Wakeboarding @ Punggol

This was super fun. We all got up (as you can see) and that was excellent. It's so different from waterskiing. The boat goes half the speed and the bodyweight has to be even on both legs. That was tricky for some of us to do as we had to unlearn the waterskiing stuff from years ago. It was also trickier to cut across the wake as the manuevering of the board depends on the front foot (I think). Anyway, we had a great time and we had yummy food after that as well. Frog porridge and Ngoh Hiang @ Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 Blk 530. Hmmm....

Osim Corporate Tri Pics
Swim. Bike. Run. No energy to smile....but I did enjoy myself. Sort of...in a masochistic way. Haha.

Juno @ Raffles Marina on Deepavali

It was a beautiful day for sailing. Steady breeze, sun hidden behind clouds and the sea to ourselves. That's my cousin John visiting from England. Elliott's missing because he claimed he wanted to stay home and rest. Yeah right.

This pic is from NB Realrun. Using my orange Shape Run tee, orange UVEX cycling shades and my orange imitation Nike cap. Rather unflattering pic of me. Shows my fat ass.

OSIM Corporate Tri

Yes! The weather held and I completed my first Sprint triathlon. Feels good to have achieved a goal I set out for myself this July. A goal that has completely revamped how I spend my time and what I do to my body. A goal that was nearly thwarted by bad weather in the Triladies triathlon back on 23 Sept. For the 12 week training plan, that was "d-day" for me. That was a week after my birthday and my way of ushering in 42 yrs. Just 3-4 days after Triladies, I decided to sign up for this. If at first one doesn't succeed, have to try and 'tri' again. But although the goal was set and is now achieved, it's really the journey that is so wonderful. I learnt so many new things. I learnt so much about myself.

What are the highlights?

Discovering the joy of swim training.

I never learnt to swim front crawl properly as a child. So 4 private lessons, 12 weeks of Yellowfish tri swim training and 8 weeks of Masters' swim classes later.....I can comfortably swim front crawl now. I still have a long way to go but this is a great start. The sacrifices don't seem like much now as I look back. Getting to the pool for a 7am private lesson. Getting into the pool a few times when the sky was threateningly pitch black.....and watching the clouds blow away with nary a drop in sight. Doing swim drills & endless laps for 90 minutes on Saturday evenings. Squeezing into my tight schedule the weekday Masters swim classes. 9am sea swims at East Coast with the Triladies. It all makes me smile.

Re-discovering the delights of cycling.

This really time-warped me back to time when I was 14-17 yrs old. The wind in your hair feeling. The efficiency of riding compared to two poundings legs. Learning the art of riding in a pack. Seeing Singapore differently simply by removing the windscreen, two wheels and a polluting engine. Amazed at the distances covered on cycling trips. Never even conceived cycling to Kranji and back....not once, but numerous times. Striving to optmize my cadence. Shopping for spandex. Ha! Who would have thought it'd be so addictive?

Running.

OK the truth is I run like a tortoise. I suspected it all along but it really hit home this weekend. People I overtook on the swim and bike.....overtook me on the run. My legs & my heart just couldn't keep up. There's something dreadfully wrong with my stride pace and width. Think I need to do start doing splits to widen my stride. It's so pathetic.

But....wait. Two years ago when I did my first 5km.....it seeemed like eternity. Now 5km runs are comfortable, 10km runs are very doable and even though I took a long time, I completed a 15km race. In a month, I know I will be able to complete the Half Marathon although I may not like my timing.

In conclusion, this 'mind over matter' thing is very good for me. Best part - I am thoroughly enjoying the process. Success is not a destination....success is a journey.

