Take My Mama Out

Brought Kevin's mum and grandma out tdy for a movie and makan to celebrate her belated birthday. Was unable to celebrate on her actual day, 26 Dec ,as I was at MacRitchie. We dragged punkgrrl along too. And she got along very well with my inlaws. After makan at Peninsular, we walked to the City Hall, took some photos and walked along the Padang. The place reminded her when she participated in a parade at the padang, shouting Merdeka! Merdeka!. The president was Yusof Ishak. I guessed it must be the 1st National Day held at the Padang.

After we send mama and grandma home, I went to see doctor for my leg.

My Doc, Jasper Yang, knows me very well because of my asthma. But this time I told him I not there for asthma. Briefly told him what happened and he was shocked. He knows about MR25 too. The right calf is swollen and stiff. He said there is a possibility of a partial muscle tear and all I have to do is to rest. Advised not to start running yet until fully recovered. Doc mentioned what I can do, for now is to workout on my upper body. Ok..that's swimming. He also advised us to take muscle relaxation pills , in future, after each run to avoid the ache and cramps.

As for my asthma, he is happy that it's well controlled. Still have to continue with the purple inhaler but reduce on the dosage- 2 puffs/day instead of 4puffs/day.

I guess I'll have to miss the next 10km run on 16 Jan 2005.

Sayang.. Look at me!

Macam bagus!

"There's always a 1st time" Thanks to Sehsuan for the pics. Very Nice!

2nd Day of Pain

Wah..the pain worst than yesterday. No joke! Cialat! Pain stretched from neck to toe .. ah...

If always lie down, can feel the pain on the back and the chest feels so heavy..
don't need to say about the legs.. undescribable! Don't know how long I will recover..
quick-quick recover.. I want to go out play!!

Very hard time at home alone..

Can't stand too long to cook... ,
Sit too much .. blogging .. also no good.. buttock numb,
have to have the hp and house phone near me ..anywhere i go.. so that i don't need to chase if it rings... ,

how ah like this...?

If, by Thursday not healed, I will have to miss my last mandarin class.

But die-die must be able to walk properly by this Sunday.. Cos' Monday starts school and I don't want to go to school in this way, limping ... wait people think that I'm cacat! Everybody will run away from me! Runaway.. runaway..

Yesterday, punkgrrl came to help cooked dinner for me and Kevin. Thank you for washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen.. but today she won't be coming. *sob sob*

26 Dec 2004 - The Ultra Marathon @ MacRitchie

I completed the Ultra Marathon of total distance of 52.5km in the time of 11hours 41mins 47sec. (pending to scan the cert.. ) My first time , running the longest distance in my life.

Started the run abt 10mins after the official time 7am. Warmed up while walking towards MacRicthie Trail and started running from thereon. I paced 2 guys infront of me. They were not wearing a tag so I assumed that they were members of the MR25. Very comfortable with their constant pace. Was doing well but after 1.5km mark, I was slowing down .. found it hard to carry on. Felt so heavy. My mind was telling me "ah... just do 2 rounds, can lah... equivalent to 1/2 marathon..". "Hey.. what's the hurry", my heart was telling me," I have 12 hrs ... jus do this thing!" What more I felt that I was the last to start and with the kind of pace I'm running.. people will be laughing at me.. and maybe they bet that I'll definately be the last to finish.. But what the heck! I was doing it for myself, my own time,own target. But suprisingly, the MR committee and as well as other runners were so encouraging.. , I felt so welcomed and like one of them.. They never fail to give words of encouragement each time I began another round. Thanks to those runners to encourage me when they ran passed me. I was so motivated and glad to have done this. At the back of my mind, I thought of Kevin. He should be here doing this as well. He will love it. An Ultimate Experience for us both.

Well of course, I had planned in mind to complete 1 round of 10.5km in 2hrs. To run 3 laps in the first half of the day. Balance 2 laps in the 2nd half. Lunch break at 1pm and to continue again at 2pm. That would give me sufficient time to complete 2 laps at a more relaxing pace. Was telling myself that I can forget doing the 5th lap if I reached the end point after the 4th lap, at 5pm. Simply because I know that the further I ran, the longer i would drag my time.

I didn't see anybody with number tags running in the trails. TLR called to informed me of the route I should not take. When I passed the water point outside SICC after the 3km mark, the uncles said to keep left. And that was what I did.. into the Terentang Trail. This was the trail TLR warned me about. This trail eventually would lead me the Ranger Post. This trail was so deserted until I reached a point when I saw this man, named Daniel.. coming from the left side of the trail. He got a tag on. So I called out " I am going at the wrong route or was it you?" Found out that he is one of the regulars too. He told me that I just did extra abt 2km. He explained that right after the waterpoint, jus run straight toward the end of road and it was more than a short cut and less effort needed.. running downslope on a concrete ground! Thank God we met. Else, I'll be doing the rest of the run extra kms. Thanks Daniel (he looks like Dick Lee.) Everbody there eventually knew that I was the only one went out of track.

