Limping Marathon Runner

Loosing my concentration....

Mails pointing to all the wrong directions?!
No!! It's my DNS on client! It's my DNS on Appliance!
Damn!! All haywire ....!!

Brain freeze, brain dead!
Finally, 95% done! I'm not sure why the 5% left isn't working. I just know.. I need my sleep. Another long day tomorrow and a wedding dinner (many have been waiting for) at night.

I do not have time to spare for running due to this week's hectic schedule! Man-In-Green soon.... more time lost.
Now.... for a few hours on that 42km ... even 5 minutes seem like a lifetime.

Why is there an unopened pack of Milo on the shelf?! Why is it not cold?! Chilled ... that's the way!

A glass of Ice Milo after a long run is more than just a rewarding treat! Heavenly!

Hmm.. .. yesterday noon, I had lunch with my cousins and their wives. My cousin and his wife-to-be (actually) are having a discussion with us on the wedding day's arrangement. Help out, roles assignments and stuff. Guess who was begging for attention?

My title is 堂伯 and that sounds really old.

How to perfectly remain anonymous without covering your face with Mosaics or your eyes with black strips?

I upgraded my Firefox and guess what?

.
.
.
.
.

I lost MacFox and ChinesePera-kun support!!! Authors.. please do something!! Pretty please?!!!

My legs have been kind to me, since I have not subjected them to stress for the past 7 days. Maybe it due to that 30secs more? Ooppsss... my Landreth II has reached retirement stage. You shall not be forgotten. I'll still bring you around for shopping and cycling ...

Wahh..... I heard that you'll get Crystal Jade food if you sprain your ankle.
Haa... Break a leg? Get Sashimi delivered to your place?! haa... maybe.

I did try to run... only for a kilometer when it was drizzling.... I saw lightning... I had to stop. That was before Sotong reached the tracks.

But, all it took was a downpour... we changed our plans from tracks to four plates of spicy food. Sambal KangKong, Chilli Sotong, Otah and Sambal Stingray.

Owww.... my right foot hurt a little now. I was trying to break the fall of a coffee glass at a coffeeshop while we were having dinner. The lady cleaner accidentally swept the glass off the table and I tried to prevent it from smashing it on the floor. It did smash eventually, even with my foot cushioning the forces of gravity.

Touch down! Happy that I had a great trip in Cambodia. Sad that I am back in reality again. Nah!! Plan for another trip is the only next logical thing to do.

Soon... .. busy sorting pictures and writing FRs. Overall, it has been a fantastic trip. Seeing a lot of things, the good, bad and ugly... More to that in FRs.

Oh!! I missed the Wedding Run at Lower Peirce! Congrats Alvo & Meteor. Luv you guys!! Missing out runs and swims. No, I don't miss the haze at all. Definitely, wishing that it would go away sooner!

Meanwhile, some pictures to keep you wanting for more!

Early morning, we needed to get ready, taking our breakfast waiting for our bus pickup to send us to the Mekong Express Limousine Bus: Phnom Penh - Siem Reap bus boarding location. Seems like the bus will be stopping over at Kampong Thom, which was one of our original plans to stay there for a day. This time, we will be just doing a pit stop. Limousine bus is quite alright and comparable to KL buses. Locals and tourists alike boarded the bus and we moved off at 8.30am. Within 10mins, we crossed the Tonle Sap River using the Japanese bridge. Wow .. we were distributed with pastries on board the bus! Limousine service? Well, the not so limousine service would be showing Cambodia MTV which most people have no clue of what the singers are singing. Nevertheless, definitely a very local flavor and reminds me of the 80's Karaoke MTVs. Damn old school.

Lots of kampong lookalike houses along the way of our travel. Eventually, we arrived at Kampong Thom for pit stop (toilet break, lunch) for half an hour. Endlesstrail could not resist the temptation to try the fried crickets the "Fear Factor" way - chew well + swallow. "Taste like sotong", commented Endlesstrail. Yes, I was behind the camera taking it all down in video. Fear of crickets is definitely not a factor for him. The road side store sells fried bats and rats (I think, based on the shape) too. Definitely more fear in stinking one's teeth into the bats or rats. I still prefer good old fried chicken.

