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Scatch that itch!

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:01:05 GMT

I made my annual pilgrimage to the bowling lanes last night. I don't intend it to be on an annual basis but somehow it just happens once a year.

Earlier last week:

There's been lots of bowling in the news. Well done on Team Singapore for those fantastic results at the Asian Youth Games. My scores were never that high when I was 18. These kids must be pretty damn good. - the Bowling seed enters my head

Friday last week:

I'm rushing for a quick lunch time workout at the gym. As the frontdesk guy swipes my gym card, I look up at the rows of TV screens in front of the treadmills. ESPN catches my eye and I realise they're showing a professional bowling competition. I'm transfixed and watch a player take a shot. 'Hey, I recognise him! Its Pete Weber.... nice strike.' - the Bowling seed sprouts roots

Yesterday morning:

A family member's colleague emails me again about bowling advice for his two young boys. A little person in my head runs around to the corner of my brain where all my bowling information is stored. He blows the dust off the neurons or whatever the brain uses to store info and tells my fingers to start typing. - That does it. I gotta hit the lanes.

Late last night:

I still got it! 233, 226 and 194. The itch has been scratched. Till next year.

Restore my humanity!

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:28:48 GMT

I’m now certain that the constant exposure to news and information though the ever-growing forms of media has damaged us as much as it has educated us. I’ve learnt loads about animals, mega structures, catching Alaskan crab and modified cars through watching cable TV. I’ve kept my finger on the pulse of the economy and what’s going on in the world through Reuters News, the BBC and The Straits Times. Today, I listened to a news programme that jolted me in a big way. It made me realise how desensitised I have become due to the constant barrage of information.

Do you remember that Israel recently conducted a war against Hamas in Gaza? Probably. Do you remember when it started? Not likely. Do you know how many people died? I’m guessing not. I too can’t remember any of these details either. I remember thinking that its sad that there’s another war in that part of the world. I remember thinking that the war seemed very one-sided as well. But that’s about it.

I had to do a bit of work today that I’d loosely term ‘data management’. i.e. mind numbing work. So I put stuck some ear phones in my ears and decided to listen to the radio played from my phone to make time pass a little faster. I tuned straight into a BBC programme covering the after effects of the recent war. It only took a couple of seconds to latch onto the programme and realise what it was about.

Voice of the journalist – “And in this corner the room, lay the body of xxxxx, her body cut in half. And over here, yyyyy’s head got blown off by the sheer force of the explosion. You can still see some bits of brain stuck on the wall. This is where the children of Dr. zzzzz, a Palestinian, lost all his children. The Israeli army said Hamas militants were spotted in this house and fired a high-tech rocket into the building.”

This was followed by an interview of the said Palestinian doctor whose family had been wiped out from that attack. His voice was filled with extreme sorrow. It was painful to listen him recount the story of him returning home to find his children in pieces.

The journalist goes on to report on other accounts of civilian causalities in Gaza, other families being almost completely wiped out because they all were taking shelter together, of a hospital being evacuated because there was a white phosphorous artillery shell fired by the Israeli army burning in the middle of the street next to it. White phosphorous causes horrific burns that are difficult to heal. I remember reading how an elderly woman was treated for minor injuries caused by white phosphorous. She returned a few days later to the doctor and as those wounds did not heal and had eaten through to the bone. Use of white phosphorous in civilian areas during war is banned by the Geneva Convention. Its use as a smoke screen however, is not. That is how the Israeli army justifies its use.

Anyway, I digress. Listening to these actual accounts of people losing their lives, of a child describing how her relative was holding his son’s body while the brains were spilling out, is extremely disturbing. The hair on my back and arms stood for minutes on end after the programme ended. I then realized how desensitised I have become because of the never-ending barrage of media we expose ourselves to. The description of such news stories by an attractive looking blond woman on CNN, or pictureless pages in the newspaper somehow doesn’t quite convey the message or its impact properly, which is a real shame. Its scary that when I read about the war while it was happening, my only thought was “Hmm…. That’s rather sad.”

That radio programme restored a little bit of sensitivity to me. Its horrible that the rest of the world stood by while these horrible atrocities were committed. Myself included.

What am I doing?

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:17:26 GMT

“I will never subject myself to that again”, after 2005 StanChart marathon

“…..again…..”, after adidas Sundown marathon

I’ve just printed out another training marathon training programme.

Earlier in the day, a colleague walked over and mentioned that my company will be supporting any employee who wishes to run this years StanChart marathon. She asked if I was doing it and I replied, “I’ll decide in a bit… once I recollect how painful both previous attempts were and mentally re-run every single boring kilometer during those long training runs.”

A few hours later and I’ve downloaded and printed out a marathon training programme. I’ve penciled in the long run workouts in my training diary to see what they look like amongst the 70.3 and Lombok Tri races that I plan to do. I’ve worked out what pace those long runs are to be done at based on a new target time. I’m about to write down the target pace for the interval workouts and tempo runs once I’m done typing this.

