A Rat's Tale : Journey of Rediscovery

(150) days of joblessness

2010-09-24T14:48:00.002+08:00

Wow times passes quickly when everyday is like a weekend. Nowadays I keep track of time in terms of weeks, not days. Some important people organize their time in chunks of 15 minutes, lately I cannot imagine. The nice thing about not working is that you have all the time in the world to do things you like. The ironic thing is that usually I don't get much done in a day. Read an article here, answer some e-mails, go for a run and then it is almost the end of the day. It also goes to show how much time a person can waste. But how do I pay the rent when I am not working? It is also quite depressing on days because I tie so much of my security and esteem to having a job.

(100) days of joblessness

2010-08-10T17:08:00.003+08:00

It has been more than a hundred days since I have quit my job. The 'staycation' has been wonderful so far. Unfortunately, it can't last forever. Reality hits hard when you don't have a steady income. Reality comes in the form of grocery bills and monthly expenditure. Reality also comes in the form of concerned friends and family members. And I don't really blame those who are close to me for they have been very understanding. I would be concerned if someone I cared about decides to be a bum as well.

I took this break because I came to a point when I hated the monotony of my life. I disliked the daily cycle of wake, work, sleep. I wanted an escape if just for a little while. I know pretty soon I will be forced to return to a job. That's just how it goes.

Missing the walkabouts

2010-07-06T14:32:00.006+08:00

It has been a while since I have gone on a trip and I do miss my 'walkabouts'. I am beginning to realize that I quite like travelling - mainly independent travelling - where the itinerary is planned by yourself or someone in your group. I like these type of travel because most of the time you don't know what to expect and the journey is usually as important or more important than the destination. You might take 3 days of walking to get up to a summit but the summit is not the important part, the journey is. The summit is the trophy to tell others that you achieve something.

Many of the things I do revolve around doing these walkabouts - keeping fit, working, etc. I am not sure why I like these type of travel because from a pure economical perspective they are a waste of money. However economical perspective is not everything although being Chinese and Asian, people around me constantly remind me of its importance. Money is important for many things but it is not the only value in life - that is my opinion.

I like the walkabouts maybe because I have insatiable desire to move about and to explore new things. Maybe it is because when I move about I do not have to think or worry so much about what is going to happen next - where life is leading or whether my career is going to the sinkhole. Maybe I like it because I am a better me when I am travelling. Maybe it is because as the saying goes a rolling stone gather no moss and I am fascinated by the 'moss'-less lifestyle. As I age, I am beginning to realize many drawbacks of this 'moss' less lifestyle. I am certainly not religious about not gathering 'moss' as a brief glance around my room will convince you that I have much more stuff than I need.

As I am bounded by the lack of travel these days (due to resources), I am often fascinated by those who are travelling. However, I do find that those who go on packaged tour or business trip usually have fewer stories to tell from their trip. But there are always exceptions so I am all ears for your travel stories. If you sponsor me on a trip, I will be very happy to tell you my stories.

Malaysians fatter than Singaporeans

2010-07-02T02:54:00.002+08:00

According to the WHO Global Database of BMI, Malaysia has a much higher obesity rate (% with BMI >= 30) than all its neighboring countries. Malaysia has 16.3% (2006) vs Singapore at 6.9% (2004). Now I did not read through the WHO website to determine how they got the number but isn't the figure a bit alarming for Malaysians? Thailand has only 4.4% and Indonesia has 2.4%. What type of food are Malaysians eating that make Malaysians more obese than our neighbors? Malaysian food isn't more different than Singaporean food. It makes you wonder doesn't it? Maybe it is time to cutback on all the extra visits to the mamak stall for supper. Or am I reading the WHO table wrongly?

Upsize part 2

2010-06-02T14:44:00.002+08:00

This is a continuation of yesterday's upsize (or super size) post. Today I am eating at burger king and in terms of bang for bucks, BK beats MacD.

Original Whopper meal + Upsize
Whopper - 763 Calories
Large Fries - 410 Calories
Large Coke (32 Oz) - 300 Calories
Total - 1473 Calories for $7.75

That's around 200 more calories for roughly the same price. A fat thumbs up (especially if you keep eating it) for BK. Good news for bums but bad news for regular first world people who are dieting because this one meal is likely almost equivalent to your daily calorie intake if you are dieting.

To Upsize or Not

2010-06-01T17:26:00.002+08:00

Since I was calculating the cost of food, here are the calories upsizing will do to your Big Mac Meal.

Normal Big Mac Meal
Big Mac - 520 Cal
Medium Fries - 370 Cal
Coke (21 Oz) - 200 Cal
Total = 1090 Calories

Upsize Big Mac Meal
Big Mac - 520 Cal
Large Fries - 440 Cal
Coke (32 Oz) - 300 Cal
Total = 1260 Calories

Conclusion, unless you are a bum who is trying to save money, the upsize will only add 170 calories (from fries & sugar) to your weight. If you are a bum, you should be eating at a hawker center and not Macdonalds.

P.S. To save money and still eat at Macdonalds. Bring your own water and order the McChicken for $2.

My Table

2010-05-14T12:52:00.002+08:00

The picture shows my table which is in a real mess. It also reflects a little of my life right now - unorganized. What I need is a clean up or to throw away unnecessary stuff. It also reflects things that I do for fun. Currently playing Batman, Arkham Asylum on the PS3. It's a great game - good story, solid gameplay, beautiful backgrounds, etc. Below the Batman game is actually the latest Final Fantasy, which I cannot get into. I have been playing about 2-3 hours and it is really boring so far. Yes I have a skinfold caliper and I am not telling you my body fat percentage.

Comics in the library

2010-05-06T17:29:00.003+08:00

Wow, lately I found a new hobby - reading comics in the library. I didn't know they had a whole shelf of comics in the library. If I did earlier I would have read them earlier. The only downside about the library thing is that usually you can't find the continuation of the comic series you are reading. Well, it is free so I am not going to complain too much. Needless to say, comics have taken up a substantial chunk of my time. However, I am rather unoccupied nowadays. The books I borrowed from the library went from zero in the last year to easily 30 in the last two weeks. The library in Singapore is another thing that I can confidently say is much better than those available in Malaysia. Before you think I am defecting, I still prefer Malaysia even though I have stayed in Singapore for over a decade.

Virgin Trek - Annapurna Circuit

2010-01-02T12:52:00.002+08:00

Well I am back in Singapore now and completed my first multi-day trek of Nepal's Annapurna Circuit. It was exciting and eventful. As it was the off season for trekking around the area, I did not get a chance to update the blog because internet connection was either exorbitant or unavailable. Anyway, I will quickly give you a summary of what is happening. If time or mood permits, I might fill in the story. Otherwise, you will have a good overview. We had some hiccups - I had a bout of altitude sickness up at 4000m. Eric had diarrhea on the first few days. JT had altitude sickness around 4500m. Other than that, the trek went well. The ladies were tough and handled the trek without getting sick. The weather was brilliant - no storms or strong wind - even then it was brutally cold at the pass. Fortunately, I was dressed adequately for the cold as I had my thermals and wind proof clothing. When I was sick, the group did hire a horse to take me through or act as a backup in case anything happened. Luckily, it was not a serious case of altitude sickness and I recovered with rest and medication. Well for now, that's about it. As the others took some pictures, I will hopefully get a copy and post a few on this blog.

Back to Kathmandu - Trek begins soon

2009-12-18T01:18:00.002+08:00

View Kathmandu Guest House in a larger map

I am now in Kathmandu. Today is my last day of aimless roaming in Kathmandu. I find aimless roaming quite interesting. It was rather enjoyable walking through the older part of the city which is now a market bustling with people. The design of the place reminds me somewhat of fantasy game books - one street sells hardware, another lane sells pottery, another alley sells electrical goods and so forth. The lanes are all quite specialised. If you want to find spices in a lane that sells electrical goods, then too bad - it is in the other street. I would have found it confusing if I wanted to buy something because the lanes are like a maze. Also there is a sense of serendipity - occasionally, you find something spectacular out of the blue. Today I found a stupa that was actually very nice in one of the streets.

Tomorrow my friends will be coming from Singapore and pretty soon after we will be starting our trek. We will have one evening to stock up on whatever we are lacking and then we will head out on Saturday. We will be doing part of the Annapurna Circuit. I say part because we do not have enough days to complete the whole trek and have to shorten some part of it by taking a flight from Jomsom to Pokhara. I think that is generally the plan as I left it all for the trekking companies and the guide. I will just follow along leisurely. Hopefully, none of us will be hit with any serious altitude sickness. Since the trek is starting, I think there will be very limited internet connection and so I might not be posting anything for a while.

