what?

When using the best is not an entitlement of the winners

2009-10-16T09:47:00.000+08:00

We feel the same pounding on the tarmac. Same jaw grinding during crunches. Pespiration, lactic and pain. It’s all the same.

For many, if a ‘normal’ person is to do something extraordinary or similar to what winners would do, their mind will be filled of pretense description of this very person. This hurts, especially for people always on the ‘2^nd tier’ of competition. I haven’t won any races before but a few considerable good rankings, best being 2^nd.

I believe we are all entitle to our right of giving ourselves the best in order to race our best even when our best may not be the best in the race. What’s wrong with getting a good set of racing wheels for my bike? I may not be super speedy on the bike but if it makes me feel good while racing, where’s the harm? Many commit the fallacy of thinking that the equipments you own determine who you are. It’s true that seasoned athletes do their research and are very profound in their equipment knowledge. Some pros are sponsored thus using the state of the art stuff. Yet ‘commoners’ who use these ‘good’ equipments are ‘suppose’ to perform. Often, you will hear people saying “Aiya, I’ve a $2000 bike and I still win your $10000 bike.” Listen to yourself and laugh.

like a roller coaster

2009-10-15T10:45:00.002+08:00

life is full of ups and downs. just about a month back, i broke my own personal record in OD triathlon with a 2:30 at Tri-factor. yet i wasn't even close to that magnitude of success at my 3000 steeplechase last Sunday at IVP.

but it's really time to forget about the past and look what is ahead. and of course, i'm back to running marathon after a 1.5 year absence. i'm confident to break my personal best of 4:04. and i will.

updates!

2009-05-15T19:14:00.000+08:00

woo.. long time already. lack of updates. here we go.

well basically, it's the summer holidays now! from April to August! damn shiok right. but that's for most others. i opted to do summer term so my holiday effectively ends in june. but well. it's only 1 module and i just wanna fulfill my 9 mods per year 'quota'.

last sem was purely madness. there were so many things i have to split my equally pathetic 24 hours (like everyone else).

Job -
i found work at the start of the sem at The Bike Boutique (TBB) and work there 2-3times a week. quite a good learning environment there! picked up a lot of things on bikes and met a lot of interesting figures. i would say i have a better knowledge about bikes but of course, not the best. haha.. got more to pick up. will still be working until probably when i need to look for internship in a year or two.

School -
studies in SMU is never 'slack'. u will always have the next presentation, project, meeting and assignment to submit. the true end only comes with the end of the final exams. i did 4 modules and results are as summarised below:

Business, Government & Society: A
Technology & World Change: A-
Academic Writing: B+ (surprising though! prob my final paper got an A which pulled up my C- from one of the written assignments!)
Microeconomics - B (haha.. no comments on this man.)

i would say it's not fantastic grades.. but definitely.. much improvement!

Training -
this pretty much takes up the other time i am not involved in the above 2. tues and thurs run training. mon wed fri swim training. which leaves the weekends to cycle. haha.. tuning up for Bintan Triathlon OD and well, going on well =)

this month also marks the 5th month i am with Yims. they have been incredible and we always have so much fun together. given my busy schedule, i am very glad that she is willing to put up with seeing whatever (that is left) of me and not dump me! hahaa..

early this month, it was my bro Lim Zihao's birthday. remember the waxing party. hey bro! take it easy ya.. i know your beloved girl left for a month. brace yourself! the return will be sweeter! =)

that's all for now.. ;)

Nike Free 5.0

2009-05-09T18:02:00.003+08:00

A lot of people has been asking me about this new pair of Nike i have been walking around with. well, i really wouldn't be surprise. Firstly, it's Nike, many would know i am a sucker for the brand. Secondly, it's bright red and grey. Finally, it has a certain unique outlook which makes it out of the description for a pair of trainers or a pair of 'kai kai' sneakers.

well, as u would have guess, i'm talking about the new Nike Free 5.0.

the Nike Free series has kinda been around the market for a few years now i think. i have been wanting to lay my hands on a pair since.. i dunno when. however most of the time, my pocket is usually burned with a certain pair of trainers or some bike stuff ( yay yay i am a bike 'whore').

the thing about this Nike Free is, simply put, not meant for running. at least not anything more than 5k for an average runner. i remembered when i ran my first marathon, i spotted a few people wearing them for the race and months later (after i know more about these series of shoes), i am stunned by the fact that they could use that shoe to run 42km!

i think i am able to call myself an 'above average' runner (not supremely fast nor slow), at least capable of running 10kmabout 40mins. the first time i went running in the Frees, it was about 6-7km before i feel'it'. what do i mean? well, there isn't much support with the shoes and i am predominantly an underpronator: my arch collapse inwards when i run. i had a hard time getting back. BUT to do justice to the shoe, it was very comfortable, soft and true to its cause, i do feel like i am running bare foot. i've tried many brands such as Asics, Adidas, Mizuno, New Balance, Avia and other models of Nike. none offered the same responsiveness (the soft way, not the racer kind of way).it was a pleasant surprise to see a shoe being able to micmic every movement of my feet.

the shoes have a very good hug to my feet. i guess the tongue is kinda specially constructed. like always the Waffle like sole always offer a very good cushioning (but do take time to season before it becomes cushy). this is the thing i like about Nike shoes especially the Triax and Lunar Trainers. very soft and cushy. but the only bad point bout them is that they are too soft to have any 'rebound' or 'feedback' which is especially crucial for racing because u need this kind of responsiveness from minimalist shoes. i heard the Lunar Racer do offers that but well, nv got to try them.

after a few normal runs, i decided to try something new with the Frees. i tried a Brick training on it, meaning i got off the bike and ran in them for around 5k, barefoot. i was intrigued by the fact that the inner sections of the shoe was kinda covered in a velvet type of material which is exceptionally smooth and soft. i wanted to see whether the shoe's inner stitching would be ideal for triathlon (since we don't wear socks usually). to my surprise, the result was good. no blisters or red spots on my feet. nice! but the ventilation of the shoes is not very good, therefore my feets was kinda drenched and soggy when i took them out. hahaa.. but it was a good experience to try.

well, after all the torture this shoe has been put through, i have to say it's at most suitable for short jogs etc. nothing like a marathon or even half. PLEASE, do yourself a favour. it's a very decent looking pair of sneakers though and since it helps to build up certain accessory muscles which overall increase the strength of your legs (yes i do feel a bit achy after long period of wearing them), it is ideal if u wanna buy a sporty 'kai kai' pair of shoes =)

My Cervelo S2 with Dura Ace combination

2009-05-01T16:16:00.000+08:00

life life

2009-04-14T00:49:00.002+08:00

woo.. been a while since i've update my blog. since then let me see,

1) i got involved in a bike accident and my bike was wrecked.
2) i got a new road bike =D lighter and more zhng
3) took part in several races such as Sing Bi and IVP, did rather ok. not exceptionally well though
4) started training under my coach and see more direction in my training
5) started work at TBB and rather happy to be working there. environment is really nice

and well, soon exams gonna start.. 1 day from now. then 18th it will be over. then a loooonggggg break! (well.. i am taking Summer term from June.. but still a break!)

still madly in love with Yims and spending happy times with her. =D

i will update once exam's over!

ps: changed my blog header

TT

2009-01-25T18:37:00.004+08:00

and the clock stopped at 19:35.

had a 5km time trial (TT) at Bedok Reservoir yesterday. weather was hot, unfamiliar terrain but a flatter route than Nassim which we usually run.

looks like.. sub40 min 10k will be within reach.. have to train hard..

chose this number for good luck!

zhng-ed my bike

2009-01-15T00:14:00.002+08:00

Bumblebee upgraded to

Assault Bumblebee

a merry merry Xmas!

2008-12-26T11:26:00.005+08:00

many should have seen my Facebook status.

"Eugene is listed as in a relationship with Yi Mei Chong"

yup. amidst the much speculation, Yi mei (aka yims) and i are together after many several "tolls".

actually it all started back in August when we first saw and notice each other, for me, it was back at Sports Fiesta and her was our first Track training at CCAB. after that it was a long long agonizing process for the two of us.

throughout these months, it was like a guessing game. i dunno whether she likes me and she also don't. we did send out signals to each other but it was mixed signals. i think this maybe partially due to my "withdrawal" syndrome at times due to my tendency to hold back when things develop.

things became more obvious when i finally asked her out for a movie (on the excuse of relaxing after studying for the whole day!). even after that, things were still murky and i was on the verge of giving up. after that, why i change my mind.. well.. it's between us! haha.. don't kepo..

anyway yims went m'sia for 4 days last week and i almost died.. ask hao about it.. haha

but it gave me some time to do last minute preparation for the big xmas idea i have for her (as hao named it Operation XT).

well, the idea came that time (end nov i think) when i was eating supper with her and she told me about her work plan for Xmas.. then i told her that i "booked" her Xmas because i wanna spend it with her. then somehow, i asked about her Xmas fantasy before that and i remember that she said that she would like to decorate her own Xmas tree.

next day, i went to search for a place where we can set up a tree and decorate.. both our houses are out.. well for obvious reasons.. haha.. so i booked a room at this really cool hang out place for the 25th.

next is to find xmas tree. and i really wanna thank Xihao for helping me with these.. like walking everywhere to find the tree.. everywhere was like.. either oversized or really expensive! so we walked down Orchard road visiting every departmental store, go to Carrefour in PS then finally found the perfect one at Bras Basah (thanks to his recommendation!)

when i was at the traffic lights looking at the tree inside the shop, i was like "omg, that's it!".. then he responded "who's the man!? call me the man".. haha damn funny.. but i was damn glad to find it!

so went to buy some really nice decorations at Metro (theme is blue and white!).. and in an attempt to really make the xmas tree lives up to its name of "Tree of Yims".. i had an idea of printing photos of her since young so that the tree will have reflections of her happy times she had. well these require the help of Eunice and Samantha (two of yims's best friends) to send me photos they have. haha thanks so much, Eunice and Sam. owe u girls one!

haha as u know, guys suck at art and craft.. so when i had to cut the strings and stick it on, it was damn frustrating.. somemore have to be right size if not cannot hang on the tree properly! haha.. i swear i spend my whole day just sticking twine to 30 odd photos.

so everything is prepared and i even wrote out an itinerary so that mentally, i can prepare for everything! haha.. that's why i was damn nervous.

2pm: leave house with tree and decorations
3pm: check in with all the barangs and set up the room with my laptop (for music)
3.30pm: meet her at Cathay before having late lunch and walk with her to the hotel.
4pm: Surprise! and tree building time!
7pm: Walk to Cathay and watch Yesman (bought tickets beforhand already)
10pm: Movie ends and we go and buy Pizzas and wine/booze (occassion la.. dun judge me!)
11pm: reach back hotel room and eat/drink till we die and listen to music and talk. =D

i was so hoping she didn't have to work the next day.. which is well..today..

plan didn't work exactly! i called for early check in.. so i reach there around 2pm to check in.. everyone was just staring at this guy who just walked in with this huge ass box and big bag full of decorations! haha.. i swear i would dig out their eyes if i could!! hahaa..

then yims asked me to go to her house to wait for her.. which was all the way back at Bukit Timah.. but in an attempt to not break the "secret surprise", i went with an Apple strudel for her family (damn sudden cause i didn't prepare anything for her folks at home before that!)

so i reached her house and she passsed me this huge yellow box (FYI.. yellow is my fave colour).. and guess what.. everything inside is yellow! there's this cool yellow lamp, yellow towel, yellow mug, yellow Nike tee.. haha.. i told her i was so "yellow-fied" by her. haha. thanks yims! sorry couldn't bring the box with me.. i will collect it from ur houes again!

well.. after that.. everything went smoothly.. and i am glad she liked the surprise (right yims?)

i asked the question after we finish the tree. tree of yims =)

.. after many weeks of hesitation.. but as the Jason Mraz goes "i won't hesitate, no more, no more".. me too. and she said yes.

everything was dreamy after that.. just walking on the streets, holding her hands. had a good laugh at the movie. shopping for wine and pizza. eating and drinking till we almost die! and how we can just talk throughout the night..

and yup.. once again

Yimei and Eugene are together =)

cool room, nice tree, wonderful memories, tasty wine, yummy pizzas, listening to music we both like, talking our hearts out.. being with the girl u always want to be with.. what else would you ask for? =)

Xmas buildup and celebrations!

2008-12-26T10:44:00.006+08:00

as some of you might know, these few months has been quite an emo roller coaster on me. from poor results ( and i mean really poor.. not those who get A- and sad that nv get A type of poor!), injuries which affect my training and of course, certain personal problems.

things have certainly turn in the positive direction. i am definitely going to focus (which i seriously lack in sem 1) on my studies and study smarter. an attempt to pull up my overall GPA! i can do it! i dun believe i can't after surviving A levels and Adv Dip..

__________________________________________________________________
Team Runfanatics had a Xmas gathering at my house on the 20th and we had lots of laughter and fun eating. well.. as runners.. even as entertainment, we watch a movie on Pre (one of USA's top runner who passed away young).. Sham came late and came to give us a very inspiring 2 hours speech. he even gave out awards for best sportsman and sportswoman of the year who so deserve it. cheers to Isabel (completing 3 marathons in 1 month and all around 4:30! damn good) and Andy (amazing athlete who has fantastic results for 2008).. Tricia was selected as Captain and i really think she is the best candidate because she always cheer us on during training and i believe she has the potential to lead us to better performance.. Go Tricia, the team manager (points at me) will be behind u!

training wise, Sham talked to me and.. his exact words were:

"eugene, u can be one of the top runners in S'pore.. all you need is hard work and patience.. be patient."

well as much as the fact of being one of the top runners locally is a daunting fact, he managed to convince me to work really hard towards that target. by "patience", i am sure if you are an endurance athlete, you would understand what it means. this is to pace yourself right, train properly, get enough rest and not overtrain. i learned my lesson from my injury back in Sep. it crippled my ability to run and brought me a lot of agony. at the same time, i disappointed a lot of people who pinned hopes on me. i guess... this is the process of growing up and maturing as an athlete. from now onwards, i will listen to my body and give feedbacks to my coach(es). i will be working closely with Sham and SMU long distance running coach to refine my training and achieve my goals.

i've set my goals in endurance sport for 2009. my focus will be more on triathlon instead of pure running. i believe the combination of swim,bike, run works for me because i am not particularly strong in any discipline but slightly better when all 3 comes together. i will be focusing on shorter distances i.e. Olympic Distance of 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run. in running, i will primarily be doing 10k races and probably 21k for Standard Chartered 2009.

one aspect of being a smart athlete is to choose your race wisely. going for every single race is not constructive for one's body and it doesn't allow you to peak correctly. my races for the first half of the year is tentatively as shown below

1st March 2009 - Newton Active Run 10k (come back race for 2009)
7th March 2009 - Singapore Biathlon (preparation race for Bintan Tri)
23rd May 2009 - Bintan OD Triathlon (one of my major race for the year)

there are many competitors to look out for.. everyone is getting stronger.. so.. no slacking =P.. gotta train hard and train smart!

__________________________________________________________________

21st December marks the first time JEZ met out in like.. 10 million years! haha.. this time round.. it's slightly special as each of us bring the person special to us to the dinner..

had dinner at Manhattan Fish Market at PS which serves great food. (have to book days before.. if not sure no seats!)..took some photos there and we went to Toast Box to hang out further before leaving separately.. haha.. kinda awkward.. but interesting.. hmm.. haha

photos are here

=D

Yueshan & Hao.. newly got-togethers! happy for u folks!

Steve (aka fatbear) & Jielin (aka Vamps)

that's the folks!

i'm yours

2008-12-18T18:57:00.004+08:00

Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but your so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks, now I'm tryin to get back
before the cool done run out I'll be givin it my best test
and nothin's gonna stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

But I won't hesitate no more,
no more, it cannot wait
I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our godforsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved

So, i won't hesitate no more,
no more, it cannot wait i'm sure
there's no need to complicate our time is short
this is our fate
I'm yours

Scooch on over closer, dear
And I will nibble your ear

I've been spendin' way too long checkin' my tongue in the mirror
and bendin' over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
and so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I'd be sayin' is there ain't no better reason
to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
it's what we aim to do
our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more,
no more it cannot wait
I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you will find that the sky is yours

so please don't, please don't, please don't,
there's no need to complicate,
Cause our time is short
This, this, this is our fate,
I'm yours

am i ready? again?

Lance and his magnificent.

2008-11-21T11:05:00.001+08:00

definition of bliss

2008-11-18T02:22:00.002+08:00

u know, how in our lives, we have always strive to search for the definition of bliss and happiness. yet, we are still struggling in finding out the truth. i finally understood why it is so. that's because we are not in it yet, therefore we don't get the true meaning of it.

two of my dearest Team Runfanatics teammates are getting married in M'sia soon (which i will be driving for over 2 hours to! in a Honda Odyssey. scary..) Tricia and Billy, just to let you all know, i am really glad to see the both of you tying the knot because you two are just so made for each other.

i was very touched when i saw this on Tricia's blog. (Tricia, pls allow me to quote this here).. though it's not decorated in very flowery words, the definition capture the essence and personalise her very own feelings and thoughts on what bliss is all about. here we go.. enjoy..

"I have simple definitions of bliss.

When he takes pain and injures himself to fix up the study room because he feels I need more space to study.

When he’s tired yet still stays up to keep me company while I mug for exams.

When he wants to go out for a walk or train but still choose to come home to give me morale support.

When he ferries me to and fro school with no complaints.

When he gets up early on the morning of my exams and goes out to ta-pao vegetarian bee hoon for me to eat before I head out for school.

His frankness and honesty to reason with me what he feels is good and not.

When I’ve ordered hor fun and he orders mee goreng, yet I want to swap with him because I feel his mee goreng tastes better. He’ll willingly swap.

When my cooking is horrendous yet he’ll still finish them up and tell me it’s not bad. Hee!

When I want to run and he has an injury. He’ll still run with me.

When I start blaming myself for the stupid mistakes I’ve made, he tells me he’ll still love me no matter what.

When he shoulders on burden that should have been shared, because he wants me to save my money for studies.

When he always give me the best yet scrimp on himself.

Even when he was tired from all the extra assignments and part time work he had to do, he will always tell me it's ok, because he wants to earn more for our future.

