The night it all almost came to an end.

It was a near tragedy in the making, a cause for celebration for some if it actually happened. The whole episode happened a mere 5 minutes ago, in the confines of my dingy, stuffy mess of a hall room. Here are the facts:

I was watching Heroes Episode 21 on my Macbook. (Yes it is out and yes I downloaded it and no its not illegal...) I saw Mic, the resident house lizard, (I couldn't catch him, nor kill him, yet, so I decided to adopt and name him...) crawl down the side of my table to the back of my printer. I got up and paused the show with the intention of trapping the 10 cm monster in the empty Ferrero Rocher container I keep beside me for this very purpose. I shoved the printer and Mic decided to make a run for it and darted back up the wooden backing of the study table into the little cracks and corners at the top. I hastily stood up, got onto my table and decided to see if I could nail the little reptile before he (looks like a he...) snuck back into his godforsaken hole. 

As I peered over the top of the table, I heard a whirring sound and turned around only to come face to face with... the ceiling fan rotating about 20 cm away from my face. My heart pounded furiously as my mind went blank... the whirring blades, coated in a thick layer of dust, spinning at high speed just inches away from my face... I leaned back, my palms and neck breaking out in cold sweat, and slowly lowered myself back on to my seat. I sat in my seat for about a minute, digesting the could haves' and might haves' that almost darn well became a reality. Whoever's up there looking out for me, thanks dude (or dudette ...) , I really appreciate it :)

On a less life-threatening note, training today went rather well. I made it through the sets I set out to do and am looking forward to being back in the game :) The same, unfortunately cannot be said for the academic side of things. I am really lagging behind in most of my work and I need to catch up... soon... like "right-now" kind of soon... 

Lastly, about the nasty little anonymous posting on ZY's recent entry... well let's just say its for you to say what you must and for the rest of the world to read and judge the comments. I have always regarded annonymous character-bashing of someone online as an act of cowardice. If you got something to say or a point to make, either go straight to the individual in question or leave the comment with some form of identity online. Don't bash and run... it doesn't help the situation at all; in fact all it does is it leaves a very bad impression of YOU. 

Peace :)

Some Random Snapshots of my life thus far :)

Chillout at Ajit's

OCBC Cycling

"2 hour" Bus Rides

70.3

Needs

What I need is some freaking discipline... ARGH!

Back

After a surprising podium finish, a two way 18 hours bus journey, 3 hours of Poker, 3 plates of Nasi Goreng Pattaya, tons of GOOD teh tarik, hours of excellent company and a night with the crazy photographer, it has finally dawned on me that the damn trip is finally over. Just like that...

5 more hours

Its amazing what you learn just by going on an hour long car ride with one's dad. I have been driving my dad to and fro from work for the last two weeks and the conversations we have in the morning and evening both to and fro (Tampines to Tuas Road is a long ride...) have been nothing short of interesting. My dad wasn't around much during pre-adolescent days but he has more then made up for it in so many ways. He makes it to almost all my races if he isn't tied down by work and he gives unselfishly to both my sister and I. He'd rather purchase a better set of wheels for my bike then buy himself a new pair of loafers to replace the old tattered ones he wears... It isn't easy to find such selfless devotion these days. I take all of it for granted sometimes... Thanks Dad for everything :) 

5 more hours till loading time :)

Idling...

The second post for today is up because... there has been zero net work done since the last post. Just a quick summary of the stuff that happened since the last post:

I logged off MSN, Facebook, Friendster, Command and Conquer and I-tunes before closing the two movies and one TV drama that was running on my comp. (I hope you appreciate how much effort that took...) before packing everything up and leaving for Mac's @ West Coast. After queueing for a good 10 minutes, I finally reached the counter only to realize that I didn't have a single cent on me to purchase anything. (Cashless society... MY ARSE...). I made my way to West Coast Plaza to withdraw some money and headed back to that same bloody Mac's. Due to my lack of breakfast and over-the-top appetite, I ordered two meals (YES... two... One McSpicy Upsize and One 6 piece Nugget meal...) and downed it both in half an hour, only to realized that the sugar, carb and fatty high I had rendered me incapable of mugging. I headed back to hall and "VIOLA" here we are... after 2 over liters of petrol, 2 hours of time-wasting and 2000 calories later... back at square 1. Let's hope the remainder of the afternoon won't be too disastrous :) 