Back to Kathmandu

2009-12-15T23:04:00.002+08:00

Well I only managed to spend a little time in Pokhara. If I knew earlier, I might have just came straight to Pokhara because there are more things to do here - short hikes, paragliding, river rafting, etc. However, all these things do take time - 2-3 days minimum stay to wait for the schedule - and so I have decided to go back to Kathmandu tomorrow morning to wait for my friends who will be arriving on the 18. Besides, most of these activities would be better done with friends for companionship sake and economically. Most everything is cheaper for a few people rather than alone. For example, if I rent a boat it will be $12 a day for myself. If there were 5 person, we could still sit in the same boat. The locals pack 20 on to the boat meant for maybe 8 persons. Similarly, the room I am staying at sleeps 2 but I use the other bed to put my clothing.

Talking about money, I have overspent a little. I ate too much too frequently. Bought some useless stuff and went for too many nothing-to-see sights/temples. Anyway my budget of $50 a day is not lavish but for local it is likely a quarter of their salary. I was talking to the church leader and he mentioned that one of the Christians needs to get a better job if he wants to start a family. A better job is $200 SGD a month. Naturally, I did not share that I am blowing my $50 daily budget by eating at restaurants for most meals and hiring taxis.

Pokhara

2009-12-14T20:10:00.002+08:00

Since I had a bit more time to kill but not too much, I took an easy trip to Pokhara. I just did not realize that the trip would take about 7 hours. As I will have to do this trip again when I start the trek when my Singapore friends arrive, it means I will be spending quite a lot of time sitting on the Kathmandu-Pokhara bus ride. The ride is not awful but neither is the bus extra comfortable. The tourist bus seats are the typical 'Bus Kilang' seats - stiff seats with not too much leg room. As a consolation, I still get a chance to roam around a little in Pokhara tomorrow. The only consideration is whether to spend Wednesday night in Pokhara or in Kathmandu. Today after spending some time eating and looking for a guest house, there's little left daylight. I went for a stroll near the lake area and it was getting dark already. Over in Nepal, it gets dark around 5:30pm so if I wanted to do something outdoor I would have to be out a little early. Quite likely, I will just rent a boat for half a day tomorrow and row around the lake. I hope I will not get wet because I don't really have any extra stuff to change into.

Durbar Squares near Kathmandu

2009-12-13T14:07:00.004+08:00

I spent the last two days roaming around the few Durbar Squares near Kathmandu. If you don't know what Durbar Squares are, I don't either. Quite likely, they are like a trade and parade center for the towns. Walking up to the Durbar Squares is quite impressive because you are strolling through these small maze-like streets that barely large enough for a car to pass through and then you come up to a huge open space with impressive looking temples, scultures, pagodas and palaces. The temples are all quite unique with the huge foundations and impressive stone statues at the bottom but rather small temple up above. Many of the walls and the doors are richly decorated with carvings and frescoes. Most of the windows are equally well decorated. My favourite Durbar Square so far has been the one at Patan. The focus of these old architectures seemed very different from the modern architecture where the art and the aesthetic play such an integral part of these buildings while the functionality seems of a lesser concern. Most of the heritage sites require a ticket to
enter - about $10 SGD.

For the Durbar Square in Buktapur, I took a public bus from Kathmandu. I took it because it
seemed more fun and I am a cheapskate who doesn't want to spend money on taxis. (However in Singapore, I take taxis all the time.) It would likely cost me $12-$15 SGD for the 16km ride to Buktapur whereas it costs $0.50 taking the public bus. Of course the bus itself is part of the fun - squeezing with the locals. In fact, the bus I took to Nagarkot (one of the mountain resorts that I went to after Buktapur) was so packed, the roof had over 20 people. If there wasn't a bicycle on the top of the bus, I am sure they would have tried to pack at least 6 more person on the roof. Anyway the bus roof ride is definitely not something I recommend for us city people, sitting on a metal railing on top of a rattling bus for an hour and a half is not that fun after 10 minutes. On top of that, it was already dark and cold (about 10 degrees outside). I was shivering cold after the trip but fortunately I quickly found a shop with good hot tea and a delicious Nepali rice set.

Cold....Brrrr, Kathmandu

2009-12-09T00:10:00.003+08:00

It's only 13 degrees C in Kathmandu and I am freezing in the motel room. In fact it was so cold, I decided to go down for a cup of tea. That's why I can type this blog. Earlier I was stuck in the room because the electricity was out for a couple of hours. As I was telling a friend, I can't take the cold anymore. Too used to the warmth of the equatorial weather. With the cold, there's so much packing to do. I spent most of Monday trying to figure out what to bring - t-shirts, thermals, jackets, etc. I realize I likely don't have enough warm clothing for the negative degrees trek. Ooops, no sub zero sleeping bag. Guess I'll just have to buy it here. Fortunately, there is no lack of sleeping bag shops. Kathmandu is the warm part of the trip. Maybe I am getting a little too old for all these types of adventure trips. Maybe it's time for the 4-5 star hotels luxury trip.

Silkair flight to Kathmandu

2009-12-08T09:38:00.004+08:00

Grrrrr, it's been a rather bad morning so far. Currently I am griping about a credit card booking made for my silkair/singapore airline flight. When I tried to check-in to the flight, the counter lady asked me for my American Express credit card. (Why I booked using the Amex card is really beyond me because I rarely use this card?) Anyway, since I have booked this ticket about 2 months earlier, I have paid fully for the bill. Last month, American Express wanted to charge me $160 for an annual fee so I decided to cancel it. I thought it wasn't a big deal because I have no installments and I have paid everything in full. So when the Singapore Airlines lady asked me to produce the credit card I couldn't - it was cut in half and thrown into the rubbish dump. Instead of checking with the credit card office, they made me cancel the air ticket and bought a new ticket. Imagine the trouble it will cause me? I need to wait one to two months for a refund for a ticket that I have paid for about 2 months back. Moreover, will the refund go to my American Express account? Who knows? I was fuming mad because they made such a big deal on something I have paid for. With a budget airline I might understand but with a big airline like SQ, I thought they wouldn't bother their customers with these types of hassle. Anyway, I'll have to worry about it when I get back from holidays. I hope the holidays will help me get a new perspective. Maybe it's a small lesson for me to not fuss over all the smaller things in life.

Dusting off the blog

2009-12-05T09:34:00.005+08:00

Blame it on facebook. After mindlessly joining the hordes in opening a facebook account, this blog has been left on the shelf untouched for more than 3 months. Instead of writing a full paragraph in the blog, I have broken up what I wanted to say into little mindless sentences - washed away in the sea of facebook comments. Work is also partly to blame - the last few months have been very busy. In fact, I have been doing something that I loath - working on weekends. Moreover, it is not like I am happy working to begin with. Anyway, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am free. For the next 4 weeks at least - Christmas holidays. Hopefully, the holidays will make some of my hair grow back - I seriously doubt it.

With a little more free time, expect to see the blog active again and I have a trip to Nepal coming up. So if possible I will keep you updated on where I am that is if there is internet access on the treks - again which I seriously doubt. It will be exciting and I am keen to see a new country. From what I have been told, the mountains are magnificent and the adventure shop guy promised me that it will be freezing. Or maybe he is just trying to sell more of his thermals to naive trekkers.

One Year Wiser

2009-09-05T19:31:00.002+08:00

Last Sunday was my birthday and thanks to Facebook I got a lot more wishes than I did in the previous years. Yes, Facebook can be annoying but for occassions like these it is wonderful. Also I am glad I now own a few more Adidas, Reebok, New Balance, Marmot, Buff & Nike stuff. Yes, the theme for this year is sporting goods...Is it a hint for "you are a fat pig and it's time to slim down" or "there are holes in your t-shirt, please wear something else"? Anyway, it's the thought that counts and I appreciate all the calls and wishes for those not in Singapore. I am so thankful to have family and close friends around. Family has always been there for me. Friends are precious because I am getter fewer and fewer friends. Some have moved away and my grouchy demeanor is not making me any new ones. Anyway, I was encouraged by all of you. I got through the past year hopefully a little wiser but definitely a little older.

Bedouin Blood

2009-06-14T18:08:00.002+08:00

In the movie Chocolat, Juliette Binoche plays a character that must move when the North Wind blows. And so, every once in a while when the wind blows, she moves - abruptly and without notice. I am a person that have that kind of inclination. Every once in a while I have a strong inclination to uproot everything and move. Last year the wind was blowing strongly and I had the impulsive desire to quit my job and roam around like a vagabond. But the crumbling economic situation (plus the exhortation from my father) made me reconsider. Resisting the pull of the wind, I decided to stay for my umpteenth year in Singapore. Singapore is quite livable as a working place. Moreover, the pay in Malaysia for lowly servants like me is likely about half of what I am getting due to currency exchange. Anyway, I am still in Singapore and likely will be here for a while.