By mid-noon, we finally reached the bus depot at Siem Reap. Mr. John Teng was already there waiting for us. Before we can get off the bus, there was already a horde of moto-taxi drivers shouting and waving just to catch our attention. Most were carrying pictures and rates of guest houses nearby. For once, I felt like a cow or some livestock with people shouting out, at, over and across me. You just have to firmly say no. Mr. John Teng brought us to his car (parked behind the depot) where he helped us move around to book our guest house. A nice and friendly person! Once we sorted our accommodation, we went straight to Angkor area to make our 3-day pass costing us USD$40. We had our photos taken (passport size), printed and laminated the pass on the spot. Of course, USD$40 is not cheap! I would say it is worth the money to see the temples in the Angkor site. Since it was nearing to sunset, we visited Angkor Wat to capture a reflection of the temple before climbing the steep stairs to reach the top.

After a night of rain, I think I gained enough sleep through therapeutic sound of rain drops hitting on roof top. It sort of cooled down the temperature since it was really warm during the day. Since we did not require Mr. Ben Wee's service after the first day, we were on our own moving around. His service has been great. But, we felt that we wanted to move around on our own. After a discussion, we settled for bus as our transport to Siem Reap on the third day. Mr. Ben Wee was kind enough to pass us Mr. John Teng's contact for us, in Siem Reap. To get ready for our second day out, we had a hearty breakfast in continental style - Banana pan cakes, toast, coffee and orange juice. Russian Market was our first destination for the day. After a bargain with the motor-taxi, we hopped on the vehicle and reached our destination within 10-15mins. It would not even qualify for a long ride. Walking the entire Russian Market, I found that it is rather small. It is the stores and things I see that interest me. A parking place for motorbikes and bicycles?! Ha... A parking attendant will issue the bike owner a ticket for him to collect his vehicle later. We navigated around the area, exploring wet markets around the area. Just like the 80's, back at home.

- insert pictures -

It was around lunch time, that we thought of resting our legs. We were not exactly hungry (after the heavy breakfast) and merely wanted a place to sit down with drinks. Stopping at Jars Of Clay, we ordered some drinks and pastries while relaxing. Endlesstrail and I bought a journal each .. .maybe we can use it for the next trip. We did more walking before leaving the area. Hmm.... rolled cigarettes on sale? Weed cigarettes?

Next stop - Central Market. We went there on foot. Since the shopping mall where we got our dri-fits is nearby, the thought of having a simple late lunch comes to mind. Now, Central Market is really huge. The cement, solid looking structure has lots of shops in it, mostly selling "near genuine" clothes, watches and sorts. Surrounding the market, more stores (mainly made of wooden planks) selling food, fashion and "near genuine" ever famous reprinted Lonely Planet books. We came across a store with BBQ-ed giant squids. A small setup selling insects was spotted as well. We could hardly finish viewing all the stores before it was near to their closing time for the day. Just a stone throw away from our guest house, we walked back to deposit our purchases of today before picking a place for dinner.

- insert pictures -

Our resting place for our legs today ... Friends Restaurant
This restaurant helps the society in getting kids off the streets by teaching them culinary skills. Ordering a virgin Pina Colada to go with the sandwich, I slumped back into my chair while doing a recap of what we have seen for the past two days. Just beside the restaurant, they have a small little shop that sells handicrafts made by them too! Some very innovative and nice ornaments that they have. There were second hand books on sale as well. I bought a couple of coin purses as gifts. Back in the guest house, the cable T.V. was showing Soul Plane. Bloody hilarious! Snoop Dogg in the show?! What can you expect?!

Lights out ... we have a morning bus to catch ... to be on our way to Siem Reap.

Barely 4 hours of sleep, I sprang out of bed because for the next five days, it will be really exciting!

At the airport, EndlessTrail was already there. We checked in the JetStar Asia with Donkey. Hmm... time was running short and it certainly did not help with a hanging PC!! A budget airline with its boarding pass just like a piece of receipt. Just interesting and not complaining. Donkey requested for a near exit seats with more leg room. Great!! We got the last row of the plane where we could not even recline our seats. Well done. Heck! I still went ahead to sleep anyway!

