Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Chewie - last steps

12Nov2013

Chewie passed away this morning, around 9:30am, according to my dad's caregiver, Dina. She called me at 9:45am at work while I was in a meeting. Needless to say, I was devastated but not really surprised - and very relieved for Chewie.

Dina had heard Chewie gag loudly, so she carried Chewie to her bed. But when my dad and her were ready to leave the house for his dialysis, Chewie had already passed on. Dina found Chewie on the floor, her bowels voided and her eyes still open. I told her to leave her eyes open because I think Chewie wanted to see me. I called Tengoku to arrange for the cremation and asked Mag to meet me at home.

When I came home, Chewie was still lying in her poo! I hugged, kissed her and closed her eyes. I think her body was still warm. I carried her body, stiff with rigour mortis, into the bathroom to clean her up. I did what she hated the most - wash her in the bathroom. And blew dry her and combed her hair for the last time. This time she did not/ could not complain or whine. I can't believe how much I actually miss her whining and crying... (Video of her bathing and whining)

The night before had been bad for both of us.

We hardly slept. Chewie had had her ups and downs but in the last 2 days, she hadn't been eating or drinking. I knew that was a prelude to something bad. Not eating is still tolerable, but not drinking? Chewie's eyes stayed open the whole night. It was as if she was trying to stay awake, or maybe she was in such pain that she could not rest. That night, I had spoken to Jacq Ong (Susan's animal communicator friend) - I don't normally take to this kind of thing but Jacq shared some interesting ideas about what Chewie might be feeling. I just listened and felt uncontrollably sad. I cried even though I know I should not cry in front of Chewie. But she was not the sort of dog that senses her owner's feelings! Jacq said that Chewie showed her a sunny day - she wanted to go out with me in the sun.

We hung up and I patted Chewie to sleep, or tried to. Her ribs protruded - they were like the keys of a xylophone. I put my ear to her chest and counted for a minute, listening to her slow deep breathing and her slow shuud-shuuud of a heartbeat. Her heart rate was about 30 beats a minutes. Every few minutes, she would tremble in pain, and she heaved and gagged. But nothing came out as she had had no food in her! Every spasm tired her out so much that she collapsed in my arms as I held her chest up to help her to sit up. It tore my heart to watch her suffer.

We went repeatedly through the cycle until it was almost 4am. I decided to force her to take some Polysilic III Suspension to calm her stomach. She dragged herself on all fours (with my help) and drank some water! By 5am, I was exhausted and fell asleep. I was sure Chewie continued gagging as I slept.

When I woke up this morning, she was lying outside my door looking at me with her big black longan eyes. I'd promised to carry her downstairs to be in the sun but it was raining! I had also planned to call the vet for an appointment (again) but there was no need now.

Tuesday - the second work-day of the week, the 45th day since that fateful day at the vet's when Dr Ly told me she had liver failure. Then came a litany of ailments - her heart walls were thickening, she had high blood pressure, indigestion, nausea, blood in the stools and even vaginitis. They were just some of the many afflictions that developed in the same month.

Godma came by with beautiful flowers and we decorated her bed. Chewie looked so at peace, like she was sleeping. The pet cremation guys were very professional and compassionate. We both said our goodbyes and then she was pushed into the incinerator. It takes 2 hours to cremate a small dog such as her! It's like stewing meat for hours until the bones soften! Haha.. bad analogy.

I took her ashes to the Botanic Gardens. I don't know why I did that. Perhaps to remind myself of the places that a happy white dog used to prowl. It was cool after the rain and yet sunny. Her favourite brook bubbled, without her. Her favourite lamp posts and bushes beckoned, but Chewie wasn't there to take the bait. (Old clip of her fun Botanic Gardens walkies)

She may not be in the same dimension as me now, but I am sure she is happy wherever she is.

The vets, when they checked her, always said Chewie didn't look so bad. But just because she looked so well groomed didn't mean she wasn't sick. I knew she was in much pain, but there was only so much I could do for her. I would like to think that I eased her journey to the Rainbow Bridge. I hope I did not prolong her pain.

