Limping Marathon Runner

Had a day's worth of hard work at myFTOgpx's place last night.... . whopping some a**es on PS2 Dynasty Warriors for the whole of yesterday. I went through a little of his holiday pictures in U.S. with his love. I saw Yosemite!!! This guy actually went there!!! No kidding ... But, I'm glad that he and Sammy enjoyed the place. Yosemite has always been my dream vacation. If possible, do a camp and trek, it would be heaven. Imagine sleeping under the star filled night sky. Simply breathtaking!! Some pictures of places like Anaheim Disneyland and San Francisco certainly refreshed my memories. There are a few shots taken by myFTOgpx which I think are really beautiful. I love the combination of color blending. Didn't have much time to go through all the photos .. . Got to "borrow" a couple to post them here, especially those shots on Yosemite. Thoughtful myFTOgpx and Sammy bought me a box of See's Dark Chocolate Almond. You see .... Muggs is not exactly a chocolate person. Not that I do not like chocolates. But, if I cross the border of a certain dosage (like 2 morsels from a chocolate bar), I will get sore throat coming my way, long before I know what hit me. See's chocolates .... mmm *gobble* *gobble* .... so, last night, I took a little more than the specified dosage limit ... "What is death, without some sinful dark chocolates!!??" Okay. Now, I'm gulping H2O like a lunatic .... remedy actions to prevent sore throat outbreak....

A E-newletter caught my attention. Army Half Marathon is back and registration is going to be up in mid July.

RanchuKing, ChiefClerk, Conan and Muggs caught the movie, InitialD, at 1640hrs. Some people gave negative feedback about this movie. But, I think this movie is not too bad. If you are hoping for something like "Gone in 60secs" kind of show, then look elsewhere. We had dinner and a little coffee before heading home. I had my swimming gear with me. Too bad, there wasn't enough time for me to squeeze in a swim. Cycling is still possible with my BlackSteed. A 25.8km and yet, things to see again. 5 - 8 mountain bikers cycling westwards. A pair of lovebirds locking lips at a bus stop. (^.^) At 0130hrs?? Oh yeah .... you can do pretty much what you want at the bus stop at this hour. A motorcyclist giving me a friendly warning honk.

Now, I'm hungry and eating some chips. Later at 0900hrs ... . Dynasty Warriors shall battle it out again. I'll take a look at myFTOgpx's holiday pics taken in U.S. too. Time to shower and sleep. It was good brute force training just now.

They left me a present. A really crazy day at work. Loads of stuff to settle. Meetings, patches and evaluations. Now, I understand what "No Fear" means to them. It equates to "No problem, even if there is its not my problem". I had a great lunch with ZhiMien, leaving me a little recharged. This guy is always in deep thoughts. He's might be thinking of what new electronics gadget to own!! Strangely, at a hideaway place in the CBD area, there is a little restaurant that serves japanese food showed to me by ZhiMien. Left work at a later than usual timing and it costed me a swim session. Mm .... I used the time for my run. A short 5km slow run before I brought my GreyHound out for a spin. Some guy's car got smashed up pretty badly at the junction. I sure hope the driver is fine. They had to get the police to direct traffic. 14.8km, a short ride for my GreyHound. More long swim and medium run tomorrow. Not too sure if RanchuKing and Conan have gotten the tickets for InitialD. Likely to be a 5pm show.

Suddenly, I recall that I still have a half day off to be exercised. Tuesday, it shall be!!

Real Run is back!! This year, by New Balance, the race is on 28th August. Registration is open now. I've registered for the run and bought a pair of swimming shorts (serves as my tights for my race on 3rd Jul).

Cross-Terrain
Road - 6km, Sand - 1.6km (killer), Trail - 2.4km

Anyone wants to have fun?

Strange but true. Last night while lying on my bed, I had flashbacks of a family day event in those days when I joined TD as a rookie. Oh my! That was donkey years back. But, it seems like yesterday. Our Tech department staff, all of which were some young 20-somethings, were having the best time of our lives. Images .. Memories... of these "young guns". We hopped into vans and go anywhere. Movies or dinners. Holidays are the best. Chirstmas or New Years, our desktop PCs would be wrapped up, water-proofed. For the next second, the office would be turned into a battlefield. Flour, water bombs (plastic bags filled with water) are thrown all around. Just for the record, we even had a torn breast pocket of a shirt incident. Yeah .. . we were doing the WWE Wrestling thingie. The guy (which happens to be the manager) didn't want to tap out. So, we thought that it would be nice to have a little souvenir. A piece of cloth ripped from the breast pocket. Good old times.

Now, everyone is getting on well in their own career and family life. This is good. Once in a while we get some bits and pieces of information about who's moving where. Only those few that is really close, still keep in touch with one another.

A couple of days back, I saw my colleague ordering the weirdest combination of drinks available. Sure. Fine. We've all heard of Teh Halia. Now. My colleague order Kopi Halia and Holicks Halia. Ewwwww. I cannot imagine Holicks Halia. I've tried Kopi Halia once and I am sure that it is one of the weirdest drink I've ever tasted. My taste buds refuse to register the idea of having to try out Holicks Halia.

*Updated at 2310hrs*
I thought I still had concentration during my swim just now. *Sigh* It's lost now, almost in an instant, right after my swim. Everywhere, I see Turtle's face. Here we go again. *Knocks head* Focus. Got to take my bike out for some spinning.

My nightmare. Scary shittey stuff.

Restrained by cable ties, onto a flag pole, made to see people participate in the Triathlon race.
Reason? I was late for registration.

Crushed. Totally. Watching people swimming towards the end of the swim course and making a transition to the cycling course. How evil can that be??!!! Made to watch people race.

I broke loose from the nightmare when there was a thunderstorm again this early morning at 5am. *Grumbles* I better don't over sleep on race day.

No morning swim, it was still drizzling. Mission abort.

We are already doing some prep talks on the BBQ that is happening next Saturday night. These people can have all the fun. No boozing for me. No extra spicy stuff too.

While on movement for RTU, after tactical break, I saw TGL driving across the street. He honked and waved at me. I waved back. I keep bumping into ManInGreen these days. Seems like we are going to have another ManInGreen gather soon, next year.

Heh heh heh ... I've managed to have some good progress on my next layout using CSS, getting the layout that I want. A better layout. Happy little man.

I hope to do some swim and cycle tonight. Let's see how the weather holds since we have a thunderstorm around 2am plus this morning.

*Updated at 2145hrs*
Woot! A good swim tonight. 100m warm-up swim, 1.5km swim and 200m warm-down swim. I've performed some self-correcting moves as I observed how I swim (by feel). At least, I don't feel like I'm "bulldozing" through the water. 1.5km was completed in 40mins. Oh dear. I think the waves will definitely take up a bulk of my time. Let me stock up my reserve tanks (makan-resup). Hungry. Starting work later tomorrow. So, a little time for me to squeeze a swim in the morning and then get my swim tights before heading to office.

A check at the Triathlon website, it displayed a "Triple Threat" "Dual Dare" challenge.

• Race starts at 0715hrs
  
• Swim course closes at 0805hrs (50mins for athletes to clear swim course)
  
• Cycling course closes at 1000hrs (1hr 55mins for athletes to clear cycling course)
  
• Running course closes at 1125hrs if you fail to hit the halfway mark (1hr 25mins for athletes to clear 5km of the running course)

Good luck with all your training, peeps.

Round trip distance of 38km today. To tuition location (tutoring KK), then to RanchuKing's place (discuss about our BBQ / Chalet plans and food preparation) and back home.

While at the junction leaving RanchuKing's place, Conan came up beside me in his SilverHawk. Waved at me and I waved back. Then, the lights turned green. He turned left and I turned right. I notice a bike (an uncle riding it) behind me trying to speed pass me and cut left into a carpark after we both turn right. When he knew he could not make it in time, he did the E-brake. So did I. My tires kissed his. Locked lips. His engine stalled. While I didn't have an engine to stall. ;p He wasn't shouting but he raised his voice slightly asking me why didn't I zipped straight when I turn right, when what I did was a right arc turn. I found it useless to argue. No one was hurt anyway. I took the bullet and made the first move to apologize. Sensing a defusing move (maybe), he asked if I'm okay and whether any on my bike is broken. I checked and said everything is fine. We went our separate ways. So many automobiles out there trying to cut corners and into cyclist tiny little one third of the left most lane. *Sigh* Oh well .. there isn't much education on this area anyway. Ride on.

Not again. *shake your head* More about terror munchies nightmare later.

My ride last night was just a 25.8km, using my Black Steed. Hence, I guess it was pure brute force? I saw a couple of mountain bikers heading in a different direction across the road and a lone racer on a separate location. It's cooler to ride at night. No escape. You'll still sweat profusely though. That is if you put in a good workout.

A good workout deserves some good treatment. I had Ben & Jerry. Woo-Hoo!! "Shiok" is the word. After for about 2 month, staying away from cold, spicy and sour stuff, I had my first freezing cold ice cream last night after several days of good workouts.

If possible, biking to work would be great (which was what I did today). Not a long ride. Just a 11.7km to another 11.9km back. Today's (Saturday) traffic is light, IMHO. Something which I think would not happen in places like ours, would be massive biking to work campaign. Most people are obsessed with cars. So, right after work, I picked up a pump (with a pressure gauge) for my bike. Wow! So much better than the cheapo pump that I have for my Grey Hound.

