Goodbye and Hello

Trip's ending in a couple of days time... :( But its been a good though undeserving rest for me... Will be looking forward to shaking things up when I get back :)

Day 1

So here I am, once more, sitting in the student lounge in the school library, stoning... waiting for my second lecture, or should I say first... , lecture to start. French starts on the 18th not 11th as I found out with 4 others earlier in the day. Lousy school food, conclaves of foreign students yelping at their top of their voices in the libraries, overbooked canteen seats... everything going according to expectations I guess. Unfortunately, I can't seem to take a quick nap OR stay awake. I am just... stoning... stoning this glorious 11th of January afternoon away :/ Let's hope things start looking up as the day goes by...

Back to Reality

New Mottos:)

As I disembarked this morning and made my way out of the airport, I realized that I was stepping out of a rather blissful, almost fantasy-ish week, back into a cruel harsh reality. The fact that I have a final paper in 5 days has somewhat set in and I decided that since I can't seem to fall asleep this morning... I'll just jump straight into the thick of things. I have finished unpacking all my luggage lest the bike and have started my first set of laundry, which should be done in an hour and 25 minutes time. I didn't really eat much in the states but I admit I did embark on some serious shopping in... all the wrong places. Bearing in mind that I only had a couple of days (2 full days to be exact) in Orlando... I did purchase some necessities in Universal and along International Drive, where I stayed. I did some accounting and I realized I did succeed in burning a somewhat sizable hole in my pocket. Some of the items contributing to that damage include:

• Ironman Memorabilia from Clearwater
• A pair of Oakleys from Universal (Sorry ZY they don't make the pair you want anymore...)
• A dead shark pup soaking in formaldehyde
• Sweets and pastries from Tokyo
• 6 starbucks mugs from all the cities I was in and a tumbler
• UMich Shirts
• Spray-painted shirt from Florida

The most unique of all those gifts being the dead shark... which I think is freaking awesome. I now officially have the coolest paperweight in Singapore.

The shark soaking in the bottle above, which now sits on my desk, is a dead Spiny Dogfish Shark Pup. Its a vulnerable species that isn't found in waters around South East Asia... this information being snatched off some random marine biology site on sharks. I also successfully brought back about 500 ml of sand from Clearwater beach. This time however I was smart enough to dump it in my bike bag instead of my haversack.

The trip was thoroughly enjoyable and I really enjoyed just roaming around. I had a little misadventure in Tampa (which I will write about soon enough) and I almost missed my flight out of Orlando into Michigan (which I will too write about...) but I guess thats what makes the whole trip such a wonderful experience.

As most of you who do read my blog post would know... I went ballistic on a couple of my team-mates online just after my race. I think its about time I start explaining my outburst from my point of view.

I didn't have a good race. Did I expect an excellent time from this race? No, I didn't. I hadn't ridden much and I sure as hell have not been running. The only activity I did somewhat frequently was swimming and even that wasn't as regular as I had wanted it to be. I didn't expect much but I was hoping to come in at least under 5 hours and 45 minutes. That was the goal and I guess that was pretty much the expectation I had. Prior to my departure, many of my team-mates joked about me being pudgy and slack and so on and so forth which I took pretty much in my stride. Was I conscious of the jokes and the comments being made? Yeah, who wouldn't? The next question then one would pose to me will be... if you were why not do something about it?

After the ironman race in Switzerland, I kinda lost interest in biking and running and all that jazz. My legs didn't feel the same straight after, My ITBs kept acting up blah blah blah... I just lost the strength and willpower to get back on my bike and shoes. No I wasn't dying and seriously sick nor was I incapacitated in anyway but... I just didn't wanna start so soon. Yes I qualified for Clearwater because the slot rolled down to me, past Joshua and a couple of other individuals, I will acknowledge that.

At that juncture in time, I did intend on training really hard for the race and putting in a good timing but I guess things happened along the way which resulted in me loosing track of that goal. I was rather edgy before the race and I was very much aware of the fact that I was not as prepared as I would have liked to be for the race.

Now the next "trait" about me is, as much as I love to joke and have a good laugh, I know when to stop and when to shut up. Call it good EQ whatever... I know my limits. I know when a joke has gone too far and I know when its time to just walk away.

