Limping Marathon Runner

Temp Post

2008-08-02T19:20:00.003+08:00

Been missing out on postings for trips. Writing now. Done with Kota Kinabalu and have yet to start on Mount Rinjani.

Massive number of photos and hence taking a little more time to consolidate which are the nicer ones to upload.

Pics are done for:
Tioman compressed air weekend
Mount Kinabalu Day 1
Mount Kinabalu Day 5

Heaven Sent 100Plus

2008-08-02T17:45:00.001+08:00

Waking up slightly later than usual (late night, last night), I picked up my shoes and did a slow 5K under the hot sun. Immediately after that, I collected my bag and ran off to Bukit Timah, clocking another 5K. The slow me was 20mins late where TOBB was already there and reading a book. With a quick bite to finish an apple and topping up my 4L bottles, simulating weight, we moved to walk some trails. Without breakfast and lunch, I was just waiting for the power from apple to kick in. Once out of that trail, I opt to head back down to get a can of 100Plus. Heavenly. Slightly recharged, we headed back up to the Diary Farm loop for the high steps and back to the Park Office. We did a total of 2hrs 50mins walk. We needed to re-fuel and had some simple food to cure our hungry stomachs.

Yes, I was perspiring.

Run Again

2008-07-31T23:55:00.002+08:00

Back on running again. After ten months in this job, more or less, I know what to expect from my work. Starting to make adjustments so that I can workout more often. TOBB wants to run over at Changi. Hmm... I have yet to run there. Seems inviting enough to give it a try. We went slow, slow enough to accommodate my ITB's threshold. Sea breeze was good. The sky above was dotted with stars. Not much, but that'll do for now. Apart from a rat that ran out of nowhere and the scream that woke me up, I got some calipers treatment as well. At the end of the run, I did receive some rewards like prata with egg, popiah and passion fruit. Yummy. Taking the train back, Z-Monster hit me with a full blow.

Leap Of Faith

2008-07-29T23:13:00.000+08:00

I did a mixture of easy 5Cs and up to difficult (my level of difficult) 6A+ routes, that mount to a grand total of 14 climbs last night. The last climb (15th) was not that successful. My arms are okay and was not pumped yet. Some how mysteriously, I could not get pass the 6A+ yellow route. There was a route that I did with a leap of faith. In the past, I used to do a press down and shifting of weight. However, last night, I saw someone leaping. I tried, following his method and it worked pretty well for me. Sometimes, you just have to take a giant step / leap and trust that everything will turn out okay.

Surprise Find

2008-07-28T21:50:00.000+08:00

Since the long day yesterday, I woke up slightly later today. I spent a hour or so on games and then went on to reading. Lots of catching up to do. Around 3pm, I went to meet Kit-Kat for a discussion and was surprised to see that Setron building has been torn down. Ahh.. a place that holds lots of memories from many people. Ever changing and I guess that's life. Walking around shops in Queensway and I found what I have been looking for in ages. Now, I know where to get them. We went to get dinner across at AV market. Seafood fried rice, sambal stingray and with a mug of Avocado drink. Happy.

This Way Up

2008-07-26T23:41:00.004+08:00

Waking at precisely planned time, I got an SMS that says "Are you coming at 8am?". What? All of a sudden, 30mins taken away from me. I grabbed the bare minimum and dashed out of the house. "Coffeeshop, coming?", was the next SMS. I raced to the usual place with no one familiar looking in sight. Wrong info again. When I finally linked up with Kit-Kat and her colleague, BeauQi is said to be at the summit Bukit Timah waiting for us. What?! I re-tuned my expectations to the lowest click.

Upon reaching Bukit Timah, with toilet breaks, shoes changing and what-nots, we started walking. I quickened my pace since I wanted some cardio effect. At the short cut steps to the summit, BeauQi was on her way down and said she needed to use a washroom urgently. Guess we'll meet at the bottom? I proceeded to the top. On the way down, I was lead to a path that I have never tried before. I had always wanted to try out all the tracks, but never had the chance. Strange and I wonder why. Anyway, it was a path with high steps. To me, its like a like gem (for training) hidden in all this glam (if there's any) of making your way to the summit. After all, most of the time, the unbeaten track has much more to offer. I foresee that I will visit this track much more in the near future. Same thing, I picked up pace, often turning back to check two of our sweepers to see if they are still there. No load, pick up pace then. Finally exiting the nature reserve, we took lunch before parting ways.

Ready for my second appointment of the day, I made my way to find our Sport Scientist. Just to help him out, presenting myself as another additional value or number in the statistics sheet. Measuring my weight - precision weighing machine calibrated twice a year, as he said, as good as you can get. He measured my height as well. Next up was body marking with plenty of crosses, lines and dots on my body. The final and most enduring task - surviving the pinch-me-o-measure-me-fats-meter. Hmm, I'm sure I receive lots of pinching, somewhere. Glad to know that I have a pretty standard fat index among endurance athlete (if I'm considered one?), not necessary the lowest. Thanks Philip for the knowledge and it was much fun for me in helping you out.

Lined up for third appointment of the day was a chill out makan and coffee session for a Birthday gal. Some folks couldn't make it. For the rest of it, it was porridge with mixed dishes as our first route - appetizer. We changed to a cozy cafe as our next venue for eat out on finger food and drinks. I had a good time as I have not seen some of these great friends for a while. Around 10-ish, all of us left for home. I had to settle some stuff and only slept around 2am or so. Dead tired.

Holiday: Climbing Mount Kinabalu Day 5

2008-07-22T23:35:00.006+08:00

As Kops21 suggested, all of us woke up and went for a good breakfast at a local coffeeshop. While all of us were still walking like ducks, we managed to find seats and ordered our food. I did not find the noodles to be fantastic but was glad to have something substantial in my stomach. Stazla was right on this. With out packed bags, we made our way to the airport and got back to Senai before splitting up into two cabs heading back home.

Thanks everyone! It was an enjoyable trip!

Holiday: Climbing Mount Kinabalu Day 4

2008-07-21T23:22:00.002+08:00

After our breakfast, there was a bus ready to pick us and others to a town called Tenom for our train ride. It was a day of action with water rafting! We had a short briefing before we stepped into the raft for Padas river. Just ahead, we could see plenty of water movement. The first few rapids already had 2m waves. I can't recall how many times I had to spit the water out. The water was chilly and had a shade of brown. Most of the journey, I was taking the front left paddle position. It was great fun with water splashing all over. Soon, we stopped for lunch where it rained and I was really getting cold. Brrrr.. Rain? Means that the water temperature will drop and higher volume of water? Uh oh. Once the rain stopped, we continued. The second part of the journey was less challenging than the first. There is a stretch of the river where it is just calm where we can just jump into the waters and let the water bring you down stream. Chilly waters? I changed my mind. When it all ended, we transfered to our speed boats and then over to our buses. We changed out of our wet clothing (yes!!! lousy wet clothes feeling) before our bus ride back to hotel. We chose to drop near our hotel for our KFC dinner where fast food has never tasted so good before! Must be the hunger.

Holiday: Climbing Mount Kinabalu Day 2 & 3

2008-07-20T23:22:00.002+08:00

Simple breakfast of toast and coffee, the taxi pick up arrived at 745am as our transport to Mount Kinabalu Park HQ office. I got the front seat because I think the rest of the folks would want to hit the ZZZ button as soon as possible. I took the opportunity to get trigger happy. Click click here, click click there. I took pictures of the great mountain as it came on nearer during our journey. Along the way, I guess there is a Volkswagen Beetle club gathering somewhere. We found our taxi in between the long convoy of Beetles. I got lucky and was rewarded for my bravery for sticking my digicam out and taking the shot. By then, all of us (climbers) woke up due to the commotion of the Volkswagens around us, in all possible colors. Passing through low clouds and temperature fell and we enjoyed the fresh air like air condition.

Not too long, we reach the Park HQ office, signed in and took our park pass. While waiting for our guide to appear, we collected our packet lunch and had some small bites before our guide appeared. I saved most of my lunch only to be enjoyed later. Our guide was a 26 year old young chap called Walter. On my way climbing up, I was taking pictures all the time. However at one of the shelter (rest points) one of the fellow climbers who was heading down was hungry and didn't have any food with him. We gave him some to last him on his way down. Around 2km up, I was feeling the heat from my fullpack that contained 3l of water and other stuff. I proceeded along the path slower and most of our group were up ahead. Thanks for those turning back and checking that I am around. Nearing to the mid way or to Laba Ratan, it got pretty misty and I could not take much pictures. It was an opportunity for me to catch up. We finally reached Laba Ratan with Ronnie waving to say that it was just ahead. Yay! We checked in and showered to freshen up. It was showing 10deg Celsius outside. Unfortunately, the heater failed in ladies, had to use our gents. The queue just got longer. Hey, we all have to share, right? We popped into the canteen area and took our well deserved buffet dinner. Ronnie was having a little AMS symptoms. All of us slept at 8 to re-charge with greater challenges tomorrow.

Waking up at 1.30am, Ronnie was feeling better and changed to join us. At 2.30am, our guide signaled us to move off. With a daypack on my back, the long, steep, slippery, and dark path up seemed endless. Certain sections of the path had ropes for assisting climbers up. The ropes tell you everything. It is steep. I lost count of the number of times I had to stop when my lungs grasped for air and my quads screamed for a rest. At 5.30am, we finally reached the summit. I was shivering and cold to my bones! Each one of us brought a drink to the summit and we cheered on with our drinks. I think it was the cold that has driven most of us down. I stayed around a little longer to take a few pictures of the clouds above. As difficult as it was for us to get up to summit, the downward path was no easy task. Foot work!!! I could sense the echo from somewhere. One miss footing and you will be the next Rolling Stones. I was still snapping away (pictures) as and when I have the chance during my way back to Laba Ratan. Once back at the lodge, we were all hungry and had our breakfast before packing up. At 9.45am, we started to descend to Park HQ. Needless to say, my digicam was still working very hard, focusing on flowers and scenery. Right at 500m away from the Park gates, it poured!! I was drenched. I had my digicam and mobile phone under my tee and did a double quick time march. I was soaked inside out. We took a group photo that marked our completion in this challenge before dashing for our minivan that sent us to the cafe for lunch. We were all hungry and ready to feast on a cow. However, most of us just wanted something hot to warm ourselves. I had several servings of mushroom soup because that was one of the hottest stuff around.

On our way back to the Backpacker's Lodge, I slept like a log and woken up occasionally by my SMS alert. I can't tell you how glad I was to see a proper shower room and a chance to get out of my soaking wet clothes. Two thumbs up for a hot shower before heading out for massage for some of them. Three of us had drinks before we met up again for dinner. Ba Ku Teh dinner was fantastic! Yummy. On our way back, we bought some stuff at 7 11 and walked around more for a little digestion before hitting the bed.

Pics? Definitely... wait.