Definitely NOT for The Non Gung Ho
Now ... on to the main point of this post *drum roll*

Celebrating Father's Day a day earlier, my parents and I went for a dinner. I thought the dishes that we ordered were pretty good. Thai style fish head, deer meat with ginger slices, mushroom with vegetables and watercress soup. The Thai style fish really whipped my appetite because I've not had anything spicy and sour for more than 2 months. The watercress soup tasted great too. Pondering over what they might have for special ingredients, I observed a "rolled up leaf" of the vegetable. Don't smoke me. I do cook. Leaves don't roll up after boiling in soup. Upon closer examination, the special ingredient that made the soup tasty happens to be a caterpilla. *drum roll x 2* KNS. *pengz x infinity* Okay. I'm over the I-am-The-Great-White-I-smell-blood role. Now, I feel like a Whale Shark. No plankton leaves this hatch alive!!

No Kisetsu, still no Guinness Records intention. No Fear Factor either. :p

No training tonight. Rest day. Cycling and jog .. tomorrow.

Shocked. Yeah right. That's the word. Petrified? Yeah, could use that too.

Definitely NOT For The Faint of Heart
I almost swallowed a staple. Didn't know how it got in there in the first place. I was munching on some titbits. A crunch on something hard alerted me. Next thing that I know, I pulled out a staple. *faintz* What a screw up method to die of internal bleeding in the office. Okay. I need to make some coffee to calm my nerves now. *shakey-shakey* I don't intend to leave my name on the Guinness World of Records this way.

Now, I know how the Predator of The Deep - Great White Shark, feels like. Swallowing metal trash. No, I am not "Built For The Kill" as in National Geographic.

Notice some changes? Yep... Created some shortcut buttons. Is the yellow color too distracting? Free to comment

*Update at 2130hrs*
Swim is rather good today. 1.4km inclusive of 100m warm-up and 200m warm-down. Happy that I achieved a little more than expected. Wrist feels okay. But, still ... I have to be careful. I hope the sky is still clear tonight. "Black Steed .. c'mon"

Low in batt when I woke up at 7am, still ... I got to drag my ass to work. I boarded the train and starting reading my book as usual. At the next stop, I got a pat on my shoulder. It's Mr. Fong! Hey hey! It has been some time. The last time that I saw Mr. Fong was when its Samantha's first month celebration.

:) My day just started with a warm smile

Whoa... this Conan uncle wants a customization on his Mugen sticker. Type R and all kinds of ideas. Must charge this fella sky high. I still need to submit my drawing for him to vet through. KNS

*Updated at 2144hrs*
Clocked 1.2km in the pool (100m warm up, 200m warm down). Correcting a little of my own strokes as I swim along. Best news I've known for today, Water Polo team training is not going to be at my area's swimming pool anymore!! Alright!!! I don't have to travel to another neighbourhood to swim on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays anymore. Black Steed ride starts at 2330hrs. 54Brownie and Chini just gave me a call to tempt me with Roti Prata supper. Kiaoz.

Maybe, I'm slow. I stumbled upon the detailed routing feature (on streetdirectory.com) for bus / driving with a selection of either using the expressway or major roads. I could very well use it to plan my routes to my destinations when I'm biking! It documents the exact turns and direction (with distance included). I was using the old can.com till I found this. Anyhow, I still have my trusty hardcopy of the road directory.

Received a not so good sms from my SecSchool friend, mentioning about her dad. Right after work today, I needed to hurry off to the swimming pool. Clocked 1.1km. Really tired. Showered, get changed and rushed to meet my SecSchool friends to attend one of our classmate, her dad's wake. I always love meeting ups with my pals. Reminiscing those days that we've been through during our younger days, never fail to put a smile back on my face. Now that I'm home, I can't help but think when would we all gather again. Dinner? Coffee perhaps? Ooops. My fingers can hardly coordinate with my thoughts for blorging. Keep hitting wrong letters, need correction. I was thinking of testing my Enduro8 on my BlackSteed while at work. Okay. Safety first. No ride for tonight. Sleep early for swim/run tomorrow night. Early? Almost 12am soon. Early.

Just discovered this at BlueCollarMTB pointing to SingleTrack's Kona 2006 range of mountain bikes. Too bad, I just got my GT Ava 3.0. The new Caldera, Blast and FireMountain looks yummy. Anyway, its all going to be like cars, stereos and computers. Endless new models will be out each year. Endless tempting upgrades for each year. So, its eye candy for now. Or ... it could be someone's wishlist.

Last night, I came across a black and white Tie Fighter Squadron decal that looks exactly like this on the rear of a SUV. Damn ... I couldn't activate my cam on my mobile phone in time and the white vehicle sped off.

I saw this Internet Joke while browsing for coding, at W3 Schools. A techie joke.
*Quote*
Customer: "I want to download the Internet. Do I need a bigger hard disk?"
Download the Internet here.
*Un-quote*

Wait a little longer for the ultimatum, killer message!!

For Techies Only: Fedora Core 4 is out. Redhat, anyone?

Conan should be back from Bangkok today. Guess this uncle must be smiling from ear to ear. Where are my presents?

You bet.

rather than
Upgrade from the previous 80 x 15px hamster picture for Kisetsu. I tried to draw and squeeze in the foldable beach chair. But, it looked more like a few broken poles and a piece of table cloth. So, I roamed around online for inspiring designs and found the sandcastles with a spade. Splendid idea! Why didn't I think of it in the first place??!! Now, this button looks cleaner than the other button with a beach chair (In my recycle bin now).

Here it is ... for LMD. As compared to this .. .
Yesterday, I create the neon sign button for her too. Her button, like EndlessTrail's, is one of those few "early" buttons that I have created. *Feelin lousy* So, its time to give their buttons some facelift. Come to think of it .... my own button looks kind of crappy now. Got to think of something ....

I updated my F.A.Q.s a little.

Fox racing logo. ... Niceeee ... I think this decal is going to be on my frame. I saw the decal design right here. Maybe I can include the word, Muggs, in the decal. Anyone interested? Probably you might want to take a look at my finished product before Emailing me.

If you have noticed by now, I'll be doing revamps on buttons. Trying to upgrade all to 80 x 30 px. I'll either trash and re-draw or work on the existing design. Patience ... people.

*Updated at 2317hrs*
Swimming pool session. After such a long break, its time to test the waters. I got to see if my left wrist will protest once I touch the chlorine water. Inital 3-4 laps wasn't good. Out of the waters for too long, even my inner ears are shouting, "Quit drowning us! Here comes the flood again". I decided to go slower and monitor the performance of my wrist. After another 2-3 more laps of warm-up, it felt better. I clocked 850m in the pool today. I went slower than I should be, allowing breaks in between. *Staring at my wrist* Just in case ...

I picked up several books at the library after my swim and met up with OCS for dinner. Since he just knocked off, I met up with him at our ex-office nearby place for some food. Some chit-chat .. told him that I'll drop by his office on one of these days when I knock off early.

Shite. Just got a piece of ugly news. Well, how shall Muggs put it?? No, its not me ..

Things in this area ain't the easiest to deal with. *Rest of the contents taken offline by Muggs* I guess by not posting it... would be better for the parties involved.

Finally swapped the Enduro8 and Mitty8. Ha... so, I just have to bring either one out for a ride tonight. *Lame excuse* Got to return some library books before the librarian chases my ass around.



Mmm.... I think the DSLR is quite achievable here .. after punching some buttons on the calculator.

*Update 2340hrs*
Damn it. The skies are red again. Looks like Black Steed is sitting around again. Alrighty!!! My comrade and his love have touched down at the airport last night around wee hours. I guess they must be having the economy class syndrome now, after flying 10 over hrs back from U.S..

Today, I came across this song on TV again. Sometime way back ..... (._.) since I last heard this song on radio.

Garth Brooks: To Make You Feel My Love
Written by: - Bob Dylan

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
And I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
There's not doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on a rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothin' like me yet

There and nothin' that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
Make you happy make your dreams come true
To make you feel my love

For people involved in the shitey news. *Don't take things too hard*

Whoa. ... super sleepy after a makan movies session over at CLong & Liz 's place. It was great meeting everyone.

But, my day starting a little late like 10-ish am where I was online looking for info. Chatted with ZhuiTeLun via IM and I found out that this blur king has just splashed his new shirt with car coolant. Apparently, he was checking his van if he needed to add some more. Lazy to fetch his rag, he just open the cap and viola ... splashes. Even though he has left his van to cool for an hour before checking, he conveniently took it that the vehicle would have cooled off. Oh brother ....

Around 12pm, I got offline because there would be some discussion on an upcoming trip. Met some friendly folks there, though I've seen their faces at the Charity Race before. We would not be doing the full blown bash trip. But, I guess this will be a recon mission and an assessment of our physical fitness for the showdown. More or less that we have concluded our discussion for the day and some of us went over to Campers' Corner. They are having a 30% sale now. Fay bought a Whisperlite, which I seriously think that it is a neat piece of equipment. Ooei oei oei. Whisperlite is not some "my-gf/wife-use-one-ah". Guys and gals can use it. It effectively replaces your camping cooking gas in blue little containers. Imagine. No more cold nights. Drink teh-O, kopi-see, teh-tarik .... steaming hot.

