My dining lights
Glass wash basin in my room
Seashell toilet seat
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Progress report - end July
Friday, July 27, 2012
My running schedule from Aug to end of 2012
My planned mileage beginning Aug to the end of the year. Includes 4 races : Army half marathon, The North Face 50k trail, Newton 30k run and finally, Standard Chartered marathon. Opportunistically, might add in Taroko marathon (or half) in mid Nov.
Depending on how close I hold to this plan, it's 580km on foot! Yipes!
Depending on how close I hold to this plan, it's 580km on foot! Yipes!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
I am happy today
Happy.
Got 2 pieces of good news this morning.
1. successfully recruited 2 new members to ACPT (my church ministry)
2. buyer's remorse without penalty. I bought 2 mirrors Tue night and regret within the same night. Asked for a refund yesterday and today they agreed to full refund. It's the largest sized mirrors they had but still way smaller than the ones I have right now in the bathroom. I fear removing the old ones will leave marks on the tiled bathroom walls that cannot be covered by the smaller new mirrors.
Got 2 pieces of good news this morning.
1. successfully recruited 2 new members to ACPT (my church ministry)
2. buyer's remorse without penalty. I bought 2 mirrors Tue night and regret within the same night. Asked for a refund yesterday and today they agreed to full refund. It's the largest sized mirrors they had but still way smaller than the ones I have right now in the bathroom. I fear removing the old ones will leave marks on the tiled bathroom walls that cannot be covered by the smaller new mirrors.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Updates on the house
The big things are more or less settled. Just a few outstanding big ones like
- shower fixtures. The existing ones are a little grimy but they are Grohe branded. I am reluctant to downgrade yet to replace with new Grohe would cost me an arm and a leg. How fussy am I about this? I can't decide.
- colors for my walls (got a general idea, but unsure).
- study room's writing desk and book shelf. After talking to Michy over lunch just now, I think I will go see Ikea again, if I can tolerate their poor quality. I do not want shelves that will sag in 2 years (esp when the shelf cost but $79).
Thus far the whole journey has been pretty pleasant. I have been very blessed with a lot of help from Ian/Michy/Matty. Best example was Michy and I drawing on a page of Sunday Times a few days ago, (I was reading the paper midway). We drew out where to place my LED lights in the ceiling, argued, dragged Ian out of his bedroom as another opinion and he had genuine alarm on his face to discover our discussions are drawn all over page 7 of Sunday Times.
Jo took me on toilet bowl 101 - warning me of pitfalls and even drawing out the dimensions of everything.
Peter offered to help me spray paint my bike rack/clock, after he heard I was going to DIY. Clearly had no faith in my DIY skills - probably rightly so. I only just passed both items over to him last night and he's already done 1 coat on my bike rack - awesome job too.
Francis came by and took my fingerboard down and he will later on remount it up on my new place. This is after I had a go at it and found the screws impossibly tight. He did it effortlessly, apparently you need to hold the board at an angle and keep shifting as you unscrew to regain traction.
- shower fixtures. The existing ones are a little grimy but they are Grohe branded. I am reluctant to downgrade yet to replace with new Grohe would cost me an arm and a leg. How fussy am I about this? I can't decide.
- colors for my walls (got a general idea, but unsure).
- study room's writing desk and book shelf. After talking to Michy over lunch just now, I think I will go see Ikea again, if I can tolerate their poor quality. I do not want shelves that will sag in 2 years (esp when the shelf cost but $79).
Thus far the whole journey has been pretty pleasant. I have been very blessed with a lot of help from Ian/Michy/Matty. Best example was Michy and I drawing on a page of Sunday Times a few days ago, (I was reading the paper midway). We drew out where to place my LED lights in the ceiling, argued, dragged Ian out of his bedroom as another opinion and he had genuine alarm on his face to discover our discussions are drawn all over page 7 of Sunday Times.
Jo took me on toilet bowl 101 - warning me of pitfalls and even drawing out the dimensions of everything.
Peter offered to help me spray paint my bike rack/clock, after he heard I was going to DIY. Clearly had no faith in my DIY skills - probably rightly so. I only just passed both items over to him last night and he's already done 1 coat on my bike rack - awesome job too.
