X-Wonder Cheer Journey 2007 - 2011

X-Wonder Cheer Journey 2007 - 2011
This book is dedicated to all cheerleaders in Singapore who accompanied X-Wonder on our journey so far. It consists of posts from our blog; sharing with you our experiences and memories. Once again a big thank you to everyone who had shown us so much grace and support over these years. Hope you will enjoy it. Thank you. Cheers, X-Wonder
Contents
X-Wonder finally has a blog Review of Stunts Trainings in the past month New Revelations Courage Progress Warm ups Quote Lost and Found HO 2008 Injuries Time Happy Chinese New Year Training Annoymous Comments Jobs and Work Precious Toe Pitch Ocean " Higher The end or the start? Milestone 16 16 16 16 17 17 18 18 18 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 22 23 23 23 23 25 26 26
Super X-Toss Saturday, March 29, 2008 Emptiness Grass is always greener on the other side. Toss to Hands Liberty Balance First at the Last... Hello~! Tribute to Xuewei Weakest Guy (that can do a cupie) Saturday, April 26, 2008 Fly The truth of strength X-Skills Strength, Passion & Fear The next phase Ease Idol A Spark Trainings (Team) Friday, June 20, 2008 Friday, June 20, 2008 Greats Moving Forward Stats What's so great about gymnastics.
26 26 26 27 27 29 30 30 31 35 36 37 37 38 38 39 39 40 40 41 42 42 42 42 43 43
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Start early, start right. ARITHMETICAL MAGIC Flying off Taiwan Trip 12/07 to 22/07 =) 2 years of journey Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite Lets bring it up a notch... Friday, August 22, 2008 Good enough for Olympics? Non-existence? Monday, August 25, 2008 Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Re-born Moral of the story? "Time travel" ZzZzzzZzZzz Lacking Pop Over? Needs Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Friday, September 26, 2008 Teach them how to fish, and not fish for them. Playing with cement
45 45 47 47 47 85 87 87 87 88 89 89 90 90 90 90 91 91 92 92 92 94 94 94 95
Cupies 100th Post Irritating What you in it for? Sunday, November 02, 2008 I hope so... Cupies "She who has health, has hope; and she who has hope, has everything." Where is my Star? Starry Snowy Skies Are you free to fly without limits? The Great From the pits of dusty boxes... Would you dig your heart out for it? Sunday, November 23, 2008 Lessons
96 96 97 98 98 98 99 99 100 100 101 102 103 103 105 105
If you can hit the stunt more frequently than by chance, it means y... 105 Dreams Monday, December 08, 2008 "If you don't try to save one life, you'll never save any." Awesome WPSL Just Imagine "You understand that you are going to fail, thousands and thousands... Merry Christmas Everyone 105 105 106 106 106 107 107
2008 Toss to Hands Finally Eyelids weighing 60 kilos Today it's 80kg Friday, January 09, 2009 Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Hall 4 HO 2009 Cheerleading Thursday, January 15, 2009 Who you want to be? Hot Shot Are you the ONE? I am on the mats because of you. Home sweet home Thursday, February 05, 2009 Wednesday, February 11, 2009 See-Saw Thursday, February 12, 2009 How I wish I have strength... Friday, February 20, 2009 You only receive what you give away It's my life 1 or 0
107 108 109 109 109 109 109 110 110 111 111 111 112 112 112 113 113 113 113 114 114 114 114 115 116 116
"Competing" Pride Cheerobics Ambitious? Thursday, April 09, 2009 Time for myself Someone has to be the bad guy Wednesday, April 15, 2009 So Young 22 April Your duty Calvin Today marks a New Beginning TGIF No Limits Make a guess Being Satisfied Females the stronger gender? Thursday, May 21, 2009 Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Working Vs Training Insight into Decision Making Evolution takes a leap every now and then. Sunday, June 14, 2009
116 117 118 118 119 119 119 120 120 121 122 122 125 125 125 126 126 126 127 128 129 129 129 129 130 130
Sunday, June 14, 2009 Monday, June 15, 2009 The answer is... Good Old Days Trip to Taiwan No hands Set your sights further Friday, July 10, 2009 No Boundaries 24 more to go... Everyone's doing it 78 29July MP Lucky number 3 Just 1 will do Thursday, August 13, 2009 Fold or Call? 76 Thursday, September 10, 2009 Fatter but not Taller Wednesday, September 16, 2009 A good site to recommend (confidentcheerleadingblog.com) Look a little further Motivation Vs Discipline
130 130 131 131 131 131 131 133 133 135 135 135 136 136 136 137 137 137 137 137 138 138 139 139 139 141
Not everyone is born talented Huat Double Edge Sunday, October 18, 2009 Monday, October 19, 2009 The next level A thousand words Criteria for The World's Healthiest Foods Friday, October 30, 2009 Your state of mind determines everything. Never try never know 4 years seemed to pass so quickly... Perservere Bearish Leverage 1 Week+ to Germany Success breeds success 1 more week 80 Millionaire Mind Story of my Ultimate Dream My fellow Undergraduate Find that inner you Celebration Tuesday, November 24, 2009
141 141 142 142 142 142 143 143 144 144 145 146 146 146 146 147 147 148 148 148 150 151 152 152 153 154
10
Greetings from Bremen Thursday Blues Dec 3rd Has the time arrived? Dec 5th 7 Gains and Losses Nobody remembers the runner-ups Anticipation Withdrawal 50K 2009 Goodbye to 2 soon 8 again I want to learn break dancing 2010 Resolutions Thursday, January 21, 2010 Just realised that Blogger has many interesting functions Spectacular Monday, January 25, 2010 Never Ending Project SG Cheerleaders Sums it up Saturday, January 30, 2010 HO 2010 Tuesday, February 02, 2010
154 154 154 154 155 155 155 156 156 156 156 157 158 159 160 160 161 161 161 162 162 162 167 167 167 171
11
My Favorite Performance Time and tide wait for no man Your deepest fear There will be TWO Singapore Marathons this year What is the next thing to look forward to? Road to Champions Grow yourself so youre bigger than any problem. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE "Love our time" Video of the Month 6 Years ago Are you irreplaceble? Front Hand Spring Round Off Back Tuck Friday, March 12, 2010 1st Singapore National Cheerleading Championships 2010 Post Nationals Wildfire Passion Run Full squad standing back tucks 1 week left Saturday, April 03, 2010 Well done Ken Tuesday, April 13, 2010 Physics - Newton's Law of Gravity Indonesia National Cheerleading Championship 2010
171 172 173 173 175 175 176 176 176 177 178 180 181 182 182 182 183 185 185 185 187 187 187 187 187 190
12
2010 ICU World Championships Simple? Cheer - Life balance Four-minute mile Monday, May 10, 2010 Ip Man Tuesday, May 18, 2010 Passion Run 2010 28th May Friday, May 28, 2010 Blog Post of the Month Crack my mind Become the fisherman Monday, June 07, 2010 Tuesday, June 08, 2010 To those training their Liberties Get $$$ living your passion My life is great This is it Kelloggs Trainings If you want something you never had, do something you have never done Astros Wildcards Stunt Fest 2010 4 yrs of X-Wonder There is no last
190 191 191 192 192 193 194 194 194 195 195 197 198 198 198 198 199 199 200 200 201 202 202 203 204
13
Just some thoughts Happy teacher's day Polyphasic sleep ATCI Circadian rhythm sleep disorders September Just some sharing Standing Back Tuck This time on the floor I want to do REWIND!!! The Law of Least Effort Are you doing ok? Scorpion X-Out Weights Training Can you make a living doing cheer full time in Singapore? Test of faith and belief Monday, March 28, 2011 SNCC 2011 PS - XWonder Singapores Cheerleading National Team Alpha Verve - SNCC 2011 Thank you Xuewei Guest Blogger XWonder SNCC 2011 Routine Out of town
205 206 207 208 208 209 209 211 211 211 212 215 215 217 218 218 219 220 220 220 222 223 227 229 229 229
14
Principles to SUCCESS in LIFE (Cheerleading) Xuewei's Birthday - 29th July August - WINNER'S MINDSET SEPT - What you want? Friday, September 30, 2011 One of the rare post
230 233 235 237 238 238
15
X-Wonder finally has a blog

Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Hi our friends out there. Watch this space for stories. Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:20PM (+08:00)
Review of Stunts
Friday, July 27, 2007
As I had said in our you-tube site, that we will review our basic stunts, I did went to look through every stunts. Actually the comments are right, I did not lock my arms most of the times. I am wondering why? If my hands are not locked, by right the flyer shd not be able to push herself on my arms. But apparently I still could do the stunt. I guess if you are strong enough, you can exert as much if not more strength and support, even with your arms bended. I am not encouraging not locking of the arms, esp for new learners. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:23PM (+08:00)
Trainings in the past month

Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Its been kinda busy the last 1 month, with lots of performances and recruitment stuff to prepare. And now currently we are having our workshop and tryouts. Been trying to squeeze time every training to try new skills and also brush up on old ones. Guess time don't allow us to train that much on partner stunting. I will just have to focus a little more on gymnastics, which I can do on my own. Hope that I have more room for improvements Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:08PM (+08:00)
New Revelations
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Did improve a little on my gymnastics. After the eye openner during the camp, and getting to know the proper techniques and tips, it is time I start all over again. Back to the drawing boards. Its back to the days where I try to be able to stunt with every flyer. Stunting with many different flyers give you many more variations and teaches you how to deal and compensate in various situation. The goal is for X-Wonder to rise to greater heights. Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:25PM (+08:00) 16
Courage
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the action in spite of fear. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:59PM (+08:00)
Progress
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
I said its time for me to go back to the days where I try to stunt with every flyer. I had been doing that on a consistent basis for the last quarter of the year and now I am beginning to be able to see the fruits of labour. You do not get to see the effect straight away, but over time you will feel it. A large part of my improvement I also have to attribute to doing of handstands. Ever since they break for exams last year November, I started to put in real hardwork on my handstands. I knew that it was my left hand that was weaker, hence other than handstands, I also kept doing arnold presses for my left hand. Everyday, repeatedly practicing hours of handstands and arnold presses, I slowly am able to do handstand walk. Then over the months, handstands walk and turn 180, then slowly will procede to handstands pushups without assistance. My main objective initially to strengthen my left arm is to do left cupie, but what I did not realise then was that in strengthening my left arm, my liberty improved alot also. Now I finally am able to see the importance of training both arms at the same time, not just focus on the master arm. This is the only way one can progress to more advance stunts such as full around, tick tock, full ups. Another part of my improvement have to be down to the increase in strength of my hamstrings and butt muscles. Not only did they become stronger, my knee pain also reduced because of the stronger hamstrings. I did not purposely go to the gym to train up on them, all I did was climb the stairs to work at my work place. I work at a 4 storey building with no lift, and on the average each day I at have to climb up at least 4 times. The only difference in climbing the stairs normally was that I focused on my hamstrings and butt by leaning back slightly and walk up in a very up right posture. This posture when done well is very beneficial to doing any toss up or press up stunts. In summary, training with different flyers, doing handstands and climbing up the stairs are the basis for the improvements I made in these few months. It can be a long process, people might give up halfway when they do not see the immediate effects, but I endured and perservered. Hope to be able to showcase some new moves soon. X-Wonder GO! Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:37AM (+08:00)
X-Wonder Cheer Journey
2007 - 2011
17
Warm ups
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The warm ups for training are getting really tough these days. After some basic stretching, we will start shuttle running to, 20 metres and fro, 20 metres. Then at the end of each run, we will start with toss up hands. We do this run and toss up hands 5 times. Then we procede to toss up hands liberty after each run. We do this for another 20 sets. So its a total of 25 sets of 40 metres, which adds up to 1 km, and 25 toss up hands, 20 single liberty. We work in pairs, so one base one flyer run and stunt together, then the other pair help to spot. So we will take turn to run and stunt. If at the end of each run, you fail the stunt, you have to keep doing till you hit it. This warm up is really super tiring, but at the same time very satisfying, after you completed the 25 laps. I find it really useful, as it really trains you to use the right technique each time, and it simulates the actual tiredness you will feel in the routine. Looking foward to the next run... Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:35PM (+08:00)
Quote
Friday, January 18, 2008
"The happiest people are those who are too busy to notice whether they are or not." -William Feather. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:42PM (+08:00)
Lost and Found

Monday, January 21, 2008
In doing an action or gymnastics, when you just started trying, you are very brave to try. After a few failed attempts, you are still undetered and carried on trying. It is only when you failed and also injured yourself at the same time, then you will begin to think twice. Then as you get injured more often, you will start to think thrice, four times and till you just keep thinking, and stopped doing. Then you decide to give yourself a break. After maybe about 1 month's break, you decide to heck la, give it a go again. Then you realised that your body actually retains the feeling, and even adjust it such that it felt better unknowilling. The fear of injury in your mind also seems to fade away a little. You kept training again, but then the process started again. The more you do, the more the fear begin to creep in again, and your body stops listening to you again. This constant cycle keeps repeating itself, the lost and found feeling. One day you lost it, then after a while, you found it back. I guess taking breaks is very impt for the body, muscle and mind, consolidating all the training, input and infomation, to coordinate the mind and movement. When you are not
18
2007 - 2011
feeling good some days, stop doing, let your body and mind take a break. If you carry on doing, your body will only remember the bad feeling, which you do not want. This is what I found out in the past and experienced it again recently. I thought I had sealed my ROBHS, or even my BHS since after cheerobics 2007. Indeed I stopped doing them for almost a year now, and focused on doing BT and ROBT instead. But recently, there appears to be a need for me to do ROBHS again, and without much hesitation this time round, I did a few BHS, then I decide to attempt the ROBHS. It turned out better than I had expected. I guess my body has since retained the muscle memory and it was just kept dormant inside me, waiting to be called upon. I guess it is also due to the BT and ROBT training I had. Somehow, they fortified and reinforced my BHS and ROBHS feeling..... When I just started learning the BT, I kept doing it like a BHS, jumping back alot. Then after I got used to jumping up more, and mastering the BT, I totally lost my BHS. I tried BHS, but I kept jumping too high and not back enough, and my body was curled up badly. I stopped doing BHS for a while, and totally focus on my BT. Then one day, after a long break again from BHS, and when my BT was real confident, I tried BHS again. It was not very good at first, but I start to get it back slowly. Then at the end of the day, I tried doing a BT, and not to my surprise, the BT had a BHS feeling about it, as I was jumping too back. However I could still do both, but not as confident in each. Then with each trial and training, the BHS influenced the BT, and the BT influenced the BHS, slowly they begin to morph and took the best of each requirements to do whatever is needed. For example, in the past my BHS lacked the height, but now, I am able to use the height I got from doing BT to incorporate it to my BHS, at the same time retaining my BHS form. Same goes for my BT, incorporating the shoudlers pull back of BHS for doing my BT. After lots of training and also rest, my body is now able to call upon either "power" at will now (becoming Peter Pretrelli... haha). BHS and BT no longer hinder each other, but they have "evolved" to aid and benefit each other. The constant lost and found when doing gymnastics, I guess is not bad afterall. It is just a process of your body and mind learning and adapting. Having a rest or a break at times will let you rediscover the feeling. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:28PM (+08:00)
HO 2008
My 5th HO... 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008... Have I done it all?? I hope not... Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:35PM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
19
Injuries
Injuries are part and parcel of any sport. It can be very irritating to get injuries, esp those niggling ones. They are not serious to the extend that you cannot train, but with some protection,(tape) you can carry on training. However, over a period of time, such as a few months, it will start to worsen and till one day every move you make with that joint hurts. So should a person continue to train in this sort of circumstances? I guess the answer will be no choice... competition is coming up and things are very crucial now. Short of a player at any time will do no good at all to the training. Just have to make do with whatever treatment or protection as much as possible. Ice it after every training, tape it during training, massage it whenever possible. This is really bad for the body, but I guess this is the sarcrifice everyone has to be prepared to take once you sign up for this. To those carrying injuries of any kind and still training, I wish you guys the strength to endure. The pain will only make the victory sweeter. Jiayou Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:57PM (+08:00)
Time
Time time time, where are you? Everyday has become so routine to me these days. Wake up at 0630, travel to work, reach office at 0815, leave office at 1715, eat dinner at 1800, start training at 1830, train till 0000, travel back to hall and bathe till 0045, eat supper till 0145, prepare to sleep by 0200 and then sleep for 4 hours and wake up to work again. I am so tired everyday at work that I simply have no energy to go look for things to do. How i hope there can be just 4 more hours each day, so at least I can get more sleep and rest. I have to catch a wink whenever possible, when I am on the bus to work and when I am on the bus back. I makes me seemed like a anti-social guy before and after work, beacuase I am always trying to shun my colleages so that I can catch some much needed sleep. I am a graduate, and last year I told myself that I will only get involve in coaching, and not as a player. But it seems as fate has it, to pull me back into the thick of the action. Well, since I am in the routine, I thought that maybe I will get less roles, or at least less than Cheerobics 2007, but I was wrong again. This time round, with just 16 man, the roles increased, and since this is going to be my 5th Cheerobics, my responsibilities increased tremendously. I always had to take the more challenging roles, be it gymnastics, tosses, partner stunts, pyramids... I am not complaining, and in fact I relish the challenge. I want to achieve greater things and push myself to the limits. I want to help the team in all ways I can. Cheerleading is just like any other sport if you were to ask me, plus more fun and entertaining. To excel in 20
any sport, you have to make it your lifestyle; marathon runners run everyday, soccer players kick a ball everyday and some may even sleep with the ball. To do well in cheerleading, one have to make it their lifestyle as well. Sacrifices have to be made, meaning less time for leisure, less time for sleep, less time for friends, and the list goes on. I am glad that I am able to live such a lifestyle now. At the end of the day, the sarcrifices will be worth it. The above lifestyle is an ideal for anyone who wants to live cheerleading and improve. How I wished that I can fit into the ideal senario, but sometimes things are often non ideal. First of all, how can someone survive through a week with only 4 or less hours of sleep daily? Not with the amount of strenous trainings and work I have. With not enough sleep, the body does not gets enough rest, and the muscles and joints start to give problems. And also the immune system weakens and you fall sick easier. I probably might be able to cope with all these better a few years back when I was just 21 or 22, but now I am older and my body is not as strong and fit as it used to be. It has endured years of hard battering and the scars are begining to show now. It is my apparent need to lead by example during training and keep doing the stunts and help spot whenever possible. However, I just hope that everyone can help me share my responsibilities in the team, let me take the occasional breather and breaks whenever possible. This is the only way I can let my candle flame burn longer, to let my lifespan increase. Handle me with care, or this 'old vehicle' will break down one day. I also wish to think that I am super, but I guess I am only human. Sorry to my readers for having to read about my bitching. And also sorry for appearing weak in front of you guys. I guess even the king needs a break. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:48AM (+08:00)
Happy Chinese New Year

Thursday, February 07, 2008
Happy year of the rat to all of you out there. 2nd day without training and I am feeling much better already. Hope my injuries can recover by then. Enjoy the holidays. Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:59PM (+08:00)
Training
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The holidays are over and its back to training almost everyday again. The body parts that seemed to have became better after the short break, now seemed to start to show wear again, esp the right knee. Why is this only happenning to me? Looks like it is a sign for me to retire after this campaign is over... retire from team competition and focus fully on what X-Wonder is all about...
2007 - 2011
21
P.S I might have found my new pond afterall. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:57PM (+08:00)
Annoymous Comments
Friday, February 29, 2008
With the advent of the internet, with information over flowing, and all the technology allowing people to chat, post or leave comments, arises a new type of phenomenom "Internet War" Nowadays, people like to argue, or shoot each other through blogs, tagboards, now even public domians such as online papers. It became a great avenue for cowards to hide behind a nickname and say things without any credibility or accountability. I personally feel that the internet is a good place for exchange of knowledge and information, but sometimes it can be misused for the wrong reasons. When you want to make a statement, pls be accountable for it. Our dear friend YT93 has came back again, after months of inactivity. I would really appreciate it if you can back whatever you want to say. I am very willing to share and discuss with you on the topic you posted, so long as you are willing to be acountable for what you say. We are all humans, there is nothing to hide. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:38AM (+08:00)
Jobs and Work

There is a suitable job for everyone out there. When you are new its ok, but after some time, do not expect others to cover for you, esp when manpower is short and everyone has their own jobscope to do! If you do not have the capability for this job, there is always another job for you! If you cannot change yourself for your job, don't be engineer also can, just go be anything you want. The only difference is what opportunities and resposibilities that job offers. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:24PM (+08:00)
Precious
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
With so little days left, whatever action you do becomes very crucial, whatever energy you used also becomes very critical. Talk straight to the point, no time to beat around the bush, and save whatever energy you can, even from speaking. No more time and space for ego or any other rubbish. Do as told or be constructive. There is nothing personal. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:03PM (+08:00)
22
2007 - 2011
Toe Pitch
Thursday, March 06, 2008
I injured my ankle after tossing a toe pitch on tuesday. It seems that not only flyers get injured while doing toe pitch, bases get injured too. It was my first time spraining an ankle while doing toss up. I guess the force generated that time was just too great. I believe our particular set of toe pitch is 2nd from best in Singapore. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:19AM (+08:00)
Ocean
It has seems that we have both come so far, from learning the basics to trying the advance. But the ocean is so big, we have only swam to the middle of it so far, there is still a long way to go. The next breakthrough will be the tougest, every breakthrough is tough, but to go from trying advance stunts to being the elite is going to be the mother of all challenges. Lets brave through the treacherous ocean once again in search for our destiny. In the search of being the elite, there is still one thing that we have to remember all the time, that is progression. It applys to all levels basic, intermediate, advance and even when you are an elite. Lets hope the tides and waves does us a favour and give me a favorble push forward.
What you saw is "What you never see is Progression. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:31PM (+08:00)
"
Another very important thing to take note is: Do not only stunts with your master arm, train up your weaker arm too. It is very crucial to stunt with both arms for you to move on. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:50PM (+08:00)
Higher
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
When I started off cheerleading, toss to hands was something very new in Singapore. After doing 7 months of basics, I was finally introduced to toss to hands officially, and get to see it live. (JCA workshop). I was so happy to do it after a relatively short time of about
23
1 month. Nowadays, toss to hands has become a common thing, and people are learning and trying it even on their first week of starting cheerleading. With the right flyers, every base can do a toss to hands now and with the right base, every flyer can also do a toss to hands. The question now is how to toss higher, to extention. I picked up doing toss to hands real quick, but I was stuck at doing up to hands for over a year plus, almost 2 years, 2004 August to 2006 June. (Not considering unusually light flyers at less than 35 kilos.) Even then toss to extension was more like a gamble, certain days can certain days cannot. And it stayed this way for another year, till 2007 June, sometimes can sometimes cannot. During this 3 year period, I must have done at least over 10000 toss to hands. (Taking 150 training days a year for 3 years doing 25 tosses each day, a very modest estimate.) And I have been sourcing through the web the whole of this period looking for tips. Below are some tips that I found...
How to get a higher toss

1. (flier) lean back - Lean slightly back into the base. It will give him an opportunity to feel your center of gravity and get your timing. 2. (flier) jump - Take a good jump off of the ground and don't rely on your base to just throw you. 3. (flier) quick flick - First make sure you flick with your base, then make sure it is quick and strong. Again don't realy on your base to flick by himself. 4. (bases) follow her - Feel her timing and follow her as she bends and jumps. 5. (bases) allow her to jump - Don't lift her too early before she jumps. 6. (bases) jump off the ground - Get you legs into the toss by jumping off of the ground as you throw her. 7. (bases) finish your flick - Make sure you are releasing at full extension and quickness. Don't give a have flick at minimal height. That will give you poor results. 8. (bases) extend - Make sure you are extending your arms when you toss. Don't flick when your arms are bend.
How come toss is so low

Fliers 1.) Gives a little jump 2.) Drops her chest 3.) Gives a little flick 4.) Flick is off with base 5.) Body loose on the way up 6.) Butts back into the base 7.) Jumps flat-footed 8.) Head is down 24
9.) Flick is NOT quick Base 1.) Won't let flier to jump 2.) Flick too early 3.) Grip is too hard 4.) Flick is off with the flier 5.) Doesn't use his legs 6.) Doesn't extend his arms/flick 7.) Not strong enough 8.) Not fast enough
Doesn't it all sound so simple? It all makes sense too, and I fully understood what the tips meant, but applying it is a completely different story. How many times have your seniors teach you how to do a stunt, and they go: "Just use more strength, just toss harder, use your legs, toss up not back, or just toss lo, etc etc" and yet you still cannot do it after hearing your senior repeat over a hundred times till you want to bash up him up? Well I may not be as good as the pros who provided the tips, but here is my tip for doing a toss to extension... Just keep tossing!! No matter how many tips you hear or read, its not going to get you anywhere without practicing. Disclaimer: Some may be able to to it immediately after reading the tips. All this is coming from an untalented base who can only depend on hard work.
Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:56PM (+08:00)

Getting your toss high is the key to moving on to more advance stunts. For 1 arm stunts, posture is very impt, unless your 1 arm has the equivalent strength of 2 arms. Remember also to balance your master and weaker arm also, try both sides. Also try to do a few different stunt at a go to gain the stunt stamina required for more flow in your sequence Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:55PM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
25
The end or the start?

Friday, March 14, 2008
Where do I go from here? Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:16PM (+08:00)
Milestone
3 times Cheerobics Champion consecutively. How many people out there get to proclaim this? Not much, just a handful. We have booked a place in the hall of fame. X-Wonder will resume training after their injuries heal, and then we will bring cheerleading to even greater heights and show it to everyone. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:30PM (+08:00)
Super X-Toss
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The first part of the video below shows what is X-Toss.
It is a name we gave for a toss without the flyer jumping and flicking. We gave it a name because we did not see it being done before and cannot find a name for it. The next goal is SUPER X-TOSS... Stunt Posted by *star* at 05:33AM (+08:00)
Saturday, March 29, 2008

It's not easy to be me... Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:41PM (+08:00)
Emptiness
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
I just realised that my life is so boring... Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:15AM (+08:00)
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2007 - 2011
Grass is always greener on the other side.

Japan, Taiwan, Thailand... How I wish I can go for all 3 of them in this upcoming "holidays". Not my holidays, but for those still studying. To say I dread my work also cannot, at least it does not eat away all my time. I am just feeling a little restless these days, its like nothing to look forward to. I doubt I can go for all 3 trips coming up, unless I want to burn all my leave and suffer for the rest of the year. It seems like there is time for me now, but at the same time also not enough time. More time than during Cheerobics, but then still not enough pursue alot of things that I wanna do. Sometimes, with the extra spare time, it can also becomes an agony, too much time to rot, but not enough time to focus on what I want. Sometimes I just wish that all my spare time is taken away from me, at least then I do not have to rot so much and feel so useless and alone. Humans are just the greatest contradictors. Always looking for the grass out there. And I think I am the worst of the lot, not only looking for green, but also looking for grass of other colours. What rubbish am I talking about, pardon me for my random rumblings. I just need a direction or a sign. Lets hope watching some videos can lighten up my mood.
"I wonder does superman need a compass when he flies..." Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:40PM (+08:00)
Toss to Hands Liberty

Wednesday, April 02, 2008
I was in total shock when I heard our grp stunt came in 2nd runner up during cheerobics. Our full around stunt failed and hence our tick tock low tick tock high also did not get to do. I would say we absolutely did not train for it. People will go, you must be kidding, how can be never train at all... Well if you let me explain what training means in my point of view and you will understand. Training is when you put in effort to learn to do a new stunt or to perfect it. For us the training part was way before cheerobics, where we learn those stunts, and after that short period, the skills where just put aside. (Its like I know how to do shoulder stand but I never did it since a long time ago.) For us, we did not train, we merely join the counts together to form that routine. We ran
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through that grp stunt routine like only 2-3 times with music and off we went to compete, just for the fun of it. I am not trying to sound boastful or talk big here, but its the truth, and if one were to ask people around us, they will tell you the same thing. This is also one of the reason we were dumbfounded when the result were announced, the main reason still being because we failed stunts. After everything settle in, I thought to myself, how come we won? Then after some thoughts and viewing the routine that we did with "eyes" from few years back, I realised how difficult our routine actually was. Lets just talk about the simplest stunt of all that we did, 2 toss to hand liberty. It has become a everyday stunt for us, something like a shoudler sit, which you know will not fail. But in actual fact, it is something that most in Singapore cheerleading scene will find it a huge challenge. This is when I realised how come we won, we won simply with the ease of doing toss to hands single lib. I never fail to emphasize on basics over and over again, and I guess some people are bored of hearing it. Even few years down the road, I will still be talking about it, just because it simply is so important, and safety comes hand in hand with it. Basics is a chore, but if you do it well, you will definetly see progress and the level of your basics will raise us well. (Basics for a start may be elevator, then as you improve, your basics may become toss to hands, then as you move on your basics is now single extension, then maybe next to liberty, then to cupie, so on and so forth. Each person's basic will be different from another, depending on the level you are at.) For us the grp stunt win was merely a showcase of our basics. It is not the training prior to the competition that really mattered, it is the years of training way before it that mattered. Competition training merely help you boost your confidence and help to take you to another level. On a side note, I know I should not say this, but I do not feel any sense of achievement with this win, we did not work hard for it, nor did our stunts go up nicely. The feeling is a vast difference from winning the open team catagory, where we train our hearts and souls out for it. If given a choice, I rather not have this grp stunts medal, it should go to a more deserving team that trained hard for it. It does not feel good to win by going out there to do "shoulder sits and elevators", if you get what I mean. Afterall winning is not everything, the process matters much more. Again I am very sincere and meant what I said, and I am definelty not trying to be boastful nor a hypocrite here, just doing some self reflection and writing about my thoughts and feelings. I want to truely feel what it is like to be a winner (Grp Stunt), I will take this year and train real hard for next year. Its going to be a different game next year. I will show it!
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2007 - 2011
Balance
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I remember the first time I tried doing handstand was when I just got into ACES. I saw a few seniors playing around and I thought hey like quite fun then I started following them. They also did not told me why they are doing it, they did not say anything about handstand being the basics and is very crucial or anything like that at all. Either they were just playing around, or they wanted me to find out myself. (In the past, knowledge is very limited and real live examples were not there, you have to turn each stone to find out and try for yourself.) My handstand was ok when I started out, can hold for a few seconds, but I never took it seriously. I only started to take it seriously after 2 years, after I gain more knowledge and got more exposure. I started to train more and more handstands. I remembered by end of 2006, my handstand was quite ok, able to hold for more than 10 secs. It was before I started serious training for cupie. Ever since I started training hard for (right)cupie, I stopped doing handstand for that few months. It was all the way till near the end of 2007, after I am quite comfortable with doing Right cupie, then I started back my handstand training regime. To my horror, I was not able to hold my handstand anymore, not even for 2 secs. I was very puzzled and I did not understand how could it be so. I seek advice and asked alot of people, even ex gymnas cannot give me a answer to my dilemma. I did some research and readings but still was not able to come up with an explanation. The only thing I know is that I need to solve this problem, and that I have the determination to do so. I kept trying, even if I were to just fall each time. After a while, I started to suspect that it was because my left hand was too weak, the inbalance was so much that my body was leaning to one side, hence my handstand kept falling. No one can confirm this with me, therefore I had to try myself, only I know my body the best. I started to train arnold presses with only my left arm, increasing the weight gradually till it matches that I can do with my right. At the same time I also carried on my handstand training. True enough, in one months time, my handstand improve alot, surpassing my previous standards(I now can handstand for over 30secs). My theory about the left being much weaker was correct. Now I know the reason, while training for Right cupie, my right master arm grew much stronger than my left, so much so that there was a huge inbalance. It is definetly a bad thing, especially in cheerleading and when you want to progress to more than just being only a "right side guy". Sharing my experiences from my point of view, so that anyone out who reads this can benefit and learn from them, and do not have to take the huge detour to learning, because I know how tough it can be.
This is not the first time I emphasize, remember to train your weaker arms at the same time as you train your master arm. Do not delay the difference by too much, or else you will have to take the long way around. Start before its too late. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:02PM (+08:00)
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First at the Last...

Performance for Singapore Recreation Club 29/June/2007 This performance was something special for me. It was my last public performance for NTU ACES. Having been involved in over 50 performances in my past 3 to 4 years, I still felt stress with this last one. This performance had to be one of the most pressurizing I have done. It was the first time I was going to attempt a cupie in a performance routine. I wanted to go out with a bang. But sadly, I did not manage to do my cupie in that performance. I guess the stress is getting to me too much. It was my first try, and also my last, at my last performance. I remembered that snow was not willing to do it at first, but it being my last performance, I kept insisting and plead her to do it. I was desperate. This performance was also the performance that I did my first standing back tuck with jeans and all on hard concrete, the one I did at Clementi MRT station. Why is it that it always has to be till the last moment before one comes up with things he never thought he would ever do? Is it so that he will not have any regrets? But what about if you failed at your last attempt? Does it signal that the time is not ripe yet, that you still have unfinished business for it to be the last? Well I guess I will not find out until the moment comes. Will I go for it one more "last" time? This story just tells me there is no such thing as the last time, there is always unpredictable number of times, and the road is never ending, unless you decide to end it yourself. It is about how much you wanted it. Hopes and dreams are always out there to be achieved, you never know when you are not going to make it, unless you give up on your on hopes and dreams. The last time may very well also be your first time. Never quit on your passion, for one day your dreams will be realised in one form or another. You just have to believe! P.S> I used to tell myself that I will only quit when I did the toss cupie. (It was at a time when I can only do very basic stuff, and I never thought that I will be able to achieve something like the toss cupie at that time.) Now that I have achieved toss cupie, I still felt like there is alot of other stuff for me to learn. I will not quit yet. Do not set limitations for yourself, free your mind, you can achieve anything. Reach for the universe.... Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:16PM (+08:00)
Hello~!
Hi everyone, This is my first post in the blog, please support me =) Just to add on to the earlier blog; "stay hungry, stay foolish." A quote from Steve Job CEO of Apple. 30
No matter how foolish it is, do not give up your passion! Stunt Posted by ~snow~ at 11:40PM (+08:00)
Tribute to Xuewei
Exactly a month has passed since 16/03/08, the day we won the Cheerobics title. Today is our Cheerobics 2008 winning "1 month-versary", also snow's first day of exams (and exactly 7 months to my birthday, a bit out of point, haha). Therefore it is fitting that I commemorate the occasion with a tribute to my dearest partner today, for all her hard work and efforts over the years in helping to make today our "1 month-versary" a reality, and also as an "exam gift" to help her through the exams. Scroll down only if you have about 45 mins to spare... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
A tribute to Xuewei (X-Wonder) It all started out with a cheerleading performance in 2001 with her Sec 4 class. Xuewei and a friend jointly choreograph the routine, getting inspirations from the movie bring it on. Being the smallest, she became the top flyer of the routine, and her hardest stunt in the routine being a very modest double thigh stand.
Xuewei then moved on to Ngee Ann Poly soon afterwards. With the wonderful experience of cheerleading still fresh in her mind, she went for a very short stint of around 2 weeks with the cheerleading squad in her Poly. She got to try out some harder stunts such as shoulder stand and elevator. Due to her extra classes at night, she could not continue. For the next 3 years, Xuewei took a step back from cheerleading, with her passion for it lying dormant inside her. Then in 2005, she got into NTU. And when she got to know of
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the cheerleading team in NTU, she decided to give it another go. She managed to ease through the tryouts with her prior experiences and Aces is where she finally got to hone her skills in cheerleading. It started off very well for Xuewei and she got to learn all the basic sets of stunts, including different ways of mounting elevators, extensions, liberties and partner stunting. She got to take part in some cheering assignments, such as cheering for the Army Half Marathon, where she gained valuable exposure. She was also named the Best Female Cheerleader during Annual Cheer Training Camp 2005. Their Thai coach also singled her out as a great potential for the future. Xueweis cheerleading future was bright and shiny, and at that point of time no one could ever imagine what she would become in a few years time.
However, like the fate of many greats before they become who they are, Xuewei suffered a terrible setback at her pinnacle during that time. She fell hard from a liberty and damaged her left knee ligament, just one week after the camp. This was her single worst injury in her cheerleading career. (Also became her trademark of wearing a left knee guard in future on.) It was such a big blow to her and she could not train stunting for months and had to be left out of Cheerobics 2006. But being a very strong and determined girl, Xuewei never gave up; she fought on and after months of physiotherapy and hard training, she managed to recover sufficiently and with her strong pain tolerance, to join her first competition for Aces. She took part in the Cheer Rock Dance Category 2005, where her team came in 1st Runners up. She then performed her dance routine in NTU Sports Expose, her first school dance performance. With further physiotherapy and conditioning, she was only back in full stunt training in May 2006.
After she recovered, Xuewei took part in her first full Aces school performance with stunts in the NTU International Student Meet. Then it was soon followed by her first full public performance for The Great Singapore Sale and Toshiba Road Show. After that she was involved in many other performances, gaining more exposure and experience each time. During the same period, she undergone 3 months of intensive trainings during the holidays, Xuewei pick up from where she left as if she was never away. She got to try the toe pitch, such as toe pitch 2-2-1 and toe pitch Swedish falls. She also did her first ever toss back tuck.
Then Xuewei went with Aces to Thailand for a training camp. In her 2 weeks training camp, she even got to do her first cupie among all other stunts with Daniel, an ex-all star cheerleader from the states. The 2 weeks was intensive and she got to learn the toe pitch 360, toss pike, pop twist, walk to hands, some basic transitions and lots of different pyramids. Many of her firsts were learned over there, it was really an eye opener and a very fruitful trip for her.
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2007 - 2011
Xuewei brought back all that she learned and practiced hard for the remaining of the holidays. Further to that, she also learned the pop front tuck and flybird. (Check out XWonder in Training 1) In the midst of the intensive trainings she also helped out the NYGH students and performed for their Gym Fiesta Performance. She was also given more responsibilities to the club by becoming the financial controller of year 06/07.
It was also during this long holiday when X-Wonder was formed. It was formed jointly on 05 August 2006 by Xuewei and Xingwei to learn and promote partner stunting in Singapore. She started to learn single liberty during the holidays too and by the end of the holidays, during the clinic for the Aces freshmen, they came out with X-Wonder set 1. It was a simple short partner stunting routine, in which she showcased an unassisted single liberty with her partner. (Check out X-Wonder Set 1)
X-Wonder took off after that and came up and tried many new tricks. Many till now were not showcased yet, because of the urge to come up with better ones. Xuewei has now become Aces top flyer and successfully returned from her injury. Everything was very smooth sailing for her then, and she grew from strength to strength. Determination and strong will, was her strength, but also her weakness. She had spent the last 5 months training so hard, completely forgotten that she had just recovered. She was not giving her body ample rest, that her left knee start to show signs of weakness and pain again. Her left knee got injured once more while trying cupie with her inexperienced partner. It was a recurrence of the old injury, and it had to come just 1 week before the Annual Cheer Training Camp 2006, when they got their Thai friends to come down and help again. Xuewei was again very dejected and could only watch as the others trained during this period. She was out of action again till after the exams in December 2006. The recurrence was actually a blessing in disguise for her, as she needed that break, before she embarks on the tough training for Cheerobics 2007.
Before Cheerobics 2007, Xuewei also got her IFC Class 1 certificate in Dec 2006, her first coaching credentials. And after that, she went on to co-coach NTU hall 4 in their annual Inter Hall Cheerleading competition in Jan 2007. This was her first taste of coaching. Hall 4 managed to get 5th out of a total of 15 halls. Xuewei got her taste of first live telecast television program on the finals of Super Star Competition. It was a mere 1 min and 30 secs of fame, but the experience and exposure gained was invaluable; no mistakes can be afforded as it was a live show. After this final performance before Cheerobics 2007, she had gathered enough confidence and experience to take on the national stage.
The sweat and tears of training for Cheerobics could never be summed up in words. Xuewei had to endure a lot of hardship, tough training, falls and pain. But in summary, she got to master all sorts of difficult stunts and pyramids, most notably front handspring front tuck to Swedish falls and toe pitch gladiator. Her perseverance and determination
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were rewarded when the team got champions at Cheerobics 2007. She had finally made her mark at the national stage. She will be one to remember and look out for in future.
After her efforts at the Cheerobics, Xuewei got to go to Japan to represent Singapore. It was the first time Singapore is sending a team to represent her in the Asia International Cheerleading Competition. What a great honor it was to be representing her country. Just when she thought that winning Cheerobics 2007 was the high point of her career, what she saw in Japan changed her mind completely. She realized from the teams competing in Japan that there is still much more to cheerleading and also much more to get out of her. The trip to Japan proved to be the driving force behind her to continue to motivate her to achieve greater heights and aim for the sky.
In May 2007, right after the exams, Xuewei was handed the captaincy of the team for year 07/08, for showing throughout the last year what a great leader, role model and motivator she was. The 3 month holiday training this time round was purely in Singapore, but it was equally as tough. With Xuewei as captain, she made sure that everyone in the team maintained a high level of fitness. She knew that this was a key for improvements. She brought about changes such as running on the track with timing, climbing of stairs, weights training. She led by example and became the fittest of her team, even winning guys in her team. She was nick-named chicken chop for her well defined back muscles that always showed when she wore her razor back t-shirt.
With her hard and dedicated training in the off-season, together with gymnastics classes at SJI, Xuewei improved further by leaps and bounds. She became the first in Singapore to do a toe pitch full-up 2-2-1 and toe pitch full-up gladiator, and then full-up hands soon followed. She also got to do a standing back tuck on her own. Her aim to become a great toss flyer also brought her to learn the toss layout in SJI. (Check out X-Wonder in Training 2.) It was her determination, her passion, her goal that drives her on, never stopping at each obstacle. It took months of preparation, fitness, body control training and conditioning work to achieve the things that she achieved in this off-season.
Aces invited the Taiwan friends they made in Japan to fly down in September 2007 for their annual training camp. With all the foundations in place, Xuewei was able to benefit and learn a lot from the superb bases and fantastic flyers. She got to learn the proper body posture, the right way to control herself while doing stunts, the way to jump etc from the flyers themselves. And she got to try advance stunts such a cupie pop over, liberty tick-tock, full-around, full-up liberty and lots more with the bases from Taiwan. In all the whole experience with the Taiwanese was really like a dream come true and she really benefited not just through looking, but also physically trying out the stunts.
Xuewei carried on to train hard and now armed with all her experiences from 30 over performances live, coaching, local and overseas competitions, and guidance from overseas coaches, she was fully equipped to raise herself to another level. Seeing is
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believing and now there are no limits or boundaries to how far she can go. Tosses such as pike open, pike kick open and twist layouts now seemed attainable by her. Xuewei got her IFC Class 2 certificate in Dec 2007 and became 1 of the 4 only IFC Class 2 certified coaches in Singapore. After getting the IFC Class 2 certificate, she went on to put her coaching skills to the test again. Xuewei again co-coach NTU hall 4 in their annual Inter Hall Cheerleading competition in Jan 2008. Other than coaching hall 4, she also performed in HO with Aces as guest performers, the first time in HO history. They put up a great show and it was also her last performance before Cheerobics 2008.
Xuewei trained very hard for Cheerobics 2008. Not only did she improve a lot again this time round, she also helped a lot of new, inexperienced bases hone up their skills. Although she took many falls and injuries during Cheerobics trainings, she held back her tears and went on to put up the show of her cheerleading career. Together with Aces, she put up a routine worthy of setting the standards for many years to come, with Xuewei doing ground breaking tosses in Singapore, such as twist layout and pike out. She also did the only full up 2-2-1 in Singapore during the routine. Xuewei had captained Aces to the champions. Aces and Xuewei will always be remembered as one of the greats in the history of Singapore cheerleading.
Xuewei definitely had grown from a fresh fragile little cheerleader into a tough, matured, experienced one. Xuewei is a great player, a great captain, and most importantly, a great cheerleader. The road is still long and unfinished, her legacy lives on. Xuewei is truly a living legend that had grace the cheerleading scenes in Singapore.
The Journey Gymnastics & Tosses Group & Partner Stunts Pyramids & Transitions -----------------------------------The End------------------------------------Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:21AM (+08:00)
Weakest Guy (that can do a cupie)