NB All Terrain Realrun @ Changi Expo
Well, today I completed my first 15km run. It was very long. The monotony of the road was broken up by running on different 'terrain'. It was supposed to be 12km road, 1 km trail, 1 km sand and 1 km runway. But all of us couldn't figure out where the runway was. The best part was along Changi Coast Road and the 1km on the trail. It was shady and breezy. The worst part was the last 2km heading back to Changi Expo building. Not a tree in sight. Almost 10am by then because I was so slow.
Must say I was impressed that all the waterpoints had 100plus. The Guest of Honour was S.R. Nathan. Maybe that's why. After the 6km mark, I developed a pain in my left foot. So started walking. Anyway, really needed to rehydrate. I pleaded with God to make the foot pain go away....and couple of minutes later, it did! That was good or I wouldn't have been have been able to complete.
Anyway, it's not easy walking with a cup of 100plus and trying to drink it. I managed to get it all over my hand and when it dried up, my hand became all sticky. Spent the next few waterpoints trying to wash it off with water. But it was still slightly sticky.
I'm so grateful for the MP3 player. It was just great to be plugged into music the whole 15km. I ate one of those energy gel packs. It tasted all right but I don't know if it helped give me any more energy. I suppose so.

Running with 8000 other women...

We were a sea of red. It took me just about 3 times longer to complete the distance than the elite runners from Kenya. It was quite inspiring watching them sprint by. We were trudging along at 3km and they had already turned around and were heading back at 6km. This is just after 20 minutes. Think the record was 32 minutes for 10k. I don't know where they get all that power from. What good 'engines' they have. Well, my 42 yr old 'engine' rebelled. For me, I have to maintain my core value of 'fun'. I do these things because most parts of me find it fun. When I find myself starting to think competitively and wanting to get a better time....then it gets less and less fun...and I get annoyed at myself, think negative thoughts about how I should have trained more, blah, blah, blah.....which is not why I joined it in the first place.

So, today was fun. We ran up Nicholl Highway up to Crawford St and back. Most of the run was shaded by buildings and the road was closed for just us. So I soaked it all in. Most of the time we're enclosed in a car whizzing by and never get a chance to look things in detail.

I have to confess though. Think it would've been nicer if I had the help of a bicycle. It's just so much more efficient with two wheels!

New Toy
This is a Dahon Speed D7 Folding Bike. Mine's second hand but in mint condition. Got it on Togoparts. It was taking up closet space so I got lucky. Now it's taking up my closet space. But...so exciting. New toy. Already I know I'll be using it tomorrow. Cycle down (instead of drive) to my appointment in the restaurant nearby, fold it up and put it behind my chair.

Anyway, I learnt today that Dahon is the #1 Folding bike company in the world. The founder is a Dr David Hon, a physicist who was a solid state laser technology expert with Hughes Aircraft. Back in the 1970s & 80s he was inspired to develop environmental transport alternatives aka. the bicycle, set up shop in Taiwan and now Dahon is the brand to get for foldable bikes.

What Will Matter
by Michael Josephson

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built,
not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity,compassion, courage, or sacrifice
that enriched, empowered or encouraged othersto emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competencebut your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when your gone.
What will matter is not your memoriesbut the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered,by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

$50 Brewerkz Gift Cert
Last Friday I went to Millenia Walk to pick up my race pack for next Sunday's Great Eastern Womens 10K. To encourage participants to visit the Sponsor booths, we were given a paper and told to go round to each booth for a stamp. Of course, in order to get the stamp, one had to endure some sort of sales pitch or write down stuff like mobile number, email etc. so they can try and sell you stuff. Well, I didn't mind.
After collecting all the stamps, I got to play Spin-the-Wheel.
Guess what I won? Yay! I won the best prize on the wheel. Hmmm....am rather lucky.

Shopping for 1 Bike....ended up with 2!

Way back in August, I promised to get my Number One Son a bicycle for his birthday. Since then, I've spent quite a bit of time looking through the Togoparts classifieds every few days for a good second hand deal. I also visited all the local bike shops within 5 km radius of home. This was all thoroughly enjoyable of course. The thing is - need to spend $500 for a brand new entry-level hardtail mountain bike. But this means the frame is kind of heavy and the components 'so-so'. So the value deals are used bikes - especially the ones where the owners are bike enthusiasts that upgraded their components and place a premium on maintenance.

