7:51:26

Those were the numbers i saw this morning at the back of a t-shirt my neighbor wore.

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon t-shirt.

Being the kaypoh (or known as nosey) Singapore-born, bred and educated individual, it always piqued my interest to see how everyone's timing for those 42.195km are. I know i won't be putting my timing on my tee for the world to see, as i felt ashamed of anything above five hours.

However, seeing my neighbor's tee with those numbers reminded me how one should always see their own achievements and accomplishments. It's not about timing, nor results, but of one's fulfillment of dreams and accomplishments. To my former training buddies (former- as i have stopped and found my passion lies in my work, instead of triathlons), 7:51 is a disgrace, anything beyond 6 hours is considered real bad effort for marathon. Whereas to every other individual, this accomplishment of finishing those 42.195km in pain and suffering is their accomplishment, and item off their bucket list.

So be appreciative and contented with your own achievements.

It's through contentment that you fail to see flaws in life, and perhaps find happiness.

And the crowd goes wild....

Once every 4 years, you either embrace it or loathe it.

Most women loathe it. The punters in that demographic however love it.

Orchard Road gets remarkably quieter during the evening, and now even on rainy days (well, if you haven't heard the news, it flooded like at least a foot high along the main stretch lately). Men skip family plans, using up whatever concessions or bag bribes they have offered to their wives, girlfriendss or family, all in pursuit of their passion. The restaurants, bars and coffeeshops reports a higher income.

All for that one month.

What are we talking about?

22 men running after one ball.

In some matches, there can be 22 multi-millionaires. It's the world cup.

And i'm not loving it. Maybe because i'm part of the deployment. I see the uglier side to things, and the demands by other humankind get real fugly. So much so that it makes me respect the customer service reps a whole lot more. So now that deployment is well on its way, i'm planning for the days ahead.

With bated breath, i sit planning my road, as i wait for the rush for the EPL, and a whole brand new slew of complaints.

Be nice, people!

A change will do you good

It's been some time since i made changes to the blog. So now's a better time than any other ... with the introduction of easy to use navigation bars from blogger. Of the picture : i like the pic, courtesy of a friend of mine (kaachaphotos), it was taken when we were out grabbing a sandwich together. And the pic was taken randomly. I should really call him again, before he gets really busy with his wedding. Congrats btw.

And to others, the lack of blog posts only meant that i am really busy with work and it's mundane, same old routine. Sleep, wake up at 7, get to work by 8am, lunch at 12, work to 8 or 9pm, dinner, home. There's hardly any progress in my workout routine, nor schedule. I haven't been maintaining my fitness. There's no point to write down anything.

Often, I wondered how i ever did a 70.3, it leaves me baffled. I would however want to do another 70.3, perhaps in the year 2011. Since my love for tri has been forced to simmer, it may deem right to continue my narration of my exploits, true to my taitai-nature, on fashion and style. I guess i should be spending some time on my latest handbags acquisition, or a snapshot of my collection of high heels. Very unlike my partner in crime, Matt, who's going to spend his next post on how to build his sports fitness and how he's going for his next Ironman race. At this point, i can hear him smacking his hand on his forehead.

To Matt, let's run. Pink calf guards?

Bali Dreaming...

What do you get when you pack a Jetstar airplane with 23 other friends?

Yes you heard right. TWENTY FOUR people. 2 4!

Mayhem, laughter, chilling, and a extreme bunch of hating.

We spent 5 days in Bali... well, 3 full days in Bali.

I may not have come back more tanned, sssshhhh! i get even more tanned when out doing my thing : swim.bike.run. But i love the early mornings when i wake up, get to breakfast, go back to the pool, hangout, have lunch, chillax by the beach nursing ice cold Bintang or Heinekens, dinner... and bed! That was so chilled out, that i miss Bali the minute i got back to Singapore.

I think it's not the place, it's the friends. You eat, drink, party with 23 other friends. What's there not to love? Well... hate in this case, cos this is a bunch of haters.

So the haters, i loveeeeee!

Switching my diet all over again

It's been a week since i began my soda diet.

