am thinking of...

the vacation

2005-12-23T11:24:00.000+08:00

There we were on surfer's paradise, great beach, great surf, great food places (at least they promised to be great) & I had the runs. What a bummer. The hols wasn't a complete disaster but I had to run to the wc more times than I wished & I had to forego some great looking food.

The highlight must be the surf school. Great fun was had by all & we are all hooked. More lessons will come in Bali next year.

Stay tuned for pictures

marathoner

2005-12-13T09:10:00.000+08:00

That's me running strong, just past the 12 km mark on Shenton Way.

ON A BREAK

2005-12-13T08:52:00.000+08:00

ITS'S VACATION TIME.
2 weeks of downtime starts today. Flying to the gold coast with the family this evening. 2 days at the theme parks, 2 days hanging out. Girls want to learn to surf & we will be checking out "merlo", a coffee joint featured in that coffee show now showing on discovery travel & living. Perhaps get some beans home.

I'll post vacation photos plus some thoughts.

Finisher of 42.195km

2005-12-06T11:59:00.000+08:00

Dec 4 2005. This day by the grace of ALLAH & through sheer grit & determination I completed my 1st marathon on my 1st try, a race of 42.195km. Today, it did not matter that I took 6hours 18mins. What mattered was that I completed it. But next year it will matter if I do not complete it in under 5 hours.

My target had been to complete the distance in under 5 hours. It was easy going until the 27 km mark after the turning point at Bedok Jetty, I was on track to achieve my target time. There I felt a twinge in my calves, 1 km later the hamstrings felt tight. I had to stop to stretch the hams & calves.

At the 32 km mark, still on east coast park, every step I ran induced pain throughout my legs. I started to force march out of east coast park onto fort road. Quiting was not an option. The idea then was to march till I felt comfortable enough to run again.

As I hit Geylang road, I was still marching after several failed attempts to run. A change of plan, I will march till I hit the marina park, 2 km away, then start to run again to finish line. After having gone 38km, quitting now will be insane.

At the 40 km mark, I began to feel dizzy, my heart rate was increasing although I was marching slower. I fear, I will faint. But I could not & will not give up. The plan had to be changed again, slow march till I see the Padang, then run to the finish.

Passing under the Esplanade bridge, I started to run but massive cramps shot up my legs, I slowed to a march again. Seeing my family at the turn near SCC, I once again started to run but only managed to hobble, as I listened to my family & the crowd cheering, sheer adrenaline forced me to run/hobble to the finish in front of City Hall.

A range of emotion swept over me as I crossed the finish line, from relieve that I did not pass out, to joy & a sense of achievement. Later as I lay on my bed wearing my finisher t shirt & clutching my finisher medal, another range of emotion swept over me. Gratitude to Allah for giving me the strength, gratitude to Sharon, who supported me through the preparation & ironically a sense of 'now what?'

Well my answer to 'now what?' is to complete next year's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon in 4hr 45mins.

The plan is to strengthen the calves, hamstrings & quadriceps by weight training January through to March. An 18 km run once a week plus another shorter, (6-10km) faster run on hilly terrain (Kent ridge park).

This time next year I will write about my 4hr 45min time.

the day before my 1st marathon

2005-12-03T09:53:00.000+08:00

December 4th 2005 will be my first ever marathon. Will I complete it? We'll see tomorrow.

Lots of rest, fluids and complex carbohydrates shall be the order today. I've prepared as well as I could, 3 runs per week since August, with the longest run completed being 22 km.

So beyond 22 km it will be the unknown for me! That's when I find out what I'm made of.

Office in the sky.

2005-10-17T12:32:00.000+08:00

This pair of cranes are at the construction site of the Jakarta Westin taken from my room at the Mandarin Oriental, across the road.

What a view these crane operators must have. Aspiring CEO's dream about having that corner office with a panoramic view of the city. Perhaps this may be the ultimate office, perched atop a narrow steel tower, 20 storeys high (my estimate), balanced by concrete ballasts on the short arm.

