Cameron Highlands...

Over the weekend, I joined my brothers / dudes / partners-in-crime on a drive up to Cameron with their Mini.Sg club. It was a good break, i needed some time to go out and rest the entire weekend and not to worry about training, training , tri-training. We embark on our trip on a Friday night around 7pm, reaching KL city by only about 12midnight. We had our drinks at our usual bar at the lobby of our hotel, before we called it a night to rest, sleep, snooze.

Saturday was the drive up. Man, the view up there is spectacular. The air is a lil cooler, away from Singapore. We had fun with the "7-up" game, i swear i will memorize my 7 times-table very well in prep of next attack. And of course, i really enjoyed myself spending time with the boys.

People come & People go. We grow & we change. So i guess i'll cherish these to my memories and cheers to our great brudderhood.

don't lose heart...

Monday : cycling for 20km, but i had heartburn that sucked big time. I nearly died from gastric pains... I've been having headaches since Greg's & Janice's wedding dinner, think i overdrank hard alcohol.
Tuesday : Rest day.... body felt as though it's fallin sick.
Wednesday : Rest day... as usual...but i didn't touch alcohol.
Thursday : Swam abt 750m, Cycle about 15km ...
Friday : Rest... off to KL for the weekend...i will blog about this in my next post, i reckon.

In the past week, i've been lazy. Perhaps i've lost heart in the whole baby-tri event.
I felt as though i could barely make it. My swim breathing is still messed up. My cycling is messed up. And i haven't been running enough. This is bad...

From that, i find faith in an old Snow Patrol's song "RUN" :
"Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess"

and knowing i have crazy friends who will root me all the way, and all that's important is to finish the race, not the timing.

in the blink of an eye

The week went by, in the blink of an eye. Significantly, i have almost completed my project, just that i have yet to get some paperwork done. Didn't manage to really push myself to workout. I guess i am going through a burnout phase.

Didn't stick to my 530am bitchin ride for Saturdays. Reason : Ground Wet. Sleep.
Truth : Lazy lazy lazy. I did make it up with an afternoon workout at the gym. But i felt stoned by the time i had to attend a wedding dinner that night.

It's sunday... i am lazy, i am sleepy aand slightly hungover. *hic* ... i did go watch carpark rally.

Daftbitch's Bitchin ride @ 5.30am in the morning

12th May : Daftbitch's Bitchin ride @ 5.30am in the morning
Originally uploaded by daftbitch.

I woke up at 5am, post drinks which ended four hours earlier. But you know what... i like-it....to wake up when the sky is barely dark. Rare moment there! I used to stagger home past 5am through my doors and into my bed, on the weekends, spending my dough

I went to cycle around Sengkang / Punggol / Buangkok and then back up to Sengkang. What do you guys expect from my 1st virgin ride? It's tough. You do not know where to start, where to go, what to expect, or whether you're doing things correctly. Like Sean says, and maybe he's right, i should not have rode alone. I'm a newbie, i don't know the rules.

I went for a post-ride run. about 6km around MacRitchie. I was pleasantly caught surprised by the number of people there, and the number of crazy trail runners, and of cos canoers (is there even such a word as canoers?). I had a good time. It's past 9am, when i made a few calls, mostly listening to my friends cursing their lungs out at me for calling them at 9am on a Saturday morning. Errr, but i've been awake since 5am. So you guys got to forgive me. I went for the third breakfast by the time 10am hits.

As the weeks crawl slowly by, drawing me closer to the Osim Tri, i can't help but wonder whether i am ready. Deep inside myself, i know i'm not. But what about timing? I've always known to be competitive, not against others, but myself, which scares my friends. So now my heart says 1 hour 45 mins for the sprint, i know to me, it's impossible. I have not started my open water swims, my strokes are haywire, still trying to see if i should use front crawl or breasts stroke. Despite my saturday evening short swim of 30-45mins, i still felt i could have done better.

Well running, since it's the last item on the list, you know what? I really don't know what to anticipate. Will my energy be depleted by then? Will i still be in the tri by then? Will i survive the madness? Will i walk my way through, and then tell myself to forget tri ever?

My friends laughed and said i don't have the mentality of a triathlete. I am worse than a wannabe. I eat pork chops while other guys ride by, training hard, in the heat of the blistering sun. I drink beer, which is absolute No-No. I sleep late, not giving the body enough rest to recover.

You know what? I don't care.
As long as i am still enjoying what i'm doing, who cares?

Switch of venues...

9th May 07 : eve, boks, barry, & casey
Originally uploaded by daftbitch.
Mid week : Boks joined me with my usual boys for mid week drinks. I met Santy too, by coincidence. I know she's in town for a few days for conference but didn't know she would show up. So it felt so nice to meet old friends, and breakup the routine now and then.
Oh yes, i cut my hair. I like it. It's aerodynamically sound... hahaha, blabbering rubbish! At least now i look spunkier.