Personally I don’t think I sound like a person who has vowed never to run a marathon again….twice. I must be confused. I remember my first StanChart marathon being the most physically excruciating thing I’ve ever done, voluntary or otherwise. I remember crossing the finish line at the adidas Sundown marathon and feeling like my life force had been sucked out of my body. I actually felt depressed after the race. Not because I didn’t hit my target time but because I was totally physically, mentally and emotionally drained. Yet, there is a training programme on my table staring back at me right now.

There is a decision-making part of my brain that I’m not aware, and obviously, not in control of.

daydreaming.....

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:35:16 GMT

Post primer- Increasing power and diesel shortages raise questions to India’s continued rapid economic growth. Lack of glacial melt and rainfall for India’s hydro power plants and aging electricity infrastructure have led to frequent blackouts. Rural areas are facing 12-18 hours of blackouts while urban areas are in the dark for 5-7 hours.

Reading that made me think what life would be like if something like that happened in Singapore. Immediately I thought it’d make for a good break from work where life can finally slow down. My daydreaming brought me, Janice and the doggies to some place in the world where we lived in a house with a vegetable garden patch in a temperate climate. Whilst in that fantasy thought, I hadn’t yet figured out what I’d be doing to earn an income. I just thought to myself how nice life would be if everything slowed down to the point where I would have time to grow my own food, possibly my own transportation fuel (read biodiesel or bioethanol), have the house powered by a wind turbine, read books, train for triathlon, go mountain biking during the week, play golf, cook proper meals on a daily basis, and have proper play time with the dogs and possibly kids when they come.

Just over the weekend, my father-in-law mentioned that during his time, it used to take 2 weeks to get a reply after sending a letter through telex. I wonder what did people do while they waited for a response. I’m sure life was much slower. Must have been nice.

Back to reality…. I guess the only way to make those dreams come true is to work 12-14 hour days for a decade and hope I become a multi-millionaire in that time. So I can say sayonara to the ratrace and move to that house beside the golf course, next to the mountains, with the garden.

Well… none of that is going to happen so I think I’d better get back to work. So I can get out of the office for swim class this evening. Think I should feel grateful that at least I can go for swim class.

When to get out before its too late?

Fri, 30 May 2008 02:56:14 GMT

The wifey has been overloaded at work for the last few weeks. I've been squeezing my brain and milking it for all that its worth (which isn't all that much to begin with) for the whole of this month as well. Both of us are feeling the strain and I suspect that something has got to give before the machinery breaks down.

Every work week has been a heavy one, every weekend jam packed with activities that are supposedly to help us unwind but end up exhausting us anyway. We hit the office on Monday morning and wonder where the weekend went and why we aren't refreshed at all.

Janice has been waking up tired every morning no matter how early she goes to sleep the night before. The muscles in my legs are taut as hell and I know injury is close by if I don't take it easy. The thing is, I have been taking it easy the last few weeks. I think these are the physical signs that work related stress is building up to unhealthy levels. Yet neither of us have realized that this has been going on until now (this morning).

So when does one get out of this crazy race before its too late? I think what we're going through are simply the early stages of burn out. There's still a ways to go before things turn ugly; where the stress manifests itself and turns into flared tempers, breakdowns and long term injury. Thankfully that hasn't happened yet but its pretty obvious that we're on a train wreck waiting to happen.

At least the light has switched on in my head and I've realized the situation we're in. Now to figure out how to slow this train down. With bills to pay, jumping off isn't an option. Now where the hell are the brakes?

Just like old days....

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:04:23 GMT

We're into our third bloody mary. Janice makes them good. The music is pumpin'. We're listening to Matt Darey's podcast titled 'Nocturnal'. If you're into house/trance, you'd like this stuff. I've been waving my arms like some trippy clubber, Janice has been bobbing her head with a look on her face that says, 'this is good shit'. Reminiscent of the old days.

On one of our first outings, when we were just getting to know each other as friends, we had a couple of pints at Muddy Murphy's. She'd done her time in the U.K. and I'm particularly partial to good ale. Kilkenny's draught was well appreciated by us both. But at the time, we were both poor sods. I was a student, she's was a young journalist. So I made what would seem an inappropriate proposition at the time.

"This will sound very forward, but want to go back to my place?", I ask. "I've got a good bottle of wine at home".

I guess she felt comfortable with me as said "Yeah, sure."

Anyway, got back to my place and I opened a bottle of wine. I started my computer up and the dance mp3 list kicked off. She loved it. The music, that is. I suppose she liked the company as well. She left at 4:30am; after a good 5 hours of chatting, listening to trance and wine. I asked her to stay but being the good girl that she was, she made it home in time so her folks wouldn't worry.

Fast forward 5 years later and we're sharing the same moment. Some things change... and some things don't.

Bye bye old friend....

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:11:48 GMT

This is kinda old news already but I've never had a good track record of recounting events on this blog anyway.

