crouching dragon hidden tigress

Act Unhealthy

2012-02-02T00:01:00.001+08:00

Gained about 2kg over last month! The birthdays and festivities kept the feasts coming and I wasn't adhering to any strict food choice given that it was 'off-season' for me. Should just name Jan the 'cheat month' already!

I've limited my runs as well (5 short runs across the mth), to make sure I allowed my body to R&R. I subscribe to the school of thought where if you were to maintain maximum efforts 24/7, performance levels will eventually plateau and even start dropping. On the other hand, by sacrificing a portion of fitness levels during off-season to allow full recovery can bring greater heights come next season. It is also a great mental boost to revisit the positive gradient than to live in the shadows of LDMR.

Will be starting my ATP next week and I kinda regretted joining the zoo run as it is quite a bad idea to kickstart the training season with a 12km race straight out. Let's see if I can meet my very conservative target of 1hr 40mins.

dragon learns to huat

2012-01-25T00:36:00.002+08:00

for good health & wealth!
may you seek the 7 dragon balls and have your wishes come true.

somewhere back in time

2012-01-25T00:32:00.001+08:00

Found this photo lying around at home (jb) and decided to try out the 'Shoebox' app. Would be perfect if there was a way to prevent it from uploading to the cloud.

getting wiser

2012-01-24T16:30:00.001+08:00

Food

Picque Nique

Everything complimentary from Starbucks!

Flamed at Ma Maison

Presents from ~~Santa~~ Sharon

I think Sharon was stressed when trying to plan what to do for the day - especially when I wasn't too keen on going for a hi-tea buffet. In the end, we agreed on spending a simple day together doing random stuff - which was what I preferred. It turned out pretty fun, first eating/shopping at Orchard and then proceeding to Haji lane to shop and 'chillax'. The day ended at Ma Maison where we met my younger bro for dinner. Nice, simple yet memorable =)

Thanks dear, for the very cool & hype presents! Love ya!

Revelation

2012-01-24T01:31:00.000+08:00

Looking at the mega pop groups like Girls Generation, I came to realise the effectiveness of The Cheerleader Effect. Pretty sure Barney is the invisible hand in K-Pop!

here's some random korean music for you:

Java Rappin'

2012-01-18T23:26:00.002+08:00

- I don't think Java programmers need to code that hard =P

Incoming Luck!

2012-01-17T23:59:00.000+08:00

The 'SSL' & 'beta' tags needs to be +1'ed!!

Anyone interested in sharing the 1.5mil GBP, kindly transfer S$20,000 to pay for the stamp duty before I can TT to you!

untying dead knots

2012-01-17T11:37:00.000+08:00

I have been having this nagging knee pain for the past few months, mostly right after bowling. One of the worst occasion was right after SCMS'09, where it lasted for days. Each time it occurred, I'd just wait for the pain to go away and carry on with my activities. Sometimes, I would disregard the pain and continue with activities such as bowling.

The assumption was that my knees were battered during my years of volleyball, cos the sport required a lot of landing on the knees. Furthermore, I was stubborn to receive proper diagnosis or treatment. Lately, after using the foam roller that Sharon got for me, I started reading into trigger point therapy and studying a bit more about human anatomy. Through experimentation, I started realising that the source of pain might actually from my thighs, going into the knees. After Colin's review of Wilson's therapy session, I decided to give it a go and it was a life-changing moment.

I can probably write a huge chapter about the experience, so here's the lazy style:

Knots

A “knot” in a muscle is when it contracts (shortens) or spasms. This happens due to injury, overuse, bad posture, stress or a sedentary lifestyle.A muscle knot is when your muscle remains flexed and refuses to relax, which is the reason why they can be so painful. The medical term for muscle knots is myofascial trigger points. - Vicky Taylor

Leg muscles

-our legs are made of 3 major muscle groups: quads, hamstring & calf

-the quads & hamstring are on the thigh. they support 2 major joints: the hips and the knee

->when the quads and hamstring are tight (i.e. presence of knots), they pull the knee towards the hip

-calf muscles are on the lower leg. they support 2 major joints: the knee and the ankle

->when the calf is tight, it pulls the knee towards the ankle

-when all 3 muscle groups are tight, there will be opposing forces on the knee, causing increased stress on it and resulting in worn cartilage.

-it is not uncommon for one damaged muscle group to start affecting the others, and worse still, cause a change in the body's biomechanics.

My Problem
-the muscles are way too tense and Wilson believes that it is chronic
-i have limited range of movement. all this while, I mistook my inability to fully perform stretches as natural-born inflexibility - that's bullshit apparently!
-the worst set of muscles are probably the quads
-my left leg is in a worse shape than my right
-it has caused my legs to be of different length too. this change in biomechanics has most likely affected my activities such as running.
-my knees are definitely damaged in some way and there is no turning back for that. proper treatment and subsequent maintenance will prevent further deterioration.

Treatment

-the massages from Wilson will bruise the muscles in order to allow it to heal

-it is very painful and the pain persists for days

-Wilson quips that I'm 'cool as a cucumber' cos I seem to endure pain much better than a lot of people. He was checking on me continually on my first visit, I think he was afraid I may have fainted.

-He is a perfectionist - he doesn't stop even though time is up, he stops when he is satisfied with his work.

-The cost of a massage session with him is slightly more than a foot reflexology session at a place like WanYang. But the benefits are many-fold.

-Knots can be felt during massage and it is really a '%&*king shit' moment cos pain from the 'untying' treatment is unimaginable.

Reality

People think that I'm too young to suffer from such problems but it is something that is common. In the group that I (used to) play football with, there are 2 with damaged knee ligaments (still not fixed cos of the costs involved) and a couple more with niggling injuries. Perhaps this is in line with Darwinian theory, to ensure that some animals will become easy prey for feed while some predators will get slower and give the prey a chance to run away. I may not know it all but will try to share this new-found knowledge with close friends/family - if they are not too skeptic about it.

Do's

-Stretch daily. If you are desk-bound, you need to stretch you neck & shoulders regularly. I can show the stretches he taught me & Sharon, you just need a chair as a prop.

-Stretch for minutes, not seconds. I was advised to do each stretch for 5-6mins but can only manage around 3mins for now.

Dont's

-Cross you legs. The weight of one leg resting on one point will restrict the flow of blood.

-Ignore persistent pain. Damages can never be fully repaired.

P.S. When bowling, the sliding leg bears the weight of the body while trying to offset the weight of the ball as well. This is probably why my left leg is more serious than my right.

a note of thanks

2012-01-16T23:21:00.000+08:00

luwak shit

cuppa love

why chocolate?

who's that?

???

with the price tag!

kthxbye

that one crazy iPad episode

2012-01-16T00:45:00.001+08:00

45mins of agony

After dropping by my office to settle some stuff today, we walked over to Liang Court for a mid-day meal at about 4.30pm. Sharon was on the iPad while we waited the food to be served. Once food arrived, she passed it to me for keeping and I left it on the seat beside me. We happily left, and walked around Liang Court for a while till we boarded a bus towards Orchard and continued shopping, without realising the iPad was left behind.

5hrs later, when we were about to board the train at Orchard MRT, I discovered the iPad wasn't in my bag when I wanted to pass it to Sharon. That was when panic set in and we somehow pin-pointed Saizeriya as the location where it was left behind. More drama ensued at this point.