Well, it's been 2 months and now that his exams are over, I had to make a decision. Yesterday I took him to
Treknology3 Bikes at Holland Grove....and we ended up getting 2 bikes instead of 1! Sigh. I couldn't resist. Impulse buying is the worst. But it was such a good deal....

We test rode a few bikes and chose the Marin Pioneer Trail for him. Got it fixed up with bottle cage, lights, stand, helmet etc. That was $535 plus plus plus for the accessories. The components are basic Shimano Altus parts but at least the maroon red looks nice.

The good deal is the bike above - a Trek 3700. The great second hand deal I couldn't resist. The previous owner had to return it to Trek just after two weeks because she had to leave suddenly. So we got $110 knocked off the new retail price.

Yay!

Page 313. Thoughts and a Prayer.

By Laurie Beth Jones.

I learned yesterday that everyone loses twenty-one grams when they die. Whether the body is young or old, heavy or thin, something ineffable leaves it that weighs only as much as a hummingbird.

Perhaps this is what the human soul weighs,or the breath that circulates through our lungs day in, day out - from our first great gulp of air to our last soft sigh.

This is the part of you that Jesus seeks - not the weight of your accomplishments or the heft of your bank account - not even (dare I say it?) the list of your good deeds.

Jesus is looking for the essence of you - the twenty-one grams granted at birth - the twenty-one grams that may ascend into heaven when you die.

Turn you breath to him now - whisper a first "yes", and then again and again a "yes" - and your life will turn imperceptibly, boldly, hugely toward the ultimate, greatest, happiest "You." Amen and amen.

Two baby watermelons and another cucumber on the way!

If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.

Looking forward to Sat 3 Nov & beautiful weather this time!

Luke's Vegetable Patch

This was a June school holiday project. Started off with seeds and now look at how overgrown it is. The chicken wire cover is not supposed to be there. It was put there to prevent the birds from picking the seeds when he first planted it.

But before we knew it, the vines had intertwined themselves and it was not possible to remove without killing the plant.

On the left with the stick for support is my basil. It's from Gourmet @ Guthrie. I needed basil for my chicken and bought the plant. Stuck it in the ground and amazingly it's still alive.

The big leaves belong to the cucumbers. We ate the big one today. Pretty good. Home grown organic cucumbers!

The funny shaped leaves belong to the watermelon. But none in sight so far......

Tuesday Bike Gang

These are my cycling "si-fu's". One day, I will have as much stamina & cycling technique as them. At the moment, I can just about keep up. It's the hills that I fall behind. And toward the end of a long ride, the take off from the traffic lights too. An easy ride for them is now a hard ride for me. But I'm working on it....

Triladies
Well, the event I've been training the last 12 weeks for was this morning. It started out nice and sunny. I took 17 minutes on the swim (breaststroke all the way - didn't care since I kept up with the freestylers), 40 minutes on the bike (kept to my 26-28km/hr) and was still feeling fresh.

But didn't get to run. It was an intense storm that was Category 1 with a teeny bit of lightning. So the race was cancelled. Erring on the side of caution.

One angmoh was really upset she didn't get to finish and started shouting at the officials.

Running is not my forte so I was quite happy to not have to run. Some 'seow on' people went for a fun run anyway. Tim & I went to eat 'chai tow kway' at the hawker centre. So....the whole process of preparing for this tri has been great. I'm hooked. And come next tri, I think I'm going to go for the Olympic Distance instead of the Sprint. Today was very 'doable' and I know I would have achieved my goal if not for the weather.

Don't you like the pic of me on my bike and my head cut off? At least I was smiling....

Shape Run 2007

Orange is the 'in' colour for run competitions this year. This is the Nike DriFit tee that I got for Shape Run yesterday. It's got a neat little pocket at the back just right for my Creative Zen Nano to sit.

The Mizuno Wave runners' tee was also orange.

So was the Passion runners' tee.