Holiday - Climbing Mount Kinabalu Day 1

2008-07-18T23:20:00.009+08:00

The last time I paid for a Mount Kinabalu trip I did not go. Mind you, I have paid in full, air fare and package. Tough luck. With just a day before my flight, I had a sudden pain in my calf. Taking the staircase is almost like taking my life. I gave it a pass. Hence, I took great precaution before this trip. But, not the night before. I had some drinks with ex-colleagues still late and only slept at 2.30am. Just 1.5hrs of sleep and at 4.30am, most of us started to gather at Rochor taxi stand before taking cab to Senai airport. $60 bucks for the ride. After checking in and boarding the plane, most have slept while I took pictures of the sky with sunrise on the horizon. It was beautiful and after some shots, I went into deep slumber. After touch down and a cab ride to Backpackers Lodge, we checked in and settled the balance with our trekking agency.In Kota Kinabalu town, we went to take our lunch and watched a movie, Red Cliff, at a nearby shopping mall. I love that movie!! We visited their local wet and dried goods market to look at their normal daily life. Stopping at some road side eateries, we shared a carrot cake snack and had teh tarik elsewhere before visiting a night market. After a short tour in the night market, we stopped at a touristy place for seafood dinner before heading back to bathe and pack for tomorrow's big event - The climb.

Firefox 3 Broke Flash Sites

2008-06-22T14:10:00.004+08:00

Firefox 3 got over its beta and announced an official release. Every software has its buggy day. Which hasn't? I went ahead to install Firefox 3. First issue encountered was that there weren't any firefox.exe in my program files folder. What?! The recommended step was to re-run it and so I did. The next complain from the system was that I have a missing .dll file. What the?! Yet again, I double clicked the installation file for the third time and when I started up Firefox 3, it complained about some xml error. Thanks. Fallback plan. I uninstalled Firefox 3, which the system claimed that it had no entry in the install / uninstall program files. *faint* I had to remove files and delete registries. Finally installing back Firefox 2.0.x, I started up firefox and to my amazement (or should I say, I'm not amazed) to find out that my web surfing experience is back to those days of a 28.8kbps modem. Strange enough, it only affected websites that contained flash. What's worse? It's intermittent. I closed my Firefox 2.0.x and thought - oh well, back to the old IE days, I guess. Thank you, but no thank you, my IE suffered from the same slow, dying, painful dial-up Internet experience. After a couple of googling (took me like hours to view pages), I still had no clue. I tried installing other browsers which didn't work as well. I tried uninstalling and re-installing flash plug-in for Firefox and IE - nope, didn't work. Eventually, I thought of this. Why don't I run in safe mode for Firefox? Viola! It did work. I moved from website to website for close to 30mins and there weren't any issues at all. I restarted Firefox and disabled all add-ons and themes. It was back to the normal state, where everything works fine. All I can say is this line of work is not for the weak minds.

Compressed Air Weekend

2008-06-15T23:10:00.007+08:00

Meant to be a refresher to diving, BeauQi, Kit-Kat and I went up north for a weekend of sun, sand and sea. I remembered all the necessary and do not think I require the refresher. I took it as a short trip / getaway.

Unable to reach Woodlands at 6.30am using the subway, I took a cab to our meeting point. BeauQi was already there and Kit-Kat arrived within 10mins. We took a bus to immigration and had to walk a distance to the checkpoint. Clearing both checkpoint was pretty easy without much delay. We took a cab to Larkin bus terminal where we were suppose to board our coach to Mersing. After oiur breakfast, we bought some doughnuts as tea time snacks just in case we got hungry along the way. We slept on the coach during most part of the journey to Mersing. It took us probably 2-3 hrs to reach there. Upon arrival and much to our horror, the return seats for the coach were sold out - completely. Seems like we have only one way out - public buses back to home. Think about that later. We bought our ferry tickets to Pulau Tioman and packed some Ramly burgers to fill our stomachs. The air-conditioning in the ferry was powerful! We were curling up like moth balls. But, we were amused by an English family, with two little boys running around in the ferry. Oh.. the English family alighted at the same jetty and we stayed at the same resort.

We settled down in our room and started our first dive at 3.30pm. BeauQi had to do a refresher with the dive instructor and all of us moved out for our first dive. Kit-Kat was my buddy and I went through with her on the back flip / roll entry. She did pretty well for a first timer and I followed next. Once all of us were in the waters, we descended. However, my buddy was "stuck" on the surface. When I turned back to fin towards her. The DM was already with her. Once at 6metres, we proceeded with our planned dive. Now, my buddy is really cute. She wrote on my slate board "lOOking for what?". I scratched my head. She meant, looking for what. Well, her Os looked like they had CAPS on. Carrying on, I pointed out on a few occasions to her where udibranches were. She echoed with an OK sign. Slowly, but surely, she made me laugh. All of us surrounded a cuttlefish which was flashing its colours to confuse us, thinking we are predators. My buddy said that was a jellyfish. LOL. I pointed out to her a couple of barracudas. She stared at me in blank space and shrugged her shoulders. ROTFLMAO. Hey.. not too bad. At least she saw those nudibranches and two batfishes that I pointed to her. I do have to say her buoyancy is good for a n00b. Thumbs up! We ended our dive, headed back to land. Not a minute to lose, we went to the beach to hang out and played with the English family's kids. We chatted with their mum, watched the sunset before we shower and get changed for dinner. Before we can step out, it was pouring like madness. We had dinner with some new acquaintance and chatted about cultural differences till 11pm. My sleep weren't that great. I had a miserable towel to cover just my legs and I got stung all over my mosquitoes. Only at around 2am in the morning, I realized and remembered that I have my hammock with me. I used it as a blanket and wrapped myself up. Bingo. No more mozzies harassment.

The girls woke up early and had their breakfast. With just a couple hours of sleep, I could definitely use more rest. I asked BeauQi to buddy Kit-Kat for this dive. They went out to sea where I had my tea and started reading my book. Half way through, the little English boy came and talked to me. I started to chat with him. Soon, I found myself talking to his family with him sitting on my lap. One hour passed and I headed back to the beach to find the girls back from their dive. We cleared the stuff and checked out from the resort before returning to the jetty for our ferry. This time round, the ferry had no air-conditioning - probably faulty. We were baked. Immediately after docking, we dashed to the terminal to check if there is any chance we can get tickets back home. :( Nope. We took our lunch before heading to a local bus terminal for public transport. We took a public bus to Kota Tinggi. They are still using those old skool tickets in the 80s!! The interesting part was that the driver detoured to pick up some keropok to be transported to Kota Tinggi. Sideline?! LOL. It was enjoyable to experience a local bus ride through their estates. We transferred to another bus to Larkin, once we reach Kota Tinggi. By the time we reached Larkin, we had to battle our way back to home through customs and crowd. Madness. But, I enjoyed this trip tremendously despite that it was a short one.

Getting It Back

2008-06-10T23:21:00.000+08:00

Engulfed in fire fights for countless days, I was able to swim again last night. I missed last week's session due to - what else, but work again. As the earliest person there, I did mainly strokes. No stamina! At least, the feel in water is coming back. That is one thing I try not to miss. Monday swim sessions.

In today's climb session, there were plenty of surprises. I tried several new routes, which I previously stayed away. There were still some residual aches from my previous night's swim. Hence, I made sure I had plenty of shake-outs. That was nice. Someone did a 6B+ grey route that was total workout with sweat include - definitely! I think I can sleep pretty well tonight.

Same Old Saying

2008-05-06T00:03:00.003+08:00

Juzzy complained about my lack of updates. True. I have slacked. I can only say, I did it again and 5th to date. Not good. But, I agree with what Kitty said before.

Baby Steps Again

2008-05-01T18:09:00.003+08:00

With recent rounds of dinner, the bathroom scale is edging to the high side.

Yes, I am trying to get my running life back. Yes, I need to re-train.

Did a short morning run before heading out for brunch and sending TOBB off for a well deserve break.

Paddles Again!

2008-03-29T23:07:00.003+08:00

In my recent months of M.I.A., I give total credit to my day job. Those who are familiar with my scope agrees that the infinite loop repeats itself with climbing expectations.

These day, I don't get to do a lot of stuff that would love to. Fortunately, some friends gave me this opportunity today. I came to know Kops21, Wentze and Lazer went for a morning run. Meteor, Alvo and myself joined them for a kayaking session out under the mid-day sun. Two dancers, three ocean kayaks and a Lazer made their way across the small channel aiming for Pulau Ubin. The sky and clouds above were picture perfect. Along the way, there were a few herons anchored on buoys and planks that served as a temporary flotation devices. We caught a few waves sent by passing vessels. But, they weren't that huge and I felt like we were going over a bump. 55mins into our paddling adventure, the sandy small beach front was within our sights. A fellow kayaker requested to have his picture taken with his friends, in which he returned the favor. With a sign, we drifted some 30m away (after that few clicks) and had to fight our way back, against the current. Once on the beach, we arranged our stuff and ordered our food while waiting for Lazer to check in. Eventually, after waiting for sometime, we finished up Lazer's share of food before heading back to mainland. Strange. It took us just 45mins back to mainland. It must have been the current. Since most of us had appointment to follow up on, some of us went for drinks before I met up with another friend to top of my day's activity list.

--Pics soon--

Movie: Marathon (2005)

2008-02-24T13:34:00.002+08:00

Just finished the movie, Marathon. What can i say? =)

Rocker Weekend

2008-02-17T23:50:00.002+08:00

With thanks to my ex-colleague, I was invited to him place for a gathering. Most of my ex-colleagues reached around late noon, where we started eating and some of them proceeded to card games. While I wasn't into "card games", I played with my ex-colleague's lovely daughter. My ex-colleague had always wanted a little girl. To my understanding, as a family, they attended church and pray for a little girl. When she was expecting this little angel, they were overwhelmed with joy. This baby girl is so charming even at her age. Everyone just wanted to interact with her. I bet she'll be a heartbreaker when she grows up. When she saw a dog in the house, she was really excited, pointing and mumbling her baby talks. I watched some ex-colleagues playing PS3 too. I was asked to join in the "fun". All awaiting to poke fun at me when I miss the notes on Guitar Hero III. The songs like Santana's Black Magic Woman, The Rolling Stones' Paint It Black, some of Guns and Roses and Aerosmith, etc. I had mostly 95% hits on notes. Definitely giving credit to my days spent in arcade centres. Of course, they were playing the easy mode. However, there were a few friends who could not get it right, initially. When they got a hang of it, there were so high that they wanted to play every song. It was fun! I even asked Petit Anges to shake her head and do jumps like a rocker. Everyone laughed! I wish we had more gatherings like these. We stopped to watch a horror movie before the disc got hanged and we decided to call it a night. Around 3am where I slept at home this morning, I was tired but happy.

I was tired and had only woke up at 11am. Once ready, I walked over to Chini's place. We started to feast on sushi and I babysit Dayan while the rest played mahjong. Dayan begins to learn more and can hold a conversation better, calling me Uncle Mugg. He even knows his chess pieces names. Pawn, bishop, king, queen, knight, castle. I'm impressed! We ran around the house after I got him to drink his milk on bed. We rolled ourselves on his bed. Unknowingly unleashing the big kid in me, we laughed so hard when we doing the "cycling in the air" motion. He doesn't want to sleep at all and no signs of fatigue! Around 5.30pm, I had to bid him goodbye and promised to play with him again.

Hmm... I did not think of T3. Why didn't I? I would say the departure hall certainly looks bright and spacious. Hmm... agree that part of the viewing gallery looks very much like Bangkok's airport. Wait... a pinch? We walked around the area before settling our dinner. Club sandwich (blurp) and Macaroni and cheese gratin. I swear I can reproduce both dishes as they are not too difficult. We walked to another cafe for Camomile tea and more talks before heading home. There is a blur side of me (definitely in anyone too!).