Decided to run out of the train station and cab to Liang Court but couldn't hail a cab along Orchard Blvd. Simultaneously, we were Googling for the outlet's phone number, which took us 10mins to finally get it. Then, the agony grew as nobody answered. While Sharon kept trying the number, I started searching for a number to Liang Court's information counter. Found it but it went into an answering machine after a few rings. On the second attempt, Jacqueline answered and I asked for a big favor. It was already 10pm and I asked if she could walk over to Saizeriya and check if they found the iPad. While waiting for her return call, I started trying to book a cab but to no avail. After a while, Sharon gave up calling Saizeriya's number and attempted to book a cab too.

We waited helplessly for minutes without progress until everything suddenly turned for the better. I finally received the call from Jacqueline. I was asked for the table number where we were seated and amazingly, I remembered and confirmed that the iPad was kept at Saizeriya all this while. Managed to get the contact number of the staff (Zhiwei) but the restaurant was closed (at 10pm) but we really wanted to rush down to collect the iPad. Couple of mins later, Sharon received an SMS that a cab was on the way and we managed to get to Liang Court before Zhiwei left. The time between the realisation to retreival: 45mins. We wouldn't have got it back without the help of Jacqueline and the honesty of Zhiwei; we are really blessed to have met them in time of need and wish that there are more people like them.

Funny thing was that Sharon had earlier bought a pack of Hello Kitty ang-pow from Liang Court and it came in handy when we decided we should give a little 'reward' for Zhiwei's honesty. It is ironic that when Sharon lost her iPhone at a hype restaurant 2yrs back, it was gone in minutes and today, we recovered an iPad we've forgotten about at $16-meal restaurant after for 5hrs. I still cannot understand why I left it behind as I'm always the meticulous one who always double check on whether anything is left behind. Just glad that we didn't quarrel and instead, solved the problem and endured the frustration as a couple.

Getting out of Leng Kee

2012-01-14T21:21:00.002+08:00

Feels weird knowing that I won't be returning to this place. This will be the 2nd and last time in a long while that we'll be moving.

Level 3. My desk in the room with the 6-panel windows

The Awesome Walls. The Southpark wall has cartoon versions of each of us (though quite a few have left). Someone peeled off their character before I took the photo, leaving that white patch there.

Last Meeting

My Desk, all cleaned up.

Poor fishes, they were 'set free' at the canal nearby

Final Birthday Celebration - for the Jan babies.

Sinful dinner with colleagues to mark the occassion

Fun facts: This stretch of road is super accident-prone here. During our 2 years here, I've seen the accidents hit 2 figures, including a completely smashed up bus-stop and on another occasion, a wrecked Audi SUV (i think it was a test-drive unit and it got fixed in 3 days). Couple of months back, there was also that manager from a 2nd hand dealer across the street that drove a super car right through the glass windows of their showroom.

2012-01-10T22:13:00.001+08:00

Top 10 Photos of 2011

2012-01-04T21:00:00.000+08:00

Birdpark Trip / 22 Jan

Hong Kong Trip / 01 Mar

AP / 27 Mar

Kite Out / 09 Apr

Sharon's Birthday / 30 May

OSIM Tri / 30 Jul

Bangkok Trip / 28 Aug

Zoo / 29 Oct

SCMC / 04 Dec (Shot by Dru)

KL Trip / 29 Dec

Other photos I really liked:

BKK by Colin / 28 Aug

USS by Mabel Lee / 05 Nov

Other stuff we ate recently

2012-01-02T23:02:00.000+08:00

Boxing Day Lunch @ Greenhouse

New Year's Eve Popiah Party @ home

New Year's Day Lunch @ Sister-in-law's

New Year's Day Dinner @ Peach Garden@33

The exact same dish at our wedding!

Hype Hotel in ChinaTown

2012-01-02T17:19:00.001+08:00

KL Photos

2012-01-01T17:23:00.003+08:00

Someone needs to find a way to stitch all versions of this photo!

Cheap Thrill @ Forever 21

The Bear looks damn innocent

Kissing a Stranger

Lego

Random stuff:

iMessage for a iMassage

Kuat Ah!

Hype Catalogues

Vinyls for Steve

Any dragons here?

Mall of Justice

Nostalgia

Tag Team

Looks like the decision to give away my LX3 was a good call. The 4S is good enough for a PnS substitute, not to mention how much more convenience it brings.

2011: a year in review

2012-01-01T01:58:00.000+08:00

Life

If you were to die tomorrow, will you be regretting about the things you could have done/achieved in your life? - this is going to be a life-long benchmark for me.

A lot has happened this year. The months from August on were particularly life-changing, with self-discovery episodes through weight-loss, preparing/participating in running races, interactions with people, etc. I feel that I have been enlightened and have realized clear goals I want to achieve. I now believe that we can achieve a lot as long as we are willing to put in the effort to do so, sometimes even beyond our own expectations.

Weight

8th August - 31 December 2011

I didn't go on a diet. I changed my diet, for the better. There are many ways to lose weight and I don't think there's a perfect way to do it, they have their pros/cons. I'm just glad I found one that gave instant results (thanks to Colin for experimenting and sharing) but I must stress it must be accompanied with proper workouts for maximized health benefits. There was a slight weight gain in Oct/Nov which I believe came from an increase in lean mass but it started to drop when it came into the weeks before & after SCMS2011.
Before this, I have been getting a lot of unflattering comments from people I haven't met for a long time. It was pathetic feeling sad but not doing anything about it. In contrast, people around me have been remarking that I've slimmed a lot. Major ego-boosting stuff right there.

Endurance

Last year, the longest distance I had in a single run was less than 4km. This year, I managed my target of besting my previous half-marathon (by a good ~20mins margin). I may not have my eventual target of under 2:10 but it was an enjoyable one nonetheless and more importantly, I finished without limping. It started as a motivation to keep my weight in check but has now turned into quite a hobby. Having a training plan in place was definitely helpful and the Garmin HRM was the best thing I bought this year. At this point, I have already set my targets for 2012.

Travels
Did quite a lot of traveling this year! Hongkong, BKK and KL were all great for different reasons. Looking forward to traveling to places I haven't been to as well as the next group trip.

Best Purchase: Garmin Forerunner 305
Best Non-fiction Book: Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson
Best Fictional Book: The Millennium Trilogy
Best Movie: Shutter Island (not a 2011 release but best movie watched this year)
Best Music Related Moment: Iron Maiden The Final Frontier World Tour
Best Ride: A380
Best Running Shoes: Newton MV2

Us
We had our mini-honeymoon at Hong Kong/Macau and it was a really great trip. We gave our room a facelift with new furniture and it is now more spacious and welcoming. She surprised me with balloons (!!) and I did so with the most expensive bouquet of flowers I ever paid for. There were many great and memorable moments and forgettable ones but what matters is that we've spent the year in support of each other.

We may not be wealthy but we are blessed with having great relationships and having spent great moments in 2011 with our families and our closest friends. Nothing beats knowing that when in need we have a trusted list of people we can count on. Thank you and we sincerely hope you feel the same about us.

Travel Tips

2011-12-31T22:47:00.000+08:00

Bag-pack
I purchased the Nixon Watershed primarily for traveling, especially with the KL trip in mind. It has been very useful and Sharon even found it comfortable to carry when completely filled (she swapped bags with me for the return trip). I think I've ended up using the bag more frequently than I initially planned to, given the convenience when I'm working out on weekdays. Only gripes with the bag are 1) it looks bulky (i don't think so but a couple of my colleagues have been asking why i'm bringing such a big bag to work) and 2) the 'top-load' opening of the main compartment makes it hard to retrieve specific stuff from the bag.
-Sharon is now contemplating on getting a backpack for traveling and I think Dru is thinking about it too.