Since I'm going over to the East side CLong & Liz 's place, I dropped by at one of the LBS to pick up a Mitty8. Now, got to swap my Enduro8 on my racer to MTB. I should have bought another Enduro8 to save me the hassle. I guess I was a little early too. I walked around a little to delay some time before hitting my destination of the day.

Earliest at CLong's place, I watched cable TV while playing with his dog. Smart little fella, I tell you. My knowledge for dog species is limited and therefore not able to tell. While the guys arrive slowly one by one, we started our dinner a little late. So, it was a makan-movies rather than a makan-games session. Best of all, apart from the wide spread of food, Liz's honey lemon tea is really fantastic!! It something un-explanable. Something like a warm glow in your heart that starts emitting, after several sips. SpaceCadet finally introduced her HoustonControl to me. Nice meeting him. Getting late ... senior citizens like us all got to turn in early ... all looking like sleepy heads. Hah .. had too much fun till I forgot to take out my digicam during the party.

I got an IM buzz from ZhuiTeLun asking me if I'm free for dinner with JapBoy. HEck! Since I'm free, I might as well join them for dinner. They suggested to check out the new clubhouse (which I already did with Conan) right after dinner. We had GuoTie (Fried and steamed dumplings), spicy and sour soup, plus noodles.



We ended up at the clubhouse, pocketing some balls instead. JapBoy and Muggs are trying to get ZhuiTeLun to learn how to play American Pool. I must say, for a beginner, ZhuiTeLun did some very impressive shots. Beginner's luck? Not really. While ZhuiTeLun is learning how to play American Pool, JapBoy corrected his body posture.

*ZhuiTeLun bending over and taking a shot, aiming the cue ball*
JapBoy: "Ooei, your body posture is too up right. You should bend over till your chin almost touching the cue stick."
ZhuiTeLun: "Huh? Issit? But, so weird."

JapBoy: "Bend over, easier to aim."
ZhuiTeLun: "Mmmm ,...." *unconvinced*

JapBoy: "Why are you so scared to bend over? You won't bung buar liap. No one would see."
ZhuiTeLun looks into his button collar shirt to double check.
*Piak* Muggs high-5 on his kok-tao head.

Oh well, I should have brought along my blue trunks *wink at Lambie* for a swim at the clubhouse. The artificial jacuzzi pool looks inviting.

Wrist is getting better. Recovery is quite minor and slow now. It is still noticeable. "Repairs" seem to have slowed to almost a complete stop now.

Totally konked out for last night. My alarm went off at 6am this morning and my eyelids were so heavy that it seems to have completed 3 sets of 20 eyelid dumbbell curls. I had to tap out, giving up for my run.

Nikon vs Canon. This debate can go on forevar.

NikonD70s, D50 against Canon 350D, 300D. Looks like a Triple Threat Match where its every man DSLR for himself. Not that I have not given DSLR a thought before. Since I still have my ever ready Canon A40, getting a Canon A520 is not exactly a good move. My own opinion. Yeah. DSLR can puncture a hole like a lighted cigarette through my pants. But, this puncture might be worth the move. I still own the Nikon FM2, which I love, for life.

Seems like this Nikon vs Canon war is not going anywhere.

*Update at 1737hrs*
New this
Compared to an old this

You guys are going to love *fingers crossed* the new EndlessTrail's linky button. I think this looks better. Its an animated GIF. I trashed another that I've drawn because I think that a couple of trees looked miserable. Hence, I added more trees to it and included a fade in effect. Tonight or rather Saturday early morning, our cycling-makan session seems to be canceled for now. One man down due to MC.

Man!!! I'm totally shack-ed out drained of energy. Tired. Low batt.

Just reach home after tutoring my cousin, KK, on her Sec 3 maths. Several hundreds of KIA brain cells during that short period of several hours. Algebra is my fav part of mathematics. But, coaching her is a difficult thing. Well, you see .. . KK is kinda lazy, refuses to think (most of the time) and makes lots of careless mistakes.

Okay, got to hurry up and wash up, then sleep. Jog has to be postponed to tomorrow morning. Nite ...

Since it was ZhiMien's birthday several days back, 4th June, I thought it would be a great idea to buy him lunch. ZhiMien and Muggs work around the same area and Muggs arranged for a lunch at Hans. ZhiMien was there early to find seats since lunch hours are usually packed. Its great to lunch with pals.

While ZhiMien being himself, a guy with strong interest in gadgets, showed me brochures on electronics gadgets .. tempting Muggs.... (>_<) cannot submit to the Dark side!!

Seems like I'm getting tonnes of these questions. So, I'm creating an F.A.Q. for this. More Q & A to be dumped here as and when neccessary.

Q1: Why the CharlieBrown face? (I wish I can get a dollar each time someone asks me this, for about 2 million times already)
A1: My bud's classic Peanuts joke, on me.

Q2: Why cover the face?
A2: Afraid that people will steal my 2 million I got from Q1, just by listening to the same question. Twit.

Q3: Why the Balasing nick?
A3: My dad's nick is Bala and he loves to sing karaoke. Hence, I used Balasing.

Q4: Let me think ...
A4: *Buzzzz* Time's up.

Muggs has left the building......

Who's who guide to characters around Muggs

Cheong Suar Kakis & Their Reporting Superior

---

Conan - Barbarian from MenInGreen Days. He only knows how to burn rubber and shout, "Step on the Gas!!".
Xena, The Warrior Princess - Demanded by Conan that I put this in, at gun point spear point.
RanchuKing - Fish monger from MenInGreen Days.
ChiefClerk - Fish monger store's CEO.
Chini - Runner man from MenInGreen Days. 54Brownie's personal trainer on sports games.
54Brownie - Supreme Commander of Chini. Up and coming squash, tennis and table-tennis star.
ZiMien - Imperial Chef of Noodle Division from MenInGreen Days. He can cook all sorts of noodles for a meal. His best specialty is Maggi Cup-a-Noodles. He has a special talent, art of "Light Body", 10 steps of walking distance can be achieved by just 3 steps.
SailorLee - MenInGreen mate... also my SecSch mate. Coincidence.

Tak Chek Kakis - Days When Polis Wear Shorts

---

myFTOgpx - Poly classmate, buddy and Dynasty Warrior ass kicking partner.
Sammy - No, not SammyCheng. It's myFTOgpx's love. Need I say more?
Beng - Poly classmate, buddy. Your typical silly guy next door. A.k.a. Roti Beng or TamPui.

Kaki Kakis

---

Kitty - SecSch classmate, part-time dive buddy. She's the kind of woman / friend that goes, "Don't-Gimme-Crap-Or-I'll-Scratch-Yo-A**". Ouch
KittyTrainer - Someone who can keep Kitty's paws away from sofas and balls of yarn, with the help from a whip.
Nan - SecSch classmate. Play majong with her, you'll die laughing more than from heart attacks.
Lambie - Who is she? Ask Mary. Give her food, in loads of variety. Speak to her in Cantonese. She'll get chatty. Fav line - "I'm Baahhhhhhddddd"
LambieTrainer - Someone who can give the Lamb, food and sacks, food and sacks, food and sacks .... Did I say sacks? Ooooo, someone likey.
SpaceCadet - She's your classic "Lost In Spaceeee" pilot. For the umpteenth time, we can't tell her enough of her direction of train that she should take to reach home. We're starting to think that she actually come from Venus.
HoustonControl - He can definitely teach her a thing or two about "Laws" of gravity, getting her home safely.

Kaki Family

---

Karloong - My little sistar. Singer of the hottest hit, "Lup Sarp Tung", Elvis's Remix of "Don't be Cruel".
Bala - Who doesn't love the Prata man? Karloong and Muggs report to him.
YMother - Empress Dowager. Karloong, Muggs and Bala, all report to her. Defying of orders will secure you 30 strokes on the buttocks.
KK - Little Rascal Cousin1. Lazy and careless. My time spent on her for tutoring mathematics ..... heck, I lost count.
YunGoLuk - Little Rascal Cousin2. Scheming little fella that thinks everything falls from the sky. A pampered brat. A scrooge, IMHO.

Diving Kakis

---

SH - Sorry ... not SweetHeart. Just my dive buddy.
Wilbeer - Another dive buddy since OSOS.
Donke - "Pilo! Pilo! Pilo!", that's all she knows. Dive gang.
Santoku - Trust me. This man is like a P.E. teacher, good in almost any sport you can think of. Dive gang.
Jezz - "Focus woman. You need to focus." She always can't decide on where to dive. So many places, so little time. Dive gang.

Gu Zhar Zhor Gung Kakis

---

Mr. & Mrs. Fong - Great folks from TD's good o' days.
Gang4 - Unsung heroine from TD.
OCS, ZhuiTeLun, JapBoy, CK, RLEK - Unsung heroes from TD. Beng belong to this category too.
ArcadeDT - Unsung hero from TD and a hero in games.
Commando - LBS Aunty's Ah-Dee. But, he's a real fighter beneath his soft outlook. Definitely a hot fav in PS.
Coulieo - Scandal Hero of PS. You're the MAN!!! Just watch out for cross-fires from your 5 PPGs.
PimpDaddy a.k.a. Hamusa - Unsung hero in PS. Understudy of Coulieo on "How to start a scandal?". Land version of the underwater "Crown of Thorns". This one's called "King of Horns". "Gimme some sugar. HooWah!!", shouts PimpDaddy.
AGB - 2words. Sushi Kaki. PS heroine.
PSChris - Commonly known as 14th Floor.

