Mass ride was wet.  As we got under way after a briefing and waiting around, setting off about after 3pm, the roadies John Chan leading the way with me as a sweeper and leader of the second MTB group behind me, while a slower third group of MTB followed behind their sweeper.  I have known John for quite a while now but never knew his name.  Weird?  Not really.  For me, I know quite a number of people by face, and some by nick but most of the time have problems putting two and two together.  It's nice to finally put a name to his face, in addition to a few other people such as MaddEye (a.k.a. TheOracle).  But then as usual, my terrible memory has cleared mostly by the time the ride ended but still I remember some people.  Wendy and Ah Boey (Lai Wan, who leads the BOAC rides) were there too.

Our first stop was at the golf course just besides Seletar Reservoir, a turn in to the left before the "upper seletar hill" which the Thomson group will normally start their real ride (i.e. speeding up).  Pace was kept at everyone-stay-together speed and even as John kept looking back to see if we're still there, I kept waving to him (actually trying to say go faster).  At the golf course parking lot, I placed my bike lying down on the road, and to my horror... started seeing water dripping out from the back.  I had thought it was my water bottle leaking but that wasn't it!!  Another more experienced cyclist noted that it's normal when cycle in the rain, because of all the drilled holes and stuff.  Urgh!  And if left unchecked, the BB (don't ask me what a BB is but it's that thingie that holds the cranks (which is the thing which connects to the pedals and to your legs) to the bike.

Managed to drain quite a bit of water out... and then it started raining.  Just as we were about to move out after a slow wait for the third group to arrive.  In any case we plodded on and things got so bad that John decided to take shelter at the stop just up of the Upper Seletar Hill.  After a while, we saw the second group go past and the roadies decided to go too.  Turning left into Mandai, not too far out, the rain turned to drizzle and then stopped and the road suddenly turned dry.  Looks like the rain has been pretty selective about where it was going to drop, because there was no more water (road was really totally dry) until we reached the zoo, and the turning into T15 Bukit Timah where the MTBers will decide whether they are going in or join the roadies on the road to King Albert Park.

A long long wait here, more than half an hour and we realize that the third group didn't set off due to rain.  Terrible wait but the roadies went on (at a slow speed of just 24kmh) towards Bukit Timah.  Not much incident here except some cars which kept cutting into the lanes.  Could see Wendy was pretty miffed about certain driver behaviours but I was kinda like hmmm... what else do you expect in Singapore.  So in a way, I was really one of the more experienced riders in the group, knowing how to handle the traffic, the right braking and shifting out to another lane, etc. without any problems.

Rain again.  We finally reached Rifle Range Road and while I was looking for another sweeper to take over because needed to escort some riders back to McRitchie, it turns out the other three riders left also had planned to break off already.  Only John stayed back in the end, so we headed to the nearby Mobil station to top up and me to eat!  Haven't had lunch since my swim in the morning and I was in a terrible state!  Hmm... haven't written about my swim yet.  Okay, later.

So we topped up water bottles and our stomach then headed back home via Lornie Rd, which two of the riders were apprehensive about (gee, I've gotten to the point where I don't even think twice about riding through Lornie Rd).  Basically led the group of five riders including myself back through Bukit Timah at about 30kmh... which was pretty fast now that I think back about it, in the rain, but everyone did keep up.  Traffic was bad and at some point we did some rather calculated risk of filtering through the unmoving traffic.  Up Lornie Rd wasn't good either as me and Wendy keep dropping the other two riders, and Wendy managed to keep up with me through the bridge across PIE.  We waited for the two riders who made it and then let them lead the way back to McRitchie, where I washed my bike from the rain water, lubed it, washed myself, and then received my messages (left my phone at home, forgot to bring) that BBQ was still on because rain had stopped, and went by MRT to Harbourfront, switched to Sentosa Bus, took the WRONG bus (blue line) thinking it went to Palawan, went back to starting point and took the RIGHT bus (yellow line) to Palawan beach, and searched through trying to find the Wilderness Associate guys.  Fortunately at some point I spotted Yen Pin's rather unique bodyshape (he's a bit shortish but well built, a true climber's bodyshape), ate a lot of stuff while the rest cooked, got to know some people and then took a cab back with Teck Guan.

