Second Report of the Year

Theme of the Day: Singapore Celebrates Harmony in diversity with World Harmony Run.

Second event: July 15, 2006
Distance covered : 28 km
Time : 12 noon to 5pm

Hong Kah Community Club to the Merlion Park

We started our Run at nearly 12 noon in tropical Singapore. People think I was crazy to do so because the month of July happened to be one of the hottest month in the year.

Jenap, our chinese Muslim friend who always wears her traditional Islamic custume during her exercise was rather concerned about this coming Run. She was afraid that it will be too hot and humid for her to run in her costume in the afternoon hot sun. But I asked her, "who says it is going to be hot on that day?" And once again, I was right. For the third time, we all saw miracle happened on this auspicious occasion. My prayer was answered. We had a fine weather without the sun during most of the event. I know, based upon past experiences, that we were not alone in this. Amazing but not unusual, for this is after all, the World Harmony Run. How can we be left alone in this noble cause?

Our arrival at Darussalam Mosque was the most surprising moment for all the runners. Never beyond their wildest dream did they anticipate such a hearty grand welcome. They had the most wonderful time. Many will remember this special moment for years to come.

140 children of this holy mosque become the ever first group of Muslim children in Singapore to sing the World Harmony Run song in their malay language. Song lyrics goes:

Lari, lari, lari, lari, lari, larian Harmoni Sedunia,

Kami adalah penyaku dan penyeri matahari

Yang mendatang.

All the parents were so delighed and thankful for our visit. They kept thanking us as we were leaving. It really goes to show how much they want their children to grow up in a harmonius environment where there is full of love, understanding, oneness and friendship.

Pastor Calvin Lee at the Grace Assembly of God Church giving a Christian prayer for harmony at the second stop. He was very delighted to see all of us.

In the heart of the city, a mega-screen playing the World Harmony Run DVD presentation from around the globe was quite a sight for curious passerby who stood and watch the big screen. Even the runners were very amazed by what they saw. Gratitudes to Mr. Terence Heng of the Shaw Foundation who made this possible.

It's tea time at the Khaisa Dharmak Sabha Sikh Temple and we were treated to a buffet spread of cut fruits, snacks and masala tea. The runners were all very excited about the tea. Never before have they tasted such aromatic tea in their entire life, if not for this Run. Part of the tradition required us to wear a head dress before we can enter into the temple buliding. We all had such fun taking group pictures after that.

The welcoming crowd had waited for us for over an hour because we were quite late by the time we reached Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sikh Temple. The community of this holy temple gave us such a warm welcome that after the event, the runners kept talking about them. They had such a nice time. Gratitudes goes to Mr Deep Singh and Mr Mah Singh for the welcome ceremony.

Veeramakaliamman Temple was our next stop. We were warmly greeted by the temple community. Two Hindu priests recited some holy mantras to bless the world and the runners who ran. Before we go, the temple authorities even prepared lots of snacks for us to take along with us. We had a great time there.

Our last stop was Tai Pei Buddhist Centre where 2 Buddhist monks and 1 nun gave a rendition of the Quan Yin Compassion chant. It was a very sublime experience for most of us. Although I must also add, by that time, some of the runners' knee joints were quite tensed and some even painful to stand for those few minutes. They were very polite and patient to allow the monks to complete their chanting.

At the river side, we met a group of paddlers and gamely asked them to take a group picture with us.

Finally, it was all over. Once again we did it, with the grace of Mother Nature.

******

So far, this was the most successful event ever happened in Singapore. Our sincere gratitudes to....

1. The Community Development Councils of Singapore for sponsoring the event. This event was made possible with the suggestion from Mayor Dr Amy Khor. Thank you so much, Dr Khor.

2. Mr Pritpal Singh for sponsoring the ambulance service

3. Mr Terence Heng of the Shaw Organisation for the screening of the WHR DVD on the megascreen in the heart of the city

4. To the muslim teachers and admin staff of Darussalam Mosque who taught the 140 children to sing the WHR song in the malay language. This group of adorable children aged between 3 and 6 years become the first muslim group in Singapore to present the WHR song in their native language.

5. Special thanks to Pastor Calvin Lee of the Grace Assembly of God Church, Mr Karam Singh of the Khaisa Dhamak Sabha, Mr Deep Singh of the Sri guru Singh Sabha, Mr SR Kumar of the Veeramakaliamman Temple and Yong Chia SI Fu of the Tai Pei Buddhist Centre for the prayers, refreshments and kindness.

6. Special thanks goes to the Managing Committee of Hong Kah Community Centre who generously sponsored a PA system for us to play the WHR song at the start of the event.

&. And lastly but not the least, gratitudes to AC Leong, Jenap, Maswar and all the wonderful runners and helpers who came to support the event.