Francis came by and took my fingerboard down and he will later on remount it up on my new place. This is after I had a go at it and found the screws impossibly tight. He did it effortlessly, apparently you need to hold the board at an angle and keep shifting as you unscrew to regain traction.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Do you eat when you're stressed?
It used to be that when stressed, I feel too sick to eat. So I lose weight during bad times and gain during good.
Now that I'm older, when stressed, I eat more with the thought I need to fuel up to do what I need to, and when happy, well, I eat too. So er.. regardless, I gain weight?
Sigh... Humpty-Dumpty shape is a shape too right?
Now that I'm older, when stressed, I eat more with the thought I need to fuel up to do what I need to, and when happy, well, I eat too. So er.. regardless, I gain weight?
Sigh... Humpty-Dumpty shape is a shape too right?
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
I am too strong for my shoes?
I got back to the carpark last Wed after the ride/supper and found difficulty clipping out. Somehow my cycling shoe was stuck - on closer look : gasp - the sole had come undone!
I literally placed bike on the road and yanked the shoe out with both hands.
Simon/KahHoe came over in dismay when they saw a forlorn Cervelo lying on the road and picked up Speedier for me. Simon said "Cervelos cannot lie on road!"...
These shoes were a birthday gift from my buddies and I took them out to wear after my tragic accident where my old Shimano shoes were ripped. So I really love these Bontrager as they are filled with love, plus I really like the feel of these shoes compared to the Shimanos. Very stiff and the power transfer very smooth.
Brought them to the cobbler at HV and the grizzly experienced cobbler insist it cannot be glued back as it will come undone the minute I try to clip out again. So I took them back to Treknology. Trek will get in touch with Bontrager then come back to me - hopefully I get a new pair out of them.
In the meantime, everyone has a suggestion for me. Coach says Fizik shoes (there's a deal with IR for $300) but I don't really like the color (white) and they don't have my size anyways. Felix/Jo insist on just 1 brand : SIDI. In Jo's words, "just pay whatever price for SIDIs - you will not regret it", with Felix surfing to the CRC buy site for SIDIs and passing me the iPAD. These 2 are a very interesting couple - very fun being around them.
I'm still in shock - am hoping to get a Bontrager replacement pair. SIDI carbon shoes costs $350 and above!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Collect the new home keys!
Very unceremoniously, I picked up the keys to the apartment from my lawyer's office. BTW, they are complete imbeciles. They actually made mistake with the math, against my favour? And I pay them legal fees? I need to go over the numbers again, no faith in them at all.
Ok, focus on the happy things!
I took the keys and then... went to eat dinner with Matty! I missed him since I was away in Taiwan! Only finally stepped into my very own pad the next day. Went straight after work and stood there feeling a little over-awed.
Thankfully Michy joined me for a while and we both stood there discussing what I want done before Ah Teng came. Yeah, my chosen renovation contractor is called Ah Teng. AT - as Florence puts it, somehow making him sound cooler than he really is (think Phua Chu Kang in his 50s).
Trying to make it all fit in a tiny apartment takes some ingenuity. Hopefully the contractor has some good ideas.
Ok, focus on the happy things!
I took the keys and then... went to eat dinner with Matty! I missed him since I was away in Taiwan! Only finally stepped into my very own pad the next day. Went straight after work and stood there feeling a little over-awed.
Thankfully Michy joined me for a while and we both stood there discussing what I want done before Ah Teng came. Yeah, my chosen renovation contractor is called Ah Teng. AT - as Florence puts it, somehow making him sound cooler than he really is (think Phua Chu Kang in his 50s).
Trying to make it all fit in a tiny apartment takes some ingenuity. Hopefully the contractor has some good ideas.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Frequent traveler's etiquette
Not that I travel very often these days, but in the last 2 weeks I made 2 very different styles of travel.
Flying Singapore Airlines with a Krisflyer Gold member to Brisbane and then just a couple of days ago, budget travel via JetstarAsia.
The contrast is stark.
So when I read today's papers, I almost laughed out loud:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/business/etiquette-for-seat-switching-on-the-road.html?ref=global-home
Yes actually, there is an unspoken rule about the whole business of travel. Nicely put, etiquette. And yes, those who do not travel often, don't get it and don't practise it which causes great grief to the rest of us.