I enjoyed the aircon on the bus back and after transferring to the cab I slept so very soundly until it reached Bishan where I dropped off and Teck Guan went on.

Oh yeah, I did a twenty lap swim by breaststroke at Bishan pool in the morning, another two half-laps of freestyle then joined Joyce at Braddell View (or is it Braddell Heights - the one next to Mt Alvernia Hosp) for another few laps of swimming before I got really really tired and felt the cold seeping into my muscles.  Joyce noted that I don't glide when I swim.  I will have to time myself to see how much difference it makes if I glide (it's not that I can't, I just thought I will go faster if I keep on swimming and the extra energy required doesn't seem to burn me off - at least not for the first twenty laps).  If gliding slows me down more than 20% then I will continue with what I am doing, because I cannot afford to make up the extra 20% by bike through the energy saved.

Slept so very soundly, until I couldn't wake up till 8am, then felt the muscle sore and whole body felt like I've biked for 120km the previous day, so I decided to skip riding and slept on till 10am when I had wake up and head to Woodlands where I will be meeting a group of people to go Turf Club and see see look look.

Apparently lunch was provided at Pasta Mania, ate till very full, then took the MRT down to Kranji, got into the Turf Club and enjoyed betting for the first time on horses.  Urgh, it can get pretty addictive so I just made one bet, sharing with another person, and won $3... then said my goodbyes to the group at almost 3.30pm (was supposed to end at 2.30pm) to head down to Sentosa hoping I will still be in time for the prize presentation.  MRT to Jurong East, then switch over to Outram and down to HarbourFront and the same way, this time knowing better how to get to the Palawan Beach and the race site.

Immediately spotted Joyce Funky Chick and Esther Killer Monster, aptly named because I then head the funny story of how she almost killed Kenneth her teammate during the adventure race, towing him most of the time via a bungee cord which helped a lot in the bike and run.  Imagine that!  Would have thought a guy will normally be towing the lady but noooo, that's not Esther.  Joyce on the other hand was more suitably partnered with Mark.  Some boo-boo about the mixed team that came in second because of mixed checkpoints since Joyce's team came in right after Esther's but did not get the third prize which Esther's team did after their earlier protest.  Jeannie and Winnie did much better, coming in first placing in the Ladies Team, even though with a slower time than either of the Mixed Team.  Also met Rebecca there who is a mountain biker who helps out with SACA races - I help out with the MTB races which she takes part in and since there are normally just two or three lady racers in the MTB category, it's not difficult to know who they are.

Winnie offered to give a lift home but instead I followed Joyce and got pulled along for dinner - another buffet! - the last day of the one-for-one buffets which we all have been stuffing ourselves with.  Ate a lot without working out but body still feels very tired out, so maybe it'll help in recovery (I still think it only makes me fatter).

I now weigh in at 71.6kg... overweight.  Need to drop 2kg in the next few days and maintain (if not drop another 2kg) till race day on 14 Dec at NTU.

Will know what condition I am in when I go for Spinning class this evening, as both my knees are still hurting at the joint.  

Urgh, water was terrible at the Bishan pool.  Better but not completely clean at Braddel Heights pool.  Tired and a bit of sniffos.  No mood to really eat, just had a sandwich.  Going to rest a while then heading out for Togoparts Mass ride already.  Going for Wilderness Associate BBQ at Sentosa Palawan Beach this evening.  Urgh... yeah I better catch some sleep while I can.

I ate too much wasabi green nuts for the last two days and am paying for it now with a slight tummy problem and a bad sore throat, starting of cough too.  Urgh.