Contact Squash

2008-02-15T23:43:00.002+08:00

My jaw was almost dislocated when I rammed into my opponent during our squash game. Oww. But, it was a good game and my opponent is catching up fast. I can see that she is already picking up my moves and shots!

After the game, on my way back, I start to question if it is ITB after all. It just feel strange on those areas.

New Stroke?

2008-02-13T21:59:00.002+08:00

Right after work, I bumped into Slacking IMD and his missus while on my way home. Slacker bought new shoes? You need to run in those and not display them. Hahaahaha.

Plunging into the pool to try out something that I saw on video recently, I just needed some practical sessions to get a feel of it. Initially, my left arm felt the "catch" better than my right. I do notice an "elbows down" scenario once fatigue sets in. Reminders reminders reminders. By the end of it, I feel that I am learning freestyle over again. Maybe. Till my next pool session

Sony-Miso-Ericsson

2008-01-29T22:11:00.000+08:00

With the recent "departure" of my MP3 player, getting cranky, I got no choice but to upgrade to ZEN player. The good thing about this player is that it accepts SD cards, plays audio, video, and has FM radio too. Neat.

Now, something else needed a change. My mobile phone. After barely surviving a bowl Miso soup splash by my colleague, it started to display erratic behavior. There were tofu bits and seaweed all over my phone and the beige hue shaded my black mobile phone cover. *arrrrrrrrg* Looks like its fated that I should get the Nokia E51, which I did after our lunch.

Looking at a different angle, I ran a quick 3.4km today. I hope work will clear up with some good structure soon.

First Post '08

2008-01-07T03:12:00.000+08:00

It sounds totally weird that my first post is on 7th Jan 08, 3plus AM in the morning! For whatever reasons, I could not sleep and I started switching on my laptop. Next thing I knew, I was working (replying mails). Heck. If I had equipment at my place, I would have done testings.

Many thanks to those for asking and checking here for updates. I'm just pretty tight - caught up in a web of work. Busy. Busy. Busy. Most say busy is a good thing. Others beg to differ. Why? recent conversation from Year 2008 MSN:

Ex-colleague: Hey! Saw you the other day, wanted to talk to you more to catch up. Who was that girl? Your girl friend?
Me: No. She is ..... .....

Ex-colleague: Don't work so hard. Your boss will love you. She won't.
Me: .......

Ex-colleague: Spend more time with "someone". You have to know what is important to you.
Me: -_____-

Work. Saturday was no exception. Meeting the "C" level (surprised) of some company before he goes off to China. My only chance to grab him for a talk. After which, I prep some equipment while solving someone's installation issues. LittleJapBoy called for an American Pool session and I agreed. One good thing is, we are never too serious about our games. We laugh at every shot we make - be it lousy or excellent. That's the point. It is just a game.

I managed to get the song that I wanted. It is available for download (here) - under Sounds of The Underground. Venessa Fenandez - You Don't Need To Speed. Why this song? I am a slacker and I don't need to speed.

M.C.S.E.

2007-12-19T23:47:00.000+08:00

Nothing related to Microsoft at all! I felt like I am working in a Stock Exchange today. Mobile phone on left ear and a desk phone on my right ear. Two laptops running different tests - troubleshooting two different cases. Mad. Good thing, its a holiday tomorrow.

Longer Than Marathon

2007-12-15T20:27:00.000+08:00

This week has been near madness and I feel like it is longer than a 42km. I got a beer together with some munchies at Dirty Nelly's last night. I am glad the work week ended today (at least work to be done) and I feel drained. Solved three cases at one go and I still have some other stuff to do. Didn't join EndlessTrail for the talk and decided to head on home. Stopping at the video store, I picked up Transformers for Bala. The Pursuit of Happyness and Stealth for myself. Okay, the show is going to start soon!

5M Runner's High

2007-12-08T23:37:00.000+08:00

Deciding to stop and rest my legs for 1 month (away from running), one cannot image the rushing endorphins I received, just by doing a short dash of 5 metres for the bus. Caught the movie "Enchanted" at Great World around evening. Looking forward to running again!

Well done to Kops21 and ShortLegs for finishing their Western Australia IM event!

Sweet Pain

2007-12-03T21:48:00.000+08:00

.. as some describes this - I know Fennel would. That was what left me wincing in pain as I did let the foam roller and laws of gravity carried out its tasks. Sadist (but effective) tips from Kops21, stacking both legs on the foam to increase its intensity, almost made me squeal. My face wrinkled with squinty eyes was an instant reflex from the indescribable sensation. Just little kids who want toys after dental visits. Some hot tea, please? ITB feels much better. Somemore? I'll leave that till tomorrow. It was 1.2k swim today. Recovery.

Race: SCSM 2007

2007-12-02T21:37:00.000+08:00

I slept as early as 4pm the day before, waking up periodically and at 7pm for dinner before sleeping again. Waking at 12 midnight, I caught some movie on T.V. before taking some noodles. I sensed that I will not have an easy day with odds stacked against me. With timed friendly feeder service at 4.10am by IMD, we reached the venue early. Baggage was a little chaotic and fortunately AlecChua was taking the half marathon, I left my shoe bag with him for deposit. Making my way to the start line, there were plenty of familiar faces to wave to.

With a countdown to 5.30am and off we went. I was still feeling good and was pretty cautious of my speed for the first 10km. But, that was not what I looked out for. at 12km, what I feared for has arrived. That warning sensation on my ITB. The first attack came at 19km. I went down to run - walk technique. At 28km, it was so intense that the only better option was to brisk walk. I could only hold up to 35km before I came down to a normal walking pace. Just before 36km, I spotted someone with cramps and I went over to assist. His calf muscle was twitching pretty badly. We spent probably 5mins to stabilize it before buddying up and chatting all the way to the finish line. With 300m before finish line, I did a slow (which was painfully slow) jog back to cross the finish line. My personal worst timing but finishing was all that matters.

Good to hear that most achieved some pretty impressive timing while others suffered like me. We will be back for revenge next year!

Pool of Slackers

2007-11-26T22:31:00.001+08:00

To celebrate the return of our Supreme Slacker, we did a low mileage swim today. Wait. Or was I the only low mileage swimmer. Nevermind. Good to see the Supreme Slacker with a new hairdo and a fierce one too!

Wraps

2007-11-25T23:02:00.000+08:00

I hope it holds. We shall see in six days' time.

Mode Switch

2007-11-21T22:54:00.000+08:00

Now, festive moods are everywhere. Malls are playing Christmas tunes. Decorations seen along roads and in malls. The signs are different this year and it is a little worrying to me. On a different note, is it going to be the same as last year?

ET's Wedding

2007-11-17T20:07:00.000+08:00

Not much time to update anything - clearing work.

~~ET go home, ET go home~~ One of our MenInGreen weds today! Holding his wedding lunch at Sentosa, it was a great "overseas trip". I was playing with ChiniJr where this little fella needs warming up.

The day seems great for an open water swim!

Marathon, Anyone?

2007-11-12T22:03:00.000+08:00

Want to know why I keep doing marathons? To feel alive. Here's how and why.

Something is wrong. It feels weird. Definitely. As much as I can contain it, I will. Felt better after three sets of muscle rehab. Weak. Okay, self-impose ban on climb tomorrow.

Not Enough

2007-11-11T18:45:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I crossed the causeway to attend my ex-colleague's wedding (not mentioning the one hour jam). From her, I learned something that I was searching (in answer) for in years. She has been through similar experiences and kind enough to explain. Once she asked if I could attend her wedding, I gave a "Definitely!" answer right away. Her wedding is pretty much like the local chinese wedding in the 80s, where singers entertain her guests on stage with their love songs and duets. Watching the entire process of her husband professing his love for her on the big screen from morning's "ordeal for the groom" makes everyone laugh because they are the cutest couple alive. We left after the banquet and faced another hour plus of jam before reaching home. Sleeping at 3am - not good.

Today's run wasn't spectacular. At 16km, problems started to surface. I stopped at 24km, estimating at 2hrs 30mins, where I am suppose to do a 35km. Plagued by several problems lately, just got to fight them off. Saw Benson, speed-monster, at the canal today. Yes, I almost got ran over by an inline skater wannabe. Perhaps I should do the treadmill.

Most significant songs from my ex-colleague's wedding:

歌: 愛,很簡單
歌手: 陶喆

忘了是怎麼開始
也許就是對你有一種感覺
忽然間發現自己
以深深愛上你真的很簡單

愛的地暗天黑都已無所謂
是是非非無法決擇
沒有後悔為愛日也去跟隨
那個瘋狂人是我喔

I LOVE YOU 無法不愛你 BABY
說你也愛我
I LOVE YOU 永遠不願意 BABY
失去你

不可能更快樂只要能在一起
做什麼都可以雖然世界變個不停
用最真誠的心讓愛變得簡單

I LOVE YOU 我一直在這裡
一直在愛你
I LOVE YOU, OH YES I DO
永遠都不放棄這愛你的權利

如果你還有一些困惑 OH NO
請貼我的心傾聽聽我說着愛你
YES I DO 我愛你

Song: Because I Love You
Singer: Stevens Shakin'

If I got down on my knees and I pleaded with you,
if I crossed a million oceans just to be with you,
Would you ever let me down?

If I climbed the highest mountain just to hold you tight,
if I said that I would love you every single night,
Would you ever let me down?

Well, I'm sorry if it sounds kinds sad,
it's just that I'm worried,
so worried that you'll let me down.

Because I love you, love you, love you, so don't let me down.

If I swam the longest river just to call your name,
if I said the way I feel for you would never change,
Would you ever fool around?
Well, I'm sorry if it sounds kinds bad, it's just that I'm worried,
I'm so worried that you'll let me down.

Because I(love you, love you), love you, love you.

Well I'm sorry if it sounds kinds bad, it's just that I'm worried,
Yes, I'm so worried that you'll let me down.

Because I love you, love you,

Oooh, I love you, love you, love you.

Wink Blink

2007-11-09T01:26:00.000+08:00

This afternoon, a manageable 14.2km as I detour-ed to Cold Storage to check out their variety of cheese. The cool breeze from air-con was like the greatest gift ever on a hot afternoon. During the initial few kilometers, my right knee had some discomfort. Was it physical or mental? It went away as I pounded on and on. While running, 35km kept flashing in my head. I took the option of shelving it to Saturday instead, not doing it too fast.

I am absolutely clueless why am I still unable to sleep. Eyes totally wide open. I can't figure it out!

Dry Humping

2007-11-06T23:58:00.000+08:00

... the wall. As much as the title suggests, I was practically doing that to the sports climbing wall. Karen is always saying that I have suggestive moves. LOL. I do not.That move costs one bruised knee and two bruised (scratched) buckles on my harness. Probably, my butt is big. EndlessTrail pressed on my butt with my body closer to the wall when I figured out the balance. I see what he is trying to point at and I certainly think I need more practice on this. Definitely. Equipment wear and tear - expected.

BrainJuice

2007-11-05T23:01:00.000+08:00

Cranking too much today. Mentally flat. At least, one case solved. Running later. Short one... and a slow one too. That was what I thought.

