Merry Christmas!

It all looks so clear now. Yep, I got an iPad for Christmas from Ian/Michy. The bestest family a person can ask for. Not just cos of this gorgeous iPad, more so the support and encouragement the past half year. It has been a trying year, can't wait for 2014.

Happy birthday to me!

Things did get worse, the job hunt grew protracted and dry... In desperation, I stayed beside happy people - Matty of cos is happiness personified, and started to run with some seriousness.  Just when I worked myself up to a comfortable 25km in training, a fall during a run rips the innards of my knee.  It gets worse : my hospitalization insurance coverage is woefully lacking.

It never rains, it pours.  Truly.

Thankfully our Lord only lets you endure to the point He knows you are able to.

Things finally turned for the better.  To new opened doors.

Never never never give up!

As Matty sings his song from Thomas the train : "never never never give up, even when you're feeling rough... If at first you don't succeed, never never never give up!".

The last 2 months has been an emotional roller-coaster ride of hoping/praying followed by crashing back to earth with each job rejection.

The economy is not doing well.  Right now, I don't really know where I am heading and I have no credible interviews in near sight.

But I will, never never never give up and keeping hoping/praying in the Lord.

OTG updates

Show encrypted text

Monday morning blues

This morning I woke up and did my first PCN to East Coast park run.  Took it nice and easy and as is my usual style, prayed for and got a few red lights for me to stop and catch my breath a little.

I'm only out running cos I have this half marathon race plus Mount Kinabalu hike that I'm totally unprepared for and gasp!, it's this Saturday!

Why o why o why o why do I do these things to myself....

It doesn't rain, it pours

To add to my life's woes, I met with a really stupid accident at the car park beside NTUC Marine Parade.  I only needed a quick place to stash the car to run into Parkway Parade to grab a dozen cupcakes.  Clearly I made a wrong choice of car parks.  Now I have this gash along Roar's side bumper.  Sorry Roar.

People reading this, please, it's a car park, not a grand prix track.  Can't you even wait 10secs for me to back into a parking space?  I do not appreciate the inconvenience, more so the extra $$ to fix poor Roar.

Life sucks.  I sat at mass ultra moody, listing my shit list to God.  Oh help me please!

The lazy bones diary day 1

Should I wake up early to run - so I won't die at the Borneo marathon, OR, do I wake up early to go boulder at Kinetic - so my upper body doesn't deteriorate to point of climbing 5a grades only.

:(

Today's reading on Feast of Saint Mark

1 Peter  5:5-14

Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for:  God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.

So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.  Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.

Be sober and vigilant.  Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.  The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.  To him be dominion forever. Amen.

I write you this briefly through Silvanus, whom I consider a faithful brother, exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God.  Remain firm in it.  The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son.  Greet one another with a loving kiss.  Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Shopping in Seven11

It's the Taiwan-ness in me.  I still browse the shelves of a 7-11 even though it sucks here in Singapore.  I don't know why I do...

Mental note to self : dive gear I should acquire for next dive trip

Talking out loud to self.  If and when a next dive trip materializes, I need these :

1. Snorkel - mine's kaput/broke.  Considering it's more than 10 years old, I got good amortization out of it.

2. Surface marker aka sausage.  I have been wanting to get one forever.  I think it's a safety must.  It scares me that we often surface without one - thankfully we have been lucky.  

Difficult times

Show encrypted text

Heinous - terror at the Boston marathon

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/04/the-meaning-of-the-boston-marathon.html

An awesome read.

I stand with all indignant runners around the world, praying in solidarity for the victims, that God will grant Bostonians and all affected the courage/grace/strength to overcome.

Pope Francis Names Advisory Panel at Vatican

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/world/europe/pope-francis-names-advisory-panel-at-vatican.html?smid=pl-share

Hammerhead diving!

Our last big dive trip was the Similans (off Andaman sea) dive trip in 2011 - we were rewarded with a 45min dance with a big white manta ray.

The same group plus an elephant regrouped this month for some hammerhead shark diving at Layang Layang (off Borneo).  We were rewarded on our second dive with hammerhead shark viewing!  Everyone absolutely ecstatic.

What's left on my to-see list for scuba diving before I retire?  Whale shark, or any whale!

I leave my photos to speak for the fantastic dive trip with the pelagics : manta ray, marble ray, turtles, huge schools of tuna, jacks, baraccudas and of cos the hammerhead sharks.

Small selection
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151381683143157.1073741825.645738156&type=3

All photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8062670@N07/sets/72157633222274519/

I didn't know that Layang Layang was part of the disputed Spratly Islands until Alfred told me.  Sure am glad no one shot at me when I ran on the naval base part of the landing strip that is closed to public.

Hilarious Catholic humour

Ok I lifted this from a FB post, but it's hilarious!

AMEN: The only part of a prayer that everyone knows.

BULLETIN: Your receipt for attending Mass.

CHOIR: A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the Parish to lip-sync.

HOLY WATER: A liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY.

HYMN: A song of praise usually sung in a key three octaves higher than that of the congregation's range.

RECESSIONAL HYMN: The last song at Mass often sung a little more quietly since most of the people have already left.

KYRIE ELEISON: The only Greek words that most Catholics can recognize besides 'baklava'.

PEW: a medieval torture device still found in Catholic churches.

USHERS: The only people in the parish who don't know the seating capacity of a pew.

PROCESSION: The ceremonial formation at the beginning of Mass consisting of altar servers, the celebrant and late parishioners looking for seats.

RECESSIONAL: The ceremonial procession at the conclusion of Mass led by parishioners trying to beat the crowd to the parking lot

Perks of Running Solo or Social - from Runners World

Perks of Running Solo or Social

There are perks to running with others—and alone. How to get the best of both worlds.

