the reason i go hashing, is because everytime i do it, i'm reminded so profounding about LIFE.

At the beginning of the course, you're filled with energy, and the ummph to go a long way- or in other words, in Life, we call it Youth. You are curious of what lies ahead, the path you have to take. Some face it with optimism, intrigued by the mystery of the journey hidden behind the trees.. & so they begin at the very beginning of the path by running.

You feel great, you can feel your heart pumping against your chest, the cool wind against your face, the freshness of the air around you. You breathe deeply. you take it all in. You feel so...alive.
But after a while...you notice the strain against your chest, the sweat forming on your forehead. You start to slow down...because you begin to feel tired. The smooth path at the beginning has gradually transformed into a rocky slope. You start using your hands too, you begin to climb. Grasping onto tree branches, clinging onto rocks, reaching out to hold the hand of the person in front of you. You simply need something to hold on to - anything. Or it would be impossible to go on. As if conditions were not terrible enough, it begins to rain.. You look up at start cursing at the sky, finding someone to blame for your misfortune.
Suddenly, you take a wrong step, and the mud slides below you,
you find yourself falling.
You didnt see it coming.
You didnt expect it at all.
But down, down, down you go..

the same branches that you've held on to so tightly before, leave uncountable scratchmarks on you. The pain, the betrayal.

You dont understand. You've tried so hard. How could one single step, one simple mistake, cause you to fall so deeply. for such a long way? You sit up. you're bleeding, and you dont understand why.

At this point, you have to make a choice. Some might choose to turn back, head back to the very beginning. But some are scared of seeing all the same trees, branches, & rocks again. They cannot bear to be reminded of the memory. So some might choose to just sit there, & wait for help to come.
But some, choose to stand up, and continue walking again. To climb up more rocks, to fall down more mud slides, to get more scratches on your arms and legs. This time you know that its coming, & you're prepared for it. The thing is, you have already come this far, so you're not gonna give up now. Not like this. No matter how far or stenuous, you are going to find the end of this path.

The lucky ones will have someone there for them. Someone to pull you up in slopes that are too steep for you to manage alone. Someone to gently say, ''dont be afraid.. '' when you hesitate on taking the next step, because to you it looks so intimidating. Someone to be there all along, to guide you, to encourage you. To remind you that you're not alone.
But luck wont last forever. & soon you'd find that that someone has his/her own journey to go on too. And so you'll have to face this alone. And that's when you find your own way through the forest. When you decide which step is safe to take, which is not. You to convince yourself to stand up again when you fall.


When you DO reach the end, & you get your share of chicken rice and a can of 100-plus. You will know; you will get a feeling that words cant describe. You will sit there and greedily gobble down your chicken rice like it was the first meal you've had in decades. You will hold the can of 100-plus in your hands so tightly, like it was a newfound treasure - a lifesaver.
You will not think. You will smile.

You're a different person now. You've learned something so valuable; a realization so...indescribable. You've challenged yourself, and won. You feel a sense of superiority, of pride.


And you'll know that you'll do this all over again, no matter how many scratches its left on you.