Been going to gym a little more regularly the past 2 weeks. I thought I would have improved on my strength, from doing all the partner stunts recently, but I was totally wrong. What I am carrying are "light" weight. I cannot even complete a set of 8 of 40kg bench
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press, whereas the other guys in my team are benching a minimum of up to 80kg with more ease than me. I could not even do 40kg squats without feeling my back going to break, whereas the others are doing 100kg and above. My dead weight lifts are only at 50kg, for a sets of 10, whereas the others are lifting close to 100kg. These are about it for the major muscle groups, which I totally sucked. The same story goes for the minor muscles such as the biceps, triceps etc. I think my best is doing the arnold press, but so, there is such a major muscle inbalance, the back of my shoulder is completely negligible or as they say "concave in" as compare to the centre of the shoulder. Now neither do I have strength, nor do I have a proportionate, nice physique. (Some people not much strength but at least they have a nice body, I have neither) It can be a little sad to go gym with these guys, it makes you feel so bloodly weak, they can thrash me without even breaking a sweat. I guess I have to be more positive instead. Ok some positives... This would mean that while others are using strength, I am using technique to compensate for my lack of strength when doing stunts. And out of those who can lift such heavy weights, only one of them can do a cupie. And the one that can do a cupie is of a heavier weight category than me(by at least 10kg). Also I maintained a reasonable mass to strength ratio, which means I am still able to do a standing back tuck and at the same time I am also able to do a toss cupie. Non of the "heavy lifers" can do unassisted handstands or handstand walks, showing that they have yet to harness 100% of their strength and distribute it to the whole body. To everyone out there, this shows that technique itself can indeed take you very far. Ok now that my technique has taken me thus far, and I realised that I am very weak, it is time I hit the gym more often and build up those muscles and strength to compliment with my technique. This is the only way to go from doing full up hands to full up to extensions, from doing press up liberties to doing full around liberties, and then to doing liberty tick tocks and cupie pop overs, and from doing toss cupies to doing rewind cupies. If one is in cheer long enough, one will get to experience the constant grapple of strength and technique. At some point of time, your technique will be more than sufficient for your strength, and then at another point of time, your technique is not enough, then at times your strength is alot and yet you do not have the technique to use it. There are some stunts, having overpowering strength, and you do not need much technique to do it, also there are some stunts, having all the strength in the world with no technique, you still cannot do it. One will have to learn to juggle between this 2 entities as they work their way up the ladder of cheerleading. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:29PM (+08:00)
Saturday, April 26, 2008

Cheerleaders aren't born, they're trained. Stunt Posted by *star* at 05:02AM (+08:00)
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2007 - 2011
Fly
Sunday, April 27, 2008
In a moment everything can change Feel the wind on your shoulder For a minute all the world can wait Let go of your yesterday Can you hear it calling? Can you feel it in your soul? Can you trust its longing and take control? Fly Open up the part of you that wants to hide away You can shine Forget about the reasons why you can't in life And start to try 'Cause it's your time Time to fly All your worries, leave them somewhere else Find a dream you can follow Reach for something when there's nothing else And the world's feeling hollow Can you hear it calling? Can you feel it in your soul? Can you trust its longing and take control? Fly Open up the part of you that wants to hide away You can shine Forget about the reasons why you can't in life And start to try 'Cause it's your time Time to fly And when you're down and feel alone, Just want to run away Trust yourself and don't give up You know you better than anyone else In a moment everything can change Feel the wind on your shoulder For a minute all the world can wait Let go of yesterday Fly Open up the part of you that wants to hide away You can shine Forget about the reasons why you can't in life And start to try Fly forget about the reasons why you can't in life And start to try 'cause it's your time time to fly In a moment, everything can change
Stunt Posted by ~snow~ at 02:30AM (+08:00)
The truth of strength

Below is a passage I read somewhere... True strength comes from pushing yourself passed your limits, if you never experience
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weakness how can you push beyond it,so when you are faced with loss you have a choice, either pick yourself up dust yourself off and continue on, or give up, this is a true test of strength. Passion is needed to be truly determined, as you need a reason to to push on to be able to say, 'I will not go quietly into the night, I will not go without a fight, I am going to live on, I am going to survive" it is what inspires people, it is that fire inside you that burns bright. Fear helps us survive, it warns us to dangers, it helps us to instinctively save ourselves and others, one should be aware of their fear, understand their fear, but not live in fear, Courage is pushing through this, despite your own fear. If a person always compares themselves to others and what they can do, then this person will always come up short to someone, this is why it is best to compete with yourself, to push your limits beyond what you can currently do, this is the road to perfection, you cannot see over the horizon, and there is no end, although it is worth it as every step you take brings you closer. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:15AM (+08:00)
X-Skills
Monday, May 05, 2008
X-Wonder is a team formed to promote partner stunting in Singapore, and we are just beginners ourselves trying to learn new skills from everyone. X-Skills is something which X-Wonder came up with in hoping to be of some guide or information sharing to all fellow partner stunts enthusiast out there. With X-Skills, we also aim to gather feedback and exchange of ideas and knowlegde from all cheerleaders not only in Singapore, but all around the world. Do stay tuned for our X-Skills Intermediate series coming out soon. We thank you for your support and hope that you will leave some feedbacks and comments for us. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:39PM (+08:00)
Strength, Passion & Fear

Wednesday, May 07, 2008
It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do. - Elbert Hubbard Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. - Denis Diderot Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a freedom. - Marilyn Ferguson - Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:21AM (+08:00)
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2007 - 2011
The next phase

When I first joined cheerleading 4 years ago, the first few cheerleading videos that I watched was the skills tapes of Wolf Pack from University of Louisville. I was so amazed by the stuff that they did and never in my mind I felt we can ever be like them or close to them. Even though now we are still a long way to go to match them, at least we are a step or 2 closer. Now when I look at those videos again, the feeling is no longer unbelievable, or impossible, the feeling now is of respect and admiration. Some of the stuff that they did are already acomplished by us, and many not yet, but the belief that we can do it one day is there. Over the past few days, we have seen Singapore's own 1st cupie pop over and 1st liberty tick tock. It is something that was only seen in overseas videos, it is a great milestone for the cheerleading scene of Singapore. I can finally say that we are about to move on to the next phase of our cheerleading life. We are undergoing the phase change now, where each day will see a new improvment or new break though. The foundations were laid and its now time to build on it. Lets Go! Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:12AM (+08:00)
Ease
Can you write your name on a paper after you have ran 10km? Can you eat a cup noodles after you swim 5km? Can you shit after you cycled 20km? I bet for most the answer is a YES, well at least for me it is. Liberty Tick Tock is something I just acquire recently, in training just now, the first 2 times I tried doing tick tock was perfect. Even I cannot really believe it, because I thought the first few tries will fail. Then I stopped doing and continued with routine training, and at the end of the training I was exhausted, just like I will after running, swimming or cycling. I tried doing tick tock again, both times I tried and both times failed, I did not even have the energy to get one last good one for the day. I shall train harder, till the day I can do Liberty Tick Tock even when I am tired and exhausted. Till it can become like writing on a paper, eating a cup noodle and shitting, which is anytime, even when one is tired. In other words, to train till I can do it with EASE. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:55PM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
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Idol
Today was a very quiet, relaxing day of rest at home. I woke up at 1pm and after my breakfast, I sat down on my comfortable sofa and watch tv from 2pm all the way till now, 1am. I seldom had the chance to get so much time to just relax at home, and it must have been years since I watched 11 hours of tv straight. I was watching American Idol the marathon, and I started watching from the last 8 contestant. Their singing was all very good, and I could not tell them apart, other than the judges. It was always very emotional when it gets to the result show, where 1 will be voted out of the competition. I could not say I understood how they felt, because I had never been in such competition before, but I sure can feel for the person that gets voted out each week. As I watched, the number of contestant gets lesser, and each time the one voted out sang their final song, with the video of their journey behind, it gets more emotional. I could imagine all the hard work that they put in for the contest and living out their dreams in the past year, after seeing all their interviews and videos, and the way they cried on stage. After watching all these, the point I want to bring across is: It is not easy to be the best, but first of all you must have dreams. Next week is the finale, and only 2 are left in the contest. They are really the best of their batch in America, defeating 100,000 over people who auditioned. Being the winner in a country as big as the United States, will probably put one in at least the top 50 in the world. In a small country like Singapore, the probability is even less. I thought to myself, if we are to talk in terms of cheerleading, where will being the best in Singapore put us in the world standings? Maybe to be able to do all full ups, full around, liberty tick tocks, and pop overs will make the person the best in Singapore, but if you compare to the US, you probably are just 1 in hundreds. In Singapore, where the competition in cheerleading is much less, for me being 2nd best is not enough, I have to be the BEST, to even have a chance to stand out internationally. This is the motivation and the drive to push me forward, to train harder, whatever others can do, I have to do it better, so as to truely become a *STAR* and an Idol. Once again, It is not easy to be the best, but first of all you must have dreams, because they will come true. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:59AM (+08:00)
A Spark
Monday, June 09, 2008
I think I am onto something new. I finally felt another part of my body muscle which I could not control before. I am now beginning to be able to control it and feel it bit by bit. Its just like the feeling when one fine day I was able to do single liberty, it just came out of the blue. But it was due to the many trainings before that and the body finally gets it, just like that.
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2007 - 2011
Now i know how the gymnast are able to hold themselves stationary while doing handstand. The crux is the part of your body where when most people do handstand will stick out, the chest to the abs. How often when you do handstand and someone is telling you suck in your chest or suck in your tummy? I used to get that alot too, and I will always reply, "I did, I did." or "I tried, this is the max." This is because I was not able to control that part of my body muscles yet. If when you do handstands and your hands feels tired very fast, you are probably not doing it correctly. With what I discovered, the body gets tired faster than the arms. You should be able to feel all of your weight at your body centre, somewhere in the middle of the heart and chest. I am not very pro at this yet, but finally I am able to control it a little. With lots more practice, I hope that I can get better. This is going to be the key for me to improve on my stunting and strength control. And this is also the reason how come small size guys like the "idol" in Braves and Xiao Gao from Taiwan are able to stunt so well. Its all about maximising your body, with the right posture and control. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:24PM (+08:00)
Trainings (Team)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
I have been in ACES for 5 years, and have been through different trainings together as a team in each year, under 5 different captains. I would say that none is perfect, but all has their merits. It is tough to be a captain, often being under the scrutiny of everyone, and never failed to be bad mouthed from time to time, especially when things go wrong. I would also like to give a little personal opinion on how I think a captain can plan and execute a training, and also how as members of the team to give support to the captain. (I never been a captain before so ignore me if you think I am not suited to give my opinions on this issue.) Lets say you are a very fit person, and if you are the one planning and conducting the training, how will you plan it? Will you plan it such that everyone does what you can do, i.e you can run 2.4 in 8 mins, and you make everyone run that fast? or will you access the average standard of your teammates before you set a target pace? The answer is obvious, as a good leader or captain, you will plan the workout to tailor for everyone, to meet most people's standards, instead of setting one where only you can achieve. As cheerleading is a team sport, we do out warm ups and trainings together, and because we do not have the luxury to impose a thing such as "if you cannot run 2.4 in 8 mins you are out" policy, trainings have to be tailored to the average. In such a system, there are bound to be those who feel that its too easy, not tough enough and its a waste of time; there are also bound to be those who struggled and feel that it is a tough training. Well it is hard to cater to everyone, and its easy to say all have to reach a equal standard, however the chain is as strong as the weakest link, no matter how strong the strongest is, it is of no use to the chain, therefore trainings should be tailored such as to help push the weaker ones up, while the stronger ones should help motivate, instead of feeling it is a waste of time. Try being in the shoes of the captain and you will understand. In order to maintain discipline and harmony, no individual should do their own workout, but rather when doing the same workout, they can push themselves more when they run,
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jump higher or lift heavier weights. For example, If you complain that running is useless, that is because you never push yourself, or you think that you are too good already, or you do not even want to put in the effort. The same goes to all other workouts, not giving your max equals to a waste of time and energy. Changing the workout will not help if you are not going to put in your max anyway. It is a never ending, or should I say on going process to find the optimum training workout, and it varies from time to time. As the captain, your job is to monitor your team mates and modify the workout here and there, from time to time to stay current with them physically, physiologically and psychologically, keep them interested with new variations at times. As team members, your job is to stay at your best all the time and do your utmost during the workout, listen and follow your captain and not to give unnecessary comments or jibs. If both parties does their job with due diligence, trainings will become more enjoyable. I hope to see less tears being shed in future. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:18PM (+08:00)
Friday, June 20, 2008

I guess I was too naive to think that a single solution will solve the problem Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:30AM (+08:00)

We tend to only see one side of the story and condemn the other... Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:44PM (+08:00)
Greats
Would you rather be Ian Rush or Eric Cantona? Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:48PM (+08:00)
Moving Forward
Both Ian Rush and Eric Cantona are greats in the soccer scene, both of them are legends in their club. So what is the main difference between these 2? Eric Cantona retired when he was at his best, even though he could have carried on for at least a few more years, while Ian Rush moved on to other clubs after his peak, and hang on for few more years, playing below his peak form, with lower level teams. So in cheerleading terms, would you choose to follow the path of Ian Rush or Eric Cantona? Would you move on to another team that is less competitive and more passion driven, stay there and enjoy the fun with little stress, compete in but have no aims to be champions of Cheerobics team category anymore? Or would you retire at your best, not compete in Cheerobics team category altogether, leaving the scene on a high?
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Personally I would choose the path of Eric Cantona, to leave on a high, then maybe venture into another wing of cheerleading, such as group and partner stunts, just like Cantona ventured into another wing of soccer, beach soccer and still be the king there. I do not believe in living in mediocrity, I shall always seek to be the best in whatever I do, if it is not to be in the team event, it shall be the group event. The day I feel that I am past my best, is the day I shall retire, I will not hang around to be just another man, nor will I go down to a lower level, if I compete, I only compete with the best and to win. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:31PM (+08:00)
Stats
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Below are some fun fact which I found at http://cheerleading.about.com.
-At the University of Kentucky the average female cheerleader is 5'0" - 5'1" and weighs 97 pounds. -About 98% of all female cheerleaders were former gymnasts, compared to just 20% of all male cheerleaders. -97% of all cheerleaders are female, however, almost 50% of collegiate Cheerleaders are male.
*BTW 97 pounds is equivalent to 43.9Kg. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:50AM (+08:00)
What's so great about gymnastics.

Below is abstract from http://gymnastics.about.com. The author is Nancy Thies Marshall, also a ex-gymnast. I found the article quite useful and would like to share with everyone. 1. Gymnastics is a multifaceted sport. This is a sport that develops physical strength, speed, agility, nerves of steel, and competitive prowess. Additionally, women must wrap that package of athleticism in grace and personality. Not many sports draw upon such a wide range of ability. Within the three main gymnastics disciplines (Men's and Women's Artistic and Rhythmic), there are as many as 15 different individual events, each with unique challenges and thrills. Add General Gymnastics and Trampoline and Tumbling, and opportunities in the sport are endless. 2. Gymnastics is a challenging sport. Walking, let alone flipping, is hard to do on a four-inch balance beam. It takes more than a few push-ups to master an iron cross on the rings. Leaping through a moving hoop is not a cake walk. Gymnastics is "difficult." But the very qualities it takes to master these skills - courage, perseverance, risk, determination, vision - are the qualities that foster excellence in any endeavor. Dealing with the "difficulties" will translate into valuable life
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skills and strength of character. Bolstered by unconditional love from parents and skilled guidance from coaches, gymnasts are better prepared to handle the "difficulties" of life because of the challenges faced in the gym. 3. Gymnastics is a socially interactive sport. The unique social environment in the gym provides for healthy growth. In gymnastics, a nine-year old trains with older and younger athletes. Self-esteem is boosted by camaraderie with older teammates. Maturity and perspective is nurtured as she then turns to relate to the younger athletes on the team. Few sports provide the opportunity for kids to work so closely with teammates of different ages. The social maturity gained within the sport is far healthier than the "social immaturity" forced on kids spending aimless afternoons at the mall or watching television. 4. Gymnastics teaches individual responsibility and courage. Though there is a team element, gymnastics is an individual sport. When practice is over and the green flag is raised, the athlete faces the apparatus alone. To execute a routine successfully, under the scrutiny of judges, coaches and spectators, it takes concentration, determination, endurance, and often courage. Confidence to call upon these qualities is nurtured every time a child attempts another routine. Life requires us to take personal responsibility for the choices we make. Courage to take that responsibility and make right choices is developed with each mount and dismount. 5. Gymnastics enriches childhood. After my Olympic experience, I was often asked if I felt like I had sacrificed a normal childhood for my athletic dreams. I was always a bit confused by this question. I did gymnastics because I wanted to. Sports was not a sacrifice, it was a choice. Granted, that choice meant sometimes I was also choosing to forego other activities. But thanks to guidance from my parents and coaches, gymnastics opened doors and enriched my life. Victories, defeats, travel, relationships and much more combined to teach me the joys, difficulties and realities of our world. And I'm not alone. Traveling the country to develop the Athlete Wellness Program for USA Gymnastics, I've had the privilege of meeting former gymnasts who now have careers in counseling, medicine, advertising, law, youth ministry, coaching, emergency response, environmental engineering and parenting, to name a few. All agree their gymnastics training better prepared them to tackle the challenges of the adult world. It takes wise coaches and parents to translate gym lessons into life lessons. But most gymnastics clubs are founded on the belief that the sport has the potential to be a healthenhancing experience for all who participate. If anyone is looking for fertile soil in which to grow life's champions, you might start at your local gymnastics club.
Nancy Thies Marshall is a 1972 Olympian, five-time national team member, former national Vault and Balance Beam champion, and collegiate All-American. She is currently the developer and manager of USA Gymnastics Athlete Wellness Program and a freelance journalist. Nancy and her husband have three children and live in Salem, Oregon. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:06AM (+08:00)
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So if gymnastics is so great, are we too old to start learning? Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:19AM (+08:00)
Start early, start right.

Thursday, June 26, 2008
This post is dedicated to all young aspiring cheerleaders... You have what I always hope to have, that is time. In the past few months, I got the opportunity to move around quite a bit and got in contact with some cheerleaders from secondary schools. They are very young (compared to me) and some just started cheerleading. Whenever we did some partner stunts, it never fails to amaze some of them. The guys being still quite small sized might be thinking I can never do this, but what I want to tell them is that they can too, I am not saying that it is going to be easy, but they do have time on their side. If one is really passionate about cheerleading, they will be willing to sacrifice a large portion of their time for it. I spent the last 5 years of my life dedicating each and everyday to cheerleading to be where I am now. Shall not go into details, but it was very tough, and each time I wished that I had started when I was younger, when I was still in secondary school. This is because your body tend to be more receptive and learn things faster when you are still growing. If I had started younger, I probably will be much better now. Because of my experience, I want to urge young cheerleaders who aspire to be good in cheerleading, to start training proper techniques and body control while they are still young. It would be even better if they got the chance to be enrolled in gymnastics lessons. To be a real good cheerleader, like those you see on videos, you really have to start from young, or be prepared to endure tougher times when you are older. Do not only think it is impossible when you see others do higher level stunts, stop drooling over them and start putting in the effort. Seek proper guidance and start young, results do not show immediately, but by the time you reach their age, you will be magnificent. In alot of my previous posts, I always state the importance of gymnastics to cheerleading, it gives you overall body strength and flexibility for stunting, other then just tumbling, and by now I think all can agree with me on that. So back to the point of are we too old to start learning gymnastics? Personally I was 23 when I first got introduced to gymnastics, and I feel that now at the age of 26, I have achieve sufficient for me to be proud of myself. I believe that if you want it, no one is too old to start, just that as you age, the effort required has to increase too. Below is another abstract from http://gymnasticszone.com/ addressing this topic.
This is a common question that we see often from gymnasts most often ranging in age from 12 and up. Can I still get good at such and such an age? We would never be the ones to ever say no to that question. We are firm believers in the ability of humans to do whatever they set their mind to. So yes, you can still get good at floor exercise, at the other gymnastics events and increase your flexibility at age 20. There are gymnasts your age and older who have or are competing at the international level. There are collegiate
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gymnasts your age who are making some of the best gymnastics progress of their lives at your age. This is not to say that it will not be difficult and more difficult than if you had started at a much younger age. There is scientific evidence that very difficult gymnastics skills are more easily learned and much better learned at a younger age, say 8 11 years of age. Younger gymnasts also do not usually have any fear of doing gymnastics skills and they adapt to hard training regimens more easily. This does not mean that you cannot learn gymnastics skills at your age. Many older people who have not done gymnastics at a young age do not understand the amount of work and effort and the large amount of time that it takes to get good at gymnastics. Even a highly talented young athlete is going to take 3 5 years to get really great. At any age, strength and flexibility are the two most important prerequisites for gymnastics success. Older gymnasts can take advantage and gain more benefit from weight training than younger gymnasts can. Weight training is a good all-around progressive method of increasing strength. Train all strength building activities to the point of momentary muscular failure to gain maximum strength most efficiently. Gymnastics is not a sport that can really be learned without a coach. You can perhaps do some of the preliminary strength and flexibility training on your own, but when it comes to really learning gymnastics skills, you will (as all gymnasts do) require quality coaching. The primary impediments to someone your age training successfully for gymnastics are likely to be time, money and commitment. To become really good in gymnastics, you need to train every day. When you are playing catch-up like you will be, this is even more true. Daily strength and flexibility training can take an hour or more. Daily gymnastic skills training will take from 45 minutes to 1& hours per day per event. Gymnastics coaching is not inexpensive. Your initial training will likely be in an adult or teen plus gymnastics class and they do not usually meet daily. Team level training often costs hundreds of dollars per month. If you are working, going to school or socializing a lot, you may find it difficult to find the time and energy to train. None of what we are saying in any way means that we dont think a 20-year-old could not get really good in gymnastics. We believe that they could. We do believe that, like a gymnast of any age, they will have to be willing to pay the price, physically, mentally and financially. That price, especially physically and mentally, goes up as you get older. We really love this sport, and if you do also, then we believe that you could reach your gymnastics goals through hard work, regular practice and with good coaching. We wish you luck and if there is anything else we can do for you, please let us know.
So to all younger cheerleaders out there again, start young and get a real headstart, to give you an edge over others, to become the best in the business few years down the road. You do not want to regret in future for not making the grade as you progress down the road. I have seen many cheerleaders give up and quit when they step up to the next 46
level because they feel they are not good enough and cannot cope with the trainings, I am sure you do not want that. Your journey starts RIGHT NOW!
P.S: Do you only want to take/be the elevator for your whole life? Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:57AM (+08:00)
ARITHMETICAL MAGIC
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I am not a stanch believer of god, but I believe in attitude. This is something interesting I'd like to share... Take a look at this... 101% From a strictly mathematical viewpoint: What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%. How about ACHIEVING 101%? What equals 100% in life? Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions: If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26. If: H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98% And: K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96% But: A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100% THEN, look how far the love of God will take you: L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101% Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that: While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top! Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:13AM (+08:00)
Flying off
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Posting this at Changi Airport. Will be off to Taiwan in a while's time. Goodbye everyone. Will update when we are back. Ciaoz =) Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:29AM (+08:00)
Taiwan Trip 12/07 to 22/07 =)

Sunday, July 27, 2008
Greetings everyone. We are back from Taiwan. It was a great trip. We manage to go to quite a few places of interest, such as Yang Ming Shan, Jiu Fen, Wu Lai, Ye Liu. The main highlight of the trip for us was eating and eating. Shopping was also very fulfilling,
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though it was tiring. The things are cheap and has alot of variety. We also got the opportunity to pay a visit to Monster Cheerleading Team's training outside Zhong Zheng Ji Nian Tang Mrt. It was a wonderful experience for us and we learnt a lot from them. Summer Camp was also very fun. The dinner cum show on the first night was the best part of the camp for me. It shows me that Taiwanese are super on and enthuiastic people. It was truely an experience we will not find back in Singapore. Below are some pictures of the trip. Day 1 At Changi Airport
Leaving with a luggage each
A meal at the airport before we fly off
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On the plane Reached Taiwan
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Our guide in Taiwan On the way to Shilin night market
First time buying "coin" for their Mrt aka Jie Yun
Ah Zhong Mian Xian is nice
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First time eating Chou Dou Fu
Hua Zhi (sort of sotong soup)
Orh Jian
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Super huge Taiwan Xiang Chang
Bing, something we eat all the time Going back to hostel
Day 2 Taking the Jie Yun once again, to Jian Tan en route to Yang Ming Shan
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Road side stall
Breakfast at the foot of Yang Ming Shan
Yang Ming Shan
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Headed back to Xi Men Ding for lunch
Tomato soup
Escargot
Chickken Chop and Beef omelette rice
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Movie in Taipei
Supper at a Korean restaurant in Taiwan
Then off to a 24 hour comic cum internet browsing stall
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Day 3 Breakfast at Taipei Din Tai Fung
Xiao Long Bao
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Taipei 101
Tallest building in the world currently
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You can almost see the entire Taipei from up here
Supper again after shopping at Wu Fen Pu
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Day 4 Breakfast at a recomended goose noodle stall
Then we went to Wu Lai, famous for its scenery, hot springs and mountains
Tram station
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Tram tunnel
Nice waterfall view on Wu Lai's lover's bridge
A Yuan Zhu Ming restaurant, the locals performing a song and dance
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On the cable car to the top of the mountain
Viewing gallery where you can see the entire valley
We cannot resist eating ice again, the weather is so hot
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Off we went to Sun Yat Sun memorial in the evening
You can see the entire Taipei 101 from here
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China's founding father
Some pictures with him For dinner, we head for Jay's restaurant. Yeah
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A must take picture
Wild Mushroom
Escargot again, a very nice restaurant.
After dinner, we went to Long San Shi temple to pray and ask for blessings.
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We then went to the nearby Hua Xi Jie night market for our 2md round of dinner.
Drunken Prawns
Barbequed Prawns
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Had a bowl of Ah Zhong Mee Sua at Xi Men Ding before heading back.
Day 5 Breakfast at Macdonalds
Hotcakes
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Double patties egg muffin
Headed to Taipei Main Bus Interchange to take a bus to Ye Liu
Ye Liu Ocean World at Ye Liu
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Photo with the turtles
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Can you see the star?
Dolphin Show
Sea Lions
Water Acrobats
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Another long journey to Jiu Fen Lao Jie after Ocean World
Nice Scenery
Our "appetizer" before dinner
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Jiu Fen Lao Jie is on a winding mountain slope
Our dinner place
We had our first steam boat of the trip. Very Nice!
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Then we took the fast speed rail back to Taipei
And a cold dessert again before we went back hostel Day 6 Lunch at another recommended restaurant
Ah Zai Mian
Pork intestines
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Fried Mushrooms
Baked unagi After shopping at Wu Fen Pu again, we head to Shilin for dinner again
Their beef steak is a must try. Delicious
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Shi Quan Pai Gu
This time is Chou Dou Fu in Ma La
Then their Fried Ji Pai
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Ice once again We then went to Mei Li Hua to sit asian's 2nd largest ferris wheel
The view up there was not bad. 18 mins ride Day 7, 8 & 9
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Summer Camp
Wake up and ready to go for the camp
Fun Night
Our group for the Yan Shou
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Nice Heel Stretch
In our summer camp T
On our way back, with some new made Taiwan friends
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Our dinner right after the camp in Shilin again Day 10 Last day for some of them, so we took a group shot before they leave
Went to Taipei Main Station, before going out
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Brunch at a Japanese Restaurant
They have nice Ramen in Taipei too
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Ice Cream at Cold Stone after the meal
Went to this street which is famous for its variety of books and comics
Decided to take a break at their Starbucks after walking the whole hot afternoon
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Played some balls, this game is very popular in Taipei
Yeah another shot with Jie Lun! We went to Shilin night market one last time before we leave the next day.
Bought many many stuff, so happy~! Check them out below
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Tops and comics for my brothers and father
Dress and TV shows for my mum
Shorts for myself
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Socks
Bags
A mini Mahjong set for the family
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Pretty dresses for me
My tops
Lots of goodies
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And all my new foot wear I am very happy with the Taiwan trip, especially the shopping. Went with 2 luggage weighing total of 30 kg and came back with 4 luggage weighing 55kg. I think we must have put on some weight too from all the crazy eating. Taipei is a convenient and fun place, easy to travel around and the people are friendly. We will definetly want to go again. Cheers! Stunt Posted by ~snow~ at 11:46PM (+08:00)
2 years of journey
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
X-Wonder was established on 05 August 2006. It was an idea by Snow and myself, with the purpose of training to be great in partner stunts and also to promote it to others. The name X-Wonder was derived from the initials of both of our names, XingWei and XueWei, both are XW. When we started, the hardest stunt that we could do is the single liberty. We only just started doing it after exams, around the month of June. By August, when we formed, our single liberty was still quite unstable and I will give it a hit rate of only around 60%. XWonder set 1 was our first video, done during that time when the freshies are in for workshop cum tryouts. It can be seen from the video that the single liberty was wobbly. It was not easy to learn stunts then, as compared to now, where alot can do a single liberty within few trainings with the proper guidance. Back then, we are almost the pioneers in doing single bases stunts beyond single extension unassisted. We have to go through all the long and winding road to experiment ourselves, to try and error what is the right way. Those starting cheer now can be very thankful that they have all the resources and knowledge to be pass on to them, and they can start by doing the right way from the beginning. It took us another almost half a year of hard training and trying to say that we can do single liberty with a 90% hit rate. It is around January 2007 by then, when we are
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preparing for cheerobics. It is also during this period, when our liberty was better, that we start to experiment with alot of different transitions and ways to go to hands. As can be seen in X-Skills intermediate, stunts such as rocket to hands, jumpless to hands, sitting toss to hands, etc. During this period, we played around with many new stuff and draw inspiration from youtube. After being able to do the liberty with relative ease, we started trying to do the cupie, toss extension, and toss liberty. It took us another few months to be able to do a "slow" cupie, and we aim to be able to achieve a certain hit rate by cheerobics 2007. Training partner stunts amidst cheerobics was a very tall order, just running through the routine leaves you drained of all energy to try anything much. After Cheerobics 2007 was the first CAIO almost immediately. And it took us till after CAIO to be able to say we can do a "fast" cupie with a higher consistency. After seeing the standard increasing in Cheerobics 2007, and after going to Japan, We foresee that the way to move forward was to learn the full-up. From May onwards, after exams, we trained very hard on doing the full-up hands. We slowly work towards tossing higher and spinning faster. Once again we were the first in Singapore to try it, and we received no help or guidance in it. We can only keep trying and trying, till we finally had a breakthough. Having gymnastics lessons also helped us alot in this aspect. Once we had the breakthrough, it helped the team too, full-up 221 and full-up gladiator soon followed. I knew full-up stunts is the key for cheerobics 2008, to set us apart from others. (Toss-up stunts are getting very common.) It was then 1 year into the formation of X-Wonder, from struggling to do the single liberty to being able to do full-up hands and cupie. Training to do the full-up requires alot of blasting, and soon toss cupie followed. Things start to naturally come together, step by step. In September 2007, after the Taiwanese cheerleaders came to Singapore, they corrected us alot again. Finally for the first time, there was some guidance and experience for us. It seems that although we could do some of the stunts such as full-ups and toss cupie, our fundamentals were wrong, and to progress further would be impossible. We had to relearn everything over again, focusing on the right techniques. It took us quite some time to adjust to the new concept, and to force our body to accept the new inputs. Again it was back to the drawing boards, and it took us a great deal of time and effort to re-adjust our style of doing liberties, cupies and tossing. No breakthrough was made, just strengthening our basics for half a year. Handstands are very vital, and I started to practice alot on my handstands, which I had also documented in my previous posts. We also started to practice left cupie during this time, as we learned from the Taiwanese too that having a balanced left and right side is also of utmost importance to progress. It remained like this till after Cheerobics 2008, where we got more time to practice our partner stunts again. After having a good rest, we began our quest again, with the proper basics, concept and techniques in placed, built over the last half a year, we began getting back what we lost and doing it better. Right cupie now is almost 90% hit rate, toss cupie also felt much better. Stuff such as full around, liberty tick tocks, pop over start to become nearer. As of now, we are still working on the hit rate of these. We hope that in another half a year's time, all these shall become our basics. Looking back again in summary of the 2 years, we started off with wobbly single liberties, 86
to now doing tick tocks and pop overs. We tried and tested, learned and re-learned the basics over and over in the last 2 years. 2 years is not a short time, but it is also not long either. To those that just started, never be discouraged by seeing others doing amazing stuff, everyone has to go through the learning process. At least your learning curve will be much shorter with all the experience of your predecessors and their guidance. In 2 years time or much less, we will be able to see many more tick tocks and pop overs, leading to a start of a new era and generation of cheerleaders for Singapore cheerleading. A video footages of what we had been through in the past 2 years. We all fall, only to get up and become stronger.
P.S: This post is especially dedicated to people such as Graham, aka Hamzai, Ka Hau, my best supporter of X-Skills, Ken, aka baybay and Lijing, my hardworking "diciple". This is for showing your passion and determination, overcoming all odds and going to great lengths to realise your dreams. You guys will definitely be able to do very well. You guys deserved our respect. Jiayou! Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:49AM (+08:00)
Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite

Monday, August 11, 2008
Stunt Posted by ~snow~ at 09:56AM (+08:00)
Lets bring it up a notch...

Thursday, August 21, 2008
I hired a personal trainer to train me 2 times a week. Yesterday was the first training and I felt totally exhausted. The trainer sure knows how to push me. I hope that I can endure through all the tough trainings coming up. I really want to become as mentally determined as my trainer. Its all in the mind. I am sure my investment will pay off soon. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:19PM (+08:00)
Friday, August 22, 2008

I wonder what is my real profession... Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:59PM (+08:00)
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Good enough for Olympics?

Spent the past 2 weeks watching the olympics now and then when I am free, especially the gymnastics, weight lifting, swimming and track events. If I missed any big events such as the 100m and 200m finals, I would go online to watch the replay, and I would watch it over and over again. Their sheer brilliance at their sport just blew me away and inspired me. For me, I was really impressed by the China gymnastics team, Phelps and Bolt. No one will be able to feel the joy they felt when cliching the gold medal, of all the hard work they put into it years before the actual event. For them, its over 10 years of hardwork, for as little as 9.69secs on the competition, where you make it or break it. No one should understimate the power and strength of a human mind, and when he sets all out to achieve a goal. A girl below the weight of 48 lifting over 100kg, doesn't this put us alot of guys to feel so small... I was also pleased that Singapore finally got her first silver medal after 48 years. Congrats to the table tennis team. The feeling of representing your country in the olympic games must be great. This brings me to wonder if ever cheerleading will become an olympic event, and will I be fortunate enough to be part of Team Singapore Cheerleading then, even as a backroom staff. Maybe by 2016, who knows, and I will be beyond my twenties by then. Well its just a thought, and if it really becomes an olympic event, I guess people will be betting on power houses like USA, Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand Russia to dominate it. This again makes me feel damn small... Are we going to be just contented in being Singapore's best, or national champions? When will the day come when we, as Team Singapore, think of going to CAIO and aim to be the champions, instead of just putting up a good show? Why do we always only try to compete amongst ourselves, and not try to compete with the rest of the world? We need to set our sights further, only this way we can improve faster. Is this dream too big for most of you? Dare not even think about it? Well without dreams, there can be no success. This is a dream, only if we can all believe in it together, and not just 1 person. I have to train much harder! Even with the "tough trainings" I had been through the past 4 years, I think it is no where near, not even half of what the champion olympians such as Phelps and Bolt had put in. If cheearleading is a sport, do you really think that you can be good in it without making sacrifices and hardwork? If you are not good at it, you better be putting in even more hardwork and committment than others. If you are playing catching up, if others train 3 hours a day, 3 times a week, you better be training 4 hours a day, 4 days a week. This is the kind of committment and effort I am talking about, no pain no gain. And this is what I want to be, I want to catch up with the elites of Taiwan, and even USA. Dare to dream, believe in, and succeed.
P.S: X-Wonder hope we can play our part, however little, to bring up the name of Singapore cheerleading internationally. We will strive to become the inspiration, to dream big, which is so lacking in recent times. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:59AM (+08:00)
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2007 - 2011
Non-existence?
Had quite a long chat with one of my superior at work today. I tried to be more on the ball just now, hence I approached and ask him regarding some things wrong which I feel need some rectifying, his answer was - it does not matter, just accept it. Told me some lessons he learnt from the company so far. Main gist of it is that even if anyone were to leave immediately, it is not going to affect the company, the plant is still going to run, and money will still be generated. Even if you don't do any handing over, burn up all your documents, nothing will happen, not just for me, but even those as senior as him. Work is all about wayang, all about smoking and talking. He told me as our CEO is getting a huge pay increment as shown on today's straits times, here I am worrying about such a minor thing that does not even help the company earn any money. He was right in some ways. Why should I bother to do all these if end of the day it is going to be redundant. I realised how insignificant I am compared to the hundred millions the company is earning each quarter. My existance or not in the company is not going to even nudge the finances at all. I am just less than "petty cash". And most importantly, the work I do is not at all that valuable. Sian. What is the meaning of my life here then? I wonder if I just dissapear into thin air, how is the world going to change. I cannot even cause any influence in my small company, let alone affect the world. Probably if I dissapear, it would only mean 1 less person to squeeze for company transport in the morning to the world. Hence I decided to stop doing anything for the rest of the day. Working can make a person lose himself. I know this post is a direct opposite of my previous post, one full of dreams and optimism. But I guess it just shows the direct contrast of my "morning life" and "night life". Totally demoralised at work in the morning, and can only wait for the night to come each day. When it comes work, I am like a dead man, but when it comes to training, I am alive. If not for this balance, I would really be non-existent a long time ago. So I ask again, what is my real profession? I guess the answer is both, I am using my day profession to "feed" my night profession. People ultimately need "bread" to survive, you can only feed on passion for so far, at least in my case. I just want to say - I hate the person that I am in the day, I hate that person I see in the mirror every morning. I am just half of what I can be now. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:31PM (+08:00)

I need to do something about this soon. Stunt Posted by *star* at 05:07PM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
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Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:55AM (+08:00)
Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Am i dreaming? Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:44AM (+08:00)

Sometimes I scare even myself... Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:49AM (+08:00)
Re-born
It has been about 2 weeks since I hired my personal trainer to train me. I have to say that she is indeed pushing me hard, and it is showing results. In the last 2 weeks, admist other trainings, I ran 10 rounds on the track TWICE, after about like 1 year of not running at all. Though this may be very little to alot of guys out there, but to me, it is indeed an achievement. I have to say that my knee now hurts much less when I am doing stunts, it is most likely due to the strengthing of my leg muscles from the run. My legs used to be too weak for my body weight. The conditioning helps alot. Other then this, my endurance and strength also improve somewhat from all the weights training. My body feels new again, like it was re-born, pain start to go away and strength starts to gather. Now with less pain coming from my knees, I can get more blast from it, and with more strength, I am able to stablise my stunts more. Below is a little result from my physical training to keep me motivated to train even more. It shows hard work can indeed bring about improvements.
Full-Up Cupie Pop Over may not be that far away anymore... Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:39PM (+08:00)
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2007 - 2011
Moral of the story?