First lap.. finished in 1hr 50mins. Re-fueled and get started again. Did just that till I stopped for lunch as planned at 1pm. And that was when I completed the 3rd round. (approx 6hrs for 31.5km)

Enjoyed the 1st 3rounds.. the weather was just perfect. Sunny at Golf Link ,windy at Lornie Trail. Very comfortable running.. breathing ok, leg ok.. very happy but it was short-lived when all pain and aches started when I fell downslope after the 2.5km mark on my 2nd lap. It was that only steep downward slope I hate most. As usual the group of casual walkers won't give way and did not even help me up. Shit! My joints! Pain! Thank God only slight bruises on both knees and the side of my left hand. Washed off the cuts when I reached the waterpoint and after that, ran the correct route. It was so much shorter! Wheee!The downslope pavement leds directly to the Ranger Point. So I reached at end point at 1hr 40mins- 2nd lap. Here met up with Sukaimi and another guy, Pear, i think his name was, and the german guy, Chris. They have just finished their 3rd round. I took a break to check my injuries. Pear, thanks for the spray thing. Didn't see Philip around till the end of the day. Congrats to all . Didn't get the pain in my way, singing out loud " Show Me Heaven", "Ode to my Family" ," Sign of Crimson Storm" ," Wasted Time" while running along the most hated trail,MacRitchie Trail on my 3rd round and looking forward for my break.Thinking of what to eat.

Wah.. very lazy to start off for the 4th lap after lunch. Started at 2.45pm. I was thinking again.. deciding whether or not to stop at end of 4th round. If I were to continue, do I have the time to finish the 5th by 7pm? Again at the 3km water point, the official told me if I were to reach end pt round by 5pm.. can forget it. It was true.. I knew that already. I was quite sad.. This was going to be my last lap. I actually broke down at Golf Link.. thinking of the distance.. it's still so far away and after the Golf Link , have to climb up & go through this exposed rooted ground (whatever u called it) .. Cried ah!!! It was such a drag!!! Quite disorientated too. Cannot focus. So I stopped listening to my MP3.

At about 4pm,hungry. Don't really like to eat bananas because it's sticky for my throat. Some people say asthmatic people cannot eat banana. At this time, I reached Lornie trail, 7km mark. They set up another water pt there. I was so relieved. Mr Ee Ah Seng was there. Told him that I'm giving up. After knowing that I'd done 4th, he said that it's possible to reach the start pt by 4.30pm and sufficient time to complete the 5th in the next 2.5hrs, taking into consideration of my conditions. He said that I could even walk to complete. He also told me of the certificate, medal and cert that I'll be receiving if I complete the Ultra! Though he could be a bit long-winded, I thanked him for his advice and all .. so I grabbed the banana and ran off. So motivated by the rewards, I determined to reach at start point by 4.30pm which I did. So relieved. Waste no time., top-up my water bottle and grabbed a honey dew.

On my final lap, I power walked all the way! The officials at the 2-water points was suprised to see me again for the last time. All smiles!

I never anticipated having cramps. What more,muscle tear. Kevin said it was muscle tear. I guess this was what i'm suffering now. I was walking together with 2 young guys, one of whom had bad blisters. Suddenly I felt my muscle moved as like it was being hit. I stopped walking immediately. Did some stretching, pulling and straightened my leg but no use. They thought it was a cramp. I was limping from the MR park to the finishing pt. We walked slowly.. it was 6.30pm. The guys said there's enough time.. But I die-die must reach before 7, else my last 10.5km would not be counted. They were at their 6th lap.

Along the stretch of road towards the finishing pt, Sukaimi,Chris and Pear were waiving at me from afar! If not because of my injured leg, I would have jumped for joy! YEaH!! Yahoo!! Wheee!!

Thank you everybody! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
_______________________________________________________

Thanks to Kevin for being there, encouraging me via the phonecalls in-between my runs. Estimating my time.. telling me that I can do it, having the confidence in me and you being proud of me and all .. It really boosted my morale and determine to finish the 52.5km for you. Suddenly I miss you.

Thanks to all the guys at MR.. namely, the Malaysian guy, Keng Mui.. (his name sound like that) in blue who ran so swiftly. Thanks for clapping & cheering for me whenever you passed by me. And the two guys,the one with the blister and his friend, for ending the last lap with me. Nice chatting u all of u.

Sukaimi,Pear,Chris and a runner tag no 1234, Mark- thanks for all the support.

Mr Ee for believing that I can do it.

Thank to God, who met me up with Daniel and showed me the actual route.

And last but not least, to an old secondary school friend and his 2yr old niece for bringing MacD's cheeseburger for lunch, what a suprise! Thanks for the food.

Thank to God again.. I've made this far and I'm alright.

Check out The Lonely Runner's and Phillip's blog too on their account of their run and pictures.

______________________________________________________

Now I have to rest.. the pain is really bad. Not the normal cramps. I can't straightened my right leg. I don't mind the ache like we used to get after each long run as it will be gone in a day or two. But this is totally different.... Can cry ahhh!

The Ultra day has come!

Before I start to run for the Ultra Marathon later this morning and target to complete abt 4 rounds of 11km, Kevin did the unthinkable this early Christmas morning! He ran from home, that is, from Yishun to Orchard. Amazing.. it was calculated about 17kms, ran for 2.5hrs. That's pretty fast. Read his blog for more. One commented that "he's the man" .. not anymore.. he's ULTRAMAN! My hero... :)

Ok.. I have packed my stuff in 1 bag. Got a new thing.. hopefully it's not too troublesome to run with it. Its an Adidas Bottleholder and Nike's waterbottle.. jus squeeze the bottle and the water spays out, no need to suck.