By

Jen A. Miller

Published

February 11, 2013

As a runner you know that a program that incorporates various distances, paces, and surfaces helps you perform your best. What you may not realize is that the same holds true with the company you keep—or don't keep—on the run. Whether you'd rather gab away the miles with pals or be alone in your own thoughts, runners who are strictly social butterflies or lone rangers are at a disadvantage. "Being set in an introverted or extroverted running pattern can limit your experiences and prevent you from growing as a runner," says Michelle P. Maidenberg, Ph.D., M.P.H., a psychotherapist who works with athletes. Mixing things up and seeking out—or passing up—companionship can make you a more balanced runner.

SOLO PRACTICE
Between chirping cell phones, pinging e-mails, chatty coworkers, and rowdy kids, it can be tough finding moments of peace and quiet in your day. Running alone can allow you to hit the mute button on the world (especially if you leave the gadgets behind) and take full advantage of exercise's stress-busting benefits. "Running alone can be a meditative experience where you get to really think and concentrate or completely clear your mind and zone out," Maidenberg says.

There are performance benefits as well. When you're on your own, you can pay better attention to your form, breathing, and pace, says Brendan Cournane, a Chicago-based running coach. "It's easy to choose to run with a group at a casual pace, but doing that all the time can keep you from reaching your running potential," he says. "And if you always run with a group that's too fast, it can push you into doing more than you should." Running by yourself is especially important if you're coming back from injury and need to listen to your body to avoid another setback.

Also, solo training makes you self-sufficient for race day: You'll feel comfortable finding—and sticking to—a pace on your own without relying on a partner, and you'll get practice recognizing when your body needs hydration and fuel.

GROUP LOVE
One of the biggest gifts running partners give you is accountability: It's hard getting up at 5 a.m. to run, especially if it's raining and you stayed up late watching Leno or The Daily Show. But if you know that a buddy is waiting for you, you'll have extra motivation to climb out of bed, Cournane says. And it works on the run, too: A partner can keep you from slipping off pace or cutting a run short.

This positive peer pressure even works on a subconscious level—thanks to a concept called "social facilitation," says Cindra Kamphoff, Ph.D., a sports psychology consultant at Your Runner's Edge. It was first discovered with cyclists—they had faster times when racing against someone else versus doing a time trial on their own. The same holds true with runners. "When you run with others, you tend to give more effort," she says. "You get caught up in the pace, and you might not recognize how fast you're going."

Pairing up can also encourage you to branch out. "You learn more about how other people train and what they're doing, and it can inspire you to do something different," Kamphoff says. "It can open up your mind to trying new distances, races, or types of workouts."

Many beginners are solo runners, says Cournane, because they feel overwhelmed or intimidated by running with others. He suggests dipping your toe into the running community by pairing up with just one other person. Before you go, talk about your goals, especially pace. If your friend is faster, schedule your running date for a day he'll be doing an easy, recovery day. That way you can enjoy the run without worrying about keeping up or holding him back.

THE RIGHT BALANCE
With so many advantages to solo and group running, it's smart to do both. A loner might want to pair up with a slightly faster friend for speedwork or join others for company on long runs. And a social runner could split off from her relaxed group in order to do a quality workout designed for her individual goals.

That's what Kamphoff did when preparing for September's Omaha Marathon. Although she prefers to log miles with her running group, she did solo runs in order to work on her mental game. "You have to practice letting go of the inner chatter that can get in the way of what you want to accomplish," she says. "And that's something you have to do on your own." On race day, Kamphoff was able to reframe her negative thoughts. She won the women's division in 3:05.http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/perks-running-solo-or-social

Sore thumb

As I was telling friends, my car is the only red car in a carpark full of black/white/silver cars.  People passing by, just need a glance to tell if I were in or out.  Sigh.

I need to be more inconspicuous like Bob the sheepdog.

Easter Mass

Matty had his picnic birthday party at the Botanic Gardens early in the morning.  He got to run around, play with bubbles, eat lots of junk food and get different people to carry him (cooler than running in the mid day heat himself!).  His birthday cake was from an expensive yuppie shop called The Patisserie, his parents chose a delicious cake with a road in cream and we topped it up with a real toy train (Thomas and Friends of cos).  I chose Charlie cos he's a nice pretty purple train.  Cake shop lady snootily told me that the cake is soft, do not put the train on for too long.   So after we sang the birthday song, we started to take photos with some urgency, "hurry hurry, Charlie is sinking!".

We met up for Easter mass and dinner together in the evening.  It was great, all of us sitting at mass together.  Even if Matty had to bring all his trains along.  During the entire mass, Matty squirmed back and forth along the pew we were at, sat on floor, sat on our kneeling pews, played with his trains (alas metal trains on wooden pews does make some noise), dropped some prayer books and at one point had to be taken out when he cried loudly after we said no to his insistent "play with godma's phoooone!". But, he was in his Father's house on Easter Sunday celebrating Jesus reigns!  Alleluia!

The funniest moment was when Michy muttered to Matty to behave in order that he not put off people from having more kids, that the 6.9 will be all foreigners and he's single-handedly responsible.

Or it could be Matty going up to communion with his left palm stuck out just like all of us yet did not receive communion.  He pointed back indignantly, "I want!".

Happy second birthday Matty!

Happy Easter Triduum, Matty!

With Maundy Thursday (today), we begin this year's Easter Triduum.  And Matty's 2nd birthday is on Easter Tuesday.

So to be prepared, I have bought little trains for Matty's birthday - both Thomas & Chuggington trains and later tonight be prepared to spend some time at holy hour/adoration at Holy Family church tonight.