From where I am observing, the crane tower actually sways as the crane arm swings buffetted by winds, it seems very dangerous & exciting. A miscalculated load mass could tip the balance & send your office crashing to the ground.

No wonder these guys are paid, perhaps not princes' ransom but certainly handsomely.

Indeed some CEO's may feel the same way. You're on top enjoying the view but a mistake could bring you down to earth really fast in a really bad way.

Would I be brave enough to sit in that office? Would like to think so.

Treasure hunt for baby g

2005-10-04T12:06:00.000+08:00

We threw a birthday party for friends of Sara & Zuhra over the weekend. The girls wanted a baby g each. These are digital watches made by casio, real tough but in attractive bright colours. The junior version of the famed casio g shock. I had one, during my army days & it just kept on going until it was replaced by a tag h. I digress.

On sunday morning, the girls were given cryptic clues that would lead them to their baby g. I had expected them to take an hour at least to figure them out but they unravelled the clues & got to their watches in less than 30 minutes. Really proud of them for that. Next time (for their PS2), the clues will be tougher, a la Dan Brown's Da vinci code.

Business Travellers

2005-09-28T13:55:00.000+08:00

1825 h local time - Starbucks at the Jakarta International Airport's departure lounge

It's predictable the activities of the business traveller at the airport.

Clear immigration, either look nonchalant or smile to the immigration officer.
Head straight to a designer coffee joint preferably with wifi
Buy a capuccino or latte
Fire up the laptop, dial someone up on their smartphone, sip some capuccino or latte & it's show time. Answer that e mail, get the secretary to arrange or rearrange appointments or flight schedule!

I've been here since 1600h, that 2.5 hours & I've seen 7 business travellers come into the joint & 6 of them did steps (1) through (4) described above. Well counting myself, that makes 7 out of 8.

Predictable?

Airplane Passengers

2005-09-27T17:37:00.000+08:00

Observed while boarding SQ 163 from Jakarta to Singapore.

What is it about airplane passengers? Flouting the safety rules seem to be the in thing.
Two rules most commonly flouted.

Usage of handphones while boarding. Despite repeated announcements & notices plastered everywhere in the departure lounges, people are still seen talking on the phone while boarding. Some even dial their party as soon as the boarding call is made. What's up with that? There must be a valid reason for the rule. The announcements usually state that usage of handphones may interfere with the aircraft navigation system. Perhaps these people hope that the navigation system will be screwed up that they eventually land in Paris or perhaps on some caribean island. Fat chance that will happen!
Cabin luggage restriction. People still carry onto the cabin more than one piece of cabin luggage. Worse, some people even carry on full size luggage & expect to fit them into the overhead compartment. When the over sized luggage don't fit, they complain & stresses out the stewardesses, delay the flight etc. How much time do they think they will save by lugging all that stuff so that they do not have to wait at the luggage claim? If you have travelled to the airport 2 hours before departure, flew 2 hours (minumum), queued 17 minutes at the immigration (average, could be 40 minutes in Ho Chi Minh)what's an extra 10 minutes at the luggage claim? Better be comfortable than have to carry all that stuff around, worry about not having space for your luggage & finally having to sit cramped up because your bags are sharing your seat. Worse, picture this, you're sitting in the middle seat, between 2 upsized large & loud american guys, you've got your huge bag under your legs & suddenly one of the guys couldn't hold back a fart. Ripe!

Chicken Soup

2005-07-17T16:54:00.000+08:00

Once a week, on most saturdays, I enjoy a bowl or two of the best chinese style chicken soup. My mother in law, makes wonderful soup.
To be really honest, I've not always enjoyed chinese soup. The first time I had it, it didn't go down too well. The rich herbal taste was unpalatable to say the least. The combination of bitter ginseng, slightly sourish wolfsberry was a culture shock.
Over the years, I've grown to like, enjoy & crave for the taste of my mother in law's chicken soup. Chicken slow boiled over several hours with lotus roots, peanuts, dried mushrooms, and various combinations of herbs & roots make for a delicous, invigorating soup.