Travel light
Brought just enough clothing to last the trip and left my MacBook home (figured i'd be too tired to need it and the iPad was more than sufficient for surfing the web). It was also a good idea to wear the heavier clothes (like jeans instead of berms) when on the road and that made the bags lighter.

Medkit
Sharon has a habit of packing a whole load of medicine which I think is excessive. I ended up taking a painkiller from her on the first night (same thing happened in HK). Very prone to headaches when I don't get enough sleep.

Gluttons in KL

2011-12-31T15:42:00.000+08:00

Plan b. @ Bangsar Village

Cozy place with the Projectshop vibe. The food was decent, we shared a breakfast platter which came with a glass of O.J. + coffee. The saussage tasted weird though. Hans ordered some Ox tongue sandwich which tasted ok but the image of the tongue made it feel weird.

Not pricey

Breakfast Platter at RM24.00

Lok Lok @ Jln Alor

I'm not a big fan of Lok Lok, it is just a selection of cheap processed food fried/grilled on the spot to me. Perhaps if we were into cockles we would have enjoyed it more. Also, the guy coats the sticks with some powder which I suspect is some Ajinomoto equivalent. We both experienced dry throats for the rest of the night. Not to mention that it is not a cheap snack either, those 3 sticks is equivalent to 2 bowls of Ngau Kee!

Ngau Kee @ Jln Tengkat Tong Shin

We decided to give this place a second and last chance. Our last trip there was during CNY'09 (i think) with Dennis & Jabez and we all concluded that it tasted pretty bad. Somehow, we both felt that the noodles this time round was much better and we didn't mind eating there multiple times. Sharon likes the Bee Hoon Soup with Pork Balls (with the minced meat separately served) while I really like their dry mee-kia. I don't think it is cheap at RM6 for a small bowl but the minced meat is indeed unique.

Interesting to note is that this place is not hype with the locals - you won't find a crowd here at any time of the day.

Sliced Beef with Dry Hor Fun

Pork Ball Bee Hoon Soup

Meng Kee Char Siew @ Jln Alor

Wasn't open on our first day so we visited early on the second. The aunty at the stall was trying to explain something to Colin which seemed to bring more confusion. Then, she brought a plate of char siew for the 7 of us to share, which was clearly insufficient. Apparently, her boss hiked up the prices of the char siew and she was worried we'd be put off by the price. We ordered another plate and it was only RM7 per person - not exactly cheap but still affordable.

This has got to the best tasting char siew I've ever had. The caramelized skin is just perfect, crispy and sweet but with no bitter charred taste. The fats in the char siew was also just nice. Best food of the trip for me.

Wanton Mee @ Jln Tengkat Tongshin (opp yy38)

The old man that sets up his stall late in the night and have people queueing up even before he is ready to cook. He was really meticulous with the portioning of the noodles (somewhat like the aunties at Lavendar). The texture of the noodles is nice and the wantons are pretty good too. Nothing special about the soup or the dumplings though. I've also noticed that the soup seems to be kept by the roadside all the time.

A&W

Everything was disappointing except for the rootbeer float. Luckily we didn't order a complete meal. First time Hans joined in the fun at an American fast food chain

Butter-syrup waffles, curly fries and Rootbeer Float.

Saw this on the menu, can't imagine how it'd taste.

Dome @ KLCC

Food at Dome was ok, nothing great but at affordable prices. I think our meal costed around RM60.

Scones

Honeycomb Espresski

Hawaiian Pizza

Gong Cha @ KLCC

Earl-grey might not be my cup of tea but somehow the Earl Grey milk tea at Gong Cha has got me hooked. I think it is much cheaper than the prices in SG too!

Mixed Vegetables Rice at Carrefour

Didn't eat this but I was just amused by the self-serve mixed-vegetables rice at Carrefour.

X'mas Dinner

2011-12-26T01:20:00.000+08:00

Decided to go into JB today and spend X'mas with my family. Unfortunately Sharon had to work and missed out the X'mas Menu at Grill Bar. Celebrated my younger bro's birthday as well (they were planning to celebrate on Tuesday but they brought it forward cos I was there).

some soup & croquette combo made from turkey

best tasting turkey i've ever had

the fruit cocktail was really refreshing!

DIY Animal Farm

2011-12-26T01:16:00.001+08:00

visited a pet shop this afternoon, it's the one my mum usually sends the dogs for grooming sessions. it is really more like a mini-zoo and all the pets here are legal.

his name is Chocolate and he pees everywhere

sonic snooze

kua simi?

spidey

wtf right?

baby huskies are just too cute!

dragon

宮澤佑門

2011-12-24T02:10:00.002+08:00

my fav Santana song and the kid impressed

-i have a new belief: when driven by passion, nothing is impossible.

D'you wear a black armband when they shot the man who said "Peace could last forever"

2011-12-24T01:37:00.000+08:00

MY HANDS ARE TIEDFOR ALL I'VE SEEN HAS CHANGED MY MINDBUT STILL THE WARS GO ON AS THE YEARS GO BYWITH NO LOVE OF GOD OR HUMAN RIGHTS'CAUSE ALL THESE DREAMS ARE SWEPT ASIDEBY BLOODY HANDS OF THE HYPNOTIZEDWHO CARRY THE CROSS OF HOMICIDEAND HISTORY BEARS THE SCARS OF OUR CIVIL WARS

-for all his personality flaws, Axl writes/inspires neat stuff. love the intro/outro; wah-wah pedals are always something special

My 2 Best Frens

2011-12-22T20:06:00.001+08:00

2011-12-20T21:53:00.000+08:00

bowling for hype

2011-12-17T15:37:00.001+08:00

Had a 8v8 bowling friendly with a corporate business partner over at Serangoon Gardens Country Club on Thursday. It was nice to have both CEOs who's very supportive of bowling to be in the teams as well.

They were clearly more superior and experienced, having been competing in the Canon league. There were prizes involved so it was kinda competitive but it was great to see support & cheers going between the teams - imagine trading high-5s with a millionaire? I can understand why sports (like Golf) are so popular in building business relations.

It was a 4-game series so that took alot of stamina. I can say that my performances no longer succumb to pressures of such 'big' events. Did a 180-168-161-160. Still a lot of room for improvement but being consistent is good enough for now. Next year, my boss wants us in the Canon league so that's gonna be something to work towards to. There'll also be a friendly re-match sometime next year.

One thing I've realised is that I have to change the way I slide. I've been sliding diagonally with my left leg which is kinda awkward and it is putting too much pressure on my knees. Funny that I've solved the problem of knee injuries in running but I'm still trying to kill them while bowling. Will figure out how when the time comes, hopefully.

Springsteen, he knew

2011-12-16T23:46:00.001+08:00

It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
`Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Garmin Forerunners

2011-12-09T12:00:00.000+08:00

Was browsing through reviews by DC Rainmaker (here), trying to figure why Garmin has such an extensive range for their sports watches. I was curious especially when the newer 405cx (USD159.99) became cheaper than my 305 (USD179.99) on Amazon. Furthermore, Colin & Dru were suggesting that I sold my 305 and upgrade to the newer 405.

Conclusion: avoid the 405 - the touch bezel is a gimmick and will be bound to frustrate you. Triathletes going for a cheap watch should just buy the 305; runners can go for the 210 or 610. The 210 costs slightly more than the 305 but it can be used as a normal watch (slimmer & power-save mode).