The house is quiet tonight. No pitter-patter of tiny paws, long nails scraping on the floor (yes, mommy is lazy), no mischievous eyes glancing at me, tempting me to touch her and then running away, no big black eyes staring at me while I take a leak, no wet nose pushing the door open, no mommy-carry-me-onto-the-bed paw, no sound of her tongue tapping the water bottle spout as she drinks, no pee-saturated newspaper shoved in the corner of her tray because she wants to help us clear the poop.

It rained the whole of today - as if Mother Nature too is mourning Chewie's passing.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Fraser / Genting Ride Report 13-15Apr20​12

Baptism by fire – that was how a friend described my Genting experience. Of all JoyRiders’ trips to Malaysia, I had picked the toughest (some say) to join.

You may be surprised to learn that after all these years with JR, I was on my virgin overseas trip with the group. I never had the time or the commitment to say yes to them - until now.

Why now? Why Genting? “Why not Cameron?” they asked. I shrugged. Perhaps I really believed that only when you have experienced the worst can you emerge the strongest. Maybe I just like torturing myself. Haha…

And I was grossly underprepared. (See epilogue below)

DAY 1 On Friday the 13th (can you hear Jason sharpening his knives?), 19 of us loaded our bikes and set off for the Causeway at 5:30am from TripleOne Somerset.

After crossing into JB, we stopped for breakfast at 6:30am. Did I mention that I joined the trip for the eating? ;-) Joyce gave out gels, sports drink sachets and electro tabs to everyone, courtesy of Maxifuel. http://www.maxifuel.sg/maxifuelranges/energy

I was 1 of just 3 women on the trip, so you can imagine what conversation on a bus awash with testosterone was like. I think I’ll leave it to the guys to fill you in on Johnson Duck’s prized cocks and $7,000 pedigree poultry.

By 10:30am, we reached Petaling Jaya and had some really tasty nasi lemak. I would love to give you a long discourse on how succulent the chicken was and how the crispy bits were fiercely fought over by everyone, but this isn’t a food review! All you need to know is cyclists are like babies. Instruction : Feed every 4 hours.

At 12:30pm, we offloaded the bikes from the bus by the road at Gombak, near Hospital Orang Asli, for the start of our adventure. We fixed our bikes, pumped up the wheels and we were off!

From the start, I had cyclometer problems, probably because of the way the bikes were stacked on board. I had to stop to fix that. I ended up being left behind, with my trip hero, Calvin Kampong Boy.

There were already pretty steep slopes at this point and I huffed and puffed uphill. At some point, we actually overtook Thomas Heeb, but once he got his rhythm, he chugged up the mountain like a steam engine!

At the security post before Goh Tong, we spotted JoyRider jerseys (what a welcoming sight for me!). Those who had gone ahead were talking to the policeman.

Meanwhile, Joyce simply sailed past everyone towards Goh Tong. The rest of us watched in amazement; even the policeman was stunned. He didn’t even try to stop her!

Back at the guard post, after a long negotiation, we were left looking a little lost. What do we do now? The cop had gone back to to his post. Someone said we probably gave him a bigger headache than he already had and he just wanted to ignore us. We couldn’t turn back, so when it started to drizzle, we went on.

The rain got heavier; the slopes got steeper.

Suddenly the road dipped. It was downhill!

You’d think that it was a good thing, right? But not in that god-forsaken weather! My glasses fogged over with rain and mist. Buses and cars passed us, splashing rainwater as we zig-zagged downhill.

My hands were losing their grip on the brakes and my heart screamed, “STOP!!” A slight ease of gradient allowed me to get to the drop bars, where I had better grip of the brakes and could apply stronger pressure.

If you are a driver, you’d know how useless brakes are going downhill in the rain. It is scarier on the bike because you’re exposed and at the mercy of the elements.

My trip hero and I finally found the bus at Goh Tong and boarded it. My first day was thwarted by the rain; some may say I was “saved” by the rain.

We waited for Fatgoose Norman. We later learnt that his chain had snapped and he was stranded in Goh Tong town.

The bus made its final ascent to Genting Highlands and I took pictures of the JR heroes struggling up in the rain, deep in my heart wondering if I should have joined them.

At the top, riders came in one by one looking jubilant. We took a nice group shot.

Then came the downer.

Joyce found out that Raub Guest House had rented out our ‘reserved’ rooms to other guests! We were really pissed but could not do anything but find alternatives. The guest house recommended Nice Stay Hotel, also in Raub. Hmmm… dubious-sounding name…

Thus began our long journey to dinner and to bed.