Every meal out becomes a challenge. Only then I realized how much i actually love that liquid in a can. Truth be told, i haven't noticed how much i actually adore Coca-cola, and what it does to me. I can probably tell you offhand about how much benefit i have from that brown liquid: i really enjoy a nice cold coke before i go for a run. And nothing cures a hangover than McD's fries and an ice cold coke. My recent love for drinks in can / bottles has been expanded to carbonated drinks like Pokka Sparking Fuji Apple : rich in vitamin c, and free from preservatives and artificial colouring. Or that Oolong Tea. Who could forget Pokka Green Tea, when you have it served with martell? It came to my head that it's the sugar from these drinks, that might possibly be making me fat. So i embark on this month long fast from soda, sugar or syrup concentrated drinks.

I swapped to having sugar cane juice, lime juice (anything this sour can't have that much sugar?), and mostly, water. I carry a bottle whenever i can, wherever i can. By the weekend, i realized i had to take some green tea to wash down with the whiskey, and chugged loads of water after. By Monday of a brand new week, in a bid to cheer up a friend over lunch, i ordered coke.

Truly it was happiness in a can.

Till at 2am in the morning of a tuesday, and i haven't gone to bed, that was my nightmare. Great... a week without much caffeine or sugar, and now, i can't sleep!

Johnny Walker

My boyfriend calls me Johnny Walker.

Why?

I wanna keep on walking in the malls and everywhere else :)

Keep on walking!

The race to lose weight

While out for dinner last night, i had this weird eureka! moment of sorts. Maybe i shouldn't describe it as a eureka moment. I do know i've put on flab. I saw it with my own eyes in the fitting rooms, as i went shopping.

Waiting in line for the dinner table to get ready, i remarked to my friend about the need to lose weight. Sigh, this is where the peer pressure sets in. Most of my friends are tiny, skinny, and young. Me? I have nothing to fight. As the reality of turning 30 sets in, i realized how absolutely unfit i am for a beach holiday.

With that in mind, i struggle to kick my badass soda habit for a month, and start my ass running.

I need a fab body in a month. Tell me how? This was my resolution for every year. I haven't got started on it. Sad but true.

Of Ben & Stuff...

Life goes on. A month has passed.

As i drove home earlier from Monday night yoga session, i tuned into the local radio stations. The song "Lose Yourself" by Eminem was on. I remembered Ben, and had a smile on my face. It was one of the songs he told me he would play before he set off on a ride. It would psych himself up in anticipation of the fun and the ride. Each time i hear it, it reminded me of him, i remember psyching myself up for the ride ahead.

I got home, and got an email from a kind someone who remembers Ben. He wanted to know about a certain object and googled it. And out came the link :

http://pedaldamnit.blogspot.com/2010/01/planet-bike-smart-superflash-rear-light.html

He talked about Ben's helpfulness and dedication in talking about safety. And yet he's reminded that Ben isn't around anymore. At that moment, i felt the tug in my heartstrings.

I decided to check out BenMokPedalOn.Com and in it is a beautiful chinese article written by anonymous. Read it, feel it, and i miss you Ben.

How many bad news can one take?

It's a rainy Monday. I woke up, feeling all ready to battle with my work problems. Work went well, surprisingly. Sometimes, when technical or manpower deployment issues are not considered the worst of the list of issues at work, it's usually the interpersonal relationships at work : the politics and the temperaments of employees. Sometimes, some things are better left unsaid, and let it sort itself; other times, it's best to just nip it in the bud.

A friend informed me about his mentor's stroke and his depression. I can empathize with the mental struggle and torture of seeing someone important lie in the bed, in hope for a gleam of hope that he will stand up again and sit next to you to enjoy that nice beer.

I went on the rest of my Monday, and wondered about the failure of replies of the text messages from my fave yoga teacher. He's young, vivacious and infectious with his laughter. I love his stories about the different food places he would go to, and his funny antics. I like that he bothered to know us, and to know we're lazy and cheeky. When i walked into his class today, i realize his mom was taking over his class, and i thought "oh maybe he's down with cold / tummy ache again..." Then his mom informed us at the end of class that he seemed to have a cancer relapse, and is going to get his blood tested. My heart sank. My sis looked stunned and sad, and said "i don't wanna do yoga, if i don't see him". We love him to bits. And we hope, pray and wish from the bottom of our hearts that he will recover.

Please, 老师, be strong and fight it. We miss you a lot, and your funny stories about food and life. See you in class soon.

reigniting that passion...

"He will make a way, when there seems to be no ways.

He works in ways you cannot see, He will make a way for you and me..."

Lyrics that i have sung, as a little kid in Sunday School. Lyrics of a song that i never fail to hum even as i grow a little older each year, as i truly believe in my faith and religion.