The signs were there. My unhappiness over Jon's earlier comments on his FB status, JJ's comments, ZY's comments, Ben's comments in the pool etc... so on and so forth. Perhaps I should have been more explicit and maybe it was unfair of me to have such expectations. As observed, Jon and Josh felt that I should have just gone up and told them straight to their faces about how I felt whereas I on the other hand felt that as friends they should have known better. I never saw it from that point of view.

Josh's comment on the thread was the straw that broke the camel's back. I think it was obvious from the results that Ashley had clocked in a better time than me. Was it really necessary to spell it out so explicitly like that? I don't think so. Its the rider not the equipment, thats a statement that I subscribe to but to have it thrown back in your face when you already know you botched up? It sucks. Was I hurt? Yes. Was I upset? Sure as hell. If I were back in Singapore, I would have gone to the pool the next day and beat the crap out of you. Friend or no Friend. Friendship is about mutual respect and if you've noticed... as an athlete I have never made such a tactless comment on anyone of your sporting performance's before. I believe, if you're going to make a criticism, make it a constructive one not a demoralizing one which was all I read in those comments. (With the exception of Lemin, thanks for your message)

I went ballistic. I wrote the message, grabbed my running shoes and went for a run by myself. When I got back, I saw Jon's message and "puff" I was worked up all over again. Angry words are probably the most honest words and exactly how I felt that day was pretty much captured in my entries on that thread. Whatever I write... I won't delete cause if you have the guts to write it, jolly well have the guts to leave it up. Again... just my sentiments. Whatever you write on the internet... its public...

Jon brought up something which I would like to elaborate further here "the act of turning against your own friends". Was there a betrayal of some sorts here? You guys made a joke at my expense which went too far, I blew up said somethings which I hoped hurt each of you personally... what betrayal was there? None to my knowledge. I got pissed and I expressed exactly how I felt on the thread. Period. Would I have treated an outsider the same way? I don't think so. He probably won't know what hit him till he's 6 feet under. So please... spare me the "You betrayed me and I betrayed you talk" as far as I am concerned... You said the wrong thing at the wrong time and I blew up. Did I over-react? Well the last time my good friend pissed me off, I threw him down two flights of stairs... so... I don't think this is an over-reaction of sorts. I lost my temper. If overseas calls were any cheaper I would have called you and screamed my head off. Unfortunately, you don't have skype and I don't have money to make those calls.

So back to whether we look at each other in the same way ever again. No we wouldn't because now we'll have a clearer picture just how we as individuals operate. I won't be the happy-go-lucky, take any type of jokes person in your eyes anymore and you won't be the sensitive neighbour to me anymore. Is it a good thing? I would like to think so. This is how we get to know each other better I guess...

Am I embarrassed by my outburst? No I ain't. Do I regret reacting in such a manner? Perhaps. If circumstances had been different I might have reacted differently. If I wasn't feeling so shitty about my timing... I might have been able to laugh it off. Am I going to feel any different about you now? I don't think so. An outburst is an outburst. I most probably felt like running you over with my car when I typed my replies but I highly doubt I will do that when the time comes. I apologize for my choice of words and comments on an otherwise bimbo-tic and peaceful thread. I bear no ill-feelings towards anyone here and I hope you all won't too. [Repost from FB]

PS: I had an epiphany on the plane. :)

Ramblings from an Oasis in the East

I headed home yesterday so I could head to my GP for my H1N1 vaccination. The pamphlet provided by the GP stated that some of the symptoms to be expected included a slight fever, muscle aches etc. Anyway... the muscle aches have started :( I got up pretty early in the morning had my coffee and coffee before making my way to SSC for a quick swim and mug session before heading back to school for my afternoon lectures.

Anyway... I took a pic of this Malaysian Car a few days back along Simei Road. The irony... you gotta love it :)

Saturday Morning Blues.

I think I am pretty pleased with my life just the way it is. Sure I could use better grades and a hotter body but I think life's been treating me rather kindly thus far. Great swimming mates, biathlon buddies, really helpful schoolmates and cool lecturers... what more can a uni-undergrad ask for. I did try my hand at attempting to start my own little business, but that came grounding to a halt even before take off... on hindsight, perhaps it was for the better. I am done with a couple of assignments and my PS2237 mid-terms (Part #2). That leaves me with... 2 Assignments, 1 project and a French mid-term all due really soon. IVP swimming is kinda round the corner too and it seems I'll most probably be up for an event I don't think I am prepared for... but hey what the heck... one can't prepare for everything in life aye? Not to mention Clearwater... I am conceding to the fact that I ain't going to log in a good time... sigh...

