Limping Marathon Runner

Feeling crazy today, I went to jog in a stadium. Get it straight. I'm not a stadium person. Muggs do not like to run around in circles like a hamster in a cage, spinning in the wheel. But, it has been a long time since I ran in a stadium and I thought why not. Ok. I still prefer running anywhere else. More stuff to see. Now, on my way back after the run, I passed loads of people having their dinner at a nearby coffeeshop. I saw someone sipping lime juice. Man!! I told myself, "I need a glass of cold lime juice!".

Alert.... Traits of a Libra.
Indecisive and changeable : Checked, I thought I need ice water.
Gullible and easily infuenced : Checked, I need cold lime juice.
Flirtatious and self-indulgent : Checked, I need cold lime juice.

BBC-Low called me just before I began to jog in the stadium. We had a small chat before I started off. I mentioned to him that he needs to get someone to take over me on the 1st of May, which is BBC-Low's wedding day. Muggs is suppose to help BBC-Low out as an emcee. Muggs is suppose to partner another lady on stage for his big day. Life as an I.T. engineer is terrible. We can only mess around with stuff when people are not working. Hence, holidays are the best to screw up anything and fix them up again. News came out saying that I got to work overnight till 1st of May and the timing is not fixed yet. As a contingency, Muggs told BBC-Low to source for another guy to partner this gorgeous lady (BBC-Low claims that she is gorgeous). BBC-Low and Muggs have been friends for ... 17 years, since SecSchool days. I wouldn't want to miss this event. No, not for a million dollars. I'll turn up, no matter how tired I would be. But, Muggs is just worried that fatigue takes over and Muggs starts to mumble and blunder on stage. Too important a day to screw up anything for my good friend. Muggs even wrote down what stuff to say.... aww... just too bad.

Mr. Mackey from SouthPark always say, "Drugs are bad, mmkay?".
Muggs would say, "Time to go get my lime juice now, mmkay?"

My day started late. No dim sum because parents woke up late (suppose to head for a restaurant further away from home). So, just a simple breakfast at a nearby coffeeshop.

A great day, since its my off day from work. Went to see another bike shop. But, seems like the prices are not that competitive. Hence, I left the place after checking out some stuff. Had to hurry to box Toyogo containers for my "green" logistics. After my lunch at the mall, I walked into a sports shop, hoping to find a pair of tights. Voila! I saw one by Reebok. Medium and XXL (OMG, not my kind of size) were the only available pairs on display. Lucky thing, they have Small in their store. It is still just a little loose. Heck... allowance for putting on weight? Like real. Anyway, I took it. Being a puny little fella, small ass, like a malnutritioned monkey, Muggs always have difficulty in finding sizes. Well... not all the time though. Occasionally, my sis (while still in U.S.), would buy things like clothing for me. Nice. She has rather good estimation of my size for tees and bermudas.

Karloong: Eh .. Gor! I bought this Tee and Bermuda for you. Nice, hor?
Muggs: Whoa.... Not bad. Cool. Great taste and good estimation of my size. *Muggs gives thumbs up*

Karloong: Of course. *Smirk* These are largest size for kids size range.
Muggs: *Frown* ........ .... ... nabei *Palm face*

Karloong: What to do? *Giggles*

*Phew* I just finished cleaning my dirty dog, Grey Hound, too. Ah... should be a happy little pup once he's on road again. Shucks.... since, I still perspiring, I might as well re-pack my room. A little cleaning up. How about a jog? *Muggs checking his organizer* Yep... have to.

Read more about triathlon stuff and one of them is trying to train in the morning. So, it means no more late nights. Muggs still wants to watch "Who's Line Is It Anyway?". They even talked about time management (which is true), in the book. I decided to give it a try. But, I had to complete the routine last night. So, I still had to go for my 20min run (short of 5min, since Chini wanted to return me my LAN ethernet card).

Now, just back from a swim, which I almost had a close encounter with a fellow female swimmer. It was really crowded at the pool. Almost nudged her when an oncoming swimmer is coming head on towards me.

Oh.. .. this afternoon, at work, I asked my colleague, Commando, if he wants to take a look at one of the LBS around our workplace. So, we sped off at 1pm, walking swiftly to the LBS. Once there, we were greeted by a friendly lady (auntie actually). Who doesn't know where this place is, once we mention the friendly auntie. Anyway, we were looking around and Commando asked for the price of a GT Ava 3.0. She mentioned the price. But, took a second look at Commando. Commando being slightly shorter than Muggs (well, Muggs isn't that tall either), commented that the "S" sized GT isn't suitable for him.

Auntie: Eh... you are too short. This is not suitable for you.
Commando: *Looking hurt* Huh... am I short? (sounds familiar... think I've heard similar stuff like "Am I fat?" somewhere before)

Auntie: Yeah... I'm taller than you. Ask your friend.....
Commando: *Looking at Muggs* Issit, huh?
Muggs: ....... *Gazing elsewhere, Muggs is sooooooo not involved in this conversation*

Moment of silence ......... You could actually hear a pin drop...... now.

Auntie: Well, if you think you can handle this bike, it'll be okay for you.
Commando: *Mumbling under his breathe* #@#$%^&

Fact: Commandos are the elite forces in this world. They strike anywhere, anytime. Fearless, mean, fighting machines.

Fact: My colleague, Commando, is taller than the auntie.

Fact: Mentioning sensitive issues like height has detrimental effects on a Commando's self esteem. Auntie's words have speared through this Commando's heart like a surgeon's scalpel.

Taking an accumulated day off from work for Wednesday. Scheduled tasks so far are:

1) Dim Sum with family (Karlooong must be swearing now)
2) Look for SPD pedals and road shoes, plus one more jersey? *sigh* (Collateral damage?)
3) Buy plastic boxes for my "green" logistics.
4) Pack up for my Pulau Tioman diving trip. Good bargain - damage already done. .....
5) Grey Hound maintenance, this dirty dog needs a wipe. Procrastinating? Forgetful? Bah...
6) Swim and probably run.

Oh .. Wait... Over there.. . over the hills..
Smoke.. Is it what I think it is?

ZhaoYun (FTOGPX) is calling for help, besieged by generals, infantrymen and archers, I shall move swiftly to his rescue. Black Lightning or Shadow Runner is not with me. I can only reach rally point by tomorrow night on foot. More sleepless nights ahead.

Too tired to blog last night because I had a long day. After cycling and only sleeping at 4am, I woke up at 8-ish to meet Conan for breakfast at Mac. Suppose to be my treat. But this fella is already starving and has ordered some food, starting without me. Right after breakfast, we reached our nearby training ground which was already packed with people (some picnic or birthday party). Blading seems better, probably after more practises and balancing acts. Conan felt that it was time to try out spinning stop. He did spin. He did stop. But, only face flat with a splat. After series of laughter, I had my equal share of spin stop falls. One thing we did right, we always checked to see if anyone spotted us falling. *ma-lu*

Somewhere not too far away, another warrior cries for help. Deeply engaged in battle, he cries out for his weak sidekick, Muggs, for an alliance. With the advancement of technology, I received a reinforcement request via SMS. Hence, we no longer use pigeons as messengers (they are just a source of food, as roast pigeons) nowadays. Young warrior, ZhaoYun, a.k.a. FTOGPX can hardly keep the massive army of soldiers charging at bay with his spear. After my inline skating session, I took a Red Hare ride to the frontlines and meet my comrade in need of my aid. We kicked countless asses in Dynasty Warriors (PS2) so hard that we only had toilet and meal breaks.

Muggs has no idea why they always pronounce "Cao Cao" as "Cow Cow" in Dynasty Warriors. His son "Cao Pi" would be "Cow Pi".

Longest ride so far. I just clocked 32km. Saw TP doing road block on other side of the road, while on my way back. I went over a road kill too... *puke* It was a pigeon which is dead already. Looked kind of dry. At the end of my ride, I checked my tyres for any organs/magots that I've picked up from the road kill. Lucky thing, no. Really hungry (well, actually tummy started growling during halfway through the ride), I ate some sandwiches from the 24hrs coffee shop.

Now, that I'm back, need to wash up and sleep. It's late. Conan is going to blast me if I'm late tomorrow.

Wasn't actually going to blog about this. A single but firm request from Conan, I have to oblige. Who can wrestle Conan, The Barbarian and make him tap out? Nope, not Muggs. How about this guy? He looks kinda tough.

Credits: Picture from here

Certainly Kurt can make Conan tap like a sissy? Nevermind that. Back to what I'm about to blog. Extracted from Conan and my conversation on Yahoo IM:

Conan: Whoa.. . 江美琪 - 我又想起你 ? Thinking of Turtle again?
Muggs: Well. ... erm .. yes. Anyway, Yahoo IM me.

Conan: When?
Muggs: Thursday. I did not blog about it.

Based on Conan's request, I shall pen it down. On the other hand, during last night's dinner with Kitty and people, Kitty asked me about her too. Anyway.......

Thursday, I went online on Yahoo and ....

Turtle: How are you? How are your old injuries?
Muggs: Still the same, they are here to stay. Not going to go off.

Turtle: Oh. Busy today?
Muggs: A little. But, still manageable.

Turtle: More house shifting.
Muggs: Ok. Mostly done?

Turtle: Yep. But, once all settled here. Might be going over to Shanghai, working there. Me, a normad.
Muggs: Ok.

Turtle: Got your bed frame yet?
Muggs: Just a phone call away, but just procrastinating. Anyway, my room is still in a mess. Not in the config that I want, yet. Just have to sleep on the floor, Jap style for now.

Turtle: Next weekend, I might be in town. Can I call you?
Muggs: You can try. I might be in the pool and I can't answer your call. Might have to wait a while.

Turtle: Ok. I need to see a doc. Not feeling too good.
Muggs: You should. Go.