Maybe the moving thing isn't just myself but the whole family. It is a family legacy. We have a little nomadic blood in our lineage. Just like my Jordanian friend, Malik, who says he has Bedouin blood in him because he is always roaming around. (Bedouins are the nomadic tribe living in Arabian desert.) For my family, it might be Chinese nomadic blood. We feel the urge to move around and live in different places, like rolling stones. My brother is in UAE, my cousins are in UK, Thailand, Australia, etc. I am stuck in Singapore. The good or bad thing is that as I age, the wind blows less frequently now. But on some occasions it still blows and the urge to follow it still remains.

Tummy Obsession

2009-05-18T00:13:00.003+08:00

Lately, I have been rather obsessed with the waistline. It started with someone commenting that I have a slight tummy. That was late last year when I was training for my marathon. Imagine that, I was running about 40km per week and I still had a bulging tummy. I can imagine how difficult it is for those who are less active to not develop a tummy. And quite sadly, the pull towards developing a tummy after 30s is very strong. I went around in Sentosa one of those days and was watching some guys playing 2 on 2 beach volleyball. One of them was a middle age Caucasian man who was playing a rather decent game - he could bum, set and spike. Despite that, he still had a tummy. Not many people I know can play a decent game of 2 on 2 beach volleyball so I already consider him very athletic. With the odds stacked so high against the over 30s male, maybe we should all resign ourselves to the fate that it is inevitable to get a tummy after 30s.

Currently, I have been trying to lose the tummy while trying to put on some muscle. Sadly, the weight seems to naturally want to gravitate to my tummy. Here are some tips that I have gathered on making your tummy look smaller.

1. Don't wear body hugging clothes. We know you can afford the adidas body hugging compression top that will cut 0.01% off your 10km time. However, please remove the suit after your run if you have a tummy and please don't wear it into the restaurant. I don't want you to ruin other people's dinner seeing your belly flop up and down. (This happened in real life).

2. Built up the chest and shoulders. It is a matter of illusion. If you can't lose the tummy, built up the chest and shoulders to hide your tummy. Suddenly, the tummy doesn't seem so big anymore.

3. Wear loose fitting clothes. You don't have to look like a monk but if your tummy is not big enough, loose clothing can actually hide some tummy. Especially if your chest is big enough.

Well that ends part 1 of my tummy obsession post. Maybe in the future, I will sum up some better solutions to the problem. I might even talk about something boring like dieting.

Moving Day

2009-03-29T22:15:00.003+08:00

Today, I moved out most of my stuff from my current room to the new room that I will be staying in starting from April. I feel nostalgic because before I know it, I have stayed in the same room for more than six years. It's easy to keep track of the duration because I moved in to this place a few months before the landlord had a kid. Now they have 2 kids and their daughter is in primary one. Doing some simple math, it should be more than six years that I have stayed here. I guess age is really catching up with me because it used to be common to move every few months. Now, it's every few years. Pretty soon it might be every few decades... if I live that long.

I guess in the last six years I have accumulated quite a bit of junk as well. I was glad that Jane, Jerry & Ricky came to help me move. I am grateful that I have friends around who were willing to spend half of their day helping me move. Jerry got his father's vegetable lorry to help in the moving and it was a great relief for me. However much I would like to think that I am self-sufficient, the job would have been humongous doing it by myself. I guess John Donne got it right when he said 'No man is an island.' Jane kept exclaiming how dusty my room was and what a mess it was, while she help pack the remaining stuff that were still lying around the room. Ricky & Jerry just tirelessly lugged all the boxes down to the truck. And with people around, they quickly point out to quite a number of useless things I had that should rightfully belong to the bin. Oh! That's my old computer speaker box you just flattened.

Hopefully I'll adapt to the new place soon enough. Aljunied. Very convenient and few more stops nearer to my work place. Rent is higher too due to the proximity to town. However, it's near to the MRT and rather near to a public swimming pool. It's also just beside a library - not that I foresee myself using it too often. Unpacking will be another nightmare that I am not going to think about for tonight.

My money training

2009-03-23T23:01:00.004+08:00

In the month of February, I tried an exercise in cost cutting - I limited my cash usage to $700 for the entire month. At least I tried to survive on a daily $23 budget. So how was it? Well...I think for me living on a budget is like going on diet for some. They give a good effort but then they bounce back fatter than ever. It's like that for me...not that I tried very hard. Anyway, it was easy on certain days but then there's always the occasional stuff that crops up - visitors, special meals, concerts, books, movies. Honestly, I prefer not having to be stingy on every little decision. It is a good practice - like fasting.

Maybe I will try it again - one of the other months...being a person who aspire to be a bum...I am nothing like a bum. Well, I think Chris McCandles (Into the Wild) has great appeal for me. But he is quite extreme...more loner than I will ever be.

Departure

2009-03-16T00:32:00.001+08:00

As I lie on my back nursing a backache that was caused by my stupidity, I am thinking about the news that was conveyed to me by my father about half an hour ago. My uncle in Ipoh (my mother's younger brother) has passed away. Although we meet only once a year during Chinese New Year, it saddens me that he will be leaving behind 2 sons who are still in school - 1, I think doing SPM(O levels) and the other in lower secondary school. It saddens me that my grandma who is still active and working hard to do house chores and maintain her dilapidated house will have to attend the funeral of another child - the main breadwinner of the family. I am reminded about how much she wept at my mother's funeral and how sad it will be for her in the coming days. Life is often cruel to some and it seems like my maternal grandma was not spared the pain of sending away 2 of her children. My heart goes out to her and my aunt who will be without a husband.

Death is inevitable for all of us. I pray for my uncle's family that they will not be overwhelmed with sadness and find the strength to move on. I pray for those who has been dealt harsh hands in life that they might find a glimmer of hope in their everyday lives. I am reminded that life is fleeting and to live it to the full. It is my reminder to be more grateful for the friends and family around.

Davao - trip to Mt Apo

2009-03-11T23:09:00.005+08:00

Davao

It's been a while since I posted some pictures so here are some pictures of Davao. My friends and I went over to Davao last December to hike up Mount Apo. Unfortunately, there was a rebel conflict at the base of the mountain and the military was stopping people from going up. So we were stranded in Davao for a few days. We managed to get the guides to take us to a nearby waterfall and had a night camp there. The trek was short but was challenging because of the mud which was ankle deep. By the time we reached our camp, our shoes were soaked and mud-caked. The waterfall was not exactly what we came for but as they say 'Even a bad day camping is better than a good day at work'. I enjoyed myself and had a bit of opportunity to look around the city. We even managed to visit the police station because my friend, Fang, lost her wallet in the mall. She pouted for a few days because she was not able to hike up Mount Apo and was determined to get back to it this year. One failed trip but sometimes the detours that are served along the way are just as enjoyable.

Disgrace

2009-02-09T22:36:00.003+08:00

I finished a book 'Disgrace' by J.M.Coetzee on my trip back to Ipoh for the Chinese New Year. It is about a professor who slept with one of his students and was forced to resign from his job because of the scandal. He goes and stay with the daughter at her farm and encounters a terrible event...Well from the title, you can tell it is a rather dark and forbidding tale. And that's probably why I bought it in the first place. Since the beginning of the year, I felt my life has been rather depressing and so the title fits with the current mood.

Besides that, I caught 2 movies with similar themes recently - JCVD and The Wrestler. I liked both the shows. The themes were depressing but the acting was brilliant and the characters were very real and believable. They are still only movies so I know many things were exagerrated. Nevertheless, it reminds me how messed up life can be in a short while. Even with success, it is never permanent. As the book of Ecclesiastes say "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind". Sometimes I wonder, if so many people don't know where they are going, why are they hurrying to go anywhere? Why the fast pace and why the hurry? Shouldn't most people stop and figure out where they are going first? Because if they get the direction wrong, hurrying will get them further from where they want to go.

2009 getting older

2009-01-11T21:43:00.002+08:00

I just read a blog somewhere and the author said that she was getting old. She was turning 22. Oh my goodness! 22! I would kill to be 22 once again. But then again someone in their 40s would think I am young. Age is so relative. Once upon a time, I'd never imagine I would languishing in my mid 30s - single and grumpy. I'd imagine myself being a father of a 10 year old kid by now - teaching my son his school work and telling him exciting bedtime stories. I'd imagine myself turning into this spiritual giant - tirelessly extending love and concern to all who needed them. Oh...the ideals of my youth. But isn't age just a number. Does it have to limit our abilities or ideals? I don't know what I am rambling about today.