Packed Packed Year

I honestly haven't gotten down to much work since the conclusion of the Ironman 70.3 race on Sunday. The afterthoughts are still flowing and it feels as if I have just finished the race and still cooling down. I seriously hope to get some work don after this very post and some breakfast. (Yes I just woke up and yes... I missed the 8 a.m. class despite sleeping at 11.30 p.m.) I was just browsing through my calender and I realized that 2009 will be the year where I will travel like I have never... EVER... traveled before. Not taking into consideration the rides to Malaysia and the planned diving trip sometime in August, I will be heading to Zurich for an Ironman race followed by a month long tour of Europe. I will then head back continue with the 1st semester of my 2nd year before heading of to Florida in November :D. It will be a pretty pretty packed year ahead with lots of exciting races coming up for me. I am just hoping to bring my fitness level to new heights with a little more perseverance and discipline. I have some pretty darn good role models around and its best I get started following them. Below are just snippets of the races I will be taking on before this year is out. Great Races, New Experiences and Excellent Friends... What a blast its going to be :D. Now back to... that monetary model... :(

Ford Ironman 70.3 Championships

Zurich Ironman

"So the next time you have a crappy race or training session and then have to get up for a session the next day it's raining, remember we have all had these days and the champions are made right there on the mornings when you want nothing more then to sleep a little longer." - from Lemin's Blog :) 

The Heat is ON... again....

16 weeks isn't a long time right.... Damnz

AVIVA Ironman Singapore 70.3: Reflections

First and foremost, I would like to take this post to thank my family for providing me with the opportunity to pursue this new-found love of mine and the undying support they have given me in all my endeavors :) Thank you so so very much! 

Next I would like to thank my friends and team mates for the support and advice before, during and after the race. Training for such an event is really not as easy as one might think it is and it would be very hard to embark on such an arduous journey alone. To my NUS Aquathlon teammates, my Tri21 groupie and everyone else... Thank you!

Yesterday's race was certainly an eventful one for many. Some were embarking on their virgin Half-Ironman race, some were racing for a chance to prove to themselves that nothing is impossible and others were racing to be part of the Ironman Family. Whatever your reason maybe, kudos to all for training and embarking on such a journey. 

I started my morning at about 4.15 a.m, packing the last of my race gear and downing a bowl of muesli and a cup of coffee. My parents, Sis and I then loaded up and headed off for the race course. 

We arrived at the race course at about 5.45 a.m. One could almost taste the anticipation and excitement in the air. Athletes were rustling about with last minute preparations; Supporters were milling around the transition areas and racing areas, seeking out the best spots to follow the race; and race officials were bustling about making sure everything went according to plan. Apparently I was one of the earlier ones there and I wasted no time in settling down and getting my transition area done up. The rest of the guys came in not too long after I finished doing up my bike and transition area...

After some last minute adjustments and photo-taking, it was off to the swim start for us. The Elites and Pro-Racers were flagged off first followed by the disabled athletes and the Ladies. There was a 10 minute gap before we were sent off. 

The swim leg was a rather uneventful yet altogether painful experience for me. I don't usually plow through the swim leg and expend everything I've got within the first 40 minutes of my swim. It was supposed to be a smooth comfortable swim... that is till I swam into my first jellyfish (no... it wasn't a sea bug caused I actually picked the darn thing off my neck) and... within 5 minutes... the second stinging beast. I don't recall the last two 70.3's held off the East Coast having so many incidences of jellyfish stings but it became apparent to me after the race that I wasn't the only one to suffer the stings. It might have something to do with the timing of the race coinciding with the jellyfish season or something like that.

After the swim and a rather SLOW transition, I headed off on my bike leg. The bike leg was rather uneventful for me, unlike my compatriots who might beg to differ. The only thing apparent was my failure to prep myself for the hilly course and the long ride. That will be something I will work on from now till the next race. 

The run leg was PAINFUL. I simply couldn't proceed through the course at a faster pace. I was consistent no doubt about it... consistently slow. Again... I must admit that I have been neglecting my run during my training but I guess all that needs to change if I don't want history repeating myself anytime soon. Joshua, Alvin and Ashley ran pretty darn well, catching up with me on the run leg at various junctures. The temptation to sprint ahead and try to maintain whatever lead I had on them was great but I knew that the sprint would result in me cramping up and all. Well 2 hours and 10 minutes later, the agony came to an end as I crossed the finishing line with a rather respectable time. 

The Half Ironman experience is a unique experience which depends very much on how one interprets the experience he or she might have during the race. Some crash out and leave the race rather bitterly (speaking from personal experience here...) whilst others learn from it and improve with every subsequent race which follows. For me, I take away from it the importance of camaraderie and self perseverance. It really isn't easy penning down one's afterthoughts on an event such as this, its almost impossible. Till the next race.... :)

First Impressions

Its only human nature to judge. I am no exception. 