Turtle: Ya. I will. I call you. Bye
Muggs: Sure. Bye

Logging off, I sensed that I missed something. I seem to have forgotten something. Till last night, I remembered. I will be going to dive next weekend. No wonder.... felt something is not right. Totally forgotten about trip (too bothered with things at work). I'll be out of town and she'll be in town. Ha... what a joke? Fate is playing a joke (as always). Not that it'll develop into something. But, I've never seen Lady Luck before. Usually taking a rain check when I need her around.

Long day tomorrow. Got to blade with Conan at around 10am, after our Mac Big Breakfast meal at 9am. Guess what? My treat. I'll make sure this uncle pays for the car decals that I make for him. Pengz

Wooo-hooo... .. just saw the new layout on Triathlon page. So, registration is open, might be a good guess. True enough, it is on. Now is still an early bird registration period. Hence, some slight discount. From now till then, no slacking in training.

Back from swim, still ..... a lot of swimmers. Had to battle it out. Just a short 25min swim. I'll wait for a while before I cycle. Probably move out at 1AM.

Last night, a short dinner gathering with Kitty, KittyTrainer and Nan. Nothing fanciful, just normal hawker food. Chit-chat and stuff. Seems like Kitty and I got closer these years and we think alike. Maybe given the fact that we dive, trek and do most outdoor sports? Nan being our SecSch classmate, seems to go into a "comparing" mode these years. It is just different from those younger days. Part of growing up? A price to pay? No idea. We had some desserts before heading home. But we did promise to plan for an overnight majong session at Nan's place. Nan will be out of town for the whole of May. So, June it is.

A re-post. Or rather, I shifted the post. A little too late to join in the fun, but the Peko Poko dolls just gave me an idea.

Presenting Muggs lame version of "I'm too sexy for my blog", originating from Xiaxue.

No. As a matter of fact, I'm not sexy at all. Never were, never am and never will be. I came across this "I'm too sexy for my blog" thingy on Mr. Brown's website, doing "The Original Sexy Blogger, XiaXue" classic photo. Now... that "I'm too sexy for my blog" look just reminds me of Turtle whenever she tries to cover up and hopes to get away scott free when she knows she's wrong.

Some of the best way a mother can shower her love to any of her children:
1) Cook a feast, 10 course dinner - dessert included.
2) Making "liang-teh" (traditional chinese tea, which has cooling effects on every human's biological system). Pouring into a cup included.
3) Clearing the whole family's laundry. Ironing included.
4) Spick and span, tip-top spring cleaning every nook and cranny of the house. Mopping include.
5) My mum's personal favorites: "Cough? See doctor." "Sneeze? See doctor." "Muscle ache? See doctor." "You listening to me anot?" .... Ma .... why is your son Muggs not a doctor by profession?
6) Any other requests....

Tonight, YellowMother selected option 2. Mmm mm .. , this concoction differs so much from her usual mix. A little unconvincing and sub-standard by just viewing it. No, I have not tasted it. It has a thick yellowish phlegm looking color. Is my mum a nuclear scientist or what?


Bala outsmarted me. He poured a glass full of the yellowish solution and conveniently left it on the table for me. Instantly, I feel like one of those white mice caged up in a scientist lab. I tried to mimic the cat in Shriek 2. "I'm too full. Can I not drink?". Apparently, it did not work. Pointless to resist now, I inhaled a lung full of air, pinched my nose and took a giant gulp. Forcing on a smile, sort of like a gun point situation, I remarked in a squeaky tone, " Mmmm ... Nice. I likey.".

Nodding her head, signifying approval of Muggs action, YellowMother is happily humming away some Teresa Teng songs now.

Karloong, your dear brother just drank one on your behalf. *belch* Yes, Karloong, that is Bala's sexy hairy legs in the background of the deadly mucus mix picture.

Pissed with things at work, I shall not divulge any more infomation on what happened. I wouldn't want to put my ass on the line. Fast forward. *click click* Moving on to something more comical, lighter side of the already-under-heavy-direct-artillery-shelling political office life.

A short story ......
Our eyes met. Instant connection. Twitching our eyebrows, we all know what each party wants. Unable to resist, we succumb to temptation, moving swiftly despite our bodies already exhausted. 4 shadows crept in tactical moves, avoiding any surveillance we encountered along the way. Once out of the building, though not out of danger area yet, we quicken our steps in double quick time to escape detection. In no time, we reached our destination. Our shrine. "What time is it?" "It's kopi time! It's kopi time!!" Coffee break. We rewarded our already caffine starved bodies with drinks. While HaMusa bought a banana from a fruits store, the 3 of us stared blankly at him and totally amused at the same time. We've heard of banana with icecream a.k.a. BananaSplit. Bananas with coffee? Namely .. . eh... KopiBanana? This guy is certainly looking for a shitting good time. Think he's trying to paint the toilet bowl brown or something. As HaMusa started peeling the banana while sitting down, he asked, "What is so funny?". At that instant, probably he was holding the bottom of the fruit with his finger tips while peeling the banana, it actually took off, falling. HaMusa dived to grab hold of his *ahem* banana. A fumble. But, a lover rather than a fighter, HaMusa is good with his hands. Therefore, he did manage to salvage a somewhat banana lookalike bunch of mess. (Women just love a man with his pair of slow hands, dont' they? LoverBoy HaMusa?) Pausing there to regain his composure, he looked like a hybrid of a NFL player diving for the football and a porn star worshipping some male organ/love object. We all laughed at the sight of this poser where both of his arms are fully extended.

If he's going to pursue an NFL career, we have a name for him. "Big-Baaaddd-Banana". TripleB, in short. TripleB sounds so much better. More gungho, garang, macho. Sounds like some bad ass WWE wrestler name. If he wishes to do a porn debut, the name OooRal-B sounds juicy. B as in Banana. HaMusa can take some Jap lesson from SillyCelly to make his porn debut more .. . . erm.. . artistic. Coulieo can be the manager/agent, Commando can be the bodyguard and I can be the P.A.. We'll make a great team. We can all retire from the I.T. scene too.

I've just completed a 32min run, SMS-ing ABG along the way. She was complaining about her day at work too. Seems like a rough day for a lot of people today.

From CNETAsia. How to blog about your boss, bitch about your workplace and not get fried. Article belonging to EFF.

From BlueCollarMTB. Anyone fancies an add-on module of rear suspension to your hardtail bike? Look no further.

*muack* *muack* Karloong called to say that she's going to help me get an Oakley Half Jacket in U.S.. She can get the spare lens too. It seems that Oakleys cost less over there for all models. Hiak hiak hiak. *Rubbing my palms, evil grin* If Conan is reading this .... I think he's going to faint. His FMJ frame Oakley Half Jacket can potentially cost less and hence reducing the damage done on his wallet.

Karloong says she can help me get K2 wrist and knee guards too. They only cost USD$20. *Eyes blink* I saw a set of wrist, elbow and knee guards over here selling for $70 over.My current set of wrist guards seem to be giving way. The cushioning sponge from inside is jutting out. The only thing is... . ... Karloong will only be back in September..... It is a long wait, but worth every penny. Or should I say worth every second of wait?

Back from my 23min run. It was raining not too long ago and the pavement is still wet. Therefore, I went real slow. Just a minute, let me grab my organizer. My training schedules are so messed up now. Looks like I missed one biking and two swimming sessions for now. Mainly due to work and appointments. Like I always tell me friends, I have too much time at hand. How to pass time? I swim. I bike. I jog. People tell me, "Do yourself a favor. Get attached. Look for a mate.". My reply? No one can take my shit.

Trying hard to accomodate, I have to re-arrange my training sessions. Contant checking is required. Shall not miss any training, as far as possible. Ooo .. . looks like Karloong is on the phone with Bala now. Sis is calling back home via long distance call.

Reading CowboyCaleb's blog just now and I saw his banner. It is a Playmobil figurine. Ahh.. . .good o'l childhood days toys. I like them so much that I bought a box/set when I was in Hawaii in 1996. It is not opened yet, sealed in its original box. Still intact. I bought 2 more similar sets for my 2 cousins (brothers). Now, the smaller box in the pic is given to me by my cousin, Ric. He bought it when he went to Europe last time. Eh.. can't remember when that was. Playmobil sure bring back some fond memories, given the fact that I had a partial twisted childhood. Hahahhhha.. My mum dropped me on my head when I was a toddler. NOT. If I have kids one day, I'll tell my next generation, "These are your dad's toys when he was a kid.". Who knows, by then, probably marbles are extinct. Marbles... Oooo... so 60's and 70's .. .. .


Okay... now, a picture of my "Grey Hound". Conan has been bugging me to take a snap shot of my racer before the mileage of this bike is high. By then, it would probably look like an Ah Peh's (old man) china-made dark olive green bicycle. My racer is currently housed in my sis's room. Karloong, if you're reading this, notice how this photo is taken. Trying hard not to capture any background that looks too messed up. Yes, your room is in a mess now.

You must be kidding. Badminton games in an enclosed hall = drenched in sweat. Tired after the game. But, I left the hall, satisfied. It was suppose to be a last session of badminton. But, surprisingly, there were 7 person who came tonight. So, when our game ended, we all urged the organizer to keep up the good work, never give up. We promised to make it whenever possible. She agreed. Hooray. =p

While I was still in the office, I felt a little weak. Don't really know the reason or problem. Probably due to insufficient rest. Skeptical about where can I still play when I arrive at the badminton hall, I proceeded to my destination. After a match or two, I was already sweating profusely. Totally unexpected, I felt better instantly. Mmm... I think I needed some exercise to purge some water out of my system. No... peeing doesn't count.

Now, back at home, I think I shall skip the jogging session. Wouldn't want to stress my body out. I'll probably do my jog tomorrow night.

