At times, i would ask myself if i am obsessive with running. I ran, on last year Christmas, eve of 2008 NY Eve & all 3 days of CNY. Reckon only fellow mates who shared the same hobby would not think i am gaga over this activity.
In order to understand the fatigue level of Gobi Desert Race, Xiaoming came up with a simulation program consisting of 3 consecutive runs, 20, 30 & 40km over CNY holidays. I jioed Serene who happily agreed with zero hesitation. However, this would be a "hush hush" trg due to personal reasons.
1st Day of CNY
Serene & I started on our own from Bkt Timah at 730am. Xiaoming wanted to just try 2loops of MacRitchie with his 10kg load. BT was more challenging with stony upslopes at the start. As it was the 1st day of CNY, the usually busy biking trail on the left was quiet *phew*. When we hit MacR Ranger Station, I got a sms from XM asking where we were. After a lil discussion, we decided to carry on with our own plans.
However, we met up halfway thru & XM guided us to the "shortcut" from Jelutong Tower to BT.The raisin bun i took in the morning was yucky hence i dread to eat it again during break time. Decided to take the powergel instead. Before we hit Golf Course Link, a runner from 2007 WHR called out to me. Hahah..still got pple recognise me, very happy :P XM and us parted ways at the tarmac road leading to BT. By the time i hit BT, i was really tired and the weather was hot. Fortunately, the way back was easier than the start. We have clocked more than 20km.
My face felt warm for the rest of the day. Worse thing was, i did not eat until 3+hrs later.
2nd Day of CNY
I woke up with a tired body, maybe i din stretched enough the day b4. Took a slice of butter cake and bought mashed potato from 7-11. This day, we are starting from MacR. At 640am, there were already runners waiting for their friends. Looks like we have more company today! XM arrived late at 7.10am.
The plan for the day was to hit BT, do 2 rounds of Durian Loop and return to MacR. On the way to BT, we bumped into Jasmine who was running while waiting for her friends. Outside the SAF Ammunition Sch, i spotted a gp of runners getting ready for run. It was Tigger and gang! Was slightly tired when i saw them but gotta keep my posture..hehe. Good also, it helped me to keep running the boring tarmac road til we had to turn in to BT trail. At Gangsa trail, i stopped to take some bak kwa but it din seemed to help to replenish my energy. We decided to change the route to run til Zhenghua Park instead.
After Zhenghua Park, we continued running on the biking trail til we saw this jogging track. It seemed kinda abrupt if we turn back then. Hence we ran on til w saw this "garden". Xiaoming said it wld lead us to Mandai Zoo. I said ok to proceed on since i had insufficient water to last me to MacR and there will be water at the Zoo. The duo picked up their feet & continued running almost instantly!
The 6km (supposedly) appeared so long. The final 1.5km to the Zoo was a struggle for me. After i drank up, i looked into the mirror and was shocked to see that i had shrunk! Even Serene agreed with me. I was really beaten. Both of us tot it wld be wiser to end the run at BT i/o MacR. As we continued with our run back, i was still tired. XM convinced me to take some Nature Valley's energy bar. It helped a lot! I gradually recovered along the way...at least i din looked like i was abt to die when we called it a day at BT Visitors' Ctr.
I ate as soon as i reached home & washed up. After my nap, i kept stretching. By evening when i met up with the rest for dinner, my legs felt ok. It was agreed tat the next morning's distance be cut to 20km.
3rd Day of CNY
At 5.30am, XM smsed me and said he couldn't make it for the run cos he has just finished some work.
I woke up an hr later and decided to go for my city run instead. Afterall, it's boring to run alone at MacR for 20km. Might as well enjoy the run rather than going thru the motion. Ran from home to Esplanade and returned via Orchard Road. Spotted a sgrunner along Boat Quay. Her steady pace caught my attn..i tot she must be a long-distance runner. Tried to pace & overtake her (Joanne taught me one :P). Anw, my gel time was due at Esplanade..a short distance away. Hee..cheap thrill.
The way back was usual..nothing much to blog abt. And here i am, lying on my bed, blogging and reflecting on how i "celebrated" the 3 days of Rat Yr! Gonna snooze liao..still got a long day ahead of me.