Besides a new pair of NB shoes, I too got a new set of running attire.. Reebok!
I find Reebok's girl stuff are fashionable and so far the best attire i ever felt comfortable in. Next would be Adidas. Both brand's carries reasonable price, unlike Nike.

I better sleep now. Got to be there by 6.30am to register.

Those who's reading this and got nothing planned on Sunday morning, come down to MacRicthie, anytime from 7am to 7pm. You may want to bring ur running shoes along and join in the fun.. & at the same time visit the TreeTop Walk.

All the best to all who's participating... like TLR, Phillip.., see u guys there!

ZzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Test my new New Balance.

I better test my shoe. So this morning jogged from home to the Yishun Park. The park has up and down slopes and it does test my endurance to run up the slope. So how did it feels? A bit tight at the front portion of my feet. While running on grass, it felt like almost running on flat ground. Good cushioning, compact and light. Right after that, we cooled down at Yishun Safra.

I have decided what to bring, attire - whatever that is necessary only and
as for food - I wish for Mac D's cheese burger, potato chips, nice-nice drink for lunch & maybe ice-cream as my desert.. but realistically, I think I'll just be eating cereal bar, drink nice-nice drink, chocolates... & whatever that are "powderful". Will definately be running and eating at the same time, so i need snack bars which I can hold while running. Thought of bringing some sour plums (seng-bui) too. Will bring a bunch of banana, not for the cute monkeys but to share it with other runners. Right after I'm done with this, I'm off to the supermarket to get the food stuff.

Woah... wait a minute.. it looks more like I'm preparing to go for Sunday picnic by the park..

As for extra clothings- Extra shoe, 2pc of T-shirt ,1 pair of shorts and slippers.

And Not forgetting .. toileteries and etc-etc too..

My New Shoe

New Balance 871

Just bought this pair of shoe last night at Queenway Shopping Centre. The salesman happened to know my brother, straight away, he said he'll give me good price. Listed price is $166.95. He sold it to me at $115. What u think, good buy or not? Furthermore, we have checked out the reviews on this shoe against others like NB 807 & 870. Just look at how it was rated... wow!

UltraMarathon Trial Run

11km UltraMarathon Run -Route 4 (yellow line)

~map courtesy from The Lonely Runner (TLR)~

Went to run, slowly, at Mac Ritchie tdy. Started at 730am. There are 6 routes to run. A few things which I must take note while running.
They are:

1) the split route after Terentang trail and into Sime Trail .. , there are routes pointing to 3 different directions:

(left)Jelutong Tower / MacRitchie Park , (opposite/back) TreeTop Walk/Ranger Station and (right) Bt Timah Nature Reserve.

I must take the direction towards Jelutong Tower, a noticeable landmark in my map.

2) the split route once I reached Jelutong Tower. The 2 routes are:
Rifle Range Link & Golf Link. To continue with the latter route as it will bring me back to the Park.

From the start till right up to the end of MacRitchie Nature Trail, got no problems except for the upslopes, about 6 and the last one at the of this trail was the steepest. Out from here, I saw the familiar stretch of road. Knowing that I had to stick to the inner trail, I avoided the road. So, I went ahead into Terentang Trail. Lots of bends and a few gentle upslopes. This is the start of the deserted route all the way to Sime Trail.

Sime Trail is quite an easy route to run as there was no slopes at all but the ground was a bit rocky.. lots of big stones. Picked up my pace here cos' it was really deserted.

I was relieved when I see a group of nature lovers reading the map. I saw the tower. And this is where i have to check which is the correct direction to take me back to the park.

Golf Link. In here, the route was not too bad either. I think it's the longest trail among all. Running on the stretch of boardwalk, back to nature, then at the outskirts of the SICC.. a breathtaking sight because of the beautiful landscape and greens, .. get to see golfers and gardeners.. quite enjoyable, especially when running with this song, She's Gone by Steelheart, plugged in my ears. Coming near to the last trail, that is, the Lornie Trail, another familiar trail common to everybody. Here, there were people, mostly old grandpas and grandmas excercising, tai chi-ing and all.

Very glad that I have reached this far. I am safe afterall. At first I was so worried that I might get lost or mugged by strangers. Thought of bringing some weapon like pepper spray or perfume..just in case. Thank God, I'm safe. I just can't wait to finish this last trail.

So finally, I have done it. Sms-ed to Kevin and TLR to inform that I have finished running and that was about 920hrs. TLR calculated that I took 1hr 35mins. Not too bad, I think.

To sum up:

From start 0km @ Prunus Trail estimated start time: 0745hrs

Reached at End of Mac Ritchie Nature Trail and Start of Terentang Trail estimated at 0815hrs.

Reached at Petaling Hut (5.20km) along Sime Trail, estimated at 0827hrs.

At Jelutong Tower @ 0832 hrs , ran along Golf Link & reached at start of Lornie Trail at 0853hrs. At Lornie, started to feel tired. Ran whenever there's a downslope & walked up the slopes. Reached the entrance of the park at 0920hrs.

So it's more or less 10km. Didn't run back to where I started.