Instead of the highway, our intrepid bus driver decided to take the scenic route to Raub. Translation: A LONG and WINDING road up and down the mountain! We set off at 5:20pm from Genting, reached the restaurant at 8:30pm and then to the hotel at 10pm.

Nice Stay (Love) Hotel : We all noticed the sign on the counter touting special rates of RM30 for 3 hrs and RM58 for 6 hrs.

Here’s Beer Belly Yih Gia wondering if he can last 3 hours.

DAY 2 We cycled from the hotel at 7:30am. It was cool all the way up to The Gap, just at the entrance to Fraser's hill. After coffee and snacks at a small eatery, it was a fun downhill ride all the way.

Mossie Moses zoomed by me at top speed. Ah, the fearlessness of youth! Alas, he paid for it at a sharp left. He was lucky get off with just some scratches on the knees and arms. Oh and his bike survived.

The next food stop - Restaurant 333 at Kuala Kubu Bharu – was our last stop before we took off for the daunting slopes of Genting again. Johnson Duck said he would be behind me all the way and I was heartened.

At certains points en route, the bus stopped. Some who climbed the day before hopped on. I decided to push on because I felt good after the previous day’s “training”.

Up and up we went. So did the temperature.

Scorching heat burnt the skin on my hands and legs but my music kept me company. (Don’t worry, I only had it plugged into my left ear.)

Thomas Heeb passed by me. I trudged on. My legs screamed for me to stop.

At Goh Tong, I refilled my water bottles. It was also the last chance to get on the bus. The bus won’t stop on the steep slopes. I fought my inner demons to reject the strong temptation.

Thus began the point of no return.

Little white distance markers showed the distance to the top. I pedalled slowly but surely until the first of many killer hairpin turns at the 4.4km marker.

I tried desperately to push my pedals down, but my speed dropped until I just had to get off. At that point, it also started raining cats ’n’ dogs. I didn’t have a choice but to walk up!!

I kept looking out for those little white markers and did mental calculations as to how long it would take for me to walk up 4km - much too long!! So I alternated walking and riding the rest of the way.

I was touched by the Malaysian drivers who went by. When I was walking in the rain, I must have looked pretty pathetic pushing my bike. Two cars stopped to offer me a ride up. I refused, of course, but I appreciated kindness.

When I finally made it to the top, our driver, Yeo, and Fat Goose Norman came to meet me. “Take my bike away!!” I told them. I was totally exhausted.

But it was worth it to hear the congratulations from everyone. Even though I did walk up most of the last stretch, it made me feel like I had achieved something incredible.

Spaz Sebastian, Lady of Vices Wendy, Sherman, Struggling Sean, Sea Biscuit Gerard, Leechy Richard, Joyce and Wombat Tay rode up 2 days in a row. They are true heroes.

Total distance that day was 106km.

Time for some cold cendol and ice cream at Bentong!

DAY 3 The final day of riding. I’m not sure how I managed to drag my ass onto my bike for the 76.68km to Genting Sempah. It must be the promise of food on the way.

Joyce met a Malaysian cyclist Nizar, “another ex-boyfriend” she had not seen for 7 years.

At lunch, Sea Biscuit Gerard gave out our Genting “trophies” - water bottles sponsored by a bike shop in PJ. We also learnt from him that good Samaritan Spaz Sebastian actually dismounted a downhill ride to REMOVE branches from the middle of the road!! Joyce and I also had the benefit of his TURBO-powered push, which sky-rocketed us forward.

There were 3 heavyweight cyclists of more 90kg each who made it up to Genting. If you think you can’t do it, think again!

It was also the first time we did Genting 2 days running. And the first time in a love hotel.

This trip, which started on Friday the 13th, was peppered with little mishaps and misadventures. Besides losing our pre-arranged rooms, Norman’s broken chain, Moses’ spill and a scenic route the first night which taxed our bladders, Sea Biscuit Gerard and Mike had 2 flats each and Junix had a broken cleat. Thankfully, they were LITTLE mishaps and we can look back on them and laugh.