The van has been sold. It was sold a week ago on the 26th of September, 2007 at approximately 7:00pm. Zippy was in its cleanest state its been for weeks and while I was driving it to the car dealer to hand it over, I wondered if I had just made a very bad decision. Zippy has been absolutely faultless since the day I bought it. A couple of oil changes, a new set of tires and a while lot of spirited driving was I what I gave it. Not once did it complain. At the very most, a yellow warning light would appear on occasion as if to say "Woah fella, I ain't got no VTEC engine inside me, go easy on the revs, please". I'd take heed and the very next time I started it up, the light was gone and ready for another drive.

Zippy was easy on the wallet, easy to drive, easy to park, easy to light up the front tires on wet roads and easy to own. It'd swallow any number of bicycles and whatever junk I needed to transport. It was responsible for helping Janice move into the West Wing and even participated in the construction of our flat when it carried half a tonne of floor tiles from Sungei Kadut back home, twice. If it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't drive Zippy into Malaysia, I'm pretty sure I would still be driving it right now. The only time I felt odd while driving it were when Janice and I were driving to wedding dinners. Wearing a suit inside it felt rather weird. I guess those were its only two faults. Can't drive overseas and not the nicest vehicle to get valet parked. Even its 70km/h speed limit didn't get in the way. I lost the patience to creep on the roads like that probably 3 days after owing it. Amazingly, I never got a single speeding ticket. Not only did Zippy have character, it had karma. Zippy, I'll miss you. I'm sorry I didn't wash you more often.

For weeks before this, I have been daydreaming about the new Civic FD2 Type-R. What a car. I bought every car magazine that had a picture of it on its cover. I read every single review that’s posted on the internet. I could recount its technical specifications in my sleep. I could literally imagine I was driving it. I once drove my cousin-in-law's Integra DC2 Type-R when I was in the army and that short 15 minute drive left an indelible impression on me. The gear shift was so precise, the steering so full of feel, the throttle so sensitive. Holding the revs at 5,000rpm in third gear, listening to the engine noise, enjoying its mechanical cacophony, dabbing the throttle a little bit more and hearing the sound intensify before mashing the pedal to the floor and letting the engine scream its lungs out. The VTEC wail would just get louder and louder and the surge of the car would get stronger and stronger right up to the redline.

That drive was more than 8 years ago and I can still remember the experience. I was so certain that I wanted the Civic Type-R and relive those emotions everyday of my life for the next 5 years. And why not? You only live once so to hell with practicality. The Civic's boot might struggle to take in a full set of golf clubs let alone a dismantled bicycle but achieving automotive nirvana would be so worth it. At least, that was what my heart was saying to me.

The head however had different ideas. I lead an active life. Janice leads an active life. Active lives means lots of gear. Lots of gear is useless if you can't bring it to places where it can be used. I might be able to get away by tacking on a bike rack onto the boot of the Civic but it'd be bloody pain in the ass every single time.

My irrational enthusiasm for the Civic Type-R ultimately became its downfall. Shy of test driving it, I thought I knew exactly what it'd feel like. No one had one available for a test drive so I did the next best thing. I watched video after video of Civic Type-Rs on Youtube. The majority of them showed them tearing around tracks in Japan, their Japanese drivers saying how bloody awesome there were to drive and that it is better than sex. I don't know a word of Japanese but I'm guessing that was what they were saying.

I was so sure the Civic was THE ONE until I chanced upon a video of two Japanese dudes driving out of the track onto regular roads. They were pootling around town at normal speeds and as if they were on the way to the supermarket. The camera angle showed the interior of the car, the two people in it and of the road beyond.

I had read in a couple of reviews that the Type-R's suspension was tuned at the track and as a result has one hell of a hard ride. The car was made to be driven hard and its damper settings and spring rates were determined in the pits rather than in a factory. It was during that video where I got to see how stiff the suspension really was. The two dudes in the care were literally vibrating during the entire journey. The were shaking in the same way you see a super modified STI or Evo, with rock hard suspension and the ah-beng inside looking like he's sitting on a box of vibrators. I know I want to enjoy the incredible peformance of the Type-R but I also know that I don't want to replace the fillings in my teeth. And with that, my dream to own the Type-R died. I'm sure I could have bought it and gotten its super stiff suspension with something softer but what would be the point in that? That goes against the spirit that went into its design. That'd be sacrilege.

So the head has won. I've gone and bought something practical. Something that the wife approves of. She even likes it as much as me, maybe even more. Until I get the keys in my hands, I'd rather not jinx it and tell the world. The world can wait but I can't. I'm dying to take delivery of it. It already has a name. I'm going to be driving the BatMobile.

70.3 done and dusted

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:56:48 GMT

Its finally over and done with. It was long, it was painful, it was eventful to say the least and it was one helluva experience. It also didn't go according to plan. But that's racing. Bad sighting on the swim, flat tire on the bike and a crumbling knee on the run. Bummer. But still, I'm just glad I finished. There were many others who weren't so lucky and only have lots of road rash to show for it. My heart goes out to them as that sort of disappointment is far worse than just not having things go smoothly. Everyone in AAA did great and best of all, Janice finished in one piece. And Shem is going to Florida... crazy stuff.

