2. In Week 2, I was brought to the office and attended several meetings to discuss and finalize various aspects of this mushroom project. The office was a shared space with several other companies, so I was also introduced to people from those organizations. Additionally, I visited a mushroom medium seller. There were different types of mushroom mediums available for sale, and we selected oyster mushroom mediums for this project, purchasing around 1,500 units. This week, we focused on preparing the warehouse by clearing and cleaning the space, which primarily involved renovations. The warehouse will also include an office, so we built shelves for the mushrooms and designated a section for the fogging machine, which is expected to arrive soon. There wasn’t much activity this week, but at the end, the mushroom seller delivered the mushroom mediums to the warehouse. However, we couldn't arrange them on the shelves yet because the renovation was still ongoing. Instead, we stored them in a dark room to protect them from dust and other contaminants.

3. A key takeaway from this week is the importance of networking. Building relationships with others, especially those in related fields, can be highly beneficial. In this case, some people in the office can assist with the software needed for the IoT mushroom cultivation system, and they also have experience with similar projects. Expanding my professional network can open up new opportunities and provide valuable guidance, especially when starting a business.

4. I felt more happy because I am not clueless as last week

5. Overall, this week went smoothly, and I now have a better understanding of how the project will proceed.

6. Two words that describe my elective posting so far are "complex" and "well-planned." This project requires a lot of careful planning to ensure success.

7. My plan for next week is to organize the mushroom mediums as planned and to learn more about the fogging machine and how the sensors for the IoT mushroom cultivation system work.

1. Your name, matric number, date

Name: Krshya A/P Selva Kumar

Matric number: A187717

Date: 12th August 2024

2. What have you done?

I started this week focusing on strength training, practice and improvement. I incorporated more core and lower body exercises this time around. I followed tutorials on YouTube and challenged myself by choosing higher intensity workouts. I increased repetitions of each set from last week as well.

I also attended my second Silambam class this week. This time around, my Silambam instructor wanted to challenge me further, and had asked me to join the class held with primary school kids of SJK (T) PJS1.

My Silambam classes usually involve small challenges given by our instructor, whereby my classmates and I are asked to compete within ourselves to determine who is able to perform a certain movement, action or skill, either the fastest, or the strongest.

In my first class, which was with senior women who were both in their mid-40s, it was easier to one-up my peers as I was younger and more flexible. If anything, it was comforting to myself knowing that I could still perform certain skills our Master had asked us all to do a little better, though I was a beginner, due to my flexibility and agility as a youth.

However, now I was with students almost half my age, and I was being pushed to my flexibility limits trying to even match or be on par with their skills!

During the class, we did numerous exercises focusing on flexibility and mobility, incorporating full body stretches, known as "Namaskar", leg stretches, full and half splits, high kicks and squats. It was an insanely difficult 4 hours, and I remember it being much more exhausting than my first class.

After the class, I took a necessary 2 day break as I was so sore all over from pushing myself physically. I took cold showers to aid in my recovery and did stretches on these days.

During this timeframe, I took the initiative to read up more on Silambam. I went through a lot of online resources and created a document summarizing all notable points and info.

I then created an informative poster on the Introduction to Silambam, covering the history, basics and benefits of the art form. I made this poster in such a way that it is info-dense, meaning that if you were to read it, you would be able to get the full picture of Silambam, specifically in Malaysia, all in one go!

This was definitely a very hard week to get by, what more with my ongoing full-time job. I am glad to inform however, that I am currently successful at maintaining this new routine, and am very hopeful that it will get better and easier as I go. I am highly anticipating learning kicks and staff handling in my next class!

3. Points to remember from week 2!

• The balancing leg used as you kick/stretch your opposing leg should be straight at all times (However hard it may be, must try your best to straighten it!)

• Attempt for half splits first, then side splits, and slowly inch your way into a full split.

• Build a mind-body connection when you exercise in order to engage specific muscle groups better.

• Cold showers aid in muscle recovery, hot showers worsen them.

• If your targeted muscles are sore the next day, the workout worked!