I concur. Do NOT,
- ask me to change seats with you (I chose that seat for a reason).
- wave your arms in front of me. Or invade my private space for ANY reason.
- attempt to make conversation with me. What makes you think I want to talk to you?
- fidget in your seat with your elbows sticking out.
- knock my neck cushion to wake me up because you need to use the bathroom. Can't you catch me when I am awake - which is the majority of the time.
- occupy the entire armrest with your fat arms so much that you are literally leaning on my ribcage.
- remove your shoes and attempt to kill everyone on board with bio-warfare.
Flying Singapore Airlines with a Krisflyer Gold member to Brisbane and then just a couple of days ago, budget travel via JetstarAsia.
The contrast is stark.
So when I read today's papers, I almost laughed out loud:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/business/etiquette-for-seat-switching-on-the-road.html?ref=global-home
Yes actually, there is an unspoken rule about the whole business of travel. Nicely put, etiquette. And yes, those who do not travel often, don't get it and don't practise it which causes great grief to the rest of us.
I concur. Do NOT,
- ask me to change seats with you (I chose that seat for a reason).
- wave your arms in front of me. Or invade my private space for ANY reason.
- attempt to make conversation with me. What makes you think I want to talk to you?
- fidget in your seat with your elbows sticking out.
- knock my neck cushion to wake me up because you need to use the bathroom. Can't you catch me when I am awake - which is the majority of the time.
- occupy the entire armrest with your fat arms so much that you are literally leaning on my ribcage.
- remove your shoes and attempt to kill everyone on board with bio-warfare.
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
IMF says "growth recovery is tepid"
It's tepid? A lukewarm cup of tea is tepid, how do you describe growth as tepid, and coming from IMF's managing director no less.
Tepid future in store.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18693825
Tepid future in store.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18693825
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
My first overseas marathon
July has come. First July goal : Gold Coast marathon. Status : check! Next July goal : eat/drink weekend in Taipei.
My first overseas full marathon and I'm happy it all came together despite my lack of a focused build up in training. If not for a morale-boosting 5 hour/39km run 3 weeks before race day, I had thought all is lost with the GC marathon. Thanks to the coach for a great run route through Marina barrage. Prior to that, I was barely running beyond 22km for LSDs.
It wasn't just my training plan that was messy, my packing was messy too (literally threw stuff in bag) and we changed flights plans repeatedly, up to the last minute, which touched some raw nerves. All very unsettling indeed.
Thankfully once there, all was good. Weather stayed fine and cool, made some new friends and it was nice chatting/eating and drinking copious amounts of wine before and after the race. Traveling companion who is Krisflyer Gold is very nice too. Queue - what queue? And having free food in a lounge is the correct way to travel!
And we all had good races! The baby flying elephant ran 2 very fast races - 10km and 21km the very next day. Very good morale boosters for someone coming back from a back injury.
Coach's game plan was to go with the 3:30 pacers. He stayed with them until the 36km mark when tendon/ligaments/muscles gave up on him. I first saw him at the 36km mark, waved at him from the other side. Next I saw him, he was sitting on a wall at the 40km mark, where he promptly jumped down and ran alongside me. I assumed he had finished and came back for me. I outran him and went through the finish line without waiting for him - cannot go through finish line twice right? Wrong! Apparently, his leg seized up around the 36km mark, he managed to hobble until he fell over totally immobile for half an hour. No race medic went to his aid :( He sat there until I came along. Finished behind me despite a fantastic first 36km. Fortunately no bodily damage other than disappointment.
The new running friends we made all clocked personal best times (PBs). All is well!
My game plan was to go with the 4:30 pacers and try to stay with them as long as I can - no confidence in my training buildup. So I started with the pacers but it was congested - too many people like to run within sight of the pacers. Got tired of jostling one another, at 5km I ran ahead of the pacers, felt strong, kept going until I caught sight of the 4:15 pacers! Then I stopped for a pee break, and slowed a little to pace myself better.