But, when I am back from my run... my timing wasn't that slow! Must have been the good feel when I ran. 9.6km and leg holding on fine.

Along The Way

2007-11-04T22:06:00.000+08:00

Short sweet 5km, before dropping by at my neighourhood grocery store to get some milk. Meanwhile, I think 32-35km will roll out as planned.

Strapless

2007-11-03T00:05:00.000+08:00

Running at East Coast around 6plus is a totally different feeling. Less crowded than afternoon. Everyone around the area preparing for their BBQ, where aroma of food over high or low flamed charcoal bits filled the air. So, there I go. Bag - checked. ITB Strap in bag - checked. H20 - checked. Pacer - ??!! Erm... checked. Step by step, we debated on the distance ... 2.5km, 5km, 6.6km, 16km.. just go! By the time we're done, it was a little pass dinner time and the hawker area was still packed. We were lucky to find seats. Celebration for passing the 2-hour plus pounding. 1 x coconut juice (each), 1 x sugar cane (each), 1 x ~~chinese~~ sashimi (LOL), 1 x waffle with Rum-raisin ice-cream + peach + bananas, 1 x nachos and cheese, 1 x bee hoon goreng. Carbo-reloaded for the 19.3km damage. Pass!

Weee... didn't use my strap today and I felt just a slight stretching sensation.

Somehow that ride home felt vaguely familiar. Long long time ago. ....

Thoughts - Silent

2007-11-01T14:25:00.000+08:00

Since I had an appointment near EndlessTrail's office, we might as well lunch together! Familiar with where to get a good lunch, we had mince meat noodles. I think the quantity is small. But, the stall offers more noodles for free! Walking towards my destination after our lunch, I saw another MenInGreen ally. I could only give him my name card since I was on the phone with RLEK. Right after that phonecall, I received a call postponing my appointment to an hour later. I rushed to return stuff and dropped by at the temple where I paid my respect to my grandma. I stayed at the level overlooking the neighbourhood for some time before leaving for my appointment. 13 years.

Muni muni muni

2007-10-28T23:01:00.000+08:00

.... whatever that means. Baby talk, at times, is more or less like DaVinci Code. Only the like-minded (another kid) would understand. I am blessed to have an opportunity to dine with myFTOgpx and his family. Most important of all, a dinner with his little darling. Aww.. She is so adorable, as with most kids, running around. Instantly, she gathered the attention of next two tables, while we were having coffee. Everyone wants to take pictures with her! During dinner, she picked corns from her macaroni soup and munching on those with a naughty wink. Cute! Right after dinner, we left for home and little sweetie blew me a goodbye kiss! *Sweet*

Charity Cycle

2007-10-27T23:34:00.000+08:00

Finished a 7hr charity cycle marathon. It wasn't so much about who clocks the most most mileage. There are six teams, with five members in each team and three stationary bikes assigned to each team - team members take turns on the bikes. With a team name called Team Jiak, we were quite sure, we are going to eat and bike at the same time. Thanks to plenty of support from fellow good friends and runners who came. Mental as well as food support. There were Godzilla bao, MOS Burger fries (yum), bananas, pears and Subway sandwiches *drool*. Torture us (with food) please! Living with a label Slacker, how can I outdo others? The "trusty" Polar measured a 101km but I would prefer to measure by my gut feel - The Slack-O-Meter .... approximately 80km? Surprisingly, my ITB doesn't feel a thing. It was something else. Strange... or it is something more?

Tired Yet Happy

2007-10-24T21:59:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, it was a busy day at work and more, resulting in reaching the climb site late. Awaiting for me was a surprise - saw my ex-colleague there. We chatted on some work related stuff before tackling our own routes for the night. Total of 5 climbs only. But, I was absolutely bouncing with joy since I managed to do a 6A+ route, called Vanilla Ice. The first time that I tried, I failed at a last move to the top. Doing it again, I completed it with a power move in that last move. Not much of a technique climb. In fact, I almost slipped at the last part. Nevertheless, it was a good attempt - complete with screams and hints from below.

思念是一种病

2007-10-22T23:03:00.000+08:00

Watched this MV on TV just now. Another piece of quality work from this singer.

歌：思念是一种病
原唱: 张震岳

当你在穿山越岭的另一边
我在孤独的路上没有尽头
一辈子有多少的来不及
发现已经失去
最重要的东西
恍然大悟早已远去
为何总是在犯错之后
才肯相信错的是自己
他们说这就是人生
试著体会试著忍住眼泪
还是躲不开应该有的情绪
我不会奢求世界停止转动
我知道逃避一点都没有用
只是这段时间里尤其在夜里
还是会想起难忘的事情
我想我的思念是一种病
久久不能痊愈
当你在穿山越岭的另一边
我在孤独的路上没有尽头
时常感觉你在耳后的呼吸
却未曾感觉你在心口的鼻息
汲汲营营
忘记身边的人需要爱和关心
藉口总是拉远了距离
不知不觉无声无息
我们总是在抱怨事与愿违
却不愿意回头看看自己
想想自己到底做了甚黱蠢事情
也许是上帝给我一个试炼
只是这伤口需要花点时间
只是会想念过去的一切
那些人事物会离我远去
而我们终究也会远离
变成回忆
oh 思念是一种病
oh 思念是一种病一种病
多久没有说我爱你
多久没有拥抱你所爱的人
当这个世界不在那黱美好
只有爱可以让他更好
我相信一切都来得及
别管那些纷纷扰扰
别让不开心的事停下了脚步
就怕你不说就怕你不做
别让遗憾继续一切都来得及

From here.

Temp Farewell

2007-10-21T23:39:00.001+08:00

With Roentgen's departure date nearing, some of us met up for dinner. The theme for dinner was local food. Since our center of attraction will be heading overseas where local delicacies are non-existent, the choice is clear. We topped up the evening with ice cream ~~over~~ loading. I would say they have some pretty interesting flavors.

Pushing With Strap

2007-10-19T22:15:00.000+08:00

Clearly the ITB problem will not go away in a short term. Now, I try pushing it by running without a strap till the point I need it. I strap it on and continues further. Let's see how this goes. Its called educating the ITB.

Gone!!!

2007-10-16T22:21:00.000+08:00

That feel .... that achy feeling on my ITB. It vanished! Many thanks to Philip. I was quite skeptical about using the patt strap. Today, I gave in. I paid for an "M" size and went home to test it out. Still doing my due diligence in stretching, I strapped it on my left leg and went out for a run. Cautious about my speed at the same time, I tracked my ITB condition. Finishing my 6.6km run, there wasn't even a slightest discomfort in that area! Grateful and taking this slow.

Tourism

2007-10-14T16:09:00.000+08:00

Back since yesterday, from a conference held overseas. Great to know that techies of my level are all fun-loving fellas. Even the techies Director joins when it comes to play and he plays hard! It was a great get-to-know session and experience for me.

However, at certain parts of the town or off islands, reality of tourism sets in. Where tourists dollars are concerned, this trade kills the natural habitat of other species. We see nothing but rocks of what it used to be ... corals. Petrol used in jet skis ... which offer nothing more but just a thrill ride. We may be losing it (our environment) all too soon.

During the trip, I finished Shambhala by Laurence J. Brahm and am now reading his Conversations with sacred mountains. One talks about the western Tibet, mythical Shambhala known as 'Shangri-La'. While the latter highlights his journey through Yunnan's Tea Caravan Trail - Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Lugu, Zhongdian and Kawagebo.

Nursing a bad cough now.

Race: Fina Fuji Xerox 5km Charity Swim

2007-10-07T22:18:00.000+08:00

The sky above my head looked cloudy before I left for East Coast. Fair enough, it seems like they can hold. Nearing the coastal area, a threatening shade of grey showed up on the left side of my radar - the inlands.

Most of the folks were already there. Slackers like Tiwazz and Roonz had already settled their 3km swim. Slacker IMD did not slack a bit at all. Cycling to East Coast on his trusty HIM-Certified transport. I heard that someone got "ushered" to the end point. It did not come across to us, we (too) suffered the same fate....

The "white caps" gathered at the start point and listened to an official's last minute briefing. 5laps of 1km each - remember to loop and step on mat. Sure thing. Flag off! Our detail made waves and I reminded myself to take it easy. Swimmers lapped me like power crafts. As usual, I got molested from knee level and below. A jelly fish must have scored since I had a sting - burning sensation across my chest. I let out a "yeeeeeow", underwater. Once out of water for first lap, Mrs. Sotong (our resident pom pom girl) and Sxuanjing cheered for me. Thanks!! Trying hard not to look like I'm slacking too much. I grabbed a cup of isotonic drink, gulped down the yellow liquid and dived back down into the sea. Approximately 100m away from the shore, it started to pour. I always love rain drops falling on my head. Dark skies swiftly move to our location. Everything changed. Heavy downpour, strong winds and choppy waves sent the officials to declare the race to be stopped. It was for everyone's safety. I completed approximately 1.5km before being asked to head back to shore. A quick check with Kops21 calling Sxuanjing, Sotong was out of the waters too. Great!

All of us went for our carbo reload at Kallang hawker. To replenish my lost carbo, I took a bowl of noodles, almond paste and hamcheebang.

DNF - NMF

psst... Did Not Finish - Not My Fault
Our friend seems pretty affected by DNF.... cheer up! We'll get our revenge!

Small Steps

2007-10-03T21:25:00.000+08:00

Long break from running to nurse an injury, I started my first intended run today. No fancy moves - just a short slow 3.2km. Let's do a slightly long distance tomorrow. For now, short distances, small steps will do.

I picked up my Fuji Xerox 5km Charity swim race pack today after a reminder from Julia. Thanks! A life saver ... I nearly forgot with my head in the work pile. While collecting my race pack and chatting with Beng over the phone, I saw Crudestar. She'll be doing a 3km with others like Julia, Tiwazz, Roonz and more!! Good luck!

Techniques Drill-in

2007-10-02T23:53:00.000+08:00

Today, a total of 6 climbs and 1 of which I managed only half way (Magic Potion). While there weren't much people climbing today, it was a great opportunity to pick which ever route you want. We started isolating hand holds that we can't touch - minus those hand holds which made the route slightly tougher. Can't rule out more screaming, cursing and swearing. Good session. I have a better feel on CG and shifting of body weight.

Running tomorrow!~

Which Side?

2007-09-29T13:07:00.000+08:00

It is great to be an Asian. Truly, it is.

The never say die, "Give me a pen and I can design you a space rocket." attitude. Many times, we are "Do first, talk later".

But, on this side of town or world (if you prefer) and when it comes to stuff like gadgets, I am not too sure.

Why is Centro popping up in U.S. and we do not have it yet. Why are all these cool models like Treo755p in their line of products and we are still sticking onto the Treo680?!

Oh.. kinda caught up with the new job thingy. Not much on updates actually. ITB feels much better.

Nightmare Before Christmas

2007-09-25T23:52:00.000+08:00

*tick tick tick*

Enough testing and emailing for the day. Many thanks for everyone who was concerned about my physical and mental well being in my second day at new company. Pack up! Time to suffer at my 7.45pm appointment. It was a long trip and a long wait for me too since I have missed it twice.