No More Kakis Hee hee ;p

---

Turtle - Go figure out this yourself.
YunYun - SugarRolls. Scroll scroll scroll.
Cookie - Go ask Kitty.

Last night run was fantastic. Slow, but completed my objective. 8km. I think I need more shorts. Keep running out of shorts. *Grrr*

Oooo .... Lambie is doing the flying passing baton thingie. Thai - Sin - Thai - Sin. Man, I know you (Lambie) want to clock the frequent flyer miles. I don't think this can quench your thirst for the ultimate eww business. You better settle down there fast. So, we can have free accomodation when we go to "Amazing Thailand" for shopping, tour, munchies and what have you.

*Update 2255hrs*
Reach home after fetching my MTB home from a double date. Double date? 2 guys with 2 GT Ava 3.0. Close. Something even closer. From Chinatown, Commando chose to ride Orchard then BT. Gulp!! I thought that would be insane because its peak period just after work!! Maybe its our riding styles' differences. He goes up curb, along pedestrian crossing and stuff. Not exact on the road ride as I thought it would be. Once at Orchard, he fell while trying to ride up a curb. I freaked out. What's worse? His chain got stuck, jammed. After trying to release it for a while, like 10mins.. . I recalled the bike shop around the area. I said we have to try our luck. We ended up pushing the bike there, 15mins of walking to the shop. Curses!! I thought .. .. the shop is closed for the day. Lucky, I guess. One of the few staff who were talking outside the shop helped us out. Great fella. We thanked him, least I could do is shake his hand!! But, damn, I checked my phone and I already had several missed call. One of which is an important call. Commando still lead the way after fixing his chain. While on the way joining the BT long route, I saw arrow on the road pointing towards me. Sheeet!!!! We're doing the oncoming traffic, head on!! I shrieked!!! Calling out to get out of the road and onto the pavement. I just wanted to be sure. Further down the road, its a corner turning in from the main road. If any vehicle turns in at high speed, we'll be done for. We continued the rest of the journey and stopped at BT area for dinner. Oh yeah .... I'm a little edgy now ...

The only thing I can recall now, after my "thrill" ride back, is that the stock fork is not plush. Okay, for the price ... I won't ask too much. Still better than a rigid fork. Gears shifting needs some getting used to from my TCR3. My TCR3 hasn't got Ultegra parts. But, I think it still shifts better than Ava 3.0. Speed feel and climb of this little Black Steed is different from my Grey Hound too. They belong to a different class. Eh. Odometer not on Black Steed yet.

Mm .. . . I think I'll drop the BlogConvention design. Wanted to .. . but, without desktop, a little difficult. Drawing in the office is not the best thing to do.

But, I can think of some sticker designs for my MTB and / or helmet. If Conan sees this post, he's going to bug me for his Honda Mugen sticker.

I hope by now they can see the meteor that is going to hit them in the face. No worries. No one is indispensible.

Take your pick. At the mercy of others or find your own way out. Most choose the easy way out. Leave it to others and hence, at their mercy. Why can't people be masters of their own fate, just by picking up a little responsibility? To this, I can only shrug my shoulders and laugh it off as I walk my path. I bid them best of luck.

Oh yeah!!! This afternoon is the first time after so long (approximately 1 months plus since my wrist injury) that I have not taken any spicy stuff. Commando helped me to grab lunch, while I "cheop" seats with my fat butt. He got me dry yong tao hu, with chilli and sweet sauce. Wah lau eh!!! My perfect excuse. I can't throw away food, right? I had to "force" myself to finish the spicy meal. Woo hoo!! Hot & happy.

More on riding and makan updates. Sat 1am. Cycle, eat, cycle. No exact route has been set yet. But, Commando, Di and Muggs will expect to meet around BT area and start from there.

My oh my. Apple Mac is going to use Intel chips. Tell me. Should I cry or laugh over it? Okay. It just sealed the fate of ideas about getting a Mac now. Their GUI still rockz. Anyway, I can replicate it as close to a Mac GUI as possible on a Linux box now. Save myself some dough.

Height Wars: Return of The MountainBike Jedi
Not too long ago, in a LBS near you, a young MountainBike warrior braved the fronts of droids to ask for the price of his "X-Wing Fighter". A trader, namely "friendly LBS Auntie", gave our young Jedi knight a good lesson about height because our young warrior chose to ask for a "M-sized X-Wing Fighter". No purchase of anything has been made until now ... .. ... .... .. (sorry low budget, no scrolling text)

Date has been fixed. Today. Today is the day that Commando and I went down to the friendly LBS store near our work place. Wow... .. friendly auntie is in da house today. While looking around friendly auntie and asked if we needed some help. Of course, we're going to buy 2 mountain bikes today. I even brought my helmet because I'm going to cycle back home on my new mountain bike. Keeping my fingers crossed that the whole height topic would not surface again ..... Alas .. . I spoke too early.

Auntie: "Can I help?"
Commando: *Quick glances* "We're intending to get a mountain bike each today" (Jedi Commando meant fighter crafts)

Auntie: "Which model?" (She was asking about which model of fighter craft that we needed)
Commando: "Aaaa.... Avalanche 3.0" (Speaking slowly, treading into unknown dangerous territory now)

Auntie: "You need a S-size. S-M-A-L-L" (okay, I made up the spelling portion)
Commando: "Huh ... Auntie, you see me no up, ah. Small leh. I'm taller than Master Yoda, okay?" (Serious. Uh-oh. Jedi in rage now. I can feel the force of the dark side growing...anger, hatred. Sound of Lightsaber drawn out, Eggggg-ong!!)
Muggs: *Mumbles* "Here we go again. Uh-oh. On guard" *eyes roll*

Auntie: "Not see you no up. Look at auntie. I'm using a XL bike" (She meant fighter, when she says bike. Sci-Fi talk here. She really said XL)
Commando/Muggs: (Astonishment, exclamation in unison) "Sibo. Serious, ah?"

Auntie: "I bluff you for what. You looking at S-size now. Auntie hands shorter, riding one size smaller"
Muggs: "Ohh... .you mean XS, huh?"
Commando: "Si peh freeze, leh" (^_^)=o (*_*)

Auntie: "Hahha. XS .... XS." *embarrassed*

We deposited our IDs for 2 bikes (a.k.a X-Wing fighter), drawn out for test ride. A little difficult to test fly ... with several asteriods (human, walking asteriods) running around. We could only do it on a short strip of path. We felt that the S-Size is better in terms of maneuverability as compared to an M-Size. We decided and paid a deposit for our X-Wings, since only one S-Size is available. They place an order for another X-Wing. Constant battle with the Empire has caused the X-Wing fighters to go low on stock. Okay. We, the Jedi knights, will collect our order of X-Wing fighters on Monday. Republic and Empire don't fight on weekends.

Polar Sugar rolls. Shweeet. They reminded me of someone in the past. I hope she's getting on well in her life now.


Look at my socks. Not much about style here. Green socks with a pair of Nike Air shoes. How stylish can green army socks be? Yeah .. . maybe in camps or with NCC cadets. Okay, I'm just being cheapo here. But, they're comfortable during runs. Who the heck cares?!! I know the color sux ... . no white balance for camera on mobile phone. I've done some color correction using GIMP already. I took the picture before I started out for my run last night.

It wasn't that long ago that I just came up with this template... .. ha.. .now, I have a new template already. Most of the components are in working condition. More or less fiddling with fonts to go nicely with it.

Dinner with AGB tonight. Not going to be as easy next time, since I'm leaving my current work place soon. We had a great time eating and talking about stuff. Who says a guy can't be a good friend of a lady?

I saw the design competition for Bloggers Convention 2005. I have 2 designs in mind so far.... have to draw them out before 10 June.

Yesterday's half day afternoon off from work was great. Conan was on leave too. We walked around the shopping area in town, had coffee and it was a natural idling session. I saw the new LifeDrive from PalmOne while window shopping. "Isn't she pretty? She's smiling at you", a voice whipsered in my left ear. "No, you have just came back from the Dark side. This is just a waste of money", another voice echoed in my right ear. I took the latter "advice". Resistance is such a pain, a sweet revenge from Temptation. I'm always displaying withdrawal symptoms, especially for staying away from electronic products. *bite finger nailz* We went on, walking around. Conan stared at some Tag Heuer Link watch, while I ogled at a $15k Rolex. Hey ... ! Ogling is free. Priceless.

Conan and I changed location to elsewhere. We went to check out a clubhouse. Seems like some nice facility they have there. We didn't visit the jackpot room. But, we had a few rounds of American Pool instead. Dozens of shots that we can laugh at. I feel that American Pools never fail to relax my mind. Walking around the clubhouse after our game, we saw a couple of divers-to-be, taking their swim pool practical sessions. Ah. ... it reminds me of my Open-Water pool training session. Gosh ... that was 6years back already.

Since Commando and I would be getting our MTB this Saturday, I would be able to ride to meet Conan and RanchuKing for a jogging session. A vehicle hide, of my MTB, at RanchuKing's house is certainly the only option. Proceed to jog, collect my MTB before heading home.

Heads UP!!! Incoming!! Take cover!! While all the count down (for the past weeks), some might have wondered what is happening. Now the cat is out of the bag, I can say, "I quit". I dropped the bomb called, "The White Envelope".

