In Continuum.

21 Steps to Heaven

"...That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going..."

--- Forrest Gump

I dont think anybody really knows why Forrest Gump took off from the comfort of his Alabama home that morning.It wasnt explained in the movies,or maybe everybody figured it was just some sort of...a switch going off in his head.But that morning,after Jenny left Forrest,as he sat at his porch alone with his running shoes on,he took off down the dirt road and then...well,as mentioned above,a couple of times across the country.Coast to coast.

People say that he is retarded in movie,it doesnt matter why the hell he did the things he did.For example,leaping into the sea after seeing Lt. Dan Taylor.It mightve been just a crazy act,but i guess in a way,spontaneously,Forrest realised that running is such a therapeutic thing.Im not saying that i am a big fan of running.The way your lungs sort of shrinks,the way it pulls itself in,and you find it hard to breathe.Your sweat all over your body,your shirt sticking to your skin,and the way your joints ache with stabbing pain everything your foot sends impacts up your legs.Yeah,i know.I hate running.I hate it with such a passion.But on the other hand,as exhaustion takes over,as your body wears itself out,there's a sort of state in your mind when everything goes blank and clear.Like you are in this huge empty room,or hall,and everybody disappears all around you.It's true,when you are in that state of mind,and i guess that,to me,is the best part about running.

It's AHM once again.I still i remember a year ago(It's already been a year!),when Eugene-Motherfucking-Sim told us that he was going to run the 21km in the morning,then join us for the 12km run later.He then appeared with us,all dried up and said that the bus apparently didnt pick him up at his place.Or,in my opinion,he simply didnt wake up to dare the challenge.All mouth and no guts huh,Eugene?

This year's a little different.Think the army decided to up a notch at the distance we ran,and decided that everybody's going to run a full 21km this time,a half marathon.Which also means,aside from the fact that it is going to tire everybody out,that we are supposed to wake up at 3am and then start the run by 530am.I think i dont remember waking up that early in my life,not even during the outfield days.As the alarmy softly built up its volume this morning in the quiet bunk,i opened my eyes to the reflective surfaces beside the neon tubes above me,the way the lights from the corridors reflected off it.I traced the edges of the reflection,and swung my body out of the side of the bed.Groaned,swore,and dressed up.

Breakfast was horrendous.Chocolate buns were all right,but let's just say the cupcakes looked like they were leftover food from the neighbouring Tengah Airbase.So that was my breakfast,as we took the chartered bus down to town for the incredible 21km run.Or,like i like to call it especially for this entry,the 21 steps to Heaven.

The driver blasted the music from the radio station then,and i could barely hear what i was listening to on my iPod.Everybody dozed off on the bus then,halfway along PIE and the night still young.Our body swayed a little,as i mumbled to the lyrics to Yeah Yeah Yeahs' songs,trying to wake myself up for good.

It's a beautiful sight in town really,to be there at 4am with the streets nearly empty,and cars coming down the street at one every five minutes or so.It reminded me of the scene from Vanilla Sky,when Tom Cruise's character runs down an empty New York City street.A couple of drunkards stumbled out of Chijmes then,and staggered across the street while the light was still red.It was quite an experience,really,even before the run officially started.

I dont think i have ever seen THAT many people gathered in the same place in town,at that time in the morning.The Padang field,like last year,was jam-packed with participants of the 21km run.We made our way onto the bridge,where the start line was,and just waited for the gun to go off.I cant really illustrate,or tell you just how many people were actually there.But when we were finally flagged off,after almost dozing off with my chin on my knees,we took nearly ten minutes to actually CROSS the start line.That's the number of people there then,just waves of them like armies of ants,marching down a path to battle or something.It was quite a sight,and to see that many people on empty streets,differed from the sight last year in broad daylight.And i must say,that it was a sight worthy of remembrance indeed.

Throughout the run i sort of stayed with Jonathan,because i know how boring running alone can get.Really,i tried that last year and it was dead boring.I swear,if i dont die from the run im going to die from boredom,easily.We both have some kind of knee problems,which caused us to slow down on numerous occasions.But we pushed on anyway,and along the way commented on almost everything in sight.It's a strange and interesting way to see the city on foot,going through streets you would normally go onto in the backseat of your mother's car.Nicoll Highway's screwed up on foot,ECP's climb seemed endless and the run down felt amazing.

Daylight slowly broke through the clouds,and the cars built up beside the barricades,as waves of us continued to flood down the streets of the city.We ran from ECP initially,up and down the Benjamin Shears' Bridge,into East Coast Park.Made a U-Turn there,down to Tanjong Rhu area where Krishna stays,then down to Nicoll Highway.That,all the way down to Bridge Road,then a strange road called Martin Road.Up to Bugis area where my sister studies,down to Dhoby Ghaut area and up the side of YMCA.Back around it and went up to Tanjong Pagar,Outram area.Finally,the race ended after we went along Still Road,i think it is called,then up Parliment Lane and back to Padang.

It was a crazy stretch,and to be honest i think the rain clouds above were what drove me to run towards the very end.I wanted to save my bag from the rain,considering how nobody is going to help you keep it under a shelter,whatever.I completed the race just in time,and met up with Ahmad soon after to cab home.

I think along the way it was rather enlightening,aside from the renewing of Singapore's general Geography.I thought everything became so simple,and in a way i became so carefree out there on the road.It was just my pair of feet,rubbing against the base of my shoes as the soles of them slowly came off along the way,as they went over all the different kinds of road.Grassy ones,bricked ones,tiled ones,tarmac ones,sandy ones,the ones covered with styrofoam cups,the ones with wet sponges,the ones littered with spit which i tried to avoid,and so on.It was really in the head,more than a physical matter of things.I think everybody is capable of finishing the race.Because really,timing does matter at all.What mattered then,was your pair of feet,moving ever forward,till it crosses the finish line and you are done.

As tired as i was,i found it therapeutic,as the rain slowly fell and i was caught in the rain,drenched throughout by both the rainwater and my own sweat.But i carried on,down the street and back home.It felt good,when i finished it finally and had my palms to my knees,panting like a dog.But i know,that such an experience,though i am probably never going to undertake it again,is a refreshing and mind-opening experience altogether.I know,there's a blister right now,under my left feet.But who cares,as wide as it is opened up into a gaping wound,my mind is opened as well.