As I sit here in a hotel room in Jakarta with aching legs, I'm already thinking about what lies in store for the rest of the year and in 2008. I can't help it. The moment the knee stops hurting, the mountain bike is going to get a good thrashing on the trails. There's DirTraction's 8 hour Enduro race at the end of November, which should be good fun. One or two Malaysian rides if possible and all sorts of other good stuff. But more importantly, there'll be time to chill out. Weekday movies, weekends lazing at home. Stuff that hasn't been done since the start of the year. Maybe a bit of DIY for the house, more time with the dog and the wifey etc...

Ah... I can't wait.

Three weeks on with the doggie

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:22:47 GMT

Life changing... in ways I could never have anticipated. He's really like a child. And I can imagine that some of the feelings I've had because of him will only be amplified when Janice and I really have a child. I felt so proud when he walked into the sea and started paddling around as if he'd done dozens of times. A natural, I tell ya. He makes me melt with his expressive face that can be read like a book. Sheepish, naughty, estatic, sleepy etc... Now I can't imagine life without him.

Our little Rosco. Bless your little heart.

Packed up and ready to ship...

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 18:54:06 GMT

It's just under a month before I come back home. This afternoon, I spent some time packing up all my winter gear, thick jumpers, couple pairs of shoes and various other cold weather things. They're going to be shipped home together with Janice's stuff. As I was clearing the things from the shelves, I felt a little sad. I've grown to like Edinburgh. Lately, I've been thinking more about going home than about the time I'm spending here. But what I've done over the past four months has been absolutely amazing. The little adventures that Janice and I had. The moments where both of us were freezing our arses off, the incredible biking experiences, the amazing views on top of Holyrood Park, the beautiful architecture.... the list just goes on and on. I'm going to miss Scotland when I come home. So I'm glad the act of packing my clothes made realize how much I like this place.... and is a reminder to cherish every moment here while I can.

The solo Epic

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 13:10:12 GMT

I've been planning this ride for a week. A casual flip in the MTB Scotland trail ride and a page catches my eye. 130km 'must do' ride. Some cycle paths, a bit of road and lots and lots of singletrack. Sounds good enough. It would turn out to be a gruelling 10 hour, almost non-stop, spectacular journey that has renewed my enthusiasm for fat tire riding.

I do enough writing as part of my job so I'm just going to summarize what happened.

Train ride north from Edinburgh to Inverkeithing. The 'haar' is bad. Haar is a scottish term for fog. The kinda fog you only see in horror movies. Ominious and damp and cold. Visibility is absolute shite. Not a good way to start a long bike ride. Follow little bike signs that lead the way. With the bad visibility, its a real challenge to spot them. At the back of my head, I have the feeling that something could go wrong. Nevermind, just get on with it. Get onto cycle paths that hug the coast. After two hours, my legs are already tired. I'm obviously not fit. Get to a little town, load up on energy. Sandwich, chips, a choc bar and some Lucozade. Yeah, that should last till evening time if I have more chcolate bars along the way. All this while I've been following little bike signs that are so freaking small, its like a bloody treasure hunt. By this time, The sun has come out. Its finally cut through the fog. Its nice to feel some warmth and actually see the beautiful scenery.

Hmm.... I seem to be getting further inland. I thought this was supposed to be a coastal trail. Nevermind, I've been following the bikes signs dutifully so I should be alright. Two hours later, my legs are toast. I've been cranking up countryside roads and the rolling hills have taken its toll. Cool sights though. I should have bothered to bring a map. Finally I find someone who gives me some directions. She tells me I'm far from where I want to be. What a surprise. Cows and sheep aren't exactly marine sea life. Ok, I give up on the bike signs and follow her directions. Its pretty obvious that at some point, I followed the wrong bloody bike sign in the fog and ended up heading inland. Great. Another hour later and I hit the coast. Yay! The little trail book says that the coastal trail gets interesting from this point onwards. Good, I haven't missed all that much. Its just that the 3 hour detour on hilly roads have devastated my legs. They're not going to be much use if I encounter any steep hills anymore.

Ah... this is what the book was talking about. I'm riding along the coast and the scenery is breathtaking. This isn't the usual forest views I've been getting. Riding singletrack near cliff edges, riding on sand at times (29" wheels keep me rolling), I stop to take lots of pictures. Or is it because I'm really tired. I've got about 4 hours of daylight left and still a long way to go. Better keep grinding away. Amazing ride though.

Miles and miles of singletrack pass, I pass through more little coastal towns that I can remember, I've ridden through at least a dozen rock gardens, my energy is sapping, I've ran out of chocolate and have less than 2 hours before I'm truly f**ked. I've got no lights and if I'm still out here when the sun sets, things could get real bad. I've gotta get off this coastal trail which never seems to end and get onto the roads that lead me to the train station.

I finally get onto the road. It leads to St Andrews. I don't know how far away it is but it doesn't matter. If I don't get to the station before the sun sets, I'm still f**ked. There aren't any road lights out in the country side. Cars will still be doing 80 miles per hour. I might just become road kill. Better hurry. But hurry on what? The last time I had proper food was more than 6 hours ago, I've been surviving on chocolates which have all been finished. I look down at my legs as they burn with fatigue and imagine that they are cannabalizing themselves using muscle tissue as energy. Am I becoming delusional?

