Nicolette Teo celebrates National Day with Team Singapore.

From the Olympic Village
In Beijing

TODAY is the first day of competition for swimming and Singapore's birthday!

To celebrate our 43rd birthday as a nation, Team Singapore had a small National Day celebration breakfast and I had the honor of leading our contingent in saying our pledge. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty cool.

Coincidentally, today is also Li Jiawei's birthday so we sang her a birthday song too.

After the breakfast celebrations, the swim team headed off to the Village pool to get in our morning training session. I'm feeling alright in the water right now but in the words of UCLA's assistant coach, Erika: "feel is irrelevant". In other words, it really does not matter how I feel in the water.

What I love most about meets is the pure thrill of competition, the excitement that runs through your veins when you step up on the starting block, check out the competitiors in the next lane over your shoulder and think to yourself: "Bring it on."

I love the fact that character always beats reputation; that it doesnt matter who is ranked higher or has done more yardage; or who feels great in the water today; or even who's is actually the faster swimmer.

What matters most is who wants it more; who is going to lay it all out on the line and just swim, balls out, leaving everything behind in the pool. Character always beats reputation.

I swim the 100m breaststroke tomorrow and suprisingly I'm not particularly nervous... Well, maybe a little nervous, but it's more nervous excitement. I can hardly wait to get out there and just race my heart out.

Wish me luck, Singapore.