a shout out.  It is always good to see/hear some support coming from the crowd.  I think I’ll be needing it.

Oh! And you still have time to make a donation if you haven’t already. Just click HERE!

And if you need instructions as to how to make a donation without the muss and fuss… check out my blogpost HERE!

So, by now, you would know that I have been training and gearing up to run a couple more races in my bid to raise funds for the Singapore Cancer Society.

I recently collected my race packs for my next two races and the feeling of excitement is starting to build up once again.

After my last race (The Sundown Marathon 10 km), I continued to train but the excitement and the adrenalin had died down a bit.  I had to keep reminding myself why I was running these races.  You can read my reasons here.

My next race will be the Pocari Sweat Run on the 15 July, this coming Sunday.  It will held at the new Gardens By The Bay, and I am sure everyone who signed up for it will be looking forward to running this brand new route as well as the lucky draw where the top prize will be a trip to Japan.

My prize will be completing yet another race in the hope that my efforts will spur you guys out there to donate just a bit to my cause to fight this killer they call cancer.

Now, if you have been trying to donate but cannot seem to get around doing it without having to register, well, I do have some good news.  You can actually donate fuss free. Just follow the steps below.

1.  Go to this Webpage.

2.  Enter the amount you would like to donate.

3.  Click on the Donate button.

It should bring you to the next page which asks for your log-in information.  Ignore all that and go to the next step.

4.  Check the box that says. “I want to donate anonymously”

5.  Then click “Donate Now”

That will bring you to the next form which asks if you want a receipt for your tax deduction. Fill that up if you want to then proceed to the next step.

6.  Fill in a message to me to let me know that you donated to my cause. (that would help to spur me on to know I have your support)

7.  Then click next and go on to make your payment via Credit Card.

I hope that this helps and here I am thanking you in advance.

Remember, every little bit helps.

oh! and if you see me on race day, do give a shout out! Would be great to see you guys along the route!  And if you are racing this Sunday, have a great race!

Cancer.  Many of us know it as a killer.  A disease.

Definition, taken from http://www.dictionary.com

Noun

1.  Pathology.

a.  A malignant and invasive growth or tumor, especially one originating in epithelium, tending to recur after excision and to metasize to other sites.

b.  any disease characterized by such growths.

2.  any evil condition or thing that spreads destructively; blight.

I recently lost an uncle to Cancer.  Someone near and dear to me managed to recover from cancer.  My wife recently had a cancer scare, and more recently, we lost Emma to cancer too.

So here I am thinking.  What can I do?  How can I help?  Then, while attending a Chairity event, I found my calling.

I decided that I should be a Charity Athlete.  I should try to raise funds to help fight this killer.  I am not a doctor, nor am I anywhere near being a medical professional who would know what to do or how to cure this disease.  So, since I have my health, and I have my passion for running and keeping fit, I decided to sign up to be a charity athlete.

I had already signed up for 3 runs (with the first one being tonight), what better way to give myself another awesome reason to finish these runs.  Maybe I could even add more runs to that and see if I can raise more money.

So, if you are reading this post, find it in your heart to follow the link, and donate to my cause.  The cause of fighting this crazy disease which I hope, with the right kind of support, we will be able to find the cure to this killer, or at the very least, help those who are trying their best to fight this killer.

Any amount would be very much appreciated, not just by me, but by the people who will eventually benefit from your kind donation.

I look forward to seeing your donation and thanking each and everyone of your personally.  But just in case, I am going to thank you all in advance, now.

THANK YOU! FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

The link to my donation page is here.

I will be updating you guys with my race reports so look out for the first one tomorrow after I have recovered from the run.  And, if you are running tonight too, hope to see you along the route and good luck for the run.  Don’t forget to wave and say hi!

Just the other day, I got invited to play in a curtain raiser for an S-League match and while we were getting ready, some of the guys and I started talking about our boots and when we got our first pair, what brand it was, and how.  Well, after reading Miyagi’s post, I decided to share my story about my first pair of football boots…..

Ever since I was a kid, I had always been interested in football.

For as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to get out and have a kickabout with the boys.  Somehow, I never got good enough to get into the team.  That never stopped me from bugging my parents to get me a pair of football boots because there was a church football competition happening and I HAD to have a pair of boots.

My folks always “teased” me by making me walk past this shop near Bedok Interchange that sold football boots and there was this one pair that always caught my eye.  On hindsight, it must have been tough for them to see their son wanting that pair of boots so much (when he’s not that good anyway, he’s going to outgrow the boots in a flash of an eye, and it cost about $50 if I remember correctly).

After a while, I gave up bugging them for it and sort of gave up the dream of ever owning my own pair of football boots.  Until….. my birthday came rolling around.

I still remember the day, we were at my grandparents house in Toa Payoh, everyone was there, my parents, my sister, uncles, aunties and cousins and we had a cake and all.  Then, my dad hands me my present.  I knew in an instant what it was.  The unmistakable shape of a shoe box!  Could it be?  I was quite sure I knew what it was, and yet, I was afraid to open it for fear that I was wrong.  I didn’t want to open it.  I was excited, yet, I was scared I was going to be disappointed.  After some urging from my cousins, I opened my present, and there it was.  That pair of football boots, that up till that day, I had only dreamt of owning.

I was estatic!  There were no words that could describe my feelings when I unboxed the boots and tried them on in the middle of hall of my grandparents house.  I really couldn’t wait for the following weekend to come (that was when the first game was going to be played).

Now, the boots didn’t last very long, I think it lasted only for the duration of the competition, which allowed me to wear it a total of 6 times before I actually outgrew them and had to give them away.  I don’t remember what happened from then until now, but you know what?  Try asking any guy who plays football and most of them will always remember their first pair of boots.

Some other things do last…… like memories……