Problem Solving

Rain = No Cycling = No Swimming

Eye Infection = No Contact Lens = No Cool Sunglasses

Good Breakfast = Fully Repaired Bike = Happiness 

F(Happiness) = (Physical + Phycological) Happiness

F(Physical Happiness) = max Equipment + Training  

Therefore max (Swim, Cycle, and Fully Repaired Bike in this time period) Cycling + Swimming + Bicycle s.t. to current conditions. 

 -Sub Heavy Rain and Fully repaired bike into above equation. 

Since training > equipment,

F.O.C with respect to current conditions: No Cycling + No Swimming + Fully Repaired Bike. -- equation 1 

F(Phycological Happiness) = Summation of all Phycological factors

max (Phycological Happiness) s.t. to Ability to wear Cool shades.

Sub Eye Infection into above equation

F.O.C with respect to Eye Infection: Great Looking Athlete with Red Eyes and no Cool Shades. -- equation 2

Add 1 and 2:

Great Looking Athlete with Red Eyes and No Cool Shades with Fully repaired Bike and no where to go. 

Since F(Happiness) = F(Physical + Phycological Happiness) where 4 out of 5 factors are decreasing in U,

F(Happiness) is decreasing. (Proof.)

Its the final countdown dadadadum datadadadum datadadumdum tadadatataTAdum taDAdum...

The morning started with a rather screwy bike ride, which was screwy cause I couldn't finish the distance that I wanted too. The only good thing that came out of the ride was that I managed to get some of the little kinks smoothened out later on at Passione. 

After the bike ride, I chugged down to town for a quick lunch before heading to Epicentre to use up whatever remaining vouchers I have which are due to expire in a week's time. Headed to Kino to purchase that Triathlon book I have been eyeing for a while before bussing back to Changi, where I picked up the car and headed to Passione to tune and trouble-shoot the bike. 

The evening was spent watching Tudor, Spider Man 3, and two documentaries with the family over Pizza and Dao Hui. HAHA... What a Monday. :)

Sentiments on a season gone by.

Yesterday marked the end of the 2008 biathlon season for the NUS aquathlon team. The season ended on a high and I must add that regardless of the results the journey thus far has been exhausting, exhilarating and altogether thoroughly enjoyable. Great timings were secured and even greater friendships were forged through the roller coaster ride. We had our ups and downs but we stuck together and pulled through like a team. Qiu Kun, my new oh-so-sexyaye vice-captain summed it up best, "Without the Aquathlon team, my life in NUS would have been two shades duller (edited and paraphrased for deeper emotional effect on blog-readers...)". I share her sentiments exactly. Aldrich, Zhiyun and KepKee, the exco for 08/09, thank you for the support, guidance and excellent leadership provided the past few months. You all have made me feel very welcome and succeeded in bringing the team to greater heights. To Nicolas, Norman, Qiu Kun and JiaJie, I am pretty sure the journey from now till one season later will be equally thrilling, and I have faith and confidence in your leadership. To the rest of my team mates, I haven't been exactly putting in my full effort but rest assured... I will be back with vengeance soon :) Thanks to you guys for just being there when I needed you the most. Last but not least, kudos to Mr Tay for giving the team that extra boost when we needed it the most. :) Cya in the pool and on the roads soon!!

Mugging with Macs.

Studying at Macdonald's isn't that bad I must say hahaha... now to finish up whatever work I have left and head out for my late night jog :) Oh... I ripped this off YR's Blog... in place of the disastrous (again... a personal opinion...) OSIM Race... we now have... nothing :)

Spore loses right to host ITU series opener - ST

By Jeanette Wang

IT WAS set to be the biggest triathlon ever held here, but Singapore has lost the right to host the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships series opener in May.

The Straits Times understands the ITU confirmed its decision to move the race to Tongyeong, Korea, on Tuesday.

This was due to a lack of sponsorship support despite months of negotiations. It is believed the race would have cost $2million to organise.

'Essentially, there's a financial crisis going on, so there were issues with making the budget work, and that didn't happen,' a source said yesterday.

Triathlon Association of Singapore president Mark Tay declined comment until he receives official notification from the ITU, which is expected to arrive today.

Some 120 of the world's top triathletes, including Olympic champions Jan Frodeno of Germany and Australia's Emma Snowsill, were set to feature in the May 9-10 event, with guaranteed live international TV coverage.