Went to rock climb at Emmanuel House on Thu and nobody was there except my two instructors.  Teck Guan had called me earlier to ask if I was going and I said yes, then he said I was the only one who replied "maybe" to Yen Pin's invite.  It's such a waste of the rock wall!  They would have left after setting up the ropes for the next day if I didn't go.  In any case, I hadn't planned on climbing at all but while waiting for Teck Guan set up abseiling stuffs, somehow I got two climbs in with Yen Pin as my belayer.  Could not even remember my ropes tying but somehow it all came back as Teck Guan did it with me.

At first I stumbled barely 1m up the wall, then restarted and went more smoothly.  Made it all the way to the top, sweating, then came down and went up almost immediately again, this time choosing single coloured rocks.  Halfway up, I couldn't reach for the next rock and didn't wanna bother trying for it, so I just used one of the yellow coloured ones instead of the pink.  Going up on a single coloured rock is more difficult as it means you can use only half of the available rocks for climbing, not to mention there are huge gaps at times.

Made it through the second climb faster then came down and watched Teck Guan practise rescue with Yen Pin as the rescued.  After that we packed up and went for dinner ... mmm!!!  At my fav dim sum stall just outside Geylang St 27.

On Fri went out for a good recovery with Joyce and ANZA.  When we reached the meeting point at Rat's Corner, it started drizzling, then heavier... and eventually when we started out, only five of us went (two ladies dropped out), then the other Chinese guy from one of the local teams (offhand I just forgot it, red coloured jersey, not from Liquid Elements... doh) also turned off and went home.  So the four of us plodded on while I kept dropping back because I didn't feel comfortable going speed in the rain.  Our speed was really recovery because going up the Gap, only Joyce speeded away and disappeared into the hills as the three of us guys took it easy at the low gears - my HR read 136bpm only - before we were passed by the OTHER ANZA group doing "secret training" looping the hills there.  Things speeded up as the few of us went with the other group.

Apparently they even mocked a race sprint (presumably for the NTU sprint/climbers points).  By the time we turned into Holland Rd, only Joyce and myself were left as the others have detoured.  So we went back the short route and she left for her swimming while I went home and cleaned up the bike (including polish  )

Went to watch Star Runners in the evening.  Very nice movie.  Inspiring... like Rocky.

Know thyself

I'm kinda going through quizzes and doing all of them.  Urgh.

You are an enzyme. You are powerful, dark,
variable, and can change many things at your
whim...even when they're not supposed to be
changed. Bad you. You can be dangerous or
wonderful; it's your choice.

Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

My inner child is ten years old!

The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether
I'm off on my bicycle (or pony) exploring, lost
in a good book, or giggling with my best
friend, I live in a world apart, one full of
adventure and wonder and other stuff adults
don't understand.

How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

http://www.mindmedia.com/brainworks/profiler

Your Brain Usage Profile

Auditory : 35%
Visual : 64%
Left : 33%
Right : 66%

Bernard, you possess an interesting balance of hemispheric and sensory characteristics, with a slight right-brain dominance and a slight preference for visual processing.

Since neither of these is completely centered, you lack the indecision and second-guessing associated with other patterns. You have a distinct preference for creativity and intuition with seemingly sufficient verbal skills to be able to translate in any meaningful way to yourself and others.

You tend to see things in "wholes" without surrendering the ability to attend to details. You can give them sufficient notice to be able to utitlize and incorporate them as part of an overall pattern.

In the same way, while you are active and process information simultaneously, you demonstrate a capacity for sequencing as well as reflection which allows for some "inner dialogue."

All in all, you are likely to be quite content with yourself and your style although at times it will not necessarily be appreciated by others. You have sufficient confidence to not second-guess yourself, but rather to use your critical faculties in a way that enhances, rather than limits, your creativity.

You can learn in either mode although far more efficiently within the visual mode. It is likely that in listening to conversations or lecture materials you simultaneously translate into pictures which enhance and elaborate on the meaning.

It is most likely that you will gravitate towards those endeavors which are predominantly visual but include some logic or structuring. You may either work particularly hard at cultivating your auditory skills or risk "missing out" on being able to efficiently process what you learn. Your own intuitive skills will at times interfere with your capacity to listen to others, which is something else you may need to take into account.

