time changes everything

Priorities always changes, and it should. This line seemed to resonate with me. I spent the week leading up to Good Friday and the entire week, reading the foreword of Triathlete Magazine April 2008, by Mitch Thrower. Though the header was titled Sandbagger, it bear that much more than being the usual midnight runs or borrowing any bike to sneak in time to train, it was about priorities and the mindset of a triathlete as well as a human being.

I did train, i do try. I am a try-athlete, as some might said. I am a casual triathlete, a weekend warrior of sorts, or a taitai-triathlete, i would tell others. I've started having renewed passion for running again. Like another guy said, and i quote : i need to forget the last marathon in order to run the next one. For now, i'll keep on moving towards my goal : my 70.3 & that 42km.

On Good Friday, i caught up with the girls, although we had some misunderstandings over religion, and hens' night, but that's another story altogether. So going in, i knew some feathers were ruffled, and i was prepared for a really nasty time. Maybe i was being sensitive, sensitivity being the only thing left that still stood between me and that cross to being a full-fledged brother. Heh :) . Through the hours i spend with them, actually 2 hours, i realized their lives have started moving onto the topic of weddings & renovation, and very caught up with it too. Our priorities have changed. There i stood, realizing i am not going to partake in that madness. Of course i felt different, why else would i blog about it? But my intentions were clear to stay true to my true style of Eve, and just have fun, and throw caution to the wind.

I left the lunch, with a heavy heart to head for training and that constant reminder to keep me grounded : Priorities change, as they should with time. Just as they have their priority to get married and have their fairytale wedding, i'm going to continue my road to finishing up an ironman. Different people get married for a variety of reasons. Some do it because they want to live together, without nagging parents. Some just felt it would be a whole new level to just being committed. Some do it for the kids. Some do it for the wedding event itself. I can't seem to understand that amount of craze for a perfect fairytale wedding. Was i going to be like that when it's my turn? What about that joy of getting married, and starting life as a Mrs? I wondered if any of the married ones thought about it. Life's so much more than being a wife and a mother. First you're a daughter and sister. For me, there's also the "brother", best friend, buddy, training mate, etc. And i live with that, knowing my life has been crazy and fulfilling, just the way i like it.

For now, i continue my road to finishing an ironman. And i find comfort that someone else share my exact sentiments. "There's no way a non-triathlete would understand the energy and confidence i gain from finishing a race", says Mitch Thrower. And Amen to that!

The Leap Year --- a movie in review

I went to watch the Leap Year recently. The story of 29th February. The story about a tradition that allows women to make the first move for a romantic encounter, or as the movie puts it, no man is allowed turn down a woman's proposal on February 29th , or he risks a fine.

The movie was refreshing & touching. I recommend it to everyone & anyone. So what if it's a local(Singapore) production, the bottomline is the storyline is good. It's about love at first sight. The minute you meet someone, there's an instant connection, to something so familiar yet so strange. It's about throwing caution to the wind. When was the last time you did that? To live based on a gut feel? To let it all go? and to just live for the moment! I thought about it. And you know what? I loved it, cos i like going where the wind takes me. Carpe Diem!

A few quotes that showed up during the movie :
It's not in the stars that hold our destiny, but in ourselves --- William Shakespeare
Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous --- Albert Einstein
A person often meets his destiny on his way to avoid it --- Jean De La Fontaine
If you're not too long, i'll wait for you all my life --- Oscar Wilde

In three words, i can sum up everything about life : it goes on --- Robert Frost

Sunday Rides

160508 : cycling along Pioneer...
Originally uploaded by daftbitch.

Sunday Long Rides have become quite a routine .. to end the week, with a big bang. Long Sunday Rides, with great company, of people with different jobs, with one passion in cycling... get together to ride, and to have breakfast together. Others drive to have breakfast, we cycle to have breakfast, naming our rides : mee rebus ride, mcdonald's ride... tour de tuas, loop de mandai, you get the drift...

So the menu was Tour De Tuas. We set off with 70km in mind, i remember reminding Nick at the 15km mark from NUS Fong Seng, to do a U-Turn. In the end, they decided, we shld go to Tuas West Road / Schering Plough area. Man... that began the nightmare. It was long... "are we there yet?" ... hot route.

By the time, we got to a proper rest : it was 60km. We sat down to have McDonald's. I now know, i can order extra egg and sausage with my big breakfast. Heh ! New Discovery! The commute back was quik. Much faster than i expected.

Can't wait for the long weekend next week.
More pictures on cycling available here...

Coke Madness...

Coke Zero got introduced to Singapore. Frankly, i never heard of it. Friends who used to study in Aussie raves about it. Less sweet, blahz blahz. I dont know. The contents looked similar to me, between the coke light and coke zero. Both promotes zero calorie, zero fat. But citric acid and citrate sodium? What's the difference?

Ultimate test would be to go drink it. Be the judge.
My verdict :
1) Coke Light still taste blahz
2) Coke Zero taste a bit blahz...
3) Original Coke rocks... :)

More Coke Please...

Singapore Biathlon 08

Singapore Biathlon 08 - Michael, Eve & Kian Yan
Originally uploaded by daftbitch.

I did it. Surprisingly.

I remember clearly standing at the start line at 730am, close to tears... and kept telling Kian Yan : " i am scared, how?". For two days before the event, i kept muttering to myself and friends : "I am scared. How". The panic and anxiety has set in.

At the swim start, there seems to be hundreds of people. The ladies were starting with the Men's Veterans. My coach Seamonster Alex was part of the manic bunch in my wave. Bernard facebook-ed me, and i quote, : "wahahaha, see how you die...". Now THANKS for calming my nerves. Rough swimstarts, i saw men & women elbows, clawing their way to find space to start their front crawl. I got kicked by some nasty froggers ( or breaststrokers, as they are known). My legs have bruises from them jump starting on my knees. My eye socket hurts cos some dude kicked the goggles on my face. Crap, worst start ever. I treaded water and just watched the commotion.

Soon i started my swim, and very determined to finish in front crawl, not breast stroke. I just aim to complete, not compete. It was a leisure swim, with me humming to myself : Everything by Michael Buble. By the time i hit 1km, it was getting boring. I tried side kicking to just bask in the race, watching birds fly by, and seeing the ships out in the ocean.

As soon as i hit land, i struggled to rid my face of salt water and to grab my running shoes to go. It was depressing when you see the 1km, then 2km, and then 3km markers. I mean, come on, you don't have to tell me i have 7 more kms to go. That's torturous. Before i know it, i paced myself at 1km per 5 mins or 5 mins 30 secs. It became more enjoyable and i felt absolutely fantastic once i crossed the finish line.

There! I finished my 1st OD Biathlon 1.5km swim + 10km run. And you know what, i am happy. The atmosphere's great. I managed to hang out with friends, take a bunch of pictures, hug a few soggy people.

So more races to come.
I came in position 101. Time : 1 Hr 51 mins 1 secs.
Not too bad i suppose, first OD event ever, first time i ever did front crawl the whole way thru.