Found some valuable race tips from the site as well!
Instead of basing on the watch for distance during the race and using the Auto-lap feature, press the Lap button at each distance marker and use 'Lap Pace' to target the splits. This will be more accurate w.r.t. the race and better way to beat target times.

karma kompletion

2011-12-08T16:27:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Victor Seah (album)

history lesson

2011-12-07T10:55:00.001+08:00

2 years back, somewan questioned the point of joining SCMS, asking 'why pay money just to wake up so early on a Sunday morning to run with a crowd?'.

SCMS 2011 Official Results

2011-12-05T20:45:00.001+08:00

Official results have been released!

Can't believe I'm in the top 15% of all Half-Marathoners (17.63% of 'Open Men'). Interesting that out of the 19,700 who signed up for the Half-Marathon, only 13,862 completed. In comparison, I was in the top 60+% during SCMS'09.

I also found something else I'm super proud of! For the final 12km, I overtook almost 4,000 runners and only had 12 run past me. That's like almost 1/3 of the Half-Marathon finishers already! (and it doesn't include the walkers from the other categories in the final 3-4km)

Official photos are up too (not so proud of being caught heel-striking though):

I've been thinking a lot about the race today, especially on how I could have made it better. One thing I worked out is that the opportunity cost for queuing up to deposit bags is definitely greater than buying a spibelt and running with essentials in it. Maybe I could have sped up from the final 3km point onwards, since I could still sprint at the final stretch. Not to mention that by starting early and nearer the flag off, I would have saved plenty of time & energy from not having to overtake so many people. Not perfect, but still totally worth it. Looking forward to the next 'A' race.

My 2nd Half-Marathon

2011-12-04T23:00:00.000+08:00

-after 4mths or so of training, the day has finally come and gone. though i didn't managed to hit the target i've set, a 20mins improvement compared to SCMS'09 (incl a tougher course and greater human obstacles) is still a great improvement.
training with the HRM makes a lot of difference, the Garmin is certainly the best thing to buy compared to the other gear. no regrets.

Unofficial Results from the LIVE Tracker:

Split from Runkeeper (I forgot to set the auot-split feature on my watch, can't view the actual split on Garmin. Runkeeper ignores data when you're walking so it's not that accurate for the race).

Couldn't meet the pace I wanted.

On the Circle Line. Only got crowded after Buona Vista

Baggage Deposit Tents

My muddy MV2s.

Buised Toenail

Blisters

don't be scammed by that smile

who's legs are more tired?

Race notes:

1) I didn't stop to walk, except for parts where the congestion forced me to. Couldn't keep to my race pace cos of the congested paths either, spent too much time trying to overtake groups of people. Looking at the Garmin data, I spent 10mins+ walking which means i could have hit 2:15 if I woke up earlier =P

2) I missed most of the 100Plus points. The crowd was just damn mad and the tables I managed to squeeze myself to always served ice-mountain! Only managed to drink 1 cup of 100Plus at the final drink station. At the Shotz Gel station, I only saw empty packets. Cacat!

3) The baggage deposit point wasted a lot of time. I reached Harbourfront 45mins early but got stuck at the baggage deposit area, I queued for 30mins+. In all fairness, I don't see how they can improve since most likely thousands of runners arrived at the same time causing a one-time max load. When I arrived at the deposit point, the queue was still within Seah Im Car Park. When I was done depositing, the queue had reached main the road after snaking in the carpark. I only started at 6:50

4) There were lots of uphills & downhills. There were already 2 pretty steep hills within the first 2km. Alot of people underestimated the hills, act machio & chiong and got punctured instantly. The narrow flat stretch towards Palawan Beach was so full of these people that there's no way to run at all. Wasted ~8mins walking with them here. The 2 slopes leading to West Coast Highway and ECP were killers. Heartbreak hill along Benjamin Sheares bridge was tough too. I'm glad I kept reasonable pace at these points and never stopped to walk.

5) Woke up at 4am and left home at around 4:50am. Managed to drink a glass of Milk kosong, clear a bit of my bowels and do a full stretch. I slept at 9+pm last night so I was well rested.

6) Alot of people were queuing up for the porta-loo at the bag deposit area and HarbourFront MRT. I was lucky to find alternatives without queue at Vivo City & the Bus Interchange at Seah Im. There were also an entire stretch of porta-loos without queue before the starting line.

7) I think it is a tradition for the organisers to sabo all the runners at the medal collection point by making them walk through the mud.

8) The last time I did 21km (SCMS '09), I could barely bend my knees or walk without limping. No such problems this time and I didn't even get cramps during the run. Mid-foot running is life-changing. I did get blisters on both my pink & big toes plus 1 bruised middle toe-nail. Oh, and I didn't suffer any chafing too! Seasoned singlet + compression shorts = bliss.

9) I was running with goosebumps along certain parts cos of the atmosphere. The motivators/supporters are not for show only! Can't forget the scene where the entire ECP stretch ahead of me was a sea of blue-clad runners. If only I had my phone with me!

The icing on the cake: Sharon waking up early and coming down to support me. That meant alot. Thanks to Dru & Hans for coming down to support too! They only noticed me after I repeated shouted at them =P

lunacy

2011-12-04T22:17:00.001+08:00

I had this Jap song in my head last week but I just couldn't place a name to it (it's a song I used to listen to during my JC days). I kept thinking it was a song by L'arc en Ciel but after downloading 2 of their 'best of' albums and listening through, it wasn't there. I later realised that I never really liked L'arc en Ciel's songs, funny right?

another song that i like from them (2007 vs 1992 ):

i find it amusing that most of the fan of 'hardcore' jap bands are female teens.

clearing out my closet

2011-12-02T23:37:00.001+08:00

It's been bugging me lately that i'm clogging up my drawer with clothes, especially with the additional running attires (newton running club, salomon, posb, sundown). it had been a 'pending' job at the back of my head till today.

Interesting points to note:
1) i have 7 pairs of shorts for running/sports
2) i have about 10 tops/singlets for running/sports (incl the class football jersey from sec sch)
3) i have more than 7 pcs of uniqlo sleeping t-shirts
4) i have t-shirts that i've worn once or twice but don't feel like wearing anymore
5) i have work clothes since my intern days which shd be around 6 years old (i've even wore some of them recently but they are too old and need to go)
6) i overly place sentimental value on my possessions. i don't know why but i can't bear to throw away things that i know i won't ever use again.
7) i have many more times t-shirts than my working shirts although the ratio of days needing to wear them is 2:5

Threw away over 30pcs of clothing and there's about 5-6 more t-shirts that i'll bring back to JB. I really need to stop buying t-shirts, especially those with 'interesting' prints. There's also a few that I doubt I'll have the chance to wear but am giving them a 2nd chance till CNY.

celebrating a year of awesomeness

2011-11-28T20:12:00.001+08:00

what did we do?

visited the owner of:

had brunch at:

spent couple of hours chatting at the florist and we met (by chance) the videographer for our wedding day. (the final video is finally completed. need to go collect it soon).

what we ate:

(breakfast @ home)

Sharon fried some fish fingers for breakfast!

Side dishes for breakfast

(brunch @ White Rabbit)

-ambience is great but pricey. food cannot match GrillBar

(dinner @ Genki)

- interesting concept! i still think itacho at ion has one of the best budget sushi selection

ordering via iPad

instead of the standard conveyor belt, your food gets delivered by a shinkansen!

(dessert @ cold stone creamery)

-"coffee lovers only". only $2 cheaper than the mcD meal below!