My Sugoi Tri Suit is orange too. Good....cos orange is my colour.

Finally well.....I think.
I have not exercised since Sunday 26 August. That is 13 days ago. It feels like a very long time to me. I'm anxious to resume my training but conscious of the need for full recovery. It was an awful sore throat, runny nose and phlegmy cough I had. Full blown. Still spitting out a bit of remnant phlegm - no longer green though.

I am looking forward to the Shape Run this Sunday. Tried to pick up the Race Kit @ Marina Square just now but discovered a terrible queue. Wasted no time waiting there and am now wondering who I can bribe to get the deed done. Once upon a time, I was patient enough to stand in line. Like sheep. But it's such a &^^%#$!!!!! waste of time. It's a sin to waste people's time like that!
There has to be a better way.

The Value of Time (author unknown)

To realize the value of one year:
Ask a student who has failed a final exam.
To realize the value of one month:
Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one hour:
Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of one minute:
Ask the person who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one second:
Ask a person who has survived an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond:
Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when you share it with someone special. -->

To Be Inspired.....
I'm down with sore throat and runny nose. My tri training is gone off whack and I'm in dire need of inspiration. So here it is. The song is great and it's going to be playing in my head when I'm swimming, biking and running...and feel like quitting. This father-son team of Rick & Dick Hoyt is nothing short of amazing.
Dream. Believe. Achieve.
So what' stopping you?

team hoyt

East Coast Park
There's a lot of lucky people who live in the East that can enjoy doing their morning walks & exercises along the East Coast Park. It's about 10km from Fort Road all the way up to SAFRA golf course. It's a good place to bike for me as I don't have to worry about cars & buses. Sometimes pedestrian traffic is more fickle though!

It was lovely this morning. There's just something about the sea. The constant breeze. The smell. The rhythmic sound of the waves. So I spent some time sitting on a bench, closed my eyes and just soaked in the moment. A little later I decided to make good use of the time to do my BSF (bible study fellowship) homework. We're studying the book of Romans and this week's homework is just 4 verses. But just take a look at it.

Romans 11: 33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgements,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?
For from him and through him and to him are all things,
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

It was very easy meditating on these verses in such pretty surroundings. It took me half the usual time to complete it. I think I'll go biking in East Coast more often now!

Base Phase over....
I'm following a training plan. I just completed the first 5 weeks of Base building. The objective being to build a strong aerobic base. Just get my body used to a progressive increase in volume of exercise. Not strenous - but easy and long yet able to hold a conversation....sort of. I have been swimming, biking and running 6 out of 7 days. I topped if off with a 1hr 15min run last Saturday from my home to Botanics and back. May have overdone it a little. Have a blister on my fourth toe. Crap.

Now I'm to move on to 4 wks of Build Phase. This will involve interval training - spurts of faster pace to push the body a bit more and hopefully increase my speed. I'm currently taking 5 minutes to swim a set of 200m, biking at an average speed of 26km/hr and running at a real easy pace of 6km/hr. It's very average and the cows will all go home if I don't improve. So I need to move from aerobic to anaerobic training.

I also will need to do 'brick' sessions. Training my muscles to switch from swimming to running....or running to biking. I'm entering this phase with a little trepidation because it's definitely more physically demanding. I'm going to be so pooped out. As it is, I have had to take short power naps a few hours after my exercise these past weeks because I was just feeling zonked out. Cannot operate. Especially when I need to drive.

There will be 2 wks of Peak Phase and 1 wk of Taper and then.......the real thing on 23 Sept.

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!

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!

GOOD GRIEF!!!!!!!!!

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

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!

Triladies 1st Sea Swim

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.

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....

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.