I like to take this opportunity to mention the names of those who ran in this event. They were, AC Leong, Aichai, Wai, Anthony Sum aka Dream, Wai Fung, Christopher Koh aka tekko, Crispin Yuen, Fiona McMaster, Gregory Teo, Ho Kian Chong, Irene Kwok, Iruz Salim aka ALD, Jeffrey Chew, Jenap and husband Effendi, Johnny Lim, Kok Hui Ping aka Hyper, Henry aka Kops21, Leong Ah Chai, Lin Run'er aka Roonz, Loong Tean Huat aka commando, Maswar aka spiderman, Mohd Noraihan bin Othman aka Shute, Naveen Giri, aka FBB, David Ong aka DO, Pang, Puang Mui Geok aka tooty1511, Ronnie Lee, Tan Kok Keong, Vincent Cheong aka Seal, Yeo Chau Yee aka flip, Juay Seng, James Soh, Molly Tan, Cedric Yuen, Ken Kwek, Khadijah Bte Ahmad, Tay Chiew Noi, Jimmy Wong, Mary Rose Chong, Jasmine, Karen Yong, and Lee Jay Hoy. THANKS, GUYS AND GALS!!

Some of the relatives of these runners actually contributed some funds to the event. It was very nice of them.

First Report of the Year

March 26, 2006

Distance covered : 37km

Time : 8am to 3.30pm

MacRitchie Reservior to Merlion Park

Though I did not complete the full distance, it was the longest run of my life both in terms of distance and time could never have conceived myself running that far, but after the event, even the unthinkable has burst into crystal clear reality with an intensity that surprised even myself.

The event is called "World Harmony Run". Disregarding the political overtones associated with it, to run with a sincere thought to promote world harmony is a noble act in itself, hence making the run an event worth supporting.

As we run to heighten public awareness of this sublime goal, it is during the process of running where it becomes clear that world harmony becomes closer to reality when each and everyone of us, sentient beings residing on this earth, start working towards attaining perfection.

If we cannot be at peace with ourselves, how can world harmony be ever achieved when everyone of us is in a state of disharmony and imbalance? There has to be a commitment to cast away our baggage, rejuvenate ourselves and revitalise those jaded eyes in order for us to look upon this troubled world with faith and courage as well as become a beacon of motivation to others. When this goodwill is spread multifold, the world would be that much nearer to this ideal.

For seven hours, troubles dissipated, barriers dissolved, and laughter and encouragement became the order of the day. While running, we concentrate on our pace, breathing and form, not forgetting to chit-chat and keep a lookout for slower runners struggling to catch up.

In religious places, we receive benedictions from those in divine service and experience a shared period of peace and solitude in all our hearts. Life can be as difficult as the laboured breathing, heavy footsteps, or the buckets of cold water and hindrances thrown upon us when we do the unorthodox and inconceiveable; or it can be as simple as the single-minded determination to reach the final destination at all costs, with the cheering on from fellow compatriots as an added bonus.

As for me, my mind wandered quite a bit and I could feel the onset of dizzy spells when I reached the National Stadium. Torn between carrying on and falling out, I decided not to take the risk and boarded the bus. I knew I wasn't sufficiently conditioned, and had much to improve on when it comes to mental strength. With a slight twinge of disappointment, I slept a little on the bus and braced myself for the final finish with everyone.

Finally, it was all over. It all seemed so surreal, as if we started just a while ago. I was in a state of contemplation, going through the entire event in my head, and the twinge of disappointment at my falling out for a short stretch slowly faded away. Never before had I covered such a distance (>25km) in my life, and there were the good vibes from fellow runners to be appreciative of. I had gained much more than I thought from the event. I do not know whether I will ever take on a marathon distance in the future, but for now I feel blessed and content, having done my small bit for world harmony, shared a collective memory with fellow runners and taken big strides on the journey to self-discovery.

Thanks to each and everyone of us, participants and supporters, for making this event possible, and to all readers of this post for tolerating my ramblings.

~~~

The acticle was contributed by Wong Ningyu aka cosmic_wind from the Sg runners' community, the friendliest running community in Singapore.

Special thanks also to Mayor Dr Amy Khor who wrote a very heart-warming endorsement letter to encourage all the participants.

Another person I like to thank is Mr Pritpal Singh who sponsored the ambulance service and manpower. This is the second year that Mr Singh has been so kind to us.

Gratitudes to the following representatives of the places we visited on this Run. They are...

1. Ms Angela of Kong Meng San Temple.
2. Mr Gregory Lee of The Salvation Army.
3. Ms Sabrina Tun of the Burmese BuddhistTemple.
4. Ms Angela Ye of the Sun Yet Sen Memorial.
5. Veneral Sek Ching Sum of Tai Pei Yuen Temple.
6. Mr Haniff of Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura
7. Mr Ravi Chandran of Celyon Sports Club.
8. Mr Nallathamby of The Hindu Endowments Board.
9. Mr Raja Gopal of Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple.
10. Mr Goh of Civil Service Club.
11. Mr Ranjit Singh of Central Sikh Temple.
Last but not least, a big Thank you to all the participants who came. May God bless you all.

~Yap Thian Beng, Urdhacheta