Wishing all Catholics a blessed Easter Triduum and everyone else, happy long weekend!

Pebble Watch

http://getpebble.com/

Where do I get one?

Abu and Sentosa

Abu was my first belayer in Taiwan.  From the days of walking into a gym full of climbers I do not know and approaching the safest looking dude so I can excise my climbing demons.  Last week, he drops me a Facebook message out of the blue and very last minute that he's visiting Singapore.  I canceled all my Sat plans.  Why?  Because I believe in 饮水思源! Funnily enough, I am always tour guide!  I'm tour guide to Singaporeans while living in Taiwan, now I am tour guide to Taiwanese and US folks!  I don't see any of my friends/peers do this - except perhaps entertain business associates.  The difference is, I pay out of my own pocket! Definitely no expense account to claim from.  (I usually will offer to pay since I am host).

First I stopped by Glory to buy some local tarts/rolls as a welcome gift and then pick him up from his hotel in MBS.  I chose to park the car and take the cable car over to Sentosa since it is Abu's first time in Singapore.  At the ticketing counter for cable car tickets, Abu insisted on paying.  Very gallantly he says he will cover the day's expenses.  Even my offer to go dutch was rejected.  Certainly very rare, most people will simply let me pay.

We went to the Underwater World first.  I explained to him the recent controversial decision to purchase dolphins.  And we hatched a plan to each grab a pink dolphin to freedom.  Underwater World surprised me.  Lots of sharks and rays and rare fish like sea horses, sea dragons... I went all the way to Similan Islands to see ONE leopard shark on day 4 of diving - there are many leopard sharks in Underwater World.   Even a guitarfish that I first thought was guitar shark (it is a ray).  I caused a mini pandemonium walking backwards on the moving travellator following the guitarfish, yelling "guitar shark"!  All divers should visit Underwater World.  Only we appreciate the rare species there!

We skipped lunch on fears that if we ate then went for iFly, we will puke over ourselves.  iFly was an absolute blast.  I wonder why I have not heard anyone rave about it before.  So I shall.  Everyone should!  Yes, it's expensive but so exhilarating.  I agree with their humorous ads - no ugly big fat jumpmaster strapped to your back, no risks of poor packing of your parachute, no need to throw yourself out of a plane.  Haha...

This is one of the few hosting days where I actually enjoyed myself and yet did not burn a small hole in my pocket.

Clockwise from top right :

Nautilus, weedy sea dragon, guitar fish, pink dolphin, iFly, more pink dolphins, leopard shark, leafy sea dragon, 2 huge spider crabs, horned moray eel

Kinetics Gym

Since I moved over to the eastern part of Singapore, the closest climbing facility to me would be Kinetics gym in Paya Lebar.  I know I've been talking about this place for a long while, but I finally visited last night.

I didn't go under the best of circumstances :
1. was meant to climb at Yishun, but Jo canceled on me at 6:30pm citing rain.  I was already in Thomson Road and it was dry as a bone.
2. Michy had taken Matty to play at Changi Airport, so I can't go to dinner with family.
3. Traffic in the north is just horrendous and I got a little lost trying to navigate back to the east.

I wasn't upset at the late cancellation, rather, I was upset because I was already half way there.  Rush hour  evening traffic is not pleasant, that round-about scenic route in bumper to bumper traffic becomes a test of patience.

So I entered Kinetics gym with a stomach-full of frustration.  Yes, it is a really tiny gym so it feels very crowded easily.  Yet, the routes are nice, and the climbers quick to offer betas or their fave routes and ask you to try.  I didn't manage to try all the V1 to V2 routes, it was too crowded and after an hour, I was ready to die.

I will be back.

How to shop in a bookstore

How to shop in a bookstore.  Model : Matty Cheng.
Step 1 - always take a basket. 
Step 2 - stationery esp colorful pens always warrant a 2nd look. 
Step 3 - basket gets heavy as it fills up, push if you must. 
Step 4 - when done, always double check you have enough Thomas the train DVDs. 
Step 5 - find a giant spoon to rest in, shopping can be tiring business.

Penitential service for Lent

It's week 5 of Lent.  Yes, most of Lent flew by without any concerted effort on my part towards increased prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Last night I went to OLPS at Siglap for penitential service.  Since I was early, I had time to prepare myself and I also realized that being early means my car (hence me) would be trapped.  (As with all Catholic churches, we double/triple park ourselves within the church compound during mass/service so there is no way to unblock yourself until after it ends and everyone leaves together).

Shrewdly I had chosen seats such that I'd get my confession heard first and indeed by 8:30pm, I was ready to go.  I decided to sit and spend time with God, so I squirmed in my seat until 9pm.  Amazingly I found I could reverse my car out, so as was at Advent time, I left early.

There is but 11 days to Easter, I resolve to spend little time in stupid time-wasters (Facebooking, Candy-Crushing, reading nonsense online), better utilizing that time either prayer/read Scripture/rest/sleep early.

Happy feast of St Joseph!

Never underestimate the need to be productive, to contribute meaningfully to organization/society.  Yes, that's the long way of saying my brains are mush from inactivity.  I want a more challenging role!  Been trying for a few months now but after having hopes raised and dashed a couple of times, I am feeling a little down.

Today is the feast of St Joseph - patron saint of workers.  I am reminded of a sermon 3 years ago, also during feast of St Joseph while I was still based in Taiwan.
http://feldreams.blogspot.sg/2010/03/wandering-and-wondering.html

Ironically, after 3 years, I am right where I was.  So I will persist. Thanks for the reminder Father Cary, St Joseph and Jesus!