Tri Shopping
I'm having a jolly good time gathering information about all the tri equipment I need to get. It's a long list and I think the $$ dent is substantial for something I'm not even sure I'm going to like. So far I've invested in a pair of TYR swim goggles (only ones available at the club), private swim lessons (expensive but no choice) and group swim training (need it as it includes 3 open water sessions).
Next purchase is going to be a road bike, helmet, cycling shorts, cycling shoes, gloves, pump etc. That'll be about $2K. I'm going to go for a second-hand Giant with upgraded components Campagnolo Centaur. If I end up hooked on road biking, this will keep me happy for quite a while. I spend a bit more upfront but I won't have to incur upgrading costs from entry level stuff. If I really don't like road biking, I can still offload it. Sounds like a good plan.

Swim Lessons
Today was the third morning in the last 6 days that I'm up and in the pool by 7am! Doing laps....getting private lessons on correcting my front-crawl technique. Never even imagined I'd be doing this. Well, the discovery of the week is that the club pool water is actually warm. I always thought swimming in the early hours of the morning was torture because the water would be cold. Not at all.
At the first lesson, I was told I'm very 'buoyant' and that my arms look 'small'. That's putting it diplomatically. What he meant to say was that I have a big floating bum and puny, weak arms. Such were the obstacles to my quest for front-crawl skill and speed. He did compliment my breast-stroke by saying I had some 'potential'. Anyway, I worked hard.
At the end of my second lesson today, I graduated from the swim board. My technique is almost there. Just have to find a comfortable rhythm. For the first time in my life, I actually swam a few laps of front-crawl halfway decently. My goal is to be able to join the club Masters' swim training on Tuesdays. Put that together with the Triladies swim training on the weekend....and maybe a 3rd session by myself. That should build up my swim fitness. Hope to do my 750m swim in 15 minutes.....or less.

Triladies Triathlon - 23rd Sept 2007 @ East Coast Park

Yup....I've signed up for this. It's going to be the first Asian Women's Triathlon. I'm really excited. This is going to be a stretch for me. But I'm looking forward to the personal challenge. I'm doing the Sprint Distance - 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. Think it's pretty 'doable'. The Olympic Distance is double that so no go.....not yet anyway. Maybe never. Anyway, I've been wondering why I want to do this. What's my motivation? Well, one of my goals was to exercise daily anyway.....so this gives it more focus. Besides.....why not? Live a little. Take a risk. I was spending a lot of time in the gym looking for non weight-bearing exercise machines to supplement the weekly runs. Swimming and biking fit the bill.

There are a lot of obstacles to overcome. I tried to join the Masters Swim training at the club today but when the coach saw the way I swam front-crawl, he just shook his head. I need one-on-one coaching on my terrible technique. I was bashing around in the water most unelegantly and lifting my head at the wrong times. Taking big gulps of air like I was desperate. Sigh. Nothing at all like a shark that slices through the water with no wake. All these years I've been swimming breast stroke. Never really liked nor learnt front-crawl properly.

So my first swim class is this Friday at 7am! Stay tuned for daily updates on how I'm going to go from.....zero to hero! Ha!

That was my new car. Junction of Jalan Haji Alias & 6th Ave. Red light for me.....so I was stationary. I saw a black car on 6th Ave coming from my right skidding out of control. I was a sitting duck. I knew I was going to get hit but couldn't move anywhere. The other driver. Barely an adult. After she hit me, she hit the lamp post. The lamp smashed on the road & made the pole lean. She was driving too fast & lost control. The blessing - no one was injured. I was pretty mad as I had two of my sons with me. What can I say? These things happen. Now it's just a hassle. A real hassle.

Wise Words from Dr Seuss

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own, and you know what you know.
And you are the one who'll decide where you'll go.

Check this out!

This is a lungfish. It lives in Jakarta. It's about the length of my arm. It's formative years was spent in a bathroom in an office. The type of bathroom that has a tiled "kong" to store water where one bathes by scooping water out of it. According to the owner, nobody bathed with it but it had many visitors who used the bowl next to the "kong". Yes, the t bowl. This is a a really weird but wonderful looking fellow. One of the few fish that hasn't changed much from.....a billion years ago.