Friday : SWITCH of venues... we went to timbre instead. I hurried my ass down after dinner with some clients. It was nice, the band is good, the beer is always good.

We had fun chit chatting, laughing talking. And of cos, the topic of the night ranges from bicycles, to hokkien translations, to cars... and then of cos, ultimately betting i can't get up at 5am to ride.

Oh did i mention i setup a file on my flickr account just for the SBWs? Check it out here!

my bitchin new ride....

Before anyone yelps : WTF.... yep, you got that right... that is NOT a car. It's a two wheeler. i did not buy a car. I have till Sept 17th for that.

This is far more important. This baby will take me cross the cycle portion of the Osim Tri. This represents my dedication to completing it. I sunk it too much to turn back now.

The Scott CR1 Team frame. It's a carbon frame. Pure CF slut, i know. With Scott CR1 Pro parts (Shimano Ultegra components).
I am not a big fan of yellow for the pro frame, especially since it will boil down to matching the jersey and shoes along with the bike. I much rather go Black Red White, very clean + easy to match the colors up. I believe that eventhough i wanna do sports, try to still match the outfit as far as possible. The only thing i sorted out thus far was what i planned to wear for the Osim Tri. Adidas Sports Bra Top + Tri Bottoms from either zoot or one of those brands out there.

And boy, am i excited... i'm collecting it before the weekend comes along.

If you need the specs or huge write up, go to Ben's blog. Man, this guy is addicted to bikes and related stuff like trails, seats, blahz blahz, you name it, he'll google the topic out to write.

Oh i haven't name this baby up yet... still thinkin for now : it's the daftbitch's bitchin new ride.

yum.sg

Before i forget... check on yum.sg
reviews + restaurants locations, and selections.
Good stuff there.....
so if you're a foodie like me... the site's awesome..


Plus : it's another great site brought to you by a fellow Purdue alum... albeit so many yrs my junior... sigh....

in this crazy life, through these crazy times...

I am prolly not the best person to speak of sports. Much less, discuss the power of the mind. Bizarre and powerful, that's what the mind is.

Many of you would have known by now, i am doing the Osim Tri (sprint) this July. For those still continuing to read this, please support me. I am surprised at why i would choose to do it. Needless to say, since it's barely 10 weeks away. I am really pulling no stops this time round. Sprint might seem short to some of you. To me, it meant the world. I am in nowhere near the physique required for this multisport. So all i have is the power of my mind.

Instances :
1) point & shoot... whilst telling yourself that you can do it. I realized, sometimes it's not about the technique. It's about my heart. If i tell myself i can hit it, i will. golf golf golf...
2) another mile is nothing on the knees. It's not about your legs, it's about your heart, urging your feet to move on. Run Run Run....

There're plenty more...
I guess sometimes technique helps. I used to think i'm proficient in swimming. It's my forte. I used to swim competitive like ten years or twelve back. Now, i'm not so sure. I am searching for a coach to help me in my front crawl. Sigh... worry worry worry.

If at first you don't succeed, tri tri again...

incredulous...

If i tell anyone that i went to a factory in Skudai, Johor, Malaysia, all alone without knowing the exact location, i am sure to hear a "yeah right...."
I actually did it. Now all i can hear is : " crazy girl...". That's right, i know i'm nuts. Now laugh all you want. No need to thank me for providing some laughs. I took the entire friday afternoon to go there. I lost my passport (sort of) at home, turning my room upside down to hunt it down, leaving for Malaysia at slightly around 3pm. The route took me rounding the area of Skudai for three times. It's messy, the lack of road signs did not help. And my lack of proficiency understanding melayu did not help the situation. I made it back to Singapore after the meeting ... at about 8pm. But at least i had dinner with some friends, followed by some drinks with some others.

If i were to tell you that i actually spent 30 to 40 minutes in the pool, another 30 mins on the stationary bike spinning away, and another 45 minutes running on the treadmill like a lab rat, i am sure to hear "liar liar...", ohhhh i also hear some of my friends keel over from their laughter.
I actually did it. Now all i can hear is : " crazy girl...". That's right, i know i'm nuts. Now laugh all you want. No need to thank me for providing some entertainment. I spent Saturday morning, despite beers the night before, going at it at the pool and gym, almost to simulate a much easier triathlon-a-la-Eve. I survived, despite feeling the fatigue that follows. I had a chilled out day, forgoing any sms-es to wayward my plans to hit the bed. Bought some magazines, had some ice cream ( need sugar rush), and hit the bed. The thing about working out is i have this radiance in my skin, and i feel way more relaxed. It's at the point of running, or when your head hits the water that all worries disappear.

