added a link to my new guestbook- you'll find it over at the top of the right margin, just beneath "archives". feel free to drop a note!

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just returned from southern islands expedition yesterday. it was, truly, an unforgettable experience, in all ways possible. and i've also discovered that my rowing strokes are improving, as my torso and not my arms ache after the 50+km over the three days. contrary to popular belief, canoeing uses the back muscles primarily, and not the arms, for propulsion.

but i'm not sure if i ever want to get into another expedition kayak. i think i'll just stick to racing for now. gosh rowing in the open sea and waterways was quite an experience! we had to navigate the waves and backwash generated by the ocean liners and the other vessels, which was pretty good as you'll never be able to do that in a racing kayak. riding the waves was great, except when you plop down the other side and the sea spray splashes into your face, mixes with your sunblock and starts stinging your eyes real bad.

let's not talk about direction though. shit i hate having to do direction. spent half my time telemarking instead of rowing proper. gawd i was pissed. and weiqi was most amused. she related our experience of rowing together to the rest later, and yeah maybe it was quite amusing. but not so funny when it was happening. haha.

and kudos to our culinary experts, gao shang and leqi! without whom we wouldn't have tasted stuff like marinated chicken wings and pineapple rice. which is admittedly damn good food for an expedition. i've also discovered that, apart from them, everyone else has either a vague inkling of how to cook rice or absolutely no idea at all.

we've also discovered our residential santa claus, ms. poon! she's got all the stuff you could ever ask for on an expedition. like barley mints and tom yam noodles(!). and she's really funny too! oh and she asked me to try weightlifting after Alevels. erps. no i don't think i will. but kickboxing, no problem!

and one more thing to add- gao shang absolutely loves communual bathing! she had a blast of a time in the sisters' island toilet! but i shan't divulge details. go ask gao shang.