4. Your feelings & thoughts

This week I felt very challenged. It was one thing trying to discipline myself to follow my training regime every day before or after my 8.5 hour full-time job, especially when I come back home lethargic. It is another thing for your efforts in preparing for the class to be insufficient, as we spontaneously took a completely different route and prioritised stretches and mobility during the session, as opposed to strength training as we had originally planned.

I was initially dumbfounded with the change of plans and disappointed that I could not prepare as best as I could have specifically for the class.

However, I comforted myself with the fact that the strength training that I did prior the class would help me in the classes to come and not be in vain. On the other hand, the techniques I needed to know to increase my flexibility I have now learnt from this class, which I am optimistic to put into good use in the next 2 weeks.

I felt embarrassed during the class with the younger students as I was struggling to learn certain skills, the same skills which were too easy for them! There were numerous times when the Silambam Master would have to pause the class for me to catch up.

However, I realised that I should never be ashamed of learning anything, however old or slow I am, and that failing is simply a part of the process. I may struggle at the beginning, but as in everything, everyone starts from somewhere, and I'll get to where I want to be as long as I am consistent. Maybe then, those skills would be easy to me!

5. Any difficulties/concerns? How did you cope?

This week's class was particularly hard on me, both physically and mentally. I had prepared so much in terms of strength training, and was taken aback when most of the exercises we covered during my class were focused on flexibility and stretching instead, something which does not come naturally to me. As a matter of fact, I have never really made an effort to better myself in terms of flexibility and mobility before.

We had to do high kicks, full leg stretches and full splits during the class. I remember struggling so much as it was very pain for me to push myself, but I did my best and pushed anyway. I went for my class right after my morning shift at my full-time job, and was so beyond exhausted. However, I managed to pull through, even when I was on the brink of crying at one point 😂

All my muscle groups hurt, and I remember almost pulling a muscle as well. I even fell down on my tailbone as I attempted a split, causing the entire class to restart the exercise because of me. I felt embarrassed and ashamed due to this.

However, I did not give up on all hope after the class and realised that the struggles I had are in fact, navigating me to my next course of action.

After the class, I focused on stretches and mobility exercises, where I incorporated them into my daily workouts. I am happy to say that I have increased my flexibility and mobility by quite a bit in that short timespan! I realised that my enhanced flexibility has reduced my muscle weariness and aches too. There was definitely a silver lining after all the hardships during the class.

I have also been finding it difficult to manage my time with my work shifts and training regime, but I have been doing my level best at it and am determined to continue doing so.

To cope with this, I plan my days a week in advance and revise my daily plans every day in order to accommodate and make enough time for everything.

I am concerned, however, of my energy levels, as I can feel myself progressively becoming more tired every day. This is rather ironic as I should be resting throughout this holiday!

I realised that my fatigue is due to me being constantly on the go, so much so that my nervous system is dysregulated.

To cope with this, I also aim to include non-negotiable rest days where I prioritise my physical, mental and emotional well-being, effectively preventing myself from burning out.

6. 2 words to describe elective posting progress so far

Fatigued but hopeful

7. Your plan for next week (Week 3)

My next week is going to be strength focused, and I am to continue with strength training. I shall continue targeting my upper and lower body strength, increasing difficulty as I move forward.

I also aim to learn kicks and staff handling next week during class, and would like to practice those skills when I train individually as often as I can.

Hoping for the best!

2. What have you done?

I was able to improve and adjust the taegeuk 3–4 moves this week. This taegeuk introduces the Forward stance and the Back stance, two of the most important stances. According to Master Farizul, stances like the forward, walking, and backward stances are crucial for stability and to guarantee that the motions flow easily. Although mastering the stances may seem simple, there are some movements that are difficult to do.

3. Points to remember from week 2!

This week, it's important to keep in mind things like using the taegeuk stances correctly and being fluid with them. According to Master Farizul, taekwondo's uniqueness from other martial arts stems from its stances and how they are executed. Additionally, he advised me that before I can instruct the other junior belts in taegeuk, I must first correct the stances and movements.

4. Your feelings & thoughts

I felt very energetic this week since I was able to learn again the stances and the moves that I used to learn before I left taekwondo in 2020. After training this week, I'm incredibly excited to go home and practise the stances and movements from this week's taekwondo class. I can't wait to learn and teach under my master's guidance in the classes that start next week.