Sundays are best to relax, i guess. Sunday's always good to relax.

Happy Birthday brother...

Eve & Casey...
Originally uploaded by daftbitch.

To my brother whom i absolutely hate, for his guts, for his blatant honesty, for his calling me names , for the shit you've given me, for your absolutely nothingness.......

Happy Birthday...
Please remember i'm still your brother...

Cheers,
Evie...

ps : be thankful ok? we went to wala wala to have drinks with you on your birthday ok.... here are the pictures.

Lustful... NOT...

It's a beauty isn't it? Lust worthy too? This is certainly conversation-starter. The car looks sleek. With the top down, man, am i set to shine? Right... it's a Mini Cooper S convertible. I thought i am going to buy this car.... that is until my test drive.

I went down to Mini Habitat Monday Afternoon 23rd April 2007. I arrange to test drive the Cooper S R53 auto convertible. On the way back to the showroom, after a ride on a short stretch of freeway, i pulled to a stop on Alexandra Road. The EML light came in , which at this point, i freaked out...i assume it was the check engine light. Strange for a test drive car that has only 27km done on it, right? I asked the SE what i should do. He recommended i tried throttling it, which i did. The car wouldn't move. I am on the right most lane of the road (which meant cars are expected to move). I had never in my life been more embarrassed by my cars, let alone a brand new test drive vehicle. At this point, the SE told me to switch off the engine and then restarting it. The EML light went off, i drove the car back.

Here's my afterthoughts : i love the car, but what is mom going to say when she drives it, and it does this EML on her? Who's to guarantee it won't happen again or to any other Mini cars? 27km is a small mileage to be on a car, thus meaning the ride is brand new and has not seen much of daylight, right from factory. You would expect the car to be in pristine condition, and would think the workshop has already done all the neccessary checks to ensure that their test drive car is in tip top condition, especially since the test drive is the MAJOR swaying factor to a prospective car buyer.

So you know what... i won't even consider buying the Mini. I urge all of you out there to do likewise. MINI does not live up to my expectations. THROW IT IN THE TRASHCAN, whatever!

Rob Thomas - Little Wonders

I actually like the cartoon. So no surprise there that i fell in love with the song by Rob Thomas.
An exerpt from the lyrics :

" Let it go,
let it roll right off your shoulder
don’t you know
the hardest part is over
let it in,
let your clarity define you
in the end
we will only just remember how it feels

our lives are made
in these small hours
these little wonders,
these twists & turns of fate
time falls away,
but these small hours,
these small hours still remain

let it slide,
let your troubles fall behind you
let it shine
until you feel it all around you
and i don’t mind
if it’s me you need to turn to
we’ll get by,
it’s the heart that really matters in the end....."

Cos it's truly these small hours that works the lil' wonders around us that make me truly blessful for what i have done, achieved and the friends i have made.

Cafe Del Mar

the group @ Cafe Del Mar
Originally uploaded by daftbitch.

So the weekend's huge on chillout. I have been couch surfing the entire Saturday away... it's awesome. I'm now such a pro. Throw me big pillows and a couch... and i'm a goner.

So girls decided to go Cafe Del Mar on Saturday night to chill. The couches are magnificently awesome. Add a bottle of beer, and i was in bliss. We had a good time. And we had a surprise guest : Justina, who came back from Macau. How nice. Despite the fact it was Butter and Zouk's Birthday, i guess the companionship of the girls is so much butter ermm... i meant better. We're a bunch of photo whores... pictures pictures more pictures. Do we need that many pictures?

I did go off to zouk... and mos later in the night... but that's that. I love weekends... i need weekends to unwind... and just find time to do my own shit. Only guilt level is i haven't ran / went driving range / swim ... but i did boogie... heh heh :P

mid week chillout...

Ching, Eve, Casey, Chriz, & Elmer
Originally uploaded by daftbitch.

I spent wednesday evening with my mom having dinner ... as the boys failed to notify me of a drinking session... well... so much for brothers. That is until i went to meet my sis for a quik drink. I met the boys there... and their perfect excuse is "when B doesn't come out, you 99.9% won't show up... ". I am annoyed, like seriously. Oh... and they're a bunch of picture whores... everyone's into geeky specs these days.

There are pictures where everyone's whoring Chriz' black geeky lao hua specs.
Oops... now i need to run before Chriz decides to kill me.

workout diary...