An email story you've probably read before.....but good to read again!
When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

An Honest Mistake....and a Very Generous Act of Kindness
The petrol kiosk fellow, after topping up my engine oil (actually unnecessary but I was silly enough to believe him) did not put the cap back on. So I drove around a day and the engine oil was going all over the place. Everywhere I parked I left a puddle of engine oil. Figured something was amiss but didn't have the foggiest idea what. Quickly brought the car into Kah Motors. Desmond cleaned up my engine, topped up my engine oil (2 small bottles) and.........did not charge me for it. God Bless the kind man....really....this is the most generous act of kindness I've experienced in a while.

Mizuno Mount Faber 10km Run

This was how we spent last Sunday morning. The fellow who took this pic of us is even nuttier than us. He runs marathons (42km) every month all over the world. Right now, he's in Vienna.

Anyway, we're all smiles here because it's pre-run. Post-run we all looked rather dazed. This run was tough because of the Mount Faber gradient and also because we had to run alongside lots of traffic & fumes. The traffic police had to 'man' so many junctions for us. I only enjoyed the bit going up and down the hill because I didn't care about looking good and chose to walk! I enjoyed peering into the lovely residential houses there and the lush jungle. The Danish Seamen's Church building was also very unique looking and I wanted to walk in and take a look.

I felt abnormally energetic all of Sunday and embarked on a furious home spring cleaning. Paid for it for the next 3 days as my posterior muscles just screamed at me in agony. I strongly believe I have never used those muscles before and they had been rudely awakened from their 41 yr slumber. I did entertain the delightful thought of having a nice muscular butt but.....no, think I'll just live with the one I have now.

When was the last time you questioned your perspective?

In the movie Dead Poets' Society, Robin Williams plays a professor who challenges his young students to the joys of literature and also, issues of life. I'm sure we all remember the part where an excited Robin Williams jumps up one of the desks in the classroom and imparts a chunk of wisdom.
He asks his students: "Why do I stand here?"
Then he answers his own question: " I stand on my desk to remind myself that we must constantly force ourselves to look at things differently. The world looks different from up here. If you don't believe it, stand up here and try it. All of you. Take turns. "
"If you're sure about something" , " he says as they take turns standing on the desk, " force yourself to think about it another way, even if you know it's wrong or silly. When you read, don't consider only what the author thinks, but take time to consider what you think......Risk walking new ground."

Risk walking new ground. Yeah, I like that. Take a risk. Live a little.

Trolley Glaring
I was waiting in line at Giant with about a dozen items in my trolley. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that lady in front of me was staring at the items in my trolley. It was a long stare......almost like she was examining each and every item I had selected. Next thing (and I knew this would happen), she looked up from staring at my trolley and looked at me instead. Like as if she was making a judgement of who I was and what kinds of things I selected. At this point, I really felt like sticking my finger in my nose and being totally gross just for her benefit .....but instead I continued staring into space. Now, why do people do things like this?

Education....or should it be entertainment?
I was asking my teenage sons about school today. Instead of the usual "Have you done your homework yet?", I asked how they liked the subjects they were learning. To me, learning should be life long. I'm excited about what I learn in coaching and I can't get enough of all the books, new tools, new ideas etc. I can't wait to apply what I've learnt. Most importantly, nobody has to tell me to study. I study because it thrills me and I don't consider it work.....it's pleasurable.

I know that's not the case for the boys. I've been trying to figure out how to change that. I don't like being 'chief nagger' and I think the key is to unlock their internal motivation. Anyway, the bottom line of the separate conversations I had with the boys was that they liked the subjects that were taught by younger male teachers who knew how to crack jokes. The subjects were social studies, geography, history and biology. I wonder why it seems that math is always taught by older women who have no sense of humour. Sigh.

I think teachers can make or break an interest in a subject. Most kids entering secondary school have no pre-conceived biases or notions about the new subjects they will be learning. That's a perfect chance to get off to a flying start. So my boys' favourite subjects are the ones where the teachers enjoy themselves whilst teaching and are able to share some humour with their students. So.... do we need to change the mindset of our teachers so they realize they are actually in the entertainment business?