(supper @ home)
- 1-for-1 nuggets! instant 1kg gainer meal

surprises from the tigress direct to my office:

the best card ever!

year 1
Common reaction we get when people realise it's our anniversary is 'a year already?'. I kinda disagree.
Our first felt just nice, we found time to travel, building bonds with family & friends, sharing special moments together and of course, the unmistakable moments of chutting patterns. While the day of the anniversary itself wasn't very eventful and we didn't dine lavishly, the day just felt nice and sweet, befitting of an anniversary.
There was also the delivery people of surprises sent by Sharon: first cupcakes & card, followed by balloons (again?!). With the awesome card she sent/wrote, I now have to put the rest that card incident of many years back.
And then there's also the 'surprise' we gave to the gang as an appreciation for their efforts during our wedding. We agreed that spending on that USS trip was worth more than using the money for some expensive meal/spa for ourselves.

Dearest Sharon,
Thanks for the great first year of being married (and being so supportive of my experiments into dieting, weight-loss, bowling, endurance sports and the other random nonsense). Looking forward to our 2nd anniversary and then to the 3rd one and subsequent ones in the many years to come.
Love,
AL

cheatday 20/11/2011

2011-11-28T19:58:00.001+08:00

the following food were consumed more than a week ago...

Trailing

2011-11-20T20:13:00.001+08:00

My first trail race! I remembered enjoying the 'weekly' macrich runs and when Colin mentioned the Salomon race is a 'must-join', it was going to happen. The race t-shirt was pretty decent and it came with a useful bag, so that added value. The resulting GPS plot added even more value (see below), so there's no regrets in joining this.

The only prep I did for this was the Macrich run 2 weeks ago. I'm already short of time to train for SCM so this was always gonna be a 'fun' race. And it didn't disappoint!
Highlights:
-Some guys were shrieking (!) when they encountered the first muddy patch. WTF right?
-There were a lot of up-down slopes and puddles of muddy water, definitely more challenging than Macrich.
-The race started on pretty flat ground and everyone was chionging and I had to foce myself to slow down. When the first zig-zag slope came, all the chiongsters will walking & blocking the narrow path!
-The best places to overtake were the uphills & muddy areas. That took a lot of effort
-There were a lot of near accidents but I didn't see anyone with a bad fall which is good. Almost slipped a couple of times and kicked a stone - exciting and great that I didn't injure myself.
-There were sand trapped in my KSOs and that caused a blister. I also had mud seep into a previously incurred blister - yucks!
-Funny that at the finishing line, I didn't feel like my body was stressed. My HRM says that I was running at my race pace but it didn't feel as strenuous as the POSB run.

Mud stuck in my blister

nose bridge, where art thou?

blistered

mud my leg

reward

finishers

Cheatday 12/11/2011

2011-11-19T17:41:00.001+08:00

borders

2011-11-19T01:31:00.001+08:00

I'm not happy about the segregation of webstores by regions. I can't purchase an eBook from Apple's AppStore cos it's not available to Singapore. Found an alternative - buy an eBook off Amazon's Kindle store (my colleague did that) and use the Kindle app to download the eBook onto the iPad/iPhone. Turns out, since the Kindle store isn't officially available to Singapore, you can't download their free iOS app using a local account either. On top of that, you can't create an AppStore account without credit card info.

I understand the reasons behind these restrictions but it contradicts my definition that technology is supposed to simplify aspects of our lives to allow us to work on other things (in this case, not carrying a physical book around and being eco-friendly).

My not-so-elegant workaround right now: download the 'pirated' free Kindle app onto the Jailbroken iPad. It works! But, after Amazon allows me to download the eBook, I get an email saying my credit card transaction wasn't successful. Tried another card but no success. Based on what I gathered, I will be able to read the book for 5 days till Amazon takes it away from my Kindle app =P

Yes, I'm emo-ing about getting a eBook for free.

iActCute

2011-11-14T23:49:00.001+08:00

3-1 on a blazing hot noon

2011-11-13T15:33:00.001+08:00

it's funny that we finally won a match comfortably (3-1). yeah, i guess you can say the other team was quite bad but at least they made it up by having a decent kit! we were all dressed randomly - the team color was red but there were some that was wearing orange. played for around 20mins per half under the mid-day sun, now i'm kinda toasted. was surprised that even sec schools have artificial pitches these days! hype to the max only.

wore the HRM for the game and it's interesting to see how training endurance doesn't really help with football. my HR shot to the midway of Zone 4 within 5mins!

some photos i took:

21km TT

2011-11-12T23:24:00.001+08:00

Finally completed my 21km TT! My net time for SCM2009 was 2h:43m:56s, so this amounts to 20mins improvement after 3mths+ of training (and not really running for 1yr+). Yet, I'm kinda disappointed as I'm now way behind my super ambitious target of 2h:10m for SCM2011. Will still keep the target as setting easy/achievable targets is no longer my goal. Probably more so after I chanced upon this quote from Deena Kastor:
"If you stay in your comfort zone, you are not going to do anything special."

Some notes from this morning's run:
- Started badly, to the extent that my left calf felt like cramping. I attribute it to the bad meal selection for yesterday's dinner (pasta). My theory is that I didn't drink enough water for the carbs to break down by the time of the run and ended up running with a tummy full of carbs. For SCM, I shall start carb loading 2-3 days before and only have a light/simple meal the dinner before.

- The handheld bottle can be a chore to hold onto, esp when it's full. But the benefits of having proper/constant hydration more than makes up for it. Decided to depend on water points for hydration during SCM but will continue to use the bottle for usual runs (anything close/beyond 1hr). The insulation on the bottle isn't as ideal as I wanted it to be. Can already feel slight condensation on the outside after filling it up with ice-cold water. I reckon it can only keep drinks cold for around 1.5hrs. At least the bottle cap tech is cool.

- I should lay off from any running/resistance the week before SCM.

- Although the weather was perfect, this run felt so much more tedious than the 15km right from the start. The average pace (6.45min/km vs 6.17min/km) shows a significant change too. The additional 6km is a much bigger challenge than what I'd thought it to be. Can't imagine what 42km feels like.

- After the run, my leg muscles all felt like they could cramp anytime. Don't remember this happening after the 15km run.

*updated!
- just remembered about the SCM'09 chafing incident! I had them bad at the underarms and between the thighs back then! Good that I didn't get any today, think the singlet and tights helped. Though my nipples were sore when I just took my shower. Will consider getting vaseline for the race.

3 more weeks to go and next week will be the last week available for any distance training. Doubt I'll be doing anything more than 10km and then there's the Salomon race too.

Thanks to Colin/Dru for joining the long run. Good to see Dru breaking his longest distance record again; it was extremely hilarious when he said that he was crashing out around the 14km mark but he ended up running faster and disappearing from my line of sight (based on what I've read from many sources, if you bonk out you will not be able to run at all even if you wanted to).
Sometimes, it is scary how we limit ourselves cos of our mental inhibitions. To me, 'mind over body' is actually about realising our suppressed potential, rather than using Jedi mind tricks to gain super-human strength.

October

2011-11-07T21:10:00.001+08:00

Run:
8 runs
Distance: 64.63 km
Time: 7:33:29
Achievement: 15K PB: 1:34:16
Others: Joined Newton Running Club after shoes tryout)

Health:
BF%: 24.8
Weight: Gained a little after first week but stayed pretty much constant the whole month.