Walked back to the cafeteria at the top of the hill to sign up for the 10km Swift Run dated 16.01.04. Paid $10 for adults and $6 for under-18. Signed up for Luqman, Kevin and myself. To collect the T-shirt at the same place from 1st Jan onward. Only 800 pcs of T-shirt given out. Will have to be Kiasu a bit so that I get my size as well. Was told that it comes in M and L sizes only.

I am looking forward to Sunday's run. I want to see how far I can tahan.

Not going to do any streneous running from tomorrow onwards.

Musim Blogging

Everybody is into blogging. A friend just got himself registered today and will start blogging after his return from X'mas holiday trip. I did nothing today except the laundry and cook fried rice. I have not been eating rice since last Saturday at Al-Amin's Nasi Pataya. I had been reminded by TLR to take in lots of carbo.. rice or pasta. Better eat right to prepare for this coming run. Felt like going for aerobics but there's no low impact workouts today. So decided to rest at home, been sitting infront of this pc..since noon while Kev's asleep. Tired man came back this morning from night shift. Don't know what do.. so i decided to create a blog in Malay (must be horrible). My malay is so koyak one. Very cialat. Anywayz, if u want to read.. ~click here~.

Got to get up as early as possible tomorrow. Want to do some slow trial run at route 4/ MacRitchie. Must be there as early at 7am..hopefully got a lot of people. I was advised to bring pepper spay but i don't have that. Will bring Power Puff perfume instead. I better get the things ready tonight.. will run with my water bag. To put the following in the bag:-
1- map
2- spray perfume
3- small towel
4- extra t-shirt
5- hp
6- md player
7- muscle rub


Goodnight..

Mizuno Waverun Race Certificate

Received email for collection for the race cert from tdy onwards at W.O.S at Toa Payoh outlet. It was such a drag to go out tdy if not because of this. The weather was scorching hot..looking so tired and dressed so anyhow, went to Toa Payoh. But it turned out to be a great disappointment.

Before me, there was this veteren, collected a few certs on someone else's behalf.. written on the cert, his name is Mr Ee Ah Seng. Looked at him and he seemed so not pleased with the the cert. He kept looking at his cert and complaining to the counter girl. I said hi and scrutinised the cert.. Sigh!... Got pic alright, but there's no time stamped on it! Not professional at all, he said. Got to know him a little bit and he claimed in other country's race cert has time stated on it. Btw, he just came back from Hatyai this morning. He was there for a running competition. Didn't get to find out more cos' I was anxious to see mine. But before he left, he told me that he will be at the MR25 UltraM. He also offered me to join him and his group for Sunday runs at Sembawang. He didn't give me this contact. So I hope to see him this sunday. Btw, he finishes the Mizuno 10km at abt 45min.

I can't remember our tag numbers, so have to read through the name list. First, I looked for Luqman's and bingo, got it!. I remembered in TLR's blog, he ever commented that some organisers screw up on the name written on the cert or something like that...So I opened up Luqman's big envelope to check. Sigh! His full name is spelt wrongly!

My turn... went through the name list under Womens' Open category. Not so long list, only 4 pages. First round, couldn't see my name. Then Mr Ee helped to find using a ruler..one by one, down the lines.. still no sign of my name. I gave a bigger sigh! and shook my head. WahLiau! I don't believe it.. I got 7 snapshots in that sportsphoto website. How can they missed me?!!

Cannot tahan.. so called TLR to complaint!

Before I proceed to complaint about it and also about not having the time printed, I better read the registration form. The header states:
"PERSONALIZED RACE CERTIFICATE"
All participants who have completed their race will receive an exclusive Mizuno Wave Run Certificate with their pictures. However, please ensure that Number Tags are prominently secured to your t-shirt to facilitate easy recognition of participants.

That's all.. nothing is said about recorded time to printed as well. Now , I really wonder.... How come I have the impression that there will be time printed?

But really.. disappointed. By the way, the certificate looks more like a poster. Ugly layout. I also can do myself.. even better,huh.

Do as what he says " Whack Aje-lah!"

I am going to do just that when the day comes for me to run the MR 25- UltraMarathon on the 26.12.04. Starting time at 7am to 7pm. I am going to run, walk ,roll.. whatever it takes to see how far I can run and test my endurance.. like real seh!

The last time I dragged my feet to run seriously was last week for abt 5km around my neighbourhood.Today's fun-no-stress run was about less than 3km at MR (MacRitchie for short) running on the wooden broadwalk of Jering Trail and Chemparai Trail to and fro.
Wanted to recce the route for the MR25 UltraRun, but TLR mentioned it was the same route we trekked yesterday only diff was returning to MR startpoint via Golf Link after the Sime Track. Yesterday, after Sime Track, we headed up towards Rifle Range Link that led us to Bt Timah Nature Reserve Park. Just got the map from him to familiarise the route mentally. The route we'll be taking will be route 4 covers 11km. This morning, met up with him at MR. Should have joined him.Check out his adventure.

I hope to pace constantly from the very begining. Taking into consideration of my funny bone which will give me problem, I am going to try to enjoy the run, go slow and careful running on the uneven ground. Let's hope that the weather will be kind.. It's ok to drizzle but not heavy rain. It's not that I hate getting wet. I love playing in the rain. Just afraid that I might fall if the ground gets wet then, muddy.. ah my white shoe will turn to brown!