When we dream about what we want to do in the years to come together."

Written by Tricia..

beautiful.. isn't it" =D

Mr Nate's Birthday!

2008-11-16T12:56:00.007+08:00

Mr Nate turns 2! (ok.. not until wed though!) but we had a fun fun celebration with him yesterday! Maye-e held a party at her house with good food and company! Almost everyone was there! it's only then i realise i have not seen them for SOOOOO long.. haha kinda missed them! Everyone was so energetic and funny esp Sandy who was especially high! you can go see my facebook about it. how she pose with the Dino's broken head! haha..

Mr Nate was so indifferent initially but he got into the spirit shortly after (that's kids!) We were all eating and chatting (about tri stuff again.. what else?) haha. then we went to the playground to play sparklers and play with the workout stations! damn fun.. hahaa.. everyone was like a child.. haha.

LET ME SHOW U MR NATE'S CAKE.. it's very nice and special!

THE WHOLE SESAME STREET IS DOWN! haaha super cool. i also want this for my birthday cake.

haha.. gotta head home early cause i have to wake up to go cycling today! but the whole party was fun and i think my abs are so painful from laughing!

you guys rock!

Ride today

Right. this morning i was suppose to wake up at 545 and start riding at 615 to meet the gang at 7am at longhouse (which is about 20km away). but i only woke up at 615 and left the house at 630. so i was kinda late! haha sorry folks!

but the ride was cool. big gang. i think there were about... 8 - 10 of us. the ride down mandai feels good! After repeated hills training, my climbing improved slightly! yeah Mt Faber was no easy shit. suffered on my way up and since my cornering ain't that fantastic, my coming down wasn't too smooth. haha. i only climbed once! wanted to go 2nd time but the faster guys went on their 2nd round already and the other group didn't wanted to go. and i don't want to climb by myseslf! haha. maybe another time!

but climbing is fun! it just takes your breath away. the lactic in your thighs just burn your soul! when i am climbing, the image of a Tour De France rider always coming to my mind (i.e Lance Armstrong). i've always admired my tenacity and strength.. so i am gonna train real hard for climbing! and of course, i need to get lighter wheels (Bumblebee need to go for TAF programme). Simple physics. The lighter your bike is, the easier it is to climb. of course, there are other factors such as your technique and power which need to be train! right now, i am still thinking between 404 and 606. still got time!

This brings me to the topic of Ash's 808 debut! you can fall asleep while riding beside him. as what i said (as i was too excited then), you can see the sound! it's so rhythmic to the ears as if they are singing to you. they just go "zong zong zong zong"... NICE!! mine will come very soon. not 808 of course.. because it's more for longer courses.

i am starting to love cycling (i used to like). or maybe because it's good for my injury and it provides me with a stronger challenge!

extreme update

2008-11-14T00:09:00.003+08:00

It's been such a LONG LONG time since i've a blog entry. hahaha..

as most of you would have know, i am current now studying in SMU and the workload there is "amazingly" heavy. I've countless assignments (which takes like.. hours) to do, presentations every week (which requires rehearsals and rehearsals and more rehearsals) and projects etc..

now it's coming to the end of sem 1 already and.. my results are rather mixed.. not very clear where exactly it will go.. i'm taking 5 modules now (technically 4 because 2 modules are 0.5 of a full unit). and only 3 are examinable!! but out of these 3, i have 2 maths paper~!! 1 is Intermediate Mathematics for Economics (trust me, it's nowhere near Intermediate) and the other is Introductory Statistics. hahaa.. let's just see.. i will be happy enough if i can get an above 3.0 (/4.0) average GPA..

Well, so far my life in SMU has been very enjoyable. Post orientation, i joined a few CCAs and tried a lot of things (which also probably explain why i am so busy!). i tried paintballing, laser tagging and during the mid term break, i went to Tioman for my Advance Diving Course dive trip! on regular weeks, i'm in training with SMU Track & Field (under long distance) and SMU Aquathlon team. of course, i am training with Sham still on wed and sat. life's hectic but it's fun because i like it this way!

as u all know, i had an episode of injury. It has something to do with my left leg. the cause of it is not sure yet. i went to a few consults. first was a physio who said it was hamstring problem. then i went to CGH where Dr Ben Tan told me it's muscle knots.. then he referred me to a senior physio who said it was related to nerve and not muscular.. so now, i have been follow the senior physio's instructions with regard to the stretches she asked me to do. she will try to find out the cause as things go. (ironically, her name is Sham, same as my coach!)

however, there is no doubt that this injury comes about due to overtraining. i pushed my body to the limit previously by training 5-6 times a week at high intensity. i didn't let my body rest and listen to it. so after refusing to listen peacefully to my body, the only way it could convey its message is to get injured.

Sham (the physio) said i should not stop my training. just continue with it normally. but Sham (my coach) said that i should take it slow for the remaining of this year while he build me up to my previous fitness. my fitness really deteroriate a lot after almost 2 months away from running. i remembered how i was in agony when i initially returned back to training and felt the significant drop in my form and speed. yet. there were friends around who were there to support and encourage me. with that, i would like to send a shoutout to all those who cheered me on during that period. you know who you are! thank you!!

the period, when i MIA due to injury, allowed me to rethink about my aims and objectives. instead of focusing on marathons and long distances, i want to focus on shorter distances such as 5k,10k for run races and sprint, OD tri races. This is in conjuction with my busy school schedule as it disallow me to go and clock the high mileage needed for longer distances. Focusing on shorter distances allow me to balance training and school better. Moreover, as i am still new to running and endurance, i felt that i should get back to basic and do the shorter courses first and progressively move up the chain eventually.

i've also learned that i need to rest more. only with adequate rest, will training be useful and beneficial to our body. so for now, i am just going to go with a 4-day training programme instead of the 6-day one.

exams is in 2 weeks time. Sham "ordered" me not to go for training next week onwards so as to focus on studying. well i guess, i am going to tone down trg for studies for these 2 weeks.

i realise.. the whole entry is about studies and training. haha! no life right!! ok la..

maybe i just want to talk about my best buddy, Zihao's love life. hahaha! (ok.. why am i talking about another guy's love life and not mine?)

i am glad for him that he is going out with Yueshan (my prospective sister in law).. hahaa.. very exciting to see how things will go.. jia you bro!! don't being frivolous.. focus u a**.

it's not ok to forfeit training for chicks at time! hahahaa! discipline!! don't forget discipline is what differentiates us from others! hahaa.. joking la.. don't worry.. treat it as an reward for running a sub3 30k =D

right.. so.. here's the updates.. i will be back again.. soon......... haha

get back~

2008-10-10T12:26:00.002+08:00

i miss running. and i want to relive the feeling of having the wind in your hair, sweat down your face, the constant awareness of your breath and the only sound is the pounding of your shoes on the ground.

in fact, i already started light runs. undeniably, there is a huge drop in my running fitness since i am out of action for so long. during that training, at a rather hard perceive pace, i did 3.2km in 14 minutes. sluggish and relatively slow, but at least i am running. i will be back!! time to get disciplined again and get rid of the other "free radicals" in my life!

second thing, i told Xihao that i am interested to lead the second Ride from The Heart. it is a 1500km ride from Phuket back to Singapore, to raise funds for the Straits Time Pocket Money Fund. at the same time, it's a way of raising awareness for being involved in community and doing the things that we, as youth, want to. freedom to express.

the whole organising, training and the trip itself is definitely a challenge. a big one, in fact. we will start planning in Dec and the ride will most likely happen in July. i am looking for like minded individuals from the various varsities to join me. we will need all the passion and drive we can get.

if you want to know more about how they did it this year, u can visit their blog at www.ridefromtheheart.blogspot.com

cheerios guys! contact me if interested!

Updates

2008-10-05T10:51:00.004+08:00

Finally, i don't feel the thug on my hamstring after 2 weeks of almost complete rest. this injury that has been bugging me for a month seems to be gone.. yet i should be cautious..

today was a simple flat 36km ride.. due to the fact that there is Run For Hope, Costal and ECP was so crowded and parking was a disaster...

met up with Leader, Jessica and Vanessa with Mayee to go for a short ride. Jessica and i did two loops and i felt great. hamstring didn't act on me and although i feel the significant drop in fitness and close to 1 month of absence from cycling, i felt good! could maintain an average speed of around 32kph.. which i think is acceptable given my current rate of fitness.. haha

i will resume training next week. will take it slow and build up slowly.

last but not least, i wish to thank EVERYONE who show their concern for me in the dark time when i felt useless during my injury. i won't let you all down, knowing that all of you are supporting me!

focus now.. let's do it!

down and out

2008-09-19T00:20:00.003+08:00

i trained hard for many months. dedicated my time to trainings 6 days a week. make sure i eat well, rest well, recover well and improve.

throughout my short life span of being an endurance athlete, i have been a dedicated and disciplined one. i rarely miss a single training and i always watch my diet which i feel is very important for performance. i know i am not the fastest, but doing endurance sports and excelling in it my own way just gives me a satisfaction i never had before.

i saw a drop in my 10k timing from a 58 + minutes last Oct to last recorded in May of 43 minutes.. i witness my marathon timing downsize from a 4:43 to a 4:04 in 6 months. and i did my first Olympic Distance triathlon in 2hr 38 mins. for me personally, i feel it's a great achievement on my own accord. i know, compared to many others, this is just average timing. yet every seconds of deduction from my personal best makes me elated.

this whole week has been a roller coaster ride for me. last week, during training, i had to limp off the track. my left leg, which already has been bugging me for weeks, finally gave up. on the train home, i was just staring into blank space. spaced out. i can feel the weakness in my left leg. its slow "moaning" and appeal for help which i ignored in order to train.

all that i was, was a crippled man sitting down with my hands on my left leg, trying to massage it and hope it will regain its strength. miracle didn't happened.. it didn't came back.

went to Hallmark physio at Thomson as recommended by Dennis who went there due to injury the day before. i felt so weak and helpless as he examined me. straight away, both of us knew where the problem was.. my right leg could lift almost 90 degrees up when i am lying down.. but my left.. hardly even.. 70% of that..

he said i got a strained hamstring and calf. i gotta stop any training INDEFINITELY. that word etched deep inside my mind.

can this mean it's serious? can i ever run again?

treatment followed. ultrasound and some electrocution. and some deep tissue massage which was probably the worst i ever had. i screamed into the pillow. yes. screamed. not shouted or yell. screamed like a little girl.

i missed Tuesday swim class as advised.missed Wednesday run training. didn't cycle.

went to Dr Janelle, my chiro. she examined me. commented my left tendons are way too tight as compared to my right. and my left knee is misaligned.

this didn't feel good.

she advise me to not train too. not even swim unless i dun kick.

with IVP, Osim Corporate tri and the final hooha Standard Chartered Marathon lined up, i dunno what to feel. the expectations i had of myself.. may just disappear..

will a 3:45 still be possible? will i recover in time... or will i ever recover? i maybe over exaggerating things as some might think.. but.. it's not impossible...

how could this happen to me?

One World One Dream

2008-08-26T12:45:00.010+08:00

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games have finally come to an end. all i gotta say is.. China did a fantastic job in... well EVERYTHING..

they grab the most number of Gold medals in even the sports where u think they will not excel in i.e fencing.

they put up a fantastic opening and closing ceremony, simply spectacular. i remember that the opening ceremony was one day before our National Day Parade and everybody felt that NDP this year weren't as good because they just saw the opening ceremony the day before. of course can't win la. imagine the amount of resources, manpower, effort and co-ordination Zhang Yimou and the committee put in to put up such a big scale show.

spectacular fireworks (they shoot fireworks like they are free!)

nevertheless, we witness many falls and rise.

the falls of many Olympic Records (OR) and World Records (WR) in many events.

the rise of countries in disciplines which they were not known in.

we saw how Michael Phelps rewrote history by grabbing 8 Gold medals in swimming. we saw how he won by 0.01 seconds. we saw him being ahead of the green WR line 90% of the time. we saw how long he can keep his mouth open and shouting non stop. we saw how long he can dolphin kick underwater.
and we saw a man who chase after his goal with sheer determination and hard work.

see, his mouth is open again

the man in action.

Phelps and his team..

Usain Bolt brought Jamaica to our eyes. not just by his frame of 1.96m. this man is now the fastest man over 100m and 200m. a speed of 9.69 seconds for 100m. a brand new world record. he even slow down in the last 20m, provoking the idea that he can even make it to 9.55 seconds.

and he became the first man to smash both 100m and 200m (his pet event) world record in a single Game. 19.30 second for 200m. and also smashing world record at the 4 x 100m relay.

we also saw how he point to the TV and said "i am no 1. i am no 1". we saw his awfully choreographed dance moves and his golden PUMA boots. how Jacques Rogges ask him to GROW UP. but he's only 22 this year. give him some slack la. when you are young, you should behave young. he didn't exactly disrespect the other athletes anyway. he was just enjoying his moment.

the Jamaica 4 x 100m relay team.

Triathlon also brought a surprise result to us. Fordeno of Germany pulled through at the last stretch to grab the Gold while the favourite Javier Gomez 'punchek' at the last 200m. i think the heat and humidity got to him. well, that's the thing about sports. the unpredictability.

Frodeno (same shades as me!)

Emma Snowsill fought her way to Gold, after jumping across the boards when a buggy containing lunch boxes blocked her way! she was a pre-race favourite and her victory was definitey in the calculations.

Emma Snowsill (she has asthma u know!)

Men's marathon witness a new Olympic Record of 2:06.32, smashing a 24 years old record. Samuel Kamau Wansiru became the first men from Kenya to win a Marathon Gold medal. these people are just damn fast. i am probably due at 25km when they already completed!

Samuel Kamau Wansiru.. 21 years old only!! and also Half marathon record holder.

this Olympic also saw the fall of many.

Team USA 4 x 100m relay men and women all saw their baton on the ground instead of seeing it at the finishing line. maybe, arrogance got to them. afterall USA had been dominant in this event previously.

Liu Xiang dropped out of the 110m hurdle race due to injury and how China weep the fall of their hero. right at home. the pressure of 1.3 billion hopes were too much for his shoulders.

Brazil losing 3-0 in the Football semi finals. the samba nation couldn't hold their stand.

Team Singapore had another shot at the Olympic. honestly speaking, i ain't really proud of the Silver medal we won in table tennis. i believe many would think likewise. maybe we should just embrace them for now and cultivate our very own medal along the way. it sounds crude but that is how it work.

Singapore is still a very young nation. Sports culture take very long to be cultivated. we are picking up in sports, but not there yet. i believe one day, our own Singaporeans will be a bigger force to contend with. just.. not yet..

i believe focus is very important. we need to find our strength and work on them. for many years now, we have been focusing on a particular sport (f**tba*l) and it has been obvious that Singaporeans can't play that for nuts. sometimes, we should stop dwelling on the past and move on. there are so many other sports we are good in but SSC just kinda ignores them. wake up u old fat big beer belly people! stop drinking beer and watch the Olympic to wake up your idea!!

Beijing 2008 is probably the best Olympics up till now. the sheer effort of the Chinese deserves our praises. we saw how different people can push themselves to achieve for their ultimate goal. sporting excellence and a celebration of humanity. the message of the Olympic of a unified human race has been reinforced by this 29th Olympic Games. Kudos to the Ah Tiongs!

have you ever wonder?

2008-08-12T22:31:00.004+08:00

have you ever wonder.. whether you could be so much more in life if u just have the correct guidance?

i was reading Mok Ying Ren's (Singapore promising triathlete and 2007 Sea Games Gold medalist) write up on the Nike webbie and i realise his first OD at Afamosa was clocked at 2 hr 32 mins.. which wasn't very far from my Port Dickson's 2 hr 38 mins...

it took him 4 gruesome years of hard training to win it finally this year.. at an awesome 1 hour 58 mins.

the questions just linger in my mind.. if i train hard too, will i be able to be like him 4 years down the road.. without the proper guidance, will i be able to do so too? Sham guides me for running.. but pure running and tri training is very different.. still, i really appreciate what sham is doing for the team and us as individuals.

for now, i shall make do with what i have.. train hard..

Oikos

2008-08-11T13:10:00.007+08:00

University life started off with a bang for me! i actually signed up for 3 camps during matriculation!! They were Freshmen Teambuilding Camp (FTB), Oikos (Economics faculty camp) and SMUX (SMU Xtremist camp).

didn't manage to get FTB's pix yet so i figured i will update on my other 2 camps (which were blasts!!) first. and Oikos and SMUX were back to back, from 4th to 8th August!

Oikos

Everyone here is from School Of Economics (at least that is the case before some were transferreed to Biz). haha. Econs people are unique in a way that they are kinda rational yet crazy. We don't go crazy drinking and mambo-ing like what most in Biz camp (aka Bondue) do. but we have our own version of going hay-wire.

reached SOE subway gathering area and called Cindy (one of my faci for the camp). the group actually met up to do up the mascots' costume and pre camp dinner but i was busy on both occassion so i couldn't join. but they didn't make me feel left out. everyone was friendly and intro themselves to me. nevertheless, i kinda did shitty for the ice breakers cause of my "lack in advantage".. 2 years in NS made me stupid.

well 1st day ain't much. we did some ice breaker games and a massive balloon popping game. everyone tied different coloured balloons onto both ankles and we have to go into the centre to smash the balloons with the colour the emcees said. there were some dumb guy who actually saw his own balloon and tot it was someone's else and he smashed it. -_- quite dumb. but we had a good luff about it. haha

Cindy and Junrong with drawn face.. cause of us!

the Flintstones!

jumping sleeping bags race!

"u can't catch me!"

after that, it's all the admin stuff. how to bid for courses on BOSS, intro of professors, tech support talk etc.. took like 3- 4 hours lo.

2nd day was crazy.. it was a bright and sunny day and we headed to sentosa for games.

before we start the games, still fresh!

you spin me right round, baby
right round like a record, baby~~

squeezing me dry

mad-ness in the sea

i think i'm the "big splash" behind. haha

Cindy and her 2 seconds hangtime

classic boyband + uptown girl pic

all ready. fall in position

forgive my sissy position! no choice!

Pradeep went for facial... the flour way..

never doubt Junrong's sexual orientation..

girls won the tug of war!

the winners!!

gonna find out what's inside the box! *screams"

Sophia looking ultra cool.. "bang!"

