Editor’s Letter
If there’s anything positive that came out from the agonies of self-quarantine, it was that we regained time. Time to finally sort your belongings and clear out the clutter that has been accumulating. Time to pull out the cookbooks and try out the recipes you’ve been wanting to. Time to get around to the books and shows you’ve missed out on because you’ve been so busy. Time to look up and admire the clear blue skies. Whatever, there was definitely something to fill up the time.
For our national divers we have the honour of featuring on the cover this month, it was still training (home-based workouts) as usual despite the postponement of the Olympics. Ng Yan Yee said on her Instagram that this was the best decision for everyone, but nevertheless, she will continue to work hard in preparation for her third outing in the Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, Leong Mun Yee has been showing off some new moves that she learnt from watching videos online—shuffle dancing, as can be seen in her Tik Tok videos. Nur Dhabitah Sabri, the youngest of the three, has been learning to cook from her mum. In our interview with them, they tell us of the misconceptions perceived about their sport, the rigorous spartan lifestyle they lead, and the ugly side of competitive diving.
The divers’ hectic schedules made us have the photo shoot much earlier before the sudden reinforcement of the movement control order. At the time, a couple of them were supposed to fly off to Beijing for training. Looking back, we couldn’t have known about the lockdown that would put a halt to us conducting our work in the usual fashion, but we are thankful now, otherwise there wouldn’t be a cover story!
For athletes, pushing the body and mind to the limit is drawn from an inner strength. One needs to watch their performances in slow motion to see their extraordinary, superhuman-like power as they accomplished incredible feats. Be inspired reading about the athletic champions who have proven their mettle in the pool, ring, on the greens, ice and snow throughout these pages. Perhaps we can take a lesson in grit from them to help us overcome adversity and achieve great heights ourselves.
–Elizabeth Soong, Editor