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?' The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.' What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.' Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.' The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling!! And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it! Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:40PM (+08:00)
"Time travel"
Friday, September 12, 2008
I took some time to read through my old posts in the past. I realised that as I read, I am very inspired by my own posts. It brought back some things which I had overlooked now and then. I also realised the changes that took placed from back then till now, in terms of stunting and thinking. It felt refreshing to go through your archives. Everyone should do that once in a while, to see how you have changed over the period.
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Feeling much motivated now, by my own posts I wrote in the past. Hmm, maybe I shall go look through my videos in the past too when I have the time... Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:04PM (+08:00)
ZzZzzzZzZzz
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I need to start sleeping earlier. The lack of sleep is killing my soul slowly. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:41PM (+08:00)
Lacking Pop Over?

Thursday, September 18, 2008
I used to tell myself that I will only try Rewind after I master Full up, Full Around, Tick Tock and Pop Over. Now that I can do Full up, Full Around and Tick Tock, though not to mastery yet, I am left with Pop Over. However, I want to reset my target. Even after mastering all 4 of these skills, I think I am still too WEAK to do Rewind. No doubt I can try, but I think I still need much more physical strength. I am still too weak. The learning curve is steep now, but it is slowly beginning to plateau. Its time to work hard, running on "flat ground", towards the "new slope". Lets hope I can finish the flat road as soon as possible.
My trainer said that my mind is weak. Give me the mental strength I need. First I have to master my mind first, before I can master my body. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:32AM (+08:00)
Needs
Monday, September 22, 2008
Everyone has needs in their lives. Each individual's needs varies at different phases of their lives. There is a commonly agreed upon model to classify our needs, to understand how one move from one level of needs to another.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

There are eight levels of needs in this model: 1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc. 2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc. 3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc. 4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
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2007 - 2011
5. Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, etc. 6. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc. 7. Self-Actualization needs - realising personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. 8. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self actualization.
This model is typically applied to life. But it can generally be narrowed and broken down to apply to any social circle. In this case, I felt that the diagram and model can very well be used to explain the needs in Cheerleading too. Only when one level of needs are fulfilled before one will move on to the next level.
In Cheerleading terms: 1. "Biological and Physiological needs" - In cheerleading aspect, our basic needs first is to learn the basics, have the strength and conditoning, and then be familiar with all the elements of cheerleading, such as tumbling, stunting, jumps, cheer and chants, arm motions, dance. 2. "Safety needs" - Once we satisfy the needs in (1), we can move on to the next level of needs, (2). In cheerleading, the moment we start doing anything, safety will come into the picture. There is always a need for safety. Only when we know that we are safe, that we can proceed on. 3. "Belongingness and Love needs" - In every society or community that we are in, love and belongingness is very important. One may join the cheerleading squad knowing no one else, but we will always seek out others to make friends and form a bond. In cheerleading, this is a very important need. If one does not feel the sense of belonging in the team, one will not be able to stay long, despite having level (1) and (2) needs. 4. "Esteem needs" - Once we have fulfilled level (1) to (3) of needs, once we feel a strong sense of identity with the team, have a good bonding with our teammates, we will feel very comfortable. This is when we will want to fulfil our next need, "Esteem". We would want to be able to get some achievement and status. We will look to improve our skills and also go for some leadership or management role in the team. Reputation and respect are also very key in the cheerleading circle. 5. "Cognitive needs" - We will want to be able to know through understanding. To know how do our stunts, or skills with understanding. We will want to explore the unknowns. For intstane, trying out new transitions, or understanding the stunt, other then just doing it. 6. "Aesthetic needs" - Soon when we are equiped with a particular stunt, say a single liberty, we will want more. We will want to do it nice and make it look easy, instead of being very wobbly. The same applies to pyramids, tosses and gymnastics. One may know how to do a BHS, but one will seek to beautify it, make it look better. 7. "Self-Actualization needs" - As the definetion speaks for it self, realising personal
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potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. This is where one puts together all the above needs and bring it to the pinnacle, looking forward to greater things. One will start to see problems as challenges. One will start to have their own unique view of things. 8. "Transcendence needs" - When one has almost everything, there will be a need to share his knowledge with others. At this stage, one has see past all "material" wants. One will be very open minded, very much "enlightened" and no longer needs to prove anything to anyone. One has been through every stage of cheerleading life, winning and losing, the pain and the joy. One will be helping others to achieve self actualization.
So at which stage of needs are you currently at? How many levels of needs have you satisfied? At which level of cheerleading are you talking in terms of, basic level, pro level, or elite level? These are questions that you may like to ask yourself. A person's success can often also be measured by which level of needs one is at. For more in-depth and detailed readings on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, go to: http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow.html
P.S I think I am at stage (5) currently. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:02AM (+08:00)

Sian... 1 week never get to train stunts liao, and it feels like eternity. Can only focus on conditioning now. Wonder when will be the next stunt training session... Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:49PM (+08:00)

Lets hope that tonight's training will see another breakthrough. Gambette. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:00PM (+08:00)
Teach them how to fish, and not fish for them.

Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sometimes when you thought you are helping, you are actually doing the opposite. Maybe I should stop helping... Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:32PM (+08:00)
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2007 - 2011
Playing with cement

Monday, October 06, 2008
I have been putting up posts in this blog for sometime already. If you noticed, more of my posts are meant for guys instead of gals, or rather bases instead of flyers. This is naturally because I am a base; I have more personal experience for basing. This time round the post shall be dedicated to both flyers and bases, with some words for flyers towards the end. In the past month or so, I have been roaming around a bit and got to interact with many cheerleaders, be it flyers or bases, from all sorts of places. I am very happy and glad that I can help them from my personal experiences. Most of the times, they will leave the training satisfied and happy that they had learnt and achieved something new. Then they will show their sincere appreciation, and I will feel faltered and a sense of achievement too, in being able to help them improve and most importantly to see them happy, with a boost of confidence and morale. However this is just most of the times, there are still some exceptions to this senario. Some may think along the lines of "I lag too far, or impossible to be done" and get demoralised, or they will think that I am "spoiling" the flyers. Gathering from all their inputs, good and bad, it sets me thinking quite a bit. I would like to touch a little on what I believe are the basic fundamental roles of a flyer and of a base in a stunt, to a certain extent. To put it simply bases have to become like the ground that we are all standing on, and flyers just have to do like what they can do when standing on the ground. i.e holding a liberty, heelstretch, etc, while standing firmly on a spot on the ground. So which role do you think is the easier one after reading the above? I would have to say that the flyer got the easier role, as all she have to do is to be able to be stable and do as what she will do on the ground. And as for the bases to become firm and sturdy like the ground is alot harder. This more or less makes the flyer the "passive" one and the base the "active" one. Flyers just lock and bases have to provide the platform and balance for the flyers. From above, bases may feel that I am being very hard on them, expecting them to become like the ground, and all the flyers have to do is lock like they do on the ground. This is again due to the bases taking the "active" role and flyers the "passive" role. A prove for this fact is that when a very experience base, for example, tries a single liberty with a flyer who has never tried it before, (but can hold a liberty on the ground)chances are the experienced base can become like the ground, and the stunt will go up. However if you reverse the order - get a very experience flyer to try a single liberty with a base that never tried it before, chances are the stunt will not go up at all, because the base cannot become like the ground for the flyer to stand on. Therefore we can conclude that bases are the ones "active" and flyers "passive", bases are the ones more in control. Ok now this part is for the flyers. Flyers, although I said that you are the "passive" role in a stunt, you definetly still have a important role to play. For example, do not think that you can do a heelstretch with a certain base then it means that you are the "constant" already. That if another base tries with you, and fails, it is not your fault. Do not think that you can do the stunt a few times means that you have mastered it. Ultimately for a stunt, it is the cooperation of both the flyer and the base for it to work. Do not make complaint or compare your base with other bases, just do your part to make the stunt work.
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I shall use the analogy of the base being like a concrete ground and a wet cement ground. If the base you are doing with still have yet to become a "concrete ground", maybe just a "wet cement ground", the way you control your ankles will play a major role. If you stand putting more weight on your toes, i.e tipping, on a concrete ground, it may not matter. However on a yet solidified "wet cement ground", you will cause an imprint that is slanting, and you will not be able to stand as you will be sinking down forward. The same goes if you have loose ankles and keep twisting and turning them, you will end up causing the "wet cement" to form such an uneven surface that you end up falling too. Therefore, as a flyer, one way you can help is by locking your ankles and staying flat. This way you will be able to stand, even if it is on "wet cement". What I am trying to illustrate is that as a flyer, there are still many areas you can work on to help out the bases, and not only depend on the bases to become "better". Therefore, up to a certain level, the base should aim to "harden and solidify" as soon as possible, and the flyer should aim to stand on different degrees of "drying wet cement", from the softest to the hardest. These forms the fundamentals for bases and flyers. Only with strong fundamentals then there can be further advancement, where flyers proceed to spinning and shifting weight on a stunt, instead of only standing, stunts such as full around and tick tock. The most important thing I want to bring across here is to progress together as a partner, as a group, and as a team. Work hard, but be contented at the same time, the rewards will come in due time.
P.S: It is always just a matter of time, cement will always harden to become concrete. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:46AM (+08:00)
Cupies
So how many cupie bases are there in Singapore as of now? I am wondering it should be around less than 20. Leave a comment if you can do a cupie =) Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:21AM (+08:00)
100th Post
Friday, October 17, 2008
Our blog has been around for about 1 year and 3 mths. And finally this is our 100th post. Well there shall not be any elaborated "top 10 whatever" like in MDK, this blog is a simple blog. And i guess the best way to commemorate the 100th post is non other than just being simple, just like what this blog set out to be in the first place. 100 post ago and 100 post later, this blog shall remind the same, that is to share our experiences and passion for stunting. Since the start up of this blog 1 year 3 months ago, we have grown and improved, and its 96
nice to do through our experiences again from reading archives. From reading the archives, we can see how our thinking and beliefs changed in the past year. I guess as stunting improved, the mind improved too. Ok, just to share with all some of my experience gained in the past couple of weeks. As you all know that I had been training physically and running quite a bit in the last 2 - 3 months. Haven really been able to train much of PS except the basic set of toss cupie, liberty tick tock and left cupie. No chance to try anything new, but can only revised on the old basics(Toss cupie which I first hit on July 2007, Left cupie first hit on January 2008 and Tick tock first hit on May 2008), due to the lack of training mates. However, in the last few training sessions, I just discovered that I can actually do single base arabesque, something which I tried a few times b4 ages ago, but failed terribily. It just came out of the blue, like I unknowingly became equiped with that skill. Also there is this lying down and popping the flyer for 1 round on your palms drill, I also could not do it ever before, and in the last 2 days, I realised suddenly that I can do it. (It feels like in the matrix, they install the skill into your brain that sort of thing.) So how do I explain such sudden, "light of the bulb" phenomenom? I guess its down to the basic physical conditioning that I have been doing, and also the basics. I am not a genius, and I wont say that, "oh I zai so suddenly just can do", it never happens like this for me. I was talking to Jiahao last night regarding a similar issue, that when you are injured, rest the injured part, but you can still make full use of the rest of the exercises you can do, unless you cannot even move out of bed. I am not injured, but it is the same sense, training your physical self is the most important, and you do not even have to do stunts, and then before you know it, you suddenly just up level. Basics also played a big part too, I have been training nothing fanciful, just my basics, and the results show. Alright to sum it up, if due to injury, or lack of partner, etc, when you cannot do stunts, it will not go wrong if you do your own physical conditioning. Invest time to do that, someone told me investment on your ownself is never wrong. And never forget your basics, keep doing them.
P.S: How I wish I next can unknowilling do pop over. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:36PM (+08:00)
Irritating
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Arrgh... My neck is hurting like mad now! So damn sian, think have to rest for a few days for it to recover. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:48AM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
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What you in it for?

I just watched a cheerleading documentary on University of Kentucky cheerleading (3 times). It shows a season ups and downs the team faced in a year. It started with their annual tryouts, training sessions, camp, retreat, football games, basketball games, and finally ends with their UCA competition finals. The show touched on some issues and difficulties which a team would face, which I can personally relate to. But more importantly, it gave us an idea of how the elites and really professional cheerleading teams work, their culture and methods. It gives ideas and directions which we can study and implement the relevant things that can apply to us, to help us grow and develop. The cheerleaders in Kentucky all know their stuff, and from the video, I can see that they can train very independantly. The coach is acting more like a facilitator role, more of bringing out the best in everyone and keeping everything in check. He never has to worry about the stunts and technique of the bases and flyers, as they are all very well polished. The cheerleaders gave me a image of being very discipline, they look after themselves, and knows what it takes to be in the squad. Not only do they have to train hard, they have to balance their studies, or they will be kicked out of the squad. If it is possible, it will be very good for everyone to catch this documentary show and see for yourself. I hope that teams in Singapore can develop a program too that can suit us to improve and do well. And as individuals, appreciate what we have and not take things for granted, have more discipline and train hard independantly. Everyone should think more maturedly, and act more professionally. I am not saying to take all the fun out of cheerleading, but if that is what it takes to be successful (Kentucky 16 years Champions), and if that is what you want, there is always a time for fun and a time to be focused. Think about what you want, do you only want to be playing around having fun all the time or do you want to make the best out of your time in the sport and have some achievements and acomplishments? P.S: Do you want to do it for leisure, or do you want to do it for the victory? There is always a place for either. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:00AM (+08:00)
Sunday, November 02, 2008

Been kept busy with activities and events... But somehow I am still feeling empty, like there is a lack of a particular something I cannot explain. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:23PM (+08:00)
I hope so...
Monday, November 03, 2008
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Cupies
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Today, 05/11/08, is 3 years since our partnership and 2 years 3 months since the formation of X-Wonder. No X-Skills Intermediate 6 still or elaborate celebration photos, due to it being in the midst of Snow's exams preparations. Wish her all the best and good luck in her exams, and then join me back in training soon. So just to commemorate the occasion a little, I decided to dig out some old videos and photos to make a short clip.
So is cupie that amazing anymore? I guess now (esp after seeing the video) the answer to all is NO! It is a simple stunt. If you are stuck at just doing hands to cupie and taking 3 seconds photographs, it is time to move on, or just remain in mediocrity. Toss Cupie should become a basic, and then soon a simple stunt.
P.S: We have so many mass cupie photos, lets take a mass Toss Cupie video one day for a change. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:03PM (+08:00)
"She who has health, has hope; and she who has hope, has everything."
This post is dedicated to the girl who has the same birthday as Snow, to the girl who we are her no.1 fan(haha), to the girl who is the most important person of our no.1 fan. Haha, sounds confusing? Ok, it is non other than to Jasmine from TP. Thanks you for mentioning, or rather praising and thanking us so much in your blog, we really feel a little paiseh, cos never really help much too, haha. Now in return, its our turn to thank you and give you some encouragement on our blog, to help you tide through this period of injury. I have only met you once when I went down to TP. I did not even get the chance to do
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stunt with you. But I have to say from talking and being with you in that short time, I know you are a very determined person. I also never met a female cheerleader (other then those NY girls) who can do handstand as well as you can, can keep doing non stop some more. In my opinion, you will make a very good cheerleader, with the 2 key qualities I mentioned above, determination and good body control. Though we only met once, and you did not even meet Snow before, we are really happy that our videos and blog had played a part in your cheerleading life. I am sure KH told you about us too. Now you just have to take your time and rehabilitate your ankle injury. When you recover, I am sure you will work doubly hard to realise your dreams, and we will back you to do very well in future, you have a long road ahead of you. Jiayou!
"Ones best success comes after one's greatest disappointments." Henry Ward Beecher-
P.S: I still haven stunt with you before, get well soon =) Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:17PM (+08:00)
Where is my Star?
Everyone loses their drive from time to time. If you are lucky, there will be someone, someone you trust and believe in there to pick you up and push you forward. I need a brighter guiding star to point me in the right direction. It's getting harder for me to find such these days. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:53PM (+08:00)
Starry Snowy Skies

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The night sky is filled with stars. But where are the snow, sharing the night sky with the stars? The opportunity to see with your own eyes is rare, of the sky filled with stars and snow at the time, but during the times you do, you get a magnificant, breathtaking sight.
It is imminent... Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:05AM (+08:00)
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2007 - 2011
Are you free to fly without limits?

How would you rate the level of partner stunting in Singapore? How do we stand when compared to other countries? I guess we all sort of know the answer by now. We are really pretty poor. Is it because we have weak bases in general? I mean look at the size of the caucasians, it is in their genes to be bigger sized than us. Then some may say that Taiwanese are asians like us, but are also very good. Well true enough, but those elites are all very well built and tough too. Well if by now you are still in the hallucination that size and strength does not matter, it is time to wake up. It is true that I always tell people there are exceptions when it comes to size, such as people like Xiao Gao from Taiwan, but there are no exceptions when it comes to strength. For his small size, he has tremendous amount of strength and power. So in order to boost our standards, we all got to become bigger, and more importantly stronger. Another reason I think we are lacking in the partner stunts segment is because teams in Singapore do not focus as much on partner stunts. We focus alot on other things such as elevators and pyramids. I am not saying this is not good, but it is the reason why we do not focus much on partner stunts, because the basics is not there yet for partner stunting. Then how about those that already have the overall basics and general strength? Recently I have been trying to list out in my mind who are these people, those that I know, who are ethusiatic and ready for much more intensive partner stunts training. I realised one thing, they are everywhere. Then one might say just gather all of them and start training and improve the standards. However this is easier said than done. Afterall, each one comes from their own team, and has responsibilities and duties in their different teams, and they are usually the leaders. Even if some come from within the same team, they cannot just focus on partner stunts among the few of them; they still have to look after the rest and progress together. This is the reason why there seemed to be a lack of partners in the partner stunting arena, alot of people are looking out for a partner in vain, although there are enough flyers and bases to go around. It is an idealistic dream that one day, everyone of these people can put aside everything and differences, to just focus on partner stunting altogether, to put up a routine like the "I611". However we all do know the constraints.
Hmm... I wonder how many "freelancers" are out there now.....
P.S: BTW this is the 100th post for year 2008 Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:21PM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
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The Great
People were telling me that I missed out someone who can also do toss cupie in the recent cupie video. Yup I did, because I do not have any nice recent video of his. Alright I think I shall give him some due credit in this post and we all know who he is, the person mentioned is non other than Dion, the first person in Singapore to do the toss cupie. He was my source of motivation at one point of time in my cheerleading life. I joined cheerleading around January 2004, and we were all noobs back then. I did not know much about the cheerleading scene back then, just concentrated on doing my elevators. It was only during Cheerobics 2004, that I got a glimpse of the cheerleading teams out there. I was like wow there are many good teams. And I was especially awed by this routine, a class above all. It was put up by this team wearing blue and white, it is non other than Magnum Force. This was also the team that Dion was in then. I was still very new in 2004, and do not know much about him, just some rumours that he was a very strong base. I did not bother much until Cheerobics 2005. It was then I saw live with my own eyes Dion doing a unassisted cupie(below is a shot of it). Ever since then, his name just never stops popping up. He became a goal for me, and also a few of my team mates. After that day, we were all very driven hence worked very hard. In the year 2006, I was more aware of the cheerleading scene. It was in Cheerobics 2006, that Dion wowed us again with his toss cupie, the first ever in Singapore again (below is a clip of it). Although his toss cupie was not enough to push them to victory that year (ACES were champions that year), his partner stunts was still the best in Singapore then. To cut a long story short, I was being impressed and wanted to emulate Dion, but also at the same time later, we wanted to surpass him; whichever the case, he still played a part in my early cheerleading life.
Everyone in cheerleading definetely have a source of purpose, motivation, inspiration or drive from some individual, or some team, at each phase from time to time. For me, Dion had played a role in my cheerleading development. He joined Magnum Force some time in mid of 2002 (same time as Snow), and took part in Cheerobics 2003, even before I knew of cheerleading. From mid 2002 to Cheerobics 2006 was around 3 and a half year. That was also about the same amount of time it took for me to do my first toss cupie (from Jan 2004 to July 2007). I have to say that without Dion around, I would probably have taken a much longer time than that. Ever since the day I did toss cupie, I am looking for new motivation in Singapore. One may used to be a motivation to others, but one day if he/she stops improving, others will catch up with him/her. This applies to everyone, keep working hard, and not rest on your laurels!
P.S: My new motivation shall come from a student of mine in the past, non other than the first man in Singapore to do a Pop Over. Student become teacher's motivation leh, not bad sia. Need to do my pop over soon. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:51AM (+08:00) 102
From the pits of dusty boxes...

Friday, November 21, 2008
Today I played soccer, or rather futsal for the first time in almost 3 years. This reminds me of the day I "retired" from soccer, everything flashed back, and I felt very emotional. I even wrote a "blog post" on it that day, just that it was on our traditional paper with black ink pen. Hence I went to search for the piece of paper, which was lost somewhere for over a year since I moved out of NTU hall. To my excitment and happiness, I found it. Not only did I found that particular soccer "entry" I found along with it several letters I "wrote to myself", to encourage myself during exams few years back. Since it is now the time of exams for NTU students, I shall type out one such letter, and maybe a few more another time. (Will touch back on the soccer one in the next post.)
"Exams is not a test of how smart or knowledgeble you are. In the real world, how smart or knowledgeble you are is not the key to success. Exams is a test of your determination, how determined you are in doing a task. That, determination, is what is needed in the real world, the key to success. The more well you do in your exams, the more your determination is. The better you can do in your exams, the more well you can do in the real world. People who think what we study is not related to the real world is not wrong. But people who then think since study is not related and choose not to study is wrong. People will naturally do better in something they have a passion for. If you can do well in something you have no passion for, then it speaks volumes of your determination. To do well in something you have a passion for is a norm. But to do well in something you have no passion for, like studying, is an achievement. To me exams is still a necessary evil. I must have the determination, the key to sucess and achievement. Jiayou!!"
P.S: BTW this was in 2004. I did not realised that I started "blogging" so long ago. After exams and we shall be back in action. Jiayou! Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:18AM (+08:00)
Would you dig your heart out for it?

I was never a very active kid when I was in primary school, just played badminton leisurely as an ECA. When I got to secondary school, that was when I discovered my afinity to sports. I picked up basketball for a while, then I was selected for track and field. At the end of sec 1, year 1995, I picked up soccer for the very first time. Due to my training in track, I was very fast, and it suits the game of soccer very much. Although I just picked up soccer, I became one of the better players in just a few months time, and represented my school. It was then my passion for soccer was born, and it carried on from Sec Sch through my JC, army, and then early University life, all in all for about 10 years.
JC soccer team,
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During my 1st year in NTU, Year 2004 IHG, Last tournament, I loved soccer so much that I wanted to play soccer every second. Anywhere there is soccer to be played, I would rush down, be it very far away. For soccer, I can wake up very early in the morning, for example I used to play Sunday soccer every morning at 8 in Braddell. My whole life then was practically all about soccer, play soccer, watch soccer, study video clips for tricks and inspirations, run and train regularly to keep fit, I can never describe it well enough to do it justice. I was just crazy then. I would consider myself an above average player and sometimes mercurial. And how does my soccer crossed paths with cheerleading? I would have mentioned this many times already, that I started cheerleading in early 2004. At that time, soccer was still my passion, and cheerleading had to take a back seat. However from 2004 and for the next 2 years, it is the "transistional period". I slowly grew to like cheerleading more, and it started to take up more of my time. I used to skip cheerleading training because of soccer matches, till slowly I started to skip soccer matches because of cheerleading training. For the whole of 2004 and 2005, it keeps ding-dong here and there between soccer and cheerleading. Somehow, my time and energy does not allow me to be seriously involved in both at the same time. For me, when I do something, I want to make the best out of it, there is only room for 1 passion. Cheerleading and soccer are 2 totally different sport. For soccer, I used to run daily and was very fast and light footed. My weight during Cheerobics 2005 was a mere 69kg, a far cry to my weight now. However as my urge to do better and better in cheerleading increased, I knew I had to put on some weight and strength. I started to gym more and run less, this had a adverse effect on my soccer abilities. This struggle between soccer and cheerleading lasted for 2 years, thoughout my first 2 Cheerobics competition. By the year end of 2005, due to injuries, dissapointments in soccer, together with the knowledge that I am on a downhill slide for soccer, yet not being able to inject more time and energy to climb back up, I decided once and for all that this is it. This is the end of the road for my passion in soccer. It was a very tough decision to make, soccer had been my love for the last 10 years. I was very emotional and even cried, it was the day after I played the last game, of my last tournament in NTU, of my last kick in soccer. I wrote to myself a letter, of grieve and disappointment, before I set deep in my mind to park aside my love for soccer, and buried it deep inside my heart. Below is the letter I wrote. It was only after that day, then can I give all my heart and soul into cheerleading. It was then my passion for cheerleading was given a chance to start. Only from then, can I proclaim my love and passion for cheerleading, and it has since been almost 3 years. P.S: Do anything with passion, single mindedness passion, only then you can labour and sow whole heartedly for it. Sacrifices had to be made, even if it is at the expense of another passion. The choice is yours, no matter how heart wrenching it is going to be. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:34PM (+08:00)
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I mastered liberty only after I start to have a passion for it... Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:18PM (+08:00)
Lessons
Never say you are zai till people tell that to you. When doing stunts, give 101%, finish whatever strength you have in every toss, do not say you are conserving it. If you are good, toss to extension every flyer, every time. A stunt is not considered mastered, till you can do it 5 times out of 5 times continuously, meaning pop down already and straight away go again for 5 continous times with no rest in between. When a stunt fails, catch the flyer no matter what, and do not depend on the spotter. P.S: I go to cheer almost every other day, but I am not improving myself. It is time to work hard, have higher expectations of myself. What is a pop over if you cannot do it consistently every time. Hai~! Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:45AM (+08:00)
If you can hit the stunt more frequently than by chance, it means y...
Dreams
Monday, December 01, 2008
Below is 1 of the passages I wrote back in 2004 to drive me through the exams. Though the exams this year are over for alot of people, I think I shall just share it, because it does not only applies to exams, but to your life, including cheer, as well... Will you help me to fulfill my dreams? :| Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:54PM (+08:00)

Time to become stronger again. Much STRONGER!! Stunt Posted by *star* at 05:50AM (+08:00)
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"If you don't try to save one life, you'll never save any."
This quote caught my attention while I was watching a movie. I think it makes alot of sense. For me I would like to adapt the quote a little, "If you don't try to help one, you'll never help any." Every small step makes a difference. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:12AM (+08:00)
Awesome WPSL
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
It started with WPSL, then WPA aka Awesome, now he is simply Awesome WPSL, an elite in Singapore. From humble beginnings at NTU HO level for 2 years, he took a step up to participate at national level, and then at international level, and never look back since. Well known for being a sturdy shoulder stand base, and very strong in partner stunting; but weighing in at 90 kilos, one would never thought that this man is also very talented in gymnastics. It took about 2 years for him to finally get his ROBT, making him an allrounded cheerleader, and hence definitely put him at the top of Singapore's all time best male cheerleader list. Its all about perseverance; with the right company and environment, and with proper guidance, nothing is impossible. Now he is ready for a skill tape of his own. A gift from me for completing his ROBT, presenting to you all, AWESOME WPSL!!!
P.S: If you tell me weight is a problem, I will get him to shut your mouth up. No excuses please, only do it or don't. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:53PM (+08:00)
Just Imagine
"With so many people saying it couldn't be done, all it takes is an imagination" -Michael Phelps, after winning 8 gold medals in a single OlympicsEverything starts with an imagination. I would like to add, "then believe in that imagination". Stunt 106
Posted by *star* at 05:15PM (+08:00)
"You understand that you are going to fail, thousands and thousands...
Partner Stunt: The Delaware Experiance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAjTxIMYDsM&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL2JFSKtvb4&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mySYzezEyI&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWGNalvPups&feature=related Watched this 4 clips on youtube last night. It documented some of the highlights of 3 Coed partner stunt couples, from the University of Delaware, competing in UCA Partner Stunts Championship. Some things that are important in partner stunting as documented by these 3 couples: 1) Your relationship between your partner. You learn that you might fight alot, but also learn to make up afterwards. 2) What it takes to be successful; If you really want it, if you are willing to work hard, if you dedicate all the time you need to hit it, and most importantly - your partner. 3) Have a good time on the mats, and show off your best skills. 4) Have fun with it, and feeling kind of relax, enjoying it and you will perform better. 5) This is my favourite quote, "You understand that you are going to fail, thousands and thousands of times in partner stunts, just for that one time you hit beautifully."
To sum it up: Work hard, respect each other, have fun, accepting failure before success and then show the best; gives you the winning formula to a great partnership, and a great partner stunt routine. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:14AM (+08:00)
Merry Christmas Everyone

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas with lots of presents and love =) Stunt Posted by ~snow~ at 06:46PM (+08:00)
2008
This shall be the last post of 2008. It had been overall a good year for me in terms of cheerleading wise. The year started
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with Cheerobics training and HO training. I just got the hang of my job as an engineer, although timings are regular, not much OT, but it was still tough to be a "office boy" in the day and a "super hero" at night. My body was battered to its limits with not enough time to rest and recuperate, don't think anyone can understand how it felt. At least all the hard work was rewarded by winning Cheerobics the third time in a row. The feeling was amazing. Not to mention that we even got 3rd for group stunt category. Just when we all thought that everything was over, we got the chance to go Japan again to compete in CAIO. It was back to trainings again, though not as tough, as we already had the routine up already, we had various other challenges to face. After CAIO, it was the end of my competitive days with ACES. I had more time to rest, and my body was able to fully recuperate, except for the busted knee in a moment of foolishness in Japan. Began to start venturing fully into partner stunting. Was able to accomplish stunts such as Full-up, Full-around and Pop overs. During this time, I also got to interact quite a bit with players from various squads, I enjoyed the process of sharing of knowledge. Looking forward to more challenges in the coming year 2009, which will begin almost immediately with Inter Hall Cheerleading Competition. Hope I can find the strength somewhere to maintain my "super hero" lifestyle, admidst the huge increase in workload, and to stay healthy. You have yet to see the last of X-Wonder. Wish everyone out there a Happy New Year, and may all your dreams come true. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:41PM (+08:00)
Toss to Hands Finally

Sunday, January 04, 2009
This was me doing my first toss to hands in 2004. (This indeed literally was my first successful TTH, very coincidentally got recorded down) Notice how low and unstable it was, and then the single extension was even worse, so unsure, wobbly and tilting. Alot of you who know me in cheer, know me for who I am now, probably in your mind I am a guy who can do toss extension, cupies etc. What you all do not know or see often is my humble beginnings as a noob. It was through sheer hardwork and many sacrifices to get to where I am now. Sometimes it is good to get back down to earth, really work hard and not think that this comes easy, or I am lousy or not progressing.
P.S: Only those who started out before or with me know what it truely meant, the pure joy and happiness of being able to do toss to hands then. Appreciate and not take it for granted. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:37AM (+08:00)
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Eyelids weighing 60 kilos

This will be the last time... let's do it right. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:00AM (+08:00)
Today it's 80kg


Situations, Scenarios, Surroundings change faster than the tides. You never know it till it's over. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:38AM (+08:00)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Squats and Dead Weight lifts are indeed great. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:16PM (+08:00)
Hall 4 HO 2009 Cheerleading

This blog was meant to be more about partner stunts training and experiences, but this shall be an exception, because I am very proud of Hall 4 cheerleading this HO. You guys did a good job on the mats out there, despite the last minute injury to Lijing, and we had to change the whole routine in 3 days. All of you stepped up to the challenge and still made it possible to put up this routine, without lowering the level of the stunts much. I want to thank all of Hall 4 cheerleaders once again, and hope that you guys and gals enjoyed yourself tonight and also in the course of the 1 month training. A big thanks to Hall 4 pub for doing a good job with the plycards and banner. We would also like to thank all those who had played a part in helping out with the stunts and routine training, Vincent, ZL and friends, and also Chaang for the music. Though we did not win anything, but I am sure you guys will be proud of yourself when you watch the routine once more. One last time, "break on 4; 1, 2, 3. 4!"
This routine is dedicated to Lijing, for her hardwork and example as a Co.Captain during the entire HO season. Hope you get well soon and start flying again. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:04AM (+08:00)
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I am going to get my first 8 hours of sleep in 2009 tonight. Its been a long while. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:10PM (+08:00)
Who you want to be?

This is actually the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. (One doesn't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the passage straight through). 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress. 6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with
Easier? The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most
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credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care to make life " Special" for others. This is for those people who have made a difference in your life. and remember.... "Don't ever worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." ( confirmed through usually reliable sources!) Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:10AM (+08:00)

ey yo this game of life is one big struggle we gotta hustle just to make it everyday and to find ourselves a way to fight the fears we facin and grab those dreams we chasin cuz there ain't no competition when we rise to the occasion, c'mon Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:03AM (+08:00)
Hot Shot
I have been watching the drama lately. The show is about basketball, how a team, individuals, overcome all obstacles for their love of basketball. From the show I gain alot of insights into what is passion, mindset, determination, love for team mates and bigheartedness for your opponents. Taking away the technicalities, the lessons learnt in the show applies to all team sports. I would recommend this show for all to watch, although some parts are very exaggerated, making it funny and corny at times, try picking out the from the show. Shall share some I picked out too. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:11PM (+08:00)
Tuesday, February 03, 2009

I must say that I really admire him. For the passion of basketball, this fella can do almost anything. When he just started out, due the the lack of venue to train, he would not mind single-handedly clearing a court full of weeds and trash so that they can have a place to train. Would you do that? Cheerleaders out there who do not have a venue to train; is it really a lack of venue, or is it a lack of heart to find one? Not everything comes easy all the time, and do not take what you have now for granted. Stunt
2007 - 2011
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Posted by *star* at 12:29AM (+08:00)
Are you the ONE?

The above is very true. No one is not good enough, everything starts from bottom, and those who succeed do not mind working from scratch. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:43AM (+08:00)
I am on the mats because of you.

Those who are able to cheer are really fortunate. Trainings can be tough, but isn't that what you wanted? - That is to improve. Grab hold of the chance that came your way, others may not be as fortunate as you. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:59AM (+08:00)
Home sweet home

People often ask me how do I train? I would always answer them just keep doing and train hard. I always emphasize that basics is important and body conditioning has to be good before you think about doing stunts. I would say start with basics and try hitting the gym to build up the strength at the same time. It is hard for me to train at times due to time and commitments, and I do not have time to go to the gym often too because of this. Hence for me cheer training begins in my own room. This is where I build up most of my basics and body conditioning work, before I even start hitting the stunts. I spend more time working myself than working on the stunts.
My room...
For those who really want to improve, training does not start at the training ground with your teammates and all. It should start with your ownself. Do not keep doing the stunts blindly, sometimes the fault does not lie in the stunt, but on yourself. Build up your strength and endurance, and when you have them, stunts will start going up. You could actually do it even in the comfort of your own room.
Dumb bells and push up bar

There are many exercises that you can do with a set of dumb bell, such as arnold presses, military press, bicep curls etc. I personally have a set of exercise, people normally do not do in the gym. These exercises are deviced in a way that they are very cheer oriented, such that gym instructors will probably tick you off for doing such unorthodox methods. I do exercise such as "liberty presses" and also "extended squats" which I just thought of and start doing recently. They really proved to be very effective.
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Dumb bell I use for "Liberty press" and "Extended squats"

The push up bar is another equipment I invested in. It's original/typical purpose is probably use to do push ups. But another exercise which you can use it for is handstand presses. It allows more leverage for your arms to move, hence working out more. For normal handstands without press, I will try to do it without the wall in my living room.
Push up bars for Handstand press Handstand training in my living room

So how do I train? Answer is in the comfort of my own home. Cheerleading like other sports, to be good in it, you have to live it as your lifestyle. That's also the way you can help to sustain it. So even before you start asking why the stunt did not go up, ask yourself have you done your part. Training starts at home, not on the mats. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:56AM (+08:00)

If you do not have a team but love cheer, you can always continue training yourself, and when the time has come, or opportunity strikes, you will be ready for it. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:08AM (+08:00)

The same goes for doing stunts; every stunt coordination has a rhythmic movement. Find it and you shall do stunts with ease. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:37AM (+08:00)

See-Saw
Have you ever wonder to yourself,"If it is so stressful, torturing, till the point I get so tired and frustrated, how come I am still doing it?"
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No choice is not a reason, everybody has a choice. It is probably the many factors governing the balance that keeps you going. No matter what that you are doing now, it does bring a value or benefit to you in a way or another, else you would not be doing it already. So do not feel aggrieved already; be happy. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:17AM (+08:00)

The difference 2 years can make... Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:59PM (+08:00)
How I wish I have strength...