Operation "protect sophia" commences

still got time to pose? going to start war already!

the warriors!

all washed up after exhausting games under super hot sun

Seow yong, what were u doing??

the dudes enjoy BJ .. oops. i meant Ben & Jerry's

the "look"..

the classic SMU jump @ Vivocity

CHUBBY BUNNY! cheerios Daniel!

Nice~ that's 16 mashmallows right

the "suckers"

there's an identity crisis here!

the deathnote thingy.. whatever it is called.. haha

forget the theme but he's damn good. even flirted with the Dean!

Edward Scissorhand!

my hand just went where it was SUPPOSED to be going.

final group pic!

thanks Flintstones! u all were great. since we are all in same faculty (except for some of the girls.. still same uni though!), we shall see each other often in classes ya.. really enjoyed myself!

We're the Flintstones

三项全能

2008-07-22T21:58:00.001+08:00

Alright folks, I had a fantastic weekend over at Port Dickson, Malaysia!! In case you guys dunno, I had my first full triathlon over there. And boy, I must say it was a fantastic experience! I had one of my most enjoyable race. And now I am OFFICIALLY call myself a triathlete.

Saturday, 0630, Lavender Bus Park

The sky was still dark but the bus park were already full of chatters. A group of us were gathered to load up our bikes onto the buses. There were me, Jacqueline (who pride herself over her last minute surge over me in the last 400m surge in Sundown Marathon in June), Carol (who just had her first OD triathlon one week ago in OSIT), Lynn (my fellow neighbour who stays at the condo beside mine!), Sandy (who was the newly proclaimed Nun as she shaved her head for charity! Respect!!), Yong Sheng ( a fellow Funfanatic!), Chong (a fellow Yellowfish swimmate who is also doing his first OD triathlon), Elvia (the face of Aviva 70.3 Ironman and a super fast triathlete!) and a big group of fellow triathletes. There were a lot of blink bikes that day and boy, I was treated to “bike porn” early in the morning already.

Saturday, 0715 to 1330, Singapore to Port Dickson

The buses departed at 7:15am. One bus was ferrying people and the other was half people half bikes. Haha. The journey was long but the bus was quite comfortable with a lot of leg space for long leggers like me. We stopped a few times for toilet break and once for brunch. The bus uncle even screened Fantastic 4. Well, a little Jessica Alba was good entertainment. But at the back of some of our minds, we are thinking of the big race the followday day.

Saturday, 1330 to 1530, Marina Resort Apartment

We reached the accommodation we were going to stay at. It ain’t fanciful like some 5 stars hotel but it was pretty good enough for a one night stay. 4 to an apartment and 2 to a room. I was assigned a room with legendary Sanjeev (he is an incredible guy whom you will not think that he is an triathlete because he is rather “big” in size. But this guy just serve as a motivation and reminder to all that doing triathlon is about racing against yourself and nothing else. He is indeed an inspiration to many including me), Sam (Key Power International Technical manager who is a superb runner) and RV (a muscular guy who loves gym and endurance sports. He’s pretty caught up because he loves both but they are inversely related to each other!). They are all nice folks and pretty fun to mix around with.

Saturday, 1530 to 2100, Admiralty Cove Hotel

This is the place where we come to register for the race and where all the administrative stuff are settled. We walked about 15 – 20 minutes over here and the sun was beating down on us very hard. (a preview of what’s coming the following day). Registration was straightforward and things were kept to the simplest in Malaysa. Register in the name list, fill in an indeminity form, get your tee (which happened to be oversized and probably one of the worst shirt design I’ve ever seen!!) and that’s it.

After that we were super hungry, so a couple of us went to the Hotel’s cafeteria to order some food. It was about 3:45pm and our food took almost 45 minutes to reach!! It was just some sandwiches and drinks!! Now we know how efficient things are in M’sia. How I wish their service was as fast as how fast they swept some political guy , suspected of being Heath Ledger the Second, from his house before the deadline was even up.

After that, we saw the other group consisting of Dennis, Alvin Chan, Keng (Alvin’s new found love!), Alvin Goh, John, Andy, Grace, Jules, Chuan Cheng, Richard, George… They were suppose to be with a guy from Trifam but apparently he went missing and they had to drive up on their own.

After the late lunch, we explored the race site. Swim start, finish, transition, run start, finish and bike start, finish. Then lingered around for the carbo-loading dinner. Before that we had some phototaking at the waiting area for the dinner. I sneaked into the their storeroom and got some water for the group. Haha. Not my fault. They left the door open!!

Carbo-loading was not very good. Food were pretty ok with some stuff burnt such as the soup. The rest were ok. I wasn’t picky so I just do what I was supposed to do. Just eat! Haha.

After that, went back. Pack the stuff ready for race. Went down for a v short cycle to make sure alignment of my bike and everything was ok. Had a short chit chat session with my roommates. Went to sleep. The next day is the big day.

Sunday, 0500, Apartment.

Woke up, bathed, had a Blueberry Crisp Clif Bar, a bottle of Kopi-o I bought the day before and final check of my race pack. Did some pre-race self talk. Did my business and off I go.

Sunday, 0630, Apartment Lobby

Met the group and cycled to race site which was about 2km away. Set up my transition area, went to toilet to pee, had a warm up swim and gather at swim start.

Sunday, 0800, Swim Start

1.5km swim. 40km cycle, 10km run. That’s Olympic Distance (OD). I asked myself “Am I ready?” and I replied “Yes, I got to take back what was take away from me in my OSIM swim relay”. For those who dunno, I did very badly for my OSIM swim relay. A disappointing 40 minutes, personal worst. I feel that I owe my team and myself an answer. And it was a humiliation. I want to take it all back. Everything. I am ready.

The signal goes off and it started. I burst to the front of the pack and sprint off. The start of a triathlon swim is half wresting half swimming. Especially if u choose to be near the front. That was where I am.

I struggled to keep myself swimming forward. The start is usually a sprint to break away from the main crowd. When I was reaching the left turn buoy, I felt someone pulling both my leg into the water. In my mind, I was like “WTH!?” then I did something super evil. I paused and gave him a kick (though I dunno where I kicked him). I was cleared and continue swimming. Suddenly I chanced upon someone familiar right in front of me. He was easy to recognize with goggles with white strap. It was Alvin a.k.a Cookie! I knew Alvin was about the same speed as me in swimming. So I drafted him, all the way, till the last turn to the swim finish. I broke off from his slipstream and sprint towards the finish. Therefore he was only a few seconds behind me! Haha thanks cookie!

Swim time: 28 mins 24 sec

out of water!

running to T1 with Cookie hot on my tail!

Transition 1 (T1, Swim to bike)

I did biathlons before so swim to run was ok for me. Swim to bike was something new to me. I wore my bike shoes (as I’m still not seasoned enough to wear my shoes on the go when they are attached to the pedals), wore my helmet and my shades. Then push my bike out. Cookie was in front of me and he mounted and took off. I chased him on the bike out to the main road. Then for about 5km, we were playing hide and seek. I overtook him and he took it back. After that, I was alone. That’s when the real games start.

The cycling leg was lonely but exciting with the climbs and descends. On the flats, I maintained more than 35kph and slowed to a crawl of around 22 to 24kph on climbs. My fastest descend hit 55 kph. Woohoo~! I’ve never attained that speed on Bumblebee before. Still, draft groups overtook me. These are where the strong cyclist cut their timing. Cycling is probably my weakest leg so I had to let them go, maybe drafting their pack for a while at times. Zipp wheels were my biggest enemies in the draft pack as I couldn’t keep up with their acceleration! Maybe it’s just my engine. Haha. I was on aero-position almost 80% of the time. Back was killing me at the last stretch. I managed to closed up the gap with some who overtook me earlier by pedaling hard (about 40kph) on the last straight. After the turn at the circle, I switch to the small chain ring to start warming up my legs for the final leg. 10km run.

Moving into transition 2, the emcee was irritating. He was saying “ok, slow down. Brake. Stop”. It’s as if I dunno how to stop myself on the bike. Anyway, at T2, Cookie did a one of a kind step down from the bike. He braked and the back wheel lifted off the ground. He got off the bike from the front of his base bar and still managed to hold on to the bike!! He said people even clapped for him. Haha what a way of dismounting the bike man! I was telling him that he was lucky not to have installed aerobars on his bike. If not, father’s day may just be a dream for him. Haha

Bike leg: 1 hr 12 minutes

Placed Bumblebee onto the rack, took off my bike shoes, put on my running shoes. Helmets off, visor on. Took along my gel and a bottle of water. Off I go. Once again, the annoying emcee said “don’t take extra weight along. There’s water on the route.” I was like “ya I know. But u have one right now? I need water to take my gel ah!” stupid emcee.

running out of T2

By now, the sun was beating down on us hard. Legs were feeling different after cycling. First few kilometers were to get my legs used to running after 40km of spinning. It was torture. Luckily, the water points had icy cold water. But they didn’t have any isotonic drinks like 100 plus the whole day. So water was what we had to cope with. And Malaysia doesn’t have the cleanest water around. Well, good thing, it was cold.

At every water point, I took 4 cups. One to sip and splash my face, one to pour on my head where the sun immediately vaporize all the water, one to pour on my front torso and one on the back. One helper even commented I took so many. Aiya, don’t care already la. At the turn around, the marshallers gave me a pink tape, indicating I reached the turn around and didn’t turn along the route.

Time check after turn around (at 5km of run leg): 28 minutes

This is bad. I took 28 minutes to run 5km!! Am I dropping? Am I showing weakness? I can’t let any line of weakness get into me now. Once it does, it will stay. I started to aim for “targets” to chase after. It work pretty well. Felt stronger on the way back. Saw some of the group people cycling back such as Carol, Alvin and Jacqueline (who almost knocked into a guy in front of me ,trying to say hi to me). Turn around at the roundabout again, probably less than 2km. I burst down the road. I have to finish strong. I have to give the final kick. Turn into the finishing lane. And the finish line was in sight. Leader was there to take photo and I tried to look my best but I was more focus on the line. 10m, 5m, 3m and one more step! I broke the tape and a medal landed on my chest. Along with a cold towel plus a can of 100plus.

i'm finally back!

Time check for final 5km run: 25 minutes

Total: 2 hour 38 minutes.

I did it. I’m now officially a triathlete. Did my first OD race. I’m happy with my results and also that I was there with a group of wonderful people. After I finished, it was waiting for the rest to finish. It was fun waiting for them and cheering them on at the last stretch. Unfortunately Cookie had a bad cramp so he didn’t perform as well as he rightfully should. There’ll always be another chance! Dennis did his personal best at 2:40!! The rest completed in their own personal way and were definitely proud of themselves. Especially those who did their first OD. Same as me =D

Then comes, another long journey back home. Tired, drained, sun burnt but.. a satisfied triathlete =D

With regards
Eugene Lim
Special thanks to all friends who were there for me morally and physically and also congrats to Bumblebee for his debut in a triathlon.

OSIM humiliated me

2008-07-14T16:59:00.002+08:00

Sunday was OSIM Triathlon. Team Runfanatics sent a team (me, billy and brian) for the relay.

i swim.
billy bike
brian run

they both did very well!

billy did 1:04 on his bike which was superb (pro-timing!).

brian ran 47 minutes. excellent too. and there was a huge downpour in the midst of the run.

applauds for them!!~! go Runfanatics.

on the other hand, i was a complete utter disappointment! to me and everyone!

an atrocious 40 minutes swim. not to mention personal best, it was my personal worst. people may be right bout the bad conditions out in the sea and all. still, it was me who did not perform.

after this humiliation, i am determined to regain my "honour". at Port Dickson this coming Sunday. there will be no holding back.

all in all, good job guys~! we are still top 10~!

Races

2008-07-12T01:23:00.002+08:00

just read Zihao's blog and he posted bout all his races. glad that he finally came back to running after a break from injury. welcome back bro~!!

guess i should post my races too. i've been diligently planning the various races i should go to prepare myself for the end of year Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Sham a.k.a coach also advised me with regards to what races i should go to so that i can keep track of my progress.

13th July - OSIM International Triathlon (1.5km swim relay section)
target - 30 minutes

this is the pre-race warm up swim for the upcoming Port Dickson race. i haven't break the 30 minutes barrier so far in open water swim. last swam was Singapore Biathlon which i did 34 minutes. i have been training under coach and since it's a relay, i can give my all out in the swim. hope to do it under 30.

20th July - Port Dickson Olympic Distance Triathlon (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run)
target - 2 hour 45 minutes ( 35 minutes swim, 1 hour 20 minutes bike, 50 minutes run)

this will be my first triathlon and i don't want to give myself too much pressure. completion is always the target. of course, a target is essential to push myself. a lot of my fellow classmates and friends are going! i think it will be fun! good luck folks!!

24th August - Army Half Marathon (21km)
target - 1 hour 45 minutes

last year i didn't attend AHM due to an injured ankle. this year, i'm more prepared and will tackle this race with all my best. the target is hard but i think if i push hard enough, i can achieve it.

31st August - Nike Human Race (10km)
target - 50 minutes

this is a cool down race from AHM. a race which is more "fun" than being serious about. a lot of friends are joining and i think it's cool to just run alongside them to enjoy running. sometimes we just forgot how fun it is to just.. run. we are too concerned about timing. this race will just keep our passion and aim in sync.

7th December - Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (42.195km)
target - 3 hour 45 minutes

a sub 4 timing. sham set this for me and i believe in myself that i will be able to do this. it's right after my exams and i may not be able to perform at peak form. but i will try. at least not fall short of the timing i did in Sundown Marathon which proves to be a tougher race due to the timing of the race and more challenging terrain. Standard Chartered Marathon is flatter and a much more familiar route.

These are a series of races that lead up to the big one (standard chartered marathon). there has been much talk about the Aviva Ironman 70.3. a lot of people asked me to join next year. whether i am ready... will depends on what my coaches say. and how i feel about myself. if i want to do it, i want to do it good. meanwhile, next year (2009) will be lined up with a series of ODs to prepare myself.

school is starting soon. 18th August. there's a whole new challenge on its own. how i can manage studies and training.. that's tricky..

wish me luck!

to all who have many races to come (esp those with consecutive races), good luck!
to Zihao, bro, pace urself out, take it easy if u aren't feeling great. all the best!

workout for this week

2008-07-03T18:24:00.002+08:00

yeah a bit late i know.. haha.. but still. .good to push myself.. typed here alr then must do!

monday :
rest (after sat's 21km slope and sun's brick trg at ECP.. i deserve it!)

tuesday :
morning - cycle 40km (speed intervals)
evening - 30 min run @ 5:30 pace + 5 x 50m fartlek

wedneday :
afternoon: 4 x 800m hard with 2 mins jog

thursday :
mock sprint triathlon at 2pm for climatisation to heat
750m swim, 26km bike, 7km run

friday :
morning: 40 minutes steady run

saturday :
morning: Team Runfanatics training (Sham aka coach say it's crazy! i've no idea what it consists!)

sunday
morning: Desaru 110km HHHH (Headwinds, Heat, Hills & Humidity) ride.
night: yet to confirm

Speedy days

2008-06-30T22:39:00.008+08:00

why is this post call "speedy days"?

reason number 1:

I'VE PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!!!!!

hahaha.. finally!! after 3 failed attempts..

Most importantly, i passed. yes now i am one step closer to my F1 Ferrari dream. watch out u F1 skunks. i'm gonna burn the road right in front of u!

the feeling is so good. like a heavy 100 tonnes rock lifted from my heart. i would say it really was a perfect drive for me today. Every thing was silky smooth. All the elements of driving were there (as what my previous instructor mentioned). haha. lemme recall them...

they are:
1) wind
2) water
3) fire
4) earth
5) sun

and captain Planet!!... ok oops.. that was lame.. (pardon me, i'm in a state of euphoria!)

no la.. they are actually:
1) weather - clear sky plus bright sun!
2) road conditions - perfect time as it was after lunch break time and no construction works
3) luck - guess lady luck FINALLY smiles on me
4) other on-road drivers - well there was this annoying guy who horned at me. but hey, it didn't affect me because i wasn't in the wrong!
5) the tester - ironically, he is the instructor that took me on my first test! haha. he was ok la
6) you yourself - i had more confidence after my new instructor assure me i will do just fine!

YES baby! vroom~!

haha. alright now.. to 2nd half of my speedy post

reason number 2:

Yellowfish group had a brick training at East Coast Park on sunday. It was a costal ride of varying 60 - 70km (depending on ur speed) and a run which is about 9 - 10km.

Training in a group is very different from training alone or with one or two friends (which i've experienced with Team Runfanatics and Yellowfish group). It's so much more fun and everyone has high spirit. It also provides u with more challenges when u meet up against people who is much more experienced and stronger (crucial for amateurs like me). They teach u new things, tell u more and it's just like an interact session. i wish i can have more of these sessions!

well about the training now. the cycling was pretty good. costal is a flat and straight road where u can go aero for very long. i was up in the lead pack for a while and i start to feel very bored. haha. and they were starting to get too fast for me. so i wondered off to Changi for a while before heading back. and guess who i met up with!? May-e (Mr Nate's mum~!!) and Jacq (the girl who ran with me in the last half of my Sundown Marathon). We just talked and cruised our way slowly back to carpark F2. however, along the way, Jacq's front wheel rubbed my back wheel and she fell. she had some pretty bad road rash but being the tough girl she is, she pushed on back to the carpark and later, even ran so fast!

pretty bad huh?

JACQ, recover soon! hope to see u burn the roads again soon!

afterall, this is part and parcel of being a triathlete. we train, we fall, we suffer, all for the sake of doing something we love.

alright. time to share some photos. not much.. just some random ones =)

May-e leading plus Jacq at the back! smiles!

Jacq all bandaged up and still smiling!

Jane and the very tired look!

told coach that he's a bit "niang" and he always torture me in the pool when i say that!
NIANG FISH! dun call yellowfish anymore.

(left to right) Alvin, me, my Felt bumblebee, Don and May-e!

that's all for now folks!

Mr Nate

2008-06-27T15:31:00.003+08:00

Nathanael is the latest craze among Yellowfish's swim group triathletes. He's cute and absolutely charming! so much so that he even got onto the front page of Strait's Times.

before u think i'm gay...

here's Nate =)

i so want to meet him soon! hahaha.