2008 - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

2009-01-01T22:32:00.005+08:00

2008 was an eventful year for me. The year was a mix of good and bad events. So here is my own list of good, bad and ugly events.

The Good: Physical fitness. Well, this year was certainly a year that was filled with numerous new things for me. I started this year with only one physical fitness goal - to finish the Kinabalu race within the cutoff time. I did not achieve that goal but attempting it pushed my running ability up a few notches. So some achievements for 2008 - attempted Kinabalu Climbathon - first attempt, completed the Quadthlon - my first multi sport event (with skating, swimming, running & cycling), a 30km runway skating event & I completed a full marathon this year in a rather respectable first time timing. Not to mention the numerous mini 10km-15km races that were completed in between these main events. I am definitely a better skater and runner now than when I started 2008. In fact, I am a better distance runner now than I have ever been.

The Bad: Finances. Well I take consolation that a lot of people got hit a lot worse than me on finances. Not that it will do me any good that some bloke down the road lost his fortune but at least I don't feel so dumb for losing my money. For a person who puts a majority of his savings in stocks, the downturn hit me rather bad. It is also not very consoling that I did not have much to begin with. Perhaps, I should take my own advice and buy more stocks, now that stocks in general has become much cheaper.

The Bad 2: Relationship. Last I check, I was still single. I do not understand why girls don't dig me. I am actually normal - a little shy when it comes to dating but a normal human being. And I have a job. In fact I have been single so long I am beginning to wonder if I am gay. Being semi-religious doesn't help the situation either. Too religious for the non-church goer and too 'unreligious' for the church goer. Maybe it's the "do you want to be the mother of my child" pickup line, it only works if you are a Hollywood star (you know I am just kidding about that, right?).

The Ugly: Spirituality. Rather than turning this blog into a confession session, I will just leave it at the fact that my spirituality is hitting rock bottom.

New Toy - Nokia E71

2008-11-19T00:10:00.006+08:00

Yes, I finally went over to the Dark Side and am now a Nokia phone user. I bought this phone a couple weeks ago and I have been quite happy with it. The key pad is very responsive. Even though the keys are small, I have no problems with the keypad and the overall usage so far.

It has a built-in GPS and has been working smoothly with the Garmit XT mobile software that I am using with it. I also have downloaded Google maps on it and it is working very nicely, the few times that I have tried it. Yes and now you can send me messages in Chinese. Unlike my old phone, this phone does display Chinese brilliantly. Not that I am better at reading Chinese anyway.

Also, Windows Live comes with it so I can be on MSN 24 hours if I so wish. I can check my web email with it and that is rather useful since my office tries to block MSN and web email on my work computer. Yes and my family will be happy now that it works as an internet phone though I have not set that up. In fact there are a lot more functions to it than I care to find out.

So does this phone actually save more of my time? Certainly not. In fact, I have been spending some late nights trying to figure out what this gadget can do. As with most gadgets, many times they end up owning us instead of us owning them. Also it is funny how when you buy things there is this chain effect. For example, if you buy a nice TV then you might buy a new DVD player. Because you have a nice DVD player, you want a good sound system...and so on and so forth. In the case of my phone, since the phone supports so many internet functions, I want to get a 3G internet plan. Because I have a 3G internet plan... I do hope the list ends at the internet plan.

So the moral of the story? You do not have to change phones every couple of years. There is no shame in using an old phone and no rules stating that you must change a phone when your contract with your mobile company ends. Yes, use the old phone unless it is breaking apart and ignore all those irritating friends that have nothing better to do than nag at you for not keeping up with the trend. Their nagging worked on me and see how I turned out.

Music & Personality

2008-10-12T23:18:00.004+08:00

My friend bought a used MP3 player and sold it to me. Quite a nice player - Cowon D2, 2Gb memory. Anyway that's not the topic of this discussion. As the Mp3 was "lost", it came preloaded with a lot of Korean songs and a few English songs. It has the full Dreamgirls soundtrack converted. I was wondering if one can tell a person's personality by listening to the music that she listens to. Anyway I think it is not easy to tell. For example, if one likes heavy metal music, what type of person is she. I think it is easy to stereotype but not easy to tell a personality just by music choice. Moreover, nowadays with digital music players going in gigabytes, there can be thousands of songs in a player.

Anyway, the player also had the movie Benny & Joon in it. I remembered when I was in college, the friends around me loved the show. It was one of those talked about show for a couple of months. I didn't really think it was so fantastic but my friends did.

My new love - Run Ning

2008-09-30T23:27:00.004+08:00

Yeah lately it's all about Run Ning. She's my new love. I spend around 3 times a week with her. However she is also very rough with me. If I spend too much time with her, I might get hurt. She's not nice to me but to others they can spend 6-7 days with her and still not feel any effect. Even then, most of my free time has been consumed by her. I hardly play any computer games or go to the movies anymore. On days that I don't see her, I usually meet up with church friends. Also, rather than turning my blog into a shrine for her, I would much rather keep this as my travel and ramblings blog and create a new blog in her honour. That way I wouldn't have to bore you with Run Ning and still be able to write about my new love. It would be Run Ning's shrine.

Haruki Murakami - Kafka

2008-09-02T01:08:00.001+08:00

Sorry if lately my blogs have all been about getting fit and running. If it seems like that it is because training for the Kinabalu run has taken a majority of my free time. I did finish a book from Haruki Murakami called Kafka on the shore while I was at Kinabalu. A friend lent it to me and highly recommended it. I found the characters in the book interesting - all of them rather weird. The main character is a fifteen year old boys who escapes from his home because he hates his father. He is also trying to escape this Oedipal prophecy from his father of him falling for his mother and killing the father. Yeah it is a rather dark book. What I like about it was that the story is weird and a little fantastical. Things do not necessarily have to follow the laws of physics and reality...cats talk, spirits can be projected out of the body, leeches can fall from the sky, etc.

Update on the Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon II

2008-08-27T23:57:00.003+08:00

The race started at 7:00am Sunday. I woke up early at around 4:15am to get changed and to eat some breakfast as I was expecting the pickup van to come at about 5am. Fortunately, I got ready early because a car came at 4:40am to pick us up. Morning at around the base is chilly especially since I was only wearing a t-shirt and shorts. There were about 6 runners from the lodge that I was staying but the car could only pick 4. Actually the 2 that took the second round would have been more fortunate because we ended up having to wait at the starting line from 5:15 till the time that the race starts. For those that were inexperienced, we only had our racing gear. The smart ones had thermal wear and they were comfortably warming up till the start time. There was a baggage drop off counter at the start so they would transport your jackets back down to the finishing point.

The race started promptly at 7am after the roll call and was more a walk than a run for me. Even before the 1km mark, I couldn't keep running and had to revert to brisk walking. Simply too steep for my heart to take it if I was running. The route was uneven steps almost all the way until around 6.5 km I think. Then it turns to a steep rock face for the rest of the journey. By the time it turn to the rocky section, my quads were already getting cramps and my thighs were like jelly. I was just literally pushing myself up although I knew judging from the timing that I could not make the summit in time. Just did not train enough on steps.

Therefore on my certificate it wrote DNF (did not finish). I did not finish the race. I was a little too slow going up. At the cut off time at 2hrs 30 I was probably at 7.5km. The summit is 8.75km. The run marshals let me continue till about 8km then turn me back.

I decided to run down as much as the legs could take. However, the uphill part already took most of my strength so I wasn't fast coming down. I tried to go as fast as I could till I took a tumble. I tripped on a rock and fell. I scraped my knees and elbows. After the fall, I just took my time coming down as my left knee was a little swollen. Moreover, I knew that I would have a DNF anyway even if I sprinted down in the allotted time. Fortunately with all the skating falls, I had good experience with treating road rash.

Great experience, I guess (though still a little traumatised. Ask me a few more weeks and I would tell you what a wonderful time I had). My consolation is that many share the same DNF with me. Out of around 170 men runners, only 40+ qualified. So there were around 130 of us, who just went for the experience. It seems from the race director usually only about 30% from the men's open category qualifies. With this DNF race, guess I'll have my next year's fitness goal fixed as well - need to finish some unfinished business.

Kinabalu run update

2008-08-25T14:50:00.002+08:00

Still in Kota Kinabalu but don't feel like talking too much about the run. Too traumatized to talk about it now. When I find a computer with a proper keyboard I will let you know how it went. So this message is to say I am still alive but slightly scarred.

Too much time?