That reminds me to bring extra shoe and clothings. Have to think about this later towards the end of the week. hmmmmm...

Returning from the trekking adventure yesterday, we drove to Lower Pierce Reservoir (LPR)to see monkeys! There were at least 3 cars parked along that stretch of road, to see and feed the monkeys. We, too , stopped to watch the family of monkeys.. soo cute...!
Kevin was caught unaware when an old monkey jumped up to reach for his hand,to take away the dried orange skin. We were shocked. We didn't see that monkey anywhere near our car! Quickly we wind up the window and drove off.

And this morning, while running on the broadwalk, 2 small monkeys grooming an older monkey in the middle of the walkway. Read more with pic, click here.

See more monkeys again on our way to MacD riding through the LPR. After MacD, I check out the Reebok x-training shoe at RHS- not nice. The Montrail shoe, I saw at Bt Timah Nature Reserve Park, is nicer. I tried the NB900 women's running shoe too. Don't know which to get cos both are good shit! Then TLR recommended Salomon or Vasque shoes. Umppphh.. a very difficult choice. Will get Kevin to read reviews, cos' the ultimate decision lies on him.

Bloggers Outing: Jungle Trekking

So this is the Treetop Walk which HP (tagboard) recommended us to visit. Thank you for visiting my blog and thanks for the info.

As planned, met Fd and TLR at Bt Timah Nature Reserve & drove to MacRitchie. Started off at about 0750hrs. There were a lot of joggers and quite a number of old folks brisk walking on this Saturday morning. We followed the suggested trails as per what was indicated in the map. The weather was jus great and we talked , took photos along the way. We reached Treetop Walk at abt 0915hrs. Maybe we wouldn't have taken that long if we had not stop to take photos.

I enjoyed the part when we were caught in the heavy rain. We had this giant thick leave we picked up from the ground to cover our heads. Each of us has one leave. Oh yes, before the rain, we had to cross the huge pipe. I was quite scared actually. Afraid that I might fall because of my no-sense of balance. Overall, I really had a great time and I want to do it again. Next time, maybe... will cycle instead. ohhhh... i really want a mountain bike! Well anyway.. most of the day's event can be read at The Lonely Runner's blog. Pls proceed to read at his and also at Kevin's Journal, once he had updated it ( right now, he's ZzZzzzzzzz...) But here are the photos we took... click here!

Next: MR25 Ultra-Marathon 2004.
Should i try this run at MacRitchie on 26 Dec?

Yeah, finally.. the Mizuno WaveRun 2004 Race Certificate is ready! Can't wait to collect it on 20th Dec at WOS,Toa Payoh Outlet. Anxious to see which pic they'd choosen out of the 7 photos snapped.

Last night's Basic Mandarin class was fun. We took class photo but not all were present. One of them, Karthik, wo de hao pengyou, will be going back to India, next Tuesday, to spend Christmas with his family.We are left with 2 more classes. So we won't be seeing Karthik after yesterday's class. E'one is thinking of advancing to the Intermediate class right after this ends, but I don't think I want to. So last night a few of us went for supper and talk,talk,talk... at Pastamania,Funan.

Made new friends, Stanley (student fr intermediate class) and Poonam, a staff fr Cambridge. She did most of the talking , sharing her backpack experience in Europe in yr 2002. She was in Poland for abt 6mths to teach English and backpacked around Europe abt 3mths.. all by herself. An interesting and brave young girl, and pretty too. And, she speaks mandarin, french , malay except her own mother tongue, Hindi.

My ugly protuding bone on the inner-side of my left foot is hurting me each time I fully rested my foot down. Yesterday, walked a bit limping. Kev said that I have overworked myself. I have been going for aerobic sessions almost every day cos I have to finish the balance 7 sessions by year end. Yesterday's Kardio Sculpt's was terrible. The instructress was shouting all the way, confusing us with the steps and the music was too loud. Not only I had to bear this pain, my head is spining too. Can feel my head goes like tHumB, thUmb, thUmb! Headache.Crazy lah this instructress! After the session, popped 2 tab of panadol, sat at nearby Deli and continued reading this book I took from Kevin, Notes from a Friend by Anthony Robbins. This book is telling me that that "No problem is permanent" , "positive thinking is not enough", " I have power inside me" and " to abandon any sense of that there is no solution" ... still reading...

Another book recently read was"Fish!" ,author Stephen C. Lundin, talks about choosing the kind of attitude we want to bring to our work place, to make it a fun place to work, that is, knowing how to play at work. Can still be serious abt work & still have fun with the way we work, letting things flow, not to be too uptight and doing in all in a respectful manner, having great friends and having pride in what we do and the way we do it.... and there's more to it. Not necessarily to be applied at workplace, it is basically abt changing your current dull and boring self or environment to a lively, full of energy.. sort of thing.

Tomorrow's the day ... Trekking at MacRitchie with Kevin,Sukaimi and Fd! Hope my left foot don't give me problems. Got to get the things ready for the excursion...... hmmm.. let's see..

List of things to carry along:
1- first aid kit
2- poncho
3-water
4-snack bars/ chocolate bars
5-digicam
6-mobilephone

Wanna join us?
If interested, please contact The Lonely Runner.