*tick tick tick*

"Yeowwwwww". In actual fact, I was screaming in the head. I was powerless to the extend that I had no voice. At certain spots, the intense sensation sent neuro signals that instructed my eyelids to shut so tight that I see stars when I open my eyes. I recalled the last time where I dislocated my wrist and had to pop it back. It was the exact kind of sensation. I nearly fainted, several times in the 1.5hrs session. Racing heart rates, breaking into cold sweat, pale facial expression and light-headed sensation were just a handful of symptoms. Fennel says its sweet pain. It certainly is painful, minus the candies. I do feel better though.

Munch Munch

2007-09-23T20:50:00.000+08:00

With recent's chance to slack and much eating, I have gained ...... a surprising value of 1kg. C'mon.. where did all the food go to? My thumbs?

It was a great chance to dine with some friends and relax in a corner with a coffee in hand. Oh wine fair! I walked around a little doing some survey.

I saw some pretty nice looking cuff links. What's left are those shirts.

A friend teased me with this. Set! A destination in my list, long overdue.

To The Left, To The Left

2007-09-23T11:18:00.000+08:00

I keep getting neck and shoulder aches. It must have been either the way I sleep or my pillow. Somehow my head could only turn to the left. That'll stop a lot of my activities.

One more day before I scream, "Oww oww oww".

No Stopping

2007-09-20T23:28:00.000+08:00

.... still no slacking even when tomorrow is my last day of service. Booo..

Alumni

2007-09-16T23:24:00.000+08:00

Officially on the alumni list (in a few days time), many joked about my status. Even when it was one of our ex-colleague's wedding tonight, most of our jokes were industry related.

Finally, I got my swimming trunks to replace the other thinning pair. *Pant* .. I am still enduring through my five No-Run weeks to rest, stretch and strengthen my muscles around my ITB.

No Hesitation Leap

2007-09-12T23:29:00.000+08:00

Nervous about my condition, I did all my stretching before even reaching Maju FCC. Once there, I continued to keep my legs in ready condition. Once the tests started, I went straight to my killer station. First attempt, .. oops.. not good. Before my second attempt, I recalled a phrase mentioned last night, "No hesitation". I recited that and took a giant leap. I cleared it! The rest of them wouldn't threaten my chance. 2.4km - 3 laps of 800m. First lap of 800m, I began to feel a stitch developing. Push on! On my second lap, I was still well within the 6:30, which means, we're in business. Left with 400m, I saw TGL and I said, "See you later", as I ran pass him. Guess he was there for RT. Once passed the finishing line, I searched frantically for my official time. Yay! Bagged a gold! I saw a long time friend, LSB too.

Be Right Back

2007-09-10T23:43:00.000+08:00

Too many things.. lost in that big pile. I've not even updated the weekend Climb On event that I saw.

Sinned

2007-09-06T23:10:00.000+08:00

I have broken the spell - spell of 5 weeks no run. I knew next week's run is a must. I needed to clear that. But, I had to make sure I can run on that day as well. Hence, I hit the tracks today. Before my run, I did warm ups. I did every warm up that I could think of and finally focusing on ITBs. Targeting at that specific weakness, I did the exercises for the band. After which every step I took, my legs felt like they weren't mine and I had no control at all. I tried 6 laps of slow run today. Just into 100m of my run, I had that Oh-la-la feeling. That sensation, that rush I get from a run came flowing back into me. I miss having runs so much. *guilty* I inserted an 800m sprint, to see how did I fare and if I am still close to that monetary award. I think the only stopping factor would be my jump. Fat man can't jump. I have fat fingers. They do count .. okay? Total count, 4km.

Ching tng is always great. Yummy!

Fingers Power

2007-09-05T23:37:00.000+08:00

I did a simple search on YouTube on climbing and came across these two awesome clips. Their moves will leave you with jaw dropped to the floor.

*Gulp* Look that these ... Video 1 and Video 2

Hangman

2007-09-03T23:15:00.000+08:00

Today, a short swim for me. It was just 1.3km focusing more on strokes rather than covering distance. I am really looking forward to my 3-4 swims a week in the future. CrudeStar dropped by for a swim. Since I can't run *taps feet*, I did Aqua walks in the pool while observing Babumouse's strokes. Cold night in the pool, especially after the downpour. Done with our swim, I went back to the hangman stance again. I did 3 sets before my swim. 3 sets again, after my swim. All I can say is that it needs a lot of work! Okay. Stretching again before I sleep.

Everyone Celebrates

2007-09-01T23:58:00.000+08:00

I wanted to head over to Climb Adventure in the morning. But, I routed over to my cousin's place instead since I can go tomorrow. We threw a party for my cousin's son since he is celebrating his 1-year old birthday today. This little fella is cute. He shows you who's the boss by throwing tantrums(crying) when there are too many people around. If the room is quiet with just a handful of folks, he'll run around socialising with everyone. At the age of one and he knows how to give a High-five. That is pretty cool. Most important of all, this party gives our big family a chance to gather. My humble apartment is too small to receive the whole pack and I think I shall host it at a chalet instead, when it is our turn. Each one gets a turn at hosting. Sensing that the star of today turning grouchy again(due to the crowd), we sang a quick birthday song before cutting the cake. I baby sit the little fella for a while. Seeing his big eyes and innocent smile make me want to give him everything. He chuckles... you'll give in. We stayed on for a little longer before leaving my cousin's place.

I dropped some books at the library and had several rounds of pool with LittleJapBoy. It has been months since I played? I think so. We left for some dessert after the game before I rushed for my third appointment of the day.

At Velocity, I walked around window shopping sporting goods where I saw Pre and CheeryRunner testing out New Balance shoes. At an outdoor shop, the climbing gears were pricey and I think the main factor would be rental. Oh .. saw Taz. Soon, more of us gathered and we went over to HK Cafe. Today, we will be celebrating Taz's birthday. The company was great and for some strange reasons.. our topics would leave us talking about outer space. Ooops. That absolutely confused one Venusian being sitting around us. Prodding around our tummies, most felt that they had space left for dessert and we switched spots to Tung Shui Cafe. More food and pictures taken! Some of the orders got mixed up and we sorted that out. We chatted till everyone started to notice that TeeLee was fighting the force of the Bed-side. Let's call it a night! RV and TLV sent everyone home. Thanks guys!!

Rats!

2007-08-30T22:04:00.000+08:00

Tonight, I had a great time watching the movie - Ratatouille. Since Nemo, I have not watched a better animation till today. As with recent movies from Pixar, there is a short animation clip apart from the movie, right at the start. This time, it is about alien abduction - Lifted. That explains why we get headaches all the time.

Lap Climb

2007-08-28T23:54:00.000+08:00

My cousin highlighted something that I missed out all along. From my angle, I just could not see anything at all. It struck me there, right on the spot. He was an excellent engineer. Now.. he has lost his confidence. That.. I failed to spot even through my interaction. It is not easy. Not as easy as before. I will do whatever I can.

Climb was great with new shoes. Total of 8 climbs, 2 of which I failed again - Silent Sunset and Magic Potion. While I was belaying SueAnn, it seemed like the whole world paused to observe her moves. *Gulp* Still far ... cannot model. Then, I did 2 laps of Yelloween Halloween. Looking at the alphabets, I think the shoes would help and it really did. The only thing .. my grips. I saw Skyver and Rainbow there as well. Tired.

Shoes Made For Climbing

2007-08-27T23:01:00.000+08:00

I can't run (for 5 weeks)! Already starting to have withdrawal symptoms - kept walking around. I had to drop out of Kedak Ultramarathon and Mizuno KL 10k.. that is really sucky.

So ... with Outdoor Specialist shifting, I bought a pair of climbing shoes. Now, I can't blame it on my shoes anymore. I tried on US 7.5 and I was obviously in pain. Oww. In US8, I felt much better. Not roomy, snug - tight fit and it fits like a pair of toe socks. Neat. Track mileage on climbing shoes? By number of steps I take?

Freeze

2007-08-27T11:51:00.000+08:00

After much consideration, I have self imposed a 5-week no run plan. With lots of makan and other things to learn, I think this plan will succeed. I might twitch or itch if I see other running and that is a natural withdrawal symptom. If I see you run, I will burn your running shoes. Afraid not, I only burn your retired running shoes. :p

Oh.. time to learn juggling. No wonder they say.. to rest is for the road ahead. Curses.. where are those balls?

Race: Bay Run - AHM 2007

2007-08-26T14:58:00.000+08:00

No pictures for this race because I had intentionally left out my camera in my packing list. Plagued with ITB, I wanted to use this opportunity to find out how far I can go. Full concentration is required.

With a late night (didn't help and can't help it), I got out of bed a little stoned. Since most things have been pre-packed, it was a breeze to transform from sleep wear to slack wear. I started stretching while waiting for a Slack-mobile pickup. Thanks IMD! Lots of familiar faces were already at the starting line. There wasn't much music to pump up any adrenalin and the crackling speaker system didn't offer much help either.

Race count down and flag off! I ran with a comfortable pace. No rushing, no pushing. A ~~pee~~ pit stop at the first loo of EC stretch, I was still doing fine. At around the last hydration point before U-turn, disaster struck. One fellow runner cut my path to grab some water. I was already on far right of the lane to avoid the hydration crowd. It seems destined. Though he did say sorry a few times, the damage has been done. At braking on the problem leg, the "feeling" crept in. Just after the U-turn, medics were attending to someone on the floor who was in a state of convulsion. I hope he's okay. I started my run/walk at 11km. Most friends who passed me gave words of encouragement. Thanks! Not long after the first E-brake, a second came. Gone. It just got more intense. Before I reached 14km, someone came too close from behind and kicked my foot as he tried to overtake. He went off without turning back. I was already on the drain covers. Probably the road isn't big enough for all of us. At that point, my ITB seized up and I was down to walking all the way from 14km. While walking along Nicoll Highway, I received a second kick. Even walking?! Nevermind, it was "Hi!" "Hello" "Go go.. don't slack." "Injured lah.", as I told those friends who waved to me. I walked into the floating platform with no good form and even the last 50m was a chore. 2:36 hrs. Personal best out of my Personal worst range. Not bad. Grateful that I was not in DNF category. Really uncomfortable, I left for home early. I didn't collect any race pack, which Reno said I didn't miss out much. I probably missed the makan session with them.

Having said this, I do see some considerate runners who checked their blind spot before stepping out. Some even gave hand signals to indicate their intentions. I ran this race and it was a risk I took. Like I always say, shite happens and it happened on me.

Blank

2007-08-25T22:49:00.000+08:00

The usual me, replied the sms. Dinner and then coffee. I went with a blank mind. I am still blank.

I Am For Real

2007-08-24T22:33:00.000+08:00

This is not an exercise. Nor am I treating this round like a way to make quick money. The wave is here and I am just another grain of sand in the vast ocean.

Somehow, today's sunset seems idyllic to me!

Long Wait

2007-08-23T23:55:00.000+08:00

I used to check my SE W810 for such a SMS on every other second. I don't. Not anymore. Now, I am not sure how I should react to this SMS. Can I ignore? Seriously, I don't need to consider what I should do. This is not the usual me. There are other important things I have on hand.