Bowling:
3rd

Cheatdays: 1st, 8th, 16th, 23rd, 29th

Friends:

Tier 0:
Visited the Zoo with Tier 0 + Zelene (her review video was a real shocker! can't wait to see that side of her in person)

Wedding of Andre & Jenny
Funny that I met my pri sch classmate at Sharon's ex-colleague's wedding. Nice venue too!

Darren & Cynthia
Visited their new home and saw Scruffie & Sugar. It's been many years but it's good to see that Scruffie kinda remembers Sharon (he came to the door when we arrived).

Photos of the month:

Cheat Day 29 Oct

2011-11-02T13:38:00.001+08:00

Cheat Meals for the week (mostly cos of bowling):

awwa

2011-11-02T09:37:00.001+08:00

Last Friday, I volunteered for community service together with 10 Northlight School Students at awwa which is the Asian Women's Welfare Association located at one of the HDB block in Ang Mo Kio!! Apparently, the government has converted the 2nd to 4th Floor to a home for the aged. The 5th floor onwards are rented flats mostly house old folks too! Our mission was to serve lunch prepared by our Chef. It made all these old folks really happy just having the group of us there. I enjoyed my trip there minus the "old folks smell" that was quite bad. It is always nice to see a smile on their face when u visit them! However, the sad part of it all is that most of these old folks are not wanted by their children or either the children cannot afford to hire a maid. Lowest fee starts at $30 a month depending on the children's salary. They will review the salary or CPF contribution yearly and will increase the fee accordingly. We also found out that most of the occupants of the home is 80% males and 20% female!! So who chutpattern the most huh? Lol! Enjoy the pics below!

Bowling Photos

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000+08:00

got these photos from my colleague.

no Paradise for them

2011-10-30T23:40:00.000+08:00

problem sums


picking on shells

stop staring (start imagining)

daydreams

happy feet

dark knight

joystick

white tigress

Back to Zoo with Zelene

2011-10-29T22:49:00.001+08:00

sisterhood

J.D. v2.0?

crashing the kids party

splash

saboteurs

favorite shot!

feeding time!

Cheat Day 23 Oct 2011

2011-10-28T23:01:00.001+08:00

BBFD

Ah Wang Toasts (< Yakun)

Smith's Dory

Sausage & Cheese Apam Balik

Ritz Strudel

Baconator from Picque Nique

Wang Wang

Cacat Brand Satay Broad Beans

Cheat meals along the week

Home Fried Wantons

Roti-John from Changi Village

P.S. in continuation to make cheat days more fun, all photos for this cheat day were taken using instagram.

Behind the Runner-up!

2011-10-28T11:22:00.000+08:00

bronze baby!

So, it's been almost a year since I started bowling (got bit by the bug during last year's bowling tournament). I don't keep track of my spending down to the cents but I don't doubt that I've spent more than $1.2k on this hobby by now, which is still incomparable to yoyos! Now, I've finally added another trophy to the cabinet (first one after JC!). Prior to the finals (yesterday), there was a round of ad-hoc qualifiers which I placed 9th. Obviously, I wasn't on the favorites list to win anything or even come close to top 5. Underdogs FTW!

Started my first game strong with 193 then I slumped to 135. It could have gone downhill from there on but somehow I made a comeback and finished the last game 178. First tournament in a 3-game series, so that's a new PB (506 pinfalls)!
I'd admit it wasn't easy, for most of the shots, I was standing on the approach full of nerves, I was literally shaking from the adrenaline. Traditionally, I don't perform well under pressure (like how I screwed up during the earlier SCS bowling tournament). I guess all the running and C1 nonsense helped. I really do feel more confident having been able to hit PBs in 5K, 10K and 15K (=P) in the space of 2 months as well as hitting my targeted weight and looking healthy/fit during the same period. This shit is life changing.

Got to speak to the proshop guy recently and got enlightened on some releasing the ball as well as reading the oil patterns on the lane. Imagine after months of regular bowling and even getting a coach for a couple of lessons (thank goodness I stopped the coaching sessions!) I never knew about all these stuff. My conclusion is that those Uncles in (reputable) proshops are like walking Wikipedia - abundance of free knowledge.

spot the difference!

I used to overhook the ball on release (sequence on top). This causes the ball to be erratic and uncontrollable. The one below is still not perfect, but there's a slight less twist one the wrist during release which already makes a lot of difference. See below for the pro version:

Right way to release

15K PB

2011-10-23T22:27:00.002+08:00

Today is confirm PB day since it's the first 15km I've done. Thanks to Colin & Dru for being cheerleaders.

At times, it felt as though I've expended all my glycogen stores. I think it was fatigue messing with my head. Good that I now know my FE is enough to last me at least 15K. The final stretch sprint with Colin was great - I like to end my runs with a final burst but it has always left me wondering whether I could have picked up pace earlier.

Only 9 runs since POSB, mostly in Zone 2s and under an hour, I don't regret training smart and going MED. It is really a myth that you need to train endurance by putting a lot of days running long distances.

Dear Sir,

2011-10-18T11:03:00.000+08:00

In the new development, yes we will have Chin Ups ftness equipmet opposite the petrol station in Park1(Pond Gardens). This area is still not accessible to public yet. Probably it will be ready in 1st quarter of 2012.
Regards

Manager (Riverine Parks)
National Parks Board

hoot hoot!

2011-10-17T21:46:00.000+08:00

The shoes are very light! Based on the Newton website, weight is comparable to VFFs!
The upper is mostly made of mesh and it doesn't look durable at all - though I don't think running will cause the upper to wear out before the soles. The current plan is to reserve this for races and TTs, while the KSOs will serve as trainers.

*edit: Forgot to mention the black foam pads with 3M adhesives that come with the shoes. These are 3mm cushions to be placed at the heel for those not accustomed to running with zero drop shoes.

The actuator lugs is supposed to be an improvement from the previous models. They don't extend as much out of the sole and there's now 5 of them (different positioning) instead of the previous 4. Realized Newton Run competitors are entitled 20% off and I gave Adrian a call to see if he signed up for the race. He didn't answer at first and I was planning to buy it without discount if he didn't call within 10mins. Gotta count my lucky stars, he called back and I managed to save $40+ just like that.

Got my M-frame today too! Bro-in-law just travelled to the States and I got him to buy these for me.

I've been complaining about Sharon about shopping, look who's talking!

palindromes

2011-10-17T21:15:00.000+08:00

FYI, programmers 'love' palindromes (and anagrams too!).
Me? I was programmed to hate them after a particular module.

via Monochrome Delirious (until now, I always thought it was 'Monochrome Delicious')

16 October - JB Food Tripping

2011-10-17T16:16:00.002+08:00

started the day with a not-so-early morning run and ended it with a huge weight gain. also tried my best to take as many nonsense photos with the food as i could.

I didn't get to eat parrots.

Nasi Lemak at AMK

Fanta Peach Drink

Grillbar's Wagyu

Char Ye Dan

JB Char Siew Pau

Ayub's Maggie Goreng

Grillbar's Sundae

this changes everything

2011-10-16T23:40:00.000+08:00

via syblog

Andre & Jenny

2011-10-16T23:31:00.000+08:00

I decided not to bring the 450D cos I reckoned it would be super weird to be carrying a DSLR to a wedding where you have never met the couple (Sharon's friends). iPhone 4 does pretty well! Though a little noisy at times, it works good enough for me. Tip: enabling HDR mode when taking photos of food helps (esp when lighting is inconsistent).