What made me write about soup? Answer: Bruneian food! I've had only one meal in Brunei & already I can't wait to get back home to Singapore for some real good soup, pan seared lamb loin with couscous & home made oven roasted tomato sauce, a salad of baby spinach with orange & feta cheese...

Sunset over the Lombok Straits

2005-06-26T23:19:00.000+08:00

We went out on a traditional outrigger sail boat to watch the sun setting over the Lombok Straits.
This picture was taken from the bow of the boat.
Out on the sea on a little boat with a canvas sail we watched the sun set.
The waves rocking the little boat in the vast sea & the darkening sky, lighted by a brilliant orb of orange, makes you feel insignificant. It puts things in perspective.
I suppose that's what a holiday is about. Getting away from a world that you have made for yourself, believing that without you, the department will not function.
When in reality, the world is bigger than you, the sun will rise & set in brilliant purple & orange even if you are not at your desk. It humbles you & in being humbled, you are recharged.
I am lucky to have Sharon & my girls with me on that little sailing boat. I just hope my girls have realized the beauty they have witnessed.

Lombok

2005-06-26T21:48:00.000+08:00

These are my girls, enjoying the sun in Lombok. Pretty in pink & blue.

We've been to many seaside resorts but I think Lombok is the best so far.

Not many tourists, so we have the place pretty much to ourselves. Just the thing to unwind. We certainly will come back. Will be posting more on our vacation in the next few publications.

Jakarta traffic

2005-06-11T11:51:00.000+08:00

I feel drained! Perhaps it's the ride from town to the airport. The traffic was horrendous. However many times I've been here, & however familiar with the traffic it’s still the same. I feel like I've been through a pressure cooker. And I wasn't even driviñg. They really need to deal with this traffic. People would be spending 4 hours a day getting to & from work. That's 16.6% of the day. More if you are a sales person. Loss of manhour, energy cost, opportunity cost! If someone were to put numbers to the losses the Jakarta traffic is costing companies per day, we could probably feed the poor & homeless in Indonesia for that day!

AXN 500

2005-06-09T13:34:00.000+08:00

I've been playing with my new Polar AXN 500 outdoor computer these past few days. It's really a marvel.
The first day, I found out that we've been praying in the wrong direction for the last 8 years using the navigation function. We were facing southwest bearing 216o. We're now facing bearing 316o.The correct bearing from Singapore to Mecca. The compass I used when we first moved in was probably spoilt. It’s not even around anymore.
Two days ago, I did a Vo2max test. This test measures the optimal oxygen uptake, ml/kg/min. It is a measure of aerobic fitness. I scored a 53, which is very good, for the 35 - 39 age group. In a few days, that score would put me in the elite category in the 40 to 44 age group.
Pretty good, but I still feel short of breath playing 45 minutes of soccer.
Age is most certainly catching up. Wished it isn't so but we all must grow old. Gracefully in my case, I hope.

Standing Down!

2005-06-02T23:13:00.000+08:00

What a day! Emotional. Some men tried very hard to not show any emotion but each of us knew that 1st June 2005 is an important day in the lives of the men of 522 SIR.
This day this infantry battalion stood down. After 13 cycles of in cämp training, 13 long, hard, strenous, fun, frustating, dirty, hot, cold, wet, dry, military training, discharging our duties to protect our homes our family & friends, my comrades & I have finally completed our liabilities. We now hand over this honour & privilege to a younger generation.
Many, throughout the 13 years have put up a front, an indifferent front. We have complained about the inconvenience & hardship of being a citizen soldier. We moan about how hard it is to juggle our roles as a dynamic professional, a diligent bread winner, a loving husband, a doting responsible father, a filial son & a loyal soldier. It is the front of the Singaporean citizen soldier, the reservist, the nsman as the military calls us now.
Whatever many of us may say, our committment to defend our urban soil showed in the way we went about our training. When D day, H hour came, the griping stopped. Men put on their game faces & marched to their proper staging area, charged up that hill when the arty let up & the order came. True modern warfare is not about charging up hills but the utilization of intelligence & the use of effective firepower but the context is that we gave our best. Alexandre Dumas had written, 'magnificient valour'.
Yesterday, after the usual griping & complaining about the early morning start, the inevitable hurry up & wait, the heavy boots, the itch induced by mothballed fatigue uniforms, the scorching sun, the committment was evident in the way we held our heads up, chest out on our final parade. There were many moist eyes too.
Many will not admit it, but it had been an HONOUR & PRIVILEGE TO SERVE!