Zihao, stop thinking what i know u will be thinking!

Training

2008-06-24T13:56:00.004+08:00

o gosh! i actually forgot to post my training for a while alr. haha i think necessary for me to keep pushing myself. especially with my races upcoming. Run trg is formulated by Sham (Team Runfanatics coach)

monday - easy run 6.5km

tuesday - speed/track training: 6 x 400m with 2 minutes jog interval

wednesday - long run for 40 minutes@ 60 - 70% effort (zone 2)

thursday - gym session following Mark Allen's workout

friday - morning: swim drills
- evening: 1 hour ride + 30 minutes run

saturday - Team Runfanatics weekly track/gym training

sunday - Yellowfish Brick session of 2.5 hr bike + 40 minutes run

it seems like the mileage is fairly short but intensity of the runs are very high. Sham say it's time to do speedwork to increase my capacity to "kick" towards the last half of the race.

my training is geared towards more running because i am training for it to be my strongest discipline out of the three. i will gradually try to put in 2 swim and 2 bike sessions to keep my other 2 disciplines up. when school starts, i would have to slot in gym session for core muscles trg and all. Calvin was kind enough to send me a copy of Mark Allen's gym workout which i think, works well. =)

school gonna start on 18th August!

Rejoice for Mr Z and Miss J

2008-06-24T13:07:00.007+08:00

in life, there are always hiccups. Things don't just always go your way. What actually defines you is how you handle it. Different people do it in different ways. At the end of the day, what matters is your future.

in particular, i've 2 good friends who literally dropped into a wormhole a few years back. For confidentiality, i shall name them Mr Z and Miss J.

Mr Z

He didn't perform particularly well in his A levels. From my knowledge, he just wasn't motivated and concentrating at that point of time. He had too many distractions that seems of more interest to him. to name a few, GIRLS, FOOD and CCA.

Well, the results were not able to get him anywhere higher up. We talked through it a bit and he will actually go to NS and made his decision from there. 2 years of NS flew past and he decided to go to Ngee Ann Polytechnic to do mass communication. He had excellent 'O' levels results previously so it was no problem for him to get through to this course, even if it was one of the most sought after course around.

and that was where he started to fly again.

It has been a few months since he started on his diploma course and he definitely is doing very well. topping his class and getting As for his modules. He is so much more focused and motivated now after the previous "failure". I am really proud of him and i bet a lot of friends and his family is too. We believe in him that he will definitely do very well for his course if he continue his good work.

All the way Mr Z... u know who u are =)

Miss J

She is one of my 'on and off' friend. well, what do i mean by that? We are not friends that contact each other regularly like.. every few days. we don't talk much for weeks. but we maintain a close friendship. whenever anyone of us needs help or need someone to just be around, we will always be around for each other. We both lead very different life now and that's why i guess.. soon that is about to change.

Same for her. she did not do very well in her 'A' levels. When i went into NS, she went out to the working world. found a stable job and stayed there till now. the job was rather high paying for an A level grad and the boss was pretty good to her.

but what actually made me smile yesterday was that she told me she is going back to study. a while back, it actually worries me that she will never go back to study. i was really happy for her. and we made a deal to be studying partners when both of us start school in August.

AND we are both gonna get the same laptop!

These 2 good friends of mine actually came out of the pit, fresher and stronger than they were. much more focused after they think through about what they really want. still, we are too young to actually know what we REALLY want. but it's a good start for all of us. Cheers to you peeps if u all are reading this

i am real proud of u 2!

The decision

2008-06-22T12:13:00.002+08:00

After much consideration, the choice is out

Pulau Dayang Diving Trip

2008-06-17T12:44:00.025+08:00

Yoohoo! finally did something that i have been wanting to do for so long! in case u dunno, i went diving at Pulau Dayang, Malaysia last weekend with Wei yang, weeling and some of wei yang's friends.

i went with this diving company call Mako and they are under NAUI. at first i didn't know that there were different "gangs" for diving qualifications. They have PADI, SSI and NAUI. haha but i guess it doesn't make much difference since i'm learning from only one and i won't know what's good and no good. but i'm really glad that i took up my course with them because they are a bunch of nice peeps and instructors.

so, well, before the fun stuff, it's the boring stuff. it's lecture and pool lessons. lectures are ok. not as boring as i tot it would be. everything was about pressure, volume, density, equipment and learning how not to die while diving. haha. pretty cool.

pool lessons were a bit more intimidating because i never really dive before. so all that equipment and techniques did scare me a little at first. but it was ok after i got used to it. in fact it was pretty fun learning all the stuff. well, since we were good, the original plan of 2 pool lessons were cut to only 1~! haha. or they slack. i dunno.

righto~! so on friday the 13th, we assemble at Mako and prepare to head to Dayang. there were 5 vans!! i think there's almost 30 plus of us going. gosh. there were leisure divers and learner divers like us going for basic and advance. we were suppose to hit the Causeway, then Kota Tingi for a short break, before heading to Mersing for the ferry ride. actually on that day, i wasn't feeling very good, had better days. kinda having some GI problem. feels like puking but can't and stomach always gave me the weird feeling. no appetite. but well, i still went for the trip, hopefully this will resolve.

we started off at around 10 and reach mersing around 4. ferry ride is a gruelling 3 hours. the sea was EXCEPTIONALLY choppy that day and it was rocking like a earthquake of magnitude 10 on ground (ok i dunno how serious is that.. but u get the picture). the whole ship was dark and the fumes were a killer. there was this lady in front of me who keep throwing up. and this kinda induce others to throw up too but surprisingly, my body held up and i didn't have any problem throughout the ferry.

at mersing! shag face..

reach the island about 7am. very nice and cosy place with some huts and a central "cafeteria". checked into the rooms and zonked out~!! gotta wake up at 8.30 to go for our very first open water dive.

Pulau Dayang actually consists of 3 islands (pulau lang, pulau aur and pulau pinang). they are very scenic and the water is quite clear (much much more if u wanna compare with spore's). visibility was close to 4-5m underwater. quite rich in marine life although i can't really appreciate it at this point of time.

wearing the wetsuit~

weeling with her borrowed shades

The Island

just enjoying the view~

the other folks donning the wetsuit

alright. shows on!

last check of equipment. don't wanna run out of air underwater eh

The Island@sunset

looking at bikini girls.. i mean..gills.. fish's gills

The Island.. shoreline

bridge from ferry to the huts. that's sara, one of our instructors =)

on the bridge~

the folks

weiyang and me.showing off his 6 "islands"

sit down, sing song, talk crap

i wasn't yawning. just trying to get my ears popped to equalise!

the place we were staying at. pretty decent =)

cheers to us for another dive!

time to gear up. take some time off to pose first

alright. 1st grp pic

and weeling's the cameraman here

the gang of divers!

the graduates from basic scuba class!!

in total, we dive 5 times over 2 days and had a lot of fun. not just the dive, but it's a good break from what we have been doing in our daily lives. and when u're in the water, everything u worry about is all at the back of the mind. what lies ahead is what you see.

looking forward to going for my advance course. and i just told weiyang that end of year, we can go to Sabah and dive at Sipadan and conquer Mt Kinabalu at one trip! of course with some rest day in between! will update if there's news!

hitting the rock bottom

2008-06-09T01:00:00.004+08:00

after climbing up for sometime, i'm hitting all time low

1) turned 21 and i realise i'm still unaccomplished in so many things.

2) my boss rejected my request for 2 months break to settle down on my uni and asked me to "re-apply" when i am ready. but well, we know what is going on

3) was SUPER off form today in the Saucony Passion Run. clocked the worst 10km TT run for 2008. probably due to lack of sleep the night before. a freaking 56 minutes. WTH!

4) afraid that i cannot juggle school and training

5) worrying about how to earn money in the coming months

well. rock bottom. and maybe more...

fulfilling a tag

2008-06-06T00:34:00.004+08:00

Hello, my name is:
Eugene

When I'm nervous:
i'd feel like shitting

The last song I listened to was:
Love will come through by Travis (because of Grey's Anatomy)

If I were to get married right now the best person would be:
Felicia Chin

By this time next year I'll be:
a Sundown marathon finisher x 2

My middle name is:
kinky =)

what was i doing this Morning:
woke up at 10 and have to run to mrt so that i won't be late for work.must log in trg log

Last night I was talking to:
Felicia Chin on my bed

If I was an animal I'd be:
a cheetah with ultimate stamina =)

Next monday night I'll be:
back from my diving trip in M'sia

My heart is:
stone cold

Do you have low self-esteem?
haha. i think i've too much self esteem instead.

Do you get depressed about things
i just get compressed

Are you comfortable with the way you look
braces and lasik would perfect it

Describe your hair:
wait. let me count how many i have first

Were you a strange child?
no. but i am a strange adult

Are you scared of growing up old?
growing up old? people started calling me oldboy alr

Own any pets?
a rabbit call oozy who is permanent staying with my ex. dig that. haha

Do you have a license?
failed driving test 3 times.

Ever been thrown out of a bar?
willingly walk out because my friend was a disgrace.

Do you prefer indoors or outdoors?
indoors with felicia chin and outdoors with jessica alba

favorite season?
race season!

Do you like walking in the rain?
no. i prefer running

Do you like thunderstorms?
sleeping yes. training, they're fuckers.

Are you a vegetarian?
yong tau foo counted?

What can you eat forever?
humble pie

What is your favorite dessert?
yogurt,fruits and chocolate!

What is your relation with the last person who gave you a comment?
swimmates =)

What happened at 1:00 am today?
watching Lance Armstrong's magnificence

Sundown Marathon race report

2008-06-01T19:05:00.005+08:00

here's my race report for Adidas Sundown Marathon 31st May:

Pre Race:
met up with Sham who is our Team Runfanatics (consisting of sstaff from running lab and some common friends) coach. he led us for a short warm up run and we begin our stretching. he gave us a brief race briefing and also individual motivation. ended it with what he wants for us to be written on our arm! mine was " Focus! 4:15".. haha.. feeling good and inspired, we headed to the start line and discovered we were like... a few hundred metres away from the start gantry. haha

let's go Team!

During race:
evan and i decided on a 6 min pace per km. start was bad. we are stuck with the group and couldn't go our intended pace. so we did some "sliding" in and out of the "peleton". haha we managed to reach a "clearing". saw some chaps! like smallcircle (andy) and Jerry (on ENR who was cycling to support us). haha.

after a while, i lost Evan. can't see where he is. and that moment, when i turned back to look for him, i realise something. something freaking bad. my race tag actually broke from my race belt!! the hole broke! so the tag was like dangling with one hole attached. it was like such a stupid mishap. i tried to slide it into my tights at the back but i am afraid of the abrasion the sharp edges will give me. so...i tear out the whole piece and use my race belt as a belt. slided the tag in and continue running. i was thinking "o man, it's like less than 10km and something so shitty has to happen". however i told myself :"aiya fuck it. i'm not gonna let this stupid incident affect my performance for a race i've trained so hard for!"

10km mark, time check : 54mins. and coach say check time only every 10km and so i did

good pace for me because i remember coach's instruction was for us to run faster for the first 10km. as a race strategy, we should too because the course only starts to get difficult at the second half. first half was rather flat along Changi costal and ECP. so if we want to catch up on the timing at the back, we have to run faster in the flatter course of the first half. "Visualise the route" he always said.

about the 15km mark, coach appeared and gave me a bottle of Powerbar Endurace drink! that really helps man! he ran a short while with me and keep encouraging me. it helped a lot. at 15km, it's not easy nor hard. just... starting to suffer a bit. so with that encouragement, i spurred on. meeting several friends along the way really helps. along the way, i saw a lot of friends and i keep doing hi 5 to them that i become quite high. approaching the "runner's high", let the adrendaline pump!

20km mark, time check: 1 hr 46 mins. was rather worried i was doing too fast so i decided to slow down a little.

all the while, from 20km mark to 32km, this guy was pacing with me. i can't see his face because it was so dark. all i see was his singlet with "Raffles Canoeing" at the back. then i tot to myself "this guy must be some kid who is either in sec school or JC. man, i'm not gonna get dropped by him! NEVER!" there were times when i pulled him and vice versa. we never talked. i just dun wanna lose to him! his pace was strong. going on a 5 min ++ (or at least i think so. haha) pace. along the way, he greeted some friends and i come to know that his name is Gu (or Goo) haha. sounds like brand Gu Gel man. well, we "fought" each other all the way till 32km. reached the aid station. drank the 100 plus. poured the water onto my face. poured the water over my buring calves.

suddenly, i feel light. i feel good. so as what coach advised, last 10km onwards is when u decide whether u wanna break or bail.i took the break and pick up my pace. i dropped Gu.

and then, Jacqueline (call her Jacq, who happens to be my swim classmate from Yellowfish) caught up with me. man, she's a strong runner. from then onwards, we were pacing each other. kept each other strong on our strides. so good ah. i got different pacers for almost my whole race.

34km time check (because i forgot to check at 30km!): 3hr 17min. i was thinking, yeah well on pace, 4:15 is within reach!

at 34km, Jacq was telling me that she dunno where she is running. i was telling her "come on! almost there, reaching downtown east at the right turn" actually i have no idea. i am not familiar with this area but i believe it would keep her going. "what is 8km to you after u come so far! let's do it. don't think of the distance!"

we kept going. strong, i believe, was the phrase for our stride. along the way, both of us did our very best to pull people along with us. there was this guy wearing the Aviva Ironman top and he was walking. so i patted on his back and asked him to come with us. didn't really know what happened to him. he was running and stopping. then this guy whom i met at Pasir Ris ( just before the first slope) was walking. once again, i patted on his back and said "come on! i'll pull u. follow up!" so it was down to the three of us. me, jacq and the guy whose name is Andrew. he was suffering bad. heavy steps, heavy breathing but he was trying very hard to keep up with our pace. admirable chap indeed!

well, never underestimate slopes. they can break u. literally. it was one after the other after Pasir Ris, then came Loyang, then Changi and more. at this point, i was so glad that i attended coach's training every week. he trained us hard for slopes. did lotsa slopes training. breathing technique, correct striding and tempo were important when you attack a slope. still, no matter how prepared, i still suffered. everyone does. just how much. "hang on man. my mind and body is strong. go on Eugene!" i tot to myself.

i didn't look at the time anymore after that. last slope was the steepest. up from Hendon camp side to the Changi Chalets. last sprint. when i reach the top and run down, i was thinking to myself "damn, before the race, we were still walking down this road saying how much we are suffering when we get here later." u betcha man. haha. last 400m mark appear.

Jacq started to break away from me. i tried to chase her but she was really going very fast. i think her break was here. she disappeared into her turn. i still chase although i know i am not gonna catch her. i'm not gonna let myself down at the end of the day. once again, coach said that we must exhibit our power at the last stretch. CHIONG AH!

the finish is in sight. up the gantry and there it's over.

42km time check: 4 hours 4 minutes.

Andrew came up to me and shook my hand real hard. he said "thanks man, without for you, i would have give up running way back at Pasir Ris. really thank u". actually my proudest moment was this. on top of attaining my target, i helped a fellow athlete. we may not know each other. but we suffered together for that hour. that was the moment and i hope i can help more people next time.

i wanna thank everyone who supported and encouraged me. pre, during and post race. thank you guys!

next target: break the 4 hours barrier. wish me luck =)

signing off
Eugene
Team Runfanatics

Feelings from deep down under

2008-05-27T15:36:00.021+08:00

24TH MAY 2008 definitely marks a very special day Cynthia and Matthias (hope i spelled correctly!).

Let's just start with a short introduction of my relationship with Cynthia. to my close friends, u all may know this story because i told it a million times! but, i would say, this has to be one of the highlight chapters in my book of life. so please pardon me =)

Cynthia was my teacher in SAJC. Back then, when i was in year 1, she was the teacher in charge of SAJC track and field. Though i joined pretty late, say August in year 1, she welcomed me with open arms along with the rest of the track team. Unfortunately, not long after i started training with the Track Team, Cynthia informed us that the school decided to close down the CCA due to the team not performing and they would want to re-divert the funds. And like any hot-blooded youth, we were all very upset and wanted to fight the "ultimantum". But since it's an ultimantum, we do not have any say. The school wanted to use the funds for a CCA which is able to cater more to the general school cohort.

After some meetings and discussions, the school decided to go ahead with a CCA that provides a platform for students to play sports. Back then, SAJC had a very vibrant sports culture but that only applies to those who were IN the competitive sports itself. There was no avenues in which students, who does not do sports competitively, to get together and have fun. just enjoy sports. This CCA will come to be know as Saint Sports Club (SSC).

Definitely, the school need a group of students to manage the cca, to plan, to execute and to pioneer this effort. The burden of getting in these students fall on Cynthia (back then, we called her miss sng.. haha.. now is Mrs Tan). Needless to say, the first she approached were the peeps from the track team.

She was greeted with disappointing news. Many on the team weren't able to help her. they do have their respective reasons. We are going into year 2 and studying will be up a notch. And with that additional heavy load of pioneering a CCA, it ain't appealing. Additionally, the fact that the funds for track is divert to SSC evoked a "u-want-to-open-sports-club-that's-why-u-close-track" feeling. in some ways, it carried a sense of betrayal to the track team. most did not wish to have it on their conscious. Ain't easy on Cynthia. on top of the massive work she is handling for classes and starting a cca, she has to face the "look" from many.

back to me. in year 1, i have been struggling to find a cca. i've been trying to get into the basketball team. but SAJC basketball team was strong and apparently i wasn't strong enough to make it. after my failed attempt, i didn't do much. i joined a few cca, tried some, and gave up all. nothing caught my attention. for those who know me, u will know that if i do not have the passion for something, i won't do it. and this proves for all the cca i tried. i love sports but i am one of those who didn't perform well enough to make it "competitively". i am one of those who is so deeply upset by the agony of not being able to do sports because i am just not "good" enough. then, through a friend, i joined track. i liked it. i like pounding my feet on the track and grass. i liked the adrendaline during training and i thought i finally found what i wanted. and then, the school has to break it. Yet again.

When Cynthia presented us(the track team) with the idea of SSC, i thought "finally, i could follow what i wished to do". However, as one of the hot blooded youngsters, i had my "struggle". same as the other team mates. Eventually, i talked myself through and i told Cynthia i want in on the initiative. And then it started.