I want a Mountain Bike!

Returned this morning at about 8am. Knocked out from 8.30 am till 6pm. Sleeping for 2 nights.Now I know how it felt like working night shift. I thought today's still Saturday.

Thanks again to FD for carrying and bringing my barang-barang there. I reached West Coast Park @ 1240hrs. TLR was there too. Grabbed my stuff and changed. All set and excited to cycle. Waited and waited. Test run. Played around with the gears on the right handle, making myself used to it. Lift up the seat higher. Waited again. Finally left WCP @ 0030hrs. About the night cycling, I enjoyed it. Cycle slowly in a single line. There were about 120 participants.

The youngest participant I know was 8yr old girl, Nadia. She's so cool, no complaints at all. She must be enjoying herself and an experience she'll never forget.

We reached Labrador Park @ 0130hrs, rest for 1Hr while the kids were having some games. The lane towards the Park was very dark. No street lights at all. Quite dangerous. We had to cycle out using that same lane and I didn't feel save. Our neon light stick did not glow and our bikes didn't have any safety lights. Cycling along Keppel was not safe either. Even though there weren't many cars, but there were quite a number of huge container trucks on the road. And since the road was empty, motorist tends to drive at high speed. So we were constantly reminded to cycle in a single line. Some of the kids happily cycling in two's or three's. The road marshall had difficulties with these kids. I wasn't paying attention to myself, I fell when I hit the side kerb while eavesdropping on them grumbling about the stubborn kids. I had a good laugh to myself. Luckily Fd was quite a distance behind me, or else she will fall too. Reached Marina Promenade - 3rd stop at 0230hr . Rested and game time for another 1hr. 4th stop at Indoor Kallang Stadium @ 0430hr, rest for 1hr. We started to feel the ache and cramps on our legs. FD took out her KOYOK roll and mine, the Muscle Rub. I applied on the boney joints on my left foot. It was a bit sore. The route from Marina and all the way to East Coast was pretty safe. Cycled in and out of parks, that is , along the Marina Park, Kallang Park and the East Coast Park. The only think I don't like was getting on & off the bike to push it each time we we crossed bridges and at one point, the underground passage to East Coast Park, where we had to carry the heavy bike down and up the stairs. I had the marshalls to help me. I got no strength for that. Once hit East Coast Park, I cycled fast,overtook all the girls and I ended up cycling with the guys. Cycling in the rain and listening to my mp3.

An enjoyable experience. I am so glad I joined FD in this event. And Kevin being very supportive allowing me to participate in such an event while he's at home watching soccer. I want to do this again. Not with these group of people, but with Kevin, and also, FD and TLR too! Opps.. and Wendy too , if we are in Malaysia, that is. But first, I want a mountain bike!

Songs in my mp3 compiled by my dearest one to accompany me for this event, perfect for cycling at night.

Aerosmith - Dream on
Amy Grant - I will remember You
Cake - Never There
Bonfire - Fight for Love
The Cars - Drive
The Cars - I'm not the One
Cinderalla - Gypsy
Everything but that Girl - I Don't want to talk about it
Saraya- Timeless Love
Andrew Lloyde - I don't know how to Love him
Chris Isaac - Wicked Game
Maria McKee- Show me Heaven
Holly Cole Trio- I can see clearly now
Journey- Open arms
Norah Jones - Don't know why
Rebecca Pidgeon- Spanish Harlem
Robbie Williams- Better man
Robbie Williams- She's the One
Dan Forgelberg - Leader of the Band
XYZ - When I find Love
Cinderalla - Coming Home
Maurea McGovern- Can you read my mind
Emma Shaplin - Spante leStella
Lacuna Coil - Heaven's a Lie
Survivor - Somewhere in America
XYZ - Follow the night

Sleep-time adjustment

I need to adjust my sleeping because of the Nite Cycling event. So tdy after returning home from SGH and 1-session of aerobics, cooked Tom Yum Yong Tau Foo, makam at 4.30pm, went to sleep. Will try to stay awake after this till after 6.30am. I will use this time to iron the tonnes of clothes which I have been try to clear since last Wednesday.

Went to Ginza Plaza, met up with Fd to pass my bag of stuff for tomorrow night. Poor thing. Looking at her size, the bag must be very heavy for her. Let me recap what I put in that big sling bag.

The wet hydration pack has all I need to wash up, muscle rub. And, very importantly, my inhaler. Other stuff not seen here which will be stuffed are small towel & praying gown. *the inhalers are still with me as i need to use it. FD, dear, pls sms to remind me to bring it tomorrow.*

The pants, t-shirt, sports bra, cap. Include in this pack- a bottle of Vaseline.

Very important pack.

Extras : t-shirt & etc.

Tested the water bag before packing into to bag. If it leaks, can return within 7 days.

No leakage found.

Besides this shoe, I bring a pair of slipper too.

That's about it. I hope I have everything necessary..

My worst fear is that "girl thing" which is due anytime this week. Please, please .. don't come till Monday.. please..

Got an advice for the expert,Wendy, that I should wear tighter pants so as to avoid it being stuck to the bicycle chains (and looking sexier). Thanks for the advise. Fd warned me of the same too .. Hmmm, now must think and see how...I have already packed what I have to wear.. The thing is I am going for the dinner function first, then head straight to West Coast Park.I don't want to carry big bag or anything to the function.