Daylight savings starts this weekend

In Haiku style :

I stare at the sun -
longer days she says,
less sleep for me!  

With daylight savings, my morning conf calls are now an hour earlier - 7am.  Yawn, less sleep for me.

Was trying to explain the concept of daylight savings to a friend, and I started with the earth's rotation on its axis... Friend's eyes glaze over.  Singaporeans really don't have any general knowledge at all!  Yes, I know we don't have DST nor seasons, but it does not justify us being ignoramuses.

My Final Resting Place

There I did it.  Morbid as it seems.  Signed the forms for 3 niches in the same chapel (area of the columbariam) as Pa's.   For me and my 2 brothers.  Both refused (as did Michy) to discuss with me.  But after some thought, I decided to just go ahead and buy 3 in a row for all of us.  They are reserved in order, C, mine and I's (which he will share with M).  Now the family can be together - after we die.

Who is a Singaporean?

I have interviewing to hire another product manager for the little startup I work for.

So far I have interviewed a Malaysian, Indonesian, Indian from Pune and a guy from Beijing China.  Except, they are all Singaporeans.  All 3 been here since early 2000s and call this island home.

They are what I call fob (fresh off boat) Singaporeans.  They have strong foreign accents (yes even the Malaysian), completed their education entirely in their native countries (up to post-university level), have spouses also from the same native land they were born in... In short, culturally have little in common with a typical born & bred Singaporean.

Actually, the Beijing guy came late to the interview, dressed too casually in a very creased (un-ironed) khaki-green long-sleeved shirt unbuttoned at the sleeves.

So who is a Singaporean?  All of them.  Yet the real question should be, who truly loves Singapore?

The North Face City Run

Kids, do not try this at home.  After a nasty bout of stomach flu, I ran a marathon.  Other than cramps on my left foot - probably from an electrolyte imbalance from the excessive diarrhea-ing and an overall lethargy that had my running really slowly, I managed to slowly claw my way to the end.  At 1 point, we realize we were coming very close to the cut off time of 8.5 hours and I contemplated quitting to free the team to run faster.  We all held on in the end to finish the race half an hour before the cut off time.

The race was pretty fun, you self-navigate and so I got to see a lot of Singapore that I otherwise would not get to experience.  For the first time in my life, I had to run underneath an expressway (AYE).   We were joking if one day we decide to be grey importers, we know exactly where to stash our goods.  The route also involved running through the old Malaysian railway tracks, now called the green corridor by the National Parks who has taken over and done a great job in transforming the ugly railroad tracks to a nice strip of park land.

The only downside was HY pulling a back muscle very early in the run, just after checkpoint 1.  But then again, we were also able to pick up the pace a little after that. 

Photos on Facebook

We finished 49 out of 61 teams (well 65 teams if you add the 4 teams that DNF), clocking 44km in 7:43mins.  Absolutely herculean effort considering the circumstances.  Now I will rest a little.  No more races for a while.  No more 5am wake up to run Sunday mornings.  

Stomach bug

Somewhere between dinner Mon and lunch Tue, I picked up a terrible bug.  It's been queasy, pukey and LS since Tue.

Spent a lot of time last night on the toilet bowl.  I should exclude the part about the "accident" I had while sleeping too.

Between puking and running for the toilet, I came to work as a responsible person to conduct an interview (cannot cancel last min. as the applicant may have taken the day off for this purpose - "do unto others what you'd want done?").

Yes, this is not a nice post.  So I will end off as the rumbling has gotten pretty painful.  Toilet here I come...

Yahoo bans working from home

http://www.businessinsider.com/ex-yahoos-confess-marissa-mayer-is-right-to-ban-working-from-home-2013-2

Personally, I agree.  WFH is a much abused concept peculiar to American IT companies.  I am all for flexibility - take early morning conf calls from home or leaving work at 4pm because you came early/have a night conf call to take/need to visit dentist etc...  Regardless, be in the office.

I know because I've seen this abuse in the work place.  It's just not right.

Some days I feel like a shark

Some days I feel like a shark.  Like today.

Not in the apex predator sense of being shark, but in the sense that like a shark, I need to keep swimming.  A shark needs to keep swimming, or else, they either 1, sink or 2, drown (in the case of Oceanic sharks, they need to stay moving to move water over their gills to breathe).

I wish I can stop swimming.  Just for a bit.  Sometimes.  Somedays.  One day, I pray.

Today's readings

Monday of the Second Week in Lent 
Lectionary: 230

Reading 1DN 9:4B-10

“Lord, great and awesome God,
you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you
and observe your commandments!
We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;
we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.
We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,
our fathers, and all the people of the land.
Justice, O Lord, is on your side;
we are shamefaced even to this day:
we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, near and far,
in all the countries to which you have scattered them
because of their treachery toward you.
O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
for having sinned against you.
But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!
Yet we rebelled against you
and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,
to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.”

Responsorial PsalmPS 79:8, 9, 11 AND 13

R. (see 103:10a) Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.

GospelLK 6:36-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.

My Lenten Journey

My Lenten plans are :
1. I am now officially vegan for the next 40 days.
2. Fasting on Wednesdays
3. Evening mass on Fridays

I am also restricting Facebook-ing and mindless online surfing.

It's only day 2, wish me lots of luck!  (Rather, pray for me!).

Amazon rocks!

I bought a second clock for the living room cos the bicycle clock I have is all the way across to the far side when I'm half slumped over the couch watching TV.

It's a gold, very retro, very sunny clock which I love!  But alas got not much luck with it.  My first order (via Amazon) never arrived.  Amazon refunded me the $.  I looked around but after a while re-ordered the same clock again cos I really like it.