This was not how the ride was supposed to turn out. It was meant to be a casual solo ride without any pressure or stress. I've already done more than 100 clicks, half of them offroad I've been riding for 7 hours straight since my little lunch break. Now I have to bloody time trial gawd-knows-how-long to catch the train before it becomes dark. Fun.

I come up on the St Andrews golf course. Gotta take a pic of course. It briefly takes my mind away from my aching legs and realize that I'm out here in the boondocks, in a gorgeous country and having such an amazing experience. I'd never have gotten the chance to do and see all the things in the last few months if not for getting my new job. I feel very grateful. I spot another dead grouse on the road. These birds tend to be the most common dead creature on the roads. It reminds me to get a move on. I get to St Andrews town. I never realized it was a town. I only thought it was a golf course. Well, now I know. Get more directions to the train station and the time trial continues. Hope I get there soon coz I've run out of water.

The sun has almost set completely and the light is fading. It doesn't matter anymore as I arrive at Leuchars train station. I'd have been nice to wash up and change using the toilets but they're locked up. Luckily, there's another guy waiting for the train and he's the fella who's bringing on fresh supplies for the train food trolley. He's nice enough to sell me a muffin and a coffee which tastes so damn good. The hot coffee warms me up and I'm happy. I'm safe, I'm fed (somewhat) and I'm going home. That was one hell of an epic. Not something I'd want to do anytime soon but was so worth it. Next time, I should stop being so stupid and bring a map. Something tells me I probably won't though. Coz deep down inside, I know I love being a little lost, I love taking things to the edge and I love these times when I find out a little about myself. What a great day.

More pix here.

For the wifey....

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 21:09:10 GMT

You don't truly appreciate what you have until it's gone. In this case, I'm going to spend the next 6 weeks realizing how much Janice means to me. I try to show her the appreciation and gratitude that she deserves but have probably fall short many a time. Now I will notice all the little things she does for me on a daily basis that I don't pay enough attention to. Her absence will only highlight how much she truly means to me and why she deserves all the love and care in the world. It's only be one night in a big bed all to myself but already the room, the apartment seems so much emptier and quieter. I'm going to miss my darling so much. Hang on, I already do.

Looking back at '06 and going forth.

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 02:37:17 GMT

I've finally slowed down enough to stop and smell the roses and look back at the year that has gone past. Lots has happened, some good, some bad, mostly good, actually all good. Whatever bad that has occurred is my own fault for looking at things in either a selfish, myopic or ungrateful manner. 2006 has been a good year, no make that a great one.

Got married to a the most wonderful person I could ever wish for, got a beautiful home, made new wonderful friends, got in shape, got great colleagues, had loads of memorable experiences. Too many things to list down here but I ought to take some time out of my day and just reflect a little bit more before I truly forget about them.

The wedding. I'm glad its past. It was great fun when the day actually happened but more significantly, was the true start where we finally moved in together and became a family unit. The flat is looking good, nothing has broken down too bad apart from one or two niggles that my stubborn, procrastinating ass refuses to fix. I know that I take Janice for granted way too often. Because the only way I was to show my appreciation in a way she deserves is to tell her I love and cherish her every hour, make her dinner everyday and get her a present every other day. Of course I don't do that, so therefore I take her for granted for the wife she is to me.

AmateurAsianAthletes. Wicked bunch of people. I can't remember laughing so hard or having so much fun with new friends like them ever. Few people ever see Andrew out of his shell. They've seen me at my best and worst. But the nice thing is that I can be myself when hanging out with without any pretenses.

I remember I was a lard ass in 2004. I had stopped riding my bike regularly and struggled to breathe properly when wearing no-stretch work trousers. Did my first triathlon and wished I was in better shape. 2005 was slightly better. Exercised a little more, did the odd event here and there but my fitness was sporadic at best. 2006 has been great in the sense that I was race fit all year round and took part in 1 running event, 4 triathlons, 1 road race, 2 mountain bike races and 5 adventure races. The only no show was the marathon.

I've spent most of the year working with two great people. Sitting on my left, who is my boss who is a nutter. Well, was a nutter but has grown up, currently raising 2 kids and is a pure family man. That makes him a matured nutter and a bag of laughs as a result. Then there's the 24 going on 34 year old Welsh fella on my right. I get to sit in the middle while they trade U.K. style barbs at each other. I can't participate as 1) I cannot connect culturally with what they're saying 2) they're not totally proficient with Singlish to understand what I'm saying. I know this for a fact when my boss didn't respond when I called him a chee bye under my breath when he was making fun of how I pronouced "two". I know I'm going to miss them.

Soon it'll be time to welcome in 2007. It also marks the end of my 2 year 'holiday' where I actually have to start working for my pay. I will no longer be paid to surf bike sites, chat on yahoo/msn and daydream about riding. I'm looking forward to it.