5. ONE good thing from what you did that you can practice now!

One thing that taekwondo has taught me, I believe, is that hard work is necessary to reach any goal one has set for themselves. For example, I have to put forth effort to practice the stances every day in order to perfect them. After putting in a lot of practice, I can really see improvements in my stances, and I believe I should continue using it throughout medical school. In the future, I want to become an excellent doctor, therefore I'll work hard to get there.

6. Any difficulties/concerns? How did you cope?

This difficulties I face this week was after I managed to master again the stances in taegeuk 3-4. The difficulty was teaching it to others especially the younger generations. At first it was very hard since they are unable to execute it properly for example the Back stance and the single knife hand. However, Master Farizul helped me to guide them by showing that teaching should be step by step rather than doing it all together. He told me to focus on one thing such as the stances first and not to mix it with the moves. I followed his advice and focus on mainly teaching the stances to the yellow and green belt students and I am able to see major improvement during the teaching session. 

7. Your plan for next week (Week 3)

Since this week I was able to mastered Taegeuk 3-4, I will proceed to learning and teaching Taegeuk 5 and 6 which is mainly for the blue belts. The 5th Taegeuk (Taegeuk Ohjang) embodies the image of Seon, the wind, fast and powerful yet subtle and invisible. The principle of the wind is emphasized by the sweeping actions of the hammer fist at the patterns source and the step into X-stance at the end of the pattern. The shape of the Taegeuk movements is the character for King. Taegeuk 6 ( Taegeuk Yuk-Jang) is intended to be performed like water. Sometimes standing still like water in a lake, sometimes thriving as a river, sometimes powerful like a waterfall. The water is to symbolize calm and cleansing, while also possessing the attribute of being violent and destructive. My aim for next week is to master both of this taegeuk and assist my master during the session next week.

2. This week I finally get to learn the practical aspect of archery. I finally get to shoot a bow for real. We revised back all of the steps we learn last week and put all that into practice. There are 5 main steps in archery which is 1. Stance 2. Pre-draw 3. Draw 4. Release 5. Follow through. We need to properly go through these steps to properly shoot the bow to avoid any injuries and accidents. At first, it was very hard to do all this properly as you need quite a lot of strength to draw back the bow and it was quite hard for me. I get tired easily after a few shots but that did not deter my dedication as I believe that it can be fixed with some practice. We keep training and revising the correct posture and steps everyday for around 2 hours. Our coach did not lie when he said that archery is a repetitive sport as we just repeat the same thing over and over again every day but it still takes a lot of time to get it perfect. It really teaches me a lot about perseverance and endurance which can be translated to my daily life as a medical student. Besides that, I also trained on my strength and endurance in the evening everyday to help me with my archery training. I went to the gym or jog at times to build the strength and endurance needed for it. At the end of the week, I felt like I have gotten a little better. There is still some ways to go but I am happy with the progress I made so far.

3. ⁠The points to remember are to keep up the good work and do not feel motivated as success comes to those who persevere.

4. ⁠I am certainly quite exhausted and tired trying to keep up with the training but it also felt good and memorable.

5. ⁠Having the motivation to go through something repetitive and not giving up.

6. ⁠I was afraid it will get boring doing the same thing again and again but I try to overcome it by setting some challenges and goals to try and acheive and make it fun for me.

Name: Aiman Firdaus bin Mohammad Kamarul Shah
Matric Number: A185588
Date: 11/8/2024

2. Progress Update

This week, I dedicated much of my time to focusing on game situations. My coach approached me personally to discuss my recent performance. He pointed out that my struggles on the court aren't due to a lack of skills but rather stem from nervousness and a lack of confidence. To address this, he designed specific drills aimed at improving my in-game composure. These included 3-on-3 matchups, half-court games, full-court scrimmages, and even a friendly match. He emphasized that these drills are intended to not only enhance my chemistry with my teammates but also to rebuild my confidence.

In addition to the game-focused drills, I continued with my regular gym and training sessions. However, the intensity of the basketball drills was noticeably increased to push my limits further.

3. Key Takeaways from Week 2

One key takeaway from this week is the importance of mental preparedness. I realized that my skills alone are not enough to ensure a strong performance during games. Building confidence and staying calm under pressure are equally crucial, and I need to work on these aspects just as much as I work on my physical skills. Additionally, I learned the value of teamwork and communication, as my improved chemistry with my teammates directly contributed to better on-court performance.