Too damn tired to blog last night. Work related. Couldn't swim after I got out of the office since, it was already 10.30pm last night. Pools are already closed. Dismissed the idea of doing an early swim this morning at 6.30am, since I was knocked out cold last night. Probably due to my lack of sleep the night before (cycling probably). Badminton session is on tonight. Unfortunately, it seems to be a last session. Poor response, cited as the cause for not organising badminton sessions anymore. I remembered it used to be a huge turnout when it first started. Well... more family commitment for most, I guess. It is not easy for the organizer too.

I hope I can go for my run once I reach home, after my badminton game tonight. No rain, please.

Surefire way to train for cycling? "Yes sir! Keep a pet mosquito in your room, sir!!"

The mosquito in my room pissed me off by giving me a few stings and disappearing each time I switched on the lights. When I finally spotted it, I was too slow to swat that bugger. Now, wide awake at 3am. What could I possibly do? Ride. I have to ride anyway. So, I got my stuff, moved as silently as possible and started my ride at 3.30am. 16.5km, mainly straight roads and only 2 steep little hills that I have to climb. I reached back at my place 52mins later, which I intended to do an approximate time of 48mins. A little more is ok I guess.

Time to let me bathe, get changed and sleep. Hoping that mozzie would have found a new owner or sucker to sip his Bloody Mary cocktail.

It's a good Sunday. Wake up early to smell the air that is fresh and clean. Most people are still in bed. Have to work today. It is a bright and sunny day. Great day for sports and family outings. The train empty with barely 10 commuters in each cabin. Got to work till afternoon today. But, still, I love Sundays.

Now that I'm home, it feels good. I just went over to Borders, browsing through some magazines. Mainly MTBs. Mm.. . Someone living in my block is playing the saxaphone again. That's why I love Sundays so much. Don't know who he or she is, but it sure feels like I'm in some Jazz club.

I'm gonna miss my ride again. The sky was still clear and stars were visible hours ago. Now, when I'm ready to move . . .. strong winds, tree tops swaying, clouds, not a good sign. It'll be raining soon. Shall not risk getting my racer's gear wet, if it rains when I'm riding. I'm still contemplating if I should get one of those Minoura trainers. Gonna burn some rubber anyway.

Looks like I have not choice but to march straight to bed. Let's see if tomorrow is a good day for helmet, break falls and inline skates. Meanwhile, slumberland time. ZZZZzzzz

Remember a while ago that I posted about our colleague who has a medical condition? Then till now, she was in and out of the hospital. Some ago, she was already resting at home, nursing her health before going for the operation .

This morning, I received an SMS saying that she passed away last night.A wonderful mother, loving wife and helpful colleague. She left a son, her husband and us, peacefully at her residence.We understand that she has medical complications all along, awaiting for her health to at least recover, strong enough to go through an operation.But still.. .. .. It seems just like yesterday, when I gave her my extra set of DVD player (got a free DVD player from insurance freebies). It seems just like yesterday, when we had a BBQ and lucky draw prizes for X'mas celebration at 0103's (another colleague) condo. Life is fragile. Just like the tsunami incident. Show more care and concern to those around you. Can't say enough. Is someone on your mind lately? Tell them how you feel. *Staring at Conan* Are you listen, Conan? No one knows what lies ahead of us tomorrow, not even to talk about our future. Thought of achieving something that you wanted to accomplish long time ago? Go do it. Afterall, life is so short. Shorter than the time taken to say the word, "Tsunami".

As I blog (really need to get it off my chest), some colleagues are going over to pass the money collected, express our deepest regret and condolence to her family on behalf of everyone of us in our office. Now, our "Clown of the Century" HR person made a "Words of Wisdom" of the day..... telling our boss,

Quote
"Eh. ... . can collect the staff pass and medical card from the family?"
Unquote

KNNBCCB.....does this person eat crap and shit rice? Probably my hate vocab is limited. Maybe you guys can help me on this. Maybe even Quasi. This has certainly pushed the buttons for some of us. Sistar, you've just tripped our circuits, burned our fuses. Count yourself lucky if a trashbin is not flying towards you. What the hell is wrong with this person? Yes, a HR person has to enforce policies, be fair and most of all compassionate. HR personnel handles sensitive issues everyday. Surely, one can understand the departure of a love one. I strongly believe that no amount of HR re-course can tune this person's head. She certainly needs to see a shrink.

Trying out some template changes last night. When it is offline, on desktop, it seems ok. But, when I tried it online (posting), it looks weird and definitely different. Not something that I want. But, as for now, what I can think of, will be to change the banner.

I thought that I would be free on Sunday for a "blade and fall" session. Something is just not right, I thought. Checked my schedule, found out that I need to work this Sunday, a whole long day. *eyes roll* So, bringing forward the "blade and fall" session with Conan will be the only solution. I thought of cycling to my office on Sunday early morning since I need to reach by 0730hrs. But, since I do not have a spare tube yet, I shall not. Just in case if I get a puncture, my a** will be on the frying pan and my head .... chopping board.

Oh.. . Chase is on T.V. now. Let me watch Linda Liao, while I sew buttons for my shirts... they're coming off.

You don't get to meet understanding motorists everyday. You got to watch your own back.

Bicycle Safety got it via Blue Collar MTB

what's wrong with you.... .? I guess I must have mis-handled you. Dropping you on your head, a little too much. Now that you are a little schizophrenic ... .At times, you sing melodiously. But there are days when you lose your voice and you just wink at me with your sparkling, pretty face. I wonder if I should get Eric to take over you. But, 2 years.... Anything can happen. He might not be able to follow me wherever I go too. What am I to do? Let me consult my stars..... I think my 2 years with you is almost up.

Its raining cats and dogs out there. Can't run, swim or bike at all..... I can only snack now... how devastating

As the title suggests... work. Especially when no planning is done beforehand. Cutting into my training timing is the last thing that I hope to see. But, it happened. I missed another training timeslot on my time table again.

Onto some other topics, Conan and RanchuKing seem to have some small discussion over what should be the next objective to conquer after our recent TreeTop Adventure. Conan wants P.U. mountain biking. B.T. walk is another suggestion from them. Don't tell me Conan The TopoKing wants to try his luck in navigating again.

5th April 2005: Edited version and repost. Inserted RanchuKing's pic.

The following excursion took place in some place with dense vegetation. A place full of SEAL trained mosquitoes and without a bikini babe in sight.

What a great day for a hike. Muggs, Conan, RanchuKing and ChiefClerk set off at the start of the trail, 0800hrs sharp. All of a sudden, Conan feel like doing a EliteForces style of camouflaging his face. According to my personal standard, it was a lousy paint job.



Approximately 3.5km down the trail, we seem to be lost. Tired and thirsty, everyone seem to have missed the map that was planted along the dirt track. Being the wisest one here, Muggs begins to consult his trusty Brooks jogging shoes for directions. "Hey, little fella. Which way is the TreeTop Bridge?"



Needless to say, Brooks, after being stepped on by Muggs for the past 3.5km, has refused to reveal any clue. Now, Conan starts to look doubtful.



Pissed, Conan decides to lead the pack. Conan screamed his war cry, "I am Conan the Barbarian. Hear me roar!! Follow me instead because I have the POWER DRINK!".



Strange as it seems. A usual TopoKing, Conan was able to navigate to the rest point near our objective. Seems like Lady Luck is with him. Will you just look at him? One kind of Yaya Papaya face. "Yellow watermelon face, actually.", corrected RanchuKing.



Even our ChiefClerk, a.k.a Mrs. RanchuKing, shrieks in disbelief. (ChiefClerk stresses that she wants to stay anonymous. Hence, we "mosaic-ed" her face.)



Well, even though Muggs is defeated by the new TopoKing in town, Muggs never fails to pose for a shot. Been here, done it and I'm loving it.



When it was Conan and RanchuKing's turn to take a picture, there was a small incident. Butt groping. Feeling guilty, our RanchuKing looked away.



While crossing the Tree Top bridge, our TopoKing, Conan, suddenly got excited when his mobile phone rang. Conan yelled, "Hello. Ohh.. .AM? Yes, AM? Ah ha... Oh yeah, by the way. I'm now crossing the Tree Top bridge leh.". Happily yakking on the phone and block the uni-directional pathway at the same time, a pudgy lady decides to overtake Conan. In the process, Conan's mobile phone left his hand and plunged to its death, into the primary rainforest below. We thought we hear a yelp from his Nokia when it landed on the ground with a thud.



The rest of us laughed our heads off. Conan spun around only to catch the sight of the pudgy lady taking off, leaving a cloud of dust. Conan let out a thunderous roar, "KNN". Clearly, the roar didn't help but only left us with spasms in our abdominals. Conan spotted that Muggs had the loudest laughter. The Barbarian shoved a lemon down Mugg's throat with one swift thrusting action.



"Shit.... what WAS that?", Muggs choked. "A lemon and serve you right for gloating over my misfortune.", hissed Conan. By now, RanchuKing and Chief Clerk intervened, "Alright, cut it out, you guys! We should be heading back for lunch already. I'm starving.". Conan proposed a toast to finish up his power drink before we head for lunch, while Muggs still feeling sour over what has happened, turned away .... *still fuming*.

breakfast. A good way to fuel up a day full of physical activities in the next few hours. It was 7am then. RanchuKing, Chief Clerk, Conan and I moved off to our designated form up place before moving off for our TreeTop Hike. Gearing up and getting ready at the start point, it was already 8am. For the initial few kilometres of our walk, everyone chatted because they were still fresh. To me, its a refreshing walk since I have not been back at this trail for a while. Basically because my group of regular jogging pals are slacking now. I enjoyed the walk. But, they were trying to hide their fatigue faces from each other. I guess they got more than what they have bargained for in this walk to view the TreeTop canopy. We're not even half way there yet. We stopped a few occasions for breaks. Finally reaching the start of the TreeTop canopy bridge, we took some more pictures before crossing the uni-directional bridge. We did hear a clown roaring off like George The Jungle. "Awwweeeoeeo". Of course, it followed by a disapproval whistle blow from the Park Ranger. This is a nature reserve. Not the Amazon Rainforest. Next stop, a Tower. Although it was just 6 levels of spiral staircase, our team is already complaining. Too much sofa and tv programmes, eh? The reward, 360 deg panoramic view, at the top was wonderful. We paused for some bread and drinks before descending and heading back to the carpark. From the tower to carpark will take another 2hrs of slow walk. So, when we reached the carpark, it was already 12pm. Since the path way back to the carpark is so much easier, there wasn't any grumbling from the 3 of them.