Some people are surprised, some aren't. Well, nothing matters. I'm totally touched or moved when HR Daph said that I helped her a lot in her work. She's quite sad that I'm leaving soon. Appreciative souls out there certainly make my life brighter and more meaningful. Nevermind if people take kindness for granted. But, I believe as long as I play my part, give all that I can, a word of sincere "thanks" is more than a thousand sentences said. Many nice people I've known and seriously find it hard to part. Something I've learned from previous job. Everyone can make an effort to keep in contact, if only you want to. Sure. Everyone has their own lives to lead, mouths to feed. But, a quick lunch or coffee, even SMS, will be good enough. I'm glad that I've made some pretty good friends in this short period of time. Total strangers to good friends. How wonderful....

Was in town, just hours ago, in an Arena swim wear shop. I spotted a pair of tights lookalike swimwear. Interesting .. ..

Uncle Uncle ... *tsk tsk tsk* I thought you are the Barbabian. I thought you are the conqueror. Conan is name to cover your delicate innards, eh? Instead of emerging as the victor, nausea conquered you. For the work of vomitus over the jogging tracks, we (I pity the cleaners) thank you, NOT. Bah! (Now that sounds like someone or something, which is such a dead giveaway) Conan still has the cheek to claim his porridge and "you-tiao" booty after the run. Eat, puke, eat, puke. Looks like a bulimic Conan to me. So many years ..... still puke over runs. You still burn real rubber tires and fuel (petrol) than your own body's rubber tire (gummy bear tummy) and fuel. You better watch your consumption. High blood is no joke.

Okay. You're coming with me. Now, put on that jogging shoe. Don't worry, Uncle, I'm not laughing at you. I just want you to run, for fitness sake.

How fun is that? Extremely!!! Since I'm a fan of ickleOriental's livejournal (haha .. just a regularly checking for updates), I thought ... Mmm .. it'll be a wonderful idea to make a button. Sort of personalise those buttons for blogs that I read. She always has a bubbly character and the thought of using an anime girl came to my mind. Anime cuties always have a sweet smile. (*^_^*)
ickleOriental owns a Mac (ApplePower that is, probably she does), does tri, mountain bikes, reads and many more. Isn't that cool??!!
By the way, I tried to do an animated wink or giggles action on the anime girl. But, its a little tricky. Wasn't exactly successful. I'll try again. Not sure if I'll be successful eventually. Temporary, this will be ickleOriental's button for now.


Okay, after resting so long, my first ride (since then) will happen tonight tomorrow night. I forgot about the frontal assault that is happening tomorrow. Or else .. .. Anyway, got to see how's that wrist of mine taking it. Will be going slow on the ride. Covering the route would be the main objective. Ride will commence once bus drivers sleep.

Back from my run. Oh no... got to go bathe and sleep. But first, ... some SkiD'lite yogurt ... (O_o)P
Mmm ... I'm wondering if my buddy, myFTOgpx, is having fun with his love in U.S. now. I hope these guys are enjoying themselves.

Last Late for some updates, I mean.
Yesterday, Karloong was online. We chatted via MSN for a while regarding the HK trip. Not too such if she's able to be back in time to join us. But, I'll proceed to check with tour agencies about the bookings first. I went to Temple of Geeks to meet up with HWM. It's been some time back since I've seen him. So, its coffee talk time. Too bad, Mr. BlurKing couldn't join us. I thought my SecSch gang would gather for a coffee talk time too. But, it was no-show. Coulieo, PimpDaddy and Commando's plan did not happen too .... well, main problem is because I try to avoid cold drinks due to my wrist. What's the point of going to clubbing places when I can even take cold drinks ... say cold Coca-Cola? No, Flaming Lamborghini does not count. Oh .... talking about the clubbing-pubbing thingie.. .. it has been donkey years since I stepped into one. *eyes roll* So, later in the night, I thought of going for a ride ... . too bad, it was pouring. I marched to bed then ...

This morning was rather early for me. Went over to WCP to take a look at the Charity Ride event. Riders are suppose to do some distance, climb some hills and make it back. 45km, 22km and 7km for your selection. Nope, I did not register for this (as much as I would like to). Thus, giving my wrist more rest. Of course, like my right knee.. .. full recover would take months .... Now, its a lot better. Just to be on the safe side

I hope this is easier on the eyes for everyone. I changed the text entry font colours and the colours for links too. It has a better contrast than the previous. Lambie highlights that she prefers the former template, "The Sky is the Limit". It has a brighter layout, a lot more cheerful than this. Not to worry. I change the template to a new design in a few months time. More designs/layouts. A different range of colours too.

Meet Conan later, dinner, I suppose. This uncle is sharpening this Parang .... since he knows that I've gotten my bonus, I don't think he's going to spare me. Kaoz ... Maybe I can call him SpongeV SquarePants.

This morning, dialogues heard during an overseas call conference .....

"We have to take note of . ...... "
"Yes, that is definitely .... "
"Look at this portion where it states .... "
"Just remember to check the ..... "

"Okay. A re-crap on what we've mentioned so far."

Yeah .... . no wonder meetings are so full of shittey business.

So far so good..... everything seems fine. I created the banner using GIMP and I like the masking tape portion the best. I don't have any new pics of me in a race. Okay, probably a new one will come in July. So ... for now, this will be it. I changed the colours of the headers a little. I hope its not too difficult to read since the background is dark in colour. The white words, "Limping Marathon Runner", isn't white in the first place. I wanted a yellow based colour and thought of doing a shadow back drop. But, my background is black ... so.. . no point doing the shadow thingie .... I'll save that idea for the next template. I went through approximately 100 over fonts, I guess. Finally, I narrowed down to 3 specific fonts. Eventually, I picked this. Something not too serious or loud. I wanted something fun and non uniform.

Was online MSN IM with Beng now because he is currently in Boston. This joker misses Wonton Mee . ... can't believe it. Anyway, its not too bad. His flight is tomorrow night ....

Look at Kisetsu and EndlessTrail blog!! Documenting on their rides! Looking at Kenny's "Sipping Ice Milo" shot, on Kisetsu's blog, makes me laugh over again and over again and over again and ..... okay, you get the idea.

Okay ... have to jog later ... . so much rainfall for the past few nights.

Mission 10: Reconnaissance

Target: Founder of Peeling Foot Skin Club.

Objective: Infiltrate enemy hideout. ID target visually and capture image of target's activities.

Mission Briefing: Expect light to medium patrol (Members of the Peeling Foot Skin Club) frequencies. Remain under cover. Do not get contacted.

Mission Accomplished - Last night, Agent KK who volunteered for this mission has performed well. Excellent!

*snigger* I working on a new layout for this site. Modifying the template, actually. Almost finishing off my picture when 2K hanged on me. All my work gone. But, its okay. I know how it should look like. *evil grin* I'm 100%, positively sure that Conan will complain again.... "Huh, change layout again?"

SMS-ed AGB to find out about her day. Hah!! Libra's telepathic skill rulez ~ !! She was surprised that I knew something was bothering her. *Hiak hiak hiak* A clouded mind can't see what's beyond the hills.

Walking, on my way back from the train station, a gust of wind blew towards me and onto my face. Ooooo ... "This is not good", I thought to myself. Smells fishy. Mr. Cumulus Nimbus is up to something again.... I better be quick, get changed and go for a run. Once I reached my void deck, I exclaimed as I open my letterbox, "Alamak!". White envelopes with 3 big words "OGS" and that oh-so-familiar ink of a rubber stamp. More no-goods. I need to make plenty of phone calls. My backup seems to be lost, clueless of what is happening. I told him, I'll call instead. Not too bad. Just a couple misses. Mobile phone.. . some invention..... Okay, my stomach is growling. Got to have some food before I jog later. Couldn't jog early in the morning today. ZZzz monster did a triple combo hit on Muggs ... Muggs was seeing stars. Stars cleared only around 7am. What a fight!

Latest news ... Karloong might be coming back early than expected. Hooray!! I'm sure she misses home badly. But, everything is not finalised yet. We'll probably know by June.

Nothing much in a day for me. But definitely a really busy and happy day for Papa RL. His newborn baby boy arrived this morning around 3+ am. More sleepless nights for months for RL. Received his MMS camera shot of his newborn. Congrats, man.

Alright. Time for me to fix my yoghurt craving by grabbing a few from the convenience store before they close. No run tonight. Rest while run continues tomorrow morning.

The other day while I had my dinner at a restaurant with friends, I ordered some noodles with some side dishes. The restaurant was packed with diners and the service staff was really busy serving everyone. Probably it was really driving this cute waitress crazy. When she serve our side dish, Crispy Fried Chicken, she said, "Crispy Fried Cheekean". Noticing the error herself, she was laughing uncontrollably. On the other hand, I tried to contain my laughter to just a wide smile. My friends were dumbfolded. I like cute waitresses who often mispronounce names of dishes. \(^-^)/ Cute!

An idea on ickleOriental's button came to my mind this afternoon. Now, I just need to put it into pixel form, 80 x 30. I thought of re-doing my button too. Still looking around for a good font .....

These few nights were kind of wet. Rain, that is. What is on your mind, you sickos? I jog at night. I weren't able to actually run for consecutive 2 days now. But, I can't really do anything about it. Thinking about doing a run this morning. But, I have to work today (a holiday). So, not exactly a good idea to drain myself out. I reach the hawker around my office area for a quick bite (breakfast) before starting my office job. Being a dim sum person, I wanted a lotus paste bun.

Muggs: "Uncle, can I have one lian2 rong2 bao1."
HawkerUncle: "Huh?"