Mortal Pain

2007-08-22T23:56:00.000+08:00

I have always wanted to try foot reflexology. For some reasons, I didn't. It was until today! All tensed up!! That was what my muscles felt throughout the session. I have a high tolerance to pain, I guess. It was great! My feet felt stretched and not as tense as before. As compared, I think the ITB sports massage would give me greater pain.

Learned something new today. There is one more nerve on your left foot than your right. However, your right foot would be more painful when massaged. Strange. Our feet have the most complex bone structure in our body.

Picture by Fennel and SassyRunner from recent Desaru Pengerang Long Distance Triathlon.

Blue Tracks

2007-08-21T23:56:00.000+08:00

We have seen plenty of red colored tracks. NP has blue tracks and I was there to try it today(first time too!). Now, I was there to play badminton and Tuesdays are officially my rest days. The blue tracks are simply too hypnotizing! I slipped off as soon as there were enough players. In reality, I wanted to see how is my left ITB doing since last Saturday's race. Taking my time on my 2.4km, which served as warm-up, I looked at the night sky. Tempo music from nearby was heard. Some students were practising their cheer leading moves. After my warm-up laps, I rehearsed moves read from Chi-Running book. Up till 6.8km in total, everything was still okay. That was when I decided to stop and not to push further. Once I got back to the courts, it was pitch dark! Everyone went down to level 1 where I saw them with my stuff.. :p We went to have dinner at a nearby place before leaving for home.

Back From Desaru HIM 07

2007-08-19T17:25:00.000+08:00

With this morning's sprint, those who participated were SassyRunner, IMD and Shut. Still felt like lazing around in my bed, I finally decided to get up. TeeLee and I took some breakfast with the rest at resort's restaurant before we gathered at the swim start line. With a routine safety briefing was conducted, most triathletes gathered at the start line to listen in. The sea looked calmer than yesterday's. Flag off!! Everyone dashed into the water! It's a sprint afterall! With just one loop, IMD was out of the water followed by SassyRunner. Anxious as we were, while waiting for Shut, we did had our breather once we saw him heading towards the shore. Yay!

Walking over to the main roads, bikes were already seen zipping down the lane. It was just a matter of time before we saw the first triathlete coming in with his bike and starting his run leg. Fast! Slowly but sure, each triathlete started their run leg. I "volunteered" as a marshal guiding them to run into the finishing lane while I cheered for them! One by one, SassyRunner, IMD and Shut completed their sprint distance. Short but fun race. There was even a father doing sprint distance together with his daughter too! So cute.

With event completed, we returned to our rooms to clean our bikes and ourselves (showered) before our complimentary triathlete lunch in the resort restaurant. The prize giving was a little long and I signaled to Kops21 for our retreat. We mounted our bikes on his car, packed our bags and made our way home. Half way in our journey, the rain was so heavy that we could hardly see the cars in front of us. We made it safe and sound home as Kops21 dropped me off at my place. Thanks for the effort and ride home! Appreciate that!

Tired and yet a fantastic racing experience. Even though I had a P.W. (Personal Worst) in 21km, I had a good time. Thanks everyone!

Race: Desaru Pengerang Long Distance Triathlon 2007

2007-08-18T23:07:00.000+08:00

7.30am

I could hear noises from the other room (IMD's) since we have connecting doors. Still in lazy mode, I sprawled in my warm bed. Eventually, I got up, washed up and loaded myself with bread and jelly beans. Looking out towards the sea, I could see foam from waves that came crashing in. Uh-oh. I think its going to be one rough swim today.

We brought our bikes and stuff down to transition area before getting our bodies marked. We never fail to stop by bikes that have high "wow" factors. Today, IMD, Sotong, Roonz, TeeLee, Cfred, SV and myself are doing the Long Distance Triathlon (equates to Half Ironman in distance).

We were ushered to the swim start point where a small briefing was given before a V.I.P. did a flag off. There were four slackers who took their time to pose for pictures before entering into the waters. To be honest, I have not swam in this surf condition before. Well, I have seen this in dive trips but not swimming in it. Imagine having to fight waves to get out to the open sea, navigate, get pushed around in currents and not to mention bobbing in the sea too. I did my first 1km lap in 27mins. At the first buoy of my second lap, I spotted my fellow slacker in his yellow tri top. Too fast for me to draft, he was seen losing his swim cap after his second buoy turn. I reached the shore at 57mins. I turned around to find Eddie and Jeremy behind me. Doing a slow jog, I ran the path through overhead shower to rinse salt water off my body before gearing for my bike leg. I took 6-10mins to transit and I stole some shots of people around before I hopped on my bike. I dropped the idea of having to bring my camera along which proved to be a wise choice. At the slope up and out of transit area, *dang* I switched to a wrong gear.. oops.. and I had to dismount to push the bike up. Haaa! Joker. Before the first U-turn point, the fellow slacker (IMD) rang his bell on his mountain bike at the other side of the route. Yes, you read it correct. Mountain bike. He rang his bell each time he spotted me slacking too. At the first U-turn point, I grabbed a PowerBar bottle for hydration and as souvenir too. On the entire three loops of 30km each, I was greeted each time by SassyRunner, Mrs. Sotong and Eunice cheering for us. *Bows plenty* Many, many thanks! Familiar faces cycling along the routes waved to me as well. Around the 10km mark of the cycling route, it started to rain. Arrgg.... I will be running in this wet shoes for my 21km. Probably, my Phuket Marathon was a training race for me to run in wet shoes. For most part of my bike leg, I had rain drops "massaging" my face. Some parts of the route were hilly and there are quite scenic too. If not for the rain, I would have take a shot of the surrounding. Hence, that is why I said, not bringing my camera along for my bike leg was a good choice. At my last lap's second U-turn point, Sotong overtook me. Soon, Roonz also caught up. We spent some time ~~drafting~~ chatting and slacking on the bike. It was quite funny that what she said was true. We are so slow till we had the whole road to ourselves! Her yummy yellow Cervelo bike with Ultegra bike sped like a cheetah. I have "gra" on my groupset too! Not Ultegra but Tiagra. So much difference.. :p I had to be in aero position to match her speed. Moreover, we saw a stranger on mountain bike and another big boned triathlete passing us. So, its not the bike! It's the rider's fault! Sotong and IMD ambushed us at the last U-turn point before three slackers follow the "Yellow Jersey" (Tour de Desaru) back to the bike transition point. Most people were already in their run leg! Ouch... sore butt. Did I mention I had to stop to eat four bananas for fueling? That saved my life! All thanks to the volunteers.

We gathered and started running. IMD took off like a condor. Haa.. so much for a slacker. My mind was all about my ITB condition. Cfred and Fennel waved to check if I was okay and I waved back with a thumbs up. At 7km mark, I could sense my ITB tickling my left leg. At the same time, I heard a shout, "Slacker!" from behind. It was Sotong and Roonz. They were kind enough to pace me back all the way to the finishing point. At 15km, my ITB was more than just a tickle. Sigh. I finished my 21km at 2hrs 55mins (my worst ever). The three of us crossed the finishing line together. So drama! Ha... We were greeted with our finisher medals and cold, wet PowerBar towels. Our supporter friends were there to cheer for us. Thanks guys!! I give thanks to our supporters who had to brave the rain and sun to cheer for us even though we were the last ones to come back. After a chat with the organizer, we collected our bikes to return to our rooms for our shower before we head out for dinner. Need I say more that I crashed out after dinner? Lights out.

"Turn Left. No, Right!"

2007-08-17T23:44:00.000+08:00

Taking a half day at work, Kops21 was too kind to drive me and my GreyHound to Desaru for our Half Ironman race. I packed my stuff the night before to facilitate a swift move out. Kops21 rented a racer with Dura-ace groupset. What!!! I think I will need to crank real hard with my Tiagra groupset. Once we got the receipt for our rooms from Sotong, we started to make our way to JB. Kops21, being the makan guru, took me to a place for some nice Ban mian that uses pork balls than some lousy frozen pork. Carbo load station. It was already pouring. My poor bike got drenched! After lunch, we continued our journey to Desaru. Since I was the vehicle commander, I navigated our way to Golden Beach Resort. However, we did make a wrong turn. Some of the hotel distance signs were really confusing.

Upon arriving at the resort, we registered for our race and picked up our goodie pack. There was a free powergel from PowerBar. Bike Boutique, ToPeak and Polygon were featured in the booths. TeeLee, SassyRunner, IMD (Ultra-slacker) and SV were already in the rooms and I moved my stuff before doing some preparation work. While lazing around and watching some T.V. programmes, we spotted people doing open swims and road biking!! What were we doing? Slacking! We munched on bread and jelly beans while watching Star Sports channel. Near race briefing time, we gathered near the hall, where Sotong, Mrs. Sotong, Eunice, Roonz and Cfred just arrived not long. A race briefing was conducted and my phone kept ringing. I had to answer the call at rear and outside of the hall. Work again. Ah... Shut just arrived. Just in time for dinner.

Around dinner time, all of us walked to a nearby place for some food. Not impressive. I know where most standards stand but.. this is certainly not even close to average. Portions were small and I had to down two burgers to make a meal. Even the tea was cold. Moreover, we were feeding the mozzies there. Immediately, we got out of the place and headed back once we were done with dinner.

I can't recall what time it was when Fennel arrived. Oh! New hair do. Sleep? Suppose to sleep early and yet we watched T.V. programmes again. I turned around to find my two room mates fast asleep. Race starts at 10am tomorrow.

First HIM

2007-08-16T23:21:00.000+08:00

This evening has been great, meeting up ex-colleagues for dinner and coffee. Thanks for the company even when everyone is busy with their lives.

Tomorrow, we're setting off to Desaru for Half Ironman (Long Distance) race. Everything else is the same. I'll take my time to complete this.

MR846WB Trial

2007-08-15T23:36:00.000+08:00

Since I wore this pair of new shoes a few times for seasoning purpose, I tried it for running today. It felt nice. Although it did not have that plush feeling of a Cumulus, I like the response from this pair of shoes. My only complain? I wouldn't say complain. It would be the width of the shoes, which is more suited for 2E. I tried it on the road and tracks today. So far, so nice. 7.8km.

Team Orange

2007-08-14T23:51:00.000+08:00

Three of us wore orange today. A HWA running singlet, a passion run singlet and a Mamut Tee! Clocked around 7 climbs but 2 of them were half ways. Where foot holds are really tiny, I could feel my shoe slipping - wrong gear. Ice skating is nice with pretty good left and right grips. Yelloween Party is quite alright and I like that route. At Surfers' Paradise route, I made a mistake which made me swing out. Got to take note of that. Silent Sunset has a pit stop up in the air. But, I could not proceed to the next higher level. I'll attempt it again. Of course, we can always count on seasoned climbers attempting this route and all we have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy their graceful moves. Learn from it.

Wow... packed sandwiches! Heh heh... Carbo reload after arms and legs workout.

Tired Arms

2007-08-13T23:35:00.000+08:00

Could not generate much speed (only after muscles warmed up), I seem to suffer from aches that I got from yesterday's kayaking session. My shoulders were a little tight during the first 1km. I dropped the warm down and only completed 3km. Tomorrow on arms again?! Haa.