Going through immigration was a breeze. Mr. Ben Wee (our guide) was already waiting for us at the airport, just outside arrival hall, upon our arrival at Phnom Penh Airport. All of us hopped onto his car and started making our way to the guesthouse. After a quick check-in (dumping our packs in our rooms), we took a quick bite at the restaurant below. I had Chicken Noodle Soup. Since Mr. Ben Wee had to send someone off to airport, we took a Motorcycle Taxi to visit the Royal Palace which is along and in front of the Tonle Sap River. Walking around the Royal Palace, I was figuring out why a French looking building is inside the premises. The French influence, a common mix in most places in Cambodia (during the French rule). Looking around for the Silver Pagoda, I pointed out to EndlessTrail that the flooring is made of silver tiles. All of a sudden, we went, "Ahhhhh....". There were some paintings all the way down the hallway on walls. After some walking here and there, someone came over and said, "No go. Close." Oh??! They have opening time from 8-11am and 2-5pm. Lunch break for the guards? Part of the Royal Palace is out of bounds to public. Hence, we left the compound and waiting outside where we saw Mr. Ben Wee who is already waiting for us across the street. Donkey saw a little girl selling "Lonely Planet: Cambodia" and asked for the price. "USD$18". Wow..... She slashed down to USD$8 when we boarded the car.

Next ... we stopped for a few minutes at the Independence Monument before driving to the next place to visit. The start of a sad but educational journey for the rest of the day. Arriving at the Tuol Sleng Museum a.k.a. Genocide Museum, my mood dipped lower as my heart sank. Tuol Sleng was a Tuol Svay Prey High School. In 1975, it was taken over by Pol Pot's security forces(Khmer Rouge) and was turned into a prison known as Security 21 (S-21). S-21 was Angkar's place for interrogating end exterminating anti-Angkar elements. 'Angkar' meant 'The Organization'. A lot more details and facts can be found by searching online about Khmer Rouge and its atrocities.


Walking around the few blocks (each block around 3-4 storeys high) of classrooms, I refused to take pictures in some of them because I think it is really depressing. One of the blocks had classrooms as interrogation rooms. Tools to immobilize prisoners and pictures of victims could be seen in the classrooms. No words can describe the feeling when you see the pictures. You just have to see it yourself. Another block containing mug shots of prisoners and victims where some of them are being photographed even with a bruised eye (obviously beaten up). A guide was explaining to a group of tourists when I was there and he was battling to keep the tears from falling. Fitness corners in the school were not spared and used as sadistic intruments to torture prisoners. The next block of classrooms has concertina and barbed wires covering all levels. This was used to prevent prisoners from killing themselves by jumping off the building to commit suicide. This block of classrooms were divided into concrete and wooden cells for individual on different levels. The last level is classrooms that held prisoners together. Another block of classrooms had display of photographs and articles that made the impression deeper. We walked in silence on our way back to the car. Again, no words can describe that helpless feeling. Not for the weak or faint hearted. It is really depressing to see brutal acts like these, especially on your own people.

Lunch (kinda lost appetite) was with a slow start, after what we saw. But still ... we had to eat something. Killing fields (another heart wrenching site) is next and will be some distance away without any restaurant around the area.

Afterall, who can actually eat?!

To the Killing Fields, it was a short drive on some dirt track. We came to the site that was once a longan orchard. Some of the structures that held the victims and storage to hold tools of torture are long gone. One can easily conjure the image in his mind. The screams and cries of those held here, awaiting for death.
Imagine. Between 1975 to 1978, 17,000 people (men, women, children and infants, including nine Westerners) were detained and tortured at S-21 before taken to extermination camp here, at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek.

Walking around the site, we saw dug up graves that are now pits and some covered with rain water. Signs from some remains suggest that they were bounded and blindfolded when they were killed. There is also a tree for the executioners to swing the babies at. How dark can humans be?

A Memorial Stupa has been erected in 1988, housing more than 8000 skulls. We left with a heavy heart. Glad to see that all these are over for the Cambodians. Yet what they have been through will never be forgotten.