Muggs: "One ...... lian2 rong2 bao1."
HawkerUncle: "Huh? What's that?"

Muggs: Pointing to the menu in chinese characters, "Lian2 rong2 bao1?"
HawkerUncle: "Ohh ..... yan2 yong2 .... say properly lah."

Muggs: "........" ('_';)

I'll give my left wrist one more week of rest before I try out on the bike. I've been giving my bike a good rest time for approximately a month now. Mm.. . as for swims .. I'll monitor for the time being. But, I did come across a nice looking swimming trunk from Arena. But, it doesn't have even a single layer of padding. My butt will be sore after riding for 40km.. where I'll have to ask my butt, "Hello, hello. Are you okay?", then the PERRL check. Buns of steel or rock hard buns ... .take your pick.

Oh yeah.. .. I almost forgot I picked up a new toy up today. A re-contract since my 2years is already up. She's charging up now. I'll wake her up before midnight, tonight.

Overall, it has been a great day for me. During lunch time, I went for more torture chambers treatment. Nah... it was a trip to the Chinese physician. To be exact, my fourth visit now. Yep. Got my arms tugged at again. Not painful at all. He applied the usual brown paste which smells like really bad cheese. Oh well... . lunch time was running short. I had to pack food back to my office for my lunch.

Right after work, I met up with ZhuiTeLun and JapBoy. Just a small gathering. Dinner and catching up chit chat. While walking around the shopping mall area. I bumped into my cousin and his wife. Such coincidence. He was actually going to meet up with his brother and his wife-to-be. We all decided to meet up and head for a drink, changing several locations before settling down in TCC. Guys being guys ... we chatted about the "Men in Green" stories and encounters in those-were-the-days. Haha .. . totally driving those 2 ladies to eternal boredom. It was around 15mins to 12midnight that we actually thought of heading back home. What a night!

Now that I'm home, I took off my bandaged hand since I have been keeping it wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy. Strange... . it did feel better now. Pain or discomfort of any sort seems to be gone, even when I rotate my wrist. A good sign. I think I'm going to sleep well tonight.

Endlesstrail and Kisetsu are heading off for a cross-country ride. Crossing into another country's border is another form of "cross-country ride" ride, isn't it? ;p Enjoy guys!! Just remember your roles ...... Full-time Posers!!! Haaha.

*5days left. God of Gamblers can count the number of days left with just a only his right hand. Left hand is out for now*

Hiak hiak hiak ... Now comes Coulieo's very own linky buttons. Fresh from Gimp. Next, in my queue list, ickleOriental.
or
It was tough creating these 2 buttons and looking for good cursive fonts was no easy task. Injecting a little "Austin Powers" touch here. Schwingging 60s, baby. I tried the Husky and Stash font. It wasn't too bad. But, at that resolution, the letter "a" looks like "o". So ... I switched fonts.
Muggs prefers the first, where Coulieo chooses the second. Well... the second button is not too bad either. Ok. Now, its people's choice... you can select if you want your buttons 80 x 15 or 80 x 30 format. Groovy. "Oh, behave.."

Uncle (Conan) is really a problem child. Wire tap from our MSN messenger conversation .. ..

Muggs: "What design do you want for your button?"
Conan: "Muz be solid solid, one."

Muggs: "Mm-kay"
Conan: "Muz be striking. People see already will have strong impression."

Muggs: "Alright .... " *Scribbles, scribbles ... Muggs taking notes*
Conan: "Muz be steady poon pee pee."

Conan: "Muz be like Xiaxue's button .. ... look like this"

Muggs: "How about I draw you a pink amazon sword with a shield that says, 'Babe Blog' "*Muggs shaking his head away*
Conan: "knn, I give you one solid solid punch."

Muggs: "Give it to me, lassie"

His request for a button is really... something. Since its your birthday yesterday, okay .. I'll give this to you. Quit whining. Conan happens to be Muggs's Man-In-Green friend. He isn't exactly your fittest trooper around. But, hey, since you're the "Nokia" man, I salute you.

My saluation to this uncle. Ya... . Mugen.. ... my foot. You can kiss your car decal goodbye till my wrist is okay. Fat wrists don't produce good decals.

I think I can call this narrowband. Ping response of 900 over msec, at home. (T_T)
Shitty response... I did a little surfing and called it a day. I thought I could look for some inspiration on designing more buttons... but, I gave up... Haha.. . craving for faster access.. I guess most people already cannot live with the 56k USR modems these days. At least I am one.Arrggg... how to update ...

I tried to design Coulieo's button using a MudFlap girl design. *Sniff* Squeezing the design into a 80 x 15 button is no joke. In that small box, the MudFlap girl looks like a Chimera more than anything else. Guess I'll have to increase the button size because the MudFlap girl design is too cool to let go. Go, Gurl Power!

Riddle:
You work, I work. You sleep, I work.
You eat, I starve. You burp, I eat.
You curse, I fly .... no need to eat, sleep or burp.
I'll only work.
What am I?

With the news of the recent fare hike discussion, I think its time to do something ..... Muggs came up with a little slogan and button.
Fare hike? Take your bike!

A little button for Mr. Brown. Who doesn't read his Brown Town?

Answer to riddle:
Network Engineer.

TMD, so hungry I can eat a cow.
Hang on, Coulieo. Its difficult to make a cool looking fox/wolf design for your button. But, I'll try. Uncle Conan's button got to have a Barbarian sword too.

ickleOriental
I read a lot of ickleOriental's LJ. But, awwww.. .. . I'm about to make a linky button for her site too. But, it seems like she's going away. Someone with such bubbly character, looking at life on the bright side, blogging it out .... Now, this is hard to find. Such a waste. Well, I do hope she continues to write.

My buddy, myFTOgpx is such a joker (he always is, in his own ways). Tomorrow, he's flying off to the States with his darling and he's still figuring out how to use the digital camera (belonging to a friend). Trying out his luck at the RTFM method (apparently it failed), he called me for some quick-tell-me-everything-you-know tips. I had to go through with him the basics of photography. Okay. .... he's a rather fast learner.

Progress Report: My left wrist is getting better. *smiles* Now, when I rotate my wrist to do a "palm up" action, there is just slight discomfort (feels like muscle fatigue). Wow. Compare this to 3 weeks back when my palm can only face forward .. .. then pain follows. Now ... this is crazy.... as advised by the Chinese physician, for 3 weeks, I have avoided these food.... *sigh* I'm starting to hallucinate ... I need sinful food. But, its really heart warming to hear vendors asking about my wrist, showing their concern. Some even forbid me to carry equipment for them. ;)

Ta-da!!! My very own review on Chocolate PowerGel from PowerBar.

Looks - Upon tearing open the top portion of the Gel pack, I squeezed a little of its chocolate contents out. Some brownish gooey looking stuff (alright, its not that horrifying) oozed out of its small opening (great for handling, especially you wouldn't want to spill its contents while you're running).

Taste - Chocolate!! Of course without a doubt. Try melting a morsel from a chocolate bar. Lick it. You'll get the idea. This chocolate flavored Gel is not too sweet. Quite okay to my taste buds.

Boo-boos - Perhaps I have a delicate tongue. My tongue feels like I've suffered a plastic paper cut from the torn off portion of the pack.

Reminder - Instruction says that you should still consume water together with PowerGel.

My personal view - Thumbs up on taste and almost any other thing.... "Ecsac my tarng feels farnny nowth. Sheeth!! Paper Curth!!"

Now, this is my first Tri race. Surprising to find a "hello" mail in my inbox from a fellow first-timer Tri racer this morning. Since my race is in July, I gave a thought about trying out the "PowerBar" gel now before I use it on my actual Tri race. Just in case my stomach cannot handle this kind of food source, I rather find out now, than during the race. Of course, energy in a small package doesn't come cheap. Suddenly, I feel like an astronaut, taking liquid-gel-like food. I chose chocolate flavor. Others like Green Apple, Lemon Lime, Raspberry Cream, Strawberry Banana, Tangerine, Tropical Fruit and Vanilla.


Eat this!!
Stuff at work, a little rough now. More to come. Hah...

Conan wants to "blackmail" me today. Asking for treats. Chey! The only treat I'll give, is treat-ment to my left wrist. Dream on ... friend.

With my buddy, myFTOgpx and his darling out to U.S. for a holiday soon. PS2 ass kicking sessions will be put on hold. You have fun, my friend. Take a walk... stop being a couch potato.

Just back from a short slow run on 5km. Zone3 .. . 25mins. Arrrgg.. .. remembered those crazy days when 5km was just below 20mins. Looking at my Nike AirMax ... I think it has taken quite a bit of pounding over these 2 years. Ooops.. . spotted some peeling ... . wonder how long it can hold. Think I'll have to track my mileage when I get a new pair of jogging shoes. I've converted most of my worn out jogging shoes to weekend shoes.

Buttons that I have created so far -

17th May 2005:
16th May 2005:
12th May 2005:
11th May 2005:
10th May 2005:
9th May 2005:

Akan-Datang: -
Mr. Brown
Conan
Coulieo
ickleOriental

Oooo.. . .its surprising to find that the PhilipStark mouse that I wanted to get (sometime back) is now at $19.90. *Hiak hiak hiak* I think it used to cost $49.90 when it was first launched. Or was it $59.90? Nevermind that. Mm.... $19.90 seems like a good catch.