Pulau Ubin Seafood Raid

2007-08-12T22:23:00.000+08:00

Due to whatever reasons, I was not able to sleep well last night as I tossed and turned in bed. This morning, when my alarm rang at 6.30am, imagine the fight I had to go through to get up. Afterall, it will be another long day ahead. While navigating to the hawker that I am suppose to meet Kops21 and Roentgen, I came across a low boulder wall. So tempting ... arms and legs started to itch. 10mins late, Kops21 and Roentgen already bought Nasi Lemak and coffee for our carbo loading. You can always count on these two for good food recommendations.

Once done and following Kops21's Fast and Furious machine, we arrived at the meeting point (WaterCross) to link up with a group from twodegreesnorth. Folks from WaterCross just got started for their day, we took several shots of the Pasir Ris beach before most of the kayakers came. We processed our rental at front counter of PA with Roentgen's fav This-is-not-how-you-enter-a-salom mentor. Cool! Today, I will be testing my new water resistant 5L bag too! With everyone ready and launched out, we hanged around the area for a while, waiting for some kayakers who were late. Ohh.....

Roentgen's kayak looks a little different. It has a rudder! A sea touring kayak - yellow color!! Nice! Thanks to Roentgen too! He pointed out to the sky where the sun was partially blocked by the clouds, created rays of light and provided a photography opportunity as I fumbled for my camera. Enough of waiting, the organiser for this trip made a decision to move out. 13 of us paddle straight for Pulau Ubin against some resistance from sea current. Since crossing of channels have to quick, we moved in packs - close together.

Mid day, we beach up at Pulau Ubin (near the jetty) for our well deserve lunch. Just after we finished our food, a batch of kayakers came (late this morning). We walked around and some had coconut juice while those kayakers who arrived were having their lunch. With most of them ready, we took a last toilet break before launching out to sea.

This time, while moving back, things got a little more exciting. There were several bum boats heading towards mainland and that create several opportunities for us to cut incoming waves like surfers! Yeehaaaa!! By this time, I can't help but notice Roentgen's effortless paddle. Most of us were even wriggling our toes just to make our kayaks go straight. Roentgen's kayak? Direct azimuth! Left with a last channel to cross .. *phew* .. we made a dash for it. Reaching the shores of Pasir Ris again, most looked tired and hurried to wash the equipment before bathing. Thanks everyone for the great company today!

We had some old school ice-cream with wafers after this morning's workout. Hmm.. soul food. Next, we went to attend TLR and Fd's wedding. Congrats, guys!!

I had a dinner appointment with Kitty, KittyTrainer, BBElle and some friends. Buffet... burpp... I (part-time nanny) played peek-a-boo with BBElle most of the time and she was enjoying it.

Drats ... I forgot to try Roentgen's Storm Sea Touring Kayak....

Colors Once More!

2007-08-11T23:36:00.000+08:00

With my Canon A410 R.I.P., I went to take a look at cameras today for a second time. Since I'll be walking around, I took my New Balance MR846 out and wore it today (just to season my new shoes). I tried my hands on Canon A460. But, I found it too flimsy and with its picture quality, it just did not pass. I took the next camera in my list, Canon A570IS. It came with a complimentary 2GB SD card and four rechargeable GP batteries and charger set. I roamed around shopping malls and got my new cam its new clothes! The Tatonka protective pouch comes with a small rain coat that allows fending off slight drizzles or splashes. Perfect! I picked up two books at the library, one on sea kayaking and the other on sports climbing. One particular line in the kayaking book is really meaningful, "It has been said that the person claiming ten years' experience is likely to be someone with one year of learning and nine years of repeating the same things.". There are always new things to learn even if you are familiar with one particular sport. Oopps... I included my new New Balance MR846 as well.

I just came back from a run with my colleague. At 9pm, he prompted me for a run since he registered for Standard Chartered Half Marathon. "Pandan reservoir", he typed in MSN. Strange but true, I have not ran there before. There were a lot foreign workers around, from the nearby factories(I suppose). They must be wondering why is this two nut-case fellas running here at such a late hour. It was a good, slow paced 6.3km (minus the last walking 100m) where we completed within 43mins. Same thing for my left ITB, it held up okay. Nice.

Yay! We're kayaking tomorrow!

Mindful

2007-08-10T23:22:00.000+08:00

I haven't been running for whole of this week. I believe a rest for my legs would do some good. Seriously lack of some runners' high, I put on my Cumulus VIII and went out for a short run. With no intentions to break any sound barrier, I ran slow while focusing on what I have read from Chi Running. Time after time, my ITB teased me and that served as a gentle reminder on my running form. After 6.4km, my left ITB felt okay and that is really something to cheer for. Have I been running like Donald Duck all along, with feet and knees pointing outwards? Or was it due to fatigue that I often neglected proper running form? Looks like its worth some investigation after finishing Chi Running's book.

Who's Elle?

2007-08-09T11:54:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was kinda pathetic. By the third appointment of the day, I could hardly keep my eyes open. I had a short informal meeting with an old acquaintance from our industry which was a surprise to me. Does that count as 4? Nah. At the end of the day, where most shops around are closed, I had a lousy Mac dinner. I don't want to enter a Japanese restaurant with someone asking, "Last order for you, sir?".

I made detour to the arcade. Gamers often need to reconnect. There was this remake of Dynamite Cops (if I remember the title correctly), which I think the ideas in the game are great. But, the whole run through of the game that I saw, made me feel short changed. Nothing has been changed except for some touch up and items enhancement. King Of Fighter 4 in 3D. Nice. A 3-On-3 with Fio (nice) and Lilly Kane! I could only watch since I think I'll be white washed if I slotted any credits asking for a challenge. Heading home, I am close to finishing Chi Running. It was still emailing once I got back. I think have dozens that need follow up. Craft not enough.

Just got back from little Elle's birthday BBQ party. I was stationed at the BBQ pit as chef, while Kitty and KittyTrainer entertained their guest. Beng, Mrs. and Junior came too. It was great fun, playing with the kids. SpaceCadet and HoustonControl got lost twice!! Met lots of old friends at the BBQ tonight. Lambie is out of town. *Faint* Yep, I smell like a roast lamb now.

Magic Potion Route

2007-08-07T23:55:00.000+08:00

These days, Tuesdays are my stay-away-from-workout days. Since I bought the harness, it would be a good time to try. At Climb Asia, I passed the boulder gym to access toilets to change into my clothes. Located in Civil Servant Club's badminton hall, there is enough room for around 15 climbers at one go. Of course, there are different climb routes and grades. As I mentioned earlier, they have a boulder gym and specialty shop which serves as their registration counter as well. Just remember to take off your shoes before you enter.

Climbing? Climb on.

Not too crowded on ground today. I tried a total of 6 climbs. Well... the last 2-3 climbs were not exactly complete climbs. I was using more arm power than posture and leg power. More often than not, I heard "Elbows point down" as I gradually grew tired. "Your shoes .... must be." It isn't everyday that you get to blame your shoes for your poor performance. I wish I could do that during races. I tried on a route codename, "Magic Potion" (6A if I recall correctly). Too much for me but it was a good try with only a quarter left before reaching the top. During my fourth climb, I tried the "Ice Skating" route which involved bridging (is that right?). I ended up doing rainbow rather than isolating colors. Fifth climb was on yellow and I switched to rainbow halfway up as well. Sixth?! No more strength around 3/4 of the route and I dropped. I am no lizard! Tonight, there were several experienced climbers and I was fortunate enough to witness their magic touch and foot work.

Review: I need to work on everything! Grip, posture, steps, etc.

The dinner that followed left me nodding, runners and climbers think alike. Order everything - share. The golden question, where to eat next?

Thanks for the fun, guys!

The Gs

2007-08-06T21:56:00.000+08:00

At work, I was asked what is my significant other working as. Since when did I have one?!! What's funnier? The comment was "Oh, people told me that.". Haa!! Let me see. I have been said that I have resigned, which I heard from our industry. I have several kids - some unknown sources. I give up.

Finally, I popped by some place to buy a measuring set and sieve! Took me so long to do it. Great to have some time to kopi with Beng and that was cool.

Only managed a 3k in the pool today. Slacked, since a fellow slacker always ask me to swim first. Suppose to have another 600m more. I skipped that. Haa.... The other slacker... did not turn up at all! Truly live up to his name! In the pool, I recalled waves that I saw at East Coast yesterday. Oh... Fuji Xerox Swim will be one big ride.

Grease Monkey

2007-08-05T14:29:00.000+08:00

This morning, the trusty digicam had image again. Strange. Need a break? Hmm..

Before visiting a bike shop, I took my GreyHound out for a ride. Short one indeed. 4km. Half way though, my odometer showed -- -- (blank) and the speed and distance came back. I wouldn not think that it is going to kaput. But, I have no idea to trust the speed or not. I need to check it soon.

I paid a $20 to learn that my chain is still serviceable from a bike shop. I wanted to get it changed but they had the Shimano 105 9 speed instead. Worried that it might pose some problems later, I was advised not to change. Ok. But, the tune up for that $20 was less than impressive. I am no slave drive. But, one round of lube on chain costs $20? Grr... I could have gotten another 2 bottles of lube. Totally unsatisfied, I got down on my knees and dirtied by hands with patches of grease all over once I reached home. I gave the chain a good scrub and lubricated the chain and drive train again. High five, anyone? Someone?

I checked out a bike rear rack as well. High chance that I will be able to cycle to work, once the shift has been confirmed. Of course, provided there is space for me to hide my bike.

Once I have cleaned up GreyHound (BlackSteed is next), I packed and head east to meet up for a transfer to East Coast. New shoes, using Asics Cumulus VIII for the first time. Initial number of 5, we ran along the coast towards Safra chalets. When I took a shot of the surrounding, the pictures were washed like white. I think the CCD is really dead. I met Aichai and Leica on my way back. Finishing my dinner rather quickly, I left the guys to meet Shut. He told me that TLR, Ronnie and Reno each did well in their King Of The Road race. I have a new harness with me too. To rotate my new Cumulus, I tried out New Balance and gave them a chance by purchasing New Balance MR846.

Enough purchase for a day.

Are You My Sassy Girl?

2007-08-04T23:43:00.000+08:00

I saw someone who looked like Jun Ji-hyun. I was stunned for a minute. That same hairstyle, elegance and smile. I need to sit down. Heart racing .. .. like I just did an interval of 12 x 800m.

女人我最大

2007-08-03T21:40:00.000+08:00

Today, while having lunch with a friend, I saw Jon and his wife. They were having lunch as well. We chatted and Jon's wife commented I looked tan or darker. Nah.. Next comment, I looked fitter. Double nah.... Don't think so.

With half way through the Chi Running book, I found out that there are more to learn from running than "just run" attitude. I am already doing some of points identified by Chi Running. However, I have more items on that list to change.

Influence (without a choice) by Karloong, I had to watch the cable program on beauty tips since she was holding onto the remote. Now, something that was mentioned in the program. Lemon is acidic. When taken into our body, it is alkaline. Strange isn't it? Knowledge or beauty tips if you prefer to call it.

..... I feel so "aunty" now. No wonder aunties are knowledgeable.

Swim ... hmm... I was said that I have the gliding reach and yet not speed to match the strokes. Looks like more work to be done. 2.6km today.

I've done up the new template layout for this blog as well.