Moving back to the central area again, we went to see Wat Phnom, which happens to be near our guesthouse. According to legend, Wat Phnom is rumoured to have given its name to this city(Phnom Penh, today) when it was discovered by a woman named Penh. Wat Phnom is rather small and we covered the place quicker than we thought. Donkey requested to Mr. Ben Wee that we need to go to a supermarket. He drove us to a shopping mall because he probably thought that we wanted to shop. Apart from looking like our People's Park Center, the shopping mall did have a gem in some corner afterall!! We bought dri-fit tees for my cycling and some to distribute. It was getting dark and Mr. Ben Wee recommended a local restaurant that serves relatively good food. Angkor Beer, their local branding, is rather light. Dinner was okay and I ordered glutinous rice with durian for dessert. How about that?! So much for the first day, we went back to our rooms in the guesthouse to shower and sleep. What?!! You mean we have cable T.V.?!

Out of town again! Be back with more pictures. Very early flight.... and I'm still not in bed??!!

I promise, no more stunts like bringing my journal to the toilet. What was I thinking .....

Trips, trips and more trips in mind. The list just goes on forever! (which is a good thing!) Running out of cash or not enough to pay for a trip will be bad! I think I better start a speadsheet tracking dates.

Another thing .....

Why did they come up with Nikon D80??!!!
*counting* $1, $2, $3, ..... $106, ....

SuperBoy, Rooonz and I dropped by at AlecChua's place for lunch. We bought him Carrot Cake - Black version (breakfast) and Duck Rice (lunch). We got his pet fish its lunch as well. Ermm.. ... goldfish for lunch. We chatted about the NIE Director's Relay over lunch (not goldfish). SuperBoy helped to feed his pet with goldfish and all of a sudden there was this dicussion with SuperBoy and Rooonz on:

Rooonz:
1) Goldfish has no feeling of pain because they have no central nervous system
2) Goldfish has short memory of just 2secs

SuperBoy:
1) Goldfish being good, dying from a quick death from AlecChua's pet fish - quick death being no sinking of teeth into goldfish's body and with one quick swallow into the tummy, allowing digestive acids to work on its victim.

How morbid.

We got AlecChua his dinner before leaving. While I was getting a drink at the convenience store, SuperBoy pointed out to me that ickleOriental and her Hubba walked pass. Haa... the three of us walked to Holland V for drinks before calling it a day.

Still hazy over here, while its a cold day for Sotong in Paris.

Dropping my stuff at work, I went home to pack my items for the night. The NTU - NIE Director's Relay tonight for a 12 hour relay race, starts at 9pm. Form a team of 6 for competitive, team of 10 for fun run. With 12 hours, run as many laps as your team can do. Each lap around is 2.4km. No runner is suppose to do two consecutive rounds.

I met up Sotong, Cheow12 and Tiwazz at Jurong Point for some carbo loading session. My dinner was a little disappointing (no, I shall not take any pics of it).

IMD and SV did meet us at NIE and we secured a spot for us to dump our bags. After some briefing, the flag off took place at 9pm sharp and everyone sprinted! Since I was the second runner, I waited for IMD to come in through the Start/Stop line. The first runner who came in was 7mins ++. Fast. Nuclear powered legs, probably. Since IMD will need to leave at midnight, we inserted him after every other runner. At a later stage, we adjusted to after two runners. IMD was really consistent with his timing. Violet came all the way as pom-pom girl to support Cheow12. IMD SMS-ed us in the morning around 5am to check on our slack progress. I tried to keep with a 10min 30secs pace for 2.4km but failed to do so around 5th lap. Fatigue came creeping in around 3am in the morning and at 5am, it was the worst! Around my 7th round, I was really sleepy. As I ran along and over took a lady, I thought she looked pretty strong. That is good. But, about several more steps along the road, I hear a loud thud of someone who fell. It was the same lady I over took. I think it must have been the fatigue that she tripped over something. I ran back to check if she was okay. She signaled a thumbs up and asked me to carry on. I smiled and continued. Sore muscles and a really sleepy Balasing. I better concentrate on my footing. I changed to a new set of running vest and shorts around 8th lap ... wow!! I felt so much better!! I guess it did help me on my morale and I ran slightly faster. But... I did eventually cross over to 13min ++ and 14min ++ as well. No injury is the main thing for me. At my last lap, Renohtaram called me on my phone and I told him we were still at NIE. Sumiko saw me talking on my mobile phone while running and she teased me, "Waaaa... can talk on mobile phone while running??!!!". Oooops.. I'm slacking! We were really happy to complete 60 laps as a team even though we were not podium material. Runners with "A" tags were the individual runners with no team members for relay. They just kept running throughout the night. You guys deserve rounds of applause from everyone!! Personally, I salute you.