Sometimes when I think to myself, I would ponder,"If only I had started doing gym since young, join dragon boat or something, then I would have had strong muscles, and more importantly a strong heart." It is not regrets, but more of what ifs. Strength is something that I just do not have now, and my muscle mass was already determined once I stop puberty and growing. I often just daydream to myself how does it feel to be strong, "hmm I imagine..." *slap my face twice* saying "wake up, wake up" Guess I have to wake up, back to reality, I am just weak. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:13AM (+08:00)

Sometimes you just have to ask. I do not like to see things done wrongly. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:42AM (+08:00)
Monday, February 23, 2009

Just went through his webpage, and saw his latest videos. The moment I finished watching, I just had to blog about them. This guy is simply ZAI!! His name is , a truely powerful base from Taiwan. I guess I have to say that it really is my honour to be able to base together with him a few times before; the stunt feeling he gives is really simply incredible. His flyer, , in the video is very great too. Did my first ever Hands Full-Around with her.
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Follow the links on that page to see his other videos. This is my favourite, a link of his recent tryouts for national team http://www.wretch.cc/album/show.php?i= ya7223&b= 44&f= 1013091924&p= 4 In him, I saw the neverending spirit to improve. He is one of the best in partner stunting in his country and probably one of the best chinese in the world sometime back already, but he never stop and continue improving himself. The best means nothing if you do not continue to improve. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:54PM (+08:00)
You only receive what you give away

I was reading through my past posts, and I saw my 100th post, on the 17th of October 2008. Link to "100th Post"
In the post (highlighted yellow in the picture), I wished that I can do a Pop Over. At that time, 17th Oct, I have still yet to be able to do a pop over, but I sincerely asked to be able to do it. I told myself again and wrote it down in a post, "The Great" on 17th Nov 2008, that I really want to do it, to make it happen. Link to "The Great"
And now that I was reading through my post, I noticed that I achieved my Pop Over on 17th Nov, exactly 1 month after I wished for it, and the same day as I willed it to happen soon. (It is also 1 day after my birthday; maybe it's a birthday wish come true too. hah)
Comment on my first ever Pop Over circled red.(some time delay)

Therefore, I believe that if you want something, just ask and then seek for it. It will not appear or happen out of the blue, it may take some time, and in my case 1 month; so be patient. True, we may not always get what we ask for, but we will NEVER get what we dont ask for!
P.S: Other than "Ask and you shall receive", "Seek and you shall find", remember the other universal law: "You only receive what you give away". How much you get is how much you are willing to give. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:07AM (+08:00)
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It's my life
I came across the below from some webpage about cheerleading.
"While cheerleaders in teen movies seem to have the most exciting social lives on the planet, actual cheerleading squads often have to give up 25+ hours a week to practice . . . not to mention going to the actual games to do the cheerleading. It's a huge time commitment, so be 100% sure that you have the time to devote to it."
25+ hours a week, that is more than 5 hours a day if you train 5 days a week. It seems that cheerleaders really have not much of "life" outside training. So if you are spending so much of your time in training, try making it happy times, else it is really not easy to continue on. Jiayou to all cheerleaders out there, I salute you all. Always keep in mind the reason why you cheer. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:42AM (+08:00)
1 or 0
Sunday, March 08, 2009
As part of early trainings in basketball, he was asked to keep working on his dribbling. The coach told him to dribble across an overhead bridge before he could start practicing shooting. The bridge together with it's steps up and steps down was not easy to conquer. As he was about to finish it finally, he was distracted by someone calling his name, and dropped the ball. But instead of feeling sorry for himself, or getting angry, he said this, In executing your stunts, there is no room in the middle. It is always 1 or 0, either you hit it perfectly, or you do not. A stunt that goes up in a routine, if it is wobbly, means you have failed. Might as well do something that you can hit perfectly, than something you give room for deductions. If you want to do something, do it perfectly. There is no sympathy points given in this game we are playing. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:29AM (+08:00)
"Competing"
It is the time of the year again. It is 1 week to Cheerobics 2009. This year is going to be different for me. The first time in 5 years that I am not taking any part in Cheerobics, the first time I get to watch the teams perform, while not being a "competitor" myself. This year, Cheerobics is slightly different from the previous years. This is the first year that high school is separated from the open division. Generally, people hold mix feelings
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and comments about this new format, some welcome it, while some don't. One most common sentiment that I have been receiving from people in the high school division is that: "competition is much lower", "We do not get to compete with ACES, DECS, etc", or even some said,"Sure Win". Is not getting to face up with teams from the open division really that important? Does winning the high school division becomes so boring, so meaningless? Does "only winning the high school division" make your team a lesser team, or you a lesser man? No! It does not. Cheerleading is a very opinionated sport, people may have different views, but majority would be able to tell a better routine from another. People can still judge from the quality of your performance put up, be it you being in the high school division or the open division. I used to be in track and field, so let's take an analogy from a 100m race. Does being in the C division, and the B division matters? Not only you are competing with your competitors, you are competing with yourself. Only the timing matters, and for that matter, a runner in C division definetely have the chance to run faster than the champion in B division. Does the champion in C division with a timing of 10.5 secs feel smaller than the champion in B division with a timing of 11 secs? Will he feel like there is no drive, no kick, no excitment to win the C division? We all know the answer. So be it in the high school division or the open division, just put up the best routine, the best performance. The main thing is to win yourself, and not to compare with others. If you still have failed to see that, you will forever be living in the shadows of others. As a sportsman, you focus on yourself first, win yourself, overcome your own weaknesses, then only will you get to win others. All that being said, I am still a "competitor" this Cheerobics and I will always be till I stop. I am still competing with myself, and also with the rest of the cheerleaders out there, even though we do not stand on the same stage or get to hold the same trophy. I will use this Cheerobics as a gauge for myself, and I will continue to improve. I will become better, and I shall become the number 1 competitor out there. Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:53PM (+08:00)
Pride
My shifu said: "Every time I do PT, I push myself beyond my limits. I might look relaxed, but nobody knows that I am actually struggling inside. I know with each time I do the PT, it will get easier, so I just need to perserverve, and my efforts will pay off." I wish I can have that same pride and determination. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:22AM (+08:00)
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Cheerobics
Monday, March 23, 2009
Cheerobics 2009 was a blast. Standards on the average, and not only the top teams are getting very high. A record number of teams and categories was set in this year's Cheerobics. The cheer scence in Singapore is becoming more and more exciting. Good job to the organizers as well, one cannot imagine what it would be like to have a year without Cheerobics. And finally, the gist of this post, ACES are the CHAMPIONS once again, and also the 2nd place. Congratulations to all my juniors who have been putting in all the hardwork and sacrifices. Take a good rest now, and when the week's over, I am sure you guys will be itching to do it all over again. A-C-E-S, ACES let's go! Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:08PM (+08:00)
Ambitious?
In every field, there are bound to be some special individuals who stand out amongst the rest. I can group them into 3 kinds - (1) talented ones but conventional, (2) not talented but does things beyond normal conventions and (3) both talented and does things beyond normal conventions. These people often are the ones that stand out, and especially so for number (3). People who can think out of the box and not afraid to try things beyond normal conventions are the ones that will achieve greatness. (BTW I am not talking about myself; recently I discovered such a person.) This is a post about half a year back. At that time, I managed to at least do Full up, Full Around and Tick Tock; even though not to a high success rate. Now, after achieving Pop Over, I can do all the 4 targets I set, but Hands Full Around still seems very inconsistent. Is Hands Full Around the final piece of the puzzle before I attempt Rewind? There are reasons for me to set these targets before moving on. Each of these 4 skills require quite different sets of abilities, and in aquiring each of the abilites, I am sure it will cover an all round aspect of partner stunting, hence getting myself more prepared for Rewind. These are just my own ideas, no one is there to teach me what to do, as has been the case my entire cheerleading life, therefore I can only try out myself. I will reevaluate my theory again after I succeed.
P.S: A genius is able to get from A to D without going through the Bs and Cs. I am no genius, so I can only do it using my type of approach, that is to find the Bs and the Cs. Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:47AM (+08:00)
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Finally taken the 1st step... Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:36AM (+08:00)
Time for myself

Had a good session yesterday. It has been really quite sometime since I really trained; not just stunting around, but trained. The last time should be way b4 Cheerobics. Had been pretty stress with work these days, work piling up like a mountain. And after work had been helping Snow with her report too. It is hard to find time to train these days, very long never go to the gym, can feel that I am getting weaker. Well I try to put all these down to "post cheerobics syndrome", where everyone takes a break from cheer for a while; even though I did not take part in Cheerobics, but I very much feel the same as previous years. I'd better find more time to train, or I will just be stagnant forever. I have to treasure what I have and can still do now, before I cannot do it anymore. For now I just want to train, and nothing else, its time to be focused. Talking is free; lets do it instead.
P.S: What you want have to be hard earned, if you did work harder than everyone else, no one can deny you from what you deserved. Nothing is free, do not expect it to fall from the sky. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:29PM (+08:00)
Someone has to be the bad guy

Monday, April 13, 2009
episode 5 - 41mins:20secs A conversation between & about breaking basketball limits. : : , The art of cheerleading is limitless, ain't we all trying to train to surpass ourselves. With competition, then there will be improvements, then it will make the victory more gratifying. Winning without a fight means little. Creating your own competition brings you to another level. For those still training, and who wants it, train hard; the focus is ultimately still on yourself,
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concentrate on yourself first before looking at others.
P.S: The fittest survives. Don't worry, I will handle it. But the question is will you? Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:43AM (+08:00)

Instead of just giving opinions and comments, why not step forward and make a real difference? Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:36PM (+08:00)
So Young
Had a surprize meeting at work last Friday. Was called up by big boss in the last minute to follow him to a meeting at head quarters, even though I am like just his "tag along kopi boy", no need to answer any questions. He drove us from the island to town, where the head office is. In the car, only the 2 of us, he spoke to me a great deal, the most we have ever talked in over 1 years. We talked about the industry, about my department, about his past, and career, about my future, and how I can improve myself. He is indeed a knowledgeble person, very confident about himself, and not afraid to speak of his own acheivements and be proud, yet not arrogant or braggy about it. He talks about some of my colleagues and refer 1 of them as young, a fresh in the industry, even though he was clearly in his thirties and worked for at least a good 10 years. Maybe to my boss, he is indeed a fresh person. Later, throughout the day, I keep hearing the senior people in my company talking and discussing about age related topics. First, after the drive to office, we went to the meeting. My big boss's boss, and my big boss's boss's boss was also there, someone probably in his early sixties. Halfway through the meeting, the biggest boss and a few other big bosses receive an email via their blackberry. They started saying out, "oh XXX(one of their colleague), got a heart attack, and just had and operation. Then they were discussing about the news and XXX, saying," oh my god, he was so young, so fit. He would always go running and control his diet. How come such a thing will happen on him, etc, etc." They continued for a while, keep repeating that he was so young, till they mentioned that he was "only in his fifties". Though I only kept quiet listening throughout, but when I heard he was "only" in his fifties, after they kept saying he was so young, I got quite a "shock". Well if people in their thirties is considered fresh and people in their fifties are considered young, what am I? A toddler? It does not end there; after the meeting, some of us moved to another meeting room to touch up the revised slides to be sent out after the previous discussion. As a couple of them had to attend another meeting after our first one, we went straight into the board meeting room, before the board meeting starts, to do the slides while they waited for the others to come. As I am re-doing the slides, 1 by 1 of the "big shots" arrived for the meeting and sat down. Everyone in the board room were of vice president level and above, except me, the lowest of all executives.
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All the VPs started talking like friends, I have never seen them talked like this before, probably because now they are all of the same level and standing, can talk more freely like friends, compared to the usual stern, serious look they give you when you talk to them. Again, they started bringing age into the picture of the conversation. I do not know what is it with older ppl, that they always like to talk about age. They started talking about this young guy being a high flyer or somthing (din really pay attention to details as I am trying to rush through the slides and leave the place filled with all the big shots ASAP), and again said that he was only a young fellow, in his forties. Then they mentioned about Obama, saying he even more zai, President of US at only 45, so young, bah bah bah they carried on. After the "Friday Encounter" with all the power people in my company, and their conversations, it really makes me feels a little intimidated and small. It was really a rare experience for such a small fry like me, and it made me think about the words that they said. To these people who have really been through much more of life than me, people in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s are all considered young, and even fresh. For people like me only in my twenties, yet always complaining about being old, ought to be ashamed of myself. To them, I am probably just like a baby. A few things I learned from the above, is that no matter at what age you are at, you only as old as how others see you. You will only be as old as how old you think you are. We should all think young and positively. It is never too late to do what you want to do, to learn what you want to learn. We all have many many years ahead of us. Make use of your time and do what you always really want to do, do not be afraid that mistakes might set you back a couple of years; a couple of years is really nothing. There are decades ahead of you, do not be afraid of doing something you love, for the fear that you will fail. At least you tried and not have any regrets, than going on a safe path till the end of days and wondered what if. Though my interaction with very senior colleagues, I got to see life through their eyes for a brief moment, and felt what they experienced. I also realised how come advices from the elders are always so valuable, they have been through that phase, and they can share with you the ups and downs. Somethings in life, you can never really understand it till you have been through it and sometimes even though you know it is not good for you, you will still go ahead with it and it is destined for you to falter and fail before you can feel that pain; and only then it also becomes a word of advice from your dictionary to others.
P.S: I think it is time I focus more on my work, over here I still have a long ladder to climb. Yet on the other hand, no matter how far I climbed, there is never a platform along the way for me to take a rest, if I stopped, I will just fall off the ladder. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:12AM (+08:00)
22 April
1 month past Cheerobics 2009. Though it is only 1 month, it feels like a long time had past... Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:14AM (+08:00)
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Your duty
1 and a half years into the job. No longer can slack like before. Many things are expected of me now, no longer in the learning phase. So many more meetings and stuff. I think everywhere and anything you do is the same. If you are new, mistakes can be forgiven; but if you are in it for some time already, things and standards are expected of you. In cheer, it is the same. After some time, standards and expectations must be met by you.
P.S: Work suxs Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:18AM (+08:00)
Calvin
I consider myself still very young in life's long road ahead of me. Although 27 years is not considered a very long time, there were still many big decisions that I had make along the way. Every such decisions are life changing; you will never know what will become of you if you had made a different choice back then. For example, what will happen if you had chosen a different secondary school, or a different JC/Poly, or a different Uni. The different friends that you may meet, and the different activities that you will engage in. When it comes to big decisions, one may consult in their family and friends before making the final decision. But what are big decisions? For me, I feel that decisions which you had to stick with for a substantial period of your life constitute to a big decision. Back in school days, those decisions included which schools you want to join, because once you chosen it, it will be where you will be spending most of your time for the next 4 years for Sec, 2-3 years for high school, and another 3-4 years for Uni. And now in my career, big decisions include which line of work to choose, which company to join, which jobs to do, etc. For us, such big decisions are key milestones in our lives and many more are waiting to made. These are the kind of typical, traditional "big decisions"; such as school, work, house, marriage, kids and so on. We sort of already knew when the time comes, we have to make such a decision. However, have you thought about the smaller decisions in life, those that does not fall within the so called "big decisions", those that you never knew would become a part of a bigger picture? Some decisions may seemed small, that you thought probably will be a one time thing, but such decisions can actually end up becoming a large part of your life inadvertently. When you make a decision, sometimes it takes years, maybe decades for you to realise the full magnitude of that "small decision". For me I had made one such decision before in my life, and that "small decision" leads on to another and then another and then snowballed into one unforgettable, major part of my life now. That small little decision that I had made was to follow my friend, my senior, then later my mentor, to take a look at Hall 4 HO cheerleading training in 2003. It probably also took 122
alot of fate to bring us together into NTU out of 3 University in Singapore, and then into that 1 hall out of 15 halls in NTU and then into the same block and same level out of 6 different blocks. However, after that nothing was fated, it was all his hard work that pushed Hall 4 to join HO cheerleading that year, after they almost decide to pull out, and it was also his efforts in getting people to join. His name is Calvin Teo. He would always come to my room, or we would go out for supper, and we became friends. It was through our friendship, and his psyching and persuading, that I decided to go down to take a look after my exams. After the first session, where he taught me a few basics, such as elevator and shoulder sit, I got a clearer picture of the situation our hall was in; if we do not have enough people, we will have to pull out, which would be a very big thing then as all halls always participated. Well I made another decision and that is to help them for the HO performance.
Calvin Teo, the guy I owe my cheerleading career to.

We trained hard for 1 week, yes just 1 week, no more or no less, to put up our HO Cheerleading 2004 performance. You can take a look at the video below; for those younger ones, you probably will laugh(saying you can train that in a few minutes)and for those older ones, it will probably bring back some memories of the good old days. Well we all had fun, even though we got last, but the main thing is at least we tried and did not pull out. Team Hall 4 in HO Cheerleading 2004. (Me at the extreme right standing)
My first ever performance. Hall 4 HO Cheerleading 2004 (probably the one and only you can ever find on the web)
After HO 2004, Calvin continued to pass on his passion for cheerleading to me. He asked me if I was interested to join Cheerobics 2004. Calvin Teo was one of the important pioneers for NTU ACES, the unsung heroes behind all the glamour NTU ACES is receiving now. After HO, I got a taste of what cheerleading is about, but I would not say that I had developed a passion for it. I liked more about the interaction amongst the team, the fun that we had together during training. So when Calvin asked me to join Cheerobics 2004 with NTU ACES, I was not so sure still. However after some persuading, telling me it is a good oportunity to get more hall allocation points and to know more people, especially more girls(haha), I made another "small decision" to follow him. Together with another friend of mine from Hall 4, Weipin, we went with Calvin to join Cheerobics 2004. To me then it was more of just joining Cheerobics and not joining ACES; ACES was just a name to me then. But as if it was fated, one small decision leads to another, and before I know or even think about it, I am in NTU ACES for more than 5 years; the only place I can call home, the best team in Singapore currently. Training with ACES for Cheerobics 2004 was fun, and I got to try alot of new things as compared to HO Cheerleading (can tell from the above HO video), and that was also when I met Ian & Zhaoming, the only few still around till now. In ACES, we were all new to the cheer scene, we do not know about teams like Magnum, Vespers, Denvers, etc, who were in the business for very long already. The prelims were a eye opener, Magnum
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was superb and we were like noobs. In the end, the finals we manage to get 2nd after Magnum. We were all very happy, like one big family. My journey in cheerleading then carried on from the moment we lift that trophy, one small decision at a time. Without going to see HO training, I would not have joined, without joining HO, I would not have joined Cheerobics 2004, Without joining Cheerobics with ACES, I would not have seen the other magnificent teams out there, without seeing those teams, I would not have a bigger picture and understanding of cheerleading, and without that understanding, I would not be inspired to carry on... I would not have won my first Cheerobics... I would not have did my first cupie... so and so on.
Cheerobics 2004 Prelims. Simple but nice. The Finals. Final pyramid in my first competition. 1st Runner Up trophy. (Lets hope not to see the "Runner Up" word ever again)
It all starts with that small decision I made that change my whole life now, I cannot imagine what kind of life I would be leading now if cheerleading is not in the picture. Ever since 2003, cheerleading had been part of my life, and for the last 5 years, each day will not pass without cheerleading stuff running through my mind. Cheerleading has given me so much that it is not possible to list out everything. That small decision had to be the best decision I ever made up to now. I would like to thank Calvin so much, for being the man that made so much difference to my life than he can imagine. I guess my increase in passion for cheerleading is such a gradual thing, and had I not stop and look back now, I would not have realised that if I had to pick the one single person that is responsible for it, Calvin is the man. I really want to take this opportunity to thank Calvin, and also share with everyone about my friend, mentor and Shifu. In his time as a cheerleader, he is a very fit and strong base with a very nice temper; always putting the team before self. A very nice and helpful friend, always never rejects anyone in need. He is one of the lesser known early pioneer of ACES Cheerleading; someone who had done so much for cheer, than he was ever known and acknowledged for.
The man.
To Calvin: (Dun think you visit this blog, but if you ever read it...) I thank you for showing me what cheerleading is all about, and for bringing me into the sport. You are my first teacher and will be always. I learnt my first ever cheerleading skill from you, without that, I will not have been able to do the stunts I am doing now. Thank you. Although we did not contact for quite some time, I will not forget the times we break into SRC together and "borrowed" mats, and also all the stupid things that we did, etc, etc. You really did made a very big impact in my life, much more than you know it. Really thank you, so much more than the words have to say.
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Xingwei
Calvin, Weipin (as mentioned above, my earliest comrade in cheer) , Myself. Calvin on elevator. The first stunt he taught me. Calvin with BU flyer during Cheerobics 2004 Calvin, with all the early pioneers of ACES taking photo with me after Cheerobics 2007. (Also the last time I saw you.)
P.S: You once thanked me for helping out in Hall 4 HO Cheer '04. Now I have this to say back to you,"No, do not thank me. I thank you so much for that." Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:19AM (+08:00)
Today marks a New Beginning

TGIF
Friday, May 08, 2009
Everytime when it comes to goodbyes with my collegues on Fridays, they would always say,"Enjoy your weekends". As the saying goes, time passes quickly when you are enjoying yourself; so why will I want to enjoy my weekend for? If I enjoy it, time flies and my weekend will be over fast and before I know it I will be back in office. So to all people working,"Lets not enjoy our weekends so we can turn it into a long weekend!"
P.S: Life is full of paradox; one reason why, in my opinion, is because humans are never satisfied. Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:16PM (+08:00)
No Limits
Started reading this book on Michael Phelps. He is just like any other guy on the streets, just with a bit more imagination. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:13AM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
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Make a guess
Was going through some random videos and found this; and I realised I was quite daring back then. A video screen shot image of me doing "backtuck" midway when I just started learning. The distance of my head to the ground seems pretty little (~<50cm?). Do you think I made it standing at the end? Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:38AM (+08:00)

When was young, his grandma never allowed him to play basketball or even get near a ball. Her only wish and hope was for him to master in future. is a very powerful skill of dribbling a basketball, that you can defend and attack at the same time with zero loophole. This was what the master said. To be truely magnificent, to master great skills, it is best to start with zero knowledge, an empty mind. So when the time is ripe, when the right teaching comes your way or when it is time to learn the ; only then with a "mind of a newborn", is it possible to absorb every minor little details without any rejection from your mind because of what you learnt and experienced before.
P.S: Forget what you learnt about toss to hands... Stunt Posted by *star* at 07:36PM (+08:00)
Being Satisfied
I mentioned in my earlier post last week: Life is full of paradox; one reason why, in my opinion, is because humans are never satisfied. So is never being satisfied something good or bad? I believed that this is one of the very important traits of human beings; it got us from being a cave man to where we are now. If humans are always satisfied, records will not be broken, innovation will not happen, and life will not be changed. We should all always strive to be better, not get satisfied with what we already achieved. Being never satisfied indeed can bring us further, but only if it is still in your own control.
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P.S: The difference is to be able to acknowledge, appreciate and give thanks to whatever you had achieved; before you continue to strive for more. If you cannot enjoy and appreciate the moment when you achieved something, that is when this trait has gone overboard. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:59AM (+08:00)
Females the stronger gender?

Did some training last night. I trained till I could not even do a proper toss to hands, and my entire shirt was drenched with my sweat from top to bottom. However, Snow's shirt was still completely dry, and she told me this: "She got nothing from the training at all, except hurting knees and ankles from all the pop down; she did not felt that she had trained at all." Today on my way to work, as usual I would take a copy of My Paper and read. I read this article from the chinese section about "?" This article makes me go into deep thoughts. In summary, the article explores reasons why females are dominating Singapore sports scene at the moment; with the victory of our female table tennis in the 2008 Olympics as the most notable example. The article also mentions for the first time, since the establishment of Singapore National Olympic Committee(SNOC) Awards in 1967, the "Best Male Athelete of the year award" has zero nomination because no single male is deserving of that award and hence not awarded. As reported on the paper, some reasons given that may be attributing to the senario now is due to the lower international standards for females as compared to males and also the higher participation of males in competitions. Another reason stated is the disruption of training for males due to NS commitments. Another reason that I picked out is the fact that females can receive more help in training from males but not vice-versus; for example a female table tennis player can spar with a male player to maximise and bring out her potential by playing with the quicker and stronger male player. The paper also said that this phenomenon may just be a temporary one, with more male atheletes up and coming. After some thoughts from reading the article, coupled with last night's training, I start to seriously agree with the statement: "" Are the reasons given by My Paper a true reflection or are they just excuses for our under-performing male atheletes? To me, I start to think that they are all but excuses, it is either you succeed or you fail. Don't tell me that the female atheletes mentioned in the paper did not train hard for their competition? They may be where they are now because they put in so much more efforts than their male counterparts. And please do not take the credit away from them by saying stuff like there is less competition and lower international standards for females, they deserved to be right where they are now. I resoundingly think that for the cheer scene in Singapore, the guys are much weaker than the girls in general, maybe with few and far between exceptions. Let me talk in terms of partner stunting, if the guy is not good and strong enough to base the flyer, there
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is no way the flyer can do her stunts or try any new tricks. Now I know why Snow did not even break a sweat last night; the stunts that we were doing are so "elementary" to her. It is not like she was doing something new, it was stuff that she had done 2 years ago when the Taiwanese came down. Then all the Taiwanese bases had to do was to mention and explain to her a few details of the stunt and there you have it, she did it on the first or next couple of tries with them; stuff like full up, full around, tick tocks, pop overs (It can all be seen from her videos). It took me 2 years to be doing what they had been doing back then, and still I am less consistent. People sometimes are amazed or wonder how come Snow can take a 1 year break without training and yet come back and do all the stuff as if she had been training hard and that she had not been away. The reason is that it is all very simple stunts for her, which I must elaborate again that she already did it 2 YEARS AGO and the only variable comes from the base that is me. The point I am trying to make is that all, every single one of the bases in Singapore are weak, if not they are strong but have no techniques! In the My Paper article, they mentioned about the male table tennis players playing and helping the female players reach a higher standard. To me, this does not apply at all to the males in cheerleading, we do not help the females of our sport to reach higher standards or maximise their potential, instead we are actually impeding them. In all my years of experience, from what I see from all the different trainings at different places in Singapore, it is always the bases who said lets take a break, or complained about having no strength; yes when I say this it includes myself. When is the time we as bases in Singapore want to start to buck up? If we know that we are way off the mark, shouldn't we be working doubly hard? or much harder than the girls? So is this phenomenon really a temporary one, with more male atheletes up and coming, like what My Paper says? I think not in 1 or 2 years time. In cheer, what I can see from the new generation of bases is promising in general at the moment, but to say, for example, that we are going to have even 10 sets of flyers and bases doing Pop Overs together, I think we are still way off the mark, unless all bases have a radical change in their mindset. Bases who felt wronged and aggrieved by my stinging accusations, that we are all below standards, feel free to prove me otherwise, I will be more than happy to be able to eat my words one day. Myself as a base, I will like to make myself eat my own words too, no matter how much I do not like the feeling, I have to accept it. Improvements only starts after acceptance.
P.S: Maybe this is why there is only 1 base nomination compared to several flyers nomination in Chaang's top 20 - There are just no base deserving of that accolade. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:03AM (+08:00)
Thursday, May 21, 2009

Well I know that by claiming that all bases are weak was quite hard on all; it was purely down to my own frustrations at my own incapability and I just had to get something off my chest. After reading the post through again, it kind of felt like I was imposing my dreams and beliefs. I was wrong to do that. Being harsh on myself will do just fine. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:33AM (+08:00)
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

If you cannot tumble and you also cannot stunt, either buck up or go join a cheer dance team (assuming you can at least dance)... Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:44PM (+08:00)

Let's overcome all our obstacles to get to where we want to be. Jiayou. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:53AM (+08:00)
Working Vs Training
Been working 12 days in a row already, and each day for almost 18 hours. I miss trainings. Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:28AM (+08:00)
Insight into Decision Making

A passage I read before and recently happen to read it again. ------------------------------------------------------------. . . A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track. The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way? Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make........ ........ Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place? Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to
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play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him. The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens.. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids. While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one. 'Remember that what's right isn't always popular..... and what's popular isn't always right.' Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:08PM (+08:00)
Evolution takes a leap every now and then.

Sunday, June 07, 2009
It has been 2 years. And now it is coming back at us again. Won't it ever give me break?! Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:06PM (+08:00)

21 days straight already. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:38PM (+08:00)

The years becoming shorter as I get older. It is going July soon, half the year has past in a flash. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:16PM (+08:00)

My post are becoming so short and sketchy these days, but its all the time I have. Still stuck at work now, taking a short break. Hai~! Holiday mood still haven set in yet, though we are leaving this weekend. Stunt Posted by *star* at 07:59PM (+08:00) 130
The answer is...

This is the first time I did BT outside of crash mats or cushion. Jumped back so far but I still managed to land; must be a miracle.
P.S: I will probably pass my standing board jump with this. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:07PM (+08:00)
Good Old Days

Trip to Taiwan
Monday, July 06, 2009
My trip to Taiwan again proves me 1 thing again: That is my techniques and will are not strong enough. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:52PM (+08:00)
No hands
2 years of training handstand is showing some results... Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:02AM (+08:00)
Set your sights further

Thursday, July 09, 2009
It's the time of the year again where it is supposedly the "lull" period in SG Cheer; time to next year's Nationals is still quite long to go. This is the period teams are regrouping themselves, getting new members, and re-training up their teams. Exchanges between teams are also during this period, this also includes getting overseas cheerleaders down to teach us, and also going overseas ourselves to join their camps or just have some training sessions with them. Basically everyone are trying their best to improve their skills and techniques during this period to better prepare for Nationals next year. I myself have been no exception to these and no stranger to interacting with cheerleaders from other countries during this period. For the 5 years I have been in cheer, in this very same period, I have always had help from overseas cheerleaders 1 way or another . In 2004, I went for JCA 2 days workshop in SG and for the first time in my life saw a cupie
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live. In 2005, I went over to RSU in Thailand and really brush up my basics and then our Thai friends also came to help us for our annual cheer camp. In 2006, I went over to Thailand again and got my first single liberty with Xuewei right after I came back. In 2007, we had the privilege to invite our Taiwan friends down, I was impressed once again and totally had a new insight into stunting and changed my techniques totally from scratch again. In 2008, Xuewei and I went over to Taiwan and I got to learn my first ever full around with a Taiwanese flyer. In 2009, I recently just came back from Taiwan and now got a chance to learn from Kentucky, my all time idol team. So you see, every year around this period is pretty exciting for me. It is true that each time I learnt something new and different and all these interactions are very valuable. However there is also 1 thing that I know from all these experience, that is you do not improve over night just because you get to breathe the same air or eat the same food as them. You do not just go for a 1 week overseas training and come back doing what they can do already; most of the times you come back at the same level as before you went. If you are physically and technically not at that level yet, it will not change overnight. You will only master what your body is ready to do, meaning learning something that you probably already "can" do, but just that you did not realise it, or your mind did not think you can do it. So think of such overseas exchanges only more as a "mind opener" or "mind training", it does not actually train you physically. For example, before my recent trip to Taiwan, I could not do tick tock low tick tock, but over there, after a few tries, I got it. What this means is that probably I already had the potential and capability to do it, only that I did not actually had the mind to do it yet back in SG. The opposite is also true with rewind, I am not ready yet, and it will not change over night. This led me to come up with, "what you can do - you can do, what you cannot do - you cannot do". This applies for your present phyical and technical abilities. Of course, with training physically and technically, you will get it 1 day, but as of the present moment, if your ability is not of that level yet, you will not master what is beyond you. Personal training long after the overseas coaches are gone is the key to improvement, not the few days spent with them. See as much, listen as much and absorb as much as you can in these few days, then take them and apply to your training, only then you can really improve. Currently, as I am typing this now, we have argubly the world's top coaches and players from the eastern and western worlds on our little island shores. There is no doubt, and not a surprize that everyone is trying to get a piece of them, as they all want to learn and improve. They can teach you everything, from shoulder sits, to elevators, to hands, to extensions, to cupies, to rewinds and anything there is on the market. But ask yourself, are you ready for all they have to offer? And also different techniques and methods of the east and west may be provided, but which is correct? Nothing is wrong, as long as it works for you. Different methods and techniques may work better for individuals at different levels, so learn to listen, absorb, discern and take whatever works for you and then make it your own; do not only blindly follow and not understand the underlying principles. Someday, I hope that Singapore cheer will develop to the stage where people from overseas are inviting us down to help them, and not always us inviting people down. We already do have many coaches in various teams in Singapore who are very good, who have more than sufficient knowledge to impart and bring the overall local standard of cheerleading up. At the current average level of cheerleading in Singapore, this is sufficient and not an overkill. Listen to what your coaches have to offer after our overseas 132
friends have gone, they are the ones who will make more impact on your trainings; do not rebute them with statements like:"I could do that with so and so from US or Taiwan, I am not wrong, you are wrong etc". Even harbouring such thoughts will only impede you from improving and progressing. Utimately in many years to come, we want to create our own local style of cheerleading and be as good as our overseas friends, and not only always to be living in their shadows. We do not always want to depend on them. Afterall, as the chinese saying goes:"yuan shui jiu bu liao jing huo" (Water from far cannot save you from a fire that is near you). In times of real need, help always come from a source near to you. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:49AM (+08:00)

So now we have seen Kentucky, then what's next? Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:37PM (+08:00)
No Boundaries
Seconds, hours, so many days You know what you want but how long can you wait Every moment last forever If you feel you've lost your way What if your chances are already gone Started believing that I could be wrong But you give me one good reason To fight and never walk away Cause here I am still holding on Every step you climb another mountain Every breath it's harder to believe You'll make it through the pain Whether the hurricanes To get to that one thing So you think the road is going nowhere Just when you've almost gave up on your dreams Then take it by the hand And show you that you can There are no boundaries There are no boundaries I fought to the end to stand on the edge What if today is as good it gets Don't know where the future's headed Nothing's gonna bring me down I've jumped every bridge and I've run every line I've risked being saved but I always knew why
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I always knew why So here I am still holding on Every step you climb another mountain Every breath it's harder to believe You'll make it through the pain Whether the hurricanes To get to that one thing So you think the road is going nowhere Just when you've almost gave up on your dreams Then take it by the hand And show you that you can You can go higher, you can go deeper There are no boundaries above and beneath you Break every rule cause there's nothing between you and your dreams Every step you climb another mountain Every breath it's harder to believe Yeah, there are no boundaries There are no boundaries With every step you climb another mountain Every breath it's harder to believe You'll make it through the pain Whether the hurricanes There are no boundaries There are no boundaries There are no boundaries
No Boundaries - Kris Allen Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:20PM (+08:00)
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24 more to go...
I used to think this was insane... Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:26AM (+08:00)
Everyone's doing it
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
If you are thinking how your team can improve their stunting abilities but have no idea where to start from, see below...
Nothing can depict the importance of handstand as much as this picture (Can your whole team do this?)
(This is the spot where am I contest, winner wins an I-phone. Haha, just kidding.) These are students of Vanung University doing mass handstands, every single 1 of their bases can hold their own handstand very stably. P.S: Now do you still wonder why their stunting are that good, or why yours is not? Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:00PM (+08:00)
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Now that I have tried and tested myself the benefits of handstands, I am going to try to bust another myth:- "Having a tummy will improve your stunting abilities". The myth has it that the bigger your tummy, the better you stunt. I think that after handstand, the next important thing that one can do to try to improve their stunting abilities is to have nice and strong abs. Well this might take some time for me, just like when I just started out training my handstand 2 years ago, but I shall once again test and try to see the benefits it brings.
P.S: Strength in the right place and the right time is what matters, not just brute strength. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:17AM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
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29July
Happy Birthday to Snow. (Finally turn 18 this year... again. haha.) Some photos of her convocation last Friday. Wishing Snow a very happy birthday once again and to have a bright future ahead. P.S: Happy Birthday to OWC and Jasmine too =) Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:37AM (+08:00)
MP
Sunday, August 02, 2009
"80% of swimmers like to win 20% hate to lose and 95% of the Olympic team comes from the hate-to-lose group."
Eddie Reese U.S men's swim coach 2004-2008 Olympics Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:07PM (+08:00)
Lucky number 3
In a flash, its 5th of August again, it is now 3 years. (The first 2 years can be sumed up here: http://x-wonder.blogspot.com/2008/08/2-years-of-journey.html) So back then, our 2nd year of journey ended with experimenting with Tick tocks, Pop overs etc. Now 1 more year into it, we finally could do it all; what I considered the 4 basic elements of partner stunting - Full ups, Tick Tocks, Full Arounds, Pop Overs. It seems the higher we climb, the harder it is to move even higher, but nevertheless we will do it. Some targets that we set for the new year ahead; they still revolve around the 4 basic elements, just variations of it, such as Full up to Cupie, Tick Tock Stretches, Full Around to Cupie, Low Pop Overs. At the same time, we aim to master and link up the 4 basic elements together and do it all in one go. Ok enough of goal setting, it is time to let actions speak louder. Jiayou!
Past... An old video of the first 2 years of journey:
Present... Video of the 4 basic elements of stunting we achieved in the past 1 year:
Future... Video of what we aim to achieve; how we want to link the 4 basic elements together:
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P.S: I was right when I said last year that we are going to see many more tick tocks and pop overs in less than 2 years. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:01AM (+08:00)
Just 1 will do
Friday, August 07, 2009
Yes that's right, Snow always seems to be 1 step ahead of me; full up cupie, full around cupie & 1 arm tick tock. These are what I am going to do in 1 year's time and she had already done it. Wait for me ok?
P.S: A flyer can only do what a base can do. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:03AM (+08:00)

"I believe everyone has the capacity to go one step beyond their percieved limits and often the biggest limits in life are the ones we impose on ourselves." Chris Moon Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:02PM (+08:00)
Fold or Call?
Saturday, August 22, 2009
It is always easier to let go, but harder to strive on.
P.S: Will you give up or work harder? Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:25AM (+08:00)
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That's what you get for burning the candle from both ends... Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:37PM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
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Episode 8... were having a meeting after watching a video match of their next opponents. They were discussing about the strength and weakness of the other team. . . . W: W: What this tells us is that the more the team looks ordinary, or normal, the more you have to be wary and cautious about them. Sometimes a team may consist all of unknown or unheard of players, they may have no publicity, but this batch of humble players when put together into a team; and with their tireless, industrious productivity, is capable to defeat any all-star team out there.
P.S: Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:41PM (+08:00)
Fatter but not Taller

Just read an article on Yahoo news about Singapore soccer. SINGAPORE : Singapore football captain Noh Alam Shah has slammed Singapore football, saying it is stagnant. The 29 year old said he has had enough of Singapore football, citing a lack of motivation due to poor attendances at S.League matches. So has cheerleading in Singapore reached a stagnant point too? In my opinion, it is not stagnant yet to some extent. Why do I only say to some extent? This is because, it is still expanding slowly, albeit only horizontally; more teams are sprouting and more people are joining cheer. However, it is not growing vertically, the skills level and competition standards at the top are not getting better. For example, we may be able to see 7-8 liberties/cupies in a routine from more teams, but we are not seeing even 4-5 toss cupies/fullup liberties in a routine. We are having more teams with round off back tucks, but not more 3 element passes or more advance element like round off twist layouts. So are we stuck at the current level due to a lack of motivation too? Due to the lack of people or sponsors who appreciate the sport of cheerleading?
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In my opinion, Noh Alam Shah was only half right. Did he question himself why are there poor attendances at S.League matches? As a soccer supporter myself and from my point of view, people stop turning up to watch because of poor performaces put up in the soccer matches; the standard of play did not improve "vertically" over the past 10 years. Soccer is a far more matured sport in Singapore compared to cheerleading. Is Singapore cheer going to become like Singapore soccer one day, when it is no longer even expanding horizontally? So how to solve the issue of lack of motivation and support to improve, and/or to improve in order to get support and motivation? This is a chicken and egg problem; that we all will just have to do our part to solve. I just hope that down the road, Cheerleading in Singapore need not have to face the same fate as Singapore soccer. If something has to be done, it has to be done now.
P.S: Support/Motivation and Standard of Cheerleading; which comes first? It is just like Technique and Strength; which comes first? Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:48PM (+08:00)

Thoughts Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:02AM (+08:00)
A good site to recommend (confidentcheerleadingblog.com)

Which are you? Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:55PM (+08:00)
Look a little further

They say that life is what you make of your own choices. Every desicion you make will get you ended up in a different scenario, situation. The bigger the choice is, the bigger will be the difference in the impact of decision. Some people like to make decisions, some people like others to make decisions for them. We all belong somewhere in between the 2 extreme ends of the spectrum. We make some decisions and also allow others to decide for us at times. (The all too familiar "shui bian, anything, or up to you comes to mind") Some people may be better off without a choice than with a choice; as they tend to make the "wrong choices" when they get to choose. For example in my JC days, when I am still studying triple science in year 1, I have very little free time in school, and I am given no choice but to cherish those times more and use it to study. But when I dropped 1 subject, hoping to get more time to cope with the others during school hours; instead of using my spare time to study, I make the "wrong" choice of playing soccer or go out of school. End
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up, I am better off with "less time" than with more. There are also those who can really make full use of their choices and try to make their lives better. These are the people with aims, who know what they want; they usually know how to make the "right choices". Actually in my opinion, there are no right or wrong choices, just choices that get you to different scenarios and situations. You probably won't know if the decision is good for you, or if the other choice would have been be better, even till the day you die. Ok, now regardless of whether you like to make decisions or not, and regardless of whether you make the right ones or not; are you indeed "controlling your own life"? Usually in life you are presented with choices or decisions for you to make. But to what extend are we really "choosing" or "making the decision"? We often can only see what is placed in front of our eyes and not further. A diagram showing the chain of choices made: Above is a very simplified choice diagram to illustrate my views. As you can see, my choice is very straight forward, just to go or not to go Thailand to support ACES. It was pretty much presented in front of me for me to make a decision. But am I really making a decision? my own decision? Of course I am making my own decision; that is what it seems. But do I really have a choice? The answer is NO. In a very much simplified way to explain; My choice was actually presented to me because of a decision that NTU ACES made:- that is to go compete. And even NTU ACES choice was presented to them because of the decision by Thailand Cheer Association made:- that is to invite international teams. We shall just stop at 3 tier to illustrate my point. From a very layman view, I did make my own choice; but did I really had the choice of deciding the choice I want to make? (Starting to get confused?) Another diagram to sum it up: (I am not too sure of all the party in charge for the selection of venue or renovation, but 1 thing for sure; they must be pretty big F***.) So for example; for myself or ACES members, there is no training as there is no venue due to renovation. We have a choice of whether we want to go to the gym together or to train ourselves, or to do something else. Let's say we make the very wise choice of going to gym together for training, are we really "making that choice"? I think by now you do get my point. The choices we have to make are often thrown to us in the face. But who is to decide why I need to make these choices. (Analogy: It can be something like a kidnapper asking you to make a choice between eating shit and drinking urine. Why do I even have to make this choice in the first place?) So to sum it up, it is not about whether you like to make decisions, or whether you make the right decisions; it is about whether you can create or decide your own choices to make. Have you noticed that the higher up you are in the chain of decision, the more you can affect others. Now let's forget about the rationales and just assume some scenario. If you become the director of NTU board and you decide not to renovate SRC, NTU ACES Committee will not have to make the decision to stop training nor will the members be presented with a choice to make, it all ends when you decide not to renovate. If you look higher up the chain; if you become the president of IOC, and you decide not to have 140
YOG, non of those down the chain will have to make a single decision. So to sum it up, we should not always be only making decisions based on choices presented to us, instead try to climb up the chain, 1 level up at a time, and make the decisions that will present you with the choice that you want to make. For example if you are a member of ACES, try to get in the committee, be involved in the decision making process to cancel training, then make the decision to go train in the gym. In a similar way, try to climb the "tree" as high up as possible, and then even 1 fart you make will affect many. Do not think making the choice; think creating your own choice to make.
P.S: We need to get more people up there. You think the people up there can do a cupie? Nah, but they can decide if more will. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:27PM (+08:00)
Motivation Vs Discipline
We make a distinction between motivation and discipline: Motivation is doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, when we want to do it. Discipline is doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, when we dont want to do it. -Bobbi DePorter-
Bottom line is, what needed to be done had to be done; no matter what.
P.S: When you lose your motivation, you can still have your discipline. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:07PM (+08:00)
Not everyone is born talented

"Every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them." ---Wise Man--- Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:28AM (+08:00)
Huat
Sunday, October 04, 2009
How many of you have heard of Michael Phelps before 2008? I believe 90% of you do not know who he is before Beijing Olympics.
2007 - 2011
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Anyone know which is the first Olympics he participted in? It is the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. ------------------------------------------------------------------8 years? Have anyone of you even cheer for 8 years already? I have only cheered for a full 5 years. So you may be a nobody for many years, but if you work hard and live your dreams, you will be somebody one day. Even the best does not have it easy.
P.S: Successful people make a habit of doing things that unsucessful people don't like to do. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:12PM (+08:00)
Double Edge
Sometimes pride and ego can keep a person going, but it can also impede the person as well. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:32AM (+08:00)

If given the chance to be young again would you take it? Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:55AM (+08:00)

This is tough Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:40PM (+08:00)
The next level

The only way to making money is if you are selling something. So why sell yourself to your company when you can be selling to everybody. Give me some time, and I will do my part. P.S: The only difference in all sales is in the conscience. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:21AM (+08:00)
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A thousand words
Many unspoken ones too... Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:37AM (+08:00)
Criteria for The World's Healthiest Foods

Among the thousands of different foods our world provides, the majority contain at least several of the nutrients our bodies need but to be included as one of the World's Healthiest Foods they had to meet the criteria listed below. The criteria we used will also help you understand why some of your favorite (and also nutritious) foods may not be included on our list. For example, Readers have asked why pomegranate, a very nutritious food, is not included on our website. While pomegranates taste great and are rich in vitamins and flavonoid phytonutrients, they are still rather expensive which makes them not as widely available to many people. 1. The World's Healthiest Foods are the Most Nutrient Dense The World's Healthiest Foods have been selected because they are among the richest sources of many of the essential nutrients needed for optimal health. We used a concept called nutrient density to determine which foods have the highest nutritional value. Nutrient density is a measure of the amount of nutrients a food contains in comparison to the number of calories. A food is more nutrient dense when the level of nutrients is high in relationship to the number of calories the food contains. By eating the World's Healthiest Foods, you'll get all the essential nutrients that you need for excellent health, including vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, essential fatty acids, fiber and more for the least number of calories. Read more about Our Food and Recipe Rating System. 2. The World's Healthiest Foods are Whole Foods The World's Healthiest Foods are also whole foods complete with all their rich natural endowment of nutrients. They have not been highly processed nor do they contain synthetic, artificial or irradiated ingredients. And whenever possible, The Healthier Way of Eating recommends purchasing "Organically Grown" foods, since they not only promote your health, but also the health of our planet. 3. The World's Healthiest Foods are Familiar Foods The World's Healthiest Foods are common "everyday" foods. These include the fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, lean meats, fish, olive oil, herbs and spices that are familiar to most people. 4. The World's Healthiest Foods are Readily Available Although there are many foods that are exceptionally nutritious, many of them are not readily available in different areas of the country. The World's Healthiest Foods are foods
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that the majority people can easily find at their local market. 5. The World's Healthiest Foods are Affordable We have selected foods that are not only familiar and available, but also affordable, especially if you purchase them locally and in season. This is also the time when they are the freshest and of the best quality. 6. The World's Healthiest Foods Taste Good The World's Healthiest Foods are also some of the world's best tasting foods. We have created recipes using the World's Healthiest Foods that do not overpower, but enhance, the unique flavor of each food. Each recipe provides a flavor adventure so you can discover new ways to experience and enjoy the great natural tastes of these foods.
Taken from: whfoods.com Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:50PM (+08:00)

The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose. - Kahlil Gibran Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:04PM (+08:00)
Your state of mind determines everything.