PS: Just a note to myself. Acute right knee pain (external side); muscle ache on both shoulders... tingling session straight after my first set of pulling. Left knee ache during bike ride on Sunday the week before. Appointment with physiotherapy scheduled for Tuesday.

A Blue Monday

Camwhoring in a whole new dimension.

I haven't been able to sleep well since my 5-hour-in-the-middle-of-the-day-nap which I took shortly after I returned home from the masters swimming event @ CBC. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the company I had during the entire duration of the event. I got to meet some really cool people, my "swim-mates" for the event and myself much better.

I last swam competitively approximately 7 years ago (Nat'l inter-schools to be exact) and participating in an event as such certainly evoked some nostalgia. The race management wasn't too bad and the atmosphere for the event was rather laid back (Though there were individuals who were there to clock in some serious times...).

That aside... with the two paragraphs above merely serving as a short explanation with regards to the pic above... school has been coming along really fine. Today was a darn long day for me with 6 hours of consecutive lessons. French Lect, EU Tutorial and SS1201 Tutorial... all non-napping classes. Coupled with my inadequate sleep the night/morning before, the day passed really slowly and painfully. On a lighter note however, I must mention here that my class/tutorial mates are pretty cool and the level of discussion which went on in all three classes did dull the painful headaches for me. SS1201 in particular surprised me as I honestly didn't expect my lecturer to probe so much into the answer raised. Really interesting tutorial I must add.

I am going to take a quick nap before deciding whether I should head down to the pool for a swim in a bit :) Au revoir!

Insomnia... Part 2

I was rudely awaken by a moth in my face. An ugly powdery moth. The moth ceased to exist 2 minutes ago after I decided to gas it. It took a while for me to actually get to bed, only to be rudely awaken by that insect. I think it was the coffee before I lay down which is keeping me awake. Or it could be the upsized Mc Spicy meal that I had at 2 a.m. Either way... I ain't sleeping yet. I decided to upload more pics of me in Europe on Facebook. The tagging... and uploading... *Yawnz*... brings back memories :) Nights. 

White Cliffs of Dover

While the other 3 are out on their last night in London, I shall relax in the hotel and log in another entry before I retire for the night. On the 2nd day in London, the 4 of us decided to make an out of town trip to dover to check out the much talked about white cliffs. Man... were we in for a treat. The town of Dover is really quaint with nice shops lining beautifully laid out cobblestone paths and all. However, what really took our breaths away was the endless stretch of chalky white cliffs against the crystal blue waters of the English Channel. That in addition to the fresh sea breeze and that crisp sea water-ish smell... amazing.

The beach below which would be the backdrop of our most exciting adventure yet...

Us on our way to another viewing point

Another view of the cliffs; Norman taking another shot at the cliffs

Anyway, I decided to throw in this song I found about the white cliffs written during the second world war. The white cliffs have apparently inspired numerous poets and songwriters to produce some of their finest works (I think... I would be pretty damn inspired too if I knew how to string words to a tune...)

The white cliffs of Dover

Vera Lynn

The white cliffs of Dover

Tomorrow 

Just you wait and see

I'll never forget the people I met

Braving those angry skies

I remember well as the shadows fell

The light of hope in their eyes

And though I'm far away

I still can hear them say

Bombs up...

But when the dawn comes up

There'll be bluebirds over

The white cliffs of Dover

Tomorrow

Just you wait and see

There'll be love and laughter

And peace ever after

Tomorrow

When the world is free

The shepherd will tend his sheep

The valley will bloom again

And Jimmy will go to sleep

In his own little room again

There'll be bluebirds over

The white cliffs of Dover

Tomorrow

Just you wait and see

There'll be bluebirds over

The white cliffs of Dover

Tomorrow

Just you wait and see...