We were just steps away from home, but at the Singapore Customs we had to stop. Immigration officers grilled our driver about the number of bicycles in the bus. They even scanned the bus with a special X-Ray truck. We weren’t on the bus when they did that! :-)

Epilogue (for Genting virgins who want to sacrifice themselves to the mountain)

As the day of departure loomed, I made frantic loops up and down Mt Faber over the Easter weekend. Believe me, that was just a walk in the park.

It was Good Friday so I was lucky to have 3 continuous days of training before sufferfest.

Would you believe I had never gone up Mt Faber before? “Why am I doing Genting? *Shrug*” On my first time up, I was making up excuses in my head to tell Joyce why I could not go to Genting!!

It was a TERRIBLE climb, made even worse as I had stupidly used the highest gearing on my cassette! Lack of oxygen at high altitude (yeah, right!) made me stupid!

I did 3 days of Mount Faber and felt like a school kid doing last-minute revision for the final exams, or what us Chinese would say 临时抱佛脚 (it literally means to hug Buddha’s leg, hoping for a miracle).

In hindsight, I should have done all my climbs up Faber on the highest gear because that is exactly how Genting felt like many times over! At Genting, there is no rest and no downhill. It is up, up and up!

To prepare for this trip, I invested in a compact crank, a 11-28 cassette, a 2nd-hand trainer and a new saddle.

About 3 weeks before the trip, my brother, the famous Rock & Roll Joshua of single-speed fame, advised me to get on my trainer every day for 1 hour using the highest gearing, and ride everywhere using the highest gear. Uh-huh…

If I was as rockin’ crazy-ass as him, I would actually do it. I tried but I could not make myself do this EVERY DAY! I was either too lazy, too hungry or too tired after a long day at work.

He said, “If you train hard now, you will enjoy more later”, “If you don’t train hard, you are going to suffer later”, “If you train hard now, you will still suffer later” – true true. The last I just added for good measure.. haha...

In any case, it is true that daily training is required. I didn’t do it and I suffered.

If you are thinking about going to Genting, what are you waiting for?

It is another ‘achievement badge’ of sorts for cyclists in this part of the world. Train hard and most importantly, have the right attitude & mindset to fight your negativity and to be strong in the conviction that YOU CAN MAKE IT!

Friday, December 10, 2010

FM at last, and I don't mean Frequency Modulation!

5 Dec 2010 - Singapore Marathon 2010

Wow.. it has been exactly one year since I last wrote here. My last post was about my first half marathon where I challenged myself to complete a Full Marathon in 2010, and I'm glad to report that I now have a finisher tee!!!!

Not in a million years would I have ever imagined myself completing a Full Marathon (yup! FM in runner’s lingo)! I am more of a computer and movie geek rather than a sportswoman. Then one day on a crazy whim, Mag and I decided to buy our first pair of serious running shoes and join our very first mass run! We started modestly with just the 5km SHAPE Run 2007. I think it must have been the free Nike running tee again - right, Mag? Back then the goodie bag had good stuff, including 5 bottles of Vitagen!

After progressively increasing our distance - GE Women 10K, then 21K (I did 3 in all I think), a 30K NEWTON Run, even a MacRitchie trail run and then... fast forward 3 years and 3 pairs of shoes later... FINALLY the BIG Whopper -> Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2010 FULL Marathon!

Seasoned runners shared their experiences about cramped up muscles at around 30-35km, so I was really worried that it would happen to me. And being a regular morning pooper, I was also worried that I had to use the toilet in the middle of the run!

I went through all sorts of ups and downs with training - knee pains, tight muscles and just plain laziness! With the schedules I needed to keep at work, I had to force myself to leave the house (sometimes as late as 9:30pm) to run at least 12km around the river and back for a late dinner. Gotta get those legs used to the pain we're gonna put them through! I watched videos about Chi Running and practised forefoot/midfoot running. I was determined to complete in one piece, with minimal suffering! The Newton 30K was a good indication of the pain level I had to endure(OUCH)!

The days leading to the marathon had some sort of weird quietness - we were thinking about what to eat, what to wear, what to bring, when to meet, where to meet and where to park (for Mag). After the logistics were settled, it was a matter of just waiting for the day to arrive... Instead of the usual "Pain is temporary", I went local and wrote "DON'T STOP TO LIM KOPI" and pinned it on my back and sure enough, a few runners were amused by it. "Lim Kopi" means drink coffee and Singaporeans and Malaysians will get it.