Saturday, October 31, 2009
I believe everyone heard of the law of attraction before. That is asking for it, and believing that you will get it, then accepting it. It applies to everything you do; for example if you want to do a toss cupie, the first thing to do is just believe that you can do it. When you believe in something and your body is in tune with it, the steps to achieving it will follow naturally. I first heard about the LOA sometime back in 2007. I started to apply what it means. At that point of time, I still cannot do Full-ups, or Tick tocks, but I tried to believe that 1 day I will do it. Well and as we all know now, that I did it. From the time I started thinking about it, to the time I first execute it, it was more than half a year. LOA does not work like a "miracle thought", that immediately thinking about it and it will happen. However in that half a year's time, I had to constantly tell myself and believe that I can do it, because if ever I stop believing during that half a year's time, I would not have been able to succeed. For me the LOA technique was still quite effective. However, at my current point in life, there are just too many things for me to handle, to think about; too much things to do and too little time. I am starting to lose some focus here, but I still want to improve my skills in cheerleading. That is when I knew that I had to be financially independant to achieve that. In simple words, I need to earn money at my own convenience, and not be tied to a desk for 8 hours a day. For me now, the relation is very simple: Financial Independence = Better Skills.
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Now I shall try to implement LOA to earning more money, but on top of the LOA method, I went to research more different techniques, which includes meditation, yoga, hynosis, etc. I was hoping that using a combination of techniques can help speed up the process (Half a year is too long to wait sometimes). Below is an extract from 1 of the articles I had researched.
"We want to help you to do that -- to find your personal rhythm of money. Lanphear suggests a simple exercise to help us to tune in to our Money Rhythm. O'Donnell teaches us to tune in to the vibrations being experienced by our Higher Mind. The meditation practice is almost the same. It takes 40 minutes. 1. Pay attention to your breathing, making sure that one breath leads to the next with no space between breaths. Take 10 minutes. 2. Let your breathing take a comfortable pace, and pay attention to your heart region. Find the rhythmic/vibrational pulse that is not your heart beat. This is your money rhythm. Take 10 minutes. 3. Look for your physical rhythm, whether a swaying, movement of your head or legs or hands. You might see patterns of light or hear a sound. This your physical money rhythm. 4. Rest for 10 minutes. Stretch and come out of the relaxation slowly. This will attune you to the vibrations of your money rhythm. It is recommended to do this at least twice a day, before breakfast and before dinner for at least 10 to 20 minutes. You will find with practice that the first 10 minutes can be dropped as you will be able to tune in quickly to your money rhythm. It only requires that you ask your higher power to help you to attune to your money rhythm."
Click here to see full article.
P.S: Some things I am doing now may seemed crazy, but I am willing to explore. Need a faster solution. Stunt Posted by *star* at 05:55PM (+08:00)
Never try never know

Just as I was trying to find means and ways to achieve success, I came across a pretty cool website as I was doing my research. Heard of Binaural Beats? Basically it works by helping you to lower your brain frequency to a desired state, such as the state of meditation etc, that are beneficial to you. One of the beats that got me to the site, and that I interests me most is "Manifestation". It aids LOA by by eliminating the brain's natural blockages which helps you rid yourself of doubt and negative feelings. One more benefit - it is said to very fast. (Speeds up the LOA process = Full up Cupie sooner) The site has alot of other very interesting ones too. For more info and free samples go Check it out
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P.S: To have something you've never had, Do something you've never done. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:22PM (+08:00)
4 years seemed to pass so quickly...

Thursday, November 05, 2009
many more to come. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:13PM (+08:00)
Perservere
Defeat doesn't finish a man QUIT does. A man is not finished when he's defeated. He's FINISHED when he quits Richard Milhous Nixon (1913 94) U.S. president
TIP: The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination. Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming of it. To overcome, one must either find a way, or make one. Most people achieved their greatest success one step beyond what looked like their greatest failure. In other words, many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:38PM (+08:00)
Bearish
The real threats are not those you can see, but those which you cannot see... Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:09AM (+08:00)
Leverage
"Give me a lever and a point of support,"said Archimedes,"and I will lift the world." Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:20AM (+08:00)
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1 Week+ to Germany
Saturday, November 14, 2009
It's now about 1 week more to the IFC world championship in Germany. We will be competing in the group stunt international category. Today training was the best so far, manage to get all stunts up(without the "icing on the cake" yet though). OK, for those who want to take a look at the sneak preview video, leave me an email with your name to request for it. Thanks for all the support. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:39AM (+08:00)
Success breeds success

Below is an article based on a study done in MIT. When people tell you it is ok to fail and learn from your mistake, they are probably half right. It is ok to fail, but you do not "learn" till you succeed.
If you've ever felt doomed to repeat your mistakes, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory may have explained why: Brain cells may only learn from experience when we do something right and not when we fail. In the July 30 issue of the journal Neuron, Earl K. Miller, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience, and MIT colleagues Mark Histed and Anitha Pasupathy have created for the first time a unique snapshot of the learning process that shows how single cells change their responses in real time as a result of information about what is the right action and what is the wrong one. "We have shown that brain cells keep track of whether recent behaviors were successful or not," Miller said. Furthermore, when a behavior was successful, cells became more finely tuned to what the animal was learning. After a failure, there was little or no change in the brain - nor was there any improvement in behavior. The study sheds light on the neural mechanisms linking environmental feedback to neural plasticity - the brain's ability to change in response to experience. It has implications for understanding how we learn, and understanding and treating learning disorders.
Rewarding success
Monkeys were given the task of looking at two alternating images on a computer screen. For one picture, the animal was rewarded when it shifted its gaze to the right; for another picture it was supposed to look left. The monkeys used trial and error to figure out which images cued which movements.
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The researchers found that whether the animals' answers were right or wrong, signals within certain parts of their brains "resonated" with the repercussions of their answers for several seconds. The neural activity following a correct answer and a reward helped the monkeys do better on the trial that popped up a few seconds later. "If the monkey just got a correct answer, a signal lingered in its brain that said, 'You did the right thing.' Right after a correct answer, neurons processed information more sharply and effectively, and the monkey was more likely to get the next answer correct as well," Miller said, "But after an error there was no improvement. In other words, only after successes, not failures, did brain processing and the monkeys' behavior improve." Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:43AM (+08:00)
1 more week
To build up momentum for the coming World Championship next week...
P.S: Will be even better in 2010 Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:00AM (+08:00)
80
The smaller I become, the better I get.
P.S: Going to see 7 soon. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:57AM (+08:00)
Millionaire Mind
I was wondering to myself:"How come I feel much better doing stunts these few days; I haven been training at all for almost the past half a year." I came to the conclusion that it comes down to 3 main reasons. 1. I lost weight 2. My knee hurts less now 3. My mindset changed For the past almost half a year, from the time I came back from Taiwan, I had been losing weight. From 90kg when I just came back from Taiwan, to 84kg in 3 months. Then I started taking this nutrition supplement as a meal replacement, and for the next 2 months, I lost another 4 kg to 80kg. I lost a total of 10kg in 5 months.
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My knee also hurts less now, I feel it may be because of the lesser weight on them and also because of the nutrition supplement that I am taking. It helps the body restore to a well balance state. The last reason, which I felt was the main reason for feeling better, is the mind. In fact, it was my mental which drives me to lose weight and got introduced to the amazing product. What you want in life, you attract it to you. A person's life is determined by 4 components, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual and Physical. Realise that 75% of it is in the head. And of that 75%, mental is the 1 that is the most within your control (it is much harder to control emotions, thats why people often emo). Consider this analogy, the fruits of the tree synonymies to your success; and if the fruit is rotten, where do you think is the problem? The problem is probably in the roots. And the roots synonymies to your mind. What you cannot see (the roots) is 75% of the equation to success. I have been trying to work on myself the past 2 months, especially in the mental aspect. By a combination of a sequence of seemingly random events, I went for the Millionaire Mind Intensive (MMI) seminar held at Expo over the weekends. It was a seminar by T Harv Eker, author of the "Secrets of a millionaire mind". Objective of the seminar is to show people the minds and habits of rich people and help begin the process to condition everyone to think, believe and act like rich people, so that everyone can become rich and successful like the millionaires in the world. Some people may have started saying that it is so corny, cheesy, stupid, scam or whatever negative. I do know and got to interact with such people with a very negative mindset to change and learning. I can understand them, and the reason for such a behaviour is because it is programmed deep down into their subconcious already. However if you have an open mind, I am very sure if you implement what you learnt(from the seminar), you will become very successful. In fact I was only half correct when I said "implement what you learnt"; it should be unlearning what was taught to you in the past that got you to the state you are in now. Ever heard of old habits die hard; this is what it is all about, "unlearning" your old habits that stops you from more successes. I cannot remember whose quote, but it goes someting like: "Failure is often not about what you do not know, it is about what you know that just ain't so" MMI was fundamentally supposed to be a seminar on how to create wealth, how to become rich; but I thought that it goes much beyond just generating money, it gives alot of insights into life itself. I always mentioned in the past that to do cheerleading or any other sport to the highest level, you have to do it as your lifestyle. This is no difference when you want to attain high levels of success - you have to live success as your lifestlye. Success as with everything else can be trained. My mother was telling me that she watched videos of T Harv Eker before almost 10 years ago, and that he looked slimmer and much healthier now. I guess success, health and your image are directly related. In fact they are as revealed in the seminar. If you want to change the world, start by changing yourself. It is also no wonder, that statistically, obese people are not as successful as those not. (Don't take my word for this; just go google on this topic and you can find lots of articles relating obesity with health and money.) This is not the same as saying fat people will not be successful; but just maybe not realising their full potential.
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Henry Ford: "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're both right". Your life is basically made up of your thoughts, and then living in such a way to fulfill your thoughts. You manifest your thoughts, no matter positive or negative. The universe has infinite possibilities, it will give you what you asked for. The last part to the puzzle would be then to receive. Receive what the universe is trying to give you, it may come in the form of signs or hints, in form of a person, or inspired thoughts. It may not always be something which you like, if you asked for help, but is still resistant to receive, then all the goodness will go to someone else. Your comfort zone is in direct proportion to your money zone; be willing to do what's uncomfortable and it will be the time you are growing. So all in all, what is in a millionaire's mind? To sum it up: it is not just about making lots of money, but in a millionaire's mind, it is desire, the belief and the lifestyle to succeed. One cannot achieve complete success if one cannot become better from every single cell of one's body. Start to find improvment in your life, focus on the improvements, and improvements will come. The greatest hurdle often comes in the form of: "I know that".
P.S: Just when you think the road is going nowhere; just when you've almost gave up on your dreams... Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:55AM (+08:00)
Story of my
Was talking about history just now, how each of us went through a long tough road in cheerleading. And then we remembered and brought back memories of a long lost video made by non other than our Cheerobics 2009 Partner Stunt Champion Base; who everyone come to know as Kelvin Awesome. It is a never seen before footage by the public (only certain fortunate people ever saw it), something like a "Leak xxx Tape". Remember this post, Awesome WPSL? And the video below?
Would you all be interested to see the "self made home video" of my first ? Of how he began his cheerleading career? How many of you would like to see the "Leak xxx Tape"? Haha. Ok the wait is finally over. For the first time it shall go live to all!! He was indeed very kind to be willing to share this video with everyone and given me the permission to do so. His hope is that it can inspire the young budding cheerleaders out there and to let all have a good laugh at the same time.
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Ok without further a do... Presenting to you the video taken out from the archives; from the olden times where video specifications were less than 1 megapixels. Enjoy!
You surpassed your "Ultimate Dream" by miles and is still going on and on...
P.S: This guy has grown by leaps and bounds (so has his size literally, haha) since the first day I see him cheer; No doubt a Champion in everyone's eyes. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:12AM (+08:00)
Ultimate Dream
Watched the video made personally by my few years back already? If you did I hope that you enjoyed it or had a good laugh at it. Everyone starts from the beginning and slowly work their way to the top. The above mentioned video might be funny to some, especially to those that went through the road together with Kelvin Awesome right from the start; but at the same time, I think the main message that I am trying to bring across is that everyone starts the same, and then you write your own story from then on. Another important message is that everyone should have your own "Ultimate Dream", and then work towards it. It is fundamental that you be humble, admit your weakness and acknowledge the success and abilities of those before you; model someone you know, and that goal you set out to achieve will be reached faster than you know it.
1. Dreams 2. Be aware of yourself; acknowledge and model the successes of others 3. Positive thoughts and Believe in your dreams 4. Actions Achieve these step by step and you can be sure you can achieve and even exceed your "Ultimate Dream". If Kelvin Awesome can do it, so can you.
P.S: Something I learnt, "If you want to be rich, do what rich people do." So similarly, "If you want to be great, do what great people do." Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:22AM (+08:00)
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My fellow Undergraduate
I believe that we should always go into a competition aimming to win it, no matter how much the odds seems to stack against you. So even if we did not win, we will not have regrets and we know that we will be that much closer in future (the future generation). Win or lose, the process of getting there will never change; the fun and laughter, tears and pain. Let's us all cherish the moments with our teammates each and every training; they will be your memories for life, so why not make it happy memories...
P.S: Falling down is painful, but when you know that you have great friends around to lift you up, it is all worth it. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:25AM (+08:00)
Find that inner you

I was thinking and reviewing the 4 key steps that I brought up in the post Ultimate Dream. I came to a conclusion that the hardest point to achieve is probably no. 2) - Be aware of yourself; acknowledge and model the successes of others. (1)To have a dream is probably easy and straight forward, and then to (3)believe in it and (4)acting it out is not too hard if you really want to achieve it. But (2), that is to be aware of yourself, and to accept and model the success of people is hard. I guess it all comes down to ego. How many people will dig up their true weakness and will go around telling people and admitting their weakness? Or even more, acknowledging and accepting other's people's success and learn? These are times we wonder how come our ego is so big. I may not have the biggest ego around, I learn to at least acknowledge and respect the person ahead of me at least in my mind, though I may not say it out sometimes. However at times I do blog it out too, to reflect my inner thoughts. I recognise and give thanks to my "roots" and mentorCalvin I respect and model the successes before me - The Great I paid tribute to and strive to emulate one of my model - So ask yourself, how do you want to live out your life?
P.S: Please do not take my word or quote me for it, find out the way for yourself. All I can do is share what works for me. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:06PM (+08:00) 152
Celebration
1 more very important lesson I learnt in MMI, that is to celebrate. It is of upmost importance to recognize your efforts and achievements and then celebrate it. You have to give thanks to yourself, and reward yourself when you did good; if not you will lose sight of the reson why are you striving so hard for. There will always be someone "better" than you in some way or another, this is a fact that cannot change. But if you were to wait till you become "the best" before you recognise your own efforts and success; the probabilty is that you will never get to celebrate that thinking this way. Focus on yourself, you cannot control others. If you do not learn to celebrate small successes, you will never get to the point to celebrate something bigger. Celebration does not mean being light headed or resting on your laurels later, it just means to tell yourself:"you did great!, let's jiayou more!" You know celebration comes in many forms, it need not be like a party kind, everyone gets drinks on the house and dance to the music etc. Celebration can also be just a quiet meal and sharing with some friends of yours, or even the joy and high fives all around (bubble tea works pretty well too) after you succeed in a new stunt is also a form of celebration. Success breeds success right, so does celebration - the more you celebrate, the more you attract celebration into your life. There was once, during an NFL game, Team A was losing to Team B by a huge margin and there was only minutes left to play. Team A managed to score a try at the last minute, and ran around celebrating like they have won the title, even though they still lost. After the game, the captain was interviewed about his team's wild celebrations even though the try means nothing to the game final result. The captain simply said,"Because we want to win the next game!" You see the point is to learn to celebrate when you achieve something, however small it may be, so as to build momemtum for the "next game". You do not want to end off a game or a session feeling down, you lose the momemtum. This is the reason why we always push for 1 final "all stunts up" or 1 good effort to end off the day; we all like to end with a high so we can start on a high again the next "game". So celebration attracts celebration; if you do not learn to celebrate, you probably will not celebrate at all, and you are telling your life not to give you a reason to let you celebrate. So when you did something you feel proud of, show it, share it to the world, so that your friends can celebrate it with you, drawing all the positive energies into your life. Even a simple " great job", "nice one", or "you did great" comment from your friend encourages you, and they are celebrating with you. The people who celebrates with you too will feel the uplifting energy if they are truely happy for you; the same power will go to you when you celebrate and congratulate a friend sincerly for their success. When people got a breakthrough, "jump onto the bangwagon" with them; go with where the positive energy is, tap off from their successes, celebrate with them and soon you will find success knocking on your doors too.
P.S: If you have got it, show it; and there will always be those who will celebrate it with
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you. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:11PM (+08:00)

Germany here we go. Stunt Posted by *star* at 06:11PM (+08:00)
Greetings from Bremen

Thursday Blues
Thursday, December 03, 2009
It was a good get away trip, cum great new experience and exposure in cheer. It's time to get things back on track; back to work later... Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:48AM (+08:00)
Dec 3rd
A day to remember... Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:35AM (+08:00)
Has the time arrived?

KC asked this question on his last blog post months ago. The answer is THE TIME HAS ARRIVED!; But a complete 180 degree turn from what he said then.
P.S: I just cannot stop smiling and giggling. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:50PM (+08:00)
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Dec 5th
Saturday, December 05, 2009
It's 4 years and also 2 days for you... ;) Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:55AM (+08:00)
7
I finally see a 7 as the first digit of my weight, after reaching 9 as the first digit few months back. 76 here I come... You really need not be fat or have big tummy to be able to stunt well. I first hit my Full Around Cupie when I am at my lightest weight in 2 years. It's all about technique and form.
P.S: Do you only want to be able to stunt well but not look good in your uniform? Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:48PM (+08:00)
Gains and Losses

Consider this scenario: 600 people were infected with a deadly disease and there are 2 options that you can make. If you choose option A, you are guaranteed to be able to save 200 lives. If you choose option B, you will have a 1/3 chance to save all 600 lives and 2/3 chance that you will save none. Which choice will you make? A survey done found out that 72% of respondents choose option A. Now consider the same scenario again with different options: Again 600 people were infected. If you choose option A, 400 people are guaranteed to die. If you choose option B, you will have a 1/3 chance to save all 600 lives and 2/3 chance that you will save none. Which choice will you make? A survey done found out that 78% of respondents choose option B this time. You will realized that in both the scenario, option As actual outcome is no different (200 live means 400 die, 400 die means 200 live). However, due to the psychological difference between gains and losses, people make different choices. In reality, in a similar fashion, people are more willing to take a chance with losses than not gains. That is why when stock prices rise, many investors will choose to sell and take profit. And when the stock prices fall, and money is lost, many investors will not be able to accept and deal with the losses, hence choosing to hold out and take the chance that the price will someday rebound. As compared to the times when you gain; when face with loss, investors will subconsciously become more willing to take a gamble. This mentality in many cases will cause the investors to be too late to stop loss and result in even greater losses.
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Therefore in all aspects of life, not only in investments, we should always warn and remind ourselves of the subconscious mistakes that we may make before we embark on any action or activity. Life is just your perception of it.
P.S: It is an innate instinct in life to protect ourselves Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:08AM (+08:00)
Nobody remembers the runner-ups

Sunday, December 20, 2009
What you have will definitely be duplicated or acquired by others in time to come. The only difference is if your were the 1ST entrant.
P.S: If you want to succeed, do something that no one has thought of or done before. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:03PM (+08:00)
Anticipation
I have seen many encouraging signs that we are in for a great nationals next year. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:01AM (+08:00)
Withdrawal
Fallen sick. Might be due to the sudden excessive exercise yesterday. Too long never gym-ed. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:56PM (+08:00)
50K
It is not that hard to earn $50,000. But it is pretty hard to save that much. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:42AM (+08:00)
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2009
It's the first day of 2010, 6 full years has past since I started on this path. Let's re-count the major events, milestones and achievements in my cheerleading for 2009: 1. NTU HO Cheerleading - Led NTU Hall 4 for HO Cheerleading as coach, my 6th year with them since 2004. It was also to be my final year with them, and I will miss you guys who had been on this road together with me at 1 point or another. 2. Cheerobics 2009 - First cheerobics that I did not take part in a single event since my first cheerobics in 2004. Well you can say that I still did play a small part in last year's cheerobics by helping RnA Bulldogs with their training and even got to still step on the mats even though not competing as a spotter. Was very pleased that ACES won the title again for the 4th consecutive time. 3. Taiwan trip cum training with Taiwan cheerleaders - Went to Taiwan with Snow and KC. It was a very fun trip and also very tiring. Out of 10 days, we probably train at least 4 to 5 times with either Monsters or VU. Achieved a couple of new stunts over there and also made new frends. 4. Workshop with Kentucky - Got a chance to see the elites in life, doing amazing stunts which we only get to see on videos before. With Monsters and VU also in Singapore, I am very fortunate to learn from them all at 1 time. 5. ICU Judges Course - Invited to participate in ICU judges course. I have been to coaches courses for a few times, but this is the first time taking part in a judging course. We learnt the fundamentals of judging and did video judging. I am now a certified ICU Level 2 judge. After being through cheerleading as a player, a coach and now being a certified judge, all I can say is: be it players, coaches, judges, or administrators, not 1 is more important than the other, all have their roles to play in helping cheerleading progress. 6. IFC Cheerleading World Championship - It was quite a struggle at the beginning to go to the Worlds. We tried to get players to form a team to take part in the team event, but because of important issues such as funding, schedule, logistics, it did not come to materialize in the end. But we still did manage to form a 5 man team to take part in the group category. We trained hard and had the belief, allowing us to clinch 2nd runner up; coming in only after Taiwan and Thailand, who are both considered our mentors in cheerleading. 7. Personal skills achievements - I had always talked about the 4 basic skills: Full up, Full Around, Tick Tock and Pop Over. I had achieved all 4 in 2008. 2009 was used mainly to refine them and train on the consistency. After getting more comfortable with these 4 basics, I started to look into rewind. During the period I went Taiwan and when Kentucky came down, I tried doing rewind. It will take a longer time than I first thought would, but I will not give up. Still 2009 was not a bad year in terms of achieving new skills though I did not get to achieve Rewind. Couple of first were achieved again.
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Some skills achieved 2009: -Pop Over from Right to Left with Snow -Tick Tock Low Tick Tock with Snow -Low Pop Over with a Monster flyer -Full up Cupie with Dian Dian from VU -Full Around Cupie with Snow -Toss left Cupie with Snow
To sum it up, 2009 had been still a relatively packed cheer year for me, even after taking away the daily rigours and trainings of pervious years when I am still an active player in a team. After taking a foot off the pedal from competing, I found myself with more time to be involved in helping cheerleaders everywhere. I still return to ACES in 2009 to help them in whatever they may need help in, such as spotting or teaching the juniors. I also get to be involved with very passionate cheerleaders from Wildcards; thanks for naming me as your guest instructor. Was also invited down to workshops or clinics for teams such as SMU Flares and RP Rexaz. In 2009 I also got to go down a couple of times to teams such as NP Magnum Force, SP Gusto, KR Steppers. Not forgetting to mentioned moving around NTU halls abit after stepping down from coaching hall 4. It had always been my pleasure to be able to pass on what cheer had given me in the past. Thanks everyone of you who had given me this opportunity. Let's make 2010 will be as fulfilling as 2009.
P.S: I still have alot to do. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:52PM (+08:00)
Goodbye to 2 soon
It's 2010, everyone has age another year. When the next decade comes, some of you may be feeling how I am feeling now. I have always been telling young cheerleaders that cheerleading is not something you can become a master in a short time. It is something that requires passion, commitment and sacrifices. Though it is hard to admit, but I was not talented nor born with natural attributes of a cheerleader. I told them that it took me years of hard work and dedication to reach where I am now, and that it is still not good enough. But I also let them know that now they are much more fortunate and had much better coaches (local and foreign), facilities, and flow of information in cheerleading as compared to the past; that they do not have to "find their way in the dark anymore". What took me 1 year to master then, will only require them a couple of months now. The key to improvement is belief and work hard. In times now, the belief factor is not as much of a stumbling block as compared to my time, when we cannot even believe that toss to hands was possible. The rest of the equation now is to work hard at it. And 1 most important thing which I always emphasize is that they are young and had time on their side. Alot more cheerleaders start cheerleading when they are 17 or 158
younger now, which is at least 5 years earlier than when I started at 22. And considering what I had achieved in 6 years together with the improvement in cheerleading, 5 years head start is really a big deal. Alot of cheerleaders in future, by the time they are 21 or 22, will probably become one heck of a good cheerleader. However I had been thinking a bit today and I have come to this conclusion: "To all young cheerleaders, do not listen to a single word I had been saying." Yup that's right, do not try to follow my footsteps, do not take me as a model, don't listen to my stories if that's what's lowers your comfort zone. Yes, the reason being that all of what I said were all stories of the past. It is the present day now; what you already know probably will work well for you NOW, but not in the FUTURE if you stop learning. I took 6 years, but does it means that it is ok for you to take 6 years? A big fat NO! It does not make it ok for your improvement to be slow just because Xingwei also took so long. You are damn right that it is not ok if you take 3 years to learn a cupie now. Don't console yourself by saying Xingwei(or whoever your coach or senior may be) takes 3 years to learn cupie too. Times are different now. I challenge every new cheerleader to be able to do toss to hands in a month, single liberty in 3 months and cupie in 6 months. Some may be faster some slower, but if you cannot even meet the challenge, you better be working harder. Yes this may sound harsh, but the bar is always raising and bench mark getting higher. Also all that being said above that you are young and had time on your side, does not means that you can literally take your own sweet time to learn. If it took you as long as your seniors did - then you have failed, your coach has failed or you have failed your coach. You have to always be better than the batch before you; this is especially so for cheerleading in Singapore as we are not a "matured industry" yet and still have alot of room for progression, unlike Japan or USA, and even they are improving every year. My expectations are to see more 18 year olds doing Pop Overs or Tick Tocks etc soon. If you want to play a part in helping Singapore cheerleading, start from yourself. Everyone has a role to play regardless of their age; Singapore's cheerleading depends on you. Is that too much burden to be placed on your young shoulders my fellow cheerleader?
P.S: BTW as I am a base, the examples given in this post may seemed more relevant for bases; but the general sentiments and message applies to all flyers as well. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:25PM (+08:00)
8 again
Saturday, January 09, 2010
This picture has to be back dated about a week; was a bit lasy to upload. Saw the 8 digit again, but this time it is not at the front. P.S: Strength is still very important!! But it does not means you have to be fat and heavy to have strength. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:43PM (+08:00)
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I want to learn break dancing

Last night was a great inspiration to me. Sometimes I look in amazement at break dancers doing their thing; how they can bounce from 1 arm to the other and then spin in circles effortlessly. My own definition of break dancers is: people who dance on handstands. Trust me that these people do not have a master hand or weaker hand, they are equally good with both. Watching him perform his skills, shifting weight from 1 arm to the other, brings my mind back to the past where I was still struggling to even hold a normal handstand for a few seconds. I cannot stress enough of the importance of having a balance between your right hand and your left hand. Below is a post I wrote almost 2 years ago now during the times when I was still struggling with my handstands: Click Here
P.S: At this stage, even being only able to pick up just 1 new thing/thought/or idea each time is going to be very valuable. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:55PM (+08:00)
2010 Resolutions
If what youve been looking for was where youve been looking, youd have already found it! If you have been failing, doing more of the same harder and longer is usually not the answer. Willingness to change usually creates better results. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------By now many people will have already set their resolutions for 2010. How does one typical resolution look like? Something like below: 1. Earn more money 2. Become stronger 3. Learn toss cupie 4. Spend more time with family . . . 160
etc etc etc However, I just realised that instead of planning my resolutions in this manner, I should have focus on making changes instead. Only making changes to the things you are already doing will bring you a different result. So for example if you want to become stronger but you are not making any progress, stop doing the same thing and change. Maybe always carrying weights does not work for you, then change and try doing more push-ups or carrying a sack of rice and run up the stairs etc (Just for example sake). So my resolution should look something like this: 1. Change the way I make money 2. Change the way I train myself 3. Change the way I do stunts 4. Change the way I manage my time. . . . etc etc etc
So if you want something, but have not get it after a long time, try changing your approach. Change and focus on a good change.
P.S: Always turning the bigger rocks may not get you what you want, try turning the smaller rocks and who knows what you might find underneath one of them. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:45AM (+08:00)

Did BHSBT once again Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:51AM (+08:00)
Just realised that Blogger has many interesting functions

Spectacular
Something which I picked up during today's seminar. Success is neither magical or mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals. -Jim Rohn- Stunt
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Posted by *star* at 11:01PM (+08:00)

Well I hope that this time round it will really make a difference. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:54AM (+08:00)
Never Ending Project

Blogs are a great place to share our ideas and also connect with people we know. After chatting with Giappy and R of RnA Bulldogs yesterday; it dawned upon me to come up with a "project" to link all the cheerleaders I know to X-Wonder blog. I already have a list of links for all the SG Cheer Teams (that I know have a website), now it's time to link the SG Cheerleaders (at one point or another) whom I have the pleasure of meeting. Note: "SG Cheerleaders" does not refer to the nationality; but rather more of those doing cheerleading in Singapore. I know this sounds like no big deal to everyone, but it is a huge task for an "IT Idiot" like me. As I do not wish to flood my side bar, so I shall link them in the form of a Post. I hope that the list can keep expanding, which means there are more and more new cheerleaders in Singapore and it also means that cheerleading is growing in Singapore. SG Cheerleaders -----------> Check link at side bar (May take some time to come up with the list, and will constantly update as I go along.)
P.S: I may not know everyone's blog, but I will try to find them from links here and there. Please suggest to me too if there are blogs which I do not know of, and did not include. Also in the case that you do not wish to be linked, or want the link removed, please let me know and I will gladly accede to your request. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:07AM (+08:00)
SG Cheerleaders
Cheerleaders who came into my life at any point of time, regardless of the duration, everyone made a change and impact on me in big and small ways (Those with blogs I know of, may be still active blogs or inactive ones)... *Scroll over their names to go to the links.
ACES Awesome: From the ranks of Hall Cheerleading to World Cheerleading; Cupie/Pop Over King Heidi: Half of GPIGs 162
Kah Weng: When you finally decide to join ACES; you found your greatest passion Li Jing: One of my favorite Hall 4 cheerleader Lixiang: Friendly, Fun loving and Direct MDK: A group of "talk cok sing song play MJ" cheerleaders from all walks of life Minghui: Great as mid base, flair for stunts and great tumbler Qiuyan: Top flyer and great dancer Ruth: Email "kaki" at work Shuning: My first batch of junior in ACES, 1 of ACES grand senior and made big contributions to the of start of ACES rise to become one of the best team in SG. All the best to your future and continue to support cheerleading =) Ya Yun: My partner stunt partner for my last Cheerobics 2008 Yilyn: Finally found your blog, haha. A super lively, bubbly, open gal cheerleader. Very good in her language such as Jap and also some @$#% =) Yirong: First few people who taught me about gymnastics Yuen Bo: Best Gymnast in ACES to grace the mats of sports hall 1
WILDCARDS Candy: Small and cute flyer who always tries her best to improve Chaang Ru: First person to tell me how many grams of fats there is in a can of coke Small Gary: Small guy with big dreams Geraldine: Heard you are overseas now. All the best to your future and may you continue to cheer Huishan: First knew you as the cousin of Shufen. In my opinion this girl works hard and put in her all for cheerleading. The most improved cheerleader of the team to me, since the first time I see you trained back in 2008 Jasmine: A flyer I know who will achieve greatness the first time I met her Jayson: Very nice and humble person; national group stunt champion:- a great future lies ahead for you Joanna: Did not get to stunt with you much, but a great top flyer you are. Love your full ups
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Ka Hau: Think it was really by fate that we got to first meet in NYP Ken: Guy who is obsessed with beating me in handstand Regine: My partner for the first Cheerobics that we got champions; my first time doing toss to hands in a routine Simin: Still remembered the happiness when the first time I did cupie with you Vincent: This guy is one of the pioneer pioneer of cheerleader. Great player and continues to strive for excellence. As a coach, he is one of the best in the industry; got the whole package from stunts, dance, jumps, cheer, arm motions, ribbons, uniforms, music, etc. You can expect him to produce the results Wei Hoe: I never fail to feel younger around you; always game for a back tuck Winston: Very happy, fun loving and funny guy, never see you lost your temper even a bit before. Young and strong cheerleader; bench presses over 100kg Yan Heng: A very self motivated and talented base; you improved by a great deal since we first met. Keep up the work to become an all rounded cheerleader
DENVERS BB: One of the flyers that I had great admiration for; the kind that stands out immediately when I first met you Harlis: One of the very powerful base in Singapore Pamela: I remembered I still did not succeed a toss liberty with you since the last time we stunted Sharon: I can still remember you were my partner during a partner stunt segment in our joint performance few years back; it's been quite some time Sky: Hey, you are getting better and better in cheerleading since I last saw you stunt; will meet up with you when the time is right ok, you know what I mean Wei Wei: First flyer to do Pop Over with a Singapore Base Xinyi: I remembered the few times we used to chat on MSN, was really great chatting with you
LEGACY Citra: A always hyper cheerleader, one of the strongest and most flexible mid tier, excellent dancer and also the few SG Cheer female who tumbles; put all that together - a great cheerleader Jay: First met when you were in Magnum, now you have become an important base in 164
Legacy. Great cheerleader and great job for Nationals Group Stunts this year. Continue to support VoM ok. =) Michelle: It's been a long while since I stunted with you, but I can tell that you have improved tremendously from photos and videos; would love to stunt with you again someday Superman: Heard of this guy before I actually met him; that is how great a person Andra is in SG Cheer
STEPPERS Jiahui: Heard of you and was very impressed by your gymnastics before I actually officially got to know you when we decided to compete in CWC together. Hope you can continue to train hard and show your immense potential Melissa: (Thought I should add more cheerleaders' blog from KR other than Jiahui's, so went exploring Jiahui's blog and got this link). Got to stunt with you a few times; remembered we did toss cupie. Very good and flexible flyer, my pleasure to stunt with you Shiqi: (Got your link from JH's blog too). Seen you around cheer for some time, but only got to tried some toss to hands, toss to extension with you recently; the few times I went down to KR. Jiayou Xinyi: Love your tosses and tumbling. Don't know if you remembered, I did a few Btoss with you as backspot during KRWC exchange. Glad to have spotted you for trying your FHS too
GENESIS Karrie: Nice to meet you at NUS the other day. Work hard and you too can become a great cheerleader Shermeeny: First got to know you when Ken brought you along for our gymming session. Then got to see you a couple more times and even got a chance to stunt with you. Very determined gal, the way I see you gymed the other day, work hard and listen to your coach Ken and you will have a great future ahead
GUSTO Ainslie: A flyer I just got to know recently, another 1 of those that has full of potential to become truly exceptional if you train hard and train right Clement: You have great tumbling skills and will become a great base, great cheerleader and also a great guy Huimin: Only met you once, but from that I can tell you can become a very good mid-tier with your determination and strength
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Kathe: Remembered I first stunted with you and we did arabesque, liberty and cupie in one go. You have a cheerful and lively personality too, the most important attribute of a cheerleader Lydia: I think you were trained as a mid-tier, but you definitely have the qualities as a top too. Hope you enjoyed doing the toss up Swedish falls, which you got on your 1st try, and also 2-2-1 and gladiator. Good partner stunting too Poh Kang: You are a nice and humble person, someone always willing to learn and help. You are definitely going to captain Gusto to greater heights. Its really nice knowing and chatting with you Rachel: First met you sometime last year and then got to do some stunts with you like toss cupie. Then recently got to do stunts with you again and I must say that your jumping has really improved significantly. Fun to be with person, hope to see more of you and Dominic stunting Shihui: First impression of you was when I saw you mid-tier, very strong and solid; the kind flyers will feel very safe in your hands. Heard you are graduating soon, but hope that your passion in cheer carries on, if not it is a real pity for cheerleading to lose someone like you Tinglei: A petite cheerleader, great flyer to stunt with. Congratulations for getting your full up 2-2-1 on the first attempt. Though we did not get the full up gladiator that time, but I hope to see you doing it in the next nationals Weihan: You must be the most talented 17 year old base I have met in cheerleading so far. Toss cupie, pop over, tick tock all mastered within the space of a few months. Train even harder and you can become a truly magnificent base in future. Also work on your tumbling to become a true all rounder Vanessa: Stunted with you a bit during the first time I went down to Gusto. Hope you are still cheering and doing fine now Yiqian: If I did not get it wrong, you were trained as a girl base, but you really did a great job being a mid-tier the other day, which is not an easy transition. Hope to see more of you in future
MAGNUM Careen: Hey, Met once I recall when I went down to Magnum. Keep on working hard Fadzli: All the best for the future, till we have the chance to see again Hwee Peng: A great MF top flyer. I love the way you are always very cheerful and laughing when you do stunts. Hope to stunt with you again Hwele: Though we meet only once at MF training, I feel you are a very joyful, outgoing gal to be around
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Rachel: My first thought was you are so small. A flyer with lots of potential if you continue to work hard Siwei: Met once also during the time I went down to MF. You have a good stunt feel and will definitely grow to become a very good MF cheerleader Yvonne: I am always very impressed by your full up 2-2-1, it is seems so effortless and you spined up so gracefully. Great partner stunter too, hope to see more of your videos in future again.
REXAZ Karen: This girl must be one of the most amazing girl bases around. I remembered in the past how tiny you were, and then suddenly, you grew and grew and become a damn zai base. Eh brother you still owe us a cupie as flyer hor. Kyra: I remembered the first time I met you, you told us that you like our Full Up to Hands. First impression - sweet gal, dance very well and have great jumps.
Work in progress, more teams' coming soon Building in progress...
FYI Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:53AM (+08:00)
Sums it up