It was to kick off the inaugural 2009 series, which comprises seven US$150,000 (S$232,000) World Championships legs plus a US$250,000 grand final at the Gold Coast in September.

Besides the elite race, thousands of age-group athletes would also have the chance to compete and try to qualify for the grand final.

'I'm very disappointed,' said David Lim, 41, a swim coach and avid triathlete. 'My friends and I were hoping to see the stars race. I was even planning to take the day off just for it.'

The race was to kick off with a 1.5km swim at East Coast Park, followed by a 40km cycle and 10km run in the city centre, culminating in a downtown finish.

Top age-group triathlete Kevin Timmons, 46, a Briton based here, was planning to qualify for his first World Championships.

'Now I have to go back to the UK to try to qualify,' said the corporate trainer.

The biggest blow: In December, the annual Osim Singapore International Triathlon - the Republic's only Olympic distance triathlon held typically in July or August - had merged with the ITU race.

Osim's brand and strategic marketing head Alan Tan said discussions on the future of the Osim race were ongoing.

'I was training for it,' said Lim. 'I have nothing to look forward to now.'

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All the more reason to start flocking to the neighbours for OD races now :). I ain't really opinionated right now so... its back to blog and wiki-surfing!!

OCBC Cycling Prize Presentation

I can't believe Nic got the photos and the blog post out before me. HAHA... First and foremost, allow me to thank JJ for insisting on signing up for this race. If not... none of this would be taking place in the first place. The Prize giving ceremony was held at El Toro restaurant, somewhere along Penang Road.

The prize giving ceremony was a simple yet throughly enjoyable affair. The mexican/ latin/ spanish food dished out was awesome and could, simply put, be the highlight of the evening. It was fun chilling out with the guys over drinks and awesome food planning our future escapades and adventures. 

I've uploaded some of the pictures below of the 4 of us receiving our prizes. It seems like the only picture we could take was that of us holding up the shirts. Nic refused to agree to us wearing the safety glasses indoors in the evening... if not I think it could have made a great shot... :)

Kudos goes to the our school NUS for supporting us in what we do and our parents for providing us the means and support to pursue what we love :) Till the next race!!

P.S. : Does anyone have pics from Singapore Biathlon and the meal after that? I don't seem to be able to grap the pics of Facebook... I wanna write about it too!!

The Heat is ON.

Had a lovely run this morning. Got back slightly before 8.30 am. Showered, watched the world continue to break down on CNN. Blog-surfed. Will head out for a quick break fast before heading to my first class for today. 

Things to do:

Mathematics Tutorials ++ (The Latest one and Tutorial 2... yeah I am in deep shit.)

Two more chapters of Econometrics and the latest Macro notes... damnzy...  

Swim Training in the evening

and... Dinner!

Will blog about the great food and fun time the 4 of us had at the OCBC cycling prize presentation tomorrow... 

NIE Biathlon

I just saw the team list for the NIE Biathlon. I am so not going to screw up this time. Sick mode: ON. 

8th March 2009

Alone. That was how I spent my 22nd anniversary on this miserable piece of rock we call earth. No fanfare whatsoever, just a nice book, two to three good movies, coffee, and slices of green tea cake (Thanks dudes!) to keep me nice and warm on the inside. 

I was supposed to ride in the morning, but I woke up running a fever, with a terrible headache and terrible muscle aches. The pain and aches subsided as the day went by, but from what I heard, I missed out a rather enjoyable ride. My appetite's not been too good and I could only manage a small packet of "char siew" rice and two slices of birthday cake for the whole of today. I hope I recover in time for the race at the end of this week. 

Yesterday wasn't a good day for me personally but I guess "you reap what you sow", and I paid the ultimate price for my absolute lack f discipline and focus. I blame no one but myself for the poor showing. Lunch after that episode more than made up for the earlier disappointment and I must admit that I was really touched by the birthday cake and all. Thanks a lot guys and gals. I meant everything I said during the lunch before I sliced up the cake. Uni life thus far has not been turning out as how I expected it to be but your company and companionship, through the ups and downs have more then made the journey thus far worthwhile. I have been been quite an arsehole at times but... hey... it comes with the package aye?

My parents and my sis brought back a really nice cake from Taka too and that was pretty much the highlight of my 22nd Birthday. So... with that... I guess its time for me to hit the sack... 

Saturday blues

Singapore Biathlon: 8 am in the morning.
IPPT: 3.45 pm in the afternoon.

Damnz. What a way to end the week.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Teaser Trailer

Some queries on the trailer that I'll address here:

The giant robot you see is Demolisher, a giant mining excavator which forms up with another 5 more bots to form the Constructicon, Devastator. Demolisher will form the main torso of Devastator. 