Guess what? It rained the whole of Saturday too, just like it did last year!!!

So on a beautiful Sunday, the 5th of Dec 2010 at 5am, while some of my more athletic friends did their Phuket Ironman 70.3 and Ironman Western Australia Busselton, I did my first ever Full Marathon at 44 years of age, with Mag, Calvin Boo, Sandy and Fang Jie around me. My colleagues Derek Scully (first timer) and Chongwah (seasoned marathoner) were somewhere too. Donna and Derek were running 21K from Sentosa (how exciting)!

Flag off was in front of ION and we ran under the twinkling Christmas lights that lined the entire stretch of Orchard Road - quite magical. I remembered Chongwah's words to start slow if we don't want to cramp up later. The route was familiar as I ran it with Mag a couple of weeks ago (even though we got lost later. Haha..).

I can't really remember the start of the race because it was basically quite uneventful. By the time we got to East Coast Park, the pain started. I distracted myself by looking out for the fast runners on the opposite side, trying to spot Chongwah and FangJie. CCW spotted me first and FJ was not far behind!! Wow.. they're fast! This stretch reminded me of the Newton 30K - not a good memory.. Boring and neverending... I lost Mag and caught up with Sandy. We finally reached the U-turn and headed back to Fort Road. I was amused by a supporter's sign that said "GO STRANGERS, RUN!" <-- quite apt because we were truly strangers and they were cheering for us! It so happened that one of them actually snapped 2 rather nice pictures of me jogging!

People started walking and I felt like walking too. It doesn't help that it was just open space and NO SHADE at all! Headed towards the golf club & Marina Barage in the scorching sun! 9:30am and the sun was unforgiving! Harsh and hot! I had to walk at some point because it got so demoralising watching other people walking! I could feel the tiny bones on my feet and ankle aching with every pounding step... and I felt like walking... PAIN!! The sun ate into my skin...

I decided to tell myself to jog as long as there is sun - then at least it will reduce the time spent in the sun! I walked a bit when there was shade. Someone had an ice lolly - me jealous! Told Mag we should join Safra Jurong running club - haha!!

The route after Marina South was slow and torturous. We were tested by the slopes of Benjamin Sheares bridge and had to watch the finishers walk to the F1 building for their bags. It was funny to see the 10K runners walking or sitting at the side, while the marathoners were just trying to jog around the strollers. I had to keep telling myself not to stop, even if my jog was as slow as someone else's brisk walk. I felt numb and blocked out the pain and finally the last 100m approached. It was so crowded at the end that I didn't even get a good photo! But it's ok, because it felt great to cross the finish line, and even GREATER to have the Finisher Tee! Oh and the medal looks great too!

Official chip time: 5hr 26mins 10secs

P.S. I made Mag sign up for Sundown Marathon 2011 even before we completed the above! The carrot was the ADIDAS Finisher Tee!! HAHAHA!!!

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

My First Half Marathon

6 Dec 2009 - Singapore Marathon 2009

My bib number is not exactly the most auspicious - too many 4's for my liking. But I suppose if you say it with the zero and one, it does sound ok, like die die sure first! LOL..

I ran my first 21.1k Half Marathon last Sunday, and Mag did the 10K ... we trained together on 2 weekends at East Coast Park although she didn't really complete the whole course with me on the jogging path (up and down East Coast is around 20K).

At the end of her race last Sunday, Mag proclaimed the 10k not shiok anymore!! SO NEXT YEAR, we will go for the FULL marathon because we REALLY want the Finisher's tee !! So jealous of people who have it.. haha...

We were given a blank sheet to write encouraging words to pin on our backs for other runners. I thought that the most inspiring and appropriate phrase is from the man himself, Lance Armstrong - "PAIN IS TEMPORARY. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."

I pinned this on the back of my t-shirt and I burned this phrase in my own brain. So many times I wanted to stop and walk but I remembered these words and somehow managed to muster enough strength to continue jogging. I wonder if anyone read my back and felt inspired...