2008-08-21T12:14:00.003+08:00

Arrived in KK this morning and realised that I may have alloted too much time to just sitting around and doing nothing. Quite likely I'll be around the Mt Kinabalu base camp for a few days. Maybe it would be good to roam around the area a little. I remember from the map I saw earlier this year, there were a few trails around the base. Maybe take a few hours tomorrow to hike a little or go to the tree top walk and hot springs. But for now, I am stuck with my big bag and no itinerary except the run on Sunday. I'll probably take a bus to the base camp very soon. Maybe get a good bite and move on. As have been my experience, time usually flies once I start moving around.

Running late

2008-08-09T01:29:00.004+08:00

Yes lately I have been in the best cardio shape than I have ever been. That is for as long as I can remember. Well since I am going to run the Kinabalu run in about 2 weeks, I ought to be but sadly I have to admit I am a little lacking. Tried to run a small hill in Ipoh and found it to be torturous - my calves were burning and I had to walk for the majority of the way uphill. That hill was about 800m...Kinabalu is 4000+m. Given that the tickets have already been paid for and the time off work has been scheduled, all I can say is that I will give it my best shot. I will likely try to squeeze in a last longer run by Tuesday if possible. Then it will be just maintenance till the race. Thinking about the race at least gives me something to look forward to rather than the monotony of working in corporate Singapore day in, day out. Yes for me in a fitness sense, this is shooting for the moon.

Second Gunung Ledang Trip

2008-07-09T01:55:00.003+08:00

This is my second Gunung Ledang trip in the last 2 months. I go because it is something to do and I need some training for my legs. Anyway, just some pictures of the group that came along.

Ledang 2nd Trip

Kinabalu Climbathon

2008-06-30T23:44:00.004+08:00

At the beginning of the year as I was making resolutions, I came up with a fitness goal that I thought would challenge me for the year so I signed myself up for the Kinabalu climbathon.

Here is what I wrote during the start of the year...

Year 2008. Just started a new fitness resolution for the year. This year I want to run below the men's qualifying time for the Sabah Climbathon in Malaysia. Why this event? I am staying in Singapore currently and have always like the mountains. I figured to go below the qualifying time for this event would be a great achievement for me. It is difficult enough that it is a real challenge. I know to some who are reading, they might think it is not a tough challenge. But difficulty is a very relative measure, to me a beginner runner, this will be my holy grail for 2008.

How do I, a runner who barely runs 10k a week, train and develop the legs to run a 21k mountain run? How do I prevent injuries when currently I get leg problems only after 5km runs? Currently, there is relatively few mountain running plans for the absolute beginner. That is, at least, from what I can find. The best stuff I can find so far is on the Pikes Peak marathon and that event seems much tougher than the Kinabalu run. So I thought if I write down the training plan, it could be a guide for beginner runners like me to gauge how much training is required for this run or similar mountain runs.

Another disadvantage is that Singapore is relatively flat. The best hill to run is Bukit Timah which is about 1.5 hours away by public transportation. Much of my training will be on the roads around my house in Simei and the threadmills at the gym, which fortunately I have paid for in advance.

Fast forward to July 1, 2008. I have definitely ran more than I did in the beginning of the year. Still it shames me to say that I did not come up with a definite plan. Let me sit down and plan after finishing this blog. With 50+ days ahead of me, I need to do the max that I can do to get below the qualifying times without getting any injuries.

Another thing with these type of mountain races is that it is difficult to know how much is enough without experience. Will 30k flat be equivalent or will 20k run on the threadmill with incline be enough? However, one thing I know is that what I am doing currently is not enough. If you have any good running tips to help me train, now is the time to let me know. I will try to keep you updated on the running schedule, if you are interested and do not laugh about it.

Spanking New Skates

2008-06-22T00:24:00.003+08:00

Just got myself a pair of new skates. They are in between speed skates and recreational skates. I wanted to take a picture of them before I use them. I think given my beginner skill level and the length of the frame, I will scrape them on the ground soon enough. Probably on the first few tries and they'll not be spanking new anymore. The people in the skate shop kept reminding me not to go to any slopes with them before I could learn how to stop. I definitely don't want to skate in east coast park with them till I get proficient in these skates. That way I don't get to see the smug smile of those skaters who beat me but are on kiddie skates. However, that'll mean many months as my focus will be on running for the next few months. Anyway, I think after a few weeks I won't care what they think. Let the kids have their satisfaction. As one of the speed skaters mentioned, you have to start somewhere.

This setup is quite an upgrade from my 78mm recreational skate wheels. 100 mm versus 78 mm. I am not sure if I can even stop with the heel brake. Still it is not full speed skate as the cuff is higher. But I guess it'll be quite close. This toy will keep me occupied for some months. For now the focus is still on running as the Kinabalu event is just around the corner.

First skating event

2008-05-26T23:53:00.005+08:00

During the weekend, I participated at a skating and cycling event at the Paya Lebar Air base. It was a annual event where they move out all the planes and open the air base to the public as a cycling and skating event. The course was 15 km per lap and there were varying events of different distances to cater for people with different goals. I participated in the 30 km endurance skate and tried skating for 30 km for the first time ever. It was a great experience but I also learnt that skating uses a set of muscles that I hardly train, the back muscles. At least for my skating style, I use a lot of back muscle. I must be skating wrong because towards the last few kilometers I could barely push fast due to the sore back. I also learnt that my skating skills need tons of improvement. Many were just zooming past me before I even got tired. If before I thought I was entering the intermediate stage, I just realised I am just a little better than the absolute beginner. Well I think I like this sport so I think next year I'll come back with a vengeance (if I am still in Singapore). Next year God permitting, I'll focus more on improving my skating skills. For this year, the sport focus will be running, in particular, hill or cross country running.

Puteri Gunung Ledang

2008-05-24T00:45:00.005+08:00

Last weekend was a longer weekend so some of us pop over to a small town called Tangkak to climb Mt Ophir (Gunung Ledang). In fact there were 2 groups that went over. I climbed with the first group and hung out at the base camp while the second group climbed the next day.

The drive from Singapore to Tangkak takes around 2.5 hours. So on most weekends, I figured you could easily hop over on Friday night and come back Saturday morning. Even with car rental, I think it would cost about $80 SGD only.

It was not exactly a walk in the park. In fact it is rather challenging as a one day climb. The first group that trekked up consisted of Deon, Anna, Fang, David & myself had a blast climbing up. We weren't ultra fast but we just happily trod along. Somehow, I think I just gel well with this group so I had a good time. We stopped for light snacks along the way and just enjoyed the walk up. We did not reach the summit due to the heavy rain that started just 30 mins before we got to the summit. I actually wanted to continue climbing up as we were so near but was warned by a guide and a few others not to continue. So heeding their advice, we just turned back and went back to the base. Looking back, it probably would not have been dangerous if we continued on. I had a great time but I did not find any trace of the mysterious puteri (princess) Gunung Ledang. All I saw were some "unglam" shots of Deon, Anna and Fang. Well Anna did try to put on lipstick before the climb so she gets an A for effort. See it for yourself...

Mount Ophir May 2008

Myanmar refusal of visa

2008-05-09T20:00:00.000+08:00

I am really indignant at the Myanmese government. According to them, 60k+ people are unaccounted for some died and many lost. And they want to play games and refuse foreign help. Their visa office in Thailand is on holiday. Can you believe it? People are dying and they cannot decide. Food is a few hours away, and they are going to let some starve due to redtape. Man, if I had one of those Ironman suits, I would just put it on and blast these government officials to smithereens. But I guess maybe it is good I don't have one, because I might end up doing something really silly.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5greyFH3qkj9mc9oagSoulgjN4KHgD90HTE586

UN blasts Myanmar for visa policy on aid workers
1 hour ago

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The United Nations says Myanmar's refusal to give visas to relief experts is "unprecedented" in the history of humanitarian work.

A spokesman of the World Food Program says the organization has submitted 10 visa applications around the world, including six in Bangkok, Thailand, and none of have been granted.

Spokesman Paul Risley said Friday "the frustration caused by what appears to be a paperwork delay is unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts."

Myanmar's military government said more than 62,000 people died or are missing in a cyclone that hit the country's Irrawaddy delta last Saturday. The junta says it needs international aid but not the foreign experts and staff to deliver it.

No visas are expected to be issued in Bangkok on Friday because of a Thai holiday.

Picture of Kinabalu

2008-05-01T23:06:00.004+08:00

Mt Kinabalu trip with dad

Click on the picture above to view the album.