Hey, what do you know? The rest of them wanted to have lunch at indoor air-conditioned environment. Where else could be better than TeaGarden Mac? Watching kids enjoying games at a birthday party while having our lunch was quite a laugh. Kids will still be kids. Who doesn't enjoy a birthday party filled with fun and games? RanchuKing and Chief Clerk parted ways with us to walk around the florist nearby, while Conan and I headed off a park near my place for inline skating practice. Conan bought his new K2 skates and it is time for some scratches. We had a few falls. Resting, 10mins breaks in between each looping "workout". Since we're not really skating that good, we called it a workout more than cruising. Ending our "practice" an hour later, after spotting some "suspicious" looking dark clouds, we decided to have some drinks at the nearby Mac. Tired and finally returing home, we agreed that we should do this again. ... . . More falls soon ... definitely.

So, .. no blading today. Since its raining, our Uncle Conan's shinning new K2 skates can turn to rust skates. Hence, mission abort for EC. But still, we shall proceed to plan for our HTTW objective hike that is taking place tomorrow.

Just back from a short ride. From my place to old work place, ex-company. A loop, then back to my place again. Nothing fanciful. Just a short 15.5km. At this time of the night, I saw 3 mountain bikers and 1 racer rider separately. Looks like a lot of night riders out there too.

Mmm .. . . I think I should clean my bike. Looks dusty.

Now, that's nice. In fact, fantastic should be the word. K2. Big name. But, no. I'm not the proud owner of the new pair of K2 inline skates. It belongs to Uncle Conan. Happy man now. Not so happy for his wallet. He is officially $239 poorer. It was quite a good deal. With protective gears, helmet and all. However, this uncle has a rather unique way to wear his wrist guards. I shall demostrate it, capturing it with my trusty digicam. But, I just need to edit them. Its hilarious. Other than tackling the HSBC TTW tomorrow, we're set to go blading on Sunday at EC. Time to take some falls..... Good o'l days of unarmed combat...

Today was a long day. Before meeting up with Conan, early in the morning, I went for some bird watching with ZhuiTeLun. Bumped into some tourists (shall not name the nationality here), who was screaming at the top of their lungs. They saw nature stuff.... probably they could not take the shit. They were complaining that they see nothing at all. Its hot and stinky. Only a bunch of birds and loads of sand banks. They were trailing us, hoping that we could point out some interesting stuff. How could we watch birds when anyone can hear their voices or should I say noise within a 10 metre proximity from them? ZhuiTeLun and I purposely stopped in our tracks to let them overtake us. Finally, giving up, they did a U-Turn, assuming they got out of the sanctuary. A good thing. So, after this "tourists" encounter, we saw a pretty good range of stuff. 1 metre plus monitor lizard on top of a branch, approximately 6 - 8 metres off the ground. Common green tree snake that was cleverly camouflaged behind some leaves. Sandpippers, doves, king fishers, plovers and eagles. We saw archer fishes in the water too. There was a particular pond that we saw 4 monitor lizards that had perfect blending with the environment that it took us some time to spot them. We had a good rest point climbing up the watch tower. It was really cooling up there. We ended the walk early when it was slightly drizzling again. We went off for lunch and we spotted a country club that has a cafeteria opened to public. Mm ... that might be a good rest point for my biking next time.

Taking a day's leave today, I woke up at 5am to take a walk in Chek Jawa at 8am. Took a train ride to meet up with ZhuiTeLun before heading to the jetty area for the bum boat ride. It has been like 7 years since I set my foot on Pulau Ubin. Today, there were 3 groups of 10 + person each for the guided Chek Jawa walk. ZhuiTeLun and I were attached to a local Uni students group. Armed with a pair of booties and a digicam, we had a few odd stares from some of the students. The walk would not exactly let you see as many things in an underwater dive. But, you will still be fascinated with things that you might find. It was a 2 hours guided walk and before we ended the trip and headed back to the mainland again, it started to drizzle. Let me arrange the pics and I shall post them online.

Depending on the weather tomorrow, I might visit some bird sanctuary. I'm still on leave tomorrow.

See ya later

Meanwhile my pic from Biathlon 2005

Minor damage, just a pinch. For safety purpose, I got a front light for my "Grey Hound". Of course, not as bright as any vehicle. But, it should give drivers some form of early warning. Happened to be at a bikeshop after work today and I bought my front light. Saw some gloves... but I still prefer the pair I saw the other day, which is elsewhere. Another day then. Still to come. . . . tights... My butt will have to endure for the time being.

Since the day I got my bike, Conan has been pestering me to post a pic. He said he doesn't want to see a "high mileage" bike after numerous rides. Bugger. Soon ... . . I need editing and only my desktop can do it. Way to go, GIMP!

(*^_^*) Happy, just back from a run. Not too far, just 3.7km. Or rather based on just 20mins. Feeling great, minus the nagging knee that happened 2 days back. Still .. . I have to continue with my static quadriceps exercises.

Again? Return of the Mozzies. The night before, 2 mozzies perished in my hands. Last night, I couldn't hit a lone mozzie. Probably I was too groggy. A light sleeper that I am, I have to get rid of the mozzie. One word. Termination. Lucky thing for him, I couldn't locate him for 10minutes. I decided to sleep on the living room couch. An idea triggered a spark in me. I was wide awake. It was just 4am and I thought I could bring my "Grey Hound" for a spin. I never refuse a chance to exercise. However, something bothered me. Since it is late in the night (or rather really early in the morning), traffic is significantly less. It would be extremely dangerous if I do not ride with a front light. I know a rear light might be good enough. I was believe in safety. Hence, I had to dismiss the thought and continue my sleep.

Now irritating mozzies aside. Today, I keep deciphering code "L6". L6 = Lazy? L6 = Lazik? L6 = Level6?
I love puzzles.... I keep wrecking my brains to decipher mind boggling puzzles. A challenge to my mind. A workout for my brains. Looks like I'm not exactly out of the woods yet. Oh well..... I'll get there one day.

For now, let me look at my new downsized map for cycling routes.

Just got another incoming radio check. Awaiting for me to authenticate. Not exactly fumbling, but wanted to be sure of most aspect.

Looks like I have to abandon Pulau Redang dive plan and the Kathmandu trek. You gain some you lose some. That's life.

Kathmandu? Probably next year. I bet it is a nice place.

My day started when I woke up at 6am. I washed up and ate 2 slices of bread. With my backpack on my back, I hailed a cab to EC. Reaching EC, the entire place was already packed with people. Scouting around for familiar faces (since, I registered the race alone), I walked to the registration to grab my race pack. Proceeding to mark my limbs by officials using huge permanent markers, one of them wrote a huge 637 (my race number) on both of my arms and thighs. I was looking around for 619, guessing if I can spot "Rey Mysterio". No luck. I prepared my jogging gear, by pinning my race number at the front and back of my singlet. I left my shoes, socks, singlet and shorts at my transistion spot. By chance, I spotted a familiar face, Pioneer P., a camp mate. Didn't know that he would participate in such events since he is not really a sports person, except for soccer. I needed a "locker" service and went to deposit my backpack sealed in a big bag marking my race number. While waiting for the race to start, I did my warm-ups. I bumped into another familiar face, Kenneth, the swim coach.

There were 3 waves this morning. 1st wave Men's Open, 2nd wave Men's Open (my group) and third wave Ladies Open, Men's Veteran and School Challenge. 1st wave flag-off was at 8am. 2nd wave was at 8.10am and I was among those that were ushered to the holding area for Sarting line. A quick brief by an official and the horn was blaring off signaling a start. Sensing much congestion at a start, I let the entire crowd rush into the open sea. There were 3 floatation devices (big buoy) to go around. Finding my way to the 1st buoy wasn't difficult at all. Suffered several "shadowless" kicks and "buddha" palms along the way. While going around the 1st buoy (my mistake, I should have taken a bigger loop), lots of swimmers were jamming, treading water on the spot. I guess everyone is trying to turn at a shortest path around the buoy. Navigating to the 2nd buoy was a killer. The sun was facing us and everything was silhouetted. I could hardly spot the buoy which was in bright yellow. The waves didn't help either. So, aligning to the buoy was a skill. I could see lots of swimmers disorientated. After turning at the 2nd buoy, heading to the shore was the easiest. After getting out of the water, I changed into my jogging gear to get ready for my 10km route. My run was okay. But, around 4km, my old injury came back. A sore right knee accompanied me for the rest of the 6km. I had to slow down the pace for my knee, just in case. I complete the entire race in 1hr 47 mins. I took 50mins for the 1.5km swim and 55mins for the 10km run. I was a little disappointed because of my knee. But, come to think of it, I am only slacking behind 5mins for my usual 50mins timing in 10km runs. I was really tired, seems like my lungs were on a hyper mode and I enjoyed the rest of the morning hanging out around the area, watching the prize presentation. 1st places for Men and Women category was around 1hr 10mins. One of the female winners was only 15 years old. Amazing.