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, all the people some of the time, but not all the people all of the time." - Abraham Lincoln Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:36AM (+08:00)
HO 2010
HO 2010 is finally over, but the fever will last long into the semester as some cheerleaders try to get over the feeling of having alot of time, and also the urge of doing stunts, build up from the "addiction" over the last 2 - 3 months. As usual, days after HO, videos, photos, comments, discussions will be going around on
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facebook, msn, blogs, tag board, youtube, twitter, status, emails, etc. (The ever increasing moods of online communication) For me, unfortuanately and fortuanately my comapany block almost every means as stated above, except email. So my "Email Kakis" too had our own little discussion of HO, like everyone else. As I am lasy, I just copied and paste the whole email thread here. I also hidden their names except mine,(although they did give me premission to use their names)just in case some people decide to be funny with them. Pls read from bottom up. (Those working should know how email threads are like) . . . . ----------------------------------------------------------------------From: Liu Xingwei [liu.xingwei@AAA.com]Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 10:20 AM To: AAA; BBB; CCC; DDD Subject: RE: Outstanding notifications I think what we discussed here quite valuable and informative. Dun mind I kop all the discussion and publish on my blog? Haha. Liu Xingwei Engineer Mechanical ----------------------------------------------------------------------From: AAA Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 10:39 AM To: BBB; CCC; DDD; Liu Xingwei Subject: RE: Outstanding notifications i feel like helping out again..if there's a chance.I would like to do it better than this year. AAA ----------------------------------------------------------------------From: BBB Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 10:23 AM To: Liu Xingwei; AAA; DDD; CCC Subject: RE Outstanding notifications
but its true la...hall 7 had leslie all along, and chee hong who was the choreographer 168
b4..thats y we could mix creativity with stunts...leslie always made sure the coaches didnt go the aces si ban lu xian...so doesnt it mean ur gonna help out with HO again next yr?
Best regards, BBB This e-mail is confidential and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify us immediately. You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. Thank you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------From: AAA Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 10:21 AM To: BBB; DDD; CCC; Liu Xingwei Subject: RE: Outstanding notifications ya.. I agree on that. That Aces coaches more si ban.I realized it too late.Ha.. Hopefully, if there is a chance, can do it better the next year. Ha!Nevertheless, I still feel that they should not neglect on the Cheerleading aspect. I felt that hall 7 had the balance of both. AAA ----------------------------------------------------------------------From: Liu Xingwei Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 10:04 AM To: BBB; AAA; DDD; CCC Subject: RE: Outstanding notifications Creativity for HO still very important as it will give the crowd appeal score. And prof also like it. For HO the stunts hall 7 did was also considered difficult for hall standards liao, that is why plus with the creativity they won (and very stable, clean routine). If only creativity with simple stunts, my guess is that they wont win also. So you have to see you what is the competition you joining. If its for Nationals, you have to use the nationals winning template. Which is not the HO kind. Everything has to be fast pace and stunts must be of very high standards. As for ACES coaches, it is because they were primary trained for nationals, so their mind is more tuned to the nationals kind of template. Therefore more si ban as you all put it. so when ACES coaches try to implement to hall, but yet hall cannot do as fast paced and difficult routines, they will lose out. so the only way is must counter the pace and difficulty with creativity. Liu Xingwei Engineer
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Mechanical ___________________________________________ The information of this e-mail is strictly confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. ----------------------------------------------------------------------BBB 01/29/2010 09:51 AM To "AAA"; "CCC"; "DDD"; Liu Xingwei Subject RE: Outstanding notifications aces more on the si ban side? non-aces halls not zai enuf to whack whole routine of stunts prolly..haha Best regards, BBB ----------------------------------------------------------------------From: AAA Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 9:58 AM To: BBB; CCC; DDD; Liu Xingwei Subject: RE: Outstanding notifications but those halls coached by non aces are focusing more on the creativity aspect. Acesmore on stunts.hall 7- well balanced due to 2 different coaches.Leslie and Neville. AAA ___________________________________________ The information of this e-mail is strictly confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. ----------------------------------------------------------------------BBB 01/29/2010 09:37 AM To "AAA" Liu Xingwei; CCC; DDD Subject RE: Outstanding notifications no la didnt copy this yr routine..haha i think cheer is still the focus lei...the marks are still majority on stunts n other technical stuff... Best regards, BBB
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----------------------------------------------------------------------From: AAA [AAA.com]Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 9:41 AM To: Liu Xingwei; BBB; CCC; DDD Subject RE: Outstanding notifications anyway, I think HO is too skewed towards creativity. Somehow, the focus is not on cheerleading. It has become the supporting actress and creativity is the main.I still feel that it should be a mixed. or rather cheerleading be the focus. AAA ___________________________________________ The information of this e-mail is strictly confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. ----------------------------------------------------------------------Stunt Posted by *star* at 05:25PM (+08:00)

Play with the best or play with the rest? I choose playing with the best. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:55PM (+08:00)
My Favorite Performance
Have some spare time and was watching through the HO videos one by one. 1 thing that is consistent with all the halls is the the standard had raised alot since I started cheer. The "nostalgic me" decided to whip out some old videos and watch. Alot of fond memories came flooding into my mind as I watched. I have to say that I do miss stepping onto the mats and performing, especially on the big occassions. One video that I decide to re-watch a few times had to be the Performance for Project Super Star Finals. This was without doubt one of my most memorable performance, even though it is not a competition.
It was a performance in front of thousands of people screaming for us (or also for Diya). The crowd was all around in the stands of the Indoor Stadium. It was always a great
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feeling performing in a stadium, with people in the stands all around cheering. It is very different from the usual performances outdoors, on a stage, in schools, in hotels or shopping centres etc. Those who had performed with me in Project Super Star Finals, or those who had been to overseas competition before can tell you exactly how SHIOK it is performing in an Indoor Stadium. One more reason that makes it even more memorable was because it had media coverage from Media Corp. How cool can that be right. It was considered my first time on air; had to keep making sure my hair was tidy, haha. How I wish that our local cheerleading Nationals Competition will get to have more and more media coverage; then it can create a larger awareness and more people will join the sport, subsequently the sport will grow. Maybe even the atheletes of YOG might consider joining cheerleading when they get older after watching cheerleading on TV (As I said this I am more of hoping to get the attention of gymnasts, as they usually retire from the top level once they past their youth, to come join cheerleading - soccer players also not bad, haha, if you know what I mean). Cheerleaders now are really fortunate, spoilt with the best choices out there. Dream can become Reality if we go down the right road.
P.S: We need the energies of everyone together now Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:42AM (+08:00)
Time and tide wait for no man

For those who watch the English Premier League: Do you see Hull City player complaining that Manchester Utd or Chelsea got better training grounds and facilities; and that is why they win most of the times? If you want better training facilities, you have to earn it, and no one is stopping you from getting them. It's just a matter of whether you have the capabilities to get them or not. End of the day "A Gan" is "A Gan", just play it like a man. With the right mentality, every team is capable of beating any team, even Man Utd or Chelsea. No single pair of boots in the world is going to make you the best player without working hard.
P.S: It does not mean that if 1 team in the Premier League is playing on a sandy pitch; then all has to convert their pitch into a sandy one. The only way to progress is to progress. Time and Tide wait for no one. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:48PM (+08:00)
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Your deepest fear

Recently I have seen this passage again, (A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles", Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3]) on a couple of blog. Each time I read it in the past and then now again, I get different messages and lessons out of it. It is truely one of my favorite. Just to take out a few lines which stands out to me this time: "Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." You see, we are all meant to do our best, this is the only way we can give light to others to shine as well. Please never ever think of lowering your own standards, so as to feel at ease among everyone; do not play small.
P.S: If we all set the standards, as we liberate ourselves; then one day everyone else will see the light and be automatically liberated. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:09AM (+08:00)
There will be TWO Singapore Marathons this year

I started to take an interest in running; and 1 of my resolution is to run a marathon this year. This is why this particular news caught my ear on radio this morning; It was on the radio and newspapers today. Apparently there will be 2 marathon on the same day 5th December this year; 1 organised by Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and the other by Singapore Atheletics Association (SAA). It is an interesting piece of news to me, not only because I want to join a marathon this year, but because it also bears a very similar resemblance to another issue close to my heart. You can read below (I copied and paste for you) or check out this link:
------------------------------------------------------------------There will be TWO Singapore Marathons this year

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Yes you heard me right, one marathon will be organised by SSC (Singapore Sport Council), while the other by SAA (Singapore Athletics Association). Why? Well for those not in the loop, theres a SSC vs SAA tussle, and it all slowly started last year as the rift between the council and association began. And now it has come to this. Last year SSC announced it will not renew their partnership agreement for the Singapore Marathon. With the split SAA is at the losing end, as previously they earned close to $1.6 million over the last two years being the event rights holder. Since SAA holds the commercial rights to Singapore Marathon name, that means SSC had to rename their own marathon if they want to organise their own run, thus the brand new spanking Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore. The previous joint marathon by SAA and SSC was named Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon by the way. Not much of a name difference right? Im sure this will be confusing for those who are not into the gutter politics of local athletics, but this is just one of the many turn of events that has transpired within the last year or so. The root of the problem goes way way back of course, issues started to pile-up, and has come to a boiling point this year with the spat visibly online in the media. I dont know the status of SAAs own marathon, and if they have found any sponsors yet, but SSCs marathon is in the swing of things it seems. They are upbeat and am confident to draw some 60,000 runners this year. The SSCs marathon will be held on 5th December. Im sure SAA have yet to update their calendar for 2010, while referring to their online athletics calendar, SAAs marathon is planned for 5th December too. If it is indeed theres two marathons on 5th December, then runners will be hard-pressed to choose either two. Furthermore I did some online digging and the domain singaporemarathon.com is owned by Prime Media Singapore. That domain is an online prime real-estate, and Im not sure if its SSC or SAA who owns the domain. Whoever owns the domain, half the battle is won itself, as people in Singapore are used to registering and referring to the site to find information regarding the Singapore Marathon. Plus it ranks high on search-engines for the keyword Singapore Marathon, essential in getting international hits and potential registrants from all over the world. 174
The important question now is of course which marathon will you join. Im sure the timing needs to be right for the organisers to grab hold as many participants to cover their cost. Despite having two local marathons, who would want to run two marathons in a short span of time successive after another. Its like the Olympics, can you remember the silver medalist at last years 100m mens event in Beijing. No right, but we all remembered Usain Bolt. The same analogy applies to the upcoming two marathons in Singapore, which one will be the ultimate gold winner, and the other the forgotten one. Personally I would pick SSCs Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore. -------------------------------------------------------------------
Now SSC has the support and sponsorship of Standard Chartered Bank, while SAA has nothing yet. It seems straight forward choice to me if I had to choose 1 between the 2 to join. I would definetely go for the 1 with better backing, better prestige, better reputation, better trustworthiness and better organized. Do I even have to spell out which 1 it is?
P.S: Never mess around with any .gov body. Stunt Posted by *star* at 07:54PM (+08:00)
What is the next thing to look forward to?

Chinese New Year Holidays is over so quickly... Time to start the engines again. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:59AM (+08:00)
Road to Champions
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Just re-watched this video I made 2 years ago after we won; re-posted thanks to LZM. Don't think I posted this on this blog before. Really makes me want to do it over again... P.S: All cheerleaders out there jiayou and put up a ASU routine Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:11AM (+08:00)
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Grow yourself so youre bigger than any problem.

Imagine a Level 2 person looking at a Level 5 problem. Does this problem appear to be big or small? From a Level 2 perspective, a Level 5 problem would seem HUGE. How would it look to, say, a Level 8 person? The same problem would seem small. To a Level 10 person? NO problem at all. Its just an everyday occurrence, like brushing your teeth. Its not a special skill that separates rich from poor, but a simple yet profound understandingif youre breathing, you will always have situations that arent perfect. Therefore, the size of the problem is never the problem. Its always the size of you! The bigger problems you can handle; the bigger business you can handle; the bigger responsibilities you can handle, the more customers you can handle, and the more money and wealth you can handle. Your income can only grow to the extent that you do!
P.S: The above source is taken from here Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:01PM (+08:00)

"you cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." ---Adrian Rogers--- Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:36AM (+08:00)
OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Take a moment and read out loud the title of this post to yourself. . . . So how did you pronounce or read it? 1. Opportunity is No Where or 2. Opportunity is Now Here The interpretation of that phrase depends greatly on your outlook on life! Think to yourself, and review your life as it is to date. Then where do you want to go from here?
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P.S: Are you someone positive or negative? Do you see opportunities or obstacles? Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:21AM (+08:00)
"Love our time"

Sunday, February 28, 2010
Many would have seen this advertisement if they had been watching TV recently. I personally found the little girl in it super cute, many will agree with me too. For those who do not understand mandarin, it goes something like this: The little girl asks, "Daddy are you going for work later?" Daddy replies, "Girl, Daddy do not need to work today." Then the girl says, "I love to come and have breakfast here." Daddy asks, "Why?" The little girl replies, "Because if we come here, then daddy do not need to go to work."
We all know that it is because the dad does not have to work that's why he can afford the time to bring his daugther out for breakfast at Macs; but to the innocent little girl, she thought that it is because of eating breakfast at Macs, that her dad do not have to go to work. I found this advertisement very nice and quite heart warming, and I took notice of this ad purely because I was charmed by the cute little girl. However each time I watched it, new thoughts and emotions comes to me. Though this commercial portrayed a very light hearted side to the story, but it is the deeper meaning behind the the commercial that struck a cord with me after watching it several times(still captivated by the small girl each time though). Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? Having a family, with a kid or 2 probably? (maybe one as cute or cuter than the little girl) But how many of us will be able to have the time to bring our children out for breakfast every morning? Or for those still single, to have the time to go out as and when you want to and to do the things you love when you are still young? If I were the daddy in the show, I would probably be feeling a little emo and sad when my daughter says the above to me. Probably the daddy loves to bring his little girl out, but cannot do so, usually because of work. I am not saying working is no good, but how many of us would like a life and time controlled by ourselves and not work? Or even better, to achieve financial freedom early, when you are still young, when your kid is still young, so that you can spend more time with them during their developmental years when they are the most impressionable? Or for those single, to travel the world before your bones starts aching when you walk?
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I do not wish in future to hear my kid tell me the same thing as in the commercial. It would mean that I am still a slave to life. The commercial is light hearted, but it really tells a very grim story behind it, one that 70% of us are living in. Start planning and think about your future now, it is never too early, even small steps a time makes a big difference in the long run.
P.S: Don't think buying TOTO can solve all your problems =) Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:45PM (+08:00)
Video of the Month

It has been a little over 6 years now since I first got to know cheerleading in 2003. In fact my first Nationals Finals was on 07 March 2004; 6 years anniversary in 2 days' time. I feel that to me having growth is the most important thing in life, and it applies to cheerleading as well. A simplified summary of my time in cheerleading: 2003 - 2004: Purely a player for Hall 4 and ACES 2004 - 2007: Mainly a player for ACES and coach of Hall 4 2007 - 2008: Player/Coach of ACES and coach of Hall 4 2008 - 2009: Ad-Hoc coaching and guest instructor for Wildcards 2010 - present : Judge for NTU HO Cheerleading and to be determined. Everyone in cheer starts off pretty much the same, as a player, then slowly learn the ropes and take on a bit more responsibilities as a captain or committee member. While alot of people might just end here, there are also those who carried on their growth in cheer, to become a instructor, a coach or just a senior mentor. Next, they will become judges and then/or at the same time go into management and promoting of the sport on a macro level. The above is just a typical example, or 1 close to mine. Growth to me is very important in whatever I do, I do not like the feeling of being stagnant. I do not want to be only a player all my life, I want to look for new challenges. Not everyone's path or route taken are the same, in fact most will be so different (We can know that from a simple afternoon sharing session - everyone has different stories). However I believe and hope that more people can go beyond the stage of just being a player, or for those who felt that their player's years are over to move on, to contribute back to Singapore Cheerleading in many other ways. I believe that most cheerleaders can agree with me that cheerleading changed their lives in more ways than 1. Most would have treasured the times they had in cheer, despite of all the hectic schedules, injuries, sacrifices and grievances. It will forever become a deep part of their memories in life. Now if we did enjoyed our time and appreciate what cheer had done for us; I feel that it will be very nice if we can return the favour and spread the joy to many new and future generations of cheerleaders, so that they can get to experience the many positives cheerleading has done for us too.
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-------------------------------------------------------------Today is the 5th again, 05 March 2010. It marks 3 years and 7 months since the beginning of X-Wonder. Today I am going to start a new project, as a form of contribution to Singapore Cheerleading, and also hoping that I will be able to drive and promote the sport, even if it is just a little more. I rememebered us ACES old seniors used to dream of having an ACES scholarship for studying in NTU and Chaang had this similar vision to provide a scholarship for cheerleaders in Singapore. I do not have such deep pockets now, to help relieve people of their financial burdens, but I think I have enough to provide some encouragement or a pat on the back for those who want it most. Ok, enough of beating around the bush, here it goes:
X-Wonder Video of the Month Challenge Details of challenge: Record/make/create a personal video of minimum 10 Secs; of anything related to cheerleading with yourself in it. It can be Gymnastics, Partner stunts, Jumps, Tosses, Cheer, Pyramids etc. You can also do video edits to add music or effects to enhance it. Then upload the video to facebook and tag me (Xwonder Estrella) in the video; it will be automatically be considered as an entry for the challenge. I will watch and review all entries, then at the end of each month, on every 5th, I will announce the winner on this blog (my decision is final). Participant's eligibility: You are eligible as long as you cheer in Singapore; regardless of nationality, team, age, or gender. Of course you need to be on Facebook and is my friend to tag me. No tagging of entries on behalf of another person in the video allowed. If you are not yet my friend on Facebook, just add me using the link at top of the page. Only people present in the video can tag me to be considered a "valid tag" Prizes: $50 cash to the winner each month. In cases of more than 1 person in the video, the prize will be given to the person who tagged me (then you can go split it on your own if you want to). Or in the case of multiple "valid tags", the prize will be split. In the event there is no entry for the month, the prize money will accumulate and be brought over to the next month. Prize money is subjected to increase at any time without notice.
Alright, Sounds simple enough? Should be. You guys are already doing this, only now someone wants to give you money for it. Does this sound good? Is it enough? Ok, Since I am very happy today as it is TGIF and also my "monthsary", I shall offer a first month only promotion: All entries made before 14 March, 2359hrs will receive double the prize, a prize of $100, should they become the winning entry. So don't wait anymore and let the camera roll.
P.S: Let's do our part to make cheer a better place in SG Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:23AM (+08:00)
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6 Years ago
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Today is exactly 6 years since I took part in my first Nationals Finals in 07 March 2004. It feels like a neither long nor short time.
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P.S: Everyone Jiayou for the final lap to Nationals 2010 Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:50PM (+08:00)
Are you irreplaceble?

Have anyone ever told you to work hard or train hard to improve and become very proficient in your work or skills, so that you can become irreplaceble/indispensible? There is some truth in that statement and it carries with it a certain amount of motivation. Up till a certain level, I would endorse this statement, since it promotes people to work harder, to become the best. In this world, no one is truely irreplaceble. But if ideally you really can truely become irreplaceble, would you want that? It means you are really excellent, the best in whatever you do. As I move along in life, my views and take of issues changes as I grow and learn from my seniors. In my opinion now, I would not be too happy if someone told me I am irreplaceble.
"Dont be irreplaceable. If you cant be replaced, it means you cant be promoted."

Share, teach and motivate your subordinates, fellow colleagues or teammates. One day, one of them may replace you because of your promotion. Your promotion will be much easier if you are replaceable. If you are irreplaceble in that role of your job, chances are your boss is not going to promote you; else who is going to do that job for him since no one can replace you? We should all share as much as we can, help those after us. This is the only way we can move on to greater things, instead of being stuck and becoming a victim of our own magnificence. We should always work to nurture people to someday take over us.
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P.S: There is no hard and fast rule for everything. We need to progress with time. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:49PM (+08:00)
Front Hand Spring Round Off Back Tuck

Was just playing around the other day. Then I started to do some FHS cause long time never do. And it felt good, so I tried to connect it to a round off. I did not really expect to be able to connect it, as I did not train that for a really long time. Then have to thanks to KW for psychoing me to just add a back tuck. I did FHSRO a few more times and it felt good, so I just threw in the back tuck. Hhaha and I did it. This pass was one that I hoped to do for the longest time; ever since the day I saw Ting and Pond from RSU did it in "To Be Number 1 Competition 2005". I even tried to do it for my last nationals in 2008, but just cannot hit it. Then now, without really thinking much I did it. This really means alot to me, and brings back the fire for more.
P.S: I think losing all those weight made it possible for me without even realising it myself. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:53AM (+08:00)

~2 days left to the end of "early bird" promotion for the video of the month challenge. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:13AM (+08:00)
1st Singapore National Cheerleading Championships 2010

Today is the last day of all the hard trainings everyone put in for the 1st Singapore 182
National Cheerleading Championships 2010. There may only be 1 team holding up the champions trophy, but everyone's already a winner in their own right. Jiayou everyone and put up your best show tomorrow. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:24AM (+08:00)
Post Nationals
First of all I would like to praise all the participants of the 1st Singapore Nationals Cheerleading Championships, after all the hard and seemingly endless trainings, you all have done very well executing the routine in front of a packed house. I would also like to congratulate all the championship winning teams, you guys definetely raise the standards to another level again. Gone will be the days people are amazed by full ups, 7 single liberties and twist layouts; all these have become a norm. I will be expecting to see 540/720 ups, 7 cupies and many more twist layouts, X Out Fulls next year; only then you can deserve to win the title next year. Next of course I would like to mention about the competition itself. With ever increasing standards and expectations in the level of cheerleading performances, it is only logical that we need to have ever increasing standards of organizing the competition. This year, the event was held at Expo Hall 2, an indoor arena. This year was a complete makeover from all previous nationals, where they were held either mostly in shopping centres or places of interest before. This year, there were seats for over 1000 capacity audience, seats for participants of competition and also a large warm up area. The mats used for the competition were also improved and I can say to become of international standards. There were also many sponsors for the event and most noticible must be the milo sponsors who provided a milo van with free flow milo. I also have some comments on my part after the event. I don't know how much is it applicable to Singapore cheerleading competition to have the participants and warm up area separated from the audience, because I would think that alot of the audience are friends and families and they would love to be with the competitors to wish them well or help them prepare and vice versa. For me, I really want to be able to mix with the participants, even though I am just an audience. During my time in overseas competition, we were also separated from the general audience, but it does not seems to mean or impact much then as we had no friends overseas. The difference overseas it seems is because of alot of walk in crowds, people who just come for a good show of cheerleading without know any participants. I think that is what we will want to hope to achieve in Singapore too. However for now if the separation is deem as necessary, the ushers that day did not strictly enforced it. This is just an observation I make and some food for thought. Maybe we can still enforce the rule but more passes to be given out to every team? Other than that I felt all the arrangement that day was excellent. I also felt that with the great success of the event this year, hopefully we will get to host the event at a bigger indoor stadium next year and with more marketing starting earlier. This year we have more people watching than we had seats and I have got feedbacks that had more public been aware of the event, much more people will come. As we all know that the event this year was organized by Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and sponsored by Federation of Cheerleading Singapore (FCS), that is a main reason for us to be able to have it in such great settings and great sponsors. The only way to have
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continued or increased support from SSC is for us to continue to grow and develop together, to meet the KPI set for us, to gain more public interest, to draw in more crowd, hence more sponsors. And the way to draw in more crowd is to put up a great show, to have more and more teams that can wow the audience. So as cheerleaders, if we want to have a event befitting and potray the right image of cheerleading as a sport or a increase in profile of cheerleading and cheering scene in Singapore, we all have to work hard together to not only increase the standards at the top, but also to spread cheerleading and cheering far and wide. Everything has a cycle, it's a chicken and egg issue, if standards rise, then more people join, then more people watch, then more support and sponsors, then more money, then the money goes back into cheerleading, then more people want to join, then more coaches required, then with more coaches, the standard rise again, then it keeps expanding on and on in a cycle. Ok, I seemed to have digressed a bit from the National Competition that day itself. The day was indeed very enjoyable to me from an audience point of view, to be able to sit back comfortably and watch the teams put up their routines. I was also very happy to see the Cheering category, a new initiative by SSC, to see all the cute primary schools cheerleaders cheering. This is also a market to help expand the reach of cheerleading, to include those cheering squads without the big stunts. Everything was good and approaching the end of the day, when I felt the anti climax to the whole experience; that is the annoucement of the final result of the day, the open category team champion. Well this has nothing to do with the event whatsoever, but just an act of fate to have the points tied even after considering the scores of all 5 judges (Normally take only 3 judges' score). In all the past years, we have ties for 2nd place or 3rd place, but for the first time we had a tie for the champions; well I guess it can happen too. I guess non of the players from NTU ACES or Ulu Pandan Wildcards are satisfied with the outcome. Myself would be thinking if want just let me win and celebrate, if not just let me lose and cry; be it happy or sad emotions, just let me handle and deal with them, so I can learn from them, and not give me a WTF feeling. It's like not competing at all if we cannot have an outcome, as it is this outcome that we had all been seeking, working hard the entire year to find out; but after all the effort, there is still no answer to what we seek. Well this will be a major talking point for quite a while. Nonetheless a great team is not defined by 1 single competition, but over time, to build their reputation. Now that we have a tie, I guess both teams should be given the option to go compete in CAIO in Japan. If it's the difference you guys are seeking, I guess you can try to find it over in Japan. Now that we have competitions all year round in various countries, a strong team will be one that is able to do well all year round in any competition. To sum it up, the event organization this year was fantastic, a great venue, great crowd, great sponsors, pretigious guests, honourable judges to judge all the excellent performances of high standards; and put all that together, we have raised the notch for Singapore Cheerleading once again.
P.S: I would really love to see ACES and Wildcards "battle it out" in Japan. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:10PM (+08:00)
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Wildfire
Well I thought I had quite a long post already, but here's another post that I felt had alot of content worth digesting too. But caution as it may not be for the faint hearted. Pls go here to read it.
P.S: Everyone is entitled their own opinion, so listeners or readers do take it constructively. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:42AM (+08:00)
Passion Run
Yes I have signed up for 100plus PAssion Run 10km. My first registered run and also my first step to running a full marathon. P.S: Anyone want to join me? Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:13AM (+08:00)
Full squad standing back tucks

A week has passed since the Nationals. I think a lot of you have rested enough and some even felt restless already and began to train again, but of course there are also those who had decided to call it a day too for whatever reasons. As I mentioned before, Singapore cheerleading standards are improving each year and cheerleaders getting stronger and better each year too. So what is next after aiming to be or winning the National Champion? I guess the answer is to move on to the next stage, which is to aim to be ASEAN, Asia or International Champion. Some may think you must be joking, that this is a far cry away, with so many countries such as Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and USA, etc still way ahead of us. But to dare to dream about it we must. Only those with dreams strive to move on, and without dreams, you will never succeed. I think having a Singapore National Team is going to become a reality real soon, where the best of the best cheerleaders gather; it is now even closer than before as the pool of cheerleaders increases. You know, after watching from the sidelines for 2 years, my hands are really itching to be in a routine; I have waited 2 years to be in a truly magnificent routine, one that we can proudly showcase Singapore cheerleading. This is when I started doing some self reflection, looking deeper into it; thinking when the time comes whether I will be considered to try out for the National Team. Hence I did some analysis in my head and also went to my Facebook friends to go through all the male cheerleaders I know. I was trying to assess each individuals strength, to see where I fit in, and what I found out surprises and really excites me. To try
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to quantify how much we improved over the past 2 years, I listed and wrote down on a paper names of guy cheerleaders who can do at least 2 gymnastics passes (not including those cartwheel round off or backward roll forward roll), and at the same time can also do an unassisted cupie (I think doing a cupie is quite a fair and reasonable gauge for stunt proficiency now). My results truly put numbers and figures on the improvement of cheerleading and cheerleaders of Singapore. Just 2 years ago, the case for male cheerleaders was that those who can tumble cannot stunt as well, and those who can stunt well cannot tumble; it was harder to find an all rounder then. But now, as of today, that fact has changed so much that it is no longer valid. I shall list out below the names of these people who can tumble and do an unassisted cupie. These names are cheerleaders who I have met personally and those that I have seen with my own eyes doing the tumbling and cupie before. And if I did miss out any, or I do not know you or that you can do it, I apologize and you can let me know. Here goes in random order: Guy Cheerleaders who can Cupie and Tumble 1. Andra (Legacy) 2. Jen (Legacy) 3. Weihoe (Wildcards) 4. Isaac (Wildcards) 5. Zhiliang (Wildcards) 6. Chaang Ru (Wildcards) 7. Sky (Denvers) 8. Zhao Xuan (Denvers) 9. Kah Weng (Aces) 10. Graham ( Aces) 11. Minghui (Aces) 12. Wenliang (Aces) 13. Junting (Aces) 14. Yuenbo (Aces) 15. XP (Aces) 16. Kelvin (Aces) 17. Clement (Gusto) 18. Weihan (Gusto) 19. Dominic (Gusto) 20. Vincent (Magnum) Ok, and out of these 20, - 12 of them can do Toss Cupie - 19 of them can do Standing Back Tuck. - 7 of them can do 3 tumbling passes, and out of these 7, I have seen 4 of them did Toss Cupie. When I saw the list I wrote down, the first thing that comes to my mind is WOW! I cannot slack off if I want to have a chance to be in the National Team when it is formed. A lot of people can do cupie or toss cupie, but tumbling is indeed a big part of cheerleading. So for those names not in the above list, it is time you know what you require to work on. Of course the criteria to form a National Team does not purely rely on these statistics above (Currently it does not means if you can tumble and do a toss cupie, you surely can get in, although it does help alot). Team dynamics, team spirit, commitment level, routine requirements and various other factors also plays a big part in selection of a team. But of 186
course, the main factor is whether you want to become part of the National Team, if you do not want to be for whatever reasons, no one can force you. I sincerely hope everyone can lend their support so that the formation of a strong National Team can become a reality. Imagine a team that does full squad standing back tucks, 7 toss cupies, 4 basket toss twist layouts, 3 full up gladiators and everyone queuing to do their passes in 3 to 4 counts of eights for gymnastics. All these are already possible for Singapore, if we all can pool our resources together, forget about any differences and work towards ONE common goal.
P.S: My apologies again if I missed out any names, but my point is simple - there are a lot of good cheerleaders out there now. So guys do you still think you can afford to not even know how to do a standing back tuck? Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:53PM (+08:00)
1 week left
1 week left for March Video of the month challenge... Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:56PM (+08:00)

Front handspring, back handspring, back tuck, now I need to get my front tuck... Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:39AM (+08:00)
Well done Ken

So proud of you Ken, you did it, you can do a backtuck. Round-off backtuck coming soon. =) Jiayou. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:10PM (+08:00)

Hope my knee recovers real soon... Too many things to work on when it does. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:43AM (+08:00)
Physics - Newton's Law of Gravity

Recently because of the injury to my knee, I cannot stunt as much, but I had not been slacking by going to the gym to work out more often. Going to the gym more makes me more conscious about the amount of weight I can lift or press, and this sets me thinking
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about an old yet current issue that has sort of puzzled me for some time. How come it feels so different when people stunt a 40 kg flyer and a 45kg flyer? The difference is only a mere 5kg. And for that matter, how about the difference of stunting a 44kg flyer and a 45kg flyer, which is only 1kg difference? To solve this puzzle, I did some homework and tried to put things into perspective. We know that in the sport of cheerleading, most of times we are fighting against the forces of gravity. So what is gravity? It is the downward force exerted on any object which can be given by:
F=mg (F = Force of gravity, m = Mass of object & g = Gravitational constant=9.81m/s2)

So whenever we toss a flyer into the air, we are exerting a force (F) = m(flyers mass) X g(gravitational constant) Ok now we all know the concept of Force, but it is still not enough to quantify the full picture for cheerleading. We need to take into consideration of another variable that is the Height, or distance travelled against gravity. So putting Height into the equation, we have Work Done(W) or Energy (E) = Force (F) X Distance moved or Height (d), simply put it as:
E =F X d (E = Energy exerted, F = Force against gravity & d = Height travelled)

Now back to my question of the difference in stunting a 44kg flyer and 45kg flyer (only 1kg difference); how does these equation put things more into perspective? Lets do a scenario study: Before we start, lets qualify things a little. In the study, it is assumed that all flyers have the same build, same size, same vertical leap, same locking, same techniques and all else same except the weight. Also for simplicity of calculations, g(gravitational constant) will be taken as 10m/s2. So let us take the scenario of tossing a flyer to extension. Lets take the average height of an extension to be 2metres, from the palms holding the flyers feet to the ground. What it means in physics terms of tossing a flyer to extension is to work against gravity and bring the flyer to travel a distance of 2m. Therefore for a flyer of 45kg, the Energy used to toss her to extension can be given as: Energy = F X d = mg X d = 45kg X 10m/s2 X 2m = 900 Joules So assuming this energy of 900J is your threshold or limit you can produce in a toss (means no matter how hard you try, you can only give 900J). So your full strength is 900J and if you were to put this Energy into tossing a flyer of 44kg, what outcome will you get? Energy(E)= F x d(Height) 188
Height = E/F = E/mg = 900/(44 X 10) = 2.05m So from the equation, you can see that if you use the same amount of strength to toss a flyer of 44kg, you can actually toss her higher by about 5cm (take out your ruler and see how much it is if you must). Now 1kg of difference may not seemed a lot, but to see it from another angle, it is actually worth 5cm of difference, and this 5cm is usually the difference of having the float at the end of the toss that we are always talking about. Now to amplify things a little more and take a flyer of 40kg: Energy(E)= F x d(Height) Height = E/F = E/mg = 900/(40 X 10) = 2.25m You can actually toss a flyer of 40kg 25cm more than a flyer of 45kg (of course considering all other variables the same as assumed above) and 25cm is almost about the length of 1 foreman of the base! If you continue to play around with the mathematics, you will realize that for every 1kg, it is approximately representative of 5cm in toss. Now that we have seen things from another perspective and angle, we can appreciate what a mere 1kg difference or even 500grams signify. And when performing at the peak, near our threshold, every centimeters counts to whether stunt stays up or comes down. Ok, I only did this as to satisfy my long time curiosity. And as I did this example, I know full well at the back of my head that weight is not entirely the only factor when doing a stunt such as toss to extension. I did specifically specify too that weight only comes into the picture with all else being the same. Most times, weight is not to be an issue, techniques, skills, locking, power in jumping outweighs it. People say having that little extra weight is because of having more muscles and with these muscles the jump will be higher and locking tighter. I can fully agree with this statement, as I know the importance of having muscle strength. But the difficult part and key to it is to develop more compact, efficient and lean muscles, with a high strength to mass ratio.
P.S: Is your weight a direct proportion of your muscles and strength? Or are they a direct proportion to your fats and liability? Be truthful to yourself and do not lie to yourself about it. Respect yourself and respect the sport; it is time to get in shape if you are not already. I am not an advocate of weight loss, but I am one of staying in good physical shape and strength. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:14PM (+08:00)
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Indonesia National Cheerleading Championship 2010

Friday, April 23, 2010
All the best to all Singapore cheerleaders, Magnum Force and Denvers, going to Indonesia to compete in the Cheerleading Championship this Sunday. Wish you all ASU. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:59AM (+08:00)
2010 ICU World Championships

2010 ICU World Championships You can find Singapore being represented in Coed Partner Stunt Category and All Girl Group Stunt Category. The top 3 results for the categories Singapore took part in: Coed Partner Stunt Category 1st Costa Rica 2nd Chinese Taipei 3rd Slovenia All Girl Group Stunt Category 1st USA 2nd Canada 3rd Germany For the rest of the results you can watch it from the video. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:26AM (+08:00)
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Simple?
It always sounds very simple and easy to listen to the techniques someone tells you in order to hit a particular stunt. But after you try it yourself, trying to implement whatever is taught to you, you start to realise that it is not as simple as it sounds and may start to get frustrated after repeatedly failing even though you are already being "taught" For example a simple advice like lock your arms and suck in your core can actually be so much tougher when you try to implement it in real life. Usually what can be taught to you are only the right way of doing stunts, the feeling of doing the stunt can never be taught to you; this is the feeling you have to grasp yourself. Then the funny thing to me most of the times is that after one mastered the stunt, they will start to teach it to others in the same "simple and easy to listen" way. So my conclusion is sometimes when something is taught to you, it might not make sense at first, it is hard to "do what you hear", but after you master it, then you look back and will realize that it made perfect sense now. How many of you bases had heard something like this before,"Just go down with flyer and then use your legs and blast up together with flyer when she jumps, then flick off hard with your arms at the highest point and catch her feet high." Sounds simple right? But grasping it fully and then doing it is not easy; but the day you master it, it will all make sense suddenly.
P.S: Just keep doing, Repetition is the king of success. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:50PM (+08:00)
Cheer - Life balance

http://varsity.com/varsitytv.aspx Scroll right to start watching from episode 1 All they took is 12 days to win the championship! This is something we can try to work towards. Instead of tireless training hours after hours, we can focus instead of training everyone to be proficient in their skills. This way we can achieve quality instead of quantity trainings. Trainings will become very efficient instead of draggy. In this way, we might prevent killing off people's passion due to burnouts, and in turn reduce dropout rates and increase rentention; people will continue to love what they are doing. We all know the importance of "work - life balance". In the same essence, we should also pay more attention to "Cheer - Life balance"
P.S: Everyone, everyteam has different style, but in my opinion, efficiency is something we all should have. Stunt
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Posted by *star* at 01:37AM (+08:00)
Four-minute mile
Sunday, May 09, 2010
In athletics, the four-minute mile is the running of a mile (exactly 1,609.344 meters, 5280 feet) in less than four minutes. For many years, the scientific and athletic communities thought that it was impossible to run a four-minute mile. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister in 3'59.4". The 'four minute barrier' has since been broken by many male athletes, and is now the standard of all professional middle distance runners. In the last 50 years the mile record has been lowered by almost 17 seconds. Running a mile in under 4 minutes had been impossible to everyone in the past, until Roger Bannister did it in 1954. After his amazing feat, the mile had been ran under 4 minutes countless times. The role he played in all this was great, it made people overcome their mental barriers and pushed their performances up a notch. The 1st rewind is done and dusted, now many more will follow. It had always been like that, from the days of toss cupie to full up and now to rewind - more will follow. Quote: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle--when the sun comes up, you'd better be running." Roger Bannister
P.S: I think this is a very inspiring quote - If you trained like your life depends on it, you can be sure you will succeed; it doesn't matter who you are. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:47AM (+08:00)

Congrats on everyones achievement so far because i think the effort you have put in made you deserve the honor, but gaining the title is not equivalent to having the rights to put others down. While there may be a difference in statuses/achievements (regardless of in life, in work or in cheer), one cannot attempt to diminish the integrity of others. You want respect from others, want it because you are worth it, not because it can be used as a weapon to attack others around you. You can choose to become a great man who had to be hated by many in order to
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achieve a greater good, but many may also choose to hate you simply because you are not a good enough man. This can only be seen and debated on in the future, not now. Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:44AM (+08:00)
Ip Man
Everyone around me seems to be talking about Ip Man after they watched it; and most had very good reviews of the movie. Well I liked the show too after I watched it; it is not only a show about the fighting actions, but also a show with lots of little lessons in life. Ip Man (as portrayed in the movie) was indeed a very patient, virtous, kind, humble, helpful and generous man. I think he has many more virtues than listed above; those are just a few of my summary. He really makes me feel small about myself at times, I am still far from being a great man like him. In the show, he also had many wise words and sayings; some practical lessons about life in his own words, but it is not only these wise words that I got out of the show. As I was watching this one part, some thoughts drifted into my mind... This particular part of the show that made my mind ponder was the part when he was collecting money from his students. Being a very nice, kind and helpful person as he is, he could not bear to collect some money from some of his students, even though he himself needed the money as much, if not more than the students. He had 1 kid and a pregnant wife to feed, but yet his soft heartedness prevents him from collecting hard earned money that is so crucial to their survival. In this practical world, even the nicest person has to eat. So 1 thing that I learnt is that some things are better left to the professionals. If it is hard or maybe "paiseh" for you to collect money, you can always get a 3rd party to collect it for you, an admin staff or an agent. This is why in society there are all sorts of agents that offer their services to people. For example every player in EPL has an agent, or almost everyone has an insurance agent (now being re-branded as financial planner). So some things that may be hard for you to negotiate or handle, you can always get an agent to get things done for you. I can almost feel the sense of awkardness that the teacher, Ip Man felt when he had to collect money himself from his students. I am not saying that one should be cold hearted or cruel, but sometimes people may be pulling a fast one on you. If you do not take care of your own survival, who will? Things always gets sensitive when money comes into play. Another of my favorite lines, "Do you have 200 men who depend on you to feed?"
P.S: Only when you start helping yourself, then you can start helping others. Being broke is temporary, but being poor is eternal. Stunt Posted by *star* at 08:25PM (+08:00)
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Life is not a full dress rehearsal. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:29AM (+08:00)
Passion Run 2010

10KM conquered. Next up 21KM. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:45PM (+08:00)
28th May
Below is a picture I drawn 2 years ago before I master Liberty Tick Tock. I set the target date to hit it on 28th May 2008. In fact I hit it a couple of weeks before 28th. (A post 2 years ago describing about training my Tick Tock: Ease)
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Goal setting is very important, and it is also very important that you set a timeline for it. This way you can work towards a target within a specific time. Setting a target date often puts you into more urgency. Other than setting your goals and timeline, what I like to do is to draw and scribble it out onto a piece of paper. Drawing out your goals can often help you to achieve it, to attract it to you. The more passion and details you put into the drawing, the more you will attract it.
P.S: I draw myself to be much muscular than in reality, but that's fine; it is something to work towards. Stunt Posted by *star* at 05:16AM (+08:00)