2 nights ago, the clock fell to the floor and the spines of the sun rays broke off. The hook had come off the wall.  I really need to cement the hook strongly to the wall!

And it is now sold out on Amazon!

In frustration, I wrote an email to Amazon explaining and asking if they can do anything about this.  I got a reply back really fast apologizing, they put me in line for the first clock should this come back available and then provided me a refund on the clock!  Despite me admitting that the clock fell because the hook came undone, it was entirely my fault.  Ok, so I still lose the shipping costs, but Amazon just went over and beyond the call of duty.

I am now a lifelong fan of Amazon and in need of a new clock.  Sigh.

Ash Wed and morbidness

Attended Ash Wednesday mass over lunch hour at St Mary of the Angels (since I can't eat!) and thereafter I went to visit Pa's niche in the columbariam there.  As is my usual habit, I lit 6 tea-light candles for the rest of the family and said a quick prayer.  I notice that within Pa's section (they call it chapels), that there are still available niches - a few.  Wondering if I should book 1 for myself.

I returned to work and M was online and we were chatting so I casually asked her if she wanted 1.  I could book 3 - for C, for herself/I and for me.  Hmmm.  Costs still the same as in 2007 when we moved Pa from Mt Vernon to St Mary's.  Except she won't discuss with me.  She complained that it's still CNY and it's too morbid to discuss.  Ok, I could pick a better time.

Just went to washroom, discovered with horror that the ash cross that they drew on my forehead is huge and very black.  Wonder how many co-workers I scared.

Pope Benedict XVI to step down

It is the year of the snake, bringing with it ssssurprises.

Most catholics were shocked with the sudden news of the Pope's resignation.  And then the Vatican was hit by lightning after the announcement.  Here in Singapore, we are just about to watch the ordination of the new archbishop adjutor William Goh, the next archbishop in the wings.  Now we get to watch the selection and a new papal ordination by Easter, continuing on the line of Popes since St Peter.  Interesting times certainly - new archbishop and new Pope.  With Jesus in our midst, hopefully the new and refreshed leadership brings us into the new year and new directions.

I pray with all catholic christians of the world during this time.

The gospel of today reminds us to pray and to fast :

Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Friendship and family ties

Proverbs 17:17

A friend is a friend at all times, and a brother is born for the time of adversity. 

Read this last night and was thinking, oh so that's the standard for friendships!  In the new King James version, it reads : A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Just as I sit back and rue all the bad friends I've had in the past and the few good friends that I ought to cherish more, today's reading provides the conclusion :

Heb 13:1-8

Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:

The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Chinese new year and the start of Lent

Feb 10/11 - Chinese New Year day 1 and 2 : eat a lot!
Feb 12 - Mardi Gras : eat even more.
Feb 13 - Ash Wednesday : no eat.
Feb 14 - Valentine's day : no date, eat to drown sorrows.
Feb 15 - Hotpot dinner at Peter's place : eat some (i envisage competition getting at the food)

I can't believe Ash Wednesday falls on day 3 of CNY - is the Archbishop going to announce a delay to the fasting day?

Just in case there's no dispensation with Ash Wednesday fasting, I will take Mardi Gras very seriously.

When people hear Mardi Gras they think wild parades, but Mardi Gras simply means Fat Tuesday, aka eat a lot on Tuesday because Wednesday you fast.  It has its origins with the catholic calendar.

Ash Wednesday traditionally is a day of fast and abstinence as it marks the beginning of Lent - 40 days of  preparation leading up Holy Week of Good Friday & Easter. 

Again the church remembers and celebrates the great salvific life and death of Christ.

For Weekend Athletes, Groups Can Be More Fun

Precisely how I feel of late.  Don't get me wrong, I still hold the "no excuses" attitude towards wanting something, so none of the lame "oh, I have no buddies to train with" type of excuse.  Train cos you want to, if you do it for any other reasons, e.g. social reasons, it is likely you won't last long.

However, for all my years of running alone, in most of 2012, I hardly ran alone.  Perhaps just at races, even so, I'm not alone going to the race.

Alone, it is all too easy to succumb to laziness/weakness and skip trainings.  But if there's a group of folks waiting for you, you will rise at 6am for that Sunday morning training run!

From the NY Times, 1 Feb 2013 :

For Weekend Athletes, Groups Can Be More Fun

HONG KONG—Groups can be more fun. That’s a growing consensus among amateur athletes around the world.

Rather than run that marathon all by one’s lonesome, many weekend warriors are participating in races that require a team of two or four to get through a course.

The advantages of training and racing with buddies, of course, include the camaraderie, as well as a healthy dose of peer pressure to stick with a training regimen. If your teammates are more experienced, you may glean tips on health and nutrition, and you can share any logistics or organizational workload.

Perhaps the greatest advantage to teaming up is that there’s safety in numbers. Running with others, for instance, can make entering the world of amateur racing easier and less intimidating.

My colleague and friend, Bettina Wassener, has biked throughout Germany and trekked in Nepal, but on Saturday she will participate in her first race: the Green Power Hike, a 50-kilometer, or about 30-mile, event through the hills of Hong Kong, as part of a three-person team. I can tell she’s caught the bug because she’s already talking about competing in December in the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, which is a solo 21.1 kilometer race though the famed ancient temples in Cambodia.

The disadvantages of team training and events are less numerous, at least for someone like me who races just for fun. You may end up moving faster than you normally would, which can lead to injury, or slower, which can be underwhelming. Busy people may find training difficult to schedule. But that’s life.

I’ve done both team and solo events and like both equally. One evening this week as I ran (alone) along this scenic route up and down Hong Kong’s famous Victoria Peak, I got to thinking about Bettina and her team’s approach to Saturday’s race. They’re right on target. They trained frequently over the last few months and they got over the hurdle of early weekend wake-ups by rewarding themselves with a restaurant or pub visit at their destination.