I also need to have a more positive mindset, be more disciplined and toughen up mentally a whole lot more. Nice goals to have, easy to formulate but hard to execute. Working backwards from what I want to achieve, I think I need to get inspired again. Motivation has definitely been on the wane in Q4. Well, its time to buck up. In my case, its always time to buck up. The only difference is when I'm actually aware that i need to. Right now, I need to. There's lots to learn so I can do what the new job requires me to. I need to get back in the pool by Jan so that I don't lose too much time to my 'rabbit' come the big tri events. I gotta get tough on myself and kick myself out of bed earlier and get some morning workouts in. I need to be like Rocky where he's running in the snow and doing leg lifts with horse drawn carts. I have been giving the excuse not to go outdoors because its too hot. I better not start saying its too cold when I'm in Edinburgh. I need some discipline.

Two (du) weeks more to the new year. Gotta psych up for whats ahead. Bring it on!

Opportunities

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 10:26:11 GMT

A thought came to me during lunch today. How does one create opportunities for oneself? I've just taken a huge step in my career. I've run out of lives when it comes to moving around companies. This next one I'm moving to has to be for keeps. Or at least for a good number of years. I'm sure the next few months will be amazingly exciting as I have to move to Edinburgh for 3 months as part of the company induction/training. 3 months right smack in the middle of winter. Totally new environment and surroundings. A chance of a lifetime for me. I know I'm going to absolutlely love it. A real bonus considering I'm going to be doing a job which really appeals to my interests, matches my traits plus a nice pay rise. I'm really so incredibly lucky and blessed.

So back to creating opportunities. I didn't quite create this one for myself. It was a combination of sheer luck. A friend (ex-colleague) had applied for another position there and he told me about the company and the roles that they were looking to fill. How that conversation occured and the scenarios that led to it can be described as a long set of events that happened a certain way. I wouldn't have know about the company had one of those events turn out slightly differently. I may have passed the interviews and landed the job through my own merit but I certainly didn't create this opportunity for myself.

I've come to the conclusion that opportunities are as random as random gets. Kinda like meeting the right person. You don't go out and look for perfect love, it'll find you. To me, this is an important realization because just a few weeks ago I must admit I felt rather lost. I wasn't doing a job which particularly interested me nor paid me what I want to earn (of course whatever amount will never be enough) and I couldn't see anyway out of it. Life as a whole wasn't bad.... its just that I felt kinda bleak about my future as I couldn't see further than my nose on where it would take me. Fast forward a month and the picture is completely different. Bloody amazing, I tell you.

The A Team.....

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 03:15:13 GMT

The wife and I bought a new computer yesterday. It's to replace her aging and soon to die ibook. There was a small debate on whether it would be a PC or Mac. It was a short one and the PC came out tops.

Upon bringing it home, I was tasked to do the dirty work and sort out the wires behind the desk. Grunt work if you ask me. But then again, what was to follow was way beyond my capabilities. Because when I woke up this morning, I asked Janice what time she eventually got to bed.

"3:30" was the answer. She'd had been up all night installing all the software she had on hand, sorting out all the music, changed the themes, personalized the desktop, set up the email, the whole she-bang. It's as if we've had this computer for months rather than 12 hours.

I haven't told her yet but I'm actually very proud of her. Janice more than makes up for my flaws. A lack of patience and aptitude to technology being one of them. I suppose I complement hers as she can't wrench bikes or work a power drill. We make a great team.... just like the A-Team.

I pity the fool! - Mr. T

The cycles in nature...

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 23:58:28 GMT

Day follows night, night follows day....the four seasons....PMS etc. The "cycle" is a natural phenomenon. So in all fairness, I shouldn't be too surprised to find out on the scales this morning and find that I'm 2 kilos heavier, struggle to fit into my pants and feel like Fat Bastard. Coming off a good 6 months of solid training, I've swung the other way pretty hard. Extra portions during meals, double muffin mornings, triple slice of sinful chocolate cake last night... Its only natural, right?

To appreciate the good, you have to experience the bad. Slightly over a month ago, I was slightly annoyed that my pants didn't quite sit on my hips nicely. A little loose to be exact. This morning, I was sitting in the taxi feeling like my gut wanted out. I think I'd rather the first scenario.

So there. Off season is officially over. Time to plan for '07.

Don't leave home without it....

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 02:18:55 GMT

Random post while on the crapper using the black fruit. Cannnnn you smell..... What the rock is cooking?

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 04:26:25 GMT

Test post from e berry.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people...

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 02:00:54 GMT

A man in Pennsylvania kills 5 young girls at an Amish school before killing himself. He had mental problems ever since his daugther died just after being born 9 years ago as well issues from an incident where he claims he molested two young family members 20 years back.

While this incident is extremely tragic and being the third school shooting in just over a week, it does raise several issues. One of them being gun control. Below is a comment made by somone in the U.S.