Me against the scenic backdrop

Now for the exciting bit. What happened next was that the bunch of us decided to head to the rocky beach below to check out how its like down there. The plan was to hit the beach and then make our way across the rocky beach before exiting near the small residential area we had passed by on the way to the cliffs and making our way back to town and the railway station. We trudged down the rather long, winding path as it brought us down to the rocky beach. We checked out two really cool WWII pill boxes which once guarded the English coast against the beaches of occupied France. After a couple of pics and exploration, Norms, Melvin and I decided to continue on our trek towards the "residential area." JJ, being the cautious one, made his way back up the slope and towards town the same way in which we came by. 

the winding path to... the beach

As we trudged across the huge boulders and really slippery, moss covered ground, we realized the journey across the beach wasn't going to be a walk in the park as we expected. Not to mention the fact that the tide was rising really fast and that if we didn't make our way out of there... we would pretty much have been trapped between the icy cold waters of the English Channel and the jagged limestone rocks of the Dover cliffs. After about another 30-40 minutes of climbing, bouldering and crawling, we finally made it to the stairs which led to... a gated walkway. We had failed to take into account the Dover port which occupied the beach front between that little town and the cliffs. Norman contemplated climbing over the barbed wire and cat-walking across the ledge before making a break for it across the port (A very Normanish idea one might say...) Upon further and more sensible discussion, we decided to use the emergency phone to call for assistance. 

We made the call to the Dover port police and explained our predicament to them. They were really nice and the copper on the line told me that she could see us from the cameras at the gate and had already informed the police on patrol to head by and pick us up. We hung up and decided to take some "Victory" shots (in Norman's camera) whilst waiting for the cops to get us. 

The two policemen who came by to pick us up were really intimidating at first and the three of us were really freaked out by them. It didn't help that Melvin and I (as pictured below...) had to take a ride in the temporary holding area at the back of the van on our way out. 

The two cops did give us a warning and told us that what we did wasn't really smart and that the rising tide would have posed a real danger had we began our trek slightly later. We apologized for the inconvenience and, with Norms in the back seat chatting with the two cops, began to make our way out of the port. The two cops were kind enough to give us a ride all the way back to the town centre, which would have taken us quite a while to walk back to.

We had some really awesome fish and chips before boarding the 7 plus train back to London. :) Some experiences... money just can't buy :) 

the treacherous beach

Prisoner 1

the view from behind

prisoner 2; with the distant gaze...

One more day till my reality gets thrown back at me :(

Gruessen aus Deutschland :)

I was considering translating and posting this entire entry in German but after eavesdropping on Xiu Qing and the manner in which she speaks the language, I decided not to embarrass myself over the net.

The previous entry was typed a while back but I could only put it up 5 minutes ago…

Anyway, the trip thus far has been rather enjoyable. Europe has been amazing and I would definitely make a return journey back to Europe. Paris and Munich rank first on my list of countries to return to.

Anyway, I am scheduled to leave for Amsterdam tomorrow. I am currently in Xiu Qing’s place chilling out and waiting to have dinner with Nic, Norms, Jia Jie, Melvin and XQ… J Till the next entry J  

The night (or day...) is only as wonderful as the company you're keeping.

Wednesday was a good day. This "good day" comprised of a superb morning-afternoon, a good evening and a not-so-good late evening. Being the sole occupant of my house now, I have many household and non-household tasks lined up ahead of me for today so I shan't dawdle too much on the itsy-bitsy details. 

I met up with JJ in the morning to catch the newly released Transformers Movie. JJ and I met up for a quick lunch and poured over the details of the trip before heading up to the cineplex. The movie was really action-packed and was pretty good in a "adapted-to-blockblaster-movieish". I was never a big fan of movies (or their sequels) with too much resurrections, so my only beef was with the fact that a number of the robots were supposed to be dead and destroyed already and with only a single piece of the all-spark remaining... how could they keep on bringing back to life (OR reusing the darn robots...) robots such as Grindor/Blackout, Scavenger/Demolisher, Bonecrusher/Anonymous Buffalo H Mine-Protected Vehicle etc... These are the little things that I guess I notice in the movie which no one else does. Michael Bay did mention that there would be no mass-shifting in his movie... so... why the the all-spark cube in the first movie shrink to such a small size... ANYWAY... the movie wasn't too bad and I must admit that despite the minor discrepancies it was a good watch. (Doesn't mean I'll pay to watch it again though..) 