No wonder I'm feeling so good.  I think I prob am peaked for this weekend's race... except the race is not this weekend.  Went for recovery class and HR was hovering between 90-100 before dropping to 80-90, then 70s... and hit a low of 67.

Just a few months ago, I thought a HR of 110bpm spinning on zero resistance was amazing.  Went into shower room, sat down and watched the HR drop to 41bpm and stayed there, until I got bored.

I had one of the best days yesterday.  Pure bliss and heaven.  Not to mention dollars draining down the drain but what the heck, I just got my pay.

It started with a nice slow ride with my cycling group from Thomson and with me reaching home after 12pm.  Felt pretty good and raring to go, after cleaning bike and self, called up Calfitness to check up on availability of bikes for the extended Spinning class by Dean and Selene.  Available, except that it wasn't at 1.40pm as I thought but 1.20pm.  It was already 12.55pm when I called.  Rushed and somehow got down to class in time (well, slightly late) and pushing a relatively easy gear to take the load off my knees, I managed to keep a high heartrate while feeling easy about it.

Felt really good after the class which lasted 90 mins.  Decided to go for massage at Kenko at the Esplanade and got a good one here too.  After specifically asking for more time to be spent on the leg.  And urgh... it felt painful when got to the leg part and I asked for less strength afterwhich it was alright.  When it got to the quads, it was painful even though no force was applied (yeah right).  But going slower, I could take it and didn't tense up the muscles.

Went for "lunch" after the massage and decided for the Ichiban Jap restaurant at Esplanade.  Ordered the salmon meal AND chasoba and another waitress came back to note that I kinda ordered a lot, but I said it was alright.  The chasoba was fantastic!  The salmon sashimi, especially the salmon belly was heavenly, and the bbq-ed salmon was good too.  After that I still took three plates of sushi from the belt.  Mmmmmmm...

After that dropped by Joyce's place and ended up watching tv with the kids.  I liked it when JJ (their dog) put it's head my lap.  Saw a touching movie too.

Then went home, and that was the end of a very very nice day.

Pay day   Cash got in early coz of holiday tomorrow.  Already went for major damage lunch with colleagues.  Urgh...

I was a bit worried today for starting the Vertical Marathon with a heavy and tired leg.  Quads are hurting and the whole leg is stiff.  Still I arrived at City Hall MRT just before 7.30am and went around looking for the booth.  Followed one of the other guys and seems like it's just outside the shopping centre.  Found the Men's Open stall but they said it was not open yet, to come back later.  Walked around alone, saw Esther and Jeanette together, then talked a bit to Rebecca Peters too.  Later saw another cyclist who recognized me; Stanley who led the BOAC biking way back before I got my bike - rented one of the MTBs from them.  We sat together and chatted a bit.  He too was going for this as a first time event.  Adrian turned up later, and he too was going for the race.  KK turned up too but he was not racing.  Eventually Joyce and Irving who were riding earlier this morning arrived too - not racing either.  While the rest took off (the ladies), I got several advise from the people who had done it before.  All advised me not to go too fast, but I was like, it's a 10mins event.  How much can you burn up?

I hooked up with the younger Jonathan (triathlete) who was not queueing up - no point waiting in line while the queue was so long, so we both just sat it out watching the queue grow shorter and shorter.  We chatted a bit about our experience with the triathlons and stuffs.  He was more of a runner and swimmer secondary, not much of a cyclist.  He's surprised I cycle almost every day but he himself runs everyday... so that's pretty unfair statement to me.  Anyway he was surprised that I am only seven months cyclists - gee, the topic keeps popping up.  Saw Mika Kume limping and heard that she had sprained her knee on the way down.