The start time for Full marathon was 5:30am. For my Half marathon, it was 6:45am. I had to start alone because Mag's start time for 10K was 8:30am (so late!! and so hot!! )

I woke up at 4:30am (actually, I woke up many times before that, too excited I guess... even got called by office as I was on support roster) and tried to do my "morning BUSINESS" but cannot do!! DIE LAH... I thought I sure kena do big business along the way! I did a bit the night before lah. Ate my usual breakfast of cereal and milk and dressed in my bright pink t-shirt (sure cannot miss me in photos!) - I asked Dina to take a photo of me with Chewie (in her sleepy state) - something we always do before we go out for our early morning runs like Shape Run, Nike Run or GE Women's 10K. Sort of like a "pre-race" photo.

Downstairs, 5:35am, the air was cool and it was peaceful. Walked down Bencoolen Street and a girl popped out from Bencoolen Hotel dressed in the SCSM outfit with cap and shorts. Ah ha... booked into a hotel nearby and walk to venue - quite smart! Or maybe she's Malaysian or from overseas. Good choice of hotel - a bit sleazy but much cheaper than the Oriental, Marina or Fairmont.

More and more runners appeared as I walked towards the War Memorial Park (that's where the baggage deposit is). It was so dark my phone camera could not really capture much. The ground was muddy and soggy from a full day's rain the night (and day) before!! Maybe somebody 'prayed' for rain the previous day so that we can have cool weather :-)

After depositing my bag, I made my way towards the start point on Esplanade Bridge, near Fullerton Hotel. Some people were giving out Dr Joint Pain - so funny, one auntie even shouted, "come! Dr Joint Pain! Apply on your legs now! Win Number One!!" Haha... I took some - got a very generous squirt and applied the pain suppressing cream around my knees and the muscles around the calves. I think this is what helped me along the way too. Mind you, this cream isn't cheap! A small tube sets you back by more than S$15 !! So free cream must take lah! Haha...

I was so thirsty by the time I got to the Esplanade... luckily they already had the FIRST of MANY MANY water points!! OMG!! The floor was littered with mountains of empty Ice Mountain cups!!! (see picture) Sigh.... what to do ? It's such a dilemma - Runners have to be hydrated - so how to be environmentally friendly at the same time??? I took my one cup and threw it on one of the piles :-( No choice lor... maybe next time they will make runners carry their own water. Might not be a bad idea actually.

I got as near to the starting point as I could, and snapped pictures to while away the time. Nobody around my section paid much attention to the DJ, so when they started to do the little marathon dance, no one around me bothered. Everyone was just too psyched and eager to push off!! I met a fellow JoyRider, Bubble Sharon Khoo, and we chatted about our timing and how fast or slow we were going to be. She's a tri-athlete, fit and young (in the 25-29 yrs category), so I expected her to do much better than me.

The 42K runners were trooping pass us on the other side of the Esplanade Bridge, sweaty and some already walking!!!!! Aiyoh... all the more I think we must do the FULL marathon next year !! FINALLY, the horn sounded and we were flagged off !! Wooot !! The pace was pretty fast in the beginning. I even had trouble keeping up with the 2:30hrs pacers. But later as people tapered off, the pace slowed down. Many people passed me and I also passed a few. At certain vantage points, I could see a herd of people ahead of me!!! Why were they faster? sigh.... nevermind lah... I plodded on and on... argh... felt pretty cool and good. I kept reminding myself that I need to keep hydrated. Even though it slowed me down, I stopped at all the water and isotonic points and even the one banana station ! More trash and more mountains.. sigh... plodded on... at some point, I felt numbness in my legs but it passed. Wow... it's not 2 x 10K, it's actually 2 x 10K + 1.1k !! Grrraghhhh.... When back on the Esplanade Bridge and on the way to the FINISH LINE, the feeling cannot be described.. Just so elated and also relieved that it's going to be over soon!! and FINALLY I MADE IT to the Finish line and DID NOT HAVE A PHOTO TAKEN OF ME!!!! Haha.. Too crowded I guess... sigh..

OHHHHHH the pain after that was just UNBELIEVABLE !!!! I can't imagine how badly the 42K runners must feel if I'm already feeling this bad !! PAIN x 2 x 3 ?? Everything ached, including my shoulders and my collar bone muscles!! Very hard to walk. but glad I was still quite ok.. Heard that someone collapsed and some people had cramps etc. And here's the reward :


Met Mag at the 10K finish line and we were too tired to explore the grounds - and anyway, it was too disgustingly squishy and muddy!!