I don't always have it easy. I worked very hard for it. Stunt Posted by *star* at 05:36AM (+08:00)
Blog Post of the Month

3 months had past since the start of Video of the Month (VoM). The response had been quite encouraging (YTD 14 entries in 3 months) and I am very happy for that. I believe that many great things in life starts small, and like a snowball rolling down a slope, continue to gather momentum and magnitude as we move along. And today I am very happy to announce another contest for cheerleaders in Singapore Blog Post of the Month (BPoM). So what is BPoM and how did BPoM came about? Lee Chaang Ru, current coach and Vice Chairman of Wildcards Cheerleading Team smsed me about a week ago and suggested this idea to me. You can say we are quite liked minded in trying to promote cheerleading in Singapore. Similar to my love for video
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making and the use of videos to promote cheer; Chaang is argubly the person who started or popularized the use of Team Blogs in SG Cheer. Chaang felt that blogging is a great window to share information, ideas and passion for cheerleading. In saying all that, Chaang is going to match me Dollar for Dollar for what I contribute to VoM, to start this new contest, BPoM. We then had our discussion about implementation and the rest is history. We hoped that in doing this, we can raise the awareness to more cheerleaders or excheerleaders, that they too can play a part. And like a rolling snowball, with the combined efforts of everyone, many of our dreams such as that of having a "cheerleading scholarship" may one day materialise, and bring SG Cheer to new heights. Quoting a paragraph from my original VoM post: "I believe that most cheerleaders can agree with me that cheerleading changed their lives in more ways than 1. Most would have treasured the times they had in cheer, despite of all the hectic schedules, injuries, sacrifices and grievances. It will forever become a deep part of their memories in life. Now if we did enjoyed our time and appreciate what cheer had done for us; I feel that it will be very nice if we can return the favour and spread the joy to many new and future generations of cheerleaders, so that they can get to experience the many positives cheerleading has done for us too." On that note, let's kick start and get into the details for BPoM: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------Chaang Blog Post of the Month Challenge Details of challenge: Simply write a blog post about anything related to cheerleading. It can be on nutrition, training, competitions or just simply your own thoughts or vision of anything cheer related. Then copy and paste the post's URL to your facebook status (What's on your mind?) and tag me (XWonder Estrella) in the status. (to tag simply type in your status [posturl][space]@XWonder Estrella, i.e: http://www.xwondercheer.com/2010/03/video-of-month.html @XWonder Estrella) After that, it will be considered as an entry for BPoM challenge. Chaang and I will read through all entries and co-review the entries, then at the end of each month, also on every 5th, the winner will be announced on this blog (our decision is final). Participant's eligibility: Similar to VoM, you are eligible as long as you cheer in Singapore; regardless of nationality, team, age, or gender. You can be writing and posting on your personal blog or team blog, it does not matter, both are eligible. You need to be on Facebook and is my friend to tag me. Tagging on behalf or your friend or someone's post is allowed and it will be assumed that you have their permission to do so (please read detailed disclaimer at the bottom of this post).If you are not yet my friend on Facebook, just add me using the link at top of the page. Prizes: $50 cash or dollar for dollar as VoM to the winner each month. In cases where the person who tagged and the person who post (blogger) is different, the prize will be split half to the person who tagged and half to the blogger. In the event there is no entry for the month, the prize money will accumulate and be brought over to the next month. Prize money is subjected to increase at any time without notice.
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Any questions feel free to contact me
Being Singaporeans, we all love sales and offers. In the spirit of the Great Singapore Sales now, Chaang is offering an early bird promotion. If you post on your blog and tag within the next 10days, and if you win (results out on 05July10), you will be entitled to 50% more. i.e: $75. 1 suggestion from me - You can make a great video and enter it for VoM then write a great post on your blog embedding that video as a add on to enhance your blog post and enter the post for BPoM; this way you stand a chance to win both contest, and if you do, that is $100 in total. So what are we waiting for, let's all get our pens ready and write, or should I say fingers ready and type.
Disclaimer: By tagging us on a blog post, it is taken that you have obtained the necessary permission to do so by the blog owner &/or blogger to have its contents shared on the World Wide Web. The authenticity of the said blog post shall be at the sole responsibility of the blogger &/or blog owner, and we will not be liable for the authenticity of any of the blog contents. Please exercise discretion when reading any of the blog posts tagged. The information in the blogs tagged does not constitute an offer or an invitation by or on behalf of xwondercheer.com to subscribe or purchase any products/services/training methods/recommendations which may be described or referenced to therein. Any information given in this blog post is indicative only, is subject to change and does not constitute an obligation to believe in the contents described. Any reference to any information should be treated as preliminary only and subject to our formal written confirmation.
P.S: The disclaimers are written by Chaang; being a banker by profession, Chaang comes up with the best disclaimers. And being a disclaimer, the font sizes are always smaller. Haha, lol. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:44AM (+08:00)
Crack my mind
I need extreme radical ideas now, I do not have the luxury of time.
P.S: I do not need you to be as strong as me physically, just as strong mentally. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:00AM (+08:00)
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Become the fisherman

Saturday, June 05, 2010
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Many of you must have heard this before. I have a comment. I think teaching a man to fish is not enough to feed him a lifetime. You have to make sure he becomes a fisherman.
P.S: Do you get that? Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:11AM (+08:00)

... Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:52PM (+08:00)

I have to say that I worked myself harder off the mats than on the mats Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:36AM (+08:00)
To those training their Liberties

I mentioned this earlier, now I want to say it again: I don't always have it easy. I worked very hard for it. I started working for my right liberty in the 2nd half of 2005; then with Yating, the lightest flyer (above 18yrs) you can ever find in SG.
Then in mid June 2006, I started working on my liberty with Xuewei.
I failed countless and countless times, and as you can see in video, my form was atrocious. In the end, I took more than a year to hit my first liberty. Everyone started off at the same point, I just happen to start earlier then some. Trust me, in a point in future, in a much shorter time span than what I took, you will also be starting to do many more skills other than Right Single Liberty; if only you perserve in it. Trust me on that and believe in yourself.
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P.S: Sometimes you never know if you are ever going to achieve it, everything seems so far away, but if only you kept faith and believe, it might already be just around the corner. Give up and you will never find the out. Stunt Posted by *star* at 07:30PM (+08:00)
Get $$$ living your passion

Feel that cheerleading is taking up alot of your time, many hours of lost opportunities for work? Or not enough money for that new pair of shoe, or to have some for supplements, or not enough for going gymnastics lessons, or not enough to pay for your uniforms, or to have that bit extra to go for workshops or subsidise overseas exchange? Or any other reasons that you need more money? Well just take part more in our VoM and BPoM challenge and you can definitely help address some of the above issues, and by only for doing what you love - that is cheerleading. Take down more videos during training and write out more of your thoughts and feelings about trainings etc into blog posts and stand a chance win money living your passion.
P.S: Believe me that you can expect much more as we move along together; so start early. Stunt Posted by *star* at 07:52PM (+08:00)
My life is great
Haven been blogging much these days, was really busy and living a great life. It feels good to be in a routine once again, even though just a simple one. The people are the ones that made it so enjoyable, everyone is the best of the best and it is my pleasure to be amongst them. We will also hope to improve ourselves and increase the standard as we move along. Is winning a championship more important or learning the ropes of cheerleading more important? Is it easier to win a championship or is it easier to become a good cheerleader? Anyway we will be at Shape Run on the 25th of July, Sunday morning 7am. =) Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:40PM (+08:00)
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This is it
Had a great routine training last night. It's been a while since I ran a routine, and a pretty long routine it was. So glad that I still keep myself in shape all these while, else I would have collasped. Speaking about keeping in shape; FCS will be conducting a National Team Tryouts soon to form the long awaited Singapore Team, where the best of the best will gather, train and perform together. So keep yourself in shape if you want a shot at making the team. FCS are currently working with sponsors for the team and will release more information real soon. For more information, check out http://fcs.sg/ - Team Singapore Cheerleading Team.
P.S: I can almost picture what a wonderful routine it is going to be in my head already... Be a part of it. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:01PM (+08:00)
Kelloggs Trainings
The thing I love most about our trainings is that we are very efficient and everyone does what they are supposed to do. We do not even have breaks or sit down, just the occasional sip of water. I guess that is how training has to be for working people; train for an hour plus a day and rush home to sleep. However there is 1 thing; KW said we are like stunt man, lack the liveliness and cheerfulness. I guess sometimes it is very obvious when seeing from the outside, but hard to notice when you are doing the routine. This is something we need to work on, afterall we haven been performing for years. Took some clips of our 10-men routine training for this Sunday's performance and compiled them up. If you want see the full run, catch us live at Shape Run this Sunday.
P.S: I want to thank all in the routine for their sacrifices over the past 3 trainings, it is not possible to get all these done without all of you and without your professionalism. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:33PM (+08:00)
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If you want something you never had, do something you have never done
Today morning I was listening to 93.8FM over the radio and they were discussing about whether school children should be given so much homework or remedial lessons during their 1 month term break. There were people calling in with various different opinion, some for it and some against it, but from what I gathered, mostly wanted a form of break for the kids in case of burn out and that parents should be the one responsible and accountable for making the decision whether to send the kids back to school for extra lessons. In my opinion, I felt that the kids should be given the break, have the entire 4 weeks to themselves or choose what they want to do with it with the guidance of their parents. To me I felt that education is important, but not a must; so what if you can get a degree certificate, or a masters or PHD. Maybe I am thinking like this due to the nature of my job now, which I got thanks to my degree; I do not love doing it. On hindsight, I would definitely have live my life in a completely different manner if I can go back in time. People now work so hard, even at things they may not love doing. All they think of is get a job, earn enough money, get married then have kids so on. Seldom do they think of whether they love what they are doing and doing it just for the sake of getting married, house, kids Whatever happened to the passion in life? If you asked me if I can go back to when I was 21 agin and whether I would choose to go to university again, my answer will be YES. If not I would not have gone to NTU ACES and found my passion. However, I would approach my university life in an entire different manner. Please do what you love to do when you still have the time and without the burden of adulthood. University is your last chance for most, the time in your life when you have the most freedom and least burden. For me, I would have picked up one more thing other than cheerleading, that is financial education. The schools do not teach it to you, but once you started working, then you would start to realize the importance of it, but then you would have less time to learn about it, and the younger you start the better. This shall be the key to your ultimate freedom. I always look at some of my peers with envy, how they are doing what they love, and doing it all out - to become a full time cheerleader or coach. They are the ones who dared to live their dreams. If investing time in your education is important, I would say that investing time in your dreams is even more important. These people who do cheer full time invest a lot of time and efforts into their dreams and they dared to dream. I know of some who are earning more income than I am banking on my degree certificate. And you can imagine how much more they are earning than a typical diploma holder or A/Os holder who get a job in the traditional sense (no offence to diploma or A/Os holders). I even know of 1 person who can completely drop out of his degree program to pursue his passion of cheerleading and guess what, he is now earning 100USD a day coaching overseas. Not bad or what, speaking of overseas opportunities and high pay. Of course they are not earning that by chance, but by many years of effort before that, and I repeat again, because of their dreams. Of course every profession has its pro and cons, I can think of a couple of cons for cheerleading, but, a big BUT, you are living your dreams and love what you are doing. This is the most important.
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I am not saying that cheerleading is for everyone, some may really love being an engineer, an accountant, a teacher, a banker etc. The point I am trying to get at is LOVE what you are doing, if you do not love it, dont do it. So now to those doing your degree, probably the final lap of education for most, is the course you are in what you love doing? Or do you know where you are going from there? If not, start really thinking hard about what you want, and if you already know what you love doing, start working hard at it to become the best. There is always room for the best in every industry. It took me 3 years since my graduation to figure all these out, it is not a waste for I have learn many along the way too, but you do not need to spend 3 years of arduous efforts and time to realize all these. I have this desktop wallpaper at my work laptop that has this 3 quotes:
If you want something you never had, do something you have never done. Dont take the way life takes you, take the life the way you go And remember you are born to live and not living because you are born
For those who really love cheer, stick to it, do what your passion tells you to do, there is a road ahead. From afar I can see it slowly emerging from the fog. And we all need to work together to make this a reality, the only way for it to happen is if we move ahead, instead of stagnating or moving backwards due to petty squabbles or politics. Have a bigger heart for things and learn to forgive. The more you give and the more you will receive. Lets push ahead through the fog and we will be able to see the abundance behind it.
P.S: Everyday I dream... Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:54PM (+08:00)
Astros
P.S: Small steps at a time Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:43AM (+08:00)
Wildcards Stunt Fest 2010

Went down for Wildcards' Annual Stunt Fest on last Saturday. It began with a performance put up by Wildcards.
Even though they may have dropped a couple of stunts, but I have to say that I am still very impressed by the routine, the level of difficulty put into a performance which can easily have been of competition standard. First time ever 7 unassisted cupies were done in a routine, a definite upgrade from the more common 7 single liberties. The other WOW element had to be their 3 libery hitch 360 to gladiator during the cheer segment, drawing 202
huge cheers and applause from the crowd. After the performance, the stunt fest began. Cheerleaders from teams all around SG, such as Alpha Verve, Denvers, Legacy, Wildcards, Gusto, Genesis, Spectrum, Astros gathered to stunt. They also had featured guest, Eric and Laura from Queen's University of Canada to grace the event. I have to say that the standard of cheerleading has risen another level, judging by what I saw during the stunt fest. Everyone was trying stunts which were seldom seen or done in SG a year ago. There was also a mass cupie photo taking session and probably almost every single flyer there got on to a cupie, there must have been about 20 of them. It is great to see everyone improving so fast, and this is only possible if you are open; receptive to advice and at the same time share your ideas. This constant exchange of information will allow cheerleading to grow exponetially. In the age of the internet, everything is moving at a faster pace now; if you holed yourself up, you will decline and become obsolete very quickly. Now to talk about my personal performance that day during stunt fest. I did pretty ok, managed to hit the stunts that I could do fairly consistenly, but towards the end, I lost quite a bit of strength after I grew tired. My stamina was bad, and I must work on it in order to improve. Snow was in fact very dissapointed that day, dissapointed with my lack of stamina. In all I was fairly pleased with my 2 arms stunts, but dissapointed in my 1 arm stunt, in particular Full up Cupie and Full Around Cupie. Still a long way to making these 2 stunts consistent.
The only half successful Full Up Cupie to Full Around Cupie of the day. Well to sum it up, everyone had a good time during the stunt fest and everyone is improving alot. A few breakthroughs were also achieved by some that day. I myself had a good training and was very pleased to see all the enthusiastic cheerleaders.
P.S: Consistency is something that I need to work hard to; work hard to being "routine ready" Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:55PM (+08:00)
4 yrs of X-Wonder
It is X-Wonder's 4 years anniversary. It is always a good time to take stock of the past year, the goals that had been set and what has been achieved. Let's take a look at our entry on our 3rd year anniversary: Lucky number 3 Alright the targets set last year includes, Full up to Cupie, Tick Tock Stretches, Full Around to Cupie, Low Pop Overs. Of these 4, I got 3 of them, Full up to Cupie and Low Pop Over and Full Around Cupie. We did not try the tick tock stretches though, but not bad I feel, 3 out of 4 of our targets were achieved.
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We also set a target to link the 4 basic elements together, Full up Liberty, Full Around Liberty, Tick Tock, Pop Over. We also managed to achieve this target, I would say I give myself 7 out of 10 points for it. Gymnastics wise, I managed to get my dream pass since the early days of my cheer life; that is Front Handspring Round Off Back Tuck. And Snow also managed to improve on her gymnastics, such as Handstans, Round off, Standing Back Tuck, 720 twists etc. So overall X-Wonder had a good year and achieved most of our targets. Now for next year - Stunt wise our goal will be to get our Rewinds and Front Handsprings and also Cupie Full Around Cupie. And then now, we aim to link up the targets set for last year into a mini sequence; Full up Cupie to Hands Full Around Cupie to Low Pop Over. Other than stunts wise, X-Wonder has also started a few things in the past year. XWonder started the Video of the Month contest (VoM) and in 5 months to date has so far received a total of 27 video entries and given out a total of $330. X-Wonder is also proud to be the official partner of Blog Post of the Month contest (BPoM), sponsored by Chaang, which to date has a total of 8 Blog Post entries and given out a total of $230. We have also started coaching a team and imparting our experience to the future generations. And of course last but not least, X-Wonder also Co-Founded our affiliate Team ASTROS with 8 other passionate cheerleaders. ASTROS formation allowed many to continue to cheer after "retirement" and also as a team continue to push the limits of cheerleading to a higher level. Competition and awards that X-Wonder got the chance to be part of was to represent Singapore to compete in the Group Stunt Category on Cheerleading World Championship (CWC) 2009 in Germany, Bremen; and we came in 2nd runner up. XWonder also got new certification in judging; the ICU Level 1 and 2 Judging Certification. X-Wonder hopes to continue the year ahead to promote and drive cheerleading to even more cheerleaders and people from all the different corners of Singapore. We shall end off with a little video taken at Marina Barrage; such are the little joys of cheerleading, to have a skill that you can take to places and keep them as part of your memories forever.
P.S: Cheerleading had indeed given us a great deal of opportunities, more than we can ever imagined at the beginning. We want everyone to have that as well. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:50PM (+08:00)
There is no last
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Recently, in the span of a month, I was involved in 2 performances. It was such a good feeling to be part of a routine again. I am also very happy about the formation of ASTROS, finally something which we had been talking about for the past few years had came true; the formation of a team with like minded passionate cheerleaders whose goals are to push the limits of cheerleading, and a team that can focus entirely on that without the pressures of nationals or competitions. 204
With ASTROS, I got the chance to perform again, after more than 3 years. My last performance was at Singapore Recreation Club on 29th June 2007; it was quite a emotional one for me, and I wrote a blog post for it - First at the last Like I mentioned in the post, this was the last of over more than 50 performances I did throughout my cheer life till then, and for my "swansong", I was going to attempt to do a cupie in the routine. But well sadly I failed the cupie, and I was really devastasted then (you can ask snow about that and maybe that's why on our way home I did a Standing Back Tuck on the concrete ground of the MRT Platform. haha). I shall post my "last performance"; watch how I failed my cupie - I am the centre PS group during the opening.
So it was really nice to be able to do a cupie in my first "comeback" performance and chase all the "demons" away from my head now. And then to further erase any self doubts that I had, I got the chance to do a toss cupie in our 2nd performance. Reading back, I really liked my post First at the last. A quote from from the post: "But what about if you failed at your last attempt? Does it signal that the time is not ripe yet, that you still have unfinished business for it to be the last? Well I guess I will not find out until the moment comes. Will I go for it one more "last" time?" And the moment came it did. And I found out the answer to that question 3 years ago. Indeed my time is not up yet, I was not ripe and ready 3 years back (to do the cupie), but now I am back for the harvest. I believe now that there will never be a "last time" for me. I quote from First at the last again: "This story just tells me there is no such thing as the last time, there is always unpredictable number of times, and the road is never ending, unless you decide to end it yourself. It is about how much you wanted it. Hopes and dreams are always out there to be achieved, you never know when you are not going to make it, unless you give up on your on hopes and dreams. The last time may very well also be your first time. Never quit on your passion, for one day your dreams will be realised in one form or another. You just have to believe!"
P.S: Even now with the full up cupie done, I will not quit. Hopefully in future when I look back and read this post, double up is done. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:50PM (+08:00)
Just some thoughts

Singapore till date has won 3 medals in YOG, 2 bronze and 1 silver and the games are only at the half way point, meaning the tally may still increase. This is already a much better result than our efforts in the usual senior Olympic Games, which Singapore has over the last 40 plus years just amassed a total of 2 silver medals.
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This sets me thinking, Is it harder for sportsmen in Singapore to perform at the senior level than it is to perform at the youth level? Of the 3 medals for YOG, 1 of them was achieved by our youth swimmer, Rainer Ng, in the 50metres backstroke. Taken from an interview with Rainers mum: It (the one-year off) was definitely worth it. Swimming is Rainers passion, he wants to swim. As parents, we will support him because swimming has a very short lifespan. We have to make full use of every chance he has, she said. Rainer took 1 year off his studies just to train for his passion. Taking a 1 year off is too much of a luxury for working adults like myself. How I wish I can afford to just take a year off for my passion, but the responsibilities of a working adult and the opportunity cost (may be as much as $50,000 - $100,000 or more a year) are far greater than that when you were just a teenager. I feel this may be 1 of the biggest reason why Singapore sportsmen at the senior level cannot perform as well as their youth counterparts. In the ultra fast paced society of Singapore, to balance time between a full time job and training is a tough thing to do; plus the fact that as an adult, you simply cannot afford to stop working and take a full year off (Most once graduated, are immediately burdened with their study loans etc). And once you start your working life, most of us are no longer so lucky to have our parents say they will support us for a year and go do whatever we loved, like Rainers did. Well my only answer to this is to sacrifice a big portion of my sleep and socialization with my colleagues. Now I really envy the youths, and reminisce the times that I had just a few years back.
P.S: For those still in your youths, really make full use of your time to indulge and live for your passion now. For those on the verge to graduate into the working society, really grasp hold of your last chances of freedom, appreciate what you have now and treasure every moment you have doing what you love now, before you get sucked into the rat race. Complain less and do more. Stunt Posted by *star* at 05:00PM (+08:00)
Happy teacher's day

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." ~ William Arthur Ward ~ Wishing all the teachers out there a happy teacher's day, and also thank them for their hardwork, selflessness guidance and love. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:14AM (+08:00)
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Polyphasic sleep
Monday, September 06, 2010
Today I was reading Yahoo news and I came across an article "Napping gets a nod at work. I almost wanted to forward the article to my boss. Haha. Many people came up to me before and ask me, Xingwei, how do you do it? How do you sleep so late and manage your day job and cheer life at night? (on average I sleep at 23am and wake at 6am for work) I always told them passion fuels me and I take naps whenever I could in the day. Now after reading the article Napping gets a nod at work, I got to learn of a new term polyphasic ultrashort sleep. I got a little information from the article and then when to research more information about polyphasic sleep; as usual just google it. As you would most of the times, wikipedia is the top search result and it states Polyphasic sleep, a term coined by early 20th century psychologist J.S. Szymanski, refers to the practice of sleeping multiple times in a 24-hour period and does not imply any particular sleep schedule. And also in the top 3 results, I also found a blog on polyphasic sleep http://polyphasic.blogspot.com/. It is a blog by a few researchers on their experiment on polyphasic sleep and also you can find from the blog some basic introduction about polyphasic sleep. A little extract from the blog:
On this schedule, I feel quite normal. I am alert, creative and able to do any activity as if I were monophasic. So I guess I've reached one goal. I've discovered a sleeping pattern that I can maintain for long periods of time that will net me 3.5 - 4.5 extra hours per day.
And after more research, I found out that Polyphasic sleep is considered scientifically tested, a way one could be able to squeeze out more hours in a day without the need to sleep that much, by taking more power naps in between. As described in the blog it is a useful tool to get extra waking hours in the day. So I guess having polyphasic sleep had been how I was managing my time and sleep, a more scientific way to answer those who asked me how do I do it? My schedule goes something like this: about 45mins nap while I take the transport to work, another 45 to 60mins nap during lunch, and another 45 mins nap while I take transport out of the island (I work on an island). So add that to 3 hours of sleep at night, I could almost net 6 hours a day; only just in much more and shorter phases of sleep.
P.S: Though I would still prefer to be able to get more sleep Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:55AM (+08:00)
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ATCI
Bon Voyage and all the best to the teams taking part in this weekend's ATCI competition. Now that training had ended, the stress is over and it is time to showcase.
P.S: The process itself of being there for the competition is priceless. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:06AM (+08:00)
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders

Now all that I started researching about sleep, it got me more and more interested about sleep. So as I continued my sleep education, (again from wiki) it was suggested that people with the circadian rhythm disorder (a sleeping disorder) typically displays polyphasic sleep patterns. So I dwell deeper into the topic and discovered a lot more. I shall share just a tiny portion which I felt describes my case (you can research at wiki for other cases). A little definition about circadian rhythm disorder:
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are a family of sleep disorders affecting, among other things, the timing of sleep. People with circadian rhythm sleep disorders are unable to sleep and wake at the times required for normal work, school, and social needs. They are generally able to get enough sleep if allowed to sleep and wake at the times dictated by their body clocks.
It can be further broken down and one of the types (a type that describes my sleep habits) is Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS)
Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) is characterized by a much later than normal timing of sleep onset and offset and a period of peak alertness in the middle of the night.
Only now I finally know that I am suffering from a type of sleeping disorder for a big part of my life. I always knew I was a late sleeper, but never did I thought that it was medically considered a sleeping disorder. It was also because of my having Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS), that triggered my polyphasic sleep patterns. Well I guess if given a choice, I would sleep late but have uninterrupted monophasic sleep for 8 hours like I do so back in my NTU hall days, where I usually sleep after 4am and wake up at noon. However because of work now, I cannot afford to sleep till noon, hence my body had to adapt to polyphasic sleep patterns where I nap a few times a day. No wonder I always felt more refreshed at night than in the day.
P.S: Maybe I should go see a doctor. Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:24PM (+08:00)
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September
A hectic and fulfilling month of September. LASIK Astros 3rd performance ATCI Hongkong Planning for Astros biggest ever performance Planning for Alpha 1st performance with the freshies Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:00PM (+08:00)
Just some sharing

Of late my posts are starting to consist of only VoM and BPoM updates. Ken pointed this out to me as well, and preferred my "old blog", the times where I update more about cheerleading related topics. I still had many thoughts and ideas I always wanted to share with every one, but this year had been a really fulfilling and packed year for me, and I am constantly busy now even on the weekends for me to find time to sit down and pen out my thoughts. Since we are on the topic of VoM, BPoM and giving, I shall do a "proper post" and share some of my thoughts on giving. The updates of VoM itself is taking up a portion of my time; having to get the links to the videos and FB correct, to talk about the videos and cheerleaders in the videos etc. People started asking me questions about why I started VoM? My answer is simple, I want to give back to cheerleading what it had given me. At the same time I do not want to restrict it to only a few people or a team, but yet there are currently no cheerleading funds or grants in SG known to me for me to contribute to. Hence so far my best idea I had was the VoM, where I can leverage the power of social networking (Facebook) to reach out to more cheerleaders in SG. If you have yet decide to participate because you are afraid that it is a scam or something, I really urge you to reconsider. So why give? Some may ask where do you get the money from? Well, a simple breakdown would be from the money I save during lunch. For some of you may have already know that I do not go for lunch during work and it has 4 main benefits: 1) More time to rest and catch up on sleep, so I can cheer more at nights 2) Helps me to lose weight or maintain it 3) Save money 4) Contribute to VoM So you see, taking 20 working days and $5 saved on lunch each day, end of the month I will net $100. And out of the $100, I saved $50. And taking out the other $50 for VoM really does not hurt my pocket that much, while at the same time I believe it can help to give back to cheerleading in a way or another, to someone who might need the $50 more than I do. To continue cheerleading after graduation, I learn to tweak my lifestyle so that it benefits me; and at the same time now I want to share the benefits with others. A simple change like skipping lunch really adds up and a simple act of giving goes a long way.
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Start giving, be it your time, energy or money. If you are thinking, "I will start giving when I have more money or time.", most probably you will never start, because as humans we will never have enough of money and time. Even starting off small would mean so much and once you have started, you will feel the joy of giving and also receive the blessings; that you would want to give more and more. Remember give and you shall receive. Other then to give with your heart and within your means, find something meaningful for you to give. Do not give just to give. Some people may tell me, why not I just give to registered charities, i.e NKF, this way can get income tax rebates. For me I feel it does not work this way. I give for something I feel connected to, meaningful and truely want to give back to. And that is cheerleading for me. To you it may not be cheerleading, you may want to volunteer at the orphanage, or give to cancer research, or help the wildlife, as long as you feel connected with it. Living such a hectic lifestyle has taken it's toil on me some way or another. These days, my father was constantly telling me to sleep earlier and stop torturing my body, that I am not so young anymore. Having irregular meals and lack of sleep sure is "killing" me slowly. But I feel happy doing what I do. If I were to stop doing these, I feel I may "die" even earlier. Cheering at nights are what's keeping me "alive"; something to look forward to at the end of the day's work. Also the thought earning more money, so I can give more is what gets me up from my bed early in the morning to go to work. It is a "vicious cycle" indeed; looking forward to my "night life" to cheer and then waking up early for my day job to make more money. Regardless of the vicious cycle, I would not exchange my life now for anything else. Even if I know it is bad for my health and even I were to die soon, I would be glad that I had truely lived my life and my passion. I would not trade it for a mundane life of just going to work aimlessly, without any vision for my future, just staying alive longer physically, when I am actually already dead mentally and spiritually. Death is part of the natural cycle. We all live and die. What matters are the things you do while you lived. This year, we see the passing of 3 great leaders of Singapore; they are like the fathers and mother of the nation. I would not want to imagine a Singapore without them; Dr Goh Keng Swee, JB Jeyaretnam and Kwa Geok Choo. As they passed on, everyone remember these great people not for their personal wealth or personal achievements, but for what they have given and contributed to Singapore, to the nation, to the society, to the community, to the individual. It is their selfless efforts during their living days that will be remembered and missed sorely by everyone whom their lives have graciously touched. Stories will be told for generations about their contribution and not of their wealth. I am no where near even 0.01% as great as these founding fathers and mothers of Singapore, but I would love to live my life modelling their selfless personalities, strong characters, grace and generosity. I am not there yet, but I want to start. Last week I was sent by my company to attended a 2 day seminar at RWS. The seminar is about CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). CSR is something along the lines of being responsible, conscience to the society, to conduct business in a ethical manner and also includes giving back to the stake holders and society at large. Some examples such as manufacturing plants to reduce the CO2 emissions, and the more commonly practice of philanthropy including monetary donations and aids. During the 2nd day of seminar, one of the speaker is Jack Sim, founder of World Toilet Organization. His speech was very well delivered and I shall not attempt to replicate any 210
part of his speech, but do go check out about Jack Sim to find out more. This guy in my opinion is amazing and blessed; he left us with many thoughts. One of the things he said,"When you start to do good and help people, naturally many will come to help you to help people and no matter how big the vision is, it will work out". This guy has many professionals such as laywers working for his organisation for free. When you do good, good people will come to you and together you all can create a better world. As cheerleaders, as a cheerleading community as a whole, we all too have a "CSR", or social responsibility to the society and community we live in. One person's strength might not be big enough, but 1 person definitely can influence the one just next to him/her and then another and another so on. Soon if more starts to develop a culture of sharing, giving and a sense of social responsibility, we can create miracles. So never doubt the strength of 1 person, or of yourself, start today and soon we will all see the benefits. The powerful waterfall you see, too starts with a single drop of water.
P.S: End up after such a long post, it is still not about "cheerleading" topic. haha. But I think to me now cheerleading is not just about the techniques, stunts, competition or winning. It is time to move on beyond that. Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:19PM (+08:00)
Standing Back Tuck

This time on the floor

I am praising Snow not because she is my girlfriend, but after so long of training with her, I have to say that she is indeed incredible. She often says she was not blessed with natural talent, but hardwork can still get one very far. I dare say even alot of guys in cheerleading cannot take the PT she is capable of doing. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:18PM (+08:00)
I want to do REWIND!!!
2007 - 2011
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The Law of Least Effort

Today I was very tired and decide to take a little break at work to go surfing (online). We are all very familiar with the Law of Attraction by now, but how many of you heard of the Law of Least Effort? I was surfing and I came across this new Law to me. It is 1 of the "7 Spiritual Laws of Success" by the great spiritual guru Deepak Chopra. Do check out the other 6 Laws too. They are all equally meaningful and helpful. After reading through the Law of Least Effort, I feel that it is even more powerful than the Law of Attraction. It's 3 main essence is given by Acceptance, Responsibility and Defenselessness. Shall share this article which I read with you all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Law of Least Effort The fourth spiritual law of success is the Law of Least Effort. This law is based on the fact that nature's intelligence functions with effortless ease and abandoned carefreeness. This is the principle of least action, of no resistance. This is, therefore, the principle of harmony and love. When we learn this lesson from nature, we easily fulfill our desires. If you observe nature at work, you will see that least effort is expended. Grass doesn't try to grow, it just grows. Fish don't try to swim, they just swim. Flowers don't try to bloom, they bloom. Birds don't try to fly, they fly. This is their intrinsic nature. The earth doesn't try to spin on its own axis; it is the nature of the earth to spin with dizzying speed and to hurtle through space. It is the nature of babies to be in bliss. It is the nature of the sun to shine. It is the nature of the stars to glitter and sparkle. And it is human nature to make our dreams manifest into physical form, easily and effortlessly. In Vedic Science, the age-old philosophy of India, this principle is known as the principle of economy of effort, or "do less and accomplish more." Ultimately you come to the state where you do nothing and accomplish everything. This means that there is just a faint idea, and then the manifestation of the idea comes about effortlessly. What is commonly called a "miracle" is actually an expression of the Law of Least Effort. Nature's intelligence functions effortlessly, frictionlessly, spontaneously. It is non-linear; it is intuitive, holistic, and nourishing. And when you are in harmony with nature, when you are established in the knowledge of your true Self, you can make use of the Law of Least Effort. Least effort is expended when your actions are motivated by love, because nature is held together by the energy of love. When you seek power and control over other people, you waste energy. When you seek money or power for the sake of the ego, you spend energy chasing the illusion of happiness instead of enjoying happiness in the moment. When you seek money for personal gain only, you cut off the flow of energy to yourself, and interfere with the expression of nature's intelligence. But when your actions are motivated by love, there is no waste of energy. When your actions are motivated by love, your energy multiplies and accumulates -- and the surplus energy you gather and enjoy can be channeled to create anything that you want, including unlimited wealth. 212
You can think of your physical body as a device for controlling energy: it can generate, store, and expend energy. If you know how to generate, store, and expend energy in an efficient way, then you can create any amount of wealth. Attention to the ego consumes the greatest amount of energy. When your internal reference point is the ego, when you seek power and control over other people or seek approval from others, you spend energy in a wasteful way. When that energy is freed up, it can be rechanneled and used to create anything that you want. When your internal reference point s your spirit, when you are immune to criticism and unfearful of any challenge, you can harness the power of love, and use energy creatively for the experience of affluence and evolution. In The Art of Dreaming, Don Juan tells Carlos Castaneda, ". . . most of our energy goes into upholding our importance.... If we were capable of losing some of that importance, two extraordinary things would happen to us. One, we would free our energy from trying to maintain the illusory idea of our grandeur; and two, we would provide ourselves with enough energy to ... catch a glimpse of the actual grandeur of the universe." Acceptance There are three components to the Law of Least Effort -- three things you can do to put this principle of "do less and accomplish more" into action. The first component is acceptance. Acceptance simply means that you make a commitment: "Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances, and events as they occur." This means I will know that this moment is as it should be, because the whole universe is as it should be. This moment -- the one you're experiencing right now -- is the culmination of all the moments you have experienced in the past. This moment is as it is because the entire universe is as it is. When you struggle against this moment, you're actually struggling against the entire universe. Instead, you can make the decision that today you will not struggle against the whole universe by struggling against this moment. This means that your acceptance of this moment is total and complete. You accept things as they are, not as you wish they were in this moment. This is important to understand. You can wish for things in the future to be different, but in this moment you have to accept things as they are. When you feel frustrated or upset by a person or a situation, remember that you are not reacting to the person or the situation, but to your feelings about the person or the situation. These are your feelings, and your feelings are not someone else's fault. When you recognize and understand this completely, you are ready to take responsibility for how you feel and to change it. And if you can accept things as they are, you are ready to take responsibility for your situation and for all the events you see as problems. Responsibility This leads us to the second component of the Law of Least Effort: responsibility. What does responsibility mean? Responsibility means not blaming anyone or anything for your situation, including yourself. Having accepted this circumstance, this event, this problem, responsibility then means the ability to have a creative response to the situation as it is now. All problems contain the seeds of opportunity, and this awareness allows you to take the moment and transform it to a better situation or thing.
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Once you do this, every so-called upsetting situation will become an opportunity for the creation of something new and beautiful, and every so-called tormentor or tyrant will become your teacher. Reality is an interpretation. And if you choose to interpret reality in this way, you will have many teachers around you, and many opportunities to evolve. Whenever confronted by a tyrant, tormentor, teacher, friend, or foe (they all mean the same thing) remind yourself, "This moment is as it should be." Whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this moment are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment. There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving your own evolution. Defenselessness The third component of the Law of Least Effort is defenselessness, which means that your awareness is established in defenselessness, and you have relinquished the need to convince or persuade others of your point of view. If you observe people around you, you'll see that they spend ninety-nine percent of their time defending their points of view. If you just relinquish the need to defend your point of view, you will in that relinquishment, gain access to enormous amounts of energy that have been previously wasted. When you become defensive, blame others, and do not accept and surrender to the moment, your life meets resistance. Any time you encounter resistance, recognize that if you force the situation, the resistance will only increase. You don't want to stand rigid like a tall oak that cracks and collapses in the storm. Instead, you want to be flexible, like a reed that bends with the storm and survives. Completely desist from defending your point of view. When you have no point to defend, you do not allow the birth of an argument. If you do this consistently -- if you stop fighting and resisting -- you will fully experience the present, which is a gift. Someone once told me, "The past is history, the future is a mystery, and this moment is a gift. That is why this moment is called 'the present'." If you embrace the present and become one with it, and merge with it, you will experience a fire, a glow, a sparkle of ecstasy throbbing in every living sentient being. As you begin to experience this exultation of spirit in everything that is alive, as you become intimate with it, joy will be born within you, and you will drop the terrible burdens and encumbrances of defensiveness, resentment, and hurtfulness. Only then will you become lighthearted, carefree, joyous, and free. In this joyful, simple freedom, you will know without any doubt in your heart that what you want is available to you whenever you want it, because your want will be from the level of happiness, not from the level of anxiety or fear. You do not need to justify; simply declare your intent to yourself, and you will experience fulfillment, delight, joy, freedom, and autonomy in every moment of your life. Make a commitment to follow the path of no resistance. This is the path through which nature's intelligence unfolds spontaneously, without friction or effort. When you have the exquisite combination of acceptance, responsibility, and defenselessness, you will experience life flowing with effortless ease. When you remain open to all points of view -- not rigidly attached to only one -- your 214
dreams and desires will flow with nature's desires. Then you can release your intentions, without attachment, and just wait for the appropriate season for your desires to blossom into reality. You can be sure that when the season is right, your desires will manifest. This is the Law of Least Effort. _____ This article is excerpted from: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra.
P.S: Shall start to practice this new Law that I learnt. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:16AM (+08:00)

Are you doing ok?