In the end there were three of us and I took off with another guy (thought he didn't look that strong and figure if I was going up fast I don't need the competition to compete with me for space).  While in line about to start, I managed to intro myself to Alec Kuok, who replied me in my email to the Triathlon Association (and whom I mistook to be a pretty young guy - he's not, he's quite senior at 63).  Then it was our turn to take on the 1227 steps, 73 storeys with a partner - we were set off in groups of two.  I took the first corner into the stairs and he followed.  I started out hard and fast and surprisingly could not shake my partner off.  We went up about five floors before there were no more stairs and we had to run across a flat section, which was a bit confusing as I didn't know which was the right was and there were no signs or people to guide us.  Got into what I hoped was the correct staircase and continued... fortunately it was.  Reached about the eighth floor before saw someone zzzz-ing.  It was one of the marshalls.  Doh.

The stairs up Swissotel are not continuous.  Rather they run in the same direction so you kinda get a break while moving horizontally to get to the next stairs, which gave me a breather after exhausting myself in the first ten stairs.  I finally dropped my teammate, about the 7th floor up, but I'm totally pooped now.  I continue at a walking pace up, all the way.  My breath starts feeling dry around the 20th floor and by the 30th floor I could feel my lungs really really drying.  About the 40th floor, I started to feel the start of a searing pain in the lungs, and when the stairs switched from a right-turn to left-turn, I got disoriented for a while.  I start feeling a bit faint too, like lack of oxygen, but I'm still taking two steps at a time, despite going really slow.  Mostly, even since the bottom steps, most of the strength for going up comes from pulling with the arms.  I think I will train up more body strength to pull better.

Attitude training (the lack of)?  Or is it simply the air in the enclosed space was bad?  I don't know but when I reached the 65th floor, my whole lungs was searing quite badly and I kept thinking it's only 8 floors up, 7 floors up... things got better at the 70th floor when I could feel the aircon but try as I did, I could not push the pace up for the last three floors.  I passed by the second guy now (who is nicer and gave way to me - the earlier guy I passed just went his way and without the extra effort I couldn't pass him on the outside).

Finally up on the 73rd floor and I could see a lot of people enjoying the view from the helipad but my lungs were burning very badly, I started coughing and all I could think of was getting down.  Returned the Champion Chip, timer which kept track of our movements whenever we passed a pad on the ground, and went down to 70th floor to take an elevator down.  Someone timed 50secs to reach from 70 to ground floor.

I had taken 9 mins 57 secs to reach up.

Prize giving... Adrian came in second with a 7 mins plus timing.  Esther, sadly, lost to Jeanette who came in with a nice timing of 9 mins 58 secs, and Mika came in the Women Masters with 9 mins 59 secs.  So it seems Jeanette will be going to New York to climb up the Empire State Building, while Esther got second.  I was placed 19th.

As we were quite late already, decided to hang out with KK at Plaza Singapura and caught Looney Tunes, which was very nice and funny.  Had BK for lunch, and then shopped a while at Plaza before heading to Rendevous Hotel to meet Joyce, Esther, Hairul and Mark for high tea.  The half-price Women's Weekly specials are making me terribly fat.

I pushed too big a gear, too hard on Wed and have been paying the price.  Knees hurting when I push too hard, even this morning's recovery ride with ANZA.  Will take it easy and hopefully nothing serious on Sun.

After that I'm going to take a good break (except Tue - out riding and prob movie).

Some weird thing happened over at Friendster.  I have been the target of several cold call msg and finally out of a whim or something, I decided to write to someone I didn't know.  A 43rd friend just msg to ask me add as friend, which I did and in the process happened to browse around his list of friends.  There was just one testimony in the person's list and I clicked on the profile of the person who wrote that and sounded interesting, so I msg a pretty neutral msg to the person.  The stranger replied, very politely, a pretty neutral msg also.  What shocked me was that the friend also wrote me a msg, asking me not to write to the person.

Hmm... so okay, I wrote back to the friend and said sorry (didn't mean it though) and never replied to the stranger.

Guess I'll stick with you Xangarians; think you bunch are a lot friendlier.  I still don't understand the purpose of the Matri... I mean Friendster.  Are you just supposed to add in your friends and err... try to find out who/where/what your friends are?