I have been down and despondent, sometimes even unmotivated, to make changes of any sort. Be it with work or with sports. Well, i've been getting reminded of the impending temporary halt to the project that kept me overly occupied for two months, and that calling to return to swim bike run.

The calls of visiting too many shops, making me lusting after new carbon bikes, and the numerous websites i am looking at to look at bicycle parts. I haven't found time to cycle yet, perhaps soon.

I did go for a swim. Albeit a funny one, cos i barely swam 200m, when thunderstorms came and save me from being an embarrassment to my own fitness that i can barely swim these days.

Ahhhh... and running! maybe i will succeed soon enough.

For now, learn to relax and sleep more... as i watch Take That sing their lungs out on the telly.

It goes on.

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned in life: It goes on." ~ Robert Frost.

How true. It's been a few weeks since Ben has passed on. The wounds are fresh, but our lives moved on. Friends and customers have been asking me about my absence during the point of time when Ben laid in the hospital fighting to live on, till the day we sent him off to God. I felt the importance to continue relating the incident and the amount of pain we, as friends, are going through, as we watch his once vibrant vivacious life slip away. The importance to remind everyone how fragile life is, and to watch for the safety of cyclists on the road.

I've been talking to Mr. E over the incident and told him it's important to tell everyone when they asked. We talked about the amount of media frenzy, and the aftermath of the incident. It's in our hearts that some action would be taken by the local community over the awareness of cyclists sharing the roads. But as Mr. E would say, this comes with a price. And at what price?

The price of losing our friend.

in loving memory of Ben Mok

Mr Benjamin Mok Chee Kong, aged 35, and another cyclist were involved in an accident with a vehicle on Sunday, 21^st March 2010 at 2125hours. The police report places the accident site along Clementi Road, headed towards Upper Bukit Timah Road.

Ben, a freelance writer and cycling enthusiast, traveled extensively to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Australia and the USA on solo cycling expeditions. His journals are widely read online and followed by cycling communities worldwide. He was due to return to the US to start on his PhD.

Sadly, his dream will never be fulfilled. Ben passed away on Wednesday 24^th March, 2010 at 0614hours at National University Hospital of Singapore.

His adventures can be followed on Pedal!Damnit! and also check out BenMokPedalOn.Com

Ben's a personal friend. The guy who got me on my first road. The guy who went with me when i first got my Scott CR1 Team with Pro parts. The guy who argued with me cos he was too worried i can't do bike commuting home alone from East Coast. The guy who never fails to wait for me, if i am lagging behind in a ride. The guy who gets really worried when i start to get tired during a ride. The guy who calls me "char siew pao mei" (CSPM).

His death has caused me much anguish. I told a friend,"it's the waiting... the waiting for a miracle, yet in my heart i knew there might be a chance that i will lose him". On the day i heard the news of the mishap, i cried badly. The words ICU did not sit well in my dictionary nor heart. I can't help but to cry when i first saw him again. Every night that i stood by the ward, i couldn't help but to feel terrible. I am though amazed of the guy. How he touched the lives of many. Friends of his, whom i've never met, who sat around with us and amongst us, as we pray for Ben.

Ben, you'll be missed. Badly, by Erik. And i perhaps cannot listen to "8Mile" by Eninem again, without tearing.

Singapore Biathlon 2010

So the time came for 2010 Singapore Biathlon again. Matt has revealed in his blog about how it should be called Aquathlon, but we'll leave this to someone else to explain.

The few days before, i was really unsure how i would do. I can count with the number of my fingers the number of runs and swims i have done in 2010. For your information, i have 10 fingers. and 10 toes. Yes i know, 10 runs / swim sessions is a very sad number. I still do chi yoga once a week, for calming myself down, and to stretch my muscles out. Having done 2 Macritchie runs on the past two sundays, i guessed it will have to help.

I went to the Biathlon with no timing in mind. Good if i hit 2 hours. Best if i did anything better, i wasn't going to complain or whine about how badly prepared i am for the race or how dismal i have done.

The waters was calm in the morning. Calm and peaceful. I met with Shanley, and decide to use her as my benchmark. Both of us haven't really been swimming much. When the officials fired off the starting horn, it's embracing the washing machine styled swim. Not only are the swimmers of different shapes and sizes, as well as age, i am embracing seabugs. Nasty pesky lil things that i can't see, that loves to take a nip or sometimes a bite out of me. Those bites range from my face to my arms. I got mobbed by those nasty sea critters. All i thought was "man... how come this is taking forever?" as i waddled in the waters. That end of swim sign never looked better, as i struggled out of the water still scratching myself silly from the bites. The allergy has set in.