The venue is superb, it's closest you can get to dining in within a church. Food was pretty good, especially the dessert selection! Sharon had pork loin while I had beef fillet for mains. Realised I don't really fancy beef fillet though it was really tender, it just didn't have that beefy taste. Unfortunate part was that the service was lacking - not expecting 5-star hotel standards but it could have been so much better if the banquet team was more capable.

Dear Colon

2011-10-16T22:16:00.003+08:00

I totally enjoyed running with you

chijmes hall

2011-10-15T17:44:00.001+08:00

nice wedding venue! should have brought the camera with me

mum's birthday

2011-10-14T19:14:00.000+08:00

=P

2011-10-14T18:37:00.001+08:00

oh the memories!

1D.5

2011-10-13T16:27:00.002+08:00

Canon Rumors
most likely a 1D mark V. Hopefully, that means the Digic 5 tech is gonna roll down to the 5/7D series.

4S Bluetooth

2011-10-13T14:49:00.001+08:00

It appears that the 4S will be the first phone on the market to support Bluetooth 4.0. This means that there are gonna be new devices (like HRMs) being built with Bluetooth 4.0 and will be supported natively without the need of additional attachments on the iPhone.
Wondering why most HRMs are not using older Bluetooth tech (most are using ANT+ instead), that's because old Bluetooth tech requires too much power making it impractical - Bluetooth 4.0 has a low-power mode.

What I really want to see, is for the iPod Nano to come with Bluetooth 4.0. That's gonna be a pretty cool watch, a really smart one too!

2011-10-12T21:20:00.003+08:00

She'll be right there with the guitar gods one day.

2011-10-12T20:51:00.002+08:00

I guess after the 'Noose' program won them some awards they are now trying to integrate it with mainstream news.

Snowy

2011-10-12T20:03:00.001+08:00

Haiz... I still can't bear to eat or throw him away! He is still sitting in the box in the fridge...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Comfort Food

2011-10-12T16:20:00.001+08:00

With love from Wanyi, my wonderful coordinator!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011-10-12T11:05:00.003+08:00

Dart

2011-10-11T10:17:00.001+08:00

Google's just launched a new programming language: Dart. It's web-centric and able to either run in a VM or compiled into Javascript.

After all this while, I've yet to really venture into web apps, the most I've done was probably some simple javascripts for swx. Gotta really upgrade myself soon.

http://www.dartlang.org/

circular hops

2011-10-10T23:37:00.001+08:00

experimented the circle line today, to work and back.

i have a habit of timing my journeys (and the bad habit of forgeting to record it somewhere).
My rough estimates for morning routes to work:
a) mrt from amk to redhill via raffles place: T mins
b) mrt from amk to orchard, transfer to 111 at orchard boulevard : T - 10mins
c) mrt from amk to redhill via b.vista: T - 9mins

if 111 arrives at the bus stop just as i do, route b will be the most efficient as the alighting bus-stop is nearer to my office than redhill mrt. however, sometimes the wait time for 111 can be as long as 15mins during peak hours.
while the circle line is slightly slower, it should be more consistent given that the wait time at bishan should not exceed 7mins. not to mention excellent 3G coverage and less crowd. shall experiment on route c for the rest of the week.

tried the circle line again after work (around 6.30pm) and it was madness. train from redhill to b.vista was packed to the brim. train at b.vista (circle line) was packed to the brim. most people would get off at bishan to transfer to NS line (like I do). not to mention the poor design of the 'revamped' bishan NS line platform- narrow with only 1 escalator leading up, causing massive human jam. ironically, the train from redhill to amk via raffles place (NS line) is much more comfortable. i shall stick to the usual journey home!

scruffie & sugar

2011-10-10T00:33:00.002+08:00

visited Darren & Cynthia at their new house today. Scruffie & Sugar (they were Sharon's dogs) are no longer young, but they're still cute.

黑青

2011-10-10T00:17:00.001+08:00

just discovered. I think I got it from the superman incident. and I thought I walked away with just a bruised ego!

Cheat Day 8 Oct 2011

2011-10-09T14:15:00.000+08:00

this would've been a rather normal weekend meal in the past! finally cleared the earl grey milk tea (gong cha) and LJS from my list. I should have squeezed in another meal between lunch and dinner but couldn't think of anything else to eat around scape. also, after experiencing a few cheat days where i felt sick after over-eating, i think just eating normal portions is good enough.

Snowman

2011-10-08T13:12:00.001+08:00

Totally cute!! Bought one but can't bear to eat it. They only make 30 snowman a day. It's bread filled with Red Bean Paste!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Emerald Hill Rd,Singapore,Singapore

the other steve

2011-10-07T09:54:00.002+08:00

My favorite Steve, the less famous half of the guys who started Apple.

When it comes to partnerships, sometimes you wonder what if these people didn't meet and get along at that point in time which defined their successes. Do parallel universes exist?

dear pedicure fanboys

2011-10-07T00:47:00.001+08:00

bully

2011-10-06T23:13:00.000+08:00

Subway is suing Subway Niche for trademark infringement when Subway Niche opened it's first store (Wisma Atria, 1987!) 9 years before Subway came to Singapore (2 years before Subway registered its trademark). Best of all, Subway Niche mainly sells nonya kuehs and food like mee siam/rebus, as well as those cheap sandwiches. How can you argue that consumers are misled into thinking the two brands are the same? Looks like Subway is just another american bully. It's gonna drop off my list of favorite food outlets now on.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1157472/1/.html

healthy bowling food

2011-10-06T20:44:00.001+08:00

and everyone thinks I'm super act health =P

Location:Jupiter Rd,,Singapore

2011-10-06T11:20:00.000+08:00

he may not be my favorite Steve from Apple but his legacy speaks for itself.

'sometimes life is gonna hit your face with a brick, don't lose faith.'

Newton Shoes Trial

2011-10-05T23:35:00.000+08:00

Joined the Newton Running Club's weekly session today for a trial on Newton running shoes. Jio-ed Colin & Dru along for it and the route is pretty much the usual prom route but in opposite direction. The people in the group are pretty friendly, especially the 'commander'.

It was an interesting experience as well, when the salesperson was running with us and getting feedback on the shoes (wonder what their job interview is like). The service is really good and they are not pushy with their products (some of the members of the running group don't even wear Newtons). For that, I'd rather spend more and buy from them rather than getting it online/elsewhere.

Was handed the Stability Performance Trainers (wanted to try the racer but they do not have my size for that). These felt more 'normal' compared to when I first slipped on the Racer at the KPI Warehouse. Maybe it was because the lugs were worn on these.

Compared to the KSOs, here's my take:
-The cushions are pretty thick (def. not zero drop) and is very forgiving for bad form. In fact, I find it hard to maintain good form in these. Impact is definitely absorbed, which is very evident where everyone's footfalls are barely audible. Given the lugs at the bottom, I'd say these definitely minimize the time of contact with the ground.
-At times, I can feel my feet slightly swimming around the shoe, sometimes making landings in slight awkward angles. Perhaps it was the socks (I don't like to run in socks cos of this slippery feel).
-The weight can be felt. Although just ~9.6 oz, I have been spoilt by the KSOs (~5.8 oz).

After thinking through and comparing this with my KSOs as well as the NB Minimus, I'm inclined to go for the new MV2s. They are as light as the KSOs, are zero-drop and the lugs are supposed to be 2nd-gen tech. Intention will be to use them for races, TTs and maybe even the tempos.

subliminal

2011-10-05T16:21:00.002+08:00

mind-blowing

Fanboy Wars

2011-10-05T15:14:00.000+08:00

iPhone 4S (+iOS5) vs Nexus Prime (Android)
There's been a lot of heated arguments and taunts around the web (funny that i tend to see more people taunting Apple/iOS/iPhone more than the other way round). While both ecosystems (iOS and Android) are different, they are able to serve many smartphone needs without a fuss. I even think Windows Phone can be considered equal if not for their apps portfolio and was sad to see HP let webOS die.

