It’s Jan 2023. The last time I posted something on this page was way back in 2020, in the thick of the Covid pandemic. My colleague sent a link to one of my blog posts recently, as she was in-charge of doing some scouting for rowing locations in Japan, and she chanced upon my blog post (https://aisyahrower.com/2014/01/30/10-things-i-learnt-in-japan/) and shared it with me. It was nice reminiscing on how I used to write, everything? for the world to see. How strange! Now, stories are being told through photos and videos, mainly on Instagram, for me. I tried to get on the TikTok train, but it wa ..read more

I cannot believe it has been 4 months since the Coronavirus happened. The first few weeks being quarantined at home was ridiculously hard. We only went out to buy groceries and lines were just ridiculously long. For some reason, it is ingrained in the American’s mindset that if an apocalypse were to happen, they need to stock up on toilet papers so supermarkets were out of toilet paper for weeks. Ross was working from home and I was conducting virtual workouts almost everyday. I still remember those early days when it wasn’t mandatory to wear a mask in public. And then CDC came around and enco ..read more

  I was excited to start my job at Orangetheroy Fitness after we survived our week-long training but the studio only managed to fit in a week of classes before we had to close our doors because of the coronavirus. It is scary how this virus has changed the way we are living. Cafes and restaurants are only doing deliveries and takeouts. Gyms all around Boston are closed. BSC even laid off all of its employees because if they don’t they’ll be bankrupt, they said. I bought plane tickets back to Singapore in January for my travel plans in March because it’s the Spring break and I thought, it ..read more

Like how the Fiancé Visa interview at the American Embassy went in Singapore in June 2018, I found reading up about what exactly goes on at the interview really useful. So I was looking for recollections of couple’s interview processes online but they varied from really fast and easy processes to one that ended with the couple having to go for another interview cuz the husband didn’t know how many tattoos the wife had. It made me realise that reading up about stuff can be good because it gave you an idea of what to expect but reading too much can be pretty scary too because it makes you feel l ..read more

They say there’s always a first for everything. I signed up for the Trifactor Run-Swim-Run in Singapore on 15 June because I thought it would be a good way to fit in a half marathon in the midst of my marathon training (yes so I’ve decided to do my first marathon, because why not?). I was actually feeling good about the race. I’ve been putting in quite a bit of miles in the swim and definitely been doing lots of running. So I was excited on race day. Ross arrived from Boston the night before at around 6pm and he decided to do the race too, because he’s crazy like that. The distances are 10.5km ..read more

CRI organised a Women’s Day today and it was a beautiful day and there were at least 70 women out there today- something like 7 8s and 2 quads, if I’m not wrong. Just massive and exciting. When I signed up to participate, I also indicated that I would like to share my story- I wrote that I am the first Singaporean rower to qualify for the Olympic Games, that it was a long, arduous journey that I went through but I made it at the end of the day, you know, the usual story Singaporeans would have heard a million times already. The problem was that, I wouldn’t think it was exciting. I thought I di ..read more

  I celebrated my birthday this year by joining a race, because why not. I signed up for this duathlon a few months ago. I think I just miss the adrenaline of racing. I mean, training is fun but I have been so used to training for something and having a race or an event to look forward to that it’s weird if I train and not have an end-goal. Some people say working out should be a lifestyle. But my lifestyle is winning races, how like that? It was a 5km run, 26miles (which is 41.8km) ride and followed by another 5km run. Harmless, I thought. Since I’ve been on the bike a lot (erm, on the traine ..read more

I told myself that I needed small goals in life to feel like there is a purpose in living each day. So, I set myself a goal to beat my PB of 1:53hrs for a half marathon. 1:53hrs was set at the Standard Chartered in Singapore in 2014. I remembered how torturous the race was and the heat and going round and round in Sentosa and finishing with a medal I can’t even remember where I kept it but with a promise to myself that I will never do a half marathon ever again. I remembered carrying my phone on my right hand throughout the whole race not changing hands that at the end of the race,  I couldn’t ..read more

Some people like the glam that comes with being an elite athlete. I didn’t mind it, neither did I crave for it. To be honest with you, I hated doing interviews and photoshoots. I am extremely awkward at standing around taking photos because suddenly I don’t know how to stand, smile or what to do with my hands. Interviews can be tiring but I often tell myself that I am doing it for the sport. What better way to increase the awareness of the sport than to talk to people about it?  The best part about these gigs is (shamelessly but truthfully) that I get free stuff out of it. Sometimes photoshoot ..read more