2005-06-01T00:19:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I got my birthday present from my wife.

It's a Polar outdoor computer. It measures heart rate, fitness level, altitude, atmospheric pressure, with a compass plus of course a watch with 2 time zone & stopwatch.

I am over the moon. Many moons ago I was thinking of getting one.

It is half a month early. Why so early? Sharon panicked. She thought I might get a watch for myself, coz I’ve been telling her about a cool swatch chrono I saw. So she sprung the surprise. Since it was not my birthday it was truly a surprise!

Thank you Sharon. Luv ü

Full time champions league final

2005-05-26T05:39:00.000+08:00

Incredible! What a comeback. Liverpool finally showed up & won, they are deserving champions. What can I say, exciting to the very last, dramatic, SOCCER!

European Champions League final

2005-05-26T03:45:00.000+08:00

It's the Champion League final, its only half time & only one team showed up. These guys are supposed to be professionals but really the Liverpool players are not earning their big money paycheck. As the Malay saying goes, these guys "makan gaji buta". Literally meaning eating blind wages, sitting at their desk, biding their time & cashing in their paycheck at month's end. What's wrong? Nerves perhaps but being professionals dealing with that should be part & parcel of the job. Simply no hunger to win. Lights out Liverpool unless they pull up thier socks!

Who's coming to Singapore?

2005-05-19T15:47:00.000+08:00

Appearing in the front page news of the Straits Times on thursday morning was 'Crazy Horse of Paris' will premier in Singapore in November. This cabaret show features classical ballet trained dancers With casinos expected to make it's entrance into the local scene, & now this, some people here will think that we are 2 steps away from Sodom & Gomorah.

I watched the crazy horse while I was in Paris some years ago & it was fabulous. The girls were accomplished dancers & they were of course very good looking. I wonder if the show will be same with Asian girls, as that's what I've heard the show producers will be doing. We'll see I suppose. Hope prices will be more affordable than in Paris. The company paid @ 200 Eur per person with dinner & champagne for our night at the crazy horse.

Who's not coming to Singapore? Kylie Minogue. Too bad about the breast cancer. Are they real?

Living it up

2005-05-18T17:13:00.000+08:00

brent's comment exhorting me to live it made me think, what's living it up? here are 12 ways i've lived it up or wished to live it up.