After collecting my finisher medal and goodie pack, I met up with Conan and went to get his Oakley, Half Jacket. This uncle keeps claiming that he did not like the Half Jacket. Guess what? Yet, he bought it. This time, the sales assistant was a friendlier staff. But, still, I did not proceed with my purchase. I'll hold for a while. Someone has cool new shades.

Back from a lunch and coffee-chitchat session with Lambie, Beng, Kitty and KittyTrainer. It was great meeting KittyTrainer this afternoon. Seems like a great guy, a guy-next-door. We all chipped in our ideas for their wedding preparation hoping to cover some loop holes in their already fantastic plan. We're all too happy for them and hoped that we could chip in at least a little to help. So, we hope to see KittyTrainer more often ... well, ttoday was a brief introduction to us.

Conan just IM-ed me. Asking if I do inline skate. I'm not good. Still able to travel some distance at a very slow speed. More practice? Talking about skates.... my skates was thrown at the top of my wardrobe and I was quite worried that it'll be "screwy".... Fortunately, after inpecting my skates, I find them serviceable. Mm. .. will have to wait for Conan to get his skates.

Tomorrow, my attempt at Biathlon. 1.5km open water swim, 10km run. Not really competing, but oh well .. . the idea is just to have fun. More updates tomorrow.

Crazy things happening at work today. Weren't feeling pissed, but just worked my a** off. Barely had a breather ... working on ideas ... while others stared because there was little that they could do or offer.

So, once my idea seems to pay off, I went for a short dinner break with ABG. Ahh.. . .sushi, just nearby office area. Right after dinner, I popped back into office to check on my idea .... still working fine. Tomorrow, I'll be meeting Lambie, Beng, Kitty and someone new. Kitty trainer actually... Glad for Kitty that she has found a trainer .... Growl.... *whip whip* Purrrrrr .

Arrived home a little late after a session of american pool with JapBoy. Our games are never serious and are always filled with laughters. Work and politics in office environment have drained our energy levels. Therefore, we'll usually meet twice a month for a game. Have some drinks before heading home. Of course, usually not too late. JapBoy will be a dad soon and needs to go home early. Last night, an exceptional case, we chatted till 11pm plus. Something interesting happened during our game of american pool though. JapBoy being a better player than Muggs, we'll usually finish one set rather fast. However, there was a particular game where another young "Ah Lian" from another table brushed our butts a few times. You know.. .those times where each player from different, but next table take aim at the same time and their butts meet. So, JapBoy got a few butt cheek kisses. I got a few too. Plus... a poke in the butt crack from her cue. All of these were unintentional. But, JapBoy and I were laughing our heads off. For that, in that particular game, our shots were so way out of standard. It took us slightly more time to finish that set. Lucky thing... she wasn't about to do a brute force follow through ball... else... no riding on bike for a few weeks.

Mm .. .. these few days the air still smell. The haze is still around.

Anyway, I slept till 11am today. Surfed and online for a while before receiving a call from Beng. He was around town area and called me for coffee. Since I thought of picking up something from town, I went down to town. We chatted about my linkup. We walked for a while before I picked up an Adidas jersy looking polo for cycling. Just an alternative. They have XS for white. Left without a choice, since I like yellow better, I took it. Beng left and I walked over to the paradise for I.T. geeks to get a flash drive reader since I'm too lazy to install anymore drivers for my digicam. $90 poorer.
$50 - Adidas jersey
$40 - Flash reader

Incoming SMS ... . Dive lobang to Pulau Redang... awaiting for quotation... since I have the dates of departure and arrival .... looks okay to me. More $$$ pouring out.

Was just reading my sis's blog since she's still in U.S. and she says she misses home. Soon, Karloong.. you'll be home soon.

Today's ride from home - office - town - home clocked a 29.7km. While riding home, I had 2 miss calls. Chini and Brownie tried to reach me for a squash and table tennis session. Once I reach the LBS around my place, I told them I can meet at 2pm. I bought a stand for my bike, so I don't have to lean my bike against the wall. Rushing home immediately, I changed and went for 1 hr of table tennis and 2 hrs of squash. What a day! I took my dinner at Chini and Brownie's place since Brownie is cooking, we show her our appreciation by finishing the food. Not someone who is good in the kitchen, Brownie was still able to fix a decent dinner. We had some icecream before I left their place and head back home. Now, I'm home.. .. I'm really sleepy... had only around 4-5 hrs of sleep last night...

AC called me last night around 9pm, saying that there would be a small coffee session at the East side of the island. As always, I never turn down a gathering unless I have other appointments. Reaching the usual coffeeshop, AhCheng, AC, AC's wife were already there. I was the second last to arrive. Minutes later WRX-Beng came. AC and his wife went to Taiwan and they showed us the photographs. Ahh.. anyone who has been through those "green" training days recalled all the familiar tourist spots in the photographs. We talk about some of our secondary school friends, their lives, exchanging and updating each other on who we have bumped into recently. Trying to find time to gather a cycling session is difficult but not impossible since most of them are attached, married or married with kids. Or else, busy with their work. Then, EndlessTrail SMS-ed me to ask if I would be interested to cycle and meet in the city area this morning. My worry.... have not tried this distance before. It will not be a problem if I'm using a MTB since it has thicker tyres. But still, I agreed. Will need to check with the LBS about the price of GT Ava 3.0 and its availability. Ooops... I hope bonus is good, so as to cushion me a little on my recent "expenses". Spotting that AC's wife has been yawning... we called it a night and all went home. At 1am in the morning, the only one staying West, a cab is the only way home. I reached home, settled down and still... could not sleep. No idea. Didn't take any coffee or tea. No.. . no one specific was on my mind.... Just no explanation. I probably fell asleep at 3am.

Woke up by enthusiasm (probably my brains knows that I'm cycling today), I washed up and prepared for moveout. Riding till I reach my previous company's location, I stopped to buy mineral water and newspapers. All was well and I only had a small "pressurising move" from a BMW driver with me when I was turing left. He tried to overtake me and cut in before me after the turn was complete. *showing fist* "I'm not a teenage school girl and I'm not impressed with your BMW!". Nah... I wouldn't do that. I stopped near my office, had a soya bean drink and now .. . in office. Oh well ... since its still early before meeting time with EndlessTrail, I thought I'll just blog. Mmm .. . squeeze a little.. . . time management.

I just came back from coffee session with my secondary school friends. Will blog about that soon. Got to catch some sleep. Heading to Cityhall tomorrow.

As far as I can remember, weather is a much more predictable thing of the past. At least during my younger days. Pollution has been a problem for a while which most cities want to solve, but have difficulties in doing so. Just on T.V. news, Paris is closing off section of the city to stop noise and air pollution. Why don't we all cycle? Do some workout for your legs.

I just did. Cycled to Fongs' place to take a look at their PC. Traffic was at its heaviest and I was horned at a few times. Quite a lot of hazards for a racer on the street. Uneven roads. Debris. Twigs and branches. I collected my "Finding Nemo" VCD. I braced myself for another round of horns blowing on my way back. Probably the traffic is less.... I was spared. To and fro was 6km. But, I can already feel that cars pay less attention to cyclists and motorcyclists. Welcome to the world where cars are the kings. There were a few occasions that I was "forced" to super extreme left... I have to take care that I do not hit the sewer covers or I will fly because my racer is fast.

After a long chat with Conan last night through IM, he has set an objective. HSBC TreeTop Walk in 3 weeks time. This uncle wants to maintain his fitness (on a weekend basis). He has challenged me to walk the high suspension bridge with him. Our dear friend has no idea about the distance of the walk and whatsoever. I shall see him cry for help. Looking at nearer weekends, Conan has the cheeky to suggest that I cycle to Bukit Batok and he will meet me there using his Honda Civic. He wants me to pace him in jogging. He must be high on booze...... last night during IM chat.

"Mission Abort, I repeat, Mission Abort!", screamed the Fongs. Mr. Fong just touched home base, back from work and advised Muggs to hold flight mission to a later date.

Can't try my bike. So, I jogged instead. Better not rain tomorrow morning, so I can try and then go for my breakfast.

This morning, my trusty Casio alarm clock woke me up at 6am. Right on time, I thought. I sprang up, happily moving swiftly out of my room, I headed to the washroom. As I was about to brush my teeth (since I wanted to try my racer this morning), I heard a familiar sound in a distant.... *Boom* ... .. Crap.... It was already raining.... I couldn't try out my TCR3, I closely the windows in the kitchen, let out a few grunts and went back to sleep again. I shall not risk riding a racer in the rain.

SITREP 1
Reaching office and as stealthly as possible, I logged into Yahoo messenger. Several mintues after I started working on some presentation slides, I was "contacted" by an incoming IM from Turtle. It seem to be she wanted to ask about my life, I obliged and answered her. Watching every word I type, I try not to say things I should not.

SITREP 2
Before leaving office, my eyelid was twitching. In my context, it can only mean one thing. Incoming SMS from Cookie. Don't ask me why. It happens all the time. She was complaining about some problems at her end, things at work. I'm still researching on a scientific logical explanation on why my eyelid always twitch before I receive SMSes from her.

I'll be going over the Fongs' place later, collect my "Finding Nemo" VCD, probably at 9pm. I'm sure my racer wants to come along.

Once in a while, you've got to throw in a reasonable amount of shock to your body. Why would any perfectly sane person would do that? Mmm ... humans are highly adaptable to gradual changes. Hence, sudden different tempo would make your body guess. After my 3.6km run half and hour ago, I did some chin ups. Instead of performing the reps in a descending numerical order, I did it in an ascending order. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 7. Mm m.. 7.... shouldn't it be 10? Fact is,.. I knew I could not do 3 more proper chin ups. Eventually, I stayed there.. hanging onto the bar for another 15-20 secs. My forearms are blaahhhhddeeee stiff now. Sounds like the Lamb.