For the first month, both of us worked together. after schools, during breaks, we discussed about how we are doing this club up. the goal gotta be set straight, what exactly do we want to do. there are simply so many things to do and the load on the both of us is exceptionally heavy. we need help. yes we do.

like gems from the sky, two of my former team mates from track stepped up to help. Teresa and Meiling. they both are talented athletes and they showed true friendship and sportsmanship when they boarded the ship cynthia and i were on. It was about a few weeks later that i roped in Zihao (who was my best buddy and still is now! but now more of gay buddy though..) from Co-op and woola.. that's the team. Four students and a teacher. Saint Sports Club is formed =)

Throughout the year end holidays (apparently, it ain't hols for us), we worked like mad dogs. meeting up often and doing proposals into the wee hours. calling up each other at 2am to clarify stuff. first on hand was definitely recruitment of the next year freshmen and the whole year plan for 2005. i would say we did a good job. how i know? alright. u just look at the photo below. the pioneer year of Saint Sports Club.

=) you can count the number of peeps we had for our first orientation.

well. i shan't elaborate more of the old history. but SSC is still strong though all o f her pioneers aren't around in the club anymore. Cynthia left the school and we graduated (as much as we don't want to!). Now it's in 3rd year and still going on strong i believe =)

the main thing here is the bond five of us shared. sometimes, i still think back about the times we had. yes we were super busy. but we had fun. and i would never be more proud that to say we were really a very strong team. it's just amazing when all of us worked hard together towards a goal.

ALRIGHT! back to the wedding! it's Cynthia's big day!! Marriage! not child birth. Yet. haha. She invited the four of us to her wedding ceremony in her church and it's my first. it was really very nicely done up and what amazed me was that they were together for 12 years. take that. 12 years. More than a decade. a dozen years. and they are still as loving as they can be. i am really full of admiration for them. and nevertheless, i feel happy for both of them. i shan't say more. let the photos do the talking =)

they had very nice photos! not the typical "bride-wear-dress-bridegroom-wear-suit" type. but actual lifestyle pictures of them at the beach in casual attire, being in the library (which i believe somewhere cynthia loves), playing tennis together and all. see below!

nice right? i am gonna try to get the soft copy!

preview of how they look next time when they flip the photo album of their baby =)

wide smile there!

the two emcees of the day.zihao thinks the girl is hot. haha

the set up!

here comes! pageboy leading the way!

flowers. a church wedding. friends and relative to witness the moment. every girl's dream

the vows and the "i do"s

he said "i do"

she said "i do"

here goes the blink!

hand in hand with that wide smile!

this's really blur. but. u get the picture! =) congrats to the two of them!

and they live happily ever after!

Sain Sports Club x 3 generations present. haha

presenting, the five (plus one more for matthias) of us. and cynthia is really a very beautiful bride =)

from Eugene, Teresa, Meiling and Zihao,

to Cynthia aka ms sng,

we are all really very happy for you. to see that u finally found the one u love (like..12 years ago and finally settling down), it warms our heart. Stay beautiful and happy. We will be looking forward to going to your baby's first month celebration!!

with love
Team SSC' 05

Triathlon day

2008-05-16T00:07:00.002+08:00

WAH LAO.. i realise i really got no life after taking up triathlon. everything i say, talk and blog is about tri... hahaa.. guess that's me! don't like.. then don't read lo!! hahaa

firstly, i'm so glad that we set up a team. we = most of us at Running Lab plus some ex staff plus some friends =) it is something we wanted to set up long ago and finally it came true. we had an inaugural 35km run. 1st of the many track training by our Team Runfanatics coach Sham aka Black baby. he put in a lot to plan our training and is doing his best to cater to the needs of every single one of us in the team. CHEERIOS BRO!! thanks.. in case u dunno, he used to run 1 hr 18 min for a half marathon (21km). how fast that is? u go punch the calculator ok.. hahaha

MORE TO COME for Team Runfanatics. We are printing our very own Tees and Singlets for training purpose. Brain child behind the design is ME and Evan aka Fatboy and the chief(and only!! haha) designer is none other than Weeling. the design is very nice! i am really proud of her.Good job!! will update again with photos and the designs. DON'T let u all see first. hahaha!

ok.. i wanna talk about my whole schedule today.

Early morning, wake up at 6.15am. wash up and had a light breakfast of bread and water. went down to take a bus to CGH for my Vo2 max test which i booked about a month ago (now got discount.. $80 only.. quite good deal to know exactly what kind of fitness level u are at and to know how to plan ur own trg programme better by understanding ur own body).

There wasn't any queue. it was quite efficent. a doctor asked me some questions.. like it was damn routine.. he came in bla bla "do u have this..bla bla".. ok we are done. then the nurse took over.. i just -_-

after that, i got changed. got brought up to the "lab". gosh i feel like a lab rate. i had ecg lead all over my chest and a gas mask so tight that i almost suffocate when the oxygen is off. good thing is two nurses/lab tech helped me. gosh, i'm half naked with two girls with me inside a room behind closed door. JUST imagine that without the me being stick up with ecg leads and mask k. hahaha =P

then on the treadmill... run..run...

wah.. not only the speed increase, the incline also increase by .5 every stage. i just see the speed going for 0.7 and up up till 12.6.. with incline from .5 to 8.5. THEN the most unfortunate thing happened!!!!!

my feet accidentally knocked the front of the threadmill and god knows there is a sensor there and upon the "knock", the system assumed that i FAINTED or almost fall and STOP!!! down straight to 0.. yes.. ZERO.. gosh

i admit it was rather tough at that stage but i feel that i can at least go 1 or 2 stage higher to reach my max. DAMN.. then also cannot restart..won't be accurate anyway.. wah lao.. sian diao!!

reviewing my results

1) Anerobic Threshold (AT) aka Lactate threshold

Definition:
the point where lactate (lactic acid) begins to accumulate in the bloodstream. we all know that beyond a certain point of exercising in the high intensity zone, your body will reach a point when the production of lactate is faster than its removal.

Me:
AT is at 187 Beats per minute (BPM of Heart rate). which is around 94% of my max HR. The analysist told me that's the point when my body switch from aerobic to anerobic. and she told me it's a good figure.. ok then! i take it. haha. she also say i should try to push this point further upon further training

2) Vo2 Max

Definition:
VO2 max (also maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake or aerobic capacity) is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and utilize oxygen during incremental exercise, which reflects the physical fitness of the individual. This figure is often use to gauge the cardiovascular fitness of most endurance athletes. for Top elite athletes, figures usually reach around 70 and higher. 3 times Tour De France champion cyclist, Greg LeMond is said to have a vo2 max of 92.5 at his peak. and Lance Armstrong around 86. All out of the charts!!

Me:

48.0mL/kg/Min.

Relatively good for an Asian. (yup u got it. Asian's figures are usually lower than the ang moh's!) categorised under the "well-conditioned" section. one step below elite athlete. haha! but it can be improve upon better training. i'm still young! long way to go! come on Eugene!!

haha. nothing much after that. just a bit sore about the stupid knocking accident. who knows if i can continue, i may be able to reach higher figures!! ARGH~! well no worries, i will be back in 6 mths before the Standard Chartered Marathon to gauge my fitness level again. woohoo! train harder!

ok.. i'm pretty high now. haha

After that, i went to meet with Evan and Sham to go to Oakley. Evan need to get his nose piece and Sham his ear sock. First time there and the displays were not bad. They had a Mac on display for customization of Oakley shades. Service was quite good. quick and efficient. We were out in less than 15 minutes. =)

After that, it's bike shopping time for Sham. went to Swissvalley in River Valley road. heard of a promotion for the BMC TT03 going for 2.8k. BUT it was not on display. the mechanic has to fix up the bike before Sham can test it. DAMN.. guess we have to come back another day. But the mechanic was nice enough to show us all the parts la. spectacular black and red. pretty cool. end up, Evan bought bike shoes and i bought bottle cage -_-

haha. next we head to Taka to actually look for Sham's figurines. YUP. he collects these figurines and i tell u, he's mad about them. Everytime during break, he will disappear and reappear in 1 hr's time with a bag full of them. The longer we stayed at the toys' section, the more he is going to buy. so we quickly pull him to the cashier and to prevent the scenario of his wife making him sleep outside the house. haha

Evan went to Oakley counter and tried on the Radar. He wanted to buy M-frames but upon trying Radar, he kinds of like it too. Figure out what u want dude!! haha. meanwhile i psycho him to get Radar then we can exchange lenses. haha

We trek down to TREK. haha. the bikes there are definitely out of the question. see see look look only. there is this Trek bike with Lance Armstrong's signature on it and it's a limited edition (no. 221 out of 600), selling at $17000. wahahaha. even the helmet is Lance Armstrong edition. i like Armstrong.. but not $17000 worth yet. haha

Next is Tay Junction just next door. They sell Specialized and Giant. We were looking at some Specialized bikes and they look pretty good. but those with the right looks and price has no size for Sham. and those which has the right size does not have the right colour. fancy a bike with red white chrome? yukes. haha the salesgirls were pretty fun though. Like what Evan said, they looked pretty pissed when we first walked in. i think too exhausted by work. haha. after that, we talk to them, made them laugh a bit and left. Sham gave them our namecard (i ran out of RL cards so gave them NorthFace one) and asked them to give him a call if they need anything. HEY BRO! u are married ah. give this to me or evan la. wah lao!

it's little things like this, such as cheering some's day, that makes a difference in us. i always like to do so. life is short. so smile, laugh, enjoy and live with no regrets!

After that, Evan have to go Westmall to get new phone and Sham to class at MDIS. time was still too early for me so i went to Borders instead to read some books. in the end, i bought a book call "No Shortcuts to The Top". It's a book about this guy who climbed 14 of the World's tallest peak without supplementary oxygen. CRAZY shit. so i bought it. haha. to give me more inspiration. i know eventually i will go into adventure racing. love the sport. but for now, i will stick to road racing first. for the high speed adrendaline =)

After that, it was time for swim class by Yellowfish. His class is really no joke eh. damn fierce. i even got chilled for swimming too slow ( actually i was having a "cramping-up" left arm). haha.

let me show u what was on his fish's menu last week and tonite:

8th May

- 4x400 time trial
- 3x(200+100)
- 6 x 100 (Front crawl + breast stroke)

15th may

- 6x50 Pull
- 6x50 catch up
- 4x25 Side kick
- 2x50 5Fr 2 fly
- 2x25 Fly
- 2x (3x200) @ 430
- 1x100 slow swim
- 2x50 BR swim
- 6x50 @ 115

haha. dig that!! and he wanna transfer me to his Tuesday class. i got a mixed feeling about it la.

it's something good because it's like a promotion because Tuesday class is full of all the SUPER DUPER fast swimmers like Adrian Mok (10hr + Ironman finisher, owner of Polar Singapore and Hivelocity), Victoria Campbell ( One of Singapore's fastest triathlete, Nike sponsored athlete) and Dr Siong (dunno how many times Ironman) and MORE. i would probably stay the last swimmer for the slowest lane for many months to come. haha. it's good challenge and benchmark for me so as to constantly improve myself. i heard they can swim 50m in 30 sec. gosh. i can do the same distance in... 47sec? gosh. i have much to cover people. wish me luck. and i heard that class is like... swim swim and swim. i will update u peeps on how "dropped" i am in the class. Coach say.. after Sundown.. that's two weeks from now... haha.. excited plus scared

alright. that's about all for my "exciting" day. told u no life alr. everything.. and i mean every single thing is about sports. but i love it! =) cheerios folks!

Go Team Runfanatics! training on Sat and Mon ah. rem! -from self proclaimed Team manager

My Wishlist!

2008-05-06T23:45:00.002+08:00

haha. now it's like the birthdays season! everyone's birthday is here and coming. gosh! going broke man.. but luckily mine is coming. 3RD JUNE~!!! remember! i got a lot of things that i want man.. haha let me name a few below:

1) Polar RS400SD Heart Rate Monitor
2) Cycleops Fluid 2 Bike trainer
3) Tour De France DVD from 2000 to 2007
4) Fossil watch (with black leather strips)
5) Macbook Pro 15.4"

that's all for now! i also have a list of things which i hope to achieve in the year 2008

1) Get into uni and do well by studying hard
2) Make more friends, remain in contact with my current friends and be a happier person (not that i am not one now, just happier la!)
3) Run a sub 4hr marathon in 2008 Standard Chartered Marathon
5) Improve on my bike handling skills and bike fitness
6) Swim 1.5km under 28 minutes
7) Complete my first triathlon

HAHA.. i guess that's not greedy right. they are all very realistic items/ goals to me which i hope to achieve and get! shall work hard! Live is full of goals =D

ps: thanks for everyone out there who supports me in what i do!

Tribob Singapore Sprint Series

2008-04-26T12:37:00.016+08:00

Race update! 20th April 2008

was at Sentosa Tanjong Beach in the early morning for the race. my 3rd Biathlon already! woohoo! i reached quite early @ around 7+ because i don't wanna be caught in the rush "madness"! went there to get my timechip, set up my transition area, nice nice, re-enact the race over and over my mind and also do a warm up first. sprint distance is different, u don't have time to warm up. once the horn goes off, it's just.. all out! no conservation or whatsoever.

Due to the slow handing out of timechip, the race got delayed 20 minutes and will only start at 8:50. since i'm the 3rd wave, that means 9:10 for me, i can't imagine the heat man! haha. no choice LL suck thumb. i actually belong to the "recreational" wave so not that bad. haha. first wave (the black caps) are the serious bunch!

the time came and they flag off. Yanni was there to root for Thomas! haha. o ya. Weeling was there to support and take pictures too (focus is on pictures!). haha. there and then, i waited for my wave and it finally came, under the blazing sun. and just "nice", the sea became choppy! just at my wave. well done man! i thought i didn't have to battle so much waves and currents in Sentosa protected lagoon. well, i was proven wrong.

backview of me with my white cap and blue orca top! notice the girl on the left is also wearing orca. pointed out by weeling. haha

hi Yanni!

meditating!

haha. good job weeling! that's me in the water. high elbow! excellent. haha

out of the water! here's the run!!

in transit..

here comes the run course

CHIONG AH!!

finishing line~!

the contenders~!

with the girls!

Uncle Chan, Me, Alvin, Elston, Dennis and Chuan Cheng!

final time:
750m swim: 17min 27 sec
transition: 1 min plus plus
5.0km run: 23min 36 sec
total time: 42 mins 13 sec

my Felt S22 a.k.a Bumblebee

2008-04-12T13:07:00.011+08:00

i promised to update you peeps on my bike.and here i am!

i got my Felt S22 from Fusion (www.fusioncycle.com) a few weeks back where Millen (the guy who design and create Singapore's very own bike) fitted me on my current bike. i would say it's a mid-range bike (not exactly high end) but i love almost everything about it and it's a real good deal ($2000 for bikes and close to $400 for accessories such as shoes and all).

Being a triathlon bike (tri-bike), it has very "aggressive" geometry which is different from that of a normal road or mountain bike. it has a steeper seat post (where the saddle is) which pushes your body more front than a normal seat post. this is to allow the usage of a different muscle group (dunno which one!) for cycling and not exhaust them for running (which is right after cycling in triathlons).

that's a lot to get used to. being on a mountain bike for a while, it feels very different to be on a tri-bike. i have to figure out how to use the cleats to get into the pedals (bike shoes has cleats at the bottom to chip onto the pedals), how to change the gears (gears shifters are on the aero bars), how to get into aero position, how to mount and dismount (the bike is very "tall") and most importantly, how to get to my water bottle.

so far so good =), Evan got me on my first ride to Mandai and back. the ride was good but lost my water bottle (don't ask me how). last week,i went for a training chalet (very ironic words, i know) with Yellowfish group and cycle at Changi which was a very good place to cycle. i went into aero position for several times but had to struggle with keeping my speed around 27to28 kph. i fell on my way back and suffer some nasty wounds on my left side (was too attracted to jumbo seafood!). what a waste since i was less than 5 minutes from the chalet! argh! but i still went for a 10km run after that. haha but these wounds on my left calf,knee,hip and shoulder have been keeping me away from swimming. it's super irritating, considering i have a tribob sprint race coming up next week (20th april). guess i have to swim more this coming week!

cycling is real fun. i've come to love it along the way. the adrendaline of going so fast just keeps me up in the clouds. on the Changi flat, i reached 36 kph and wah, it feels good! kinda carefree! would be cycling more to train up my cycling fitness! and the question of how reaching 40 kph will linger in my mind and disturb me!

well if you are interested in the specs of the bike:
http://www.feltracing.com/products/product.asp?catid=18,20,51&pid=23

here are some pictures i took

train train train!

2008-04-02T00:21:00.003+08:00

wooohoo i got my new bike alr~! will be updating with pictures soon when i am free!

for this week 31st march to 6th april:

mon - 10km run (fast, time trial)
tue - 10km run (slow recovery)
wed - 1.5km swim (endurance)
thu - 22km run (moderate, 6 minutes/km pace) & yellowfish torture swim session
fri - 20km cycle (slow orientation)
sat - 10km run (moderate)
sun - yellowfish chalet: bike, run, lunch and chit chat get together =)

will be back soon!!

sneak preview:

posting training schedule on line

2008-03-22T19:11:00.004+08:00

a lot of people post their training schedule online so that they will be force to train up! haha.. perhaps i think i should try also.. here we go

for 24th march to 30th march:

1) mon - trifam swim session
2) tue - run 10km (moderate)
3) wed - run 20km (endurance)
4) thu - yellowfish torture swim session & run 10km (recovery)
5) fri - cycle 42km Tour Of ES (East Singapore)
6) sat - run 10km (slow)
7) sun - run 10km (tempo)

don't have time to clock a longer endurance run.. have to find one day every week soon to run a longer distance.. now it's only at 20km. argh!

and yes i'm getting my Felt S22 next Saturday!!

woohoo!i'm finally able to train on my own tri-bike!