Ok now.. thinking of running but looking at the time.. too late. The rain has jus stopped. I hope the weather will be fine tomorrow. Will it be cold cycling at night? So do I need to wear a jacket or windbreaker? Ohhh.. stress ..!

I think I go watch tv and better start ironing..

NIGHT CYCLING ' RODA-RODA MALAM COAST TO COAST'

YAYASAN MENDAKI-SAFF PERDAUS
11-12 DECEMBER 2004
NIGHT CYCLING ' RODA-RODA MALAM COAST TO COAST'


Our Youth Policy Unit is organizing a nite cycling expedition for our
youths on 11 & 12 December 2004. If you are between 13 to 24 years
old and are interested to join the expedition, kindly revert to me by
Tuesday, 7 December 2004 together with your contact number.
Following are the details:

DAY 1
11 December 04, Saturday
8.30pm - Registration at pickup point (Eunos & Jurong East MRT station)
8.45pm - Departure from checkpoints to West Coast Park
10.00pm - Arrival at West Coast Park assembly area
10.30pm - Welcoming Address by SAFF & YPU
11.10pm - Test run for girls
11.25pm - Test run for boys
11.45pm - Exchange of faulty bikes with logistics

DAY 2
12 December 04, Sunday
12.00am - Flag Off
1.00am - Arrival at Labrador Park
1.20am Wash/toilet breaks, rest and refreshments/ checking equipment
2.00am - Departure from Labrador Park to East Coast Park
(Routes taken - Telok Blangah Road, Keppel Road,Anson Road, Robinson
Road,Collyer Quay, Esplanade Drive, Beach Road,Crawford St, Kallang
Road, Lorong 1 Geylang, Mountbatten Road, Fort Road, East Coast Park
-about 10km;
5.00am - Arrival at East Coast Park
5.05am - Wash/toilet breaks, rest and refreshments/ Subuh prayers & Tazkirah
6.30am - Breakfast
7.30am - Return bicycles
7.45am - Photo taking
8.15am - Wrap up by both SAFF & Mendaki
9.00am - Departure from East Coast Park to pickup points ( Eunos &
Jurong East MRT stations)


There's this mysterous girl,Fid, who leaves messages in my tagboard asking whether I'm interested to take part on the above event a few days back. I have agreed to it even though on that same night I have to accompany a friend to her company D & D. I am not required to be present for registration. Check out the qualifying age. I don't know what category I belong to. Advised by Fid, I just report at West Coast Park by 11pm. She will arrange everything for me. All I do is to be there, take the bicycle, get ready to go. This will be my very first time cycling at night and doing it without Kevin. Thank you for being very supportive,darling.

The last time I cycled was early this year at Sentosa. I used to have a bicycle with a basket infront and a cute purple bell. That was very long time ago, about 10 years ago, bought it at Big John along Sembawang, with Kevin. That was the first time, I cycled on the road from the shop to Yishun, to bring it home. If I'm not wrong, that was the only one time and never cycle on road after that.

I don't know whether I can cycle long distance. Fid said that we will be guided, and no one will be left behind. So I guess this part I need not worry too much. What's on my mind (and Fid's too) is attire. Don't know whether need to wear protection gears, like helmet, knee cap,etc.. Kevin actually suggested that I put on my roller blade's protection gear. So how?

I do not have anything bright or striking to wear. I have lots of aerobics tights but I think I will feel warm in it, plus itchy and sticky. Thought of wearing lose jeans. 3/4 pants is a no-no. In the end, these are what I have decided.

Will be wearing my favourite 100% polyerster Reebok T-shirt, Brooks' gym long pants and Adidas shoe.
And we just bought new thing today, a High Sierra- Wet Hydration Pack, holds 2 Liters of water. One each. The other one is in red. Blue will matched my pants. But then, the red one will go with my red shoe. Don't want to look striking, so i decided to go for blue. The bag has compartments that will carry my mobilephone, towel, slipper and some other small important things. The only thing that's striking would be the Slazenger Cap.

Now waiting for the day only. My weak point on cycling :" I can only turn right, cannot turn left, or vice versa".With no training what-so-ever, I just hope that I don't injure myself.

No Blue black, Blackcurrant my choice

Shhhhh... Kevin sleeping...

And while he's asleep, I get Fatima to colour my hair..."Blackcurrant" - Dark violet brown. The product I'm using is NO 42 Garneir Nutrisse Natea. It turns out to be close to purplish black seen under the light, else it is just be black. Compared to the previous one, Burgundy..very red, more to aunty-like.

This morning, the most toughest job in the kitchen was to scrub off the rusty dark "whatever" thing on the stove burner.

Cleaned. Used Jif on the steel wool to scrub it off. The ugly sight now is the scratches on that alluminium stove. What to do... no choice.




Next thing on my Household To-Do List is :
1)to re-wash the clothes in the washing machine which has been in there for the past 3days. Smelly already.
2) To iron all the clothes in the laundry basket which I have been piling since Hari Raya!
3) Re-Bake all the Hari Raya cookies.