4. Thoughts and Emotions

This week was a mix of emotions for me. Initially, I felt disappointed with my performance and frustrated with the nervousness that kept holding me back. However, after my coach's guidance and the specialized drills, I started feeling more confident and optimistic. The increased intensity in training was challenging, but it also made me feel stronger and more capable as the week progressed. I am beginning to see the importance of mental toughness, and I feel motivated to continue improving.

5. Positive Action to Practice

One significant positive from this week is the emphasis on game-like scenarios in practice. This is something I can continue to focus on moving forward to ensure I maintain a high level of confidence during actual games.

6. Challenges and Coping Strategies

This week, I faced the challenge of dealing with increased intensity during training, particularly in the basketball drills. To cope, I made sure to focus on my breathing and stay mentally prepared before each drill, which helped me push through the tougher sessions.

7. Plan for Next Week (Week 3)

For the upcoming week, my plan is to continue working on my game situations while also paying attention to my mental preparation before practices and matches. I aim to further improve my confidence and reduce nervousness by engaging in more high-pressure drills and seeking feedback from my coach and teammates. Additionally, I will maintain my physical conditioning through regular gym sessions.

2. What have you done?

   This week started by using our knowledge of archery theoretically and applying it to real life. We got the chance to shoot a real bow while practicing. We were thought back on the steps on how to shoot an arrow, it compromises of 12 steps but for us beginners we were thought on the 5 main pillars of shooting an arrow, namely stance, pre-draw, draw, release and follow. To be honest even after the first week of training, pulling a real bow still was tough, the tension that it exerts on my back and core is a lot and if i make a mistake at any one of the five steps, it could lead to the equipment being damaged and even worse injury. We practiced this for around 2 hours everyday, and little by little i did feel myself get better. Small steps as they call it. Other than that, I have been also working on my strength in the gym and endurance by jogging.

3. Points to remember from week 2!

   In archery you will get better the more you practise it and the more consistent you are with your practice. Recovery is a very important aspect in this sport. A lot of steps actually are being done every time we see someone shoot an arrow and it is not just as simple as i thought.

4. Your feelings & thoughts

   Week 2 was a hard week in terms of being fit to be able to continue with training but still i felt a strong sense of accomplishment everyday after training sessions. That feeling is what keeps me going and to be honest i’m really enjoying the challenge.

5. Any difficulties/ concerns? How did you cope?

   There was definitely difficulties as time passed by and my body started to ache and that was all i could think about while shooting my arrows causing me to keep missing the target completely and i was upset about it. Then our coach and my friend calmed me down and reminded me that archery is as much of a mental game than it is a physical game. Then i calmed down and gathered myself again and thankfully my arrows were hitting the target again.

6. 2 words to describe your elective posting progress so far

   Challenging and intense

7. Your plan for nest week (Week 3)

   In week 3 we plan to practice more on shooting bows and refining our shooting and targeting and definitely more endurance and strength workouts

GORDON NUIL ANAK GRIPPIN A189445 12/8/2024

2. What have you done?

This week (Week 2) was the introduction to techniques such as throtting.

3. Points to remember from week 2!

This week's activity is trotting. Trot is a movement which requires the rider to move front and back of the horse. We are required to squeeze the horse with our thighs while riding to gain balance. It requires a lot of leg muscles usage during the squeeze to maintain the balance and momentum 

4. Your feelings & thoughts 

I feel as this activity gets progressively challenging as the trot technique requires more skill and confidence compared to the first week. The new technique learnt pressures us into a higher and unstable stance, which implants fear as me myself is afraid of heights. 

5. Any difficulties/concerns? How did you cope?

Fear of falling. It took me a few minutes to gain back control as the stance was very awkward. I just told myself that I won't fall. I also reminded myself that i've been in scarier situations and still survived with all my arms and limbs attached.

6. 2 words to describe elective posting progress so far

Fun and challenging

7. Your plan for next week (Week 2)

Learn new techniques under guidance of the coach. I plan to hone my throtting skills and learn a new skill, which is canther.