During Saturday’s race, they planned to stick closely together along the route because scattering can be disheartening for straggling members. As a team, they banned the use of headphones. And they required themselves to show up with three jokes each to break up the monotony of a course they expect to last 12 hours. (My only qualm might be their intention to wear matching penguin hats on race day.)

And there are other incentives for making racing a team sport.

For the past 30 years, the charity Oxfam has sponsored 100-kilometer events throughout the world for teams of four. I’ve participated in Hong Kong several times, and am monitoring this calendar of 2013 races in the hopes of doing a similar event in Spain, India or Australia. Participants also help fight poverty. Oxfam says that in 2012 more than 22,000 people collectively walked over 2.2 million kilometers, “the same distance as walking around the world 55 times, becoming great ambassadors for Oxfam’s work and aiming to raise over $18 million.”

That just scratches the surface of such events. Are there any team races — or other team sporting endeavors — you can recommend for the usually solo practitioner?

I am an engineer, hear me roar!

I have this Philip's Blu Ray Home Theater 5.1 system model no.  HTS 3541.

It plays DVD perfectly well though I have yet to try out playing a BD title.

It however, does not play music CDs well.  After a couple of songs, the music stops, and it switches itself to "browser mode".  Which is most annoying.

I went online to the Philip's customer care forum page, downloaded the latest firmware, flash the player and presto, that did the trick.

Sick

I've been nursing this cold all week and I actually feel better when exercising, but right after the exercise, the nose drips continues.

So I ran my usual Sunday morning long run yesterday, rushed down to Tampines to pick up race kits then rushed off to mid day mass at Siglap Road - thankful that the race kit collection isn't at NTU!  The whole time sneezing and nose dripping.  And it didn't stop all day so I double-dosed myself with cold tablets and went to bed.

This morning I woke up totally zoned out.  My entire face is throbbing, even my eyeballs are aching.  My nose feels like a dam holding back a flood of mucous.

I am thankful my job is easy.  I am a walking zombie today, watch out or I'll sneeze in your face.  

Taking my mugshot

My passport expired and to renew it, I was requested to provide a recent photo.  The photo I gave them, which was perhaps 5 years ago, was declined.  What happened to democracy, so I choose to live in denial, that is my citizen right!

Ok, so I asked Matty's mom to take my mugshot.   So these are the photos I got.  Hmm...such a cutie pie eh?

Shocked!

I woke up Sunday morning late, rushed to throw clothes/shoes into bag and ran downstairs to where coach was waiting.  Usual gang running 16km of Macritchie - my first foray back to Macritchie after last year's MR25 ultra.

It was only mid-run that I really woke up, when Simon told me the PAP has lost to WP in the by-elections at Ponggol East.  What?!  Unbelievable.  His exact words were, 他们不懂得人民的心, translated, the PAP is too aloof to understand the average Singaporean.

Singaporeans engage in group think too much.  We talk and suddenly everyone is anti-government.  Stop and rationalize for a bit.  Or perhaps cos I have lived overseas, I appreciate what we do have.  Look around us, compared to all our Asian neighbours, we have a system that is efficient and relatively incorrupt.  As for rising costs, there is a global situation all our neighbours are facing and trying to fix, look at HK's housing prices!

So the PAP is not perfect, I like it that they are quick to rectify and tweak a system to make it work for all, because Singapore is run like a huge conglomerate : Singapore Inc.

My only grouse is foreigners.  Enough already.  If we continue to dilute our identity as Singaporeans, we lose the social fabric of what makes us Singaporeans.  I work with and am close friends with many non-Singaporeans.  They have options, the option to go back to their country of birth.  I don't.  This is it.  This is home.  So I want everyone to love & respect Singapore for what this land stands for.  How do you tell someone to queue up, and that pushing/shoving is not acceptable in Singapore when we are no longer the majority?  How do you enforce society norms like not stealing my mobile phone off my lunch table or throwing thrash to the floor when they did not go through the same campaigns we grew up to : no littering, honesty is the best policy.... Sigh.  I am on the verge of bursting out into singing Chan Mali Chan.  But of cos, 50% of the people of Singapore have no clue what that even means.

To the PAP, may I suggest that maybe we don't need to have such high standards, that perhaps it is ok to accept a lower GDP, and we figure out the way forward together.  What is the point of having high GDP growth in terms of statistical numbers, but this prosperity is not evenly spread amongst Singaporeans.  Yes, I am still a PAP supporter but even more so, I am Singaporean and proudly so.

My lunch in 2 parts

I had 2 roti pratas for lunch today, eaten over 2 parts.

First I ate half of each prata (1 plaster - which is egg and 1 cheese - which is mozzarella cheese).

Next a Cisco parking warden appears and stands in front of my car (illegally parked in front of prata shop).

I got up, moved the car to the nearby car park, walked back and calmly resumed lunch.

Ate the remaining half of each prata, finished my tea halia, walked to the counter and paid for lunch.

No one got upset, no one panicked, my lunch though interrupted was complete, the parking warden did his job and left, the prata folks were paid.

Just another day in the life of typical Singapore.  Yes, I love Singapore!

And I also love Niqqi's prata - they invented mozzarella cheese prata you know!  To die for!

You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time 

HEB 7:1-3, 15-17

Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,
met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kingsand blessed him.
And Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything.
His name first means righteous king,
and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace.
Without father, mother, or ancestry,
without beginning of days or end of life,
thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up
after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so,
not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent
but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.
For it is testified:

You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Remote controllers have a home!