So far, so good

I have not been checking my emails, visit fellow bloggers' sites and even my own blog for the past few days. Not that I do not have any inspiration nor am I lazy. It had been a bz week for me. I have lots to tell. Hmmm. but let me think, how come I didn't touch the computer from the 23 Nov till last night. Housework? Non-stop work but the house is still untidy. Let's check the calendar. After the last post on 23 Nov,the following days, Kevin was at home and whenever he's home..He will be occupying the PC the whole night and day. That's what he does whenever he's free,besides going to the movies. And now that he has his new New Balance, running will be part of his past time. That explains partly why.

Hari Raya is coming to an end. So far, my goodies and cookies are almost finishing. The ones eating up the cookies and stuff are none other than the ones at home, that is me and Kevin. So far, number of guest that came over were 4 families: my sis, Salimah & family, my younger bro, Isa & family, Zanna and daughter,Sarah and Cousin Milah and daughter, Fatima. Sukaimi and Fid would be our 5th guest if we were home last Saturday. On that Saturday, we were out looking for Kevin's shoe after the afternoon at Sentosa.

Last Friday, I attended the Orientation for the 2-yr course.Toured the campus and it's a very confusing place. Got my time-table but it is only for the 1st week. Start on 3 Jan. There will be only 2 weeks' break per semester (6mths). Class starts as early as 8am and ends at 6pm. I hope I will be able to cope with my studies. A bit rusty in the brain. Wanted to join their Adventure Club. But I think can't do that. And so now, I am thinking, I will make use of the facilities like tennis & badminton courts and the swimming pool. I have yet to get to know all of my group mates. I am one of the oldest * ops!* matured lady-student in my class. The rest are 29 and below. There's one matured male student. He looks old around 45yrs old.

The weather has been the same for the past days and weeks. Rain, practically every day and everywhere. But last week, we managed to get to go for swim at Safra twice. Kevin wanted to tan and no matter how much time he spent under the sun, he's colour still the same. It is me who will turned so dark (like indu ren) instead of getting tanned, with or without the sun.

Today, I went to a Pet Safari at Simei with Zanna, after accompanying her to the Environment Building. They used to have cats for adoption but not there anymore. Checked their stuff, priced by Pet Station, and I feel it's very expensive. A cat, just got sterilized for $180 at their in-house clinic. That is extremely ex-ke-naden!

Lastly, dropped by Zanna's house and shocked to see Tiny, my cat which Zanna adopts - a year back, growing bigger, fatter and cuter. Thanks Zanna for looking after him well. You have done an excellent job. Wonder if she wants to adopt Cathy?

After settling Kevin's dinner, I left the house abt 2020hrs for a 1/2hr jog. The rain has stopped and the ground still wet. My first time running in wet weather. Less tiring and the air is cool. I kinda like it.

Morning Run

Wanted so much to run in the Singapore Marathon - 10km event, which was held last Sunday,06 Dec. But I have taken too much time to consider whether or not to run and whether Kevin can run with me too. As a result, we missed the registration date. I am not prepared for the 1/2 marathon. I just want to see if I'm able to finish the 10km at a better time than the Mizuno WaveRun.

On that Sunday morning, we went to MacRitchie. Kevin was so excited to test his new New Balance running shoe which was bought the night before. As planned , we met Sukaimi. He was there earlier. He had just finish running and was perspiring all over. I never run till I have to perspire like that. He didn't seemed to look tired at all. Since we were late, we actually, thought of wanting to walk or do some light jogging at the park, relax and enjoy the scenery. Then, Sukaimi didn't mind running again! Cannot say no... This guy always has a smile on his face.

So we walked to the starting point and off we ran. Checked my watch, it was at 0908hrs. I tried to keep constant pace running behind the guys,and as long as I can see them, I'd be happy. I could still remember when I represent my class in the Inter-Class X-Country Competition. I was in Sec 2 then. Halfway through the run, I cried because I was afraid that i'd be lost in the trail and could never reach the finishing line.

I find it so exhausting running on the trail. Couldn't run steadily and straight due to the muddy ground and oncoming people walking in groups. No choice, had to "elak this", "elak that" (avoid this, avoid that). The upslopes are the toughest- no strength, my legs couldn't take it. Going downslopes- very dangerous because of the lose gravel, stones and uneven ground. I almost slipped. Because of all this challenges and time taken to stop to tie my shoe laces, I was left behind. Worned out after the 2km mark. Soon after that, saw them running back towards my direction, and that was when I decided to turn back and took the other route. I ran on the narrow platform instead which is found to be further, but at least I can run properly, less tiring.

They estimated that we ran about 4 but less than 5km. Sukaimi had uploaded some of our photos in action. Kevin said that I have improved. But I can't tell. I remembered that it was 0948hrs when I stopped. According to Sukaimi, they took abt close to 29mins. Wow! Kevin must be happy to have ran that fast. It must be the new shoe! As for mine, I really don't know how to comment. Overall, I enjoyed my Sunday run. A different experience.

The following day, that was yesterday morning, I ran abt 3.5km. This time, I was really perspiring like hell. Even Kevin noticed it. I didn't break for a short walk or even to tie my shoe lace. I ran from home, my usual route and die-die must reach MacDonalds' at NorthPoint before him. He was coming home from night shift.

We had breakfast at one of the famous roti- kaya cafe at NorthPoint, and will not be going there anymore. My kong-kong can do the roti-kaya-butter spread better!