Deeds :
Monday : driving range... plus a 4km run... another 1.2km walk...
Tuesday : hip hop class...
Wed : nil
Thurs : nil
Friday : 2.4km run... 200m walk...
Saturday : driving range, swim about 600m, 3km run plus couple of 100s metres walk...
Sunday : run... 4km thereabts... plus couple of 100s of metres of walking...

gawd... hmmm... Pasir Ris is awesome to run. Windy.... woot...

night @ Bala

Casey, Eve, Barry & Chriz
Originally uploaded by daftbitch.

Yep, this has not been something we've been doing regularly. But here we are again. Hi boys... yes, you guys are on the blog.


ps : will update more later.... got to get back to work... it's 7pm almost...

Then & Now

Seems just like yesterday i was leading the life of the taitai-hood. By that, i meant, bring on the bling, togged in Gucci heels, with a baby louis under my arm, having my english scones for tea, and of course, covered in whitening products. The word exercise meant a three hour trip down Orchard Road, with a new handbag as my new purchase. I dig sneakers then, but never put much use to it. That's street style for me, not very much of the fitness geek.

These days, my nike running shoes have seen more mileage. Orchard Road are short lunch break trips to pick up the neccessary without forgetting to drop by the Nikes, Adidas & Royal Sporting House to see what are the latest gear and equipments. I've been contemplating to upped my collection of running shoes, flip flops, & workout gear. I prefer to be in running shorts and tee in the weekends.

Gawd... Am i old? I think not... heh heh :)

Easter Friday...

The week has gone by. Why am i home at 10.30pm on a Good Friday night, when i should be boogie-ing my ass at the hottest club around? I need to rest and just chillout in bed watching tv. I've been working out a whole lot the entire week.

Let's start with the workout diary :
31/03 Sat : ran estimated 2km, walk 2km back.
01/04 Sun : driving range for 2 hours, ran 2.4km walked 200m (timing 15 mins)
02/04 Mon : driving range for 3 hours
03/04 Tues : ran 2.4km ... walked 2oo m ( timing 14mins 38secs)
04/04 Wed : swam 1km, ran 1.3km ... sprint walk 1.3km (by today i felt like surrendering)

i am hooked on rushes. i feel uneasy when i sit around.
at the same time, i feel tired. at the same time, muscles need a rest.
So the past two days, i basically loaded on the calories. There goes the workout. Heh heh :).
Ohhh, funnily, i dig the movie Music & Lyrics. I love 80s.

Bon Voyage Justina... and good luck.

Justina's farewell @ the airport... 1st April 07
Originally uploaded by daftbitch.

Justina left on a flight very early this morning around 11am. The girls had to be awake by 7ish am to meet for breakfast, to get together before sending her off. So it's a riot. Imagine a bunch of grumpy people waking up at 7am. I am not happy at all.

Managed to go home for a bit, before heading back out for lunch with mommy, and to go around sports stores, as per usual. My life revolves around Nike, Adidas, RSH & the likes, as well as the usual taitai-hood stuff like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Dior, MiuMiu, and the usual shoe stores. Not that i walked out with any shopping bags in my hand. All I manage to is grab a couple of power bars from GNC in town before heading home for a quik 40 winks.

Barely enough winks, i had dinner, and head out to Orchid Country Club to get some practise on the range. I still suck at it. I am not Michelle Wie. I need more time & practise... notably till 11pm, almost 3 hours there. Then i scooted off for my 2.4km run.

Right i should be in bed right now. Good night folks.

And Mr. Sandbox, Enchilada, SoupNazi, i am more convinced being a roadie rocks... hahaha...after those pics... one word : ewwwww...

So the weekend is almost over...

I'm home, yes, at 11pm on a Saturday night. Weird? I think not. Considering the fact i had barely six hours of sleep last night, after some lil' drinks with my usual mates at Balaclava. First trip there in almost a month... hmmm, time flies when you're not doing the same routine.

Woke up early to run today. New Route, New Place. East Coast Park, from the cable park to Bedok jetty. Last i check : it's abt close to 1.4km to & another 1.4km back. Good distance. But the heat killed me. And i guess i felt really tired from the lack of sleep, but felt i couldn't sleep in for the Saturday morning. Had to do it.

I've been doing well in going for runs as well as swim. On thursday, I had clock a 15min 10secs on the 2.4km, and thereafter finishing the run with a distance of 3.9km. Never felt more satisfied. The amount of battery to my body is minimal too. So far so good. Perhaps to you, it might be a joke. But to me, this is something i haven't done for a long long time, it will take a while for me to be back into the 12 mins for 2.4km time. It's only been two weeks.

I think i'm hooked. I'm an adrenaline junkie now.
With that, i'll leave you with a pic of me wearing a kick butt tee. Am so into tees these days. The question is have i lost weight? No, i doubt so. You be the judge.