Anything is possible

2008-03-06T15:16:00.001+08:00

Not everyone can be an Ironman. grueling distance with 3.86km open water swim, 180.2km bike and ending with a 42.195km marathon. all in under 17 hours before you can call yourself an Ironman. yeah. more and more challenged themselves to this almost insane distance and they made it. you might have heard stories from ordinary people from all walks of life doing it. blue collar, white collar, students, elders, handicapped, visually impaired and all. these are the true heroes because they have to handle work (to support their family) and also train (gruesome number of hours).

out of all, i'm most touched by the following story:

1989 Ironman World Championship: Dave and Rick Hoyt

Dave

Rick

Rick suffers from cerebral palsy since birth which is why he's not even able to walk and has to rely on a wheel chair. His father, Dave is a 46 years old man who wants to prove to everyone that no matter who you are, you should have the same rights to go to school and also participate in sports.

in 1989, the father and son duo touched the hearts of many by going into Ironman in Kona, Hawaii. a course which even cripples pros and melted thousands with its heat, humidity and strong crosswinds.

Dave has to drag Rick on a rubber float for the swim course. yes 3.86km of swim and that's about 77 lapses in your typical 50m swimming pool. and it's in open water.

Dave carrying Rick to head for their bike segment. after a 2hrs plus swim.

that's them on the bike. under the baking sun and taking in the heat

the 180km bike ride took them from scorching sun to sunset

the 42.195km marathon. not an easy task to even complete on your own. let alone pushing a wheelchair for the whole distance.

dashing for the title of Ironman.. or shld i say.. Ironmen

Nothing is impossible. Dave and Rick Hoyt

in 2006, they attempted the race one more time. one last time. sadly to say, they didn't make the cut off time for the swim and was force to give up the race. however they still completed the same old way they did previously. father pulling his son for the 3.8km swim.. all the way.

scene of pure determination and love for his son.

no matter what, you are still.. an Ironman.. tough in every aspect.

Dave and Rick Hoyt.True champions

remember. if they can do it, why can't you? not only in sports, but also in everything else.

Off Season is over!

2008-03-05T21:53:00.000+08:00

hello peeps! life is definitely good after ORD (that's of course). Chinese New Year was great (not forgetting the hongbao part!) as i managed to catch up with some friends and had some fun along the way.

to my buddy Zihao, i'm happy that you finally found a job which you like and also doing the things u wanted to (earning $$ at the same time). it's an enriching job but at the same time, i know it is very tiring. do take care and pace yourself out!

and also, congrats to Jiewen for returning back. i believe you'd have fun coming back to work and i believe a lot of the kids miss u.

i also wanna congratulate this someone who managed to sort things out with her boyfriend and set on a happy path again. good to see that u are not so gloomy (no more long faces!) and started to be happy again. i wish the best for both of you! (but that doesn't mean that i will not chase him down in AHM!.. well.. if i can)

and to one friend who has been rather emo lately. pick yourself up! and if u need ,there will always be friends like me and those who are close to you and care around. and also.. start running!

A new year indicates a new beginning. i would say majority of 2008 will be a relaxing period for me because for almost half of the year, i would not be doing anything much except to train (well ok, not that kinda relaxing) and work (flexible part time).in case you dunno, i'm actually working at Running Lab where we sell mostly running shoes, products and triathlon attires. sms me if you wanna get anything!

NUS Biathlon 2008 (17th Feb 2008)
well shortly after CNY, i went for my first ever biathlon (swim and run). it was a 750m swim and 5km sprint distance. it's actually a build up for a bigger race in 2 weeks' time (Singapore Biathlon). i was very nervous before the race because i didn't know what to expect. i also heard a lot of people saying that sea swim is not like swimming in a pool and at the start, there will be a lot of brawling, tugging and pulling.

luckily, i was with two of my colleagues/friends (Sham and Evan) who have been in biathlons and triathlons. so their presence makes it easier. Wei yang was with me. he, too, is on his first biathlon! on the way to meet sham and evan, he was telling me why are we so dumb paying money to wake up so early and torture ourselves. haha. actually it's true to a certain extent but the joy of completing what you have not done before is something that is very hard to explain.

we reached ECP quite late and had to rush to register and put our things at the transition quickly. after that, we slipped on our shoes for a warm up run.

just minutes into our run, i heard the commentator asking people wearing blue caps. it took me a while to realise that i was in THAT wave! i quickly scramble to my transition, take off my shoes, picked up my swim cap and goggles and rush to the start line. just then, they flagged off! i haven't even catch my breath!! i was thinking "aiya.. just heck it and go in to swim la!"

indeed, if you have not try an open water swim before, you'd definitely be shocked at the brawling inside. haha. i swear somebody touched my butt. i think i got elbowed several times. nono, i WAS elbowed several times. the water was murky and salty. to make things worse, there were sea bugs which stung me all over during the swim (super itch la!). against the current, every stroke didn't seem to be properlling me forward. there was a time where i seriously think that i wasn't moving at all! in the open water, you can't see (except the buoy), hear (except waves and your own breath sounds) and smell (except sea water) anything.

i sighted the beach and swam hard towards it. surfaced and ran towards my transition area (which is good because it's on the edge of the whole transit area). Weeling was there! and boy, it feels good to see a familiar face after the gruesome swim! slipped on my shoes, took my number tag and water bottle and ran. 5km to go.

my run was slow. didn't want to push myself too hard after all it's my first biathlon. sun was coming down on us and the water evaporated and perspiration took over. then i saw the finish line. Sweet!

total time:
750m open water swim: 18 minutes 18 sec
5km run: 28 minutes 7 sec
total: 46 minutes 25 sec

not too bad a result for myself =) it's a build up for the big O in two weeks time

here's some pictures to share!

that's my backview when running towards the finish line!

an all time classsic! evan chasing down sham.. when sham overtook near the finish!

that's us! evan,sham, me and weiyang!

that's our numbers! (nice photo right)

Team Running Lab (with the photograper who was late, Weeling!)

Singapore Biathlon (1st Mar 2008)
The Big race which i had been preparing for the past 3 months. a 1.5km swim, 10km run event (yes,twice of the distance for NUS Biathlon!). this time around, i'm more prepared and felt stronger. reached there early to avoid the same frantic moments i had at the NUS Bi. studied the current and route. did a light warm up run. saw two waves before me.

It was this lady (national swimmer Crystal Feng) who came out of the water first at close to 23 minutes if i am not wrong (super fast!). at the last stretch (from last buoy to shore), she looks like a torpedo and i don't recalling her coming up to breathe at all! after that, the fastest swimmers came on and i saw my coach David (a.k.a Yellowfish). he still take a peek back before moving on (prob to see where the other competing "fishes" are). second wave flagged off and it's my turn to move to the start line. Weeling and Fana were there to support (and i really wanna thank them because it was very early and the weather was quite bad! thank you girls!).

at the start line, i was re-enacting my whole race from swim start to transition to run and to finish (that's why later there is this zonk-out look photo of me). last good luck wishes from the two girls and off i go!

no amount of preparation will prepare you for the swim start (unless you got into a 200 people brawling session before!). the roughness of this race was even worse. i almost drowned and before i reach the first buoy which was like 200m out, i was already exhausted and panting. after the first buoy, things smoothen out and i regain my momentum. as the starting out direction was with the current, my first half was fast (for my own standard) at 15minutes. after that, it was a U-turn and it was battling with the current. i still feel strong but had to conserve for the run. touched down on shore at approx 36minutes. transition took me about 1-2 minutes. same thing. took my belt, power gel and water. weather was super cooling and slight drizzle. perfect weather for a run.

i pace myself at a moderate 5 minutes per km. at every km, a time check ensures i'm right with my target pace and at the 9km part, still feeling good, i ran faster. finish line was in sight and boy, it was nice. wonderful feeling to finish within my target time of 1hr 30 minutes.

total time:
1.5km wim: 00:36:14
10km run: 00:51:04 (counting in transition)
total: 1hr 27 minutes 17 sec

it feels great and i really feel hooked on to this multi-sports field. can't wait for my next race in April: Tribob Sprint Series!

here's some photo again! this time taken with Weeling's Sony SLR!

that's her! crystal feng. first lady (or first person) out of the water!

the "ducks" as Fana and Weeling called. because they wear boots with yellow top and shorts! haha.

the banner every participants wanna see (or not because it signifies 10 more km!)

the "nua" photo! they say i look blur at the start line. i was re-enacting the process in my mind k!

the start line. white caps. my wave. i'm behind there somewhere!

the flag off! ALLEZ!

that's me out of the water!

that's me running and washing my mouth to get rid of the salty taste!

Fana waiting patiently! or not? haha

just keep running, just keep running, running running..

the pain, the suffering, hang on!

i'm running in! woohoo!

shag face (pose one la!)

the finisher medal!

fana in Oakley Radar! but there's no sun

the camera girl weeling!

testing whether the medal is real or not..

haha. yup. that's my two races in these two months. more to come! confirmed list below:

20th Apr - Tribob Sprint Biathlon (750m swim, 10km run)
15th May - New Balance Pacesetters (15km)
31st May - adidas Sundown Marathon (42.195km)
8th Jun - Saucony Passion Run (10km)

today ran 20km from home to Novena. zonked out on the way back and also at home. haha. going to zonk out soon.

will update soon! good luck and happy wishes to all of ya!

from CFC Eugene (the NSF) to CFC(NS) Eugene (the Nsmen)

2008-02-06T12:30:00.000+08:00

thousands went through it. thousands completed it. But it's my time now! my ORD!! no more thinking and talking bout NS. i finally got my life back after 22 months!

here are some pictures to share!

notice the blurred "Nsman"!!

front profile of me *(with my pink IC)

right profile of me *(with my pink IC)

left profile of me *(with my pink IC)

back profile of me *(with my pink IC)

Following are just some pictures of my personal belongings (do notice fine details in particular to pink item!):

my Mac

part of the transition to a civilian: Samsung U700!

my crumpler bag

finisher tee

good luck to those who are still serving or yet to serve. prepare yourself and word of advice:

Serve And F**koff (note the acronym of the phrase)

world of tri

2008-01-17T22:20:00.000+08:00

as some of you may know, i actually embarked on my journey to become an endurance athlete not too long ago. started running perhaps.. 6 months ago. done a few races and my last marathon in dec 07. coming up is March's Singapore Biathlon. did the trial, got past it and training up now for the actual day.

it's not easy being a triathlete (or a training-to-be triathele). you need to spend lots of time, money, effort and brain power into the disciplines. afterall, while others are training in one discipline, you are training in the three sports consisting of swimming, cycling and running. it's definitely not for the fainted hearted.there are mainly four different distances for triathlons.

Sprint
swim - 750m
bike - 20km
run - 5km

Olympic
swim - 1.5km
bike - 40km
run - 10km

Half Ironman
swim - 1.9km
bike - 90km
run - 21km

Full Ironman
swim - 3.8km
bike - 179.2km
run - 42km

before you can actually start training ,you will probably need to get the proper gears, equipment and apparels. due to the long hours of endurance training, insufficient or wrong preparation will leave you stranded with injuries, forcing you out of the entire picture.

Swimming
- probably the least injury prone discipline. However there are in fact a lot of techniques to learn to swim faster, fully utilizing the buoyancy of the water to propel youself. you need to keep your body straight which means keep it as parallel to the bottom of the pool as much as you can. make sure you rotate your hips and stretch out your hands to the max when "crawling" forward. paddling is only a minor part of the overall effort so focus is not so much on your legs but actually your core muscles.

its' even more difficult to swim in open water and with a lot of zealous competitors making splashes beside you. you would have to glup down lots of saltwater, probably face the fate of steering off course, getting lots of bruises on different parts of your body and coming out of the water shagged out with two full disciplines waiting for you.

a triathlete will have to master how to draft (swimming behind someone so as to cut down on energy use to break waves), swim and scout at the same time to make sure you are on course, able to breathe on both left and right side and pace yourself (without the aid of any other equipment except probably a watch) to conserve enough energy for the bike and run.

after the swim comes Transition 1 (T1) where a triathlete will mount his bike and go on a high speed chase.

Bike
- the most technical part of the whole event and the main bulk of the distance is covered here. most dangerous because one can reach speed of 40km/h and more. basically, you can use any type of bike here. mountain bike, those with 1, 3 or 4 wheels and those with pink ribbons at the handlebars. however, you would probably see a lot of thin and sleek road bikes (a.k.a racers) from all the different brands such as Trek, Scott, Cervelo and more.

you need a computer to tell you how hard you are paddling and pace yourself out. the cadence (rpm), watts you are generating, speed and also a heart rate monitor to see whether you are pushing too hard. mastering gear shifting, maneuvering while in aerodynamic position, techniques of turning, drafting (yeah.. riding too.. has drafting). as much as the kind of bike and its accessories matter, your technique is the most important in this stage of the rest.

Running
- last stage of a triathlon. you would probably be exhausted here due to the two previous disciplines. the constant pounding on the floor and its pounding back on you . similarity you would need a heart rate monitor to monitor how much you are pushing yourself. a shoe that is right for you. one that corrects your running deficiency if you have any. one which can accurately absorb all the shock you are experiencing. one that will propel you to the finishing line.

Training for a triathlon
you cannot be lazy because you need to train in 3 disciplines. a triathlete (or training one) has to wake up in the morning for a 40 lap swim and proceed on to a 5 - 10km run. have breakfast and go to work. come back from work and go for a 20-30km bike trail. sometimes you would have to throw in gym sessions to train your core muscles and cut down fat level (crucial because a lighter and lean triathlete will definitely be better than a heavier one). on weekends, it intensifies to an open water swim of 2 hours, run of 15km and above and bike of up to 40km.

in this case, you would need lots of food and supplement to recuperate what you've lost. electrolyte drinks would become your best friend along with bread, pasta, white meat, red meat, protein drinks and powerbars/gels. you would probably forget how mac's fries and KFC crispy chicken taste like due to the require low fat and calories intake.

you would also have to spend a fortune getting the

running shoes (prob $100-$200 for one pair and you will need 2-3 pairs to rotate because shoes need to "rest" too so as to allow the cushioning to return to its original form)

a bike (probably $1000 + for entry level and you can go ever higher after that.. probably.. 4 -5k for a higher end one), helmet (safety first, could cause you around $80 for low end and $500 for high end), bike computer,bike shoes, seats, aero bars for more advance level which might end on a few hundreds.

apparels such as running tights, tri suits, trunks. they are made from special material for performance, lightweight and wicking.

countless of lessons paid to improve your performance. swim camp, swim lessons, bike maintenance, bike fitting. and also health checkup to make sure you are physically ok.

the money needed for nutrition such as protein powder, multi vitamins and supplements, powerbar/gels and healthy food are always more expensive.

entering races. these races ain't cheap, ranging from $30 and over.

constant need to find inspiration and motivation to push on such as overseas training, race dvds and books to read up.

- simply put, it is a big financial and physical strain, but in the world of tri, we never say die, never!-

there is this constant target ahead and one which you will never get sick of. you will never be satisfied with how you are performing and that is the motor behind every endurance athlete. you will always be thinking "if someone else can do it, why can't i?".. you will be spurred on and eventually perform in an outstanding and of course, stylish manner.

it's the new year! 2008

2008-01-07T19:04:00.001+08:00

ok. this is the year which i am gonna turn 21 (full fledge adult, in terms of age). a year which i will no longer be affected by people who stand between me and R21 movies, a year which i am going to enter university and commence on a 4 year long and gruesome Economics degree course in SMU, a year which i swear i will be better to all my friends (try la, ok? haha), a year which i will try to bring my performance in sports to a higher level.

i have a request for those who actually bothers to come to my blog (if there is any due to the super lack of updates!!).. please share with me your new year resolution(s) because i think it would really be fun to hear what you guys have in mind!

i still got 1 month to ORD!! please, come on, make it come faster. i just can't wait. the wait is killing me. let me smell the pink IC!!!

hmm.. anyway, speaking of wait, i kind of caught "The Lake House" again on HBO. It's actually a good movie which u will only come to appreciate after you watched it more than once (like me!) It's about a couple (Sandra Bullocks and Keanu Reeves) who actually fell in love by writing to each other. However the catch here is that they are living 2 years apart (Sandra in 2006 and Keanu in 2004). Their only way of communicating with each other is through a "magical" mailbox by a Lake House (the house is really amazing and just gives me a feeling that is out-of-the-world when i see it). Just catch it. if not u can borrow the DVD from me =)

nice pic ain't it?

never doubt myself again

2007-12-03T23:44:00.000+08:00

The words printed on every banner as i lifted my head "Run Your Own Race"

I was thinking to myself. Different people run for different purposes. therefore, that saying is true in every sense because you are running to achieve. your goal.

i completed the marathon of 42.195km on 2nd Dec 2007 with a timing of 04:43:45:95! it is not exactly fabulous but i am proud of it. My target was under 5 hours.

starting off at the starting line with me at 0530 (crazy timing i know, but it's pretty cool to be in the town area running so early) was Zihao and Weiyang. Zihao was super high while i seemed a bit tense. haha. afterall the long preparation was all for this ultimate run. we were standing in the sub 4 hours box (act zai a bit) and at 0530 sharp, the horn went off and off we go. on our 42 km!

1st stretch was Marina area. wind was great, no sun, i know my pace was good. i lost track of the two of them. i was thinking they went to the toilet or something. found them and lose them again. so i just decided to follow the race slogan of running my own race. and i believe they will want me to go ahead too.

i am beginning to go past area i have never been to. there was this building at this marina south pier and it is pretty. like a glass house. i swear i will be there someday to really see what it is. heard some runners say the food there is not bad! o ya, and i spotted the kenyans running past on the opposite road (yeah they are that fast!)

so it was a big round back to the starting point at esplanade bridge and off we go towards ECP. sun is coming out now but it is still pretty cooling at this point of time. supporters make my day. their cheering really pushed me on. at the bridge, people offered bananas and water (out of their own pockets!). u see, that's the spirit of keeping everything fun and cool the way they are doing it.

it was up Nicoll Highway and then Kallang. just as i was going to turn into ECP at Fort Road, i saw Sharon (weiyang's girlfriend). then next, it was a super amazing moment. the first runner (Kenyan i suppose) was on the other side. meaning he has completed his whole ECP and running back to the finishing line!! i was stunned. i looked at the big timer on top of this car and it reads somewhere 1 hour 40 - 50 minutes plus.

alright, a left turn into ECP and this is the playground for runners! it's just one straight stretch of road with the turning at the 26km mark. i was super motivated at this point of time because i know i am going to go into my longest distance ever ran (furthest was 21km). as i was indulged in that thought, the 21km mark appeared and i checked my watch. 2 hours 10 minutes. unknowingly, i broke my own personal record (was 2hour 14 minutes) and my next thought was fear of over exertion on the 1st half stretch.