MountainBike.... something that I have put on hold for quite a while. Well, mainly because Commando is serving his reservist duty. This coming week, he'll be back. Hence, we can take a look again. In fact, it is time to make our purchase. Yikes.. . . some many Ds. Decision, dilemma, damage (to my pockets ... ha). Just 3, not too many. But, enough already. Anyway, my cousin, KK, wants to learn to ride a bike. I can't possibly use my racer..... So, a sturdy mountain bike should be able to withstand some falls.

DynastyWarriors (PS2) ass kicking session tomorrow. Musou time!!

While waiting for my dive buddy (cum friend cum insurance agent) for some matters, I received a SMS from 54Brownie asking if I want to have dinner with them (Chini and 54Brownie). Fortunately, things ended right on the dot and I joined them for dinner. We had our prata dinner near our estate. To my surprise, I always thought that they only served Nasi Lemak. Now, I have an alternative place for my late night cycling supper. I ordered one plain and one cheese prata. Yummy. I spotted the drink that I would like to have. Milo Monster Dinosaur. I order my drink carefully, avoiding the word Monster, as it keeps on calling out to me in my head. "Milo .... Dinosaur", I said slowly but confidently.

Now.. ... the Milo Monster story .. . and how it came about. Credits to Lambie.
Lambie's colleague, D, had heard and tried this drink (Milo Dinosaur) before. So, one day while serving reservist, he was out with his mate at a mama store coffeeshop. When the waiter is here to take the order for drinks, his mates asked D what he would like to have. Now, being the eldest (the rest of his mate were way younger than D), not necessary the wisest, D wants to be the last to order his drink. When everyone was done and it was D's turn. He said, "I want Milo Monster! You have Milo Monster?". It was just this close that his mates all die laughing. As the Hokkien dialect saying always emphasizes, "It enough to be smart. Don't act smart". Needless to say, he failed to impress his younger mates for brain storming a new name for this beverage. Milo Monster Dinosaur ..... kns

Okay, I'll let my plain and cheese prata digest now before I burn them off in my 5km run later. *Burp*

Last night, I had dinner with Kitty, KittyTrainer, Beng and Lambie. Nevermind the fact that Lambie looking really casual like its her last day at the office. Nevermind the fact that Kitty and KittyTrainer were standing around the StarBucks area and its took 5mins to finally find us.

Kitty: "We were here all the while. Where were you guys?"
Muggs: "Right here at StarBucks."

Kitty: "I thought you guys were at MacDonalds?"
Muggs: "No, I said we can meet at MacDonalds. But, you said to meet at StarBucks."

Kitty: "No. You said StarBucks. "
Muggs: "No, I said MacDonalds."

Anyway, we already met. What the heck, StarBucks and MacDonalds are just side by side. Muggs and the group - already hungry. We settled for Billy Bombers. Getting into the restaurant is already a problem. Its difficult to get them to sit down. Kitty and her Trainer were wrestling like kids. What a loving couple.... "Kids, you can stop now", Muggs yelled. They were still taking turns doing the headlock thingie, with their arms. Kids.... these days... Sorry, no state-of-the-art camera phone. Otherwise the picture would look hilarious.

Great company, we chatted, laughed and at one particular point, we thought that the strangest thing that can actually happen in a restaurant. Sound of a crow. What makes matter worse? Lambie was telling a really lame joke or comment and then came the crow cry. Only Kitty, Beng and myself heard the sound and we froze. We thought that it was really funny. But, it could have been someone at the next few tables who made the sound. Or.. . . they could be agreeing that Lambie was telling a lame joke. Glad to know that soon it'll be wedding bells ringing for Kitty and her Trainer. Beng's wedding is coming up too. Lambie's Sawadikap good good time is in the making too. Planning stage. Since KittyTrainer needs to start work early today, we called it a night.

I tried to burn off my Surf and Turf meal that I had at BillyBombers once I reached home. It was still okay. I managed a 5km Zone3 jog without much hiccup.

Moving on to some TechStuff. We, humans, living in this IT world where everything works in terms of IP. IP = Internet Protocol. Numbers happening in forms of 32-bit bin or a number of 255 highest for each of the 4 octet. Ok, I'm losing some of you guys now. Simple terms - Ever wondered where this person might be, behind a particular IP address (a unique way to identify an entity or a group of entities on the Internet or public network)? Fret no more.

Using the IPLocator, you can even get to see the country he is from. Just key in the IP address in the field and do a search. I've included the site in my sidebar links too.

Just created another Linky button for myself. I'm an arcade fan. Hence, the Pac-Man idea struck me last night. Thus, this button is born.

Something for NewJourney owner. I have permission to link, so here it is, The New Journey.
or
Gosh.... I can't decide which to use.

Muggs.. . a slacker last night. Didn't go for my jog. Guess I'll have to re-schedule my runs. Around early this morning, there was a heavy downpour. It was quite a good sleep. So good till I could rot in my bed. I did set my alarm to trigger off at 6am. But, it was still drizzling.... I can't jog then. I shall be jogging tonight. Well, after my dinner appointment with Lambie, Kitty (probably with KittyTrainer) and Beng.

My left wrist is still recovering slowly. Imagine this. My left wrist was so bad that last week, I weren't able to floss my teeth. Still I tried. Last night, finally, flossing away.... I discovered that my left wrist did not hurt. *Happy* Slow but steady recovery.

Here is the moody version to match her blog's theme. Cloudy Day.
With the tiny little sun in the back ground, the cloud looks like a piece of cotton. ;P

Plusss........ my very own Muggs linky button
Its a root beer mug. Tried to do a froth thingie on top of the root beer mug... but it wasn't convincing enough. Looked rather weird. So, .. just a plain old root beer mug.

I read a little of LMD's blog too.
Ta-daaaa!!! No, she did not request for one..... I made this for fun of it.

I went home, on the dot from work today. Couldn't do much about the existing problem. Muggs was travelling back home by train, as usual. As always, Muggs would step out and aside in a crowded train to allow people to alight and board. However, 2 stops away from my home, Muggs was ousted. Once I stepped out of the train, it was too packed. I had to wait for the next one. I got several odd or weird looking stares as though I am an alien from Mars and / or I am an alien who loves to perform a**l probe administration on humans. Well .. .... I wasn't in a rush to get back home anyway.

While walking back home from the station, I had this uncontrollable desire to mount on my bike and go for a ride. I know I should not. But, I can't help thinking about it. I just have to fight the urge. Although I feel much better already, I need to rest my left wrist for now and prepare it for a bigger event.

Aww ... . I received news from my office that I would need to work on this coming holiday weekend. 2days in a row. Life of an I.T. engineer. Grrrr... ..

Just finished a run of 4.8km. I saw a racer and a mountain bike on the road while I was jogging ...... I felt the urge to ride again... Arrg ... . Really hungry now. Need some food. Can't think straight. If no one else is requesting for linkz buttons, I'll make mine tomorrow. Hee hee... have a slight concept of what I want. Stay tuned.

Hee hee ..... Grinnis Linkz button is born. Animated for the second button. Amazing.

This happy linkz button is for Ginnis. Ha.... silly me... sorry, typo error... Its Grinnis. Having too much fun creating all these buttons. Hee hee.

or

Strange enough,. . .. a person recovers faster when he's feeling happy. This morning, Muggs' left wrist is feeling better. To play safe, I'm still wrapping it up to limit its movement.

I hope Muggs has lived up to the expectation of you guys, with regards to the button making.... :)
Free to express any opinions. Or perhaps some changes you would like to add? Buttons? Anymore requests? Its open to anyone, anytime. Cheers.

Enjoy!

Just managed to "squeeze" this entry in... .. . couldn't start a new entry just half an hour ago.

Started and stopped my run twice just now, was interrupted by phone calls. Finally, I completed my 4km run, each time I had to restart my timing. *faint*

Now... .. linkz button for Grinnis. Looking for some ideas... *spark*

Since I read EndlessTrail's blog almost daily, I thought it would be a great idea to make a Logo and free for anyone who wants to link him. Do not link the buttons. You can just save the GIF and upload to your server. I'm using photobucket for buttons now (GIF). I read quite a number of other blogs too. Trying to make some more for other guys.

My first sucky attempt .......

For EndlessTrail, you can vote either this

or

For Kisetsu, fresh from the oven.... just completed

or

Logos, anyone? Buzz me or mail me. I'll see what I can do. No worries, no charges involved. I'll probably only charge one person if he asks for a logo. Conan.

Happy Mothers' Day to mothers out there. To my mum too. I'm sure Karlooong would have said the same thing too. Guys being boyz not too good in expressing their love for their mothers. But, I never fail to remember my younger days when Muggs was a kid, my mum bought me a MacDonalds Fillet-O-Fish. I remembered that always makes pirated version of "KFC" (her own branding). I remembered that she had injured her finger during work, while worrying for Muggs and Karlooong. I will always remember that. A Mother's love. Nothing on earth could beat that.

These days, due to my wrist injury (since Monday this week), I have abstained from taking the following:
1) Chicken/Duck meat
2) Any cold (desserts, drinks, etc)
3) Anything spicy
4) Anything sour
5) Prawns/Crabs/Squids/Cuttlefishes - anything along this line

As instructed by my Chinese Physician. With this list, it is bad enough.