The afternoon was spent running random errands which included meeting the tour agent to discuss the details for my upcoming trip. The meeting was rather fruitful... and I now have 2-3 more countries on the to-go list. :) As I have adopted this "Thou shalt not drive to town" mantra, I had to rush home to pick up the car before heading to school for my DSO briefing. 

The briefing went pretty well and I am really looking forward to cycling to exhaustion on a exercise bike with a needle in my arm. Don't think I'll give it up for anything in the world, well maybe perhaps running a marathon with a catheter up you-know-where... HAHAHA... I seriously doubt the local scientific will be thinking of that anytime soon.

After the briefing and a great dinner with a couple of my team-mates (Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz *hint hint*) JJ and I headed to Zouk for our inaugural Mambo Jambo Anniversary Party. The crowd was good and the competition was fun to watch, despite the fact that I was tickled by some of the performances on stage. Hossan Leong was a great host and he did a wonderful job of getting everyone up and about and more importantly... into the mood for the long night to come. However... what was really disappointing for me was the quality of music during the night. Somehow... I did expect a bit more. The music was really abrupt and (just an opinion...) I kinda felt like I was in my living room listening to a compilation of mambo songs played out one after the other... :(

Anyway we left the club at about 5 and headed home soon after... I got up only at 3 p.m. today. So much for a great Thursday huh? Anyway... Just ONE more peeves that I need to get off my chest. Neutreogena Shaving Gel/Moose SUCKS! I should just have stuck to Gillette. I look like war scarred soldier equipped with only his bayonet and bar-soap for his shaving needs. 

Till the next entry... 

PS: I really need to remind myself that clubbing is a 2 day affair. Party = day 1, sleep in = day 2.... 

Brick Training.

It was a ride that was almost not to be. There were survivors but there were also those who succumbed to the warmth comfort of their sheets and the cool comfort of the early morning breeze. For those who did break through the first barrier and succeeded in planting their two feet firmly on the ground, the morning had only just begun. One can only take comfort in the fact that, they're up so darn early, there's no vehicle on the road yet to contend with; no blistering heat (cause its bloody 5 in the morning) and no worries about what is to come (because its still too darn early to think about anything...). Everything functions and moves like clockwork. Teeth brushed, check; shoes packed, check, bike done, check... and before its possible to realize anything... you're going down coastal at 35 locking in your first loop. 

The past few training sessions have started to take its toll on me. The long runs and bikes are starting to get to my body. The dull aches and creaky arms... at least something is being done. This morning, the plan was to log in a 140 km bike ride before heading for a 5 km run. However the treacherous traffic conditions along Loyang and Tampines Avenue 1 rendered it impossible to complete a loop around Selarang without getting killed... a teeny bit of exaggeration there but hey... its Singapore Roads that we're talking about :(. Eventually we settled for a 70 km fast ride and a 5 km hard run, just to get used to the transitionary "I-can't-run-cause-my-legs-are-screwed" syndrome. JJ was kind enough to help us along with the run, shouting out our pacings and distance left to finish. After the the short, quick yet deceivingly intense workout, we headed to Mac's for some SME before parting for home. I knocked out pretty soon after reaching home and only got up to pick up my sis from her tuition-ing stint in Commonwealth.  

The flu situation in London doesn't look too promising but we're hoping it'll clear in time to come. Other than that, I think we're about set to start packing and prepping for the trip of the year! Till the next entry!

Wednesday, Friday... Thursday... Updates

Again, my arms are aching and my mind is numb. So this post shall be brief and straight to the point. In fact, I shall even post in point form. :)

• Mambo was good. Company was good though I kinda sucked. More practice needed.
• Training is coming along fine thus far. More, however needs to be done.
• Europe trip plans are coming along fine. I think. Darn that hotel in Zurich. 
• The closet drawer snapped. It needs fixing.
• I need to service my bike. I need to settle my wetsuit. Soon.
• I can't wait for transformers.

With that. Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite. 

The Week Thus Far.

Its been a great week. My bike mileage is looking good and I am feeling rather excited about my up-coming trip. My social life has taken a turn for the worse and to all those marginalized by my recent lack of social contact... I should be back soon... I hope :) 

Its amazing how training accelerates and strengthens the bonds between friends. Something one has to see and do to believe. 