"aiya, heck la, just run" that's what i was thinking when i shook away that fear. just run man! ECP was fun. a lot of supporters and they were great. more free bananas! drinks were plentiful at the drinks station. as some of my practice runs were in ECP, it was actually a pretty good stretch. the view and wind were great but the sun was coming on and the heat is turning up.

at 27km, the fatigue and pain is catching up with me. 6km more than my longest distance ever. i have to stop for the first time in the race. i begin to walk and swallow my fourth power gel pack. then i saw hao and wei yang. seeing them just makes me wanna go again. and yeah off i go. didn't last long, stopped at 30km and subsequently almost at every 1.5km.

sun was coming down hard on us. burning skin, aching calves, tired quads, funny ankles, abrasions on underarms. at 35 - 36km, it was the most torturous moment of the race. took up 2 cups and pour water over my head and drank half a cup. glup down the last powergel. looked at my watch. wonder whether i can really make it under 5 hours. and i was just thinking, every step forward is one step closer to the finishing line. so i went.

last 3 km. somewhere near esplanade. supporters were there. and they were cheering so hard that if you don't run, you seem to be letting them down. picked up my fatigue body and pounded the concrete with heavy steps. but as i move closer to the line, cheers get louder and it just gives me more motivation to run faster. so i unknowingly picked up speed. and for that last 3 km, i didn't stop a single step. i just ran.

beep. i pressed my watch and it says 4 hr 43 mins. and i smiled to myself. i did it. =)i shall never doubt myself again.

PS: Hao, the cramps were really most unfortunate but i am real proud of you completing the race even under such undesirable condition. seriously, you're the man.

Weiyang, good job in the race! try again next year and we shall aim higher.

Wee Ling, great effort!! this is the first of many to come right.pick up more tips from work and i am sure we will go to greater heights

Ling Xiu: Fantastic. 4th in age group among the girls! so are u migrating to Kenya soon?

Fana: Thanks for the loud shout at the last stretch. it really works! a pity u cant run due to your flu. next year. see ya with the black tee!

also to those familiar faces during the race. yun kay, amy, sharon and wei bin etc. you all contributed to me finishing the race. thank you!

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2008. here i come!

but let me rest my legs for at least a week first! deep heat, here i come!

biting my way through.we are all real tired

that's us. finished!

the finisher's tee.

Hectic!

2007-11-11T09:56:00.000+08:00

woooh, yesterday mark a gruesome 34 hours of work with only 1.5 hours of sleep.

fri morning 0730, hao and i went back to SAJC to check out an Amazing Race organised by the very CCA we set up 2 years ago, Saints Sports Club. She is now under its fourth batch of leaders! what a nostalgic feeling when we were back there seeing what they were doing. the passion and energy they exude while in work is just a reflection of what the four of us (Hao, Teresa, Mei Ling and me) were like. doing everything we can in our limits to go for success and victory.

It is an Amazing Race organised for St Hilda's Secondary School. it's an event for a leadership camp for the student counsellors in St Hilda's. the current president, Chloe, is the ex president of the student counsel which explains the co-operation between the two schools. hao and i were attached to two different teams. mine was H (hotcakes). these kids are just incredible. their drive to win is amazing. They literally run everytime they get a chance to do it, off the bus, in the linkway, off the train, in the shopping centre and more! i have a hard time catching up with the huge bag (which i will explain why) i am carrying. went to places like Esplanade linkway, Bugis Junction, Harboutfront and more. i must say the task they have to do are very creative (well done SSC!) and i can see the counsellors have lots of fun doing it. well my team didn't come in first but well seriously, they did a great job and the team leader ,Geneieve and Zi Sheng, who are first time leaders are like old time experienced veteran in their roles.

all in all, i'm proud of SSC and how they still kept up the spirit we intended them to have. the energy and gun-ho-ness of performing the best. keep it up guys, keep us proud!

the whole thing ends around 7+. and we have to report to Sentosa at 8! hahaha, having no choice, hao called ziwan to told her we will be late for half an hour. the long commute finally ends at Siloso beach at 9! haha. we were surprise to see that it was such a big event. they have huge blow-ups, things like the human sphere in which one person goes into and rolls around, huge dinning area and many food stalls. we prepared the various logistics till about 4+! and the worst thing came next!

just as we were preparing to walk to collect our costume (theme is nautical, pirates and sailing) from Glenn (boss). the storms sets in. extremely chilly wind, torrential downpour and simultaneous lightnings. we were all trapped under a small shelter which did not prove very useful against the strong chilly wind. i have a jacket which i lend to one of the girls who was only wearing spag and shorts!. so we were trapped there and the chill is just bad. real bad. hao and i were kind of exhibiting signs of "hypo-thermia". shivering, unclear speech, mind is not thinking right, suicide thoughts. hahaa. u name it, we have it. sat down and surprisingly, we fell asleep. next thing i know, we were about to make a dash to the chalet which is like a 5 minutes walk!

reached the chalet. wet cold and hungry. went to take a bath. we were told that there was hot water but to our dismay, it was only a normal showerhead. nevertheless, drenched in sweat, sand and rain, we proceed to bath. the water may not be warm but it's still accceptable because i think the temp of the water is higher than the temp outside (with the storm and the wind). the chalet is like a conglomeration of 4 attap houses, each with 4 beds within. very small, not much facilities. just beds, lights and aircon. it's now 5.30am. being extremely exhausted, we slept. for 1.5 hr to wake up at 7am.

smae routine, wash up, change to the clothes we were intending to wear. went down to the beach to help out. we went around, salvaging what the storm did to the site. fallen barricade, boundaries, flooded blow-ups and more. with group effort, we make it just in time before the event. went to put on the costume. it's just a vest (shiny! mine is golden!), a badana and a red sash. used camo cream to put two lines under my eyes and a pirate sword made out of balloons! haha. wearing costume is always fun. and all the instructors were dressed up in various pirates and sailor costume. we even have jack sparrow, elizabeth and davie jones! the event was fun and my job is to be the stallkeeper of this little pinball game. u know, a lot of pins along the board and 7 lanes in the end, the marble has to manuever through the various paths and go to the lanes. i let the particpants choose 3 lanes and total of 4 tries to get into each individual lane. there were a lot of people and i didn't have chance to even sit down. i must say the company is really big to organise such a family day (should pay us more!). the whole thing ended in a bang with the lucky draw and all the instructors were so crazy at the end. shouting cheering and dancing. real great. by the time the whole thing ends, it is at 2pm alr. packing up, wash up took us 2 hours and we were reaedy to leave at 4.30. took the bus to harbout front and went home.

what a tiring 34 hours! but it's fun =)

Apologise

2007-10-08T22:41:00.000+08:00

You know how sometimes you can just go and download some songs like they are any other songs.

you won't realise the meaning and how nice it really is unless you open up yourself to it when you listen.

today, i was on the bus with my ipod. then this song came on and simply took my soul away.

Enjoy guys... =)

Apologise

by: Timbaland ft Onerepublic

I’m holding on your rope
Got me ten feet off the ground
And I’m hearing what you say
But I just can’t make a sound
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down
But wait...
You tell me that you’re sorry
Didn’t think I’d turn around and say..

That it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late

I’d take another chance, take a fall, take a shot for you
And I need you like a heart needs a beat
(But that's nothing new)
Yeah yeah

I loved you with a fire red, now it’s turning blue
And you say
Sorry like the angel heaven let me think was you
But I’m afraid

It’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
Woahooo woah

It’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, yeah yeah
I said it’s too late to apologize, a yeah

I’m holding on your rope
Got me ten feet off the ground...

Sleep on it

2007-09-24T18:26:00.001+08:00

We, humans, can get over confident of yourself. you thought you can do it.. but it turns out you can't. you just can't fool yourself or deceive everyone around you. sometimes you will realise all that time used to prepare and build your fort is just pure useless. if it is going to get you, it will get you. it just knows its ways to.

sleep on it. just sleep on it, divert all your focus away from this troubling thought. Go for a run, go for a swim, go to work, go out with your friends, go for class.

but from experience, no matter how much you numb yourself, it just comes right back in that single second when your mind is idle.

Love can do this to you.

*sometimes you just wish for a shoulder to be there for you.. sometimes..*

Cars & Driving License!

2007-08-13T12:24:00.000+08:00

Ever since i turned 18, i've been thinking of getting my license! yet it's only till now (20 years old) that i'm going for my first TP (Traffic Police Driving Test). i guess we just have to postpone some plans ya? haha

Woo.. scary.. my TP is this coming Friday.. 17th at 1545 (so if you happen to be or know any reckless drivers around Bukit Batok, CCK, Teck Whye & Jurong area, please ask them to avoid driving out between 1545 to 1700 ok? thanks!).

A lot of people asked me whether i can pass on my first attempt. i don't really know how to answer them. haha because it really depends. my instructor told me there are 5 elements to consider in the whole test which are driving skills, courtesy, luck, weather and the testor himself. i guess my driving skills are ok (given the fact i have not bump into any car SO FAR.. haha)and i am definitely courteous! so.. out of 5, i can only control 2 elements! so tell me the odds.. it really depends man. but.. you can wish me luck! i need lots of that!

I made my dad to promise to lend me his car this weekend if i pass ( of course he has to orientate me first and his car is rather huge compare to the one i am learning in!) . seriously, i kind of have a phobia driving his car (Toyota Picnic: see below). Esp during turning and steering. haha! well well.. guess that's always insurance (touch wood)!!

Toyota Picnic.. his is light blue though

of course, like every other typical guy, i will fantasize on the cars i will own in the future (maybe 5 or 6 years down the road). nevertheless, there is short term,mid term and long term goals.

Short term means something small and sporty which leads me to the Suzuki Swift Sports. It is not exactly very fuel economic because practical consumption is about 9-10km per litre (from my many hear-says and read up). But i like its chic and sport design. Its bright yellow attracts me the most, like a little spit fire. cost about $62k at current COE prices. Quick survey of the car tells me the backseat is rather small but still able to house 3 mid size adults.

Overall View

Chic eh? =)

Driver's 'cockpit' and dashboard

Stylish and Sporty red and black combi..

Mid term target. Just thinking bout the next car makes me excited. This is a rather new model which is imported from Europe. So far i've not seen one on the road yet. Its design is perfected from many generations of ascendants.

The Honda Civic Type R (shortnamed CTR) is one hot hatchback automobile. Its three door design and sleek streamline somehow makes it look like a bullet wheezing past all vehicles on the road. Bearing the badge with an 'H' with a deep red background, it proves itself to be one of the hottest and newest kid in the Japanese sports car arena.

Overview..

Backview..pay attn to the exhaust. they're streamlined in and not sticking out in an ugly way

Side profile..

Driver's cockpit and dashboard (Spore version will be on the Right side)

Cool seats eh.. i just love the combination of red and black.

~WAKE UP~.. pass TP first!!

wish me luck k!

Family Day 290707

2007-08-06T09:40:00.000+08:00

Family day was great! in case you don't know, i (along with Zihao) are volunteers with the Singapore Children Society (SCS). we are involved in a program call Sunbeam friends which we go down to the centre in Redhill to interact and teach the kids there certain important values and also help organise outing/activites for them.

SO....we were given the task of organising this family day for the kids and their family. we started planning around june (if i didn't remember wrongly!) and trust me, it was a lot of hard work put in! there are 5 of us in the planning committee! Chai Ling (events ic), Sabrina (logistics ic), Kenneth (team coordinators ic), Zihao (games ic) and me (the main event ic)! they were a great team to work with and i really look forward to working with them again. as we are all working adults, we have to sacrifice our leisure time for the planning and discussion. but as we all said, it's worthwhile as long as the families enjoyed it!

alright, let me bring you through the Family day.

we assembled at Redhill around 815. zihao and his team was already there. the families poured in at 830. the stores were asssembled and groups organised by around 845. we hop onto the bus and off we go to the beautiful Botanic Gardens!

well, everything must start with a warm up right. so zihao, who was the games ic, exhibit his 'inborn' talent of cheering and led the family into ' warm up exercise'!

With the help of our beloved Wenhui!

the kids are starting to sweat it out! and enjoying in the meanwhile!

alright, that marks the ending of warm-up and the start of the main event

warm-up was great and from the face of the families, i can predict that they are going to enjoy this fun and exciting day! following on is our 1st games which we named "Disappearing Island". simply (i guess a lot of us played it before), there is a mat which the groups will have to stand on and it will get smaller and smaller. therefore along the way, teams who CANNOT get everyone to stand on the mat will be eliminated until only 1 winner is left!

Weili ain't going to make things easy for this group!!

Renjie kept his cool!!

Smile!! No matter how 'tight' the situation is!

We have a WINNER!!

sidenote: he is super cute ain't he??

Alright! of course, we do give them a break after every game (though at that time, the sky looks threatening!!) 2nd game is Aqua Shoes. basically there is a starting and endling line. and his team member will have a cup with a hole underneath tied to his feet with a rubber band. so he/she would have to balance the cup with water and walk towards a bucket about 6 metres away and without using his/her hands, pour the water into the bucket! or.. did i mention that there is a hole at the bottom of the cup? *evil grin*

our station ics are briefing the families. there!! those two in green lo. Fion & Yongjia!

Yongjia preparing for a demonstration of the game!

off we go~!!

Wenhui: "i don't get it.. u can definitely move faster than that!!"

we have Fareez showing off soccer skills and using it in the game

Chao Rui: "come on, squeeze somemore. can one!1"

the judges are trying to find the winner..

well, thanks to zihao for not doing his "no rain dance". it starts to drizzle and of course, as planned as part of wet weather, we moved to the nearby shelters. YET, the spirit was not dampened as we start playing games and shouting cheers louder than before!

hold hands and play the hula hoops!

what a nice shot of jiewen trapped in hoops.. =p

take a break now so as to gear up for what's coming up!!

Boon Wei and his mickey mouse hat!ps:he can really drive u mad!

Finally, the sky cleared and the rain stopped! the sun was out again and Sunbeam is ready to get on with the activities. our original plan was to play 2 additional field games. however we have to abolish it because of the time constraint and the muddy condition of the field. well, the most exciting part of the day, the Amazing Race starts with 5 teams playing 6 stations. the first one to reach the end point (which is also the start point) will be the champion for amazing race!

Rachel: "come on, faster!! cross the line"

enjoy the atmosphere of winning!

it's the spirit that counts! not the prize not the positions!

all in all, the family day was a great success. i really want to thank everyone who is involved or indirectly contributed to this wonderful day

Jiewen
Rozanne
Chun Shan
Auntie Judy
Zihao
Chai Ling
Sabrina
Kenneth Chia
Chao Rui
Ren Jie
Yong Chun
Wen Hui
Wei Li
Hui Ling
Fion
Yong Jia
Hui Min
Anna
Kenneth Lim
Cheryl
Si Ying
Xiang Yi
Wen Yi
Pang Si Ying
all the kids and parents who participated in this event~!

lastly, a tribute to the mickey mouse hats and those who wore them:

ONCE AGAIN, A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED!

i'm back!!

2007-07-20T23:27:00.000+08:00

Hey peeps, i'm back!

whoah! my last entry was in April? haha. that's like.....3 MONTHS!! i guess people who used to read this must have stop visiting long time ago!

i rmb my blog because i was just chatting to a buddy about blog. and then i remember i HAVE a blog. well go ahead and laugh!!

so many months alr..so many things happen!!

firstly... i'm still under conscription! but well, it's closer to the end!! 7th April 2008!!

secondly... my driving lessons are ongoing. changed my instructor because my previous instructor really cannot make it (sleep while i drive, pay him to sleep!!). the current one is much better (at least he don't sleep while i drive!). the previous one don't even care whether i crash into a tree or not. should have try!! teach him a lesson!
haha

thirdly.. i'm a volunteer with Children Society (Sunbeam Programme). basically every saturday, we will go down to the centre at Bukit Merah to have a fun filled and educational session with the kids (usually about 20, though max is 40). it may mean nothing much, just 2 - 3 hours a week. but they (and us volunteers) learn a lot of things.

o ya! i'm in the committee which will organise a family day for about 100 (parents and children) on 29th July. which means, i gotta go work on the proposal now!!

will be back with updates soon =)

long break is over

2007-04-22T23:06:00.000+08:00

woohoo. about 9 days of break since last friday! it was real good. anyway i took off so as to study for my exams at mdis.it can be consider a good break too i guess =)

well, two modules down and boy, it sure ain't easy. Human Resource Management (HRM) and Marketing Management (MM). HRM was ok but MM is real hard. use real life examples in the questions and expect us to know about it!! haha. if you diligently scrutinize everyday's newspaper, you might stand a chance. but it's over! just hope at least a B-. expecting at least a B+ for HRM (afterall i did well in the assignment ok!)

next two modules will be Operations and Supply Management and Business Economics. there goes my mon and thurs! class will start on 7th may. so i am still relax for a while before mugging.

people always say it is not easy to handle work and study part time. i finally realise it after these few months. it's like you have to work 8 to 5 and then rush for classes at 7 to 10 at night. it's super tiring and also the fact that you have to read up constantly, not only the given text but external ones like newspaper and newsweek, economics. wish me luck people!

well, i hope i can say all i did for the long off was study but no. haha. sleep till very late and slack around before starting. watch tv, chill here and chill there.
went gym 2 times (build those muscles!)

i guess i will sign out now. got work tomorrow.it's back to being a NSF. ORD soon pls

For my best buddy and his love!

2007-03-25T21:04:00.001+08:00

On 25th September 2005, a guy and a girl got together as a couple.

Rated: Corny content below. Please bear with it!

The guy was and still is my best friend since our JC days. During our JC days, we did a lot of stupid things together. We also did what i believe, was what both of us would reckon as one of our greatest achievements in life so far. That is setting up Saint Sports Club together from scratch (with Teresa and Meiling too). I've seen all sides of him (trust me, i hate the naked side!haha. joking!) and it's really memorable to recall times when he's happy, sad, overjoyed, troubled and uncertain.

