Swimming Gala

Yours sincerely ( y s) helped to organise a Swimming Gala for the Royal Kedah Club on the 25th of April, 09. The last swimming gala was held twenty over years ago. The dilapidated pool did not entice the organisation of such event until the new pool was completed last year. As the secretary, y s was involved in writing numerous letters and petitions for the new pool.

Here, you can see the wading pool for the children. The response was overwhelming for the children's events. These days, parents would go to all obstacles to expose their children to new challenges and experiences. It is very easy to market products and service to children. Some companies have exploited this with emotional marketing. They even do it when the child is still in the womb! The latest, y s, guesses is Stem Cell Banks.

The Kiddys' Treasure Hunt was fun to observe. These priviledged kids had had already so much possessions lavished on them, the menial things thrown into the pool for them to hunt could not lure them to put their head under water! Anyway, the parents were the ones overtly excited and could not hold their reserves.
This was the briefing session before the plunge. These children could swim like fishes. All had been thoroughly coached and intensely motivated by their parents who were watching over them like hawks. This is something I missed in my childhood. The closest I came to were marbles, kites and discarded bald tennis balls which we picked up over the fence of the District Officer's lawn tennis court on the way home from school.

Y s spotted this cute little nymph who was all geared up for the gala, floats and all.
These were some of the mens' competitors, almost averaging 60 years, but who could still paddle 100 metres speedily. Btw, there were three doctors in attendance! Just in case. Who knows?

The organising committee who had worked very hard to put pieces of the gala together. The Swim Captain, seated in the middle, is Mr Choy Ming Swee, very amicable and humble, pleasant to work with.
This is how a jubilant winner looks like. All smiles from ear to ear. You should see the mummy's and daddy's smiles. "Number two only loor!!! Mummy might scold loor!!!"

Retirement is also expanding you circles of friends in all age groups and walks of life.

Now, y s has swimming, squash and also golf "kakis."

How can one be tired and bored with retirement? Y s is busy living every day that ends with "y."