Via Ferrata route : RM 600
Flight to KK: RM 400
Lodging: RM 300
Experience: Priceless

Climbing Kinabalu via ferrata

2008-04-23T01:24:00.004+08:00

Guide and I at the "via ferrata" route down

Dad and I taking a rest on the way up the summit

Prep Time: 1 month
Time Off Work: 2 days
When To Go: Year round

Mt Kinabalu is one of the most accessible mountains in South East Asia and is respectably high at 4095m. It does not require any technical skill to climb up and offers a spectacular view up around the summit. However because of the accessibility, it does mean that the lodging up on the mountain is fully booked months in advance. Fortunately, most local tour operators manage to get a place if you go through them. Unfortunately, this means you'll have to pay more for the climb than if you go about trying to book it on your own. Also they have increased the price so dramatically that I am telling myself this is the last time I am going to stay up on the mountain lodges unless there is a super reason. However, it does offer the world's highest "via ferrata" route and the only one I know of in the SEA region.

Hiking up Mount Kinabalu was tiring this time round. Mainly because I have a full blown cold (cold sores + blocked nose / running nose). And going down 'via ferrata' required me to use my arms and shoulders which I do not usually train. Despite of all these minor problems, it will still be a very memorable time for myself because I got to spend some good time with my dad. The weather on the 2 days that we were there was perfect. It did rain a little but only when we were in the hut. Dad managed to climb it without any major problems. He knew he would have no problems with the normal route as he is in good shape but kept complaining about how scary 'via ferrata' would be for him but I kept encouraging him to give it a try. You never know till you are out there.

Another personal reason for going up the mountain was to have a feel for how difficult it would be to run up and down the mountain in the 4:30 hours. 4:30 hours is the cutoff time given for the climbathon that I have signed up for this August. Basically after the assessment, it would be nigh impossible in my current condition. Hiking up to the mountain lodges at the 6km mark took me nearly 3 hours and it was a steady walking pace with little rest. This means that in the next 4 months, I somehow have to whip myself into shape for this grueling task. Hmmm, I usually do not whip myself that hard so we will see how it goes when August comes. It will be a good challenge but the time has somehow run very short.

Flu to Kinabalu

2008-04-16T23:52:00.001+08:00

Well, I have a cold and it sucks because tomorrow I am going on a long hiking trip at Mount Kinabalu again. I took 2 days off and did the preparation work for accommodation and all. So it will be a bummer having to walk with a dripping nose. Anyway, I have not let a cold stop me from going anywhere before so I don't think I will let it stop me from traveling this time.

I will be going on a route I have not been before this time round. Supposedly Asia's first "via ferrata". "Via Ferrata" is a mountain road equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges and so making it accessible to walkers and climbers (from Wiki). Previously it seemed that most of these routes were only available in Europe and I was stoked to see one in Malaysia. I somehow manage to convince my dad to come along as he has wanted to go to Kinabalu for some time so hopefully he will enjoy it and also we can get some good father and son bonding time. I'll give you some update after the trip. Now it is packing time and in 5 hours I am out of the house.

Road Rash Treatment

2008-04-05T14:43:00.004+08:00

After a lot of trial and error and spending around $80 on road rash treatment, I feel I have a bit of say on the latest road rash treatment available.

Before I continue, I need to give a little definition of road rash. Road rash is a rash that appears when you press your skin hard on the road and then drag it along the road. A more common term would be skin abrasions. This happened to me as I was trying to see how fast I could go on my inline skates. After much effort, the final conclusion was not very fast, slower than sprinting. However to get to this conclusion, I had to eat a little pavement. I had to eat the road as I got out of control on the skates and ended up sprawling on the ground. Fortunately, I had my guards and helmet on but I still had some abrasions on my knees, hands and face.

Anyway after reading up on the internet, the current wisdom in treating road rash is to keep the wound moist. This goes against things that I was taught when I was a kid - to keep the wound dry. Many friends, some medically trained are still giving me advice on keeping the wound dry. As there were multiple spots for me to try, I kept the lighter wounds dry and the more serious wounds moist just to see if latest wisdom held up. It has been about 5 days now and I think I agree with the current wisdom. For abrasions, keep the wound moist with a moist wound dressing like Duoderm extra thin or Tegaderm. Even if the healing doesn't accelerate, moist wound dressing are so much easier to manage. Since the wounds are moist, movement does not hurt it as much. Moreover, as most moist dressings are waterproof and can be left on for days, I can take quick showers without having to clean my wounds or redress the wounds. Supposedly, moist wounds heal faster but I cannot compare since I dressed all the heavier wounds in moist dressings.

Summary of treatment after road rash:-
1. Take shower. Clean wounds with mild soap or sodium chloride 0.9%. Avoid harsh cleaners like hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol (hurts like hell) as they might damage the tissue.
2. Let surrounding area dry and cover the wound with moist dressing. Over in Singapore, Tegaderm, Duoderm extra thin and Opsite is readily available at bigger pharmacies. Just stick the film/dressing on top of the wound. Dressing removal usually does not hurt except for the occasional skin hair.
3. Keep surrounding area clean. Dressings should be changed every 2-3 days or whenever they start to peel off.

Cons: The dressing can cost quite a bit. Duoderm is expensive at $2 per piece. Tegaderm is relatively cheaper at $.50 per piece.

Gluten Free Diet

2008-03-01T00:24:00.001+08:00

It has been almost 2 months since I started on my gluten free diet and I am almost used to it by now. This is probably because I am not very strict with the diet. I cut probably about 90% gluten from my diet but to be 100% gluten free requires too much effort. I probably would have to cook most of my meals at home.

So some might be wondering what is a gluten free diet? Basically it is a diet where one abstains from all wheat, rye and barley food stuff. Easy right? Not really. Gluten is everywhere - most processed foods, bread, cakes, biscuits, noodles - many things have gluten. And for me the most difficult thing stopping me from being completely gluten free is soy sauce. Soy sauce is made with wheat and almost all Chinese food is cooked with soy sauce or its derivatives. Since I eat out for every meal, it is really troublesome for me to avoid soy sauce in Singapore or in Malaysia.

I started this diet because I believe it would help my skin. I have bad eczema on my body and it has been irritating me for years. I have been to a few dermatologists and all they could do was prescribe me very strong medication to suppress the symptoms. I was on very strong immuno-suppresant drugs that gave me good relief but as a side effect I was constantly suffering from urinary tract infection. UTI is so uncommon for men that almost all UTI info is catered towards ladies. But I was suffering from it once every few weeks.

Anyway, I have been at it for 2 months and it has not really help my skin. This week was a particularly bad skin week for me. I will likely stick with it for a few more months to see if the symptoms are improved. Quite likely, I will have to start a food journal to see which type of food is bad and which type of food helps. One of the side benefit is that I have lost quite a lot of weight without really trying to lose weight. The other day I was at the gym and was shocked when I weighed myself. I thought I was around 65kg but the machine showed 61.7kg. When I started out 2 months ago, I was at 67kg. Maybe the machine was faulty but it was the same machine that weighed me at 67kg two months earlier. At this rate, I'll be underweight soon.

Happy New Year

2008-01-05T01:08:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year to everyone. So far today will be the first weekend of the new year. My resolution is still incomplete. This is one of those years that I'll be trying to make some resolutions. Not many, just a few things that I'd like to aim for this year.

2007 has gone by rather quickly. I cannot believe how quickly but I did not get many things done in 2007. The year was fun and events went past without much of a care. I got to do a few things that were exciting. Turkey was definitely a good, longer trip. I ran more last year than I ever did. I was also at the heaviest that I have ever have been. Don't know why, did not try putting on weight but it kept on increasing up month after month.

The weekend I have a feeling is going to be filled with activities - a good thing. But I need some reflection and planning time.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T11:50:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas everyone.

Göreme, Kappadokya, Turkey

2007-12-20T17:02:00.000+08:00

Goreme, Kappadokya, Turkey

Here are some pictures from Göreme. Beautiful place. There were some guesthouse that I saw that had a majestic view of the area. If anyone wants a honeymoon, this is not a bad place to go. Unfortunately, I did not fork out my 150 Euros for the baloon ride.

Safranbolu, Karabuk, Turkey

2007-12-20T15:17:00.000+08:00

Safranbolu

Another set of pictures. This time from Safranbolu. The town is really lovely. Too bad, as I look back I did not take a lot of pictures. I really loved the place - quiet and serene. Not a place for the typical city shopper but a great place if you want to sit back and relax. It was the place I had my first Turkish bath urged on by Kay my Japanese friend who extolled about the relaxing qualities of a nice Turkish bath.

Post Race SG Half Marathon

2007-12-03T23:36:00.000+08:00

Good news and bad news. The good news is that I completed the race. (Pat myself on the back.) The bad news is that I did not meet my sub 2 hour goal. 2:11 minutes. I am sure I haven't train enough and I am still light years from where I need to be if I need to finish the KK climbathon in time. Even now, my legs are killing me as I go down stairs.