One thing i was proud of about him is that he finally found a beacon he was searching for after a long time of internal struggling. That is finding of his love whom is also one of my good friend.

She is also someone who has been through a lot. I've seen her go through a lot of difficult days before she became what she is today. Although on the outside, she is still the same bubbly cheerful person. i know that throughout the period that i've know her, she has mature a lot in terms of thinking and behaviour. and i'm truly proud of her.

to Zihao and Weijie,
i'm really happy for the both of u and it has not been a easy road since the beginning. and i believe you two can continue this journey together and don't forget your promise, i'll be the best man on your wedding!

Happy 18th month!

everything is just.. other things

2007-03-24T13:05:00.000+08:00

when was the last time you were in the middle of a rain?

when was the last time when rainwater starts dripping down your hair and you are not bothered at all?

when was the last time you were soaked inside out and yet you still stroll through the rain?

i just did.
as stupid as it sounds, it was rather enjoyable.
the rain washes away your thoughts and leave nothing behind

i was carefree
....for that few minutes..

as soon as the shadow comes over me, the thoughts returned..

she is happy. and that's all that matters.
i was jealous. but it doesn't affect me anymore
and it was a confirmation for me...

it's time to let go and move on..
and i shall..

why do we always have to see so clearly? ain't this a beautiful scene too?

Tribute with photos!

2007-03-17T12:00:00.000+08:00

This was Jielin and Me. Look at that. me with that brown-golden hair. Jielin with that vampire smile! haha. hey she really is a nice girl to start with.. and hang out with of course=)

Two Botaks out for lunch! haha! along with JieLin and BiShi then

remember the days? me,hao and bernard

S91 back in 2004..

Francis Hung! She bangs!

NEOPRINTS?! corny!

nerdy us.....

blowjobs!!

nice pee that zihao!

o man,Stella was so good..... in the photo i mean!

Zihao and Weijie... then =)

i've nobody

2007-03-17T09:03:00.001+08:00

the song goes

Lonely im Mr. Lonely,
I have nobody,
For my own
Im so Lonely, im Mr. Lonely
I have nobody,
for my own
Im so Lonely

i dunno what's going on with me. kind of having very huge internal struggle. i talk lesser. eat lesser. no energy to do things. no motivation. i want to go out and chill but i realise i don't have anyone to ask. i want to go look for a bagpack but dunno who to ask and where to start. u know, those big and pure black bags. without any faniciful designs. no baggy but rather backpacking kind.

-------what should i do?------

Wasted~ completely

2007-03-14T16:23:00.000+08:00

quite some time since i visit those night spots (don't get me wrong, i'm not a frequent guests! and nightspots mean clubs and bars, not sleazy places!). i went on last sat, boiler at st james. it was a rather nice place with live band and great music. mostly just sit around and drink with friends. sadly to say, i got REAL WASTED. haha. damn man. by 2, i'm alr like a half dead a**hole. my friends help me out to hail a cab home. but i didn't! i sat around first because i do not want to vomit on some uncle's taxi.. haha.. who knows.. i just sat down on the steps and next thing i know is that my friends are going home alr and it was 4+! i just fell asleep on the steps. the next thing i know i was on a cab and then woke up the next day.

i had a pretty bad hangover. wanted to go SMU open house, had it planned out alr. but i just feel so sick, vomitting and all. haha. sad man. and after that i sms my friend about the previous night and then i was given enlightenment to how come i was so drunk. from start to end, there was a total of 6 bottles that was opened!!! 6! six! if u know ur stuff, u know how much liquor and harmful stuff that is. first time i get so drunk. haha. well, i guess it will be an experience for everyone. haha

promise not to touch liquor/alcohol (except for alcohol swab at medical centre!) for a long time to come! that was what i promised myself.

i've also set a goal to exercise more! i love sports and i dunno what happened to me lately. lethargic and my body just seems so lazy. i'm gonna at least jog everyday. swim and basketball on weekends. if u happen to be my sporting partners, rmb to force me to go when my lazybones refused to!

alright. that was a summary of how unhealthy my life has been for the past month. trust me, i totally hate that. i guess it's a transition period but well i'm getting over it.

Busy busy

2007-03-09T22:03:00.000+08:00

today is friday 9th march right? woo, just ended my busy weekdays and my busy weekend is about to start soon! haha but i like how things are now.

let's see.. a recap of how my week was spent.

On Monday 5th March, as usual i report to camp and had a long day at the medical centre.

Actually to a lot of people esp those serving NS will think that medical centres medics (i work in medical centre though i am combat in vocation.. haha.. lucky me) are pretty slack. But the whole day is really in fact, rather hectic, especially in my camp having one of the largest population in SAF. There are report sick, medical reviews, Fit for F Instructions Tests and people coming in for various reasons. We start at 8, breaks at 12, go for lunch and perhaps get some rest till 1, then we will start again all the way to 4.30. After that we will have to pack up all the documents and stuff we use for the day and get them ready for tomorrow. A usual day will perhaps have around... 60-80 patients and there was this once the queue number hit 120. not to mention we have duties which means we stay back after everyone goes home and see patients from the entire west area at night. being 24 hrs, it is really not uncommon to have patients to come at timings like 3 or 4 am. There are also emergency cases such as trauma and resucitation. duty will last till next day 8am when the next batch of duty crew takes over. the best part is we don't get off after that and have to work from 8 to 530 again before we can go home. sometimes we even have consecutive days duty. we could be talking about up to 70 hours of work without undisturbed rest. hope that what i said really clears up the misconception of medics in medical centre.

alright. monday night, i went for a project meeting at clementi central with two group members at 0730. They were pretty much older than me.. one is 28 and the other is 29 i think. haha. i am like..20. but well, it was for human resource management. we have to hand in by wed and there were some stuff we still have not sort out. so we discuss and work in Mac till around 1030. headed home and had to rush out some stuff because i couldn't work on tuesday due to duty. it has been rather long since i have slept late due to school work. haha. slept at around 330am.

tuesday. woke up at 630. go to camp and report for duty. that's tuesday.

wednesday's night was class. handed in our project. the lecturer look through it and say it was pretty well done. wooh! that was a heavy load off man. well. it was some effort put in. haha. i'm actually rather proud of that project.

thurs was duty again.

alright. today is friday and i have nothing on. i can finally rest!! i am gonna relax and rest well today man.

weekend will be rather enjoyable i guess. i'm looking forward to playing badminton with ziwan, zihao and some of her odac friends tomorrow at 11. haha. it has been a long time since i have played badminton. hope i dun make a fool of myself la. was pondering whether i should go for a run first before playing. see whether i can wake up or not la. haha.

alright. then at 2, i've to go to class. it's marketing. i like it. it's rather interesting how it plays with the mind.

class will end at 5. will go home have dinner. after that it's routine basketball night at cck. prob till 10.

after that, carl and i originally planned of going to DXO because his friends kind of organise a party or something. then he msged me today asking if it will be awkward for me because all his friends. haha. well so.. we'll see how tomorrow first la. he says there will be pretty girls going. HAHA. *rub hands and grins*

sunday will be SMU open house. hao will be going with me. i've already print out the itinerary and planned how the day will be. pretty much talks and tours. if everything's good and as of what i've read about, i will most likely switch to SMU Economics. i got in last year but dunno why i rejected it for NUS. guess now i have a better direction. haha.

WOOHOO... pretty long week eh... wait till u see my organiser. haha every single day has something scribbled on it.

12th- Assignment meeting for marketing
13th to 14th - Chemical warfare training at Nee Soon Camp and i'm glad it's only in the day.
15th- Assignment meeting for marketing
16th- Medical centre duty
17th- Assignment meeting for marketing
18th- Medical centre duty
19th- FINALLY EMPTY!!!
20th- Medical centre duty
21th- OFF DAY! class at night
22nd- Final Theory Test for driving at night
23rd- Class from 14th changed to today
24th- Class
25th- Medical centre duty
26th- EMPTY!
27th- Medical centre duty
28th- Class
29th- Medical centre duty
30th- Medical centre duty AGAIN
31st- Class

whoah. take a look at that. luckily i have planned a long stretch of off and leaves in April. partly to rest and also study for my upcoming exams man.

good luck! hope i have time to blog again soon!

ps: hey, if there is any activities u want to ask me along, no harm in asking me though i seemed rather busy
haha

how my CNY was

2007-03-04T22:42:00.000+08:00

There are a lot of things about CNY which i really do like. of course, there's ANGPOW. haha. but the best is being able to meet up with friends whom you have not for a rather long time. sort of like a gathering while celebrating CNY. how we talk about our situation now and making fun of how stupid and silly we were back in school and all. these gatherings really bring back memories and tell me what a long route i have come from.

25-02-07

It was kind of like a S91 gathering. Zihao and weijie, ziwan, xiaoyun, bernard and me. first stop was zihao's hse. haha when we reach there, his father fell asleep waiting for us! and he waited for like... 10 mins? haha. one thing that always get to me was how his mother address us. by our chinese name. haha. i was Jia Jun. bernard was Zhao Xiong. haha. o well, the rest was... the rest. but don't get me wrong, she's a nice lady by all means =) i think we stayed about... say..an hour plus in zihao's hse. o ya and wei yang (zihao's gd friend) and his gf was there too.

at zihao's hse. ok i look a bit squeezed. because ziwan was beside me!

just as we were on our way to my hse, it began to drizzle and we have to walk this "long cut" (contributed by zihao). somehow the weather was really hot and humid.

ok at my hse! i took out some choco biscuit TimTam. and boy, zihao was munchin on them like nobody's business. haha. Xiaoyun only join us then. she had church i guess. haha u know xiaoyun did change eh. more mature in dressing and all. she can easily pass off as a working class. i guess people in business are like that (gosh, cant see myself in that)

and well, there was lunch. if i din rmb wrongly, it was mee soto. everyone were sweating. haha. i think it was the soup and the weather too. but i guess it was quite an ok lunch. we watch The Devil Wears Prada.

haha. ok. Anna Hathaway is a gorgeous lady. haha. she's real pretty.

yup. mum said guys too tall. can't stand. sorry girls!

moving on to Ziwan's hse. haha. the bus waiting and all was very long. sorry that bernard has to book in that night. so he can't join us to ziwan's hse. but yeah, we head to ziwan's hse. ate some fabulous pineapple tarts. played blackjack. i lost like... 70cents. o ya we bought subway to eat. haha. we din stay long. zihao had to send weijie home and we were all pretty tired. so i guess... we just headed home =)

all in all, it was a nice gathering. seriously.

04-03-07

ok. it's time for OG gathering. god i really miss everyone in og2. especially since my time in jj was such a memorable one. seeing the guys one more time brings back a lot of memories. it's really a pity some people can't make it. like meng hui,bishi, le liang, tuck sin and danny. nevertheless, there was laoda, peiyi, minshan, cherryn and me.

laoda was super late and he was playing soccer before that. haha. but yeah, pretty proud of him. he was in ocs and now in 6SIR, maju camp. seems to be doing well. getting more than 1k a month and stay out! though he tells me he is starting to stay in. haha

peiyi is waiting to be enlisted. welcome to my life boy. haha good luck. take care of your right arm man. seems pretty bad.

cherryn is in NTU school of design. she wanna go into photography and i think it's really good. maybe i do like photography too. but yeah. seen some of her work before. real nice. she really has the flare. u go girl. just disregard the discouragements and rmb our encouragement

minsha is in NTU business. she seems pretty stressed up. she had to rush off for some project. it's a sunday for goodness sake. but well, she has been hardworking all these while. and i know she would be a real successful person being so hardworking and eager in stuff she do. all the way!

yup.our og now.=)

it was really nice to meet up with everyone during CNY. i guess that wraps up my CNY. gathering and all. really do looking forward to such meetings man. and i have some's agreement to meet up in normal days also due to our proximity. ntu, my base and some one who really do live quite near. haha. ciao.

as life goes on

2007-02-23T18:16:00.000+08:00

these few days were not easy. simply can't find any energy to do constructive work. always tired and lethargic

it's like a deep laceration. if you don't touch it, it will give u waves of pain.not to mention if you do touch it. i can't describe the feeling..

i just feel diminished. insignificant. like, you're just one in the billions of people around, it doesn't matter whether you're in or out.

time just passes.

i really need to find a new source of energy.. or maybe not?

my second entry..

2007-02-18T20:52:00.000+08:00

i wonder whether from now onwards, what should i give as my entry title? after all my entries all talk about a lot of different things. o well.

today is the First day of lunar new year! Happy Chinese New Year to all my friends! may all ur wishes come true for the new year and all that is sad shall be left behind. well, for me, it's truly a new beginning. but i'm sure my friends are out there for me. so here, i just wanna thank everyone that cares. you know who you are =)

well, i was on duty today. from 8 to 4. nothing much. everyone booked out. haha so i dun really expect anyone to report sick. (well if he did, i will ask the doc to confine him to the sickbay for 3 days!) haha. slept in the morning, read car mag and watch tv. then it's time for me to come back for reunion dinner.

must be wondering why my reunion dinner is today? no la, actually yesterday we had one but was within our family. today's is acutally with my mum's extended family. tomorrow will be dad's. haha.. a lot of reunion right. well that means a lot of hong bao also (also spells that i have to give a lot of hong bao next time!!).

just finished the dinner. it was real good. my mum bought this pan plus steamboat thing. exactly like Seoul garden style. but i dun really fancy myself eating this for 3 days straight..

tomorrow will be going around to get hongbao from my relatives! that's when all the new year's clothes come out to parade. everyone in their top attire and showing off whatever they have. haha. well, that's new year for me i guess.

and for me, i bought this pair of shoes which i absolutely adore. (sorry for sounding so bimbotic!) haha. well it's a combined effort by Adidas and Porsche.both excellent brands. it just take my breath away. its class-iness is just.. wooh~ well no point saying all this, i shall show it to you..

-this is the overall picture-

-this is the back, with the logo of course =D-

-just in case you can't see, sleek huh-

-i'm no showoff k. just love my shoe!-

my first entry.. again

2007-02-17T10:58:00.000+08:00

i guess i'm really bored. time to start a blog.. haha

i always have this problem of starting one but not able to sustain one. kind of like a 3 minute heat thing. but we'll see about this.

Today is the eve of lunar new year! i guess the norm is to get together to eat reunion dinner. but there is this special feature about my family. we have not 1 but 3 reunion dinners (now u know what it means by becoming fatter during cny). on eve, it's only my family with my grandparents. on the 1st day of new year, it's the extended family from my mum's side coming together. on the 2nd day, it's the extended family from my dad's side. so by then i am really sick of eating steamboat.. and it's the same every year

so this year, i try to innovate! the pot we use for steamboat ( i dunno what is it call.. haha) is spoil since dunno when... so we have to go down to the supermarket to get one. guess what, i saw one pot that looks like those in Seoul garden but only bigger. there's hot pan and a rather big bowl in the centre.. so i told my mum to get that. and YES, she got it. now i can try playin around with my food rather than just dipping it in the water and let it cook. haha!

i think this year cny also really starts a new phase of life for me.. i think some people will know what i mean. =)

and yes, after asking around for so long, i found a website to download chinese songs. though i am not very avid with chinese songs, there are just one or two songs i may pick up from time to time. and surprisingly, the first few songs i download are all duets.. haha..

i got songs by cao ge and wen xuan, join and tao ze, hebe and farenheit.. rather nice though. if you want to download chinese songs, go to www.baidu.com. but don't blame me if anything happen! haha

Camar Indopura 14/07 (13th feb 2007 to 15th feb 2007)

i think this will be one of the thing i will remember about my NS life. btw if you dunno, i'm a medic by vocation (long story..haha). our job is to go to this place in Kalimantan, Indonesia call Pontianak (scary name ah! i was stunned too when i first saw it) to set up a joint clinic to provide basic medical care and medicine to the local and surrounding villagers. it was really quite a good experience in a lot of aspects.

medically, it was quit a "feat". there was this case where this person had swollen tonsils. nothing surprising right, but guess how long it has been with him, a whooping 3 years. can u imagine having painful swollen tonsils for so long.. how did he eat anything?? there was another person with a huge lump (they call it kileot or something.. i dunno how to spell) on his skin.. it was removed surgically before but it grew back..

a lot of them suffer from malnutrition over there.. we have to give out a lot of vitamins. sometimes it's rather sad to see that they didn't get any proper medical care. for a lot of cases, if medical attention was seek earlier, the problem would not have escalate and become serious. the fact is healthcare over there can be consider a luxury. it's free for the people but there is any proper facilities. the so called hospital just has a few rooms for consultation, the toilet was in pretty bad shape. they actually have an x-ray machine there but there is no x-ray film to print on. saddening to hear ah. end of the whole exercise, we gave all our medicine to them, all 20 boxes of different medicine. but i dun think it's really gonna be much use because some illnesses need more medical care and medicine just won't do the job. but that's the best we can do to help..

hmm well on a lighter note, we actually stayed in a hotel call Hotel Kini. it was really good you know. after looking at the commoner situation, i thought the hotel would be rather run down. in fact it was good. there was proper facilities and super big bed for us. very comfortable too. there's cable on TV.

they have massage facilities. it was rather cheap.. about S$10. the docs went and came out super unsatisfied. they say it was not only lousy, they even demanded tips. and i heard they even wanna offer "extra" services but well, who else other than docs know better the risk of STDS. haha!

shopping was rather a disaster. nothing much to buy except for super cheap chocolate and super nice biscuits! the worst thing is paying. the exchange rate is like 5700rph : S$1. disastrous. the things come in hundreds of thousands! haha. i bought a lot of chocolate biscuits and toblerone for my friends back home. well, that's about what i can get there. things ain't cheap there too. Levi's jeans cost about S$160 (millions there!) so it's generally the same.

there was this time i order a lasagne from one of the stores (after a lot of effort because we dun speak melayu and there is a difference between the malay language in indonesia and locally). 10 mins later, the guy came up to me and told me they ran out of cheese, is it ok? then i wonder.. what would lasagne be without cheese.. haha just the minced meat?? so i just cancelled and ran off!

on the whole it was a good experience la. too bad i can't bring my camera (ya ya..rules and clearance are troublesome).

i do miss all my friends! let's get together soon ya!

signout out of my first blog entry!!