I was reading Yahoo news recently and keep seeing articles on the increasing wealth of Singapore, the surge in High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI), arrival of the super rich etc. Looks like Singapore is doing pretty well I would say. But how much of the pie are you actually having? Some statistics from this article from Yahoo I read today, Arrival of the super-rich in Singapore; Currently, 11.8% of Singaporean households have at least US$1 million in investible assets each (excluding property). This means that more than 1 in 10 people you meet on the street comes from a millionaire household. Just start counting people as you walk down the street, and for every 10th person you counted, you have a millionaire or ASK. If you just keep counting as you walk, you will find out that you end up with alot of rich people in SG. The question again is where do you stand? Personally I know I am not part of the 11.8%; I am not a millionaire, nor my family has a combined net worth of more than a $1,000,000 investible assets (remember this does not includes the house you residing in). It seems that I am not getting a big portion of the pie that Singapore is having, not benefitting much from the global capital influx into Asia and Singapore. The article got me interested to find out more. So as usual I just went to google; there is nothing you cannot find these days with the internet. I came across this interesting site (I bookmarked it already so should all of you): Salary.sg, Your Salary in Singapore. In this site you will find many more related article about wealth. It also has many tools that can help your calculations and for statistics.
2007 - 2011
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Ok we know from above that in Singapore 1 in 10 people are millionaire or ASK, but how much is the mean, or average? Well the answer can be found in one of the article from Salary.sg, Is Your Net Worth Above US$255,488?, taken from a report by Credit Suisse. The average net worth of an individual in Singapore is US$255,488 = SGD$335,000. Now say no need to be the top 11.8%, but are you even doing as well as the average? Do you have a net worth of $335,000 to be the average in Singapore? I know I don't and this is very sad to find out. Ok we keep talking about net worth, but what exactly is net worth. For those who don't know or has not calculated your net worth before and does not know how to do it, there is this article from the site: Calculate Net Worth and Benchmark It that teaches you how to and aids you with a calculation tool. Taken from this article too is this: According to the book "The Millionaire Next Door" if your net worth equals (or exceeds) your age times your annual income divided by 10, then you are a wealth accumulator. I suppose that means its good. This is your target net worth. So for my age plus my annual income I should be having a net worth of ~$150,000 by now, which I am quite sad to declare that I am still far off the mark. This means I am not a good "wealth accumulator", I spend too much. So do your own sums and see how well you are doing and if you are not doing too well, start doing something about it. Wow, a 3rd indicator that tells me that I better be kicking my own butt and work harder. I am not 1 in 10, my net worth is below average and now I am not accumulating my wealth properly enough. As I continue my research, it is getting more and more pessimistic for me. =( How about let's stop talking about net worth and go 1 level lower, how much is your monthly and annual income? Taken from Ministry of Manpower, Earnings and Wages (pls go check out this information in the form of a table), the average monthly earnings of a Singaporean is $3,872 in 2009, $4,310 for 1st Quarter of 2010 and very likely to be above $4,000 for whole of 2010. For some, income by the month might not be so good for comparision as they may have variable monthly income (such as those in sales earning by commisions) or have variable bonus. At www.salary.sg again, you can find this very cool tool in one of their article, Compare Your Annual Income 2010, where you just have to key in your annual income and you can compare it as a percentage to all taxpayers in Singapore. Damn cool. Are you doing better than average? So how well am I doing now, comparing monthly and annual income? All I can say is that I am now too despondent to say. I am not in the 11.8%, not an ASK, my net worth is way below the average, I do not accumulate as much as I should have done, my monthly and yearly is not doing well either. Everything seems dull for me now, but I am not trying to be sad or anything like that. On the other hand, I will take these statistics as a motivation, to work towards a better future. Well to lighten things up a little (in case like me, you are feeling like shit after reading the above stuff), Singapore is still a great place to be in. Other statistics also show that in terms of wealth we have 1 million people in the top 10% of the whole world. This means 216
that about 1 in 5 of us is richer than 5.5 billion people! Haha. I know that this is a "cheerleading blog", and nothing I just posted is related to cheerleading you may think. But I chose to publish all these here because I want everyone to be more aware of their financial situation, especially cheerleaders that I cared most about. If I can help even just 1 passionate cheerleader to start being more aware, and this cheerleader turns out to become a multi millionaire, I am sure cheerleading will have lots to benefit from too. I stress again that all these financial education is not in anyway less important for cheerleading than being able to do a double full layout. For those still studying, and don't think that it applies to you, think again. In fact it is the best to start earlier and when you are young. For those already working, the statistics serves as a benchmark for yourself. To put in figuratively, for cheerleading to grow in Singapore, we need as much cheerleader millionaires as we need cheerleaders who can do a toss to hands.
P.S: A teacher should not only teach the students how to study and pass exams, likwise a cheerleading coach should not only focus on teaching students cheerleading skills or how to do a toss cupie. It is equally important to take care of the students development in other areas, such as financial education in this case. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:00PM (+08:00)
Scorpion
Xuewei was never known for her flexibility; in fact many (especially those who done BToss with her before) often complained she was hard as a rock. However once again hard work wins the day against all odds. Pulling a scorpion may be as easy as raising an arm for some, but for Xuewei it is indeed a big acomplishment; if she can do it, so can everybody.
P.S: Do not take your talent for granted, for there are many who has to work 100 times as
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hard just to be on par. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:07PM (+08:00)
X-Out
It is never too late to learn. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:02PM (+08:00)
Weights Training
Saturday, December 25, 2010
"Technique and Strength, which is more important?" This is a debate that never ends. From the first day I joined cheerleading till now, I have heard many who tell me that technique is more important and also many who tell me that strength is more important. I myself also has gone through phases when I think strength is more important and phases when I think technique is more important. This is the 2nd time I am touching on this topic on my blog, the first time was back in April 2008: weakest guy that can do cupie (cupie back then is not so simple as it is nowadays) A little extract from my previous post: If one is in cheer long enough, one will get to experience the constant grapple of strength and technique. At some point of time, your technique will be more than sufficient for your strength, and then at another point of time, your technique is not enough, then at times your strength is alot and yet you do not have the technique to use it. There are some stunts, having overpowering strength, and you do not need much technique to do it, also there are some stunts, having all the strength in the world with no technique, you still cannot do it. One will have to learn to juggle between this 2 entities as they work their way up the ladder of cheerleading. It is pretty cool to be reading your post from almost 3 years ago and find out how some things had changed and how some things had remained the same. It is also very 218
comforting to know that I had shown improvements in my strength department. As of today, my answer to the debate is strength and technique is equally important. Another question that was constantly bugging me since the early days of my cheerleading is, "how strong is strong?, how much strength is considered sufficient? what is the gauge?" The frustrating thing is that while there are many videos or articles showing and explaining how (the techniuqes) to hit a particular stunt, but there are very few or no videos or articles to tell you how strong you need to be. I think just like weight, this (strength) may be a rather sensitive issue too, so it is seldom brought up and discussed openly. When I just started doing partner stunts, I always wanted to find a reference; like when I see that guy can do a full up in a video, I would want to know how strong he is in quantifiable ways (i.e: how much he can bench? how much he can squat? etc), so that I can train harder if required. Does anyone share the same kind of frustration as me? Things are not so bad now compared to the past, information is more readily avaliable; but still not everyone knows where to find them. I have put together a little video showing the 4 main exercises that I do in gym, in fact they are the only 4 exercise I ever do these days because of my hectic schedule. Pls pardon me if my form is not "perfect" in the video as like I always tell people, I am not a body builder, I do weights to specifically increase my strength for cheerleading only (In the gym sometimes I do some "cheerleading specific exercise" that will seem damn crazy to people). I must say that I am not the biggest or strongest around, but I just wanted to share and hope that it helps. My aim for the video is to give some insights to people, a form of motivation, or a sort of gauge or anything that you can get out of it. I know my own frustrations in the past, and I do not wish to see new cheerleaders feeling the same frustrations, confusions or disillusions that I had back when I just started. Enjoy the video.
Remember while technique is important, strength is very important as well.
P.S: I am still working hard to take on bigger weights. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:15PM (+08:00)
Can you make a living doing cheer full time in Singapore?

"The median income for all employed residents dipped by 1.2% from $2,450 in 2008 to $2,420 in 2009
Check out where you stand As for the question above; you decide the answer yourself. Stunt Posted by *star* at 10:18AM (+08:00)
2007 - 2011
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Test of faith and belief

It is these testing times that you get to understand yourself more; the parts of you that you never knew existed before till now. It's going to be an amazing 3 weeks. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:40AM (+08:00)

Does the ability to train a cheerleader from scratch makes one a better coach? Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:26AM (+08:00)
SNCC 2011 PS - XWonder

SNCC 2011 is over and everyone finally has a big load off their shoulders. A week has past now and the euphoria of winning or the sorrow of defeat by everyone should have more or less settle down; celebrations and emo-ing are over, and it did took me sometime to calm down and write this post with a cool head. It is the time now to move on and start the new season a fresh. Before we do so, we always take stock of the previous season to learn from the mistakes and build on the successes. For XWonder, SNCC 2011 was the 1st time we took part in a partner stunt competition. You can say that it was more of me wanting to join than Snow. I always thought that we should at least join 1 PS competition before we finally retire from competitive cheerleading, as PS is what we trained ourselves a lot in, and what XWonder was built on from the start. I want to experience what it is like to join a PS competition so that I can share our experiences and feelings to others. Even though we did not win, we learnt a lot from it, some of the things we might not have learn or get to experience if we had won. From every defeat, you learn something about yourself, your reaction to it and how you handle it. For me as I was walking out of the mats after the competition, there was just a huge feeling of major disappointment. I am sorry if I walked out glumly and not like how a cheerleader should be like, cheering on others no matter what. However I really cannot control my emotions then as I failed my stunts, even the stunts which I usually had no problems with, and then the finale stunt did not hit as well. I simply cannot bring myself to smile and cheer to the crowd after such a bad performance. However I will learn from this and hope to be able to show everyone the right cheerleading spirit when I take the stage again in future. During the routine itself, lots of different emotions are going through my mind, from the time I prep for the 1st stunt, as we moved on and then after failing a stunt. I have to say that I was really very nervous when I prep for the beginning and it felt like my mind was separated from my body. I guess the stress was too big for me to handle and I did not perform well under that kind of stress. I cannot really remember what exactly happened as I was performing through the routine, all I know is that with each failed stunt, more and more disappointment sets in and totally demoralized me to the extent that I was not even 220
focused on doing the stunt so much so that even the stunt that I always hit failed too. What I learnt from this is that everyone has to learn to manage their stresses, some have more tolerance than others and you need to find out wheres your level at. Also find out if you can perform in front of crowd and whether the adrenaline can make you perform better or worse. For me, being out there, just the 2 of you, with too much stress and expectation on myself can really make you become so nervous that you will not be able to perform to your max capabilities. This might sound like an excuse, but no it isnt, I take all responsibility and blame for the failure, but at the same time, I want to share how it feels out there. And my advice to people taking part in future PS competition to really go out there with a very confident routine and leave nothing to chance. As long as a stunt felt like it might not hit sometimes, when you go out there onto the mats, you will definitely be affected and do not hope that the adrenaline will take you through because it might not. Other than the competition itself, there is also the training and if you never trained for a PS competition before, or tried doing a chain of PS for 1 minute, you should try it, even if you are not intending to join any PS competition. I have done both running a 2min30sec team routine and also a 1min group stunt routine and both are damn tiring for me. But after I tried PS training for a 1min PS routine, the other 2 pales in comparision; I think it is the most intense and tiring of the 3 different category. This is only true for bases though, for flyers I dont think they feel as tiring as a base for PS (Snow thinks it is not tiring at all and can keep going and going). I know that I definitely have to improve on my stamina and endurance in order to do better and be more consistent the next time. Everyone should really try training a 1min PS routine even if you are only competing in the team category, because at the same time you will be training your team routine stamina and makes doing PS in the middle of the routine much easier. I highly recommend PS training especially for bases, it test your limits to the maximum. Besides dealing with the physical tortures during the process of PS training, one have to deal with the mental aspect as well. This is especially so if you are competing together with your GF/BF, it is a totally different ballgame altogether compared to just stunting with a teammate or friend. Though I knew before this that stunting with your GF/BF can lead to quarrels sometimes, but only after really training for PS competition that I found out that it takes it to a whole new level. So for would be PS couples please beware. Haha. For PS stunting with teammates, even if you have disagreements during training sometimes, it ends there. But for couples, the disagreements and quarrels may continue on the way home and on the phone and even the next day. And usually teammates hold back their unhappiness, but for couples we usually just let fly. Lol. For Snow and myself, this journey together training for PS has made us more understanding of each other and also more enduring. And for Snow she even came up with a way to cope with whatever unhappiness she might feel if we fail a stunt or routine that is to collect money from me each time a stunt fails so she will feel better even when a stunt fail. And guess how much she earned over this period? Over $1,000!! Anyway even after some of the difficulties I said above, I really would still encourage couples to join the PS competition together. Not only will you learn a lot about yourself, but also of each other and how together as a couple can handle the collective stresses together. There are also a lot of fun times and happy times, especially when the stunts hits perfectly, you will get double the joy too and the joy spills over after training too and you can be very happy till at least the next training. Thinking and planning the routine together also adds that extra satisfaction. Joining as a couple also has that extra meaning to it, even if you may not be out to win, as compared to pairing up with a very
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good base/or flyer and going all out to win. It is an extra special journey that you can share with your GF/BF, something which team or group category cannot give you; you do it together, win or lose it is always/ and only the 2 of you. So this pretty much sums up my journey with Snow joining the SNCC 2011 PS competition, from training to the actual performance. The experiences we had this time and lessons learnt will ensure that we will do better in future, and I also hoped that it may help anyone who is reading this and intending to join PS competition in future. The above are purely my own accounts and it totally varies from every individual, so the best is still to participate, path out your own journey and experience it for yourselves.
P.S: Since 2005 I have not experience any loss; and I have lost the true feeling of being a cheerleader for some time, the feeling of failing a stunt in a competition and the feeling of losing it totally sucks. In that 1 split moment after the competition, all that feeling comes back to me in an instant. You will never truly win if you never experience defeat before. This is a timely reminder for me and a 1 time big 1 in the face, I will be back stronger than before!! Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:51PM (+08:00)
Singapores Cheerleading National Team

We are finally going to have our very own Singapore National Team under FCS. It took great efforts on FCS part, sorting out and overcoming all the diffculties such as funding, venue and coaches. And I am really very excited about it. Singapore cheerleading has definitely grown over the past few years, standards rising every year and we are seeing more and more cheerleaders joining the sport as well. However that is just locally, and I believe that if we can gather all the best cheerleaders in Singapore to form the national team, we can do very well on the international level as well. Singapore definitely has what it takes to give the regional power houses like Japan, Taiwan, Thailand etc a good run for their money if we have the support and contribution 222
of every cheerleader and their teams. Imagine a routine that is on par with the routines that the power houses had been showing to us over the past years. Those routines are definitely within our means if we can pull our strengths and resources together. Representing your country is an honour and a huge privilege, to show the world the best Singapore can offer and also to compete with the best in the world. Definitely the road might not be easy, sacrifices had to be made, which all cheerleaders should have been well aware of by now. Singapore National team is a new initiative and we might not fully know all the difficulties it may face, what difficulties a player may face, such as time management of individuals from all walks of lives and also other logistical issues and funding issues. However all these can be overcome together, as you overcome the problems your team faces in the past, as long as we all take the first step out of our comfort zone, be willing to sacrifice for Singapore cheerleading, no problem is too big to handle. I sincerely hope that every cheerleader and teams out there to support Team Singapore Cheerleading all the way. Firstly for those who meet the tryout criteria for the national team, I urge you all to attend the tryouts conducted by FCS this weekend. There is no need to think too much of whatever problems or difficulties you may face in future first if you do not even take the first step out, which is to go for the tryouts. Do not worry about your skills too, often people are better than how they would see themselves to be, let the coaches decide. Go for the tryout first, take 1 step at a time. A journey always starts with the first step. When presented with something new, winners always think of the opportunities and losers think only of the difficulties. The day I am waiting for is finally coming soon, let's all show the world what Singapore cheerleading can be.
P.S: For more details about the national team and criteria pls check FCS website Stunt Posted by *star* at 04:10PM (+08:00)
Alpha Verve - SNCC 2011

You know I should have posted this entry like few weeks ago, but it's either I had been real busy or had been procrastinating. I would just want to write down some of my thoughts and feelings I had for SNCC with Alpha and also for the past 1 year. I had been coaching for more than 5 years now, but this is my first year as a coach for a team participating in Nationals, as the coach of Alpha Verve. I took up coaching Alpha Verve last year in May 2010. I have to admit that in the beginning, I was nervous, as I would be meeting new people, and being in a new environment and different culture; as compared to when I was coaching my Hall for HO and when I was in my previous team ACES. 2010 was also the year that had been very significant for me, the year that I decided to do something about my life, to change myself for the better and to get out of my comfort zone. For that reason, I decided to go ahead and take up coaching Alpha Verve, to step out of my comfort zone and to bring value to more people. I am very glad that I did that. When I took up coaching Alpha, the players were mostly fresh, or with 1 year of
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experience. It was the year that many of the seniors that had been with Alpha for the past 3 to 4 years graduated. I knew that alot of work had to be done. We did lots of basics in the beginning, correcting the fundamentals, so that the seniors, when the freshmen comes in, can teach and demostrate the proper techniques of cheerleading and educate the freshmen as efficiently as posible. It is worth it, the basis training is what allowed them to pick up more advance skills as they move on, and also for the juniors and freshies to catch up quickly. Something that I really loved about Alpha Verve is their organization. They had a very well formed committee led by their captain Terence that managed the team very well. I never had to worry about anything other then to focus purely on coaching them and playing an advisory role. The team was very disciplined; other than captain Terence, they had many good leaders such as Joseph and Liyuan who takes charge of the warmups and helping me to keep the team organised and motivated during trainings. Every other members as well also played their role from logistics (Congren), uniforms (Elaine), banner designing (Eng Meng), liasing for performances (Weiting) and of course everyone else for working so hard on the mats. Another group of very important people also are the seniors, or Avatars as they call it, who came back to help out and guide the team, esp Biyi, Nigel, Jane and Jiayi. The seniors are the beacon of light for the juniors, to guide them whenever they are lost or in doubt. With all these help from the managing committee and Avatars, we were able to conduct training efficiently most of the times. And soon after the sports awards performance, everyone is able to reach a same level and stardard; the freshies and juniors were able to catch up sufficiently to start training together with the seniors for Nationals. Of course during this period we also had to face some dropouts as well due to various reasons, mostly studies and time commitment issues. But nevertheless, everyone was still there supporting each other, as a family and working towards our common goal set at the start; though sometimes it takes some reminders to remind them what their goal was and to realign everyone. And now to fast forward a bit nearer to Nationals. Every team has their own difficulties and problems they need to overcome, for us it was injuries and confidence issues. Just less than a month away from Nationals, we had to source very hard to find replacement for our flyers down. I would like to thank Terence and Joseph especially for looking around so hard and trying their very best to get replacements. Also a big thanks to Jiayi for coming back to help out in the team in such short notice. The seniors really had a big part to play for this nationals. I would also like to thank Jane Lee, even though you are not formerly from Alpha, but you came down and helped despite not knowing everyone except Alice. I would also like to thank Wildcards, especially Chaang, Gary, Ochi and Hann Bin for providing me with suggestions and accompanying through this difficult period; and also for all your help during the trainings. Thank you Jon for the wonderful music and redbull jellies too. When everything seemed good to go, everyone was in good spirits, then just 3 days before SNCC 2011, Alice fractured her finger. Again we had to source high and low for solutions and contingencies. This time round it was even more desperate than before and I almost could not sleep because of that. After a day of scare and worrying, fortunately for Alpha, we got ourselves a very strong flyer in Alice and she decided to continue with heavily bandaged fingers and enduring through the pain. Now when the day of SNCC arrived, it was as if the drama never ends, Alice fell from split 224
mount during our final all out rehearsal and injured her shoulder. She was sent to the hospital with only 2 hours left to competition. Again we had to find a contingency and with only 2 hours to go, we had no other option, but to ask Xuewei to stand in for Alice, for only she knows Alpha routine inside out. Alice fell was really looking pretty bad and serious, I never thought she would be able to make it. But with only about an hour to go, Alice proved to us all again what a strong flyer she was. She came back with tears in her eyes when I saw her, but still made the decision to go out there and compete despite the pain and truama she had been through just hours ago. Let's not forget that Alice is already fighting the pain from her fractured fingers and now this. For this, I had to commend Alice and if there was a best cheerleader award for SNCC, it definitely has to go to her for her perserverance and courage. Alice you definitely showed everyone out there what a cheerleader is about, and for giving everything for what you want to do most. Finally Alpha took to the mats and performed their best ever routine, despite a fall right at the end. The rush of emotions immediately afterwards was almost indescripable. It felt like relieve, happiness and some minor dissapointment (for the last fall) all rolled into 1, but majority of it being happy and really glad that everyone did their best out there. After the performance, many came over to us and congratulate us and said that this was the best ever routine Alpha Verve put up in Nationals. This acknowledgement really means alot to me and the team. Something most important that I learnt from this experience of coaching Alpha for 1 year is that, never expect everything to be smooth sailing. And as a coach, a leader of the team, you must never be defeated no matter the situation, you are their source of support and direction. I learnt to be strong in the face of adversity, this lesson I will never forget. Though let's hope that after all these, Alpha can have a ever better year ahead. I shall leave you guys with some photos taken during Alpha's best ever performance.
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P.S: Alpha, we are better than ever! Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:28AM (+08:00)
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Thank you Xuewei

Snow, Actually I wanted to thank you in the previous long post on Alpha, but I think it is more fitting of me to dedicate a post by itself to you. Of everyone I thank for helping me out in my 1st year together with Alpha, you are the only 1 that I can never thank enough of. Thanks for coaching together with me and helping me out when I am not around. Thank you for the late nights you had to put in while doing so and still had to wake up early in the morning for work. Thank you for sacrificing our weekends afternoons for going out and watched videos with me and planning for Alpha routine instead. Thank you for going through tons of videos taken during training and analysing them with me to come up with the timings and how to improve on it. Thank you for being there to remind me whenever I lose sight of the bigger picture. Thank you for always being my "opposition" so that I can be much more sure of my ideas and plans. Thank you for just being by my side even when things go wrong. Thank you for all the advice and suggestions you helped me come up with. And I probably can never thank you enough for me. For Alpha, I also thank you for everything that you have given to Alpha, the tips, advice and motivation you gave to the team, the inspiration you gave to the flyers and the push you gave to the bases. Thank you for sharing your experiences with them. And I thank you for helping out Alpha in times of crisis and needs. On behalf of Alpha, I thank you too for so readily agreeing to be their replacement flyer with less than 2 hours notice, even though at the end it was not required. You are more than a coach to Alpha, you are their friend and someone they can rely on in difficult times. Xuewei, you are truely an exceptional flyer, and even to date, after not training competitively for more than 3 years. Till now, it still amazes me how you go up to the mats, performed in place of Alice, and makes it felt like you had been doing that role for a long time, even though you only had half an hour to go through the stunts and timings. It was the first time you even attempted some of the stunts like toss up trophy and swedish falls to gladiator transition. You really left me in awe and totally impressed as I watch you doing the routine. You simply captivated the crowd; they were cheering you on so loudly and you even left some people in tears from that performance. I can uderstand a base going out to replace someone in the last minute, but it definitely takes some guts and confidence for a flyer to do that. And then having to learn the dance in an hour, simply respect. Watching you trained so hard and non stop dancing for an hour almost made my eyes well up in tears. For that I really owe it to you. We have some pictures to remember the amazing performance you put up, a pity there is no video of that performance.
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Never in the history of Singapore cheerleading since I started cheering, did I witness something like this - a flyer coming up to replace another in such short notice and totally captivated the crowd. You created history again even when you did not intend to. You are truely forever a legend of Singapore cheerleading. Thank you so much. Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:16AM (+08:00)
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Guest Blogger
As I move on in my life, there are more and more things I need to handle and deal with. But time remains at 24hrs each day, as a result, I get more and more things to do in "less and less time". That is why I had been blogging much less nowadays, or I will wait till I am more free to blog and usually posting up a few post at a time when I am free. It is not easy for me to maintain X-Wonder blog on a daily basis now. Therefore to counter this and bring more activity to the blog, I came up with an idea - Why not invite more contributors to post on the blog? I believe this blog can become a platform, or even a "forum" of some sorts. Interested cheerleaders might want to leverage on it and share their ideas to others. Now, after some discussions, let us welcome Ken Lim from Wildcards to be our first guest contributor of X-Wonder blog. From today onwards, other than myself and Snow, you will also be seeing Ken posting on this website. I hope that by doing so there can be more activity on this site, and also to allow even more sharing and discussion to everyone in the cheerleading community.
P.S: If anyone is interested to be a contributor on this site, feel free to contact me and we can discuss about it. Stunt Posted by *star* at 11:11PM (+08:00)
XWonder SNCC 2011 Routine

Some memories to keep.
P.S: Watching this video again just makes me feel the pain again once more. Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:40AM (+08:00)
Out of town
Saturday, June 04, 2011
I will be leaving town for holiday for 2 weeks starting tomorrow. VoM and BPoM June will be announced when I get access to wifi. Happy cheering. =) Stunt Posted by *star* at 12:19AM (+08:00)
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Principles to SUCCESS in LIFE (Cheerleading)

Sunday, July 17, 2011
Principles to SUCCESS in LIFE (Cheerleading) Ive been reading books on how to be successful, and I realized that many authors couldnt help but reiterate a few crucial key points which would ultimately leading us to be successful. Be it in LIFE or in CHEERLEADING. I hope to use this chance to share this few principles and further help to nurture more talents for Singapore cheerleading industry. 1.) Decision Everything starts with the DECISION to be SUCCESSFUL. Everything starts with the DECISION to EXCEL. Everything starts with the DECISION to SUCCEED. So make the decision today to SUCCEED, to EXCEL and be VERY SUCCESSFUL. If you are still pondering on whether you want to go with this decision, I would suggest you stop reading.
2.) Environment Like Ive always personally said You can never soar like an eagle if you mix around the turkey. Your environment determines the kind of person you are. Birds of the same feather flock together. You need to decide today whether you want to be around extremely motivated, positive and empowering people. It is through the helps of these people that you will grow stronger and better each day. Making promises to each other and making sure that these promises held responsible. If you are not among the best yet, today you need to make that personal decision.
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3.) Be very ambitious Being ambitious is having a dream so big that it seems almost impossible to achieve yet, it keeps you moving because that is what you want to achieve at the end of your cheerleading career. We all know about setting goals, aim for an A often we end up with a B. Since we will end up somewhere a class lower, might as well aim VERY HIGH that even if we land at a class lower, we will be at a relatively higher position.
4.) Discipline You must have a very strong code of conduct which you have upon yourself which restrict yourself from swaying away from the goal you set. Set very STRCT rules to guide you and request helps from your mentor/close friends to hold you accountable for the mistakes you make and/or actions which doesnt align with the COC.
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5.) Willingness to serve Last but not least, you must have the willingness to be always ready to serve and not to be SERVED. For example: arriving training earlier to piece mats, set up sound system and keep more mats after training. On top of that, if were given a chance, you should practice sharing of knowledge and skills with a humble attitude. Ie. Theres no wrong technique only which is better. You can only recommend but you cant force it down peoples throat. Let people reserve the right to freedom of choice
6.) The power of Sub-conscious Mind 90% of the time our actions are controlled by our sub-conscious mind. So, you should start pasting photos, words, picture, goals and etc on your walls to constantly put your sub-conscious mind exposed to these dreams of yours. It may take a while but it will definitely be engraved into your sub-conscious mind. Pasting these dream on your walls also serve as a constant reminder to not lose sight of them.
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I may not be the best person to relay all these information, but I thought this could really help the cheerleaders out there. Help some find back their dreams. Help some who couldnt decide whether to continue this journey. Help some wondering souls to set the direction back in line. Most importantly, is to grow cheerleading in Singapore.
'See you at the TOP'

Stunt Posted by Ken at 09:14PM (+08:00)
Xuewei's Birthday - 29th July

29th July is a special day for me and of course for Snow as well, as it is her BIRTHDAY!! I would like to wish Snow a very very happy and wonderful "18" birthday and a great year ahead. =) Wish you good health, stay forever young and fit, and make lots of money and continue to help cheerleading in Singapore.
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I would also like take this opportunity to wish happy birthday to another 2 of my fellow cheerleaders, who had their birthday on the same day as Xuewei's. 29th July proves to be a really special day for SG cheer as well.
Happy Birthday Weicheng.
One of my first few base partners (Toe Touch 221 back in the days. haha). I think OWC may often be misunderstood, but his dedicated efforts and results produced in my almamatar team ACES is not to be denied and not easy to emulate. And now also his contributions and networking for SG cheer as the president of FCS, and also his part in the forming of Team Lions are also to be respected and supported. It is not easy to be in his shoes most times, but he had consistently been able to think of the big picture. Also not to mentioned the influence he must have made on his brother Weihan as he was growing up to becoming one of the best base around currently. A big happy birthday to you again and all the best to you (in trading and business) and also for SG cheer.
Next up, Happy Birthday Jasmine.
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A flyer that when I met her for the first time in back in TP; I knew was going to bring SG cheer to the next level. A cheerleader who knows exactly what she wants to achieve and sets out to achieve them. A well seasoned and polished flyer now, Jasmine had achieved what no one else had done so far in SG cheer, that is to be a champion in all 3 categories, Nationals Partner Stunt champion, Group Stunt champion and Team champion! You still have so much in you to contribute to SG cheer and bring it to new heights. I wish you a blessed birthday and good health for you and your family. SG cheer still have so much to see from you. Also a little past information about Xuewei and her contributions during her active days as a player can be found here 29th July provided SG cheer with 3 amazing personalities, whom had brought so much value to SG cheer; pushing the limits as players, coaches and also in management. Happy Birthday Weicheng, Xuewei and Jasmine. Stunt Posted by *star* at 03:30AM (+08:00)
August - WINNER'S MINDSET

I remember that when I was much younger in Cheerleading, I was told that if I ever want to be a champion, I need to behave like a champion. Train like a champion, eat like a champion, sleep like a champion, talk like a champion and think like a champion. Ive seen many individuals attend training without fail, give full participation during training, and most importantly, hit the gym 7 times a week. Many of them followed this idea yet the result did not turn out as desired. And since then, they fell into the pit of doubts and negativity. What went wrong exactly? I thought I was told that if I just behave like a champion, I would be one too? The problem actually lies in think like a champion. Many inspired to be one, but most failed because they do not have the proper mindset to be one. We go online and search for all the things champions would do and follow them closely, but how many of us
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actually put in time and effort to research about their thinking?
BE-DO-HAVE
You need to first be who you want to be, then do what you need to do to be who you want to be and then finally, you can have what you want to have. You realized that it is not
DO-HAVE-BE
Maybe the following formula would be a better illustration of this BE-DO-HAVE concept.
THOUGHTS-ACTIONS-RESULTS
Our thoughts give birth to actions which determine our results. If you want to be a champion, you need to first think like a champion. You must THINK like a champion then you can go on to proceed to behave like a champion. I believe all champions have gone through hellish training and discipline to be one. If you do not have the mentality of champion such as perseverance, endurance, discipline and etc. Do you think you can survive the training in the first place? Donald Trumph said this in his book.
Play to win. People only likes winner

A lot of people did not win because they did not set out to win in the first place. Since winning is not important, why would winning goes to them? Every game Donald Trumph played in, he play to win and most importantly He won. Maybe I could give you another simpler illustration. Take for example; you have a very beautiful girlfriend that everyone wants to go after but she chose you over other suitors. IF, what you are telling your girlfriend every day is you are not important, whats important is the process of courtship. I think sooner or later, your girlfriend would leave you eventually. This goes the same with anything you want in life, be it money, people, friends, good grades and etc. You will never get it because it is NOT important, thats why you subconsciously avoiding it or rather rejecting it.
Your aptitude determines your altitude

If your mindset is right, even God cant stop you from winning or achieving your true desire. Most importantly, BE HONEST with yourself. If you truly desire to win, then WIN. Dont need to care about the noise around you. Stunt Posted by Ken at 06:29PM (+08:00)
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SEPT - What you want?

DO you know what you want? This month sharing will be very simple. Lets say today, you are my best buddy, we share all secrets. I told you that Ive hidden my greatest treasure in one of the red houses in Singapore, and I would like you to have it. And then I passed away 3 days later. Do you think you would be able to find this treasure? Some say yes, some say no and some say maybe. All answers are right. If you say NO. Yes, you are right. It is really difficult to search for a red house in Singapore. Singapore is not big, but it is not that small to be able to find a red house that easily. If you say MAYBE. Yes, you are right. You might be able to find it; you might not be able to find it. If you say YES. Yes, you might be able to find the treasure if you work hard enough to search for the treasure. But, Is there an easier way? Lets say 2 days before I die, I told you that the red house is actually at a specific street and I gave you the unit no. Would you be able to find it? YES OF COURSE! Its specific and its clear. You would DEFINITELY be able to find it. Just switch on your GPS using your smart phone, travel there, and you got it. Then whats the morale of the story? If today, you set your goal right, so specific and so clear, do you think you would be able to achieve your goal more likely? When I first enrolled into Temasek Poly, I did not know that a cheerleading team existed in TP. I really wanted to do cheerleading so much, and I was really sad, and I thought that I would not have a chance to have cheerleading as a CCA. During the 2nd week of the school, I happened to chance by the CCA sport board, and to my surprise, I saw the TP Blazers board. Without hesitation, I took the captains card, Frances and drop her a text and enquire her regarding whens the training. And my cheerleading path has exploded since then. Until recently that Ive decided to take a step down and allow the younger generation to grow. If I wasnt clear that I wanted to do cheerleading, I probably wouldnt have taken the card back then. Or maybe I will take the card but hesitated and ended up in other CCA or worst, CCA-less. What I want to share is that, it is important to have a clear direction and a goal. These are like your cars head lights during the dark night. You could only see the 2m before you, but you know and you know that you are definitely moving towards your destination.
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Because you have already set your direction and your goal. Today, do you know what you want from cheeleading? At the end of your cheerleading path, what do you want to have? A lot of cheerleader out there, they do not know what they want, they just follow the flow. Their friends do cheerleading, thats why they do cheerleading. And at the end of their life, they are forever following. If you do not know what you want from cheerleading yet, I sincerely encourage you to give a thought about it. If after thinking, you still do not know what you want, its probably time to have a change of path.
Be SOMEBODY, Do SOMETHING, Have EVERYTHING!

Stunt Posted by Ken at 04:10PM (+08:00)

Everything is planned nicely the way it is. Pls take me to the next level. Stunt Posted by *star* at 07:31PM (+08:00)
One of the rare post

People who follow my blog must be bored by it for the past 1 year. I posted practically near to zero entries other than the VoM and BPoM posts. I gave myself excuses of being very busy, busy with this and that, etc etc. There was a time in June that I wanted to blogged but did not, right after I came back from my 2 weeks holiday on a cruise to Shanghai and tour of Jiang Nan; a trip that I planned and probably deserved for working hard through 2010 till 2011 SNCC Nationals. Today I shall just randomly pen down some of my thoughts since then till now. So many many many many many.....many things had happened this year, even just for the last 3 - 4 months. If I do not start writing them down, it would probably be lost in my ever forgetful mind of mine in time to come. No more excuses that I have no time, for I had time to write down at least more than a couple of over thousand words "essays" to some people I cared for and who are always at the back of my mind for the past over 1 year now. On this (some would say emo) night drinking a glass of liquer, which I wanted but had't done for some time, just chilling and relaxing, I had this sudden urge to go to my videos on FB and re-watched them again. First thought that came into my head was, "wow I was quite slim (relatively) back then". Then (only last year) I could still do gymnastics pretty ok for a person who just started proper learning after 23. Then as I continued to watch, I realised that my stunting abilities are pretty awesome I would say (I did not think so back then, but compared to now I really feel I was awesome then), for being able to complete that gruelling 1 min PS routine for Nationals. haha.
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Fast forward back to reality from the videos, everything seems to be just slipping away from me. The more I tried to do more and more and more, the less and less and less I seemed to achieve. I had been listening to audio cds in my drive these days (Ken lent me), and I gathered that it was because I had been trying to do too many and lose focus and result on even the best thing I can do. Few people actually knows everything that I had been doing in my life, not even my mother. Some people knows a part of the things that I am doing and some people knows another part of the things that I am doing; but no one knows fully everything that I had been up to; except Xuewei and probably maybe Ken. Even so each of these groups of people are already asking me how is it possible that I can do all these, am I crazy or what; when non of them even know half of everything that I had been doing. Just checking over 10 different emails accounts, more than 3 FB accounts and a few other twitter accounts a day etc is already alot of work and it does not end there. (That's as far as I will try to get an idea across of the various stuff that had been keeping me busy). And most people often forgot that I am still have a full time profession as an ENGINEER (which I really hated it to be honest)!! Those who knows me from cheer probably knows I am coaching Alpha, coaching Hall 5, training with Astros, author of XWonder blog, sponsor and partner of VoM and BPoM, with the occasional visit to ACES and Wildcards. Those who knows me from my drive to achieve financial freedom, so that I can give back much more to cheerleading, will probably know me doing few different high yielding investments, doing a couple of business for people and also trying to set up a few of my own. Those who know me from my full time job as an engineer will probably thinks that I am moonlighting outside of work at night as I always dose off at work (the boring-est time of my day). There are also some who know me just as friends, outside of all these and I always feel calm and relax when I am with them, just chilling, but most times rushing to chill then rushing off again. Pardon me for my grumbling or rubbish, but this is my blog right? I can write anything I want and I am not always full of positivity; I have my downs alot too just that no one sees them often. But anyway there won't be much of these posts too, just one of the rare post I do once in a blue moon so that I can look back in future to remember the phase and state of my mind I am in then. You know during my time on cruise and at Jiang Nan this June, was just about the longest I had been away from cheerleading since 2004. And I mean really doing nothing related to cheer at all, there were no reception and stuff on the cruise, I cannot even FB in China. Even during my days of rushing for FYP, I still had the occasional "video appreciation" and some stunting seasions once in a while. So after that 2 weeks of complete break, and I came back to Singapore, I felt like a totally different person. It just feels like I have lost touched with cheerleading, or cheerleading had lost touched with me; cheerleading simply moved on without my pressence and the world continued to spin. The feeling is quite "zen". For the next few weeks I was back, I simply felt that I seemed to have lost my passion for cheer. I do not know how to describe the feeling, but it was just emptiness. I realised I could actually survived without cheer... After that trip, I began to ask myself all sorts of questions about my relationship with cheer, as I continued with my life taking on more and more stuff; took up Hall 5 coaching and another business (for those of you who rememebered I bought Optimus Prime in China, and even tried to do a online business selling transformers, hahaha, I just laugh at the thought of that stupid idea. I still have 1 Jetwing Optimus Prime Mint in Sealed Box, MISB, for sale if any one interested though. lol). I thought I was challenging myself back then, I thought I was trying to get out of my comfort zone, in doing and taking up more,
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but now I finally realised that the opposite is true. I was trying to give myself a way out, I was giving myself the excuse to fail. It's more like, "ok if this fails, I still have another to fall back on". I did took up more and more, I thought I was challenging myself, but even as I am typing now, it just makes more and more sense that I am actually trying to avoid some issues and finding ways out, giving myself "safety nets" which are not even that "safe" at all. Do you have this feeling before that sometimes having so much things waiting for you to do that you don't know where to start and end up feeling too overwhelmed and simply stop doing anything at all? This is what is happening to me more frequently recently. I guess I am running out of stamina. I am sure most heard of the phrase, "Jack of all trades, Master of ___??". You all know the answer, fill in the blank yourself. Focus Focus Focus. Focus on 1 thing at a time and not screwing yourself up by taking so many. Even if you were a master at each of them, adding them all up and try doing them all at a time still F***s you up big time. Just imagine kicking a ball and holding a cupie at the same time; no matter how good a soccer player you are or how great a cheerleader you are, you are never going to make it far this way. I guess it is definitely great to have multiple streams of income, but which is better - a couple streams of HUGE income, or multiple multiple multiple streams of small income?? Food for thought myself. This post is mainly for me, for me to just rumble about stuff and it certainly helps. It clears up my mind and reaffirms certain concepts as well as rid of some misleading ones. Writing is indeed a very good form of therapy and it is free. It allows me to see myself clearer and gives this very recharging feeling to me. It seems that I had left all my worries into these words and start to feel lighter again. I guess I started off writing these feeling all emo and down, but now at the end of this post, I am actually feeling great and positive again. I may have gone through alot more problems than some people, but all these are great learning (I hope you can gain something from this sharing too). In fact I know that I had a great mindset, I had been able to position myself far better off than most average; I just need to sort out some thoughts, find my clarity and intentions back on track and I am ready to charge forward again. Now I know what I need to do, everything is clear once again. Focus!
P.S: I want to thank Ken for helping me find my clarity again, for giving me that "ah ha" moment I was looking for again. I know you are often frustrated by me, for bothering you and for not letting you go home that night till I find my answer. Thanks again my "brother", you know what I mean. =) Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:06AM (+08:00)
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2007 - 2011
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Xingwei 242
Xuewei
Thank you for reading

All videos and some photos which were included in the blog may be missing in this book. Hence this explains why some of the readings may appear incoherent without the videos or photos along with it. We apologise for this lack of technology to include videos into a book. However if interested, you can always go back to our website, www.xwondercheer.com, and look under the archives for the particular post or video. Hope you enjoyed the information shared in this book and that we did add value to you. See you around. Cheers X-Wonder
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X-Wonder Cheer Journey 2007 - 2011

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X-Wonder Cheer Journey 2007 - 2011

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96 96 97 98 98 98 99 99 100 100 101 102 103 103 105 105

230 233 235 237 238 238

X-Wonder finally has a blog

Trainings in the past month

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Lost and Found

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Happy Chinese New Year

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Jobs and Work

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

How to get a higher toss

How come toss is so low

Stunt Posted by *star* at 02:56PM (+08:00)

Thursday, March 13, 2008

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

The end or the start?

Saturday, March 29, 2008

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Grass is always greener on the other side.

Toss to Hands Liberty

Stunt Posted by *star* at 01:12PM (+08:00)

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

First at the Last...

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Weakest Guy (that can do a cupie)

Saturday, April 26, 2008

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Stunt Posted by ~snow~ at 02:30AM (+08:00)

The truth of strength

Strength, Passion & Fear

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

The next phase

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Friday, June 20, 2008

Friday, June 20, 2008

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

*BTW 97 pounds is equivalent to 43.9Kg. Stunt Posted by *star* at 09:50AM (+08:00)

What's so great about gymnastics.

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Start early, start right.

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Taiwan Trip 12/07 to 22/07 =)

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Leaving with a luggage each

A meal at the airport before we fly off

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

On the plane Reached Taiwan

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Our guide in Taiwan On the way to Shilin night market

Ah Zhong Mian Xian is nice

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

First time eating Chou Dou Fu

Hua Zhi (sort of sotong soup)

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Super huge Taiwan Xiang Chang

Bing, something we eat all the time Going back to hostel

X-Wonder Cheer Journey

Road side stall

Breakfast at the foot of Yang Ming Shan

Stunt Posted by star at 02:56PM (+08:00)

Stunt Posted by star at 01:12PM (+08:00)

BTW 97 pounds is equivalent to 43.9Kg. Stunt Posted by star* at 09:50AM (+08:00)