By C C Fung
Justice of Peace
Found this when clearing clogged drawers.
What came to mind was ‘what was I thinking?!’
I thought I was fitter than I actually was.
I signed up without telling anyone. Drove to the starting point in the ungodly hours of the morning.
That itself was an experience.
I was to realise that other than less-than-smart wannabes like me, there are many who lived torturing themselves.
I regretted my first-time participation within the first km of the race.
Athletics was never my suit.
But I thought I wanted to test myself.
Before the turn around (roughly half the race) near the Yayasan Sabah building,
I remember I was seeing stars. But the legs were still moving.
So on I went. I didn’t know I’d any racer finished after me.
All I remember was collapsing into the arms of race officials, and talking to myself, delirious.
I managed to say hello to some familiar faces. But had no memory of whatever that was going on, or of the medics attended to me.
Somehow later in the day, I was home with this medal.
I have no clue if it was presented to me, or someone just stuffed in my pocket.
What I do remember is that not long after my bravery chest pain forced me into emergency.
I had a mild heart attack.
They found a blocked vessel. A stent was needed. It was done at QE2.
They put a catheter through my a little spot near by wrist.
No anathetisia.
I watch the catheter doing its thing on my inside while the surgeon and his head nurse (clearly not Sabahans) exchanged their experiences eating the uniquely Sabah condiment ‘tuhau’.
No. Matters of the heart are no big deal.
That day I had my stent inserted, patients lined the operating theatre at QE2’s cardiac unit!
I finished 10km in a marathon.
You.
Stupidity has some strange merit. Ha ha ….