Baobei Goes Sailing!!
Here are some pics from our 'whole' family outing to sea. We dragged the dog along. She doesn't look it but she's actually very happy to have been included. Never mind that she doesn't like water, got extremely nervous everytime the boat rocked, started to hyperventilate from the searing heat....and due to Tim's madness was also overheating because he made her wear a lifejacket.
So we spent more time getting the boat ready than actually sailing. There was no wind and the sun was blazing hot. We just about ran out of drinks onboard and everyone was getting rather grouchy. Then....a fish jumped on board and slammed against the sail. Dog and fish exchanged a few sniffs and licks. It was a moving experience and very special....not to mention, highly unusual!

What is your intelligence?
There are 7 different kinds of intelligences.
1. Linguisic Intelligence (the ability to use words)
2. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (working with numbers and logic)
3. Spatial Intelligence (thinking in pictures and images)
4. Musical Intelligence (perceiving, appreciating and producing rhythms and melodies)
5. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (knowing the physical self)
6. Interpersonal Intelligence (understanding and working with people)
7. Intrapersonal Intelligence (knowing the inner self)
This is taken from Thomas Strong's book "7 Kinds of Smart".

Duh!
I'm reading John C. Maxwell's The Success Journey - The Process of Living Your Dreams. Good stuff. This is sad, true and a wake-up call for all of us.

Did you know that most people give more time to planning their vacations than they do to planning their lives? Based on the way people spend their planning time, you'd think they put in two weeks on the job each year and fifty on vacation.

Great Quotes
Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right. Henry Ford.

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. W.W. Ziege

Fear breeds inaction
Inaction leads to lack of experience
Lack of experience leads to ignorance
Ignorance breeds fear. John C. Maxwell

Think about this.....
If you had unlimited power, unlimited resources, unlimited time....how would you transform the world?
Ah....well, it's been done actually. It's available for all to read in the best selling book of all time...the Bible!

Great Advice I Read Today.....
Live your life boldly and with passion.
Make a list of at least 10 activities you would like to do but somehow never seem to make a priority.
Set a date by when you will commit to doing each one.

Fun....fun....fun!

These pics were taken on St John's Island. That's the "Wai Keng" (a converted chinese junk) with Singapore's financial district in the background. It was so nice to be able to sit in a motorized boat for a change and not to be working like a dog trying to maximise the wind all the time. It had a lovely deck with a huge dining table and a delicious spread that we porked out on. The top deck had a huge comfy cushion that I took a nap on enroute back to RSYC. The beach and water at St John's was lovely. Why can't all weekends be like that?

Mt Ophir

This pic was taken just about a year ago. Unfortunately no mountain climbing this year. The fond memories are still pretty fresh and the hope to do Mt Kinabalu is still there. If you're wondering why I look so terrible, it's because I felt empowered by wearing that camouflage bandana wrapped around my head. I really didn't care what I looked like. But of course now I'm thinking I really should pay more attention to my looks.

His Name is Arkad

This is what I'm currently reading. It's a old yellowed copy dug out of the nearby community library. The first edition was published in 1926. I like these oldies but classics. Anyway, the richest man in Babylon goes by the name of Arkad. It's a neat story with good old fashioned wisdom that is as valid today as it was in 1926....and I suppose back 2000 yrs ago in Babylon.

Here they are:

1. Start thy purse to fattening

2. Control thy expenditures

3. Make thy gold multiply

4. Guard thy treasures from loss

5. Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment

6. Insure a future income

7. Increase thy ability to earn

Excuse me while I go about fattening my purse now.....ha!

Thoughts on Time
What exactly is time? How does it work? What's the best way to relate to it? I hear so much about time management and just about everyone I know, including myself, have wrestled with this issue. Is there really such a thing as time management? Or is it self-management? Time just is. It doesn't do anything. It's just there. We know it's coming, it passes and then it's history. No way to get it back. We have a real knack of getting ourselves into situations where we feel trapped by time.
These are some distinctions that I feel helpful to reflect on.