Last Saturday, receiving an IM from my friend (who always pronounce Linux as "Lee-nooks), we arranged to meet for a cup of coffee. He is still as blur looking, stressed and always having thoughts on his mind. Of course, I can't help but notice some changes. For whatever reasons, our conversation mentioned about Turtle. My friend asked me how she is and if I still contact her. Nope. He doesn't know anything. I found it weird to answered "I'm not sure. I have not heard from her.". But, that indeed was my answer. So, I dropped a "courtesy" IM to Turtle on Saturday night, mentioning that Mr. Lee-nooks asked about her. This morning, I received an IM from her saying that she is still struggling with her health. Her job is fine and she asked me to tell her about my work and if everything is fine. Scratching my head again, I don't know what to feel. Lost .. I guess.

Something on the brighter side of life. haha.. I have 2 different dive group people asking me to dive on Good Friday weekend. One to Pulau Aur and another to Pulau Redang. Another friend asked me to go for biking. I had to turn down all. Reason? Biathlon is up on 26th March. Arrrg .. .. all about timing. Okay.. . I shall jog after this Star Wars movie, do chin ups, sleep early. Tomorrow, I hope to wake up early where there's less traffic in order for me to try my racer. Fingers crossed. Yeah... so crossed till I almost did a typo error and typed "Star Warts". Shit.

At the bike shop, with my speedometer and tail light fixed on my TCR3. I bought a comfortable helmet "within" my budget too. My bike is ready for action. Not yet.. . . carry all the warranty cards and boxes, I couldn't ride properly on the racer. Thinking of the route, I believe I have to manage a flyover too. Hence, I decided to take the safe bet. Push it home. Carrying the racer and crossing an overhead bridge is not too difficult since the racer is light.

Some more things to buy. A backpack. Jersy. Sun glasses. Oh boy.. ..

I just bought a "poor man's" transport. Actually, a racer. Conan went with me to get the bike. But, sensing that the weather is not right, I told the shop mechanic that I will collect the acer tomorrow. True enough, within like 15 mins, rain started pouring like crazy. Conan said it would have been a car wash for my racer and I showed him my palm. Some upgrades to be expected ... I need a speedometer, helmet, rear light... so much more... More "bleeding" to come for my wallet. A mountain bike. I can't go off roads with my racer, can I? Unless I'm asking for trouble.

So, its Giant TCR 3 for now. Mmm.. . an aero bar ... probably later, when I race.

Do you take public transport? Have you ever seen people yawn when they see someone else yawning? Common sight huh? How about SMS-ing? It works the same way where the "yawning disease" propagates. Next time, while you're on a train, try something like this. Even if you do not have an incoming call or SMS, just take out your phone, punch some numbers, stare blankly at the screen and punch some numbers again. Pause and look around. 80% of the time, you'll see some people start to take out their mobile phones even if they do not have any incoming calls or SMSes, acting busy. Works like yawning, an air-borne disease.

I just came back from the movies. It was a free ticket. Our company booked the entire cinema and we watched "Robots". I wanted to watch this show. Maybe my expectation for this show is rather high (because I always enjoy animation shows), I was slightly disappointed. Well, in terms of the way the story is paced. I do enjoy some of its "engineering" jokes. Mmmm, I think I'll rather watch "Hitch" again.

Last night, I got to know Gang4 is going through a bad patch. I hope she is fine.

Ahh... tomorrow.... I shall go to my LBS and order my MTB. Can't wait.

It has been a while since I went for a real holiday. Think that was 2 years back on a dive trip. Changes in job or things happening around me has left me dry. Exhausted. Humans need to recharge once in a while. We all do. My Mount Kinabalu climb scheduled in June is not confirmed yet. I might *roll eyes* have some minor "adjustment" to make too. I can't exactly go too far because they cost too much. Now, Maldives is one option. Take it as helping them in rebuilding their economy which is highly based on tourism.

Probably another half an hour later, got to do some chin-ups.

Today is a grand day for my friend, Botak. His showroom's grand opening. Of course, he has other business partners for this shop. Another hero in IT world is gone. But, as a personal friend, I am truly happy to see that he has ventured into a different field. Something that interest him. All our ex-colleagues and friends wish him best of luck too.

Glad to back from my "camping trip". In fact, I was already back since yesterday noon time. Having some spare time in the afternoon, I watched "Hitch" starring Will Smith. I love the way this film stresses essential points on dating or relationships. I didn't like Eva Mendes's performance though. I headed to the swimming pool and swam my usual number of laps. A surprise indeed. I met Santoku there. We chatted a while, discussing on next dive dates and location for our group.

Probably due to 2 weeks of body conditioning, my biological clock woke me up at 7am this morning. Its more appropriate to say I was woken by my stomach growling. I was hungry. A quick fix, Big Breakfast, at MacDonalds. Now, the highlight of today. Link up. Wasn't exactly the best, something that I expected. Guess the ball is in my court for now. Time to rush off and I went to Samantha's first month celebration. Meeting lots of ex-colleagues there. We all chatted till 6.30pm before heading home.

Arrgg... looks like I have to do some calculated risks for link up decision.

Finishing the "Triathlon 101" book, I can't wait to go to the library again. Usually, for non-fiction books, I'll read books on the same subject from different authors. Different authors would have their own views or points to highlight. True enough, I did pick up several pointers that sounds logical and I would have never thought about.

Talking about swimming. I went for a swim yesterday night, right after I reached home. Of course, I have not been swimming for a week, I could sense that my stamina has dropped. Trying not to stress myself out, I did a lower number of laps. Today, I did a max-out chin-up sets before heading over to the swimming pool. 2km swim was all that what I did today. Not on speed, but rather on interval training and concentrating on strokes.

Okay, a weekend is over for me now. I'll be back to my "camping outing" for my last week. No more blogging and swims till Saturday. I can't wait to get home on Friday night. I have Samantha's first month party to attend on this coming Saturday. Botak's shop opening party on Sunday. A race waiting for me near end March.

Back in my home sweeet home, a break from my "camping" trip, I'm taking a rest from a hot week in the woods. Learning new tricks and knowledge revision on old stuff. Walking in the woods, we did happen to shockingly discover women and a man in the woods. No reason for them to be there,... well.. . except for one. The mattress on the ground was a dead giveaway. Ewww. They were still in their clothes. But, I guessed that they were about to start their "transaction". Sigh. Training area is just not the same as before. Deciding to mind our own business, 7 of us went on in our little "walk in the woods". We saw more mattresses and came across some early warning noise generating devices made from Tiger beer cans. An alert for potential intentional or unintentional intruders. For ladies out there, just watch your back. Stay away from dark areas, especially thick bushes or greeneries. Yeah .. I know, it's sick.

OMG ... people loose weight in camps. I just found out I gained 4kg. I'm not sure if its due to regular meal times or my swims that I take in more food than usual.

Breakfast in the morning with Gang4 and we did some catching up on each other's lives. I got to know from her that YunYun has a baby boy now. That's good. I hope life is kind to YunYun.

Things happen for a reason.

Went to library at Orchard to return some of my overdue books. While browsing at a bookstore, I bought an IM book. Meanwhile, I'll just be reading it. I hope to use it someday. That's a long goal.

Alright .... That's all for now. I shall go offline for a week or two, without posts. Due for "camping trip". I'll sure miss my blue Speedo trunks.

Woke up rather late today, since I had a late night yesterday. I had a simple breakfast and went for my swim around lunch. Wherever bikini swimmers lurk, Muggs runs. I was swimming half way through my routine, 2 bikini swimmers appeared on my right side lane. Immediately, I could sense my lane getting crowded. I could never understand. Muggs had to switch lanes ... because other male swimmers are not keeping their eyes on the lanes but elsewhere.

Surprise surprise, myFTOgpx was around my area and called me for coffee. Anyway, it was time for me to take my lunch. Had a late lunch with him.

Reaching home after lunch, I packed some of my stuff getting ready for my "camp retreat". Took a break when Conan asked me out for coffee. I resume packing and more till just moments ago. I actually forgot to take my dinner. Probably I had too much little bits of icecream, fruits and other food. Gang4 asked me out for breakfast tomorrow. Ha .... breakfast at her "old" neighbourhood. I got to drag my ass to sleep now, while I leave you guys with lyrics of Adam Sandler's Growing Old With You, which I intended to post last night (too damn tired).

Growing Old With You - From Lyrics Search Engine
I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
All i wanna do is grow old with you

I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you

I'll miss you
I'll kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold

I'll need you
I'll feed you
Even let ya hold the remote control

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed if you've had too much to drink
I could be the man who grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you

Wow....its really a fruitful day for me. I have accomplished quite a lot for a day of leave from work. I started my day with a breakfast at a coffeeshop near my place. Having breakfast while reading a book. *Enjoying life* I walked to another nearby neighbourhood, as planned, to take a look at some bikes. I spotted a racer within my budget. The people from the shop gave me some pointers on what I should be looking out for. Mentioned that they have a regular cycling group for Tuesdays and Thurdays, that triggered my interest. I can't wait to get back from my "camping" trip..... Eager to get my bike. I may or may not get an additional mountain bike. After checking out various details that I needed from the shop, I went for my swim. Once I finished my regular 51min workout swim, I went to shop for the stuff needed for my "camping" getaway. Let me tell you....it was really a humid and warm day this afternoon and I was perspiring all over. All of a sudden it rained... The weather...really driving me nuts. I had a quick lunch and did some window shopping at a mall.

After rounds of walking around and enjoying myself watching people vent their anger on arcade games... I went to meet up with Kitty, Lambie and Beng. Beng was late and I met up with the rest first. To my surprise, I bumped into a long time old friend, Gang4. Haha .... I haven't seen her for quite a while. We chatted a while. Too bad we weren't able to have coffee chit chats ... Probably some other days .... She's feeling down lately. I hope she is fine. While Kitty wasn't feeling too good. She headed home. Mmm .. a matter of fact, Kitty's date is suppose to join us for dinner today. So, Kitty has found a loverboy. With Kitty heading home, Lambie, Beng and I went for some tea and we chatted till 1 AM just now. We could just chat and chat and chat. But, it was getting kind of late and I just reached home. It has been a wonderful day.

