Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Bike Route
Biking in Singapore is very enjoyable. Yes, there are cars, buses and trucks on the road. So there is a need to be careful. I've been out a few times now.....and it's really very enjoyable. I always wondered where all the cyclists go. Well, today I shall try my best to recall where we rode.
Started off at the Al Ameen Kopitiam where we meet. It's near Hillview - Jalan Remaja to be precise. Then it goes something like this:
Straight up Upper Bukit Timah Road - Woodlands Road - Left on Kranji Road - pass the beautiful bridge with Kranji Reservoir on left & Johor Bahru on right - Neo Tiew Crescent - a nice windy road - past Bollywood Farms - Left on Lim Chu Kang Road - a broad 6 lane runway - where I was left in the dust as the seasoned bikers accelerated - left on Choa Chu Kang Road - Sungei Tengah Road - Bricklands Road - then end up somewhere on the Bukit Batok Roads.
We stopped to refuel with yummy 'sui jiao mien' & H20 w China Apple Juice. Then an easy cruise back thru Bukit Batok roads, left on Hillview then finally up left to Jalan Remaja again. That's about 40km. It was nice. Very nice. And healthy too!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Mrs Horn
Picture this. Mixed nouveau riche couple. In their mid to late 30's. 3 Labrador retrievers. Designer house. Argue with other neighbour over boundary wall even before moving in. Drives a big black gas-guzzling SUV. Other car is a convertible sports. Toddler son. Expecting another. Very 'gung cheong' about son. Has recently developed annoying habit of horning every time she comes back to alert her maids. Suspect the maids are usually in the basement/dungeon and so they don't hear it the first time. So 'towkayneo' horns again. The maids then scurry and stand at attention as she backs the car into her porch. Sigh. This has been a very quiet and peaceful neighbourhood for the last 10 yrs. And now this. She goes in and out of the house several times a day - morning, noon and night. Each time she comes back she announces it with her horn. The sound - absolutely jarring. It shatters the peace and serenity. What's a neighbour to do?

Half-Marathon here we come....
I belong to a Saturday running group consisting primarily of veteran men. That's 45 yrs & above. Last Sunday we braved the rain (along with 8000 other nuts) to participate in the 10km Mizuno Wave Run @ Bedok Reservoir.
The trail around the reservoir was very pretty and the weather comfortably cool. But our shoes got really dirty because of the puddles. It also took just as long to stand in line for the goodie bag as it took to complete the run. Silly things people do on Sunday mornings. Anyway, the reward was a delicious Yong Tau Foo lunch at Goldhill Hakka Restaurant along Changi Road. Spent most of the afternoon completely zonked out.
Anyway, our fearless leader See Chin, has got it into his head to take his running to the next level. Half-Marathon. Our consultant, Nicholas, a seasoned marathoner, says if we can do 10km......we can do 21.1km. At the most....walk. So we signed up. The date - 2nd December! Yee hah!

Friday, July 20, 2007


GOOD GRIEF!!!!!!!!!
And so the most important question of the day is..............is there hope?

Wednesday, July 18, 2007


Renergie Morpholift
" My face is lifted & re-defined. I challenge the law of gravity."
Thousands of micri-lifting effects work to tighten & lift my skin, whilst maintaining suppleness and comfort. Wrinkles appear visibly smoothed, skin feels firmer. My facial contours will look re-defined.
Doesn't that sound good? Yes, these things are now my beauty regime courtesy of a dear friend, who is looking out for my skin. Toying with the idea of taking a close up pic of my 'crow's feet' eyes for a before and after look. Might be a bit too revealing though. Hmmm....see my mood.

My Cannondale R600 CAD2
She's hand-made in the USA. Petite frame size of just 45cm. Fitted with 650cc tires instead of the usual 700cc. Has a Selle SMP ergonomic saddle. Her previous owner is an Ironwoman who recently came back from Kona. I just upgraded my compononents from the Tiagra group set to Ultegra. A world of a difference. Cost me more than the bike itself but well worth it.
Gave me the confidence to do my first road ride yesterday. We started out at Hillview, went all the way to Lower Seletar Reservoir and had yummy dim-sum on the way back near Mandai Road. Think that was about 40km. My legs today are a tad heavy and my bum a little sore. But boy.....that was fun. Looking forward to next Tuesday already!

