Thursday, December 29, 2011

My first major crash off my bike

Since it's plastered all over FB, here's the story to follow the pictures.

This was a week after the Singapore marathon, in Bintan to cycle the Tour de Bintan stage 1 route.  Distance for the day : 156km, so go at your own comfortable pace.  My plan was slow and easy since I caught the flu, plus post-marathon muscle aches.  So I was usually a distance behind the front pack - mostly alone or nearby Corrinna/Gracie - roughly the same speed.

This was perhaps 80km mark, about half way through the ride.  I remember we had just restarted after a short break, so the front van wasn't in front yet.  It was a quiet part of town when a motorcycle appear alongside me and I felt a hand on my right breast.  I only recall yelling at him and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor, a pool of blood forming at my chin.  I looked up and tried to yell at Corinna/Gracie (perhaps 60-70m in front) in vain.  In the meantime, I just lay there staring at the blood pool grow increasingly bigger until Clarence came along.  Then James and Sin appeared, then the van appeared.  The driver - a great guy called Ah Hui first took us to a rather dodgy looking clinic but was told we needed stitches, so we detoured to the Bintan Naval hospital where I had my jaw X-rayed and the gash stitched. Thankfully Hooi Yen was with me since she speaks Malay and so I wasn't alone through it all.  I asked her to watch everything to ensure new needles/etc. and she watched like a hawk, though at times I can hear her wincing - think quite gory during stitching.

Injury list - gash on my chin (3 stitches to close it), a grazed/bruised left cheekbone, cuts on my upper lip, a sore jaw (not broken), 7 fractured teeth, bruised wrists (left side still hurts), bruises on my right knee.   Guess I got away lucky, could have been far worse.  Speedier's injury - deep scratches on pedals & on right side shifter.  Nothing major visibly elsewhere.  For a bike that has never fallen - poor Speedier has now endured 3 (1 tragic, 1 SPD and 1 slip) - sorry baby!

That axxhxxx pervert went on to grope Corrinna so hard, she was sore and traumatized.  Thank God she didn't fall off her bike.

Despite the awful fall, a lot of people were really kind.  I was most blessed.  From Ah Hui our driver who was so worried, to the fantastic nurse Hendrik who stitched me up good, to the fellow cyclists - who were really nice.  James/Sin who were with me at the hospital.  Hooi Yen who stayed with me and saw them stitch the wound - that's gross!  Zi who wanted to shower me and regurgitate food for me and resisted sarcastic comments for that day.  Simon who wanted to cook me breakfast at Bintan, brought Speedier home for me, washed him, fixed up his bent dropbar and then brought him back to me.




It has been 12 days now the healing continues, jaw still has limited mobility while the roots of the fractured teeth needs to heal more before the dentist can do crowning.  So the dull throbbing of the face and the achy wrists continues.

Part 2 - I got back on the bike last night.  It was wobbly.  The more fearful you are of falling, the more wobbly you get.  While waiting for the others, I thought I should practise my clipping since my shoes/cleats are new.  Despite the bike leaning on a lamp post & my right hand holding onto that damn lamp post : fall no.1 of the night.  Kahhoe loosened my cleat tension after that, and we set off.  At the NSRCC gate, again I was afraid clearing the dirt path & somehow the wheel came parallel to the kerb, slipped and again I was on the floor.  Sitting there rubbing a really sore left palm, I was totally unnerved.  I sat there with 4 fellow cyclists just waiting - I must say that's very comforting.  No choice, need to exorcise the ghosts, I cycled scared and wobbly all the way to Shell petrol kiosk uneventfully.  Concerned faces asked if I wanted to skip Selarang hill and return via Loyang.  But it was a night of war -  I had to face my fears.  I'm glad I did, the return ride gave me back the joy of riding & a little confidence.

And in all things, bless God.  I am thankful that I got to see kindness and my injuries aren't serious to cause lasting damage.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Merry Christmas and a great start to 2012!

During this happy season of Christmas, Elmo & Rae finally visited Singapore!  They were here for a whirlwind 3 day tour of Singapore.   I am proud to say, they spent a lot of $ here (a boost to our economy) and they loved Matty (who wouldn't?)!

This year we skipped our traditional midnight mass for Christmas day morning mass with Matty!  He was good (mostly) for the mass.  





On the downside - during this season,  my teeth/jaw really ached for days.  I'm trying to get a dentist to see me soon (like today!).  I'm tired of the dull throbbing!