I told myself i would stay calm and try to run the entire 10km, but to anticipate some walks. Once out of transition, my heartrate shot up and i was unable to catch my breathe. I met Maye-E along the way, and we had a lil chat. Before you knew it, she waved me along signalling that all she wanted to do is to run, and not walk, and for me to go faster if i can. As i plodded along the East Coast park, i heard a familiar voice. It was of Matt. His HR was also out of whack when he met me, and slowed to a walk. I grabbed him and told him to move along, and to find his pace. I also had to "undo his zip" of his .... trisuit. Heh! I did get to smile to a few people, chat with a few friends through the run. And by some time, i knew i was on the right track to finish running through that 10k. So much for being branded a "walker" all the time at races and my motto being "keep on walking!".

When i cross that finish line. i knew i have broken my PB.

Surprised? :)

i came in 1 : 45 : 32.

This, without training... i am baffled!

Coping with training and professional life

As Matthew always say, " do not against something that pays for your hobbies", i have embraced work differently. I've always been a workaholic of sorts. But sometimes, i'm only human and lose my cool.

I've started leaving a lot more things in the hands of my trusty assistant. God bless their kind hearts. I've been working more on growing businesses and getting more welfare for my employees. I understand they have families; they need their time away from that workdesk to keep their sanity and cool while dealing with clients, and contractors all day. I always tell them "work hard when you need to; when there's free time, please leave early and get some rest and come back fighting".

I've started doing a weekly early morning run. I've been sleeping early. Now all i need is more strength, caffeine and lovingly coke to last me through the day. That's coca-cola for you.

0622hrs

Do you know what you were doing at 0622 hrs anyday?

I know what i was doing on Thursday morning.

"Do you know the enemy, do you know your enemy. Gotta know your enemy. wah heyyy" sings the alarm. I rolled awake, walked to the bathroom, and walked back into bed. Thoughts flowed through my mind : Road Bed Road Bed? roadddd or bedddd...? My body's aching and tired, and could use more sleep. And i knew what Green Day was singing when they sing about the enemy, cos mine's the alarm clock and bed. More yawning ensues. ZzzZzzZZZzzZzzz !

Who won?

At 0648hrs, i laced up my shoes and walked out of my door, and watched Singapore awaken to the break of daylight, and the kids getting to school. The traffic starts to build up. I see dazed faces, sleepy faces, and happy faces of kids, and continued to plod on. With every breath i take, i put one foot in front of the other. I had finally gone on my first pre-work run. Sure, i felt tired by midday, but i fixed that with a mug of diluted coffee. All i know is i have renewed my confidence in what i can do, and what i can run.

:) it was a good run.

flowers...

I'm not big on flowers, yet i can't deny how happy they make one feel. Just when you think the world is going to collapse on your shoulders, i had a pleasant surprise this morning. In the form of blue and white. Very nice colors, and selection. Something unexpected from a group of friends. :)

Thank You, SBW. For the care & concern.

And most importantly, for your love!

Golf

I have been toying with fantastic ideas for some time. Even more so, when i realize i do not really have that much time to focus on training. Then i figured i need a sport to do with Mr. E. I always wanted to find something that could put us together and spend some time together, while i get to do something i love. So i figured why not Golf?

I have golf gear sitting in my room that's collecting dust. He used to play it, i used to play it. We're fine with going to the range, rusty as we may be. We both love Adidas for Taylormade golfwear. And we both love Tiger Woods.

By the way, we maintained our stance : Tiger Woods is first, and forthmost, a very good golfer. And too bad his dirty deeds and numerous amorous liaisons have spilled to the papers and probably put a ding on his goody two shoes. But we still think he's a good golfer. And he just needs to have a good comeback to the golf scene. And soon, people would remember what he's good for : GOLF.

Ooh, before we get started on sessions, i need to refresh my skills and read on techniques. Now let me go dig out Tiger Woods' book "How I Play Golf", which Mr. E chuckled and continued with "and still maintained my numerous affairs..."

Heh :) Welcome to the world of Tiger Woods.

Sometimes Love comes around...