The right to bear arms is a right that all free people should have. Gun laws do nothing other than allow the government to control your life, we don't allow them to control us in many other ways. You don't see people silently protesting our right to free speech, or any other freedoms we have. Our right to bear arms is part of our FREEDOM. If everyone else wants to be communist then so be it, but I'll hang on to my shotgun until I either die of old age or someone kills me, that's the price of freedom.
Jack, St. Paul

It is this logic, combined with the powerful, both financially and politically, gun lobby that prevents guns from being taken off the streets. I wonder if the families of those children who were killed are in any way consoled with the fact that at least they still have FREEDOM.

Dear Lord, what have I done?.....

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 06:06:06 GMT

Carl's Jr.©
Chilli Burger©

Serving Size: 280 g
Calories: 695
Calories from Fat: 318
Total Fat: 36 grams
Saturated Fat: 15 grams
Cholesterol: 111 milligrams
Sodium: 1400 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 56 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Sugars: 12 grams
Protein: 39 grams

Carl's Jr.©
French Fries (small)©

Serving Size: 92 g
Calories: 290
Calories from Fat: 120
Total Fat: 14 grams
Saturated Fat: 3 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 170 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 37 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Sugars: 0 grams
Protein: 5 grams

Carl's Jr.©
Vanilla Shake (medium)©

Serving Size: 32 oz
Calories: 700
Calories from Fat: 150
Total Fat: 16 grams
Saturated Fat: 11 grams
Cholesterol: 70 milligrams
Sodium: 520 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 115 grams
Fiber: 0 grams
Sugars: 98 grams
Protein: 22 grams

Total calories: 1685

Consumed at 13:45 hrs
Feeling slightly ill at 14:02 hrs
STILL BURPING at 15:24 hrs

I've said it once and I'll say it again, "Never again...."

What a weekend!....

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 02:49:01 GMT

Spent 2 glorious days riding some of the best trails M'sia has to offer. Mont Kiara is a like a playground for mountain bikers. Killer climbs, killer tech sections, singletrack, switchbacks, the works. Oh, killer mosquitoes too. I've never been bitten so badly in my life. By the end of the first day, I was doing most of my riding with one hand on the handlebar and the other scratching my arse. It must have been a funny sight for everyone riding behind me (which was the entire group). And it wasn't just scratching one of two spots, I was making broad strokes across my bum. Couldn't understand why until I got back to the hotel room. There were close to 30 bites on my behind. This is what happens to someone who has the propensity to be bitten by mosquitoes, riding all day on trails in a rubber plantation without any bloody insect repellent. Plain stupid.

But the riding was great. I haven't ridden such much tech stuff ever. Moss covered baby head rocks, super steep sections, lung buster climbs. It was all there. Janice did great as well. Got her worn out Schwalbe tires replaced with some hardcore Specialized Adrenaline tires and she tackled some of those sections with aplomb. Made up for missing out on the first day of riding. I'm sure we're going to ride lots of Kent Ridge trail when it opens up again. Brush up on our technical skills.

Riding Kiara was also a good chance to really get to know the 29er. The big wheels ate up everything in its way. While I'm sure a 26inch bike would have been more nimble, I didn't feel as if I was missing out on anything and never felt like I was going to endo when descending some of the really steep sections. Had no problems keeping up with everyone else on 4-5 inch full sussers. The only real bug bear were the damn pedals. Candy SL's suck. They look nice, they're light but too bloody hard to engage. Everytime I was in a stop-start situation, my foot would be hunting around for ages before the cleat found the pedal and clipped in. It was alright when riding in home trails where the feet stay clipped in for most of the ride but doing Kiara made that unbearable. So much so that I bit the bullet and got a pair of Time Z platforms at the end of the first day. Much easier to clip into and now I can ride to Holland V in my slippers. I got lots of faffing around to do this week. Going to swap the Easton Monkey XCs for my old Monkey SLs. Reducing the handlebar width by 7cm should quicken the steering and make it easier to slip between the trees. The right way to go seeing as Kent Ridge is going to offer much more technical riding. Going to try and look for an 8inch rotor for the front wheel. Probably a bit overkill (and heavy) but I'd appreciate being able to use one finger even when creeping down 60 degree descents would be nice. The weight gain will be nicely offset once the Scandal frame comes in and I swap the porky Alex TD 17s for some nice Salsa Delgado ones.

But first things first. The Desaru half is coming up on me real quick. Better stick to road for the time being and change the Cervelo set up for tri. Argh... so many wonderful activities to do, so little energy. Wish I could play hard everyday.

Let that tail hang out, baby....

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:36:47 GMT

A couple nights ago, I caught Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift with the AAA gang. Lame ass, man. Worst than the first two. But I still liked it. I wasn't expecting to see a deep and thought provoking plot or serious acting. I watched it for the cars, girls and tail happy action. Damn, Nathalie Kelly (Neela) is hot. I would hve never have guessed she was half Peruvian, half French. Anyway, the action was fun but Hollywood needs to stay away from making lame movies.

Like Initial D.