A tired body... but the company, food and race made it all worth while!

I slept for a few hours and went out for dinner with my family. We had steamboat. Let me rest for now. The haze seems to be back at 116 for PSI.

Great lunch that I had today. Stuffed Kulcha, Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Masala Mushroom, Palak Paneer and more!! I was a little disappointed with the Masala Tea. It did not taste like what I expected it to be. A little bland on the spices flavor. No cam, no pics.

Tiring run today!! I realised how unfit I am. Sustaining can be quite something. Practically panting for haze flavored air, I just ran and ran.

Thank the heavens for an "acceptable" PSI level these few days. On several occasion, it seemed like "ray of light" on areas where light from road lamps could reach.

Today, everyone seems to power up with 2 bowls of desserts each. Ha.. we even had someone to do a cover page shot promoting auntie's Ching Tng. Simple discussion over the dinner table on the NIE race time table and assignments.

I bumped into SuSu and OCS on my way back.

Looks like I will miss the Ramly Burger, lights and some dice action.

第一次 - 光良
曲︰光良
詞︰張天成

當你看著我　我沒有開口
已被你猜透　還是沒把握
還是沒有符合　你的要求

＊是我自己想得太多　還是你也在閃躲
如果真的選擇是我　我鼓起勇氣去接受
不知不覺讓視線開始閃爍

＃喔　第一次我　說愛你的時候
呼吸難過　心不停地顫抖
喔　第一次我　牽起你的雙手
失去方向　不知該往那兒走
那是一起相愛的理由
那是一起斯守　〔對我〕

＋喔　第一次吻　你深深的酒渦
想要清醒卻沖昏了頭
喔　第一次你　躺在我的胸口
二十四小時沒有分開過
那是第一次知道　天長地久

重唱　＊,＃

感覺你屬於我　感覺你的眼眸
第一次就決定　決不會錯

重唱　＃,＋

是你变了吗 - 光良
曲︰光良
詞︰林慧思
編︰GEORGE LEONG

真想和你聊一聊天
很想看看你温柔的容颜
多想听你说自己并没有变
很想看我们从前的照片
多想和你再接近一点
你现在的心是靠在谁的身边

是你变了吗我的影子笑我的人好傻
是你变了吗我已经跟不上你的步伐
是你变了吗对你的感觉应该停止吧
已经不明白你的想法已经不再看见你眼中的牵挂

真想和你聊一聊天
很想看看你温柔的容颜
努力说服自己你没有变
很想看我们从前的照片
多想和你再接近一点
你现在的他是否真已从心所愿

Just songs that I would like to listen to before I sleep.

After the swim, a few of us kept talking about the upcoming NIE Director's Relay 2006 event. Going through our strategy to last us through the night, laughing.. having fun, rather than competing. Exciting! I will come up with a SOP list. Definitely some comfort items to keep us motivated through the night. Each of us will have to do approximately 10 rounds of 2.4km each. We will do it like the old coolie days. One bag of rice (one lap) will reward you with one ice cream stick. No slacking cos we will know who is.

Coffee is a must. Tidbits too. Radio is a plus. My trusty MP3 player is coming along too. Mosquito coils are a definite. Heck, I'll bring the whole department store there.

I'll probably bring my inflatable bed. Yes, I'll hang up a "Do not disturb, no room service required." sign.

The morning was cleared from the haze that stayed around like a plague for the past 3 days. Last night, 9am having the worst reading so far. I hope it stays this way, clear skies. I spent my afternoon having tea and listening to the radio. I did pack some stuff around the house and prep my new tea pots. Sadly, I found a few cracked old cups. I think I need to find a new storage place.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2 is showing on T.V. tonight. Come to think of it, I did not watch this. Not even Lara Croft Tomb Raider 1. It must have been one of those Uni days movies. Greece (Santorini - one of my dream locations) for a start and I read that it featured Angkor Wat for Part 1 as well.