T.V. just showed the shots for this coming Sunday night's movie programme, "The Wedding Singer", by Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. This used to be Yunyun and my favourite movie. Our movie. It sure did bring back some memories. I still remember that I bought that soundtrack album. I loved the track that Adam Sandler was singing to Drew Barrymore on the plane, called "Growing Old With You". Planning to use that song for our wedding day if it will ever take place. In fact, I never had that chance. Ha.. well...all things happen for a reason ... wise saying from Lambie.

Last night, I saw an offline message when I fired up my yahoo IM. Turtle messaged me a Happy CNy and Valentines' Day greeting. Seriously, I didn't know what and how I should feel. Anyway, my astrology or zodiac signs readings are so accurate for me ..... I think its really creepy. I shall stop my daily reading for a while.

Tomorrow, I will be on leave, away from office. I need to get some stuff for my "camping" trip. If time permits, I shall look for my new pair of jogging shoes. Mmm.... I'll take a walk to another estate to visit some bike shops. Time to recce around for prices..... Need to have a guideline.

Ugly things happening at work today. We have a colleague who had a real bad pain happening from her tummy to spine area. Understanding that she has some medical problems and due for surgery next week, we thought that it might something that could be life threathening. She was really pale. Sensing something could go wrong, we dial for an ambulance. She was already in great pain and crying out loud. When the medics arrived, our "dear" HR (well ...one of our HR staff) asked us the reason for calling the ambulance. She says that it is embarassing to have an ambulance to stop in front of our building and it cost the company $80. She claims that the patient will have to bear the $80 bucks. She carried on to say that we should just give her some warm water to drink, let her lie down, rest a while and she'll be fine. Talking about being a slave driver...... Ashole. Well, I can pay $82 bucks...$80 for the ambulance and another $2 to tell you to shut the fuck up. After this, several emails have been circulating mentioning that in the future.... if there is any need of an ambulance, we should consult her in advance before activating one. We check that our colleague is currently in the hospital, under obsevation since she has complications. Fortunate thing, that we sent her to A&E fast. C'mon.... we are logically sound enough to decide if anyone's life might be in danger and therefore, a need for ambulance. We still need to seek approval? What is it cost a life? What can anyone say? "Too bad"? "Sorry"? Where has education brought us to now? Kids... don't learn from adults like these..... too much ass kissing, do you no good. Pardon me.... but, bunch of madafarkers. Corporate cockernathans.

After my swim, I am so damn hungry now. Since CNY is already over, I'll do the honors in clearing some of the festive goodies and yummies. So.. . .this makes part of dinner for my digestive system.

I received a "Radio Check" call today. (^_^) .. . .which is a good thing. Talks shall commence after Friday..*Fingers crossed*

Got a mail today from our company's recreation club. In this coming month of March, we are going to have some very interest activities. We have movies screening.... Mmm .. but, not too sure what movie it'll be. I hope its a good one. Something else caught my attention too. It was "Recreational Climbing Level 1". Ooooo..... No wonder, I heard that the recreation club secretary is an avid climber......

The last round, I missed an opportunity to a kayaking course by the recreation club.

Visions of last year's Valentines' Day flashed across my mind. Ha... A hopeful soul then. But now.... ANYWAY, have to look forward, can't I?

Now, I have the perfect place for our date. There are lots of things we can do.

Take a plunge in the sea of Love,
Cycle on the highway to Eternity,
Run to each other's arms.

Welcome to Paradise....

Beng and I went to visit Mrs. Fong at the hospital today. Mr. Fong is there too. He brought us to see his lovely new-born, Samanthan. We had a long chat with Mr. & Mrs. Fong. It was great seeing them. Once rated as an impossible couple, they have clearly proven to those that believe Mr. & Mrs. Fong would not make it as a couple. Muggs is truly happy for them. I'll see them again on baby's first month, after Muggs service for the nation.

To side track a little..... well...what do you know.... my television set seems okay for now. *Muggs grunts* Must be a T.V.'s day of the month thingy. *Muggs fixes his stare at the T.V.*. "I'll be watching you".

Elites of the night,
Swift moves in the dark.
Silent as they strike,
Leaves you with small marks.

Mosquitoes......... Make you feel like you're sleeping under the skies, out in the wilderness. These little creatures are on the rise recently. Everyone be real careful. Dengue is the word. Stay vigilant.

I got ambushed and awoken by one. Can't sleep and started blogging now. Anyway, they're showing Valencia vs. Deportivo, live on T.V. now.

Gathering at BuiChek's place this afternoon for all ex-colleagues. Generally, lots of people are late. Earliest among my peers and I do not even have a car. I think the kids are happiest at this time of the year, receiving red packs. As usual, I was thrown with the question if I am seeing anyone. I was even told that someone wants to meet a potential guy and my name was mentioned. Ha.... I'm pretty used to it. Adults were operating their mini-casino while kids played with computers. We moved off early since we were going over to Beng's house for an Annual Heroes Meet.

Annual Heroes Meet, held every year at Beng's house around CNY. All heroes busy with their super-duper crime busting activities daily, will cast aside all their work and meet for a Polytechnic classmates gathering. Since Beng's place has the biggest living room, our Heroes Meet is usually held there. Muggs is okay if the Heroes Meet is at Muggs' place. But, my living room is so small. If 20 classmates were to come, 10 classmates will sit on chairs/sofa with a classmate on his/her lap. Today, when all latecomers have arrived (as always), we headed over to Parkway for our dinner, followed by coffee. On my way back home, I saw 4 cyclists on mountain bikes. I felt an itch running all over my body.......

Itching for a swim, I did a 1.8km swim and it was faster than the previous timing of 46mins. I clocked a timing of 43mins 30secs. Pretty satisfied, I tried a 10 strokes per breathe but found out that it was too tough. I managed to complete a 100m of it. But, I think I'll leave it at 8 strokes per breathe. I dropped by at the library to return some books and headed back home.

I was told by Bala that the television set is throwing tantrums again. This time, its the volume of the set. Upon switching it on, it can remain like muted. Approximately after 10mins, the volume goes up and down like a coaster for another 10-20mins before stabilising. I guess the circuits need to warmed up. Anyway, this television set underwent several "operations" before and has caused quite a stir in my wallet. This television has been around for 15 years... what more could I ask for? Manufacturers don't make televisions like they used to. I think television sets now can only last around 5 years?

Divers, have a look at this......

Top 10 Ways Not to Make Friends on a Live-aboard
I love Number 5 - "Use your divemaster's brand new digital camera and housing as a tank banger."

Top 10 Reasons Why Divers Should Not Take Viagra
All of them....totally hilarious

Lots more from ScubaDiving.com at here.

Second day of CNY is usually going to the movies with anyone who wishes to get away from house visiting. As usual practice, ZuiTeLun (don't ask me to explain this vulgarity soundalike nickname, it'll be too long a story to tell), Botak and I went out for a movie. "Racing Stripes" is not a fantastic movie. But, at least, it is a lighthearted story as compared to "Constantine". We went over to Cosy Bay for dinner and drinks. As I was walking around the area, I started to plan out my "pit-stop" for my future rides, when I get my bicycle. Mmm.. still torn between a mountain bike and a racer.... Tough decision.

Today is a great day to swim. Public pools are opened and there is only around 5 swimmers in the pool at one time. The rest of the people are sun-tanning. Mmm.. I thought it is a good day to try a 8 stroke per breathe in the pool for my freestyle and I incorporated it into my swim session. Whoa...8 stroke per breathe is a killer. I cannot imagine 10 strokes. Of course....it all takes time. But, it was a real workout on my lungs.

Happy Chinese New Year! I woke up earlier than my parents, a usual practice. It is a good day. A new day for new clothes and shoes. Most people will be traveling around to visit relatives, colleagues or friends today.

*beep beep* *beep beep* Incoming message alert. Weird looking number. CNY greeting should be from Turtle. Anyway.....

Ha...my body aches when I sneeze. Hahaha... so, effects from last night's exercise.

Hey hey hey!! Its Chinese New Year Eve!! It was a half day in the office. But, I was running around helping HR department in setting up the copier/fax/printer machine. Really busy till drained of energy. Not exactly finished settling everyone's PC, it was aleady 1pm. Everyone is ready to go home. I packed my stuff, headed home and slept till 6pm. I woke up, packed and did some cleaning up in the living room.

Tomorrow is Chinese New Year's day. Everyone will be a year older in Chinese custom. Things will definitely turn better for everyone. For those having reunion dinner tonight, enjoy your time with your family. Will have to wake up early tomorrow.

I received a call today that I have been waiting for. Its late. Of course, never too late. A change for the better.. :)) I shall swim tomorrow since swimming pools are open.

Disappointed with myself, I feel weak. Well, humans live on expectations and Muggs expect quite a lot from himself. Trying out the static station pyramid workout, I could only manage up to set number 6. I failed when I did only 4 chin-ups at set number 7. I completed a total of 21 chin-ups, 42 push-ups and 63 sit-ups. Feeling lousy that I could only reach a quarter of the pyramid path, I ended my workout. I should have continued to work back down from set 6, then 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Too affected by my own achievement. At least I know where is my max out point for now. Till I attempted again on Wednesday, CNY.

Saw Jenna Elfman on T.V.. Ha... I like her when she was in "Dharma and Greg". I love her performance in that show. She was totally silly and absolutely adorable.