In the last 3 weeks prior to the run I ran only a grand total of 7 km. That is what I get for underestimating the distance. A good lesson to learn. I started off a little too fast at about 5 min/km and ended up having to walk/jog the last 6 km at about 7-8 min/km.

On a great side, my friends who ran the marathon all finished and had a great time. As long as they woke up for it, they finished. David who is much older ran faster than me although his gun time was behind me. I made it a point to move up as close as the start as possible because I went with Steven who was running the marathon. Steven, who took the place of a friend who had an injury, ran his first marathon without training and finished in 6hrs plus. Wee Keong ran his fastest marathon at 4 hrs plus. Raymond and Jerry finished their marathon together - sprinting to the finish line at about 5:16. They could have ran faster if they tried I am pretty sure seeing the way they finished. Fang ran her first half and finished respectably well. I could go on and on. We had a blast although some of us are still feeling the after effect of the run very much.

Pre Standard Chartered Run

2007-11-30T17:26:00.000+08:00

This coming Sunday is the Singapore Marathon. I participated in the half marathon. Initially, my first goal was to run all the way from start to finish. I have participated in 2 half marathons prior to this and have never completely ran all the way. In the first, I practically had to limp the last 3 kms and then couldn't climb stairs for a few days. In the second try 10 years later, I completed easily but this time instead of forcing myself, I started walking whenever I felt a little tired. So this Sunday is the third half marathon I am running. In fact, there will be a lot of my friends running. In the last month, I have decided to be ambitious and tell people that I want to attempt a sub 2 hour half. I might have to eat my words after Sunday.

It will take a 5:40 mins/ km pace to complete 21k in 2 hours. I think I can do 5:40 pace for a while but I also have not really been training enough for this distance. I just googled the training program and saw that most training programs for sub 2 hour runs average about 30-40km per week. I run about 15km a week. Anyway, it is too late to eat my words as the half-marathon is 2 days away. I have not been running the last 2 weeks but I hope what I have is enough. The goal will be difficult for me but I will aim for sub 2 anyway. It just sounds better as it is a good round figure. Also, this year there will be a record 40,000 people running. Getting to the starting point might be a good 5 minutes so that means I will need a faster than 5:40 pace. I will try to sneak up as far as possible. Whatever the timing is, I will still pat myself on the back if I finish.

Pictures of Istanbul

2007-10-15T23:54:00.000+08:00

Istanbul

I know I've promised photos for a while but nothing came up. So here it is. A small album of Istanbul pictures. Again I am not sure how it turns out with the Picasa attachment but I hope you get to see something. If the post turns out ok, I will post some more pictures of Turkey. Naturally, you'll have to click on the picture to see the album.

NB Real Run Trial

2007-10-14T22:34:00.001+08:00

View Larger Map

The above is a map of the New Balance Real Run trial route. The actual run will be on the 28th October 2007. I am posting the map because it is so difficult to find. Most taxi drivers don't even know where it is. The place is called Changi Exhibition center but there is a Changi Internation Exhibition center about 1km away. I arrived 30 mins late so I started only after 2km. The total distance should be 15km but I ran 14km even though I started 2km later. The total distance could be around 16km according to the GPS.

The Blue Mosque

2007-09-24T02:26:00.000+08:00

Lisa (my travelling doll) is at Istanbul, Turkey. Behind is the blue mosque of Istanbul. I arrived on the early in the morning and could not check in to the hostel till 11am so I took the doll for a walk.

Aya Sophia

2007-09-24T02:21:00.000+08:00

The Aya Sophia is a magnificent building. Currently a museum, it used to be a church and then became a mosque. Inside you can still see the remnants of both influence. Cannot really describe it appropriately, it is just a majestic building. As I went in, chills went up my spine not because the building creeps me out but because it was so grand. The floors are covered with marble (I think) but some are so old that the floor edges have smoothed and rounded out from time and all the people that have stepped on them.

My new GPS toy

2007-09-14T00:46:00.000+08:00

View Larger Map

I am trying to test a post of a map of a run I did recently. This map was created by the GPS watch software. It tracks where I run and how far I move. For a beginner runner like me, it is quite fun because it makes me want to go out to run more. Moreover, it tracks heart rate and so I know exactly at each point of the map what my heart rate was. Overall, I think I have to train more because in this run my heart rate was 48 minutes above the 90% heart rate zone which means I was really pushing myself even though I wasn't running very fast. If you are looking for a heart rate monitor, I would recommend the Garmin Forerunner 305 because it is about $200 SGD cheaper than the equivalent Polar that gives you distance and it comes with a GPS receiver.

This place, Macritchie reservoir, is currently one of my favourite place to run in Singapore because of the outdoor terrain. Also, it crosses the entrance of Singapore's longest tree top walks.

Hopefully the map will be viewable as this is my first time posting a google map.

Boo Hoo, just turned 25

2007-09-03T23:39:00.001+08:00

A few days ago I just turned 25. (sob sob) I remember when I was only 17 and energetic. Suddenly I am 25 and matured - ready to start a family and everything. I know I look slightly older than 25 but it's the stress of working in Singapore that's to blame. Unfortunately, I am still as single as ever. I got to celebrate my birthday with some friends at work and some friends at church. My friends are absolutely a blessing from God. My family called me as we are scattered across Asia. I am so happy to have such a loving family so when I go back I'll have a belated birthday meal.

Also I spend globs of money and bought myself a video game, books and a GPS watch. Of course my Turkey holiday could be considered a pre-birthday gift. Naturally, I am not limited to only spending money on myself during the birthday months. I just had to give myself excuses to splurge. As they say, you are only 25 once. (In my case, I might have lost count after my 24th birthday.) I skipped my Chinese class on my birthday night because I did not want to be sitting in a 3-hour long chinese class. Sometimes I think I pamper myself too much.

If you want to Fedex me birthday presents, let me know. I always look forward to gifts before, during or after my birthday.

The end of another journey

2007-08-01T23:41:00.001+08:00

As I am sitting in my room in Singapore, I am lamenting already. The trip is over - reality is back. In the real world I hold a 9-5 job (actually 9-7 job). While I was gone, I heard the stock market also turned bad so I likely lost some extra money that I could have just as well wasted on another Turkish bath. Quite likely when reality strikes it wouldn't be just a Turkish bath I lost.

Anyway, the last two days in Istanbul I did the mandatory shopping. I bought about 8 kilos of junk - mostly Turkish delights and baklava that I know most of my friends and families won't eat. I think there is enough sugar in my big bag to kill a kid, if he ate it all. T-shirts that I don't wear and souvenirs that will probably stay in the drawers or closet till they are thrown out. As I was lugging my 18 kilos big bag through the streets of Istanbul to take a tram back, I promised myself I will not buy any souvenirs the next trip which will likely be broken. I think a lot of people hate souvenirs. Like me, they probably think whether or not to junk the stuff when someone gives it to them but they feel bad because it was from some distant land (likely China).

Now that I am back I will get a chance to upload some pictures and also maybe give a summary of the pros/cons of the trip.

Pergamum (Bergama)

2007-07-29T00:26:00.001+08:00

Running through the sites is a really tiring event. Yesterday, I went to Ephesus (yeah), Ephesus museum, the Basilica of St John and the house of the mary. Today I went to Pergamum and saw the Acropolis, Asclepios, the red church and Bergama museum. Tonight I will take a bus to Istanbul. I went really fast in Pergamum because I thought I might save one day of staying by going on the bus tonight. Actually, it will be more because I paid a taxi driver to drive me to all the sites. Taxis are really crazy expensive. Petrol is also ridiculously expensive - 3 lira a litre(works out to about 8-9 ringgit a liter). I was planning to stay one night at Bergama but it is not a very tourist oriented town and I could not figure out where the cheap guesthouses are. I saw a few later when the taxi driver was driving me around but when I came I did not feel like wandering around with my big backpack in this sweltering 40 degrees heat.

Moving faster

2007-07-27T03:45:00.000+08:00

Time is running out for me and there are still so many places to see. I guess I will just move fast. A bus ride every other day I think that is kind of what my plan is. Currently in Selcuk and came to a place called Atilla's getaway. It was highly recommended and it is such a party place - not really my type of place. Too old for all these Aussie/Kiwi/British backpacker's drinking parties.

Mount Nemrut

2007-07-23T23:11:00.001+08:00

After Goreme, I made a trip to Mount Nemrut, an ancient burial site for a king. There you can find the big heads of gods that often appear in travel books for Turkey. The trip there was very long as the site is remote. I took an overnight bus to Malatya and took a tour from there. The tour was an overnight trip and we got to see the heads during sunset and another time during sunrise. I was so tired I almost overslept for the sunset tour; the tour leader only managed to wake me up after knocking on my door for a while. Everybody was already waiting impatiently in the van when I rushed out.