Time is a tool that is exclusively mine to play with.
How I spend my time will give me 80% of the fulfillment I desire.
Time is not manageable, but my choices and actions are.

What should I do with my life?
By Po Bronson
Need to return this book to the library. It's a week overdue. It was a good read. Many different stories of people and how they found fulfillment through the journey of their lives. We each have a wonderful story to tell. We just need to sit down, reflect on how we've become who we are and what it is we want to do with what's left of our time here. What do you really want? Do you know what you're passionate about? Do you absolutely love what you do? If not, what are you going to do about it? Good thought-provoking stuff.

My mind is a bit of a blank lately. But I shall post a question I find humourous & challenging:

Are you sucking the marrow out of life every moment of the day?

Outrageous Desires
There's a question I really, really like that I'm planning to put on the back of my future business card. It goes like this:

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

I know most of the time I'm so busy doing whatever it is I'm doing that I don't day-dream or even night-dream (too shack!) anymore. That's no good. I believe we should all reconnect with our dreams.....and make them BIG dreams. I now firmly believe in an "abundance" mentality. Whatever I want to do, it can be done. Just have to figure out, in detail, what it is I want to do.

That's where dreaming comes in. Problem is. Most of our dreams are scaled down because they may not seem very realistic. As we get "supposedly" older and wiser, we also get more realistic, and so our dreams get smaller and smaller. But it's a dog-eat-dog world. That reality may then lead us to conclude.....why bother to dream at all?

So, my challenge to myself and you as well, is to set aside the rational side of your brain and think BIG. Start thinking and making (yes, writing it down!) a list of the most outrageous things you would do or create if nothing held you back. Set the wheels in motion for acheiving everything you desire.

I can if I believe I can.

And so can you.

Do you love your work?
I like these two quotes about work.

I never did a day's work in my life: it was all fun. Thomas Edison

The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labour and his leisure, his information and his recreation, his life and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both. James Michener

That sort of sums up how I feel about being a life coach. It feels great!

Hynotherapy
Bad attitudes are a real pain to deal with. The ones I'm dealing with are long standing and deeply ingrained. I give it a lot of credit for turning my brown-black hair to white. So I have a brainwave. I need to enlist the help of a hynotherapist to cast out those bad attitudes and replace it with attitudes of gratitude.

How early does your memory start?
This is an interesting conversation piece with children. Ask them what their earliest memory is. For my son, two things came to mind. The first was that he was on holiday in America. He remembers waking up, being in K1 (the year he turned 5 yrs) and thinking that's the beginning of his life. The second was going into his brother's room and that his brother had no hair. Oddly, that memory would have been when he was younger (3-4 yrs old).

There were so many things of him as a toddler which I thought he would have remembered but he doesn't.

He doesn't remember biting his brother (a major issue for us parents which stretched for a seemingly long time). He doesn't remember moving into our present home (a traumatic event for him and us because of a strong attachment that required some severing). He doesn't remember how much he disliked attending nursery and how the teacher had to forcibly pry him from me. I felt such guilt as I walked away. Then on picking him up afterwards, I would have to gently persuade or extricate him from under the table (positively heart wrenching to see him there).

Good thing is he doesn't remember me caning him either. What a relief! And to think that I may have felt partially guilty or responsible for all the 'abuse' my children had to bear because of my experimental parenting. There's no memory of it. All those tears they shed are probably harmless. Now that's something to think about.

SO NICE AND BREEZY......
I just love this windy weather. I went running on Tuesday morning and it was actually cool....for a second there I thought I was in Cameron Highlands. I went running earlier this evening and it was super breezy. I just love it when the leaves of big trees are just swaying to and fro. It was so, so pleasant. I felt so happy just to be out and about. Wish every single day could be clear, windy and cool like today. Never realized before just how much influence the weather has on my mood. So used to being hot, sticky and semi-grouchy most of the time. This weather is really refreshing! I love it!