I paused on a few occasions in front of a food store, before walking away. In no particular order:
1) Prata store (No, ladies not Prada. Keep your focus). Imagine roti prata without curry. Kill me.
2) Chicken rice store. Rice without chicken and chilli dip. Writhe me, right at my neck.
3) Prawn noodle store. Plain noodles taste like NOTHING. What's the diff from eating plain flour? Shoot me in the head instead.
4) Cool/Cold Drinks store or Ice cold desserts. Hot drinks even while I'm perspiring? You must be kidding.
5) Convenience store. Can't eat Sour Cream Pringles. Just 1 .... puurleeease?
6) The list goes on ... ... .

I need my life back. More importantly, my sinful diet back. I'm light enough. Anymore diet of this sort, I'll be blown away with just a gust of wind. I'm not residing in Norway. If I am, fine, I'll have Salmon everyday.

Just back from myftogpx's place for an ass kicking PS2 session. We had pizza, seafood and super hawaiian. No points for correct guesses. You're right. I removed the prawns and squids on the seafood pizza for my share.

It has been a while. Muggs isn't like that in the past. Muggs always remember stuff. As much as I want to forget them, its like bad dreams, just come back haunting me time after time. Usually around this time of the year, Muggs would think about the past. Not anymore. Muggs discovered, since last year, he has started to forget those stuff.

Its has been 6 years since singlehood. The first 2 and half years busy on my uni studies. Next 2 and a half year working my butt of for my ex-company, which was totally crazy. Last year, busy in new work place, adapting. Overall, it has been a really busy period for Muggs. Some say busy is good. Kitty says not remember the past, is a good start. I agree.

Life is like a race. If you've blown a tyre and you just sit there, none other racers have time to help you. Unless you pick yourself up to change the tyre, others will zoom by you. You compete against others and race against yourself as well.

Sometimes, have an excellent memory isn't necessary a good thing. Feeling nostalgic...?

On a different note altogether, I went to get my wrist fixed today. Seems to be getting better. But, still needs to be careful. That's why I aborted the run just half and hour ago. It was drizzling. Wet floor, old shoes.... bad combination. I don't want to slip, fall and break something else. Ok... more ass kicking tomorrow with myftogpx.

This morning, at around 2am (I think), Karlooong called home. We did some chit chat on latest news and gossip, expressing our individual views over most issues happening around us. All the time while we're talking, Bala was actually doing his "Body Maintenance" (a.k.a. Sleep) on the sofa. After our chat is over, I passed the phone over to Bala (of course after waking him up). I should have taken a pic of him. Karlooong will laugh till she starts to tear.

Just back from dinner with Beng, Gang4 and FakeSammiCheng. Mini-gathering. Celebrating a belated birthday for Gang4. Before they arrive, I walked around to shop for a wrist wrap, just in case I might need it during my Tri event. Looking around for a spare tights. Didn't find anything interesting. On the other HAND, everyone is laughing at Muggs left wrist. Like Beng claims, we're getting old. Ha. Its great to do a mini-gathering once in a while, to catch up. Seems like everyone is doing well, everyone is flying regional.

Much said about my broadband modem problem. Just as I have suspected. ISP changed something. Using my usual settings, I could not maintain my connection for more than 1min. I did a few changes. Now, its work perfectly..... Silly ISP. Grrrr... . Ok, one problem down. Now, main problem is my left wrist. I wonder how am I going to do push-ups and chin-ups then next time. Geee.... Guess will have to strengthen my wrist to aid recovery. But, tomorrow morning's first stop, Chinese physician shop. Is this the so-called "No Pain No Gain"? More ouch-es to come.

MMmmmm .. wrist feels better. But, with slight discomfort or pain while rotating my palm (to do palm face upwards). Nevertheless, there has been improvement since the last 5days. Yikes .. time for my 4km run. Later

Was in a Zone3 for my 4km run. Ok. Happy is the word.

I can't use my left hand. Hence, both swimming and biking are not options for me. I am left with running now. I ran last night, at a rather slow pace, minimizing my arm and wrist movement. But, I still managed to maintain a Zone3 workout lasting for 4km. Muggs is happy.

Lately, I have been going through tons and tons of GIMP sites. Pretty neat stuff. I'll probably create a few pics...... Love artwork.

Since the triathlon is in July, I thought it would be a great idea to book a chalet near the race site. Without a car, it would be a great idea that I can cycle there in advance. Stay a day or two. We could even have a BBQ. Of course, I would avoid most BBQ food. Heck.. .. I'll let people have all the fun at the BBQ and I shall have mine on the triathlon race day. Hence, I booked a 2 nights stay for the chalet. I hope I can recover in time for the event. Or else, I can only cheer for people who are racing. *sniff* For now, I will just have to train on my running. *Eyes roll* Its the other 2 sports of the race that I think I need more training on. Yeah, I can swim well. But, I could use more training. Same goes for cycling. At the current rate my wrist is healing, it's still too early to tell. But, it looks promising. Anyway, I went for a second round of "pain therapy". Nah... its not that bad. Physician was working on my hand and arm again. More popping sounds. Mmm.. . now I could rotate my wrist from palm down to palm up position (with slight discomfort), which I was not able to do before. So far so good.

So, BBQ it is, on 2nd July night. Open invitation. Anyone? Bring your own booze though... b'cos Muggs is not a booze person. Retired from the Merlion scene a long time ago.

Kisetsu has added me in her Internet A-Z list. Haha.... shweeeet. M for Muggs.

Oh dear.... First, its SMS disturbances. Then, I fell while skating. Now, my broadband modem gives problem (got to settle this later, that's why... slow in updates). What's next? Bring it on baby.... c'mon .... bring it on.

As of now, Muggs is blogging with one hand typing like a typewriter, a letter at a time. This is crazy. I went to a chinese physician on Sunday, to my knowledge, they are opened everyday (except for CNY). Not the grand-master, but the son, who actually looked into my problem. He told me that its some slight dislocation of bone positioning. 5 short steps that sent me, seeing stars ........ literally.

1) Rubbing forcefully on my hand, where the bone has shifted. He had to "move" the bone back.
2) His left foot wedged into my left arm-pit. At one swift motion, he pulled my arm, holding on to my left hand. Next, he jerked my 5 fingers one at a time. At this point, Muggs began to hallucinate due to hyperventilation. Fighting against the pain. Couldn't draw this on a gif... take too long to draw.
3) Rub bone again.
4) Jerk arm overhead, towards the back.
5) Jerk arm behind back, upwards.

Oh boy.... alert.... feeling weak. Muggs actually had to rest for a while after seeing doc before heading elsewhere.


Muggs looks like a kickboxer. But, only lookalike portion is this bandaged up left wrist. This is as close as Muggs could get, looking like a kickboxer. Muay-Thai..... hai-yeeeeeeee-yak!!! *Ouch*

I consider myself as rather filial person, seldom missing any gatherings of relatives. Grandparents death anniversaries, etc. Instead of sneaking away, hoping not to see my ExtremeCharacter relative, I took a bet. Fortunate thing, she already left for the day. While I just got off work, I headed straight to my aunt's place (usual gathering location, for my grandparents death anniversaries) for dinner. Most people were already there and had their dinner. A group of 4 already at a majong game. Bala was one of the "kar". Strange but true, YMother didn't make any noise. Yep, its been a real long time since I met up with my uncles, aunts and cousins. I watched telly, waiting for Bala to finish this game of majong. We took a bus home and we reached around 12.15am. Did a little surfing online, before heading out for my ride.

So much things to see.... This time.... in running order
1) Metal strip
2) Hardard Signal Cone broken into pieces (probably by a Daytona driver)
3) Wooden plank
4) TP Road block (interesting.. . several guys were by the side of the road, a car has been ordered to stop, cease engine)
5) 3 Mountain bikers riding on pavement. No idea they were jeering or cheering me. Ha, I was on the road, zooming pass.
6) Pong-pong fruit
7) Road kill, with innards all spilled out (no idea if its a pigeon or rodent, I was traveling at 28km/h, too fast to take a second look)
8) Last, not the least and this I cannot "siam". I had to go over a stream of dumpster truck that had juices flowing all over the place. Ewwww ... . I was overpowered by the stench and I tried hard not to wobble as I steer away.

Pit-stop or rather ended my training ride, heart beat at 70% (just Zone1, due to traffic stops, humps). Took a few toasts and a cup of hot tea. Rush back to bathe and wash my clothes, headed off to sleep. 2 more events today. Run and RollerBlade. Tonight, I have to attend my good friend's wedding too. Mr. BBCLow. Muggs dozed off at 4am.

Unable to wake up at 10am, I ended up waking at 12pm. Went to blade at WC after I had to report a police case about vice messages sent to my mobile. 20+ in one whole day, even at 12.45am.... these people are crazy. Police only adviced me to change a new line. Anyway, my 2 year contract is up. Time for a new line and phone. At WC, Conan was ahead of me leading me to a down slope. He negotiated the slope well due to his past roller skating experience. I failed terribly and fell on my left. Still able to skate, I thought it was ok. But when I removed my slider while taking a break, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't turn my wrist and it was painful. We ended the day since the sky is getting dark too. Lamented to Conan that 10mins skate here just to see me with injury. After drinks, we went home.

My SecSchool buddy is having his wedding tonight and I wouldn't miss it. I attended the wedding with my immobilized wrist. Fortunate thing, it was a left hand and I could still shake everyone's hand with my right. Right after dinner, I'm home now. Sleep soon, getting ready to see a doc first thing tomorrow.