Short morning distance and another few more kms later. Lazy indeed.

Stage 1! Wah! I finally cleaned my BlackSteed from its layer of dust.
Stage 2! GreyHound set for cleaning tomorrow!

I wanted to buy myself a good dinner (I missed that while I was overseas). Still thinking of which spot to go, I received an SMS from my Sec School friends about a gathering for dinner. Happy! I missed quite a few dinner and new-born celebrations since I have been out of town this year for a few times. Simple stuff. Home cook food. Babies gurgling. I teased those 2 sweeties as they tried to learn to flip onto their tummies, while on their backs. All eyes on me. "When is your turn coming?"

Now, the world is getting smaller. My Sec School classmate who know ZhuiTeLun as they are currently colleagues now. We are all school mates, with ZhuiTeLun, a level higher as our senior. ZhuiTeLun's brother which is my platoon mate, our level during Sec School days. The world seems like 1 km square now.

Dean Karnazes on his Endurance 50 Run. Impressive stuff.

Well, I have 4 down, 1 to go. Sometimes, time will show if it is working for or against you.

Still hazy as shit. No runs. Let us accumulate some sins from the good food and burn some fats on Sunday.

We called for a meeting with EndlessTrail and Donkey for a short discussion on our Cambodia trip. Since Donkey came later, we order our BK dinner first. Ah ha!! Coupons. EndlessTrail says we are not a couple and cannot use the couple set meal. (=_=)"
BlingBling .. bitchslaps, please?!

Several stuff for each of us to check on. Getting excited and looking forward already. On my way to the trains, the haze looks pretty bad (worst, so far). I had to drop the plan to run. I met Ripley, who happened to be browsing the bookstore and had a brief chat before I boarded the train while chatting with Beng over the mobile.

......

The pile is left rotting and now being bounced back to my lap? So... the follow up emails are for? Funny.

Run has been good today! Tiring! At least I achieved what I wanted. Dinner was rewarding to the body and soul. Yummy.

I mean I miss the CBD run. After slacking for 2 weeks, I was kind of afraid that I am slowing most people if I come back later than the rest. I did come back earlier than most. But, that was because almost everyone did extra loops!! Ha! The Tees from New Balance are really nice and I prefer the red. The orange is equally cool looking. Since myFTOgpx wanted to pick up the Xbox from me, I left with an empty stomach. I did manage to catch a short drink with Cfred at the nearby 7-11.

Soon, it will be Cambodia. No mileage again. I hope next year's Peru: Machu Picchu (Inca Trail) would materialise. I need Vit-M. Lots.

I had an interesting short MSN conversation with a friend today. Ha.... everything seemed so familiar. No one would know, unless one walks the path.

36 is the new magic number (would kill for 30).

*Pooof*

That was after rounds and rounds of constant reminder, trying to drill that into my head. Loneshark happened to be at the pool doing a refresher and he joined us for dinner and drinks. Snoopy sneaked home early with packed tang yuan. *tsk tsk tsk* We saw that!! Can't run away! Wa.... a couple of guys followed my order... prata for dinner.

Don't slack. Else, no prata.

I have received quite a fair bit of enquires on my pictures and the camera I use. Get this straight. It a $200+ Canon A410. I would love to have a DSLR very much. If I have that, I think my pictures will pop out from your screen.

Leaving for the airport at Shanghai on a cab, I chatted with the lady cab driver. She asked me what business brought me to China and it lead to me talking about being single. She asked me if I would like to get to know her 26 year old daughter. Ha!

Touched down at 5am and I reached my home at 6am. I wanted to run so bad that I changed to my running attire and went out. My dad thought I was crazy. Maybe I am, afterall. I enjoyed the feeling .. something that I have not had for a long time. My right knee ached a little though.

I rushed back home to bathe, get changed and headed off for a badminton session at Toa Payoh CC. Sigh!!! I forgot to bring my ID along, resulting in not able to borrow books from the library there. I moved over to Geylang East library and found my books eventually. Now, I know.. where to get them.

Next event, 2 lost lambs, half a dozen pairs of chopsticks and a great time. Small affair. Thanks everyone.