That's all for the story I guess.... will you join me next year? It's now Tuesday and I still cannot go down stairs properly... I just applied Dr Joint Pain on my aching thighs. Not helping much. The worse pain is from sitting and getting up from the .... WC !!!! HAHAHA.. I hope you know what "WC" stands for! Look it up on wiki please!

Official chip time: 2hr 23mins 57secs

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Joyriders Newbies Route Ride 2

I went for my second cycling trip with the Joyriders this morning. It's getting easier to get up in the morning. After a breakfast of cereal and milk, I left as quietly as you can walk with cleated shoes, with Chewie looking at me dolefully..

I invited LH to join me this morning. She is the only person I know who would actually say yes to such a invitation as she is constantly training for triathlons, marathons and such.

I think I did slightly better than last week. Managed to draft a little in the beginning. Must try harder. On the way back to Longhouse along the downslope coming from Lornie towards Upper Thomson, a car forced his way in front of me, trying to make a quick left turn just up ahead. Then he suddenly decided it was the wrong turn and stopped! Mannnn, I was going at 40km/h (downslope lah...) and had to jam brake right behind him! I shouted at him but what could I do? After that he cruised slowly a little, decided that the next lane is also the wrong lane, and then proceeded to turned RIGHT(!) towards Marymount! Some drivers are so inconsiderate! At the traffic lights, his passengers gestured apologies. Ok lor... I hope he will not repeat this act again!

Link to Earth Trail for today's route. Click on the "play" button to see some action!

Still feeling those strange pins and needles in my thumb and first 2 fingers on my left hand. Not sure why I get it cos I consciously try to move my hands to various positions throughout the ride. I need a massage!

Until next time...

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Viewing GPS tracks on Google Maps

How I uploaded my GPS tracks onto Everytrail : Create new trip on Everytrail

Another website that uploads your trails is GPS Visualizer

Joyriders Newbie Maiden Ride

I did my first ever ride with the Joyriders this morning. What a blast I had!

Distance : 34km
Duration : 1 hr 39 mins
Ave HR : 148
Max HR : 170
Calories burnt : 761

The worse part was getting up at 4:20am (OMG!) ... once that was achieved, the rest was oh... it was not a walk in the park either!!!

After quick intros, the newbies were shooed off so that we get some sort of a 'head start'. Very soon, I found out why... there are lots of upslopes along the route and I started to fall back. Joyce was urging me along calling out to me every now and then, "PEDAL FASTER!!! LOWER YOUR GEAR AND SPIN SPIN SPIN !!!!!!!!!!" Arrrrggghhh... I'm trying..... Looks like Friday spin classes with Martin did NOT help!! I need to build up my stamina.

What a relief when I finally arrived at the Longhouse again, I was looking forward to sitting down on a CHAIR and kopi-C... the newbies sat together and had a long chat. Joyce took MORE photos and took off on part 2 of their ride to dunno where... Mount Faber or somewhere far far away.....

Now if only I could make this thing display in metric ONLY!! You have to click "metric" to see distance in km.

Have a look :
Joyriders Newbie Maiden Ride 1

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Banana Pancakes and Migraines

Breakfast at PS. Cafe
Felt like having pancakes for breakfast (blame it on Survivor Gabon - they were making pancakes! .. and you thought they were starving... well, most of the time.) so Mag suggested PS. Cafe at Palais Renaissance. Unfortunately, I woke up today with a splitting migraine that made me nauseous. Still, I braved it because of the company!
The weather was great so we chose to sit outside. In any case, there was a fan blowing to keep the air circulated.







The cafe is relaxing and quiet - good place to escape from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road. I was not feeling too good so no aircon for me anyway...


I ordered Banana Pancakes (what else!?) - four layers of pancake separated by caramalised banana. Ok.. my yearning for pancakes were definitely satiated! They were fluffy and warm and generously drizzled with yummy honey.



I look like I was falling asleep while contemplating my pancakes ... hmmm... where should I make the first cut? zzzzzzzzz......



Mag ordered an Egg-white Omelette filled with feta, mushrooms and herbs. I'm sure if I was feeling better it would taste great!






Ok.. I didn't finish my breakfast but I felt better after taking my meds. No regrets though, enjoyed every minute of the $63 breakfast! ;-)