a great lunch at fifteen in london with sharon, tony & stella. next stop el bulli in madrid. pity about the jamon, we can't have any. closer to home, we'll visit the french stall for lunch this weekend. hope there's foie gras on the menu or at least duck liver confit.
night out with the guys & tiger (that's the local beer for all you non singaporeans). although these days nasser is getting arty farty with his wines & hassan being gentlemanly with his famous grouse whisky & cigarillos. balaclava is the joint of choice. thats at suntec city.
getting behind the wheels of a porsche 911 and taking it around the sepang f1 track in kl, that should set the pulse racing, going at 300 kmh, then braking at the last minute to take the corners will be so exhilarating. almost pants wetting excitement. hassan will take the wheels of a ferrari f350 modena, we'll see who makes the better lap time. nasser will be in his trusty 1972 alfa spider, we'll wait for him at the cafe.
bungee jumping. that could be someone's idea of living it up, but not me though. i don't want to admit it but heights give me the chills. so technically this shouldn't be on the list.
lying on the beach in lombok with my 3 ladies. although technically not living it up because we'll probably be semi comatose on the beach with an unread book, while the kids run around creating havoc at the hotel pool. shopping for bric bracs for the apartment at the local market. that's 3 weeks away
a mediterranean holiday which include casablanca, algiers, cairo, corfu, istanbul. sharon will love that, we'll sample the cuisine, cruise down the nile in a dhow, see giza at night, go into the desert on a 4WD & have a bbq under the desert sky with stars for company, sample more cuisine, visit the blue mosque, sample more cuisine, tagine, dolmas, kebabs, imam bayildi, mousaka, hommos, halwa, the list goes on. then go home, hit the gym with a vengeance.
long lunches with friends, on expense account will be perfect. discussion topics will be (a) the state of the economy, (b) the price of oil and how it affects the price of chemical feedstock & consequently how you will price your products, (c) the strong euro against the us$ & how it affects your bottomline (how the food affects your bottomline will be evident in no time if you over indulge) (d)when will bush realise that the world is not texas & we don't need a sheriff riding in on a white horse shooting down the bad guys. that's getting a feeling for the market, so the expense is justified.
being in cardiff with tony watching wales beat england again in next year's 6 nation rugby. then grab some pub grub, haven't tasted welsh pub grub yet.
watching an english premier league soccer match, preferably chelsea playing arsenal at stamford bridge. then adjourn to fifteen for dinner.
eating puffer fish sushi. now that's living it up. one mistake by the chef, it's permanent lights out. don't need any viral infection. japanese roulette i'd say. thinking of roulette, the singapore government has just rescinded the ban on casinos in our island nation. we'll be having 2 intergrated resorts with casinos. some people think that's going to lead us to sodom & gomorrah, but i think it's a positive move for the economy. more in future am thinking of...
be a high roller in vegas. perhaps a $50 bet at the blackjack tables, if i win the first hand....who knows. no, too risky, i'd rather go bungee jumping. at least the cord is around your ankles not your neck.
white water rafting. now where is the best place for that?

i suppose, living it up means doing what excites you with family & friends

Why blog?

2005-05-18T06:25:00.000+08:00

I am new to blogging. Why did I decide to blog? Perhaps it is the need to set down my thoughts in writing on any medium. I could easily have put pen to paper, in that case, the element of being published and being read by even one person would be lost. Do I want someone else to read what I think? Perhaps there may be a spirit of voyuerism in me, the need for the world to know me. Why did Alexander set out from Macedonia? It is egoistic indeed to compare myself with Alexander but the common thread among men is to be known, to be remembered & to be immortalised. We are all afraid of dying, & thus we want to know that people know who we are long after we are gone.

I've kept paper journals when I was a teenager & throughout my university years. I don't know where those journals are now. They are not in the store room in the house where I grew up. The journals I kept, while at the university were probably left behind in the dorm room I lived in for 3 years. Some freshie may have found it & read the exploits I had with some of the more adventurous lady friends, my failed experiments in the chemistry lab, my frustration at not holding on to my place in the first 11 of the varsity soccer team, my drinking sessions with friends where ideas & ideaology were discussed & distilled, my desperation during last minute study sessions. Perhaps the freshie dumped it in the trash, deeming Streitweisser or Kundera a more interesting read.

Why now? I've just barely recovered from some viral infection, which afflicted me for 3 weeks already. The doctors could not pin down what exactly ailed me except that the infection was in the liver. My liver function as determined by blood tests was 3 times normal. I shivered in cold spells, I sweated with fever & finally I itched & scratched the whole night through. Sleep was difficult when you have the itch. So I've just recovered, I realised I am mortal, I am no longer as strong as I was when I am in my twenties.

I'm no slouch. I've been maintaining my fitness level at the gym & on various running trails. I've always been a member of some gym. When I travel on business, the hotel I stay in must have a gym or at least a park with running trails nearby.

I've always thought I'm invincible but the bout of viral infection has made me think of my vulnerability. One day, I will not be able to walk without a stick.

So today, I start to blog to see my thoughts in words & perhaps for someone else to see them too.