Some say the iPhone 4S release is underwhelming which I agree to an extent - it's no way a game-changer, but given the uncertainties in the economy climate, this conservative approach might just be the right move. I do ponder over other possible improvements: Do we really need a larger form factor and/or a even faster processor? Being known for their product designs, imagine how a change in chassis design might have converted the 'meh' to 'wow' for many.

Canon vs Nikon (vs Sony vs MILC)
The great DSLR divide! Visit any photography forum and you won't miss a Canon-Nikon flame war.
Nikon's about to announce the D800 (36MP!) to carry on the megapixels war and their prosumer range has been said to outperform the Canons in low-light and AF performance. It's been widely thought that Canon's been waiting to see Nikon's new range before making any move - the 1D/Ds, 5D and 7D lines are all in due for a refresh. Nikon's also launched the 1-system to fight in the MILC (mirrorless-interchangeable-lens-camera) while Sony's aggressively climbing up the DSLR charts especially with the launch of the A77.
2012 will be a year to decide on whether to upgrade, switch camps or even downgrade the DSLR to a MILC.

Fanboy wars are just pointless fights over inflated egos. I own a iPhone and a Canon DSLR and as an end-user, I reap more benefits from good competition cos it's what drives companies to innovate. So yeah, thumbs up from me to Nikon, Sony, Google and the Android manufacturers.

options

2011-10-02T23:09:00.000+08:00

happened to be at Novena today and stopped by NB. Gave the MT10s (i actually fit a size 10) a try and they do feel comfortable. will decide after the newton tryout on wednesday.

been reading the 4HBody over the weekend and was surprised to see the claim that newtons are the highest contributors to foot injury. come to think of it, those stats would prob be applicable to vibram runners too.

also, had my first pedi today. removed most of the KSO scars but they'd prob be back in a week or two.

binary cheat day 011011

2011-10-02T22:56:00.002+08:00

September 2011 Review

2011-09-30T21:51:00.002+08:00

Running:

Runs: 8
Mileage: 61.78
Clock: 7:40:13

POSB Run:
New 10km PB: 58:59

Bib	8177
Race Category	10KM MALE
Nett Time	59m 48s
Gun Time	59m 58s
Rank	151 of 605

Based on the above results, my target for SCM2011 Half Marathon shall be 2:10:00

group photo with colleagues. i look so damn gay

Health/Fitness:

LDMR is setting in but I'm satisfied with the way it is now. Rather than continue to lose weight, I'd prefer getting into better shape.

Tier 0:
Spent our first mooncake festival outing with the group at Chinese Garden. Weather was bad (glad that i carry an umbrella all the time) and was made to pay some pricey entrance fee but Xinwei made it up with hyper gold-plated mooncakes from MO! The photo-taking sessions were fun, especially with the couple-relay finale! Not to mention that I got to satisfy my butter-chicken craving after that.

Other friends:

Met up with Adrian & Peishi for dinner at Itallianies. Although I'm not exactly close with them (they are Sharon's ex-colleagues after all), it was great company. Signed them up for the POSB run as well and Adrian ended up being my pacer on the day.

Bad Karmic Moments:
- smashed shutter
- thumb stabbing incident

So that's it, another month's behind us. 2 more months to SCM2011, 3 more months to X'mas & New Year. Gonna be travelling back to JB in a while. Although down with a slight cold (out of nowhere in late morning!), I need to make this trip - kinda missed home and the food there after hearing so many people talking about their experiences in JB recently. Tomorrow shall be a good cheat day to kick start October!

been a while

2011-09-30T13:04:00.001+08:00

Location:Havelock Road

Chutpattern = LVE 爱

2011-09-28T18:27:00.001+08:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oishi!!

2011-09-28T14:21:00.001+08:00

My colleagues raved about the pasta stall at suntec city near carrefour so today i decided to try it. Ordered the Meat Lovers Special which consist of Turkey Bacon and Ham and Chicken Sausage in BBQ Cream Sauce. Priced at $7.90, Quite ex but worth it. My verdict, Good food comes in small boxes. =p

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011-09-28T10:15:00.000+08:00

Back to Running

2011-09-27T23:27:00.001+08:00

Took an entire week off after the POSB run to allow whatever that needs to recover have a good rest.
Finally got around to using the planned workout feature on the watch, something i should have done long ago! The audio cues eliminated the need to constantly check the watch and keep track of what to do next.

Took the basic template from the watch and edited the reps part to match my usual training. Was able to complete the workout in 40mins, guess I'll need to add in a couple of reps in there.
Also made a mistake to disable the GPS when I was still indoors and forgetting to turn it back on before the run. Ran the first km like some headless chicken!

(MV)^2

2011-09-26T21:51:00.001+08:00

New release with zero drop. From their site, it's USD20 cheaper than the racers. Not sure if they have it in SG yet, will check it out one day.

While checking out reviews on Newtons, came by this blog with some tips to prolong the life of newtons: http://aimlessrunner.blogspot.com/2011/04/making-newton-shoes-last-past-500-miles.html

Not exactly the colors I'd really fancy but they look decent enough.

*edit*

F should equal MV^2, not (MV)^2. What was I thinking when i typed that title in?!

test drive

2011-09-26T13:10:00.003+08:00

F1 Aftermath

2011-09-25T23:23:00.003+08:00

Bernard's Birthday

2011-09-25T23:18:00.001+08:00

extra baggage

2011-09-24T12:12:00.001+08:00

my current bags are not big enough for my running days at work and the crumpler is not practical for travelling - can barely fit anything after putting a laptop in it. looking at getting a new bag for the december trip.

checked out the nixon store yesterday after seeing colin with his new bag. the bags look nice and are much more affordable - a crumpler backpack probably costs more than 2 nixons.

now i have too many things i want to buy! (but money no enough)
-M Frame
-2XU shorts
-running shoes
-Asus O'Play Mini
-New computer

good form

2011-09-23T23:38:00.001+08:00

It's like ChiRunning explained in 1min.

And.... I'm thinking of buying a pair of the MT10. The KSO is giving me blisters, especially at the pinky toes where it is kinda too tight. Some say the Merrels are better as there's 0 foot drop (MTs have 4mm footdrop) but I prefer NB's branding and design.

FYI, they will be releasing the Minimus Zero in March 2012. Looks good but I won't be able to wait.
http://www.newbalance.com/performance/running/nb-minimus-zero-9-things-you-should-know/

CR7

2011-09-23T21:10:00.001+08:00

I always thought he was just good but not great. This set of videos totally changed my mind and I now have nothing but respect for him.
Watch part 3 first and then decide if it's worth your time to watch the other 3 videos.

Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4

Pokemon by Hay

2011-09-23T15:00:00.001+08:00

The artistic talent of my nephew, Hayden. He drew it free hand!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

hype coffee

2011-09-22T09:44:00.001+08:00

Sharon bought me these to try. Pretty good but it's not cheap - $3.90 for 3

$6

2011-09-21T20:09:00.001+08:00

first i bided for one on eBay. found one on a forum for $8 so retracted eBay bid. then I saw this at runners lab and had to sabo that forum seller too. feels bad but no choice