This entry is going to be rather disjoint and abrupt because its just a quick update I am logging in between stuff. 

The bike ride today ended off spectacularly... thankfully all's well and my hero came out none worse for the wear. 

The planning for the upcoming trip is coming along rather fine... let's hope the prices continue falling as D-Day draws near. 

I'll update again soon but for now I am off to support the crazy asses running in tonight's sundown marathon :) Till the next entry!

PS: Just got back from the Sundown Marathon with JJ, Lala and Mich. We managed to chill out, have a good time, get caught in a jam and catch most of our friends on their quest to complete a marathon (for some sick ones... an ultra-marathon) before the next sunrise. I feel really bad for not staying on and catching the rest of you but... the tired mind can only take so much! HAHA... Anyway... congrats on a good run and kudos to the selfless volunteers (Mr Liew from East Coast GRC) and aggressive security guards for making this race a success! Meet up soon!!

Sickness

I have very very sick friends. Friends who run around Mount Faber 20 times; Friends who cycle for an almost infinite distance for fun; Friends who think 21 km runs are short; Friends who do a race a week for a month and a half. Thankfully I bring normalcy to our friendships... for now :)

Ramblings: Part 4

I am starting to understand how a mugging session should go. A little bit of reading, then some gaming, a tinge of You-Tubing, a little chit-chat session with the bum who's eternally on Football Manager beside me, togopart-ing with the other bum across the table followed mixed in with... some revision. Productivity level should remain at a maximum of 47 percent, failure to do so will result in an early burn-out session. This post isn't supposed to be coherent in any way whatsoever, hence the title. Anyway, as I am penning this little blog entry, I have discovered a great deal more about the online behaviour of my fellow Singaporeans. We like to bitch about the most bizarre of stuff and we seem to enjoy intruding in each other's private affairs. Next, the quality of local tv productions... need we say more (again... just a personal opinion...). NUS should seriously consider replacing Channel 5 , 8 and U with AXN, Starworld and the Hallmark Channel. I think we'll have a much happier population of TV viewers here. Alrighty, I'll leave the other potential discussion topics for another post :)

Food for the damn mind.

Subway meatball... 6 inch no cheese... all the works... THAT is what one needs to stay awake at such an unearthly hour... Mambo... next week... Anyway, something to sooth the soul on a terribly boring Tuesday evening... 

Till the next post moi friends!

Inaugural Hill-Slayer Ride.

I managed to get past the first one. The second alarm approximately 2 minutes later succeeded in raising me from the bed, however it was only after mummy rapped on the door did I get up and off the bed. After downing a cup of cuppachino and three slices of raisin bread, I packed up the bike and my cycling gear into the car before zipping off to school. I met up with Norms, Nic and Josh at TH, and after a quick brief we were off on my first HSR. 

After a warm up ride up Pasir Panjang road through South Buona Vista Road, we kicked off our training at NUH. We did two NUH-Cheers-Law Link-Business Link-KR bus terminal-PGP-NUH loops before breaking out of the loop onto Clementi road through SRC. After that we hit a short Cross-Campus-last 1.8 km-up Central Library loop before going on the NCLBKPN (refer to above) again. We repeated that twice before (plus an extra 1 kilometre cause we missed a turn...) before ending off at NUS MAC's. Total mileage for today was about 28 km which isn't too bad for a early morning hiilly weekday ride:) Josh, Nic and Norms have morning lessons, so we downed a quick breakfast before going our separate ways. I showered and changed up before heading to YIH to continue on my mugfest. The academic pursuit has not been exactly fruitful thus far but after a quick nap... which I am about to take now... I hope my afternoon will be as fruitful as my morning :) 

Thanks guys for the ride and thanks Norms for that sms... :)

Almost...

I kinda figured that if only I stayed awake for two and a half more hours, I might have made it to the darn morning run... Sleep, more specifically the lack of it, does wonders... Anyway... Jason-0 and the rest of you morons-1 :S

Stupid Sleep Cycle... argh!!

I know its late... and I should really be sleeping soon if I wanna get up in time for tomorrow's run but... you really got to check this dude out... Beautiful covers... simply awesome!

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