No.... its not some fancy marketing label, where the higher you are in the pyramid, more commission goes to you. Its just any exercises, performed in sets, moving up the pyramid and later back down. Muggs shall attempt as instructed in the "Training Special Ops" book, 3 simple exercises. Chin-ups, push-ups and sit-ups. Here's what to do:
Set 1: 1 pull-up, 2 push-ups, 3 sit-ups.
Set 2: 2 pull-ups, 4 push-ups, 6 sit-ups.
Set 3: 3 pull-ups, 6 push-ups, 9 sit-ups.
.
.
till
Set 10: 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 30 sit-ups.

After which, proceed down to set 9, 8,. . . . all the way back to set 1. That's why its called, Pyramid.

Rushing back from work, I went over to my friendly neighbourhood, Giodano store to pick up a pair of jeans. I needed one anyway. I spotted something I like. The staff said that they do not have my size. Not that I'm too huge. As a matter of fact, I'm too small. My other choice is a low cut hip jeans. Haahah.. not a fashion guru myself, but I'll give this a try. Lucky thing, my abs are still ok, no beer belly in sight. Eventually, I found a normal polo shirt at Hang Ten. I wanted something simple. I raced back home, giving my 2 new pieces of clothing a rinse before taking a quick dinner.

Watching "Daylight" now. Taking my time to digest before I perform a first attempt at pyramid static stations training.

We had an early reunion dinner last night since YMother have to work tomorrow night. It was just a simple dinner with roast meat, abalone, soup, mushrooms and herbal chicken. It is fast. CNY is already here. Soon, Valentines' Day is next. I still remember what I did last Valentines'. Tomorrow night, I shall take a night off from swimming and will do my pyramid training for static stations. Real tired now. *Yawn*. Blog again.

Yikes...now I remembered.. I have yet to buy any new clothes for CNY. Tomorrow.

The other 4 digits of the serial number on my watch came out first prize on the lottery for today.... *faint*. OMG. I could have had a super mountain bike or an all expense paid for watch. Anyway, it wasn't meant to be mine. I did not continue to buy the number after the other set of 4 digits that I won a month back. Hahaha. Life still goes on.

What I can say? I've not had a decent Spa retreat since who knows when. Soaking up all the goodness, resting in my bubble bath, I am set to spoil myself today. Scented candles would be great. Everyday, with the pace I am set to follow, age never fail to leave its signature on me. I look like I am several years ahead of my time. My skin feels smoother now and I can't help to wonder when can I do it again.

Kayano VII in Jacuzzi

More packing to be done. Will be Man In Green soon. 12 days 11 nights "camping" holiday. Greenery is good for my eyes. My pair of boots look screwed.....getting mouldy.

In fact, 2 more days will be CNY. It is really fast. Several days more, Valentines' Day will be here. Can't help but remember what happened last year. Anyway, I didn't expect that tomorrow is a full day at work and on Tuesday, it is just a half day in the office. So, I have decided to start the other pyramid training tomorrow evening. More explanation about the pyramid exercises involving chin-ups, push-ups and sit-ups. I have yet to buy any new clothing for CNY and will probably do so after my pyramid workout tomorrow evening. I'm starting to yawn. Blog tomorrow.

Come to think of it, I would have gotten my Rescue Diver training by now, if I had not postpone my IPPT. Knowledge for safety has always been my priority, in my own views. Its not about certification or what level of a diver I am. I truly believe that certification has no relationship to a person's diving skills. It is about self correcting when it comes to diving buoyancy and stuff like that. Life is never ending learning path. Choose to learn or ignore. Everyone has a choice.

Just returned from Kiat's place. He was trying to " introduce" his Ranchu aquarium fish hobby to us. While Conan and I were not too impressed, we just chatted and went through Kiat's Taiwan holiday photos.

Prior to visiting Kiat's place, Conan and I had dinner at a spot further away from town. Conan did point out that town side would be rather crowd on weekends. We had coffee after that chatting about anything under the sun. I picked up a Norah Jones - "Come Away With Me" CD. Yeah... I know its been at the stores for quite a while now. But, I wanted to get this CD all along. Just that I always say, "Tomorrow".

It's really difficult to get a tan nowadays. Why so? Well...as I was walking to the swimming pool, it was scorching hot. I was sweating from all the heat. Happily, I changed and layered myself with sun-tanning oil. Once I stepped out, ..... it was just Mr Cloudy taking over. What to do? I did a few warm up laps before I start my pyramid swim training. Along the way, several kids cut my lane. Kids being kids. They smiled as I let them pass. There were just too many people in the pool today. I got interrupted several times, even by adults. But, I am glad. I clocked (approximately, minus off 30secs of interruption), 37min 15secs, which is faster than my previous timing.

Okay, meeting Conan later for dinner. Probably walk around and I would like to get a CD album. Blog later.

Dozens of guys gathered for a physical fitness test that they have booked today. I am one of them. I had to wake up around 6.45am and wash up before taking just one banana for energy. Light and fast to digest. As I cleared most of my static stations, I calculated the points I was accumulating. I figured out that I'm left with the last station, 2.4km run, to determine if I can get Gold award. I have not timed my runs, since my last lesiure run, which clocked a 10mins 45secs. Based on this score, I would only achieve a Silver. Of course, monetary reward is always the push factor to me. It can mean only.... more shopping... Subsidising my new jogging shoes or racing flats. Time is up, as everyone gathered at the start line. Command was given and we sped off. Reminding myself that I should maintain a 3min for first 800metres, I just kept going. At the rate I was running, I crossed the end point eventually at 10mins 1sec. Gold award it is. Now... let's take a look at some Asics or Mizuno collection around town, after my swim. Sun seems rather shy again today. Anyway, its time that I shall wash my Asics Kayano VII.

My profile picture is up. Why Charliebrown, you might ask. Simple. myFTOgpx's whole family call me Charliebrown. Its a long story which dates back to our poly days. We are buddies and staying around the same area. Sometimes, I would drop by his place. There was once when myFTOgpx's 2nd sis started drawing a smiley face on an egg and myFTOgpx said it looked like Charliebrown. myFTOgpx's mum said, "You mean that friend of yours?" *meaning...me.., eyes roll*. myFTOgpx and his sis burst into laughter. Ever since, I have a new nick in their household. Charliebrown.

I shall rest early tonight. Another "tribal challenge" tomorrow, which happens to be my annual Physical Fitness test. I'll leave everyone to laugh at my profile picture.

I am suppose to do an early morning swim today. But, due to a last minute change, I need not stay in the office tonight. Hence, I decided to swim after work. Right after 7pm, I sped off to the barber for a haircut. I took a quick shower before heading over to the swimming pool. Sticking to the 1.5km pyramid method, I completed my objective of the day. Exhausted but proud of my improvement because I took only 38mins in my freestyle pyramid training method. The last time that I timed my normal freestyle of 1.5km swim, I took 40mins 20secs. Still catching my breathe, I headed to the shower room as I spot that life guards are getting off duty soon (it was already near closing time). There are 4 rows of shower heads and I remembered pass 2 guys as they were at the shower heads at row 1. Since it is near closing time, it is not too difficult to notice as there are only 3 of us in the shower room. I took the last row. After bathing, as I was drying myself up, I spotted one of the guy as he is already starting to put on his clothes. I took notice of the other guy as he came running over to the last row of the shower heads and started showering there. I thought it was really weird that why he would change a spot since the shower room is not crowded anyway. As I was putting on my T-shirt, a shadow came up from behind. "What time?", I heard a voice. I spun around to spot a naked guy. I mean... "what do you want?". Within striking distance of my jumping back thrust, I can easily land my foot on his face. "9pm.", I said. "9 what?", he asked again. "9:05", to be precise. He hopped along to the second row of shower heads to continue his cleansing ritual. I pondered as I observed that he is not a swimmer. He wasn't here to swim. No googles or swimming trunks around his bag. Only a pair of shoes. He wasn't even bathing with soap. I have no idea why he is here. I have my fair share of meeting weirdos. I respect anyone for who they are, as long as I am left alone. If I feel threatened in any way, I will never fail to strike like a split second of a King Cobra. I take head shots, only.

Last night, laptop-less, I could not create any entry on my trial swim results. As a matter of fact, I have qualified. Muggs along with another local, a French and a person whom I do not know about his nationality have created waves in the pool for our trial swim. The Frenchman, with a better stroke, finished his swim faster than the rest of us. I clocked a 36min 30sec, better than my last timed swim of 38min 30sec. 2 minutes faster.

Talking about physical fitness, I stumbled upon a book at the library which I thought was really wicked. "The Special Ops Workout". It says, "The elite exercise program inspired by The United States Special Operations Command". A brief glance at the exercise that they have provided in the book, I say it is insane. But, they do have some very interesting concepts to try out. Afterall, it's just physical fitness. You'll be lean (being mean is totally
up to you) after a few weeks of workout, based on this book. No pain? Where's the gain?

Now, I've just reached home after finishing my swim workout at the pool. Using a method instructed in "The Special Ops Workout" book, I am exhausted. Totally. I completed my 1.5km swim in the pool but this is how it goes..... Using freestyle, normal swimming style is to perform a right, following by a left arm stroke before you turn to breathe. Assuming we call this a 2 strokes per breathe. I performed the swim in a pyramid method, meaning....
First 100m - 2 strokes per breathe
Second 100m - 4 strokes per breathe
Third 100m - 6 strokes per breathe
Fourth 100m - 4 strokes per breathe
Fifth 100m - 2 strokes per breathe
That would clock a total of 500m already. I repeated the same routine till I reached a total of 1.5km. The book did specified that it is possible to go up to 10 strokes per breathe...... *What the....* I am already having difficulty at 6 strokes per breathe. We all need time, don't we? Improvement is on the way. Since I'll be staying late in the office tomorrow (due to some upgrade jobs), I'll be doing an early swim tomorrow morning. If time permits, I'll pay a visit to the barber after my work. CNY approaching soon.