Sitting alone in the office on a friday before the Lunar New Year at 8pm is a very sad thing. Yet i figured i should pen the events down. This week alone, i've been through some emotional rollercoaster. It's as though life throws you a curveball, throwing it out of whack. All you can do is just muster some courage and walk on.

In the midst of the week, I received a call from a friend who informed me that she's deleting me off her facebook account, not because she hates me, but she hated to see the pictures of the one she gave her heart to, whom had also broken her trust, faith and heart, and is also a friend of mine. At that moment I felt so sad for her that i shed a few tears. I know that she's a nice person, and someone i like having around me. At that same time, i knew the significant other, and couldn't believe my ears. She turned to me for answers. I had none, just cause i knew exactly how she is feeling. As a woman, I may have all the nasty words in the world. But when it comes to matters of the heart, i can only say it overrides all logical sense and every wrong will be seemed right, just cause you love someone. If you really love someone, let them go when love is over. Love and respect yourself first and foremost, before attempting to love others.

At that very same day, a friend of mine informed me he found someone. That was great news. He confided in me that he felt that his "someone" wouldn't keep him as 1st priority. Having walked out of the battlefield recently, i guess his priorities towards love has changed. But i am glad he gave love another shot. To you, always keep an open mind, you do not know about tomorrow.

Sometimes love comes around,

and it knock you down,

Just get back up,

when it knocks you down.

And pls know i'm always here :)

Why do it if you're not having fun?

Over the past two months, as i sit slouched over my seat staring into my computer, i lamented, whined and bitched about how absolutely horrible my life is. I have been clocking 12 hour days trying to cope with my project. Two months down, i am coping surprisingly well, and am starting to let go of bits and pieces of the project. I realized i can't hold all the responsibilities, yet i had to. It's a love-hate thing.

With the amount of time i spent at work, thinking about work, it's safe to say i have not much time for anything else. Weekends are precious. I choose to skip rides / runs on sundays, in favor of sleeping in. The love of my life told me "why do it if you're not having fun".

I love my work, passionately love it, because it gives me a sense of satisfaction. And the responsibility weighs heavily, just cause i have men who are dependent on that paycheck to feed their families. It's a huge hierarchy to take care of. Now I know why the world's greatest CEOs have to always spend hours thinking and innovating to keep their employees' tummy filled. I don't quite agree with others when they said "why work so hard, when you don't have time?" I don't work all the time, i just work like a lot of other people. I may no longer have an easy schedule, allowing me to stroll in at 10am, and leaving by 3pm. To me, everyone has a different plan in life, some people are happy earning a lot more money, some people are happy just doing what they love but everything they do is still through hard work and some careful planning. I am a believer of what you reap is what you would sow.

I choose to skip my ride or run on some days, cos i am too tired. I can't psych myself to be doing 40 laps in the pool, nor run that 10km. I won't be having fun doing it. Why is wakeboarding / wave-riding a better option? Because it's fun, i get to interact with some friends and long-lost ones. My priorities always lie with the waters. Flow riding may not be much of a workout, and it comes with the price of whiplash. But hey, i am having a smile, and thinking about the technicality to it. But with the Singapore Biathlon coming up in less than a month, having no swim training or sessions in the past two months, i can only say one thing : HOW? HKL!

i think i better make time to head to the pool. and maybe run that 10km now and then. and skip mingling with friends over dinners. I know for sure, i will have fun on the race day, just cause everyone's there, and there'll be plenty of laughter. And i'll be smiling.

Sunday...

Sunday is always a day of rest. A day made more precious and valuable after i started working on the project, as i work mondays to saturdays. A day to catch up on family & friends. A day to get my ass out on the road, bright and early.

There are some days i will rush home early on Saturday, anticipating the rush of Sunday mornings. There are some days i wake up, wondering why i am awake at unearthly hours when the sun isn't shining yet. I won't lie about this, but i have wished some mornings it was pouring hard outside my window pane, so i don't have to roll my bike out to meet. When it does rain, dammit, i would have wanted to be out there cycling or running. I belong to the female species, that are more fickle-minded.

No matter what my mood may be in the early morning, once i hit the road, whether to run or to ride, i would have the biggest smile.

The sweat, the heavy panting, the feeling of pain that is going to make me keel over, plus that battering of my legs are soon forgotten with that rush of adrenaline. And breakfast.

I look forward to Sundays, a day of rest, a day of food, a day of fun with friends.

Last Sunday, i had Macs breakie and a Hand Burger over lunch. Yum Yum.