A little caddy to hold my remote controllers.  It's so cute I couldn't resist taking a photo.

I regret

It's Jan 22 and already I caught myself meddling in other people's affair - something I said I would not do ever again.

We all thought V was not going to be strong enough for the upcoming North Face City Run on 3 March.  But since the event isn't for a few more weeks, no one did anything about it until a friend came to me and told me that perhaps asking V to withdraw might be a good idea - her exact words were, "kick Vivi out of the team".

So I did.  I spoke to V and she withdrew to "not let the team down" - which was a sweet gesture but did she do so out of peer pressure or health concerns?

Next I approached A - whom I met at last year's North Face 50km and MR25 50km.  She accepted as part of her training for some HK 50km trail later in March.  We have a strong replacement now.

The whole process took a day's worth of text messages/emails traded over Whatsapp/Facebook and concluded with an email from the North Face organizers confirming the change is made along with a credit card charge of $20 admin fee.

Thank you Fel for meddling, you are rewarded with pissed-off people and $20 deficit.

Yeah, I regret the whole matter, that I did precisely the things I hate - meddled, interfered and worse, judged V as not strong enough - what if she really needed this run to gain some momentum in her comeback plans?

Ok moving forward, no more team events and no more being Ms Smarty Pants. Everyone's an adult, I will take you at face value.

Catholic Liturgical Calendar

With advent (the month before Christmas), we began a new year, Year C of the catholic liturgical calendar.

Since I use the weekday missal for my quiet time, for the daily readings, I thought I would need a new missal just as the Sunday missals are new (with year C).

After a few weeks of procrastination, I emailed Peter of Wellsprings and asked for the price of a new weekday missal.  He quoted $45.  Sounds reasonable.  After I ordered it online, I decided I should be prudent and double check that it was the weekday (not Sunday) missal that Peter was going to send.

And so began my epiphany.

1. This year 2013 is Year C for the Sunday cycle ; Cycle I of the weekday cycle.  
2. There is no cycle III nor a cycle C for the weekday cycle - OH!   
3. I don't need a new missal - just switch back to cycle I.  The missal has both cycle I and cycle II.  

Thankfully Peter canceled the order, reversed the charges and I learned something new.  Sorry Peter for the trouble!

Cateye Micro Speedometer settings for a 650c road bike

My speedometer ran out of battery and for the life of me I could not find the correct settings.  The manual offered by Cateye seems to have every setting but what I have.

So my wheel size is 650 x 23C.  ETRTO is 23-571.  These are clearly marked on my tire.

Now set the speedometer to what?  Impossible to read this chart right?

I had to google and people discussed measuring the roll out to get exact measurement, but in general, set L = 1950 or 1938.   (Note neither of these are in the table from Cateye).

Yes, so I am blogging about it here for greater visibility so the next person who rides a 650c road bike and needs to reset her speedometer will be left scratching her head and wondering what to set the L settings to!

No thank you Cateye!

By elections at Ponggol East

By far the funniest commentary I read by an ex Straits Times editor, Betha Henson.  Hilarious.
http://berthahenson.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/a-possible-wp-response-to-sdp/

My sporting calendar 2013

Even as I am still saying "happy new year" to people, I already ran my first event of 2013 - Zoom on Track by the IMD group of ultramarathoners.

Mapping out my calendar for the year, I realize it is still pretty full for a "low mileage" year.

Events already signed up for :
23 Feb - NTU bike rally.  Will be my longest cycle distance of 138km.
3 Mar - The North Face City Run.
2 Apr - Layang Layang dive trip.
5 May - Borneo Marathon.  Signed up for half since it's my low mileage year!

Second half of year plans :
1 Jun - Singapore Duathlon
3 Aug - MR25 Time Trial.  I hope by this date I'm can be speedier.
23 Aug - ACPT Retreat (ok this is spiritual sports!)
7 Sep - Army Half Marathon
Nov - Taroko Gorge Marathon in Taiwan?
Dec - Standard Chartered Marathon & MR25 Ultra-marathon

MR25 Ultra-marathon 2012

My last race in the last days of a very hectic 2012.

Race mechanics are simple - repeat laps of 10km of Macritchie Reservoir, run 5 laps and you receive a finisher medal/tshirt. It is not a circular loop, but a 5km in/5km out loop - so everyone is somewhere along the 5km trail at any point in time - won't get lonely running.  It was a prettty interesting run, a nice end to the year, a good chance to work off some Christmas excess weight, and we didn't need to get overly serious about it.

When I awoke that morning, it was raining.  By flag off time, it was a slight drizzle that continued for the most part of the run.  While it makes for cool temperatures, it also means super slippery trails and some places were water-logged (read, it was a mud bath!).   The only sane speed was slow and careful.  On lap 2, I met A and mentioned I might go for a 6th lap, was really enjoying the run.

At the end of my lap 2, I met P.  He was just behind me and was going to take a short break.  I carried on running (I rather walk than to waste time in transit - the retired triathlete in me speaks!).

The next time I met P, I was starting my lap 4 and  he said he was finishing his lap 4.  I took a double-take.  Unless he ran 21km (laps 3 and laps 4) in the same amount of time I took to finish lap 3 or about a blistering 5mins per km pace, it is mathematically impossible considering the terrain, and his normal speed.  He doesn't even run flat roads at 5mins per km pace!  Cheater bug!

By lap 4, my hips started to ache from the rocky terrain.  I am thinking I need trail shoes for better cushioning, so I started to walk a lot.  While walking I could stare at my fellow competitors : I saw Sim Wong Hoo - my ex-CEO, Ng Kai Wai - formerly CTO with Sim & also my friend's dad, my former VP in Creative - Lee Teck Seng, Angela Flynn our angmo friend who I first met at the North Face run...  Awesome!  The women were rather strong, many still running steadily, while most of us were walking a lot, only running downhill, by then.