Monday, July 16, 2007

Triladies 1st Sea Swim

Sunday, July 15, 2007


Lucky Draw Winner!
I won for myself a Orca Race Tri-top. Have the black & white on top left. Apparently it's worth $70. I can't imagine paying that amount for such a little bit of special cloth. It's made of 'Aqua-glide' - one of the most advanced fabrics in the world to be fast, have air permeability etc.
I shall wear this for the race (unless I get given a nicer one for my birthday) but may have to fork out to get the bottom.
1st Sea Swim Training
This morning I skipped church (gasp!) to attend the 1st of 3 sea swim training sessions. We met in East Coast Park near Carpark F2. Nice sunny and windy day. Medium tide coming from south. Lots of junk in the water. Plastic bags. Sea weeds. Durian husk. Packet drinks. Pretty yucky. The tide was shifting so the current was all over the place. David (aka Yellowwfish), our Triladies swim coach, set up 4 floating buoys as our course. We did triangles and squares about 50m.
Decided to swim breaststroke as am most comfortable with it. It was choppy. Several times when I came up for air, I also gulped down some frothy East Coast water as well. As forewarned by David, we should just swallow it as trying to spit it out might cause us to choke. Later I realized it's easier to swim free-style. Easier to cut through the swell and less water injested. After about 11/2 hrs of zig-zagging these floating buoys, I really don't want to think about how much un-necessary sodium I've injested. The other awful thing about East Coast is the oil. Don't really see it nor feel it...but it's there. The evidence - bits of it on our feet. Perhaps when we're standing in the shallows. Last bit - there was quite a blob I stepped into. The way to get it out is to rub sand - need the friction to get the slick off.
All the way driving home, I kept thinking about whether I'd get the runs from this pollution I've drunk.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Uncleating
I've fallen down twice because I couldn't uncleat in time. Both times on the right side. Yesterday was after 4 tiring loops at Lim Chu Kang. We finished the ride and I was almost at my car. Then my left foot did not do as told and I slowly fell on the right. Just now was just down the road from my house. Making a u-turn on the narrow road and started leaning right. Have to keep practicing this cleating and uncleating business. It's simple. To uncleat my bike shoe, I just twist my foot outward. But then the foot doesn't always go it's told....

Monday, July 02, 2007

New Toys
The corner of my dining room has all my new toys. My 'get started' tri shopping list is done. The damage was just over $1500. I was blessed with many great deals. The best deal was a Cannondale R600 CAD2 bike for $300. It was fixed up with new handle, new seat, new bottle cages, cateye, saddle bag, cleats, levers, bike tool, high compression pump etc. for a little over $300. Also got the bike stand & rack for a song. Thank you to Joshua Ngo. What a knowledgeable & generous fellow.
Also picked up the top of the line Bell Sweep R helmet, Sugoi RS Flex shorts, Pearl Izumi neon yellow top, Shimano tri cycling shoes, 'hot pink' Nike lightweight gloves, UVEX racer shades with 3 lenses......all at excellent prices. I am grateful for the divine intervention. I'll have to take a pic of my spoils and post it......soon, I hope.
Last Wednesday I went for my orientation bike ride at Lim Chu Kang. Got acquainted with the gears. My palms were starting to ache. Was biking at an average speed of 25km/hr. But did hit 33km/hr for a few seconds. I was trying to explain to Buzz I wasn't interested in speed.....but I know it's me that doesn't get it yet. After all, it is called a triathlon race....and I did buy a racer. I was learning how to drink on the bike and enthusiastically bit off the whole top of my water bottle in a furious bid to open it.
Felt like a real VIP as Buzz was telling me all this technical stuff about cadence, optimum cruising efficiency, big & small gears.....some numbers as well indicating which spoke combination....biking alongside me talking me through the shifting. Also had Joshua observing my gear changes and bike fit which led to some more tuning and tweaking for perfection.
We did 4 loops with lots of stops. The target this Wed is at least 5 loops with no stops. I am getting the hang of uncleating my cycling shoes....but do feel a tinge of desperado when I keep twisting and it doesn't click out.