Also my lousy cousin has yet to call me back on the travel insurance.  Not pleased yet she's family and I can't do anything but to grin and bear - ok bad pun.  





Cute how I use Matty's happy and sad photos to highlight my point.  I'm so creative!  Clap clap! (Self applause always works on your own blogsite!)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Looking back on 2011

Looking back, it has not been too bad a year.  If anything, it's been quite a rollercoaster ride all year.

On the jobfront, I rested for a while, started and restarted at 2 different places.

On the friendship front, I continued to be traumatized by Moo and then later on Derek.  With both I feel I really tried - especially with Derek.  But in every relationship it has to be mutual, both have to want to fix it to work.  In Monica's case, this has sadly never been the case through the years.  But she's now  happily in a relationship and I wish her every blessing from Him. 

I'm going to just go easy from here on.  I know it sounds awful, but if you don't extend too much of yourself, there is going to be less fallout when things go awry.  If you overextend, then fall out, perhaps it might be better that you weren't even close enough to be in a position to fall out?  My new strategy.  Be cold(er).

My old friends has been great though.  Bearing through the good and bad times together.  I truly appreciate and pray for them.

On the sports front.  It was a good year where the invested time and effort paid off (unlike with human relationships).  I took part in a herculean effort of 6 events : Singapore Duathlon, OCBC cycle, Passion Run 25km, Adidas Sundown Marathon, Army Half-Marathon and the Singapore Marathon. Am pretty pleased with the timing I clocked, especially the personal-best timings in both marathons.  I made 2 dive trips : Sipadan live-on-board where we had a manta ray dive with us and a refresher dive at Palau Aur after 5 years of not being in Mersing waters.  My cycling has made great  progress too, extending to a new Cervelo carbon bike.  Alas, I also finally fell off the bike in a big way causing damage that has not yet gone away (a chin gash requiring stitches and a mouthful of fractured teeth).  Nontheless, considering the distances & places I went to M'sia and Indonesia, and the calculated probability of falling, I'm very blessed.  Through this accident, I got to see the kindness of friends, family and even strangers.

On family.  I've never been closer especially after the accident.  Mom and I are much better as long as Matty is around.  I can't ask for more.  Thanks Jesus.

My targets for 2012 :
1. Focus on work - specifically my new job.
2. Stay close to family.
3. Stop acquiring too many friends, lest life gets complicated.  Return to the loner (that I am anyways).
4. Do less events this year : perhaps these 5 Singapore Duathlon, Sundown Half-marathon, GoldCoast Marathon, Army Half Marathon, Standard Chartered Marathon.
5. Travel a little more.  First country : Taiwan.  Perhaps US next?

Monday, December 19, 2011

Starting anew in the last days of 2011

I started at Green Wave Reality today.

Got a small desk right in front of the MD's office.  Great, talk about being in front of the lion's den.  He seems nice though, hardly talks, very recticent compared to the rest of the management staff.  I like the other 2 directors - very straight forward, nice folks.  Unpolitical. 

But then again, I liked Motorola and I even liked Katherine from Seagate in the first weeks.  So perhaps, I should reserve judgement for a couple of weeks.

I declined 3 lunch invites from the new co-workers.  Yeah yeah, anti-social from go!  I still need soft foods and just didn't want to manage that plus make small talk... I really hate small talk besides.

Maybe tomorrow. 

My boss is in the US, I like that.  And he's on Xmas break already.  Fantastic!  Haha.. Great time to join!

Saturday, December 03, 2011

It's December already?

This year is pretty eventful.  I toggled from unemployment to being an aunt (I love you Matty) to breaking into a new office environment in Seagate, to finding a new job and in between cycling like mad and also running long lonely miles!

So in a couple of hours, I will be running my second marathon this year.  On reflection, I realize my last Standard Chartered marathon was in 2005 and that was my first ever marathon!  It took me like 6 painful hours to finish!  I hope to do better tomorrow.  More importantly, I just want to have fun this race.  Enjoy it and finish strong.  With God's grace and His strength, I will succeed!

I would also like to pray for my friends who are also racing in the Standard Chartered race this year.  Thanks for running with me this year : Manly, Jo (my best buddies), Peter, Alex, Hooi Yen, Simon, Kah Hoe.  Run like Nike (the Greek god, not the sports brand!).