By lap 5, I could hardly run, the rocky terrain was too jarring, the impact from every step if I keep running, was hurting all my joints.  I chose to walk to spare my internal organs!  Alex appeared at the start of my lap 5 - he was completing his lap 5, jumped very close in front of my face and asked me if I was still going for 6 laps.  I was too tired to kick him or I would!  All I could do was shake my head sadly : 5 laps and that's it!

I finished my 5th lap at 9 hours and indicated to the marshal to stop my run at that point.  Compared to the North Face 50km run which I completed in 6:50, this is way way slower.  The overall winner was a woman, Sumiko Tan who ran 9 laps in just under 11 hours.   She beat the winning man by 2mins who also ran 9 laps.

MR25 is a sports club, not a professional business, we paid less for registration fees, but also got less out of it.  Other than Pocari sweat drinks - which were served refreshingly cold & a whole lot of bananas, there was nothing else. No energy gels, nor muscle rub.    At the end of the race, they handed out finisher medals to everyone!  You queue up, they ask you your timing, you tell them (no verification!), they hand-write your name and timing on a certificate, then pass you the certificate along with a finisher medal and finisher tshirt.  Tadah!  Guess this is meant to be a everybody's race!

It was a pretty fun run for me, especially after we headed off for chengdol and a big chicken rice meal along Thomson Road after the run.  If I want to run it again this year, I should get trail running shoes to save my bones/joints!  I just might!

No Excuses!

We had dinner last night and the topic came to new year resolution and about living healthier lives. S is on a diet plan called TRA and has lost some 11kg in the last 4 months.  Rest of us are struggling with weight - hey, we just had Christmas, new year celebrations and Chinese new year binging looms.

Philip sent us his transcribed notes from a book he read and liked very much, called,  No Excuses – The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy.  He shared his notes with us this morning to encourage us.  So I, in turn, will share it here cos I really like this!

• Plato – The first and best victory is to conquer self.
• Losers make excuses; winners make progress.
• Self discipline is the ability to do what you should do, whether you feel like or not. There are many success principles but without self-discipline, none will work!
• Two biggest enemies of success, happiness and personal fulfillment are the Path of Least Resistance & The Expediency Factor.  There is no easy way/short-cut to most situations, and the hard path will provide valuable lessons towards success. Seeking fastest and easiest ways to get to the things they want with little or no concern for the long-term consequences of their behaviors.
• Bad habits are easy to form but hard to live with; good habits are hard to form but easy to live with. Everything (good) is hard before it is easy!
• Hard work is key to success and the indispensable requirement for hard work is self-discipline.
• Everyone wants to be successful but most people are not willing to pay the whole price; they always hold back and have excuses.
• The greatest reward of success is not the money you make but the excellent people you become in the quest/process of striving towards success!
• The fastest and most dependable way to eliminate negative emotions is “I am Responsible!” With this acceptance, your anger, blame, non-calm and other negative emotions will quickly neutralize. You will see yourself as being in charge, and no longer a victim.  The more you accept responsibility, the greater sense of control you experience.
• Only 35 of adults have written goals; and everyone else works for these people.  Writing out your goals increases the probability of success (hitting these goals) by 10 times!
• 7 steps to achieving your goal (page 70 – 73). Most important write out your SMART goal. Next most important 
• Make a list of drivers/inhibitors (internal and external), knowledge / skill / tools and people (who cooperation and support) you will require to achieve the goal.  Organize this list by both sequence an priority.  Take action on your plan immediately.  Do something every day that moves you in the direction of your goal.  Remember – everything is hard before it is easy!
• Use 3% rule to invest in your Learning and Development – never stop learning and growing.
• Courage
• Normal and natural that everyone is afraid. Difference is that the brave disciplines himself to confront, deal with and act in spite of the fear. In contrast, the coward allows himself to be dominated and controlled by the fear.  
• Deal with fear directly and address it head-on. Like twin sisters, fear and worry go around together. But many a times, they are unfounded!  “I have worried about a lot of things in life and most of them never happened” by Mark Twain.
• Persistence is self-discipline in action. Primary reason for success is persistence; and primary reason for failure is lack of persistence – quitting too soon.  Winners never quit, and quitters never win!
• 5 ingredients of Happiness: 1) Health 2) Happy Relationship 3) Meaningful work 4) Financial Independence 5) Self Actualization.
• 5 P’s of Excellent Health : 1) Propr weight 2) Proper diet 3) Proper exercise 4) Proper rest 5) Proper attitude

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

I started the year off with Matty, family and then tried some mountain biking with Felix & Jo on January 1.

They have been nagging me to switch to mountain biking cos no one ever dies, worse case you suffer broken bones, versus road cycling where you play a game of chance with cars.

I must say, they have very good mastery and can steer very steadily through logs/rocks/flowing streams - just about anything!  There is also a lot of technical skills involved - keeping pedals level (I just couldn't do this!), hitting obstacles square on and handlebar control.

I was caked in mud up to shin high after we were done.  We got back and Matty watched us hose down the bikes - he stood inside my car and yell, uncle!  or godma!  come!

Good fun... Glad I went with them after putting this off repeatedly through 2012.

Some riding, more pushing... And totally caked in mud afterwards.

Let's review my 2012 targets :

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?

Now for my 2013 targets :
- focus on work for real, if I have to, I'll need to switch jobs again
- no. 2 and 3 seems somewhat acomplished, more of the same in 2013
- on the sporting/travel front : I should scale back.  Less endurance and more fun would be nice.