No Part 2

2007-08-01T22:16:00.000+08:00

I have been informed through Email that there will not be a second day of Smile For A Mile charity run this Sunday. I am so looking forward to it for another 20km! There are some problems and the organising committee had to call it off. The fund raising event is still on, minus the run. Such a waste.

ITB Demo

2007-07-30T22:14:00.000+08:00

Half way though the swim for tonight, it was raining. I did a few more laps before we starting slacking by chatting again. A few of us were doing the ITB stretch with Tiwazz doing the demo. It was a different stretch which probably hitting another angle. I have another stretching method at hand. 1.5km - slack, right?

With Kops21's enticing.. I signed up for FINA Fuji Xerox 5km swim. I love swimming even as a kid. Didn't take long to convince me in signing up.

Shot taken before training.

Smile For A Mile Part 1

2007-07-29T22:34:00.000+08:00

Eyes wide. Time check. Damn!! I'm going to be be late! Needless to say, I overslept. Showered, changed and grabbing all my stuff, I raced out of my house. "One bagel, please?" I had a take away and hurried off in a train to the meeting area for the "Smile For A Mile" charity run. Just in time to finish my bagel and reaching at the start point, Roentgen, KJ, Angelica_wonders, Simon, Chip and Eliza were already there. Eliza did her Osim Tri Sprint distance yesterday and came to do this charity run today! I deposited my bag and took my mobile phone as a backup camera device since my digital camera went ka-put yesterday. This morning, I did gave it a last try to fire it up again. Sadly, it failed to respond. I stretched and did a quick warm up (which could have been the cause of today's problem). Runners for first wave gathered at 8.30am and there was a short briefing by the organiser before his attempt at imitating a horn sound off signifying a flag off. "Porrrrrr" ... there were plenty of us laughing at flag off. Thanks to Roentgen for leading most of the run, since it is his home ground route. I must admit that it has never been my running route at this part of town, apart from MILK runs. It is certain a scenic route! KJ exclaimed half way during our run, "River reflection! Shweeee. Take picture, take picture." That a cue for official camera man (me) to start work. *Click* We continued our run and cross an overhead bridge with Borders just within our sights. That was our U-turn point. 5km mark and we headed back. Other runners must be wondering why are these few crazy people running with cameras. It was Great World City that we saw the second wave group (starting at 9.10am) led by a NJC teacher who did the Death Valley run. Reaching Sir Stamford Raffles' statue, we heard loud emcee voices across the river. There seemed to be some dragon boat race that was taking place. At the last stretch, three crazy runners ran side by side back to the finishing point. Finished 10km! I took a few shots and chatted with the lady whom I met at Phuket Marathon. She remembered me and was shocked at my back to back Phuket - Penang race. After chatting, I joined the briefing for third wave just in time for the flag off. I met Zeus for first time as we introduced ourselves.

Another artificial horn sound again. "Porrrrrr" ... LOL! Zeus led the third wave and he continued strong. For some strange reasons, I had a left pull on my ITB. I walked for a short distance before continuing. The muscle strain was quite a big deal, bigger than what I had felt on previous ITB feeling tight. I reduced my speed and maintained small steps. At one traffic junction, I stretched my ITB while waiting for the green light. Once I started running again, the initial few steps were really bad. As I carried on, it was better. Since then, I did jogging on the spot whenever I had to stop. At one of the junction, I started a conversation with a few runners asking for direction back to the start point. They joined me on my way back. One of them asked for tips on achieving a half marathon run. I shared with them on reading more and trying LSDs too. Chatting along the way, we soon reached the end point with a few rain drops on our heads. Within seconds, it poured heavily! Roentgen and KJ were waiting for me to shop for our digital cameras. So sorry! I took my stuff, wrote some encouraging words on "Smile For A Mile" tag before I bade the young runner goodbye. I hope to see him next week as I will be doing "Smile For A Mile" too for wave one and three. It sort of sums up as my LSD mileage.

Ooops... Roentgen and KJ were disappointed to find one of the camera shops closed. There was a shop who offered us some look and feel on those cameras we have in mind. Roentgen had to join his family for lunch where KJ and I had lunch before looking New Balance shoes. Since I was in New Balance, I registered for Real Run '08.

At around 3pm, I met EndlessTrail for picture viewing. It was difficult to get the group together and Eeyore was going to fly off again. Before meeting the rest, we shopped around a little and had a chance to press our cheeks against an outdoor shop selling climb gears. We looked like school kids outside an ice cream shop. Too bad it was closed today. We had little peeks at the gears hanging in the shop from the glass panels. With the rest arriving, we went though the pictures where EndlessTrail and WeiWen related their experiences in Peru. There were plenty of pictures and videos. We drained the battery on the laptop completely.

Upon reaching home, I searched for ITB stretches immediately via the information highway. I know the usual stretch. I tried but it just wasn't good enough. With luck and good keywords, I stumbled upon this website. I gave my ITB a good stretch. It feels so much better!

Pardon the camera quality from mobile phone.

Sports Climb Level 1 Course

2007-07-28T22:44:00.000+08:00

After missing out on Sports Climbing Level 1 class last time, I turned up at the pre-arranged venue to learns some skills on this discipline today. I wanted to run to the venue. The red sky at 5am did a marvelous job in deterring me, putting away the idea to run there. The last thing I want is to be caught in the rain. I gave the run miss and took a train instead. I was early and helped a little on the stores before the class started.

The first part of the day was on theory with a fun group. All of which are SH's colleagues. We covered climb organizations, types of equipment, safety and some minor hands-on on knots and ropes, climber and belayer procedures and more. Everyone was pretty excited when it comes to practice. At this time, the sky was not holding up too well. It gave a threatening roar and we had to break for lunch. A call was made to switch to a different venue which has an indoor climbing wall.

The indoor wall is much shorter in height. At least, we are not going to be wet. I would love to try the outdoor wall. Rotating as a climber and belayer, I had fun. I guess I have went through the same thing during one of my company's retreat activities on climbing. But, this time round, the course was properly conducted. I cannot complain much since the company's event was an introductory session rather than a course. Our skillful course instructor gave a lot of tips, which I had found them useful. The whole time during our course, I was busy snapping pictures of SH and colleagues. Half way through, my digicam gave problems. The display blanked. After several rounds of troubleshooting, I have concluded that it is the CCD that is giving problems. I think my digicam has finally given up on me. It is not totally dead. It just comes on and goes off in some random periodic sequence. Probably not going to hold much longer. I need to source for something.

Chanting In My Head

2007-07-27T22:34:00.000+08:00

While attending a course, the scene outside the window looked like photography material. Where's my camera?! .... I'll bring on Monday.

Right after the course, I tried to rush back home and yet I was still late. I decided to do my own laps instead. I tried to tell myself over and over again during my swim that I should focus just on my strokes. I did. Strokes, strokes, strokes and nothing else. 20 laps in 44mins and I could not be happier. Not a very good timing. But, good enough to make me happy. I wanted to stack it up to 3.8km. The climb course ahead of me tomorrow made me think twice. I chose to slack.

Clown Of The Month

2007-07-26T01:15:00.000+08:00

I must have been a complete a$$ to click on the "Reply All" unintentionally. KJ asked me if my email is ...."Yes, it is." I was told that I had replied to more than a dozen of runners that I have reconfirmed my slot for an upcomng charity run. Forgive me. It must have been the multiple testing I have been running (looking at three consoles), making test plans analysis, patching of another laptop, replying mails and tapping away at the keyboard during MSN IM sessions.

I feel silly. Or at least, I am a spammer for that one email.

All About Running

2007-07-24T23:32:00.000+08:00

The only location that has "Fodor's: The Traveling Marathoner"? Since it features the Disney Marathon, I need this book. Not much of a choice, I had to head to that library. Oohh.. a newly built library too! I have not been around this area for maybe a few months. I kept pacing up and down the rows of travel books. Yet, I failed to locate "The Traveling Marathoner". After hitting a few keys at the terminal, I pin pointed the book at the sports section instead. Impressive ... there are books on climbing in various parts of U.S.. They have kayaking as well?!! I am beginning to like this place. It was only when I scanned the rows and stopped at a "Chi Running" book before I returned a kayaking book back. How often do you see a "Chi Running" book in library (not loaned)? I think you can queue up to 2010. Okay, the kayaking books make it to my list during my next visit. Upon flipping through the pages while taking the subway, I discovered the Fodor book covered New York ING, Hawaii Honolulu and Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon as well!! I waaaant!

Charrrge!

2007-07-23T22:18:00.000+08:00

Just when you think there were not enough nagging aches from the left shoulder, I did an American footballer charge at the metal container corner. That led to a cautious workout in the pool. I felt the strain. But, the swim was good. The drizzle came and yet was not heavy enough to get us booted out of the pool. Just 2.6km.

Quarterly Meet

2007-07-22T19:57:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was a low in productivity. Swim only lasted a 1.1km before swarms of kids made waves in the pool. Not much of a luck to swim anymore, I had a chat with Alvin. There wasn't enough time to head over to the library to get the book I wanted (recommendations by Roentgen). I joined my family, going to my cousin's place for a get-together. Most of my relatives were there. I was playing with the kids and some bigger kids, mostly my cousins' kids. Trying to make this a quarterly event, an initiative from us (juniors in this big family).

Today was a no-go at biking with rain around. Much of my time was spent on clearing documents. Finally, it has been organised!

Keep Them Coming

2007-07-20T21:44:00.000+08:00

What a day.....

To start with, I woke up with a stress (ache) on my left hamstring. Must have picked it up from squash the other day. Seems like, its a rest for me again. Tomorrow? I will stay away from run, or at least no LSD.

Next headache, from work. Dozens of boo-boo, which was recovered by noon.

More? News that I hope, that is would come or rather would not come has surfaced. Oh heck it... Deal with it.

Some more? *Beep beep* MenInGreen activity just after the weekend of my Feb event! *Faint*

Anymore?

Surveys

2007-07-19T22:20:00.000+08:00

Work is here again! Just like interval workout on heart and lungs.

This Tuesday, after an initial discussion on Jan trip, I have covered some areas. More research to be done. It was drizzling and I had to skip the bike portion. Still skipping it yesterday where it rained again.

Today, it did rain in the morning. Everything remained optimistic and I managed to reach the tracks in time. I timed myself to do some estimation and all seems well so far. We retreated to get our runners' treat. LaoKaYu saw us at the train station and we took the train back where I alighted earlier. Walking with thoughts in my head, I was interrupted by two Korean ladies wanting me to do a survey on religion. Helpless and jumping around, they passed me the survey form as they saw a cockroach coming our way. I am pretty sure that if there were tables, they would climb on it. "What's that?!! It flies!" "Its .. erm .. cockroach." *Shreeeek* *Eeeeeek*
Back to survey. "Are you a student?" "I wish I am still a student." They kept persuading me to attend a discussion session that I did not want to commit. I'm packed already.

Need Kicks?

2007-07-16T23:10:00.000+08:00

NO slacking today. Now, we know who is the weakest link!

Warm up: 500m Free, 200m Mixed, 300m Kicks (Killer!!)
Main sets: 2 x 400m Kicks (Gag...), 100 Free, 1 x 400m Strokes
Warm down: 400m Mixed

The kicks and strokes seemed to help... only for the first few laps, right after stroke practice. I really need more practice on my strokes.