Everyone was saying, you can score a PB because of the better weather on the Gold Coast, methinks you can score a PB only if you are well trained! Cos I totally felt the strain, just that I kept pushing, focus on my striding.... By 28-32km, the wall hit me bad. I tried to shake off the tiredness and focus on using my butts, but not enough training, even consuming my last gel (7th pack!) wasn't enough. I slowed to a 7:51 pace, dragging along, waiting for the 4:30 pacers to overtake me. And she did! I tagged myself onto her, she said she was going for 4:30 gun time and that the other 4:30 pacer still behind would be chip time. Her pace was sub-6. I lasted 1.5km with her. Weak. Until I saw Alex at 40km. Overall the race was very well organized but perhaps our own Singapore Marathon is better organized! At least we have more medic coverage!
As I crossed the finish line, gun time read 4:27, my watch read 4:26, the official chip time 4:22! I am blown away.
I cannot ask for more. I am grateful for the many blessings Jesus!
You know, I even managed to attend mass on Surfer's Paradise! The new-found friends I met on this trip are stanch Catholics. Even better, there is a Catholic church within walking distance from our hotel (20mins walk) and there is a 6pm sunset mass! 4 of us attended mass. It felt very nice indeed.
My race results and photos :
My first overseas full marathon and I'm happy it all came together despite my lack of a focused build up in training. If not for a morale-boosting 5 hour/39km run 3 weeks before race day, I had thought all is lost with the GC marathon. Thanks to the coach for a great run route through Marina barrage. Prior to that, I was barely running beyond 22km for LSDs.
It wasn't just my training plan that was messy, my packing was messy too (literally threw stuff in bag) and we changed flights plans repeatedly, up to the last minute, which touched some raw nerves. All very unsettling indeed.
Thankfully once there, all was good. Weather stayed fine and cool, made some new friends and it was nice chatting/eating and drinking copious amounts of wine before and after the race. Traveling companion who is Krisflyer Gold is very nice too. Queue - what queue? And having free food in a lounge is the correct way to travel!
And we all had good races! The baby flying elephant ran 2 very fast races - 10km and 21km the very next day. Very good morale boosters for someone coming back from a back injury.
Coach's game plan was to go with the 3:30 pacers. He stayed with them until the 36km mark when tendon/ligaments/muscles gave up on him. I first saw him at the 36km mark, waved at him from the other side. Next I saw him, he was sitting on a wall at the 40km mark, where he promptly jumped down and ran alongside me. I assumed he had finished and came back for me. I outran him and went through the finish line without waiting for him - cannot go through finish line twice right? Wrong! Apparently, his leg seized up around the 36km mark, he managed to hobble until he fell over totally immobile for half an hour. No race medic went to his aid :( He sat there until I came along. Finished behind me despite a fantastic first 36km. Fortunately no bodily damage other than disappointment.
The new running friends we made all clocked personal best times (PBs). All is well!
My game plan was to go with the 4:30 pacers and try to stay with them as long as I can - no confidence in my training buildup. So I started with the pacers but it was congested - too many people like to run within sight of the pacers. Got tired of jostling one another, at 5km I ran ahead of the pacers, felt strong, kept going until I caught sight of the 4:15 pacers! Then I stopped for a pee break, and slowed a little to pace myself better.
Everyone was saying, you can score a PB because of the better weather on the Gold Coast, methinks you can score a PB only if you are well trained! Cos I totally felt the strain, just that I kept pushing, focus on my striding.... By 28-32km, the wall hit me bad. I tried to shake off the tiredness and focus on using my butts, but not enough training, even consuming my last gel (7th pack!) wasn't enough. I slowed to a 7:51 pace, dragging along, waiting for the 4:30 pacers to overtake me. And she did! I tagged myself onto her, she said she was going for 4:30 gun time and that the other 4:30 pacer still behind would be chip time. Her pace was sub-6. I lasted 1.5km with her. Weak. Until I saw Alex at 40km. Overall the race was very well organized but perhaps our own Singapore Marathon is better organized! At least we have more medic coverage!
As I crossed the finish line, gun time read 4:27, my watch read 4:26, the official chip time 4:22! I am blown away.
I cannot ask for more. I am grateful for the many blessings Jesus!
You know, I even managed to attend mass on Surfer's Paradise! The new-found friends I met on this trip are stanch Catholics. Even better, there is a Catholic church within walking distance from our hotel (20mins walk) and there is a 6pm sunset mass! 4 of us attended mass. It felt very nice indeed.
My race results and photos :
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