Jay Chou is rubbish, as bad as the bad guy in F&F. Truly cringe worthy. The driving is shit hot though. Plain bloody amazing. How do you keep a car balanced sideways like that? I want to know. The one and only time I tried finding out, I nearly went straight into a lamp post. It was in the Gold Coast, on the way to training, pouring cats and dogs and taking a corner too fast in a 20 year old BMW 323i. Needless to say I haven't tried any of that again.

Until I get on a race track. heh.

Ding! Ding! Ding!....Round 2....Fight!...

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 03:15:56 GMT

Daniel Yergin, Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) vs Matthew Simmons, author of 'Twilight in the Desert' and the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas (ASPO)

CERA says production capacity can rise by 25% by 2015 based on a 360 field by field study of new projects. Saudi Arabia will be able to lift production to 12.5 million barrels a day from 10 million. There'll be enough oil for decades to come. Fire up that Hummer of yours and take it for a joy ride to nowhere in particular.... its all cool.

Matt and ASPO says "Hell no, that ain't happening." New production from these projects is not going to make up for the shortfall created from 5% decline rates from existing oil fields all over the world. Alternative fuels, unconventional oil like oil shale, tar sands and enhanced oil recovery from better technology isn't going to reverse this trend. Better trade in that SUV for something more frugal.

I'm with Matt on this one. I think he's right but am hoping that he's wrong. Dead wrong. I've grown up in an environment that has been safe, peaceful and properous. I'd hate to see it change during my lifetime or my kids lifetime or their kids lifetime because we humans weren't clever enough to plan for our future. I've never experienced any real hardship before. Now I'm thinking of what people in Europe must have felt in 1938 or my grandparents here in Singapore in 1940 before WWII came to them. You're just going about living your life as best as you can and in the next moment, all hell breaks loose in unimaginable ways.

If history is an indicator of what people are capable of, then it should be no surprise that resource wars are going to sprout up in various parts of the world in the forseeable future. Maybe its already started. Shit...

Brick galore....

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 01:38:16 GMT

Was supposed to ride the tandem with the wifey last night. She's pooped from work and training so it was just me and my black beauty. Can't wait to dress her up in her Sunday best. The classic cliched "Looking fast while standing still."

Seeing as how my last run was last Sunday and had to take it easy for the first half of the week due to some wierd toe infection, which later on led to a weak and strained ankle from walking funny, I decided to go for a run before the Team Absolut ride. While taking the train home, I contemplated how long I would run for. Take it easy and do 8? Do the usual 10.5? Be a man and finish 13.5? Will going long just bugger up my ankle again? Will that ruin any chance of running this weekend? Am I not going to be prepared enough for the half marathon in 10 days time? Am I overtraining? This ding dong goes on for the whole half hour until I reach my doorstep.

Everyone in AAA seems to be taking it easy this week. The only one that turned up for the ride was BT and thats coz he's rested from a weekend of surfing. He caned himself silly trying to follow the fast group. I think he managed to hang on for a pretty good amount of time. I'd reckon he'd make a pretty good time trialist. Everyone else has been going at it hard for a month already. The first signs of extended fatigue is showing. The good thing is that the education process of learning about one's body is probably being sped up since we can all bounce our ideas and thoughts off each other. Call it group sharing. I think everyone has already learned 'bonk'. Now they're going to understand what their bodies are saying to them a little better. I tend to err on the side of caution or is it laziness? Either I have fully decoded the signals my body is sending to my head or I'm a wussy. Tuesday morning: "Ow... my toe hurts. Think I won't run tonight". Wednesday: "Argh... my ankle hurts. Think I'll just swim instead." Come back home at half five, its still freaking hot: "Great time to get used to running in the heat. But I don't like running when its hot....whinge." Sounds like I'm the latter.

As I stepped out the door after slipping on the running shoes, Russell Peter's famous words echoed in my head, "Be a man...". What followed for the next 4 hours was awesome. I was absolutely knackered by the end of it. I'm loving it.

Bicyclist gets fined for riding without brakes.....

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 04:13:01 GMT

http://bikeportland.org/2006/07/28/judge-finds-fault-with-fixies/

A fixed gear rider gets fined in court for riding without brakes. A policeman pulled her over and a court case ensued. Sure she could stop in front of the police officer and her defense was that "brakes" are not defined properly in the statute.

I totally agree with the judge. Riding fixies are cool, they look so clean and and pure. But anyone who thinks riding them on the road without brakes is downright irresponsible (and that happens to include most of the messenger population). They may be good enough to ride without brakes in traffic but I sure am not. And if I were a policeman whose job was to ensure the roads were safe for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, I'd certainly arrest myself riding a fixie without brakes. Coz I know I'd be totally out of control riding down some of Singapore's gentle inclined roads. And I'd be a hazard to other road users, people and small animals that decide to dash across the road indescriminately.

There was a time I set up a fixie and rode it to uni. Going there meant riding up a tough hill. Going home meant coming back down it. Man, I shat myself the first time I had to do that. Needless to say, I stopped doing it until I got a pair of brakes put on that thing.

I wouldn't mind riding fixed again. Makes for damn good endurance and strength training.