The Audi R8 is Sideways, a double agent apparently for both the Autobots and the Decepticons.

If you watch closely, the three robots chasing it are the three respective motorbikes which will combine to form Acree, an autobot, and the only female one in the show.

Ravage is the one eyed jaguar thingy you see which pops out of Soundwave, who takes the form of a cybertronian jet in this movie. 

The Red and Green Chevolet Trax and Beat are the Autobots Mudflaps and Skids.

The Stingray concept Tamiya looking Chevolet is an autobot... by the name Sideswipe.

Thats all you need to know about the trailer I guess... till its release!!

Brand X Bike Bag for Sale

I purchased these a while back. After purchase I realized they weren't suitable for the type of traveling I intend to do with my bike. The details are in Togoparts, (as most of you are probably linked here from the hyperlink there anyway). Feel free to drop me a line or leave me an e-mail at the address listed under the Togoparts' advert. Cheers. 

PS: Dog not for Sale :)

Detachment

The mind ain't willing and the body ain't moving... My patience wears thin as my disinterest in whatever I do grows at an exponential rate. I am faltering... straying from the path. I am not but a prisoner in my own mind, looking on just as a pilot looks on, helplessly, as his craft spins and twirls out of control in a never-ending spiral... jostling with the controls and praying in vain as he counts down to the inevitable... 

I blame to total lack of self control and the absence of that drive to succeed, that commitment to stay the path. Its a bit hard to do anything right now, with the race around the corner and the mid-terms just days away. I will salvage whatever can be salvaged and get my feet back on the ground. I will depart on the 5th of July with no regrets, no regrets at all. 

On a side note, I brought the 112 for a spin last Sunday. Apart from the loose rear bottle holder, detached rear break and loosened break cable... (haha...) the ride was superb... there's a couple of stuff I still need to do before the 22nd but all in good time, all in good time :) 

"Sweet Dreams are made of these..."

Mind Games

I couldn't move much today. I was really tired and slow. I hope things will turn for the better soon. 

Sunset

She was strict. I didn't like her much when I first met her. She gave tons of homework, pulled my already deformed right ear and rapped my knuckles when I didn't get the homework done. However, its only fair that I state that I wasn't an easy student either. Locking her out of my house. Check. Locking her in the balcony. Check. Throwing an item at her (Orange, Glass mug, Telephone... etc.). Check. I wasn't easy and I can say for certain that I most definitely gave her a run for her money. The journey was long and arduous but it finally paid off with me getting an A* for my PSLE Chinese. The only A I would ever get for a Chinese paper. Ever. She bought me a really cool stationary set and a set of stickers for that A*, a testament to my hard work (Thank you...) and more importantly her success at taming and grooming me to succeed and like the Chinese Language. 

The message came at a most awkward time. My family members had just finished a rather delightful dinner when my cousin got the message. I am not at liberty to disclose the details but it was rather unsettling. Nothing was confirmed and we all just hoped and prayed that it would all be a bad scare. 

I had just finished a rather eventful ride with my mates and was having dinner with my dad when the call came. There wasn't much melodrama or anything, just a sad resignation acknowledging the harsh realities of life. I threw on a shirt and a pair of jeans and my sis, dad and I were out of the house in the blink of an eye. 

She looked at me with her great big eyes and a grin on her face. She was in immense discomfort, no doubt about it, but looking at her, one could hardly tell. She was thin yet so full of joy as she shook our hands and whispered hi. I smiled and we talked about stuff. Its hard to summarize 10 years in 5 minutes but we did it. I grasped her hand and she held on to mine. Thats all it took. We chatted and laughed. She couldn't speak well yet she was still full of advice. "Study hard", "Don't get attached so young". It wasn't easy for her and it sure as hell wasn't easy for me nor for anyone who knew her. Her husband gently moved to her side, a gentle reminder to us that she needed rest. She held my hand and told me not to go back if there wasn't anything serious. Even under such dire predicaments, it was still others before herself. 

My mum asked why I was so quiet on the ride back. I told her I was tired from the bike ride. I lied. I have not cried for the longest time ever and tonight the tears just couldn't stop. Memories of her. Thoughts on Life. Anger at how unfair it all can be. There wasn't a particular reason why I did what I did I guess. 

I told a friend once, or maybe more than once,  "Life's too short to sweat the small stuff". I guess I never realized the true implications of that statement till today. I hope you'll recover. Thanks for the memories and most importantly, thanks for educating me and not giving up on me. Thank you so much.