Well..with regards to the real race itself, i am still hesitating to sign up this very expensive feat. The 6-day 250km race comes with a pricey tag of USD2900!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
童梦奇缘 Wait til you get older
Dunno why the TV station screened such a touching movie on CNY eve. It made me wept. Anyhow, it was a very good movie...simple, down-to-earth yet with a rich meaning. One particular statement by Little Kwong (Andy Lau's character) moved me - Heaven actually gave all of us the same length of time, it's only how we use it. How true... I can live til a hundred but never put the time to good use and treasure the pple around me :)
童梦奇缘剧情介绍：十二岁的光仔(薛立贤 饰)是个不快乐的小孩，自从妈妈自杀后他便没再长高。光仔一直认为这是爸爸(黄日华 饰)与新妈妈(莫文蔚 饰)的错，因此一直讨厌这个家，终日希望长大后能够独自生活。一天在公园里，光仔遇上傻傻的流浪汉(冯小刚 饰)，自称提炼了一种能够快速成长的药水。阴差阳错下，药水令光仔在一夜间变成一个二十多岁的成年人。成长后的光仔(刘德华 饰)既惊又喜，终于踏上了梦寐以求的旅程。他外表虽是成年人，内里却仍是小孩心，因此闹出不少笑话。 光仔决心追求他的梦中情人即老师Miss Lee(应采儿 饰)，二人更一拍即合；但时间在光仔身上走得特别快，每晚的年纪都在急剧递增。情窦初开的光仔在忐忑之余，还发现了一个有关妈妈自杀的真相。光仔一边急于寻找解药，一边要想个办法，重拾一个温馨的家……
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Baking Pineapple Tarts for CNY
This year, i suddenly has this urge to bake my own pineapple tarts i/o buying them. I jioed my sister to guide me since i sure CMI if i do it alone.
The last few weekends saw us busy with spring-cleaning. Now that CNY is less than a week away, it's the right time to get down with the baking!
Today's plan was to do a run then return home to join my sis in this tart project. However, the weather turned wet hence we started to bake at 2pm. I'm not exactly into cooking hence Sis commented that i appeared to just want to get it over and done with. Hahah..she's quite rite. I started to ask her how much will our project cost? Afterall, i needed to know the dollars saved for an entire day's effort.
The 1st attempt was a flop. We followed the cookie recipe..the tarts smelt nice but they din have that pineapple tart taste, you know. Got Sis to call Charlene for advice and realised we shld exclude the sugar. While waiting for the 2nd batch to be ready, Sis took a nap and i went into the room to logon...and dozed off minutes after. That was 3pm.
I woke up 3 hours later...tot Sis wld have finished baking or still in the middle of it. Alamak! She was still asleep. The preparation table was in a mess. I tasted the 2nd batch..tasteless & still hard. Called Charlene again and this time round, i know the egg white shouldn't be in there. So there i was (boh bian), started the cycle all over again...measured the butter, egg yolk and flour, etc etc. The noise woke my sister up. She tested the 3rd batch. Yippee..it was finally ok!
My official baking time ended at 930pm. As i typed, my sis just finished washing up. She was telling me she wld experiment other brands of butter to get the best result. I told her i never tot of that..was just glad to finish that 1 pkt of pineapple paste.
Wld there be another attempt? hmmmm....
The last few weekends saw us busy with spring-cleaning. Now that CNY is less than a week away, it's the right time to get down with the baking!
Today's plan was to do a run then return home to join my sis in this tart project. However, the weather turned wet hence we started to bake at 2pm. I'm not exactly into cooking hence Sis commented that i appeared to just want to get it over and done with. Hahah..she's quite rite. I started to ask her how much will our project cost? Afterall, i needed to know the dollars saved for an entire day's effort.
The 1st attempt was a flop. We followed the cookie recipe..the tarts smelt nice but they din have that pineapple tart taste, you know. Got Sis to call Charlene for advice and realised we shld exclude the sugar. While waiting for the 2nd batch to be ready, Sis took a nap and i went into the room to logon...and dozed off minutes after. That was 3pm.
I woke up 3 hours later...tot Sis wld have finished baking or still in the middle of it. Alamak! She was still asleep. The preparation table was in a mess. I tasted the 2nd batch..tasteless & still hard. Called Charlene again and this time round, i know the egg white shouldn't be in there. So there i was (boh bian), started the cycle all over again...measured the butter, egg yolk and flour, etc etc. The noise woke my sister up. She tested the 3rd batch. Yippee..it was finally ok!
My official baking time ended at 930pm. As i typed, my sis just finished washing up. She was telling me she wld experiment other brands of butter to get the best result. I told her i never tot of that..was just glad to finish that 1 pkt of pineapple paste.
Wld there be another attempt? hmmmm....
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