Currently, I am at Antalya after an 18 hours bus ride. The weather here is really hot but the city has an incredible sea view with surrounding mountains. The day is so hot I just spent most of the afternoon at air-conditioned eating places.

I think from now on, I will have to move really fast because I have only one more week and the whole west coast to do. I will likely skip many sights as I want one or two extra days in Istanbul to do some shopping and a cruise down the Bosphorus. 3 weeks to see Turkey is rather short I realise because I did not get to see any of East Turkey and will not get to do any of the "blue" cruises on the Mediterranean sea. It seems like everyone I have met really recommended doing the blue cruises but with little time and my skin condition I think spending time in the ruins would be better.

Göreme RPG

2007-07-20T01:41:00.000+08:00

Well I planned wrong and got stuck in Göreme for 1 extra day. Not too bad but I kind of need to be rushing because there is still a lot to cover and rather little time.

Anyway, I just did a day tour of the area and it was very cool. They took us to an underground city, the monastery in Selime, a canyon walk and a bunch of other places. Göreme and the area around Kappadokya has such a long history for Christians. Every interesting site here is an ancient church or some Christian thingy. The Christians from the earliest time were already persecuted and so many of them hid in underground tunnels and rock caves that are strewn across Kappadokya. They definitely led a hard life for the faith. Most of the churches are from the 8th to 11th century. Some go back as far as the 4th century and so says the tour guide. Many have beautiful frescoes painted inside the churches/caves once upon a time but are now destroyed by erosion, light and people.

On my spare time (when I wasn't on tours), I did a few walking tours by myself. They were definitely the best part of the stay here in Kappadokya. The walks are so scary because you never really know for sure if you are on the right path - nothing is marked out properly. I really shouldn't be cheapo and should pay for the guides. Anyway, you rely on some hotel map that can be almost thrown away the minute you get on the trails. I feared getting lost or being stuck in the wild at night. Also some of these trails are on the mountain side and some goes through big rocks so slipping will not be a pretty sight. The great thing about the walks are you never know what to expect; sometimes I turn a corner or climb over a rock and I see a deserted church cave or a magnificent overview of the land. This evening I was almost panicky worried (because it was 7:30 and I was afraid to be stuck in the wild at night) and I climbed out the valley and there was a gorgeous view of the land. Much to my relief, there was also a very wide path leading to town. It was like playing an RPG only you could not save the game and retry - a real bummer if I died. Also no "sword of a thousand truths".

Turkey update

2007-07-18T21:03:00.001+08:00

Finally found a keyboard that types properly so I will try to keep you updated on how things are in Turkey. The place is beautiful - lots of land, people are friendly and helpful, relatively safe, full of places to visit. Yesterday, I just arrived in Goreme, Kappadokya and the place, as the lonely planet has it, has jaw-dropping scenery. In fact many visitors I met say they stayed here for many days. Definitely gorgeous landscape. I am staying in a place called Flintstones in a cave that they converted to a dorm - I didn't really like the room but it was late and I did not want to lug my big bag around for too long trying to find another place to stay. On the down side, my skin has really been acting up. I suspect it is all the Mediterranean food. I am sure soaking in sweaty clothes, something that happens frequently on travel, doesn't help as well. It started almost as soon as the plane landed. Also, I get a backache from carrying my daypack from the first day. The backache I can handle but the skin problem is literally irritating. I am trying to figure out what are the causes but it will severely limit food choice if I start jotting down what I eat everyday. Currently, I'll just be avoiding eggs and tomatoes which is about everything Mediterranean. Also, I have antihistamines and steroids if I need them.

Safranbolu,Turkey

2007-07-16T18:34:00.001+08:00

After 3 days in Istanbul, I headed over to Safranbolu - a small town north of Ankarra. I looked at many of the tourist attractions in Istanbul but there were still quite a few that I have missed. I am expecting a few more days in Istanbul before I head back to Singapore. Anyway, Safranbolu is a holiday because it is a small charming town where I could just sýt back and relax. In fact, I spent a good hour after dinner sitting on a hill drinking tea. Safranbolu is a Unesco heritage site that did not appear much in my lonely planet (because I have the Middle East book instead of the Turkey version). I will stay here for another day because it is such a neat little town. I took a tour around the region with some of the people staying at the 'pensýon'. Anyway, it is a little noisy here and I am a little fed up with this Turkish keyboard, so I will stop here for now.

Istanbul day 3

2007-07-14T21:16:00.001+08:00

Istanbul is magical. I have not completed all the sites as I am leaving Istanbul till the last league of the travel. I did many of the major sites around the old city and saw a bit of the new Istanbul. Still there are quite a few things to do.

The Aya Sophia was magnificent. Inside there is so much history. The place was mainly marble and was a church that was converted to a mosque and later into a museum. Currently part of it is under restoration. Inside you will see Muslim and Christian influences. I spent some time sitting at the gardens outside Aya Sophia because the weather was beautiful. It is summer here in Turkey but the weather is perfect. Warm in the morning but not sweaty hot and humid. Cool at night but not freezing cold. I could go around all day in t-shirt and 3/4 pants.

Couple days in Istanbul

2007-07-13T19:30:00.001+08:00

Reached Istanbul at 6:00 am 12 July 2007. Followed the instructions to the hostel. Not a direct route but fortunately the instructions were very clear. Istanbul is beautiful - very historical and diverse. All the main tourist sites have so much history. Well I am not in the mood to write much now but just to let you know that I will be staying here for at least one more day. Then I might be heading off to Ankara but am not very sure yet. Things might change when I get to the bus station. I am tempted to go with a tour operator but the prices are so much higher and so i'll just trudge along while I have so time.

Turkey trip

2007-07-11T22:05:00.000+08:00

Time 10:07. I am now waiting to board my flight at Changi airport and so I thought I would find this time to quickly update this blog. Isn't it great that Changi airport provides free internet? The last few weeks have been rather tiring because every weekend I was running off to Malaysia. It was fun but it meant that I lost some sleep here and there. This 3 weeks trip to Turkey would hopefully be refreshing. I am a little wary because I really have no idea how Turkey would be like. First time in Middle East, so I really do not know what to expect. Most of the Middle eastern news have been rather negative and so I go with a little apprehension. Anyway, if I hesitate and not go, I think it will be harder to make the trip when there are more commitments later on in life.

Going alone again. Somehow I always end up going alone because of my constant lack of planning. Going with a group just seems like so much work - planning and coordinating. Anyway, time is running out so I will have to end this blog now.

The Hermit

2007-06-16T02:24:00.001+08:00

You are The Hermit

Prudence, Caution, Deliberation.

The Hermit points to all things hidden, such as knowledge and inspiration,hidden enemies. The illumination is from within, and retirement from participation in current events.

The Hermit is a card of introspection, analysis and, well, virginity. You do not desire to socialize; the card indicates, instead, a desire for peace and solitude. You prefer to take the time to think, organize, ruminate, take stock. There may be feelings of frustration and discontent but these feelings eventually lead to enlightenment, illumination, clarity.

The Hermit represents a wise, inspirational person, friend, teacher, therapist. This a person who can shine a light on things that were previously mysterious and confusing.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Something in my eye

2007-05-23T00:44:00.001+08:00

Sick! I managed to remove a small piece of contact lens that has been stuck in my eye for 2 days. I was really sweaty when I was removing the lens so I had quite a difficult time. Guess I must have accidentally torn it. I felt something stuck in my right eye for two days but I couldn't see anything in the mirror. Glad I did not get an eye infection from it. I was about to give up and go see a doctor but fortunately I manage to get the piece out before I went.

Focus dailies - cheap and very comfortable but ultra difficult to remove. My face was slapped by the Padas river while I went river rafting and the contacts were still intact. Good for water sports because you have to go through a lot to lose them. I had my face filled with sea water while diving and they were still on. With Acuvue, I had contacts fall out on me while diving. However I use to spend 15 minutes trying to remove these damned Focus daily contacts. My eyes would be all red by the time I had them out. It is really irritating to spend 15 minutes tearing at your eyeball because you just cannot get a grip on the contacts. Now I remove them easier because I went to the Focus website to see how to better remove them. Stupid me. Overall, Acuvue from Johnson & Johnson is still better. Acuvue have a bluish tint so you see them in your eye in the mirror and their lenses so much easier to remove.

A Serious Case of Wanderlust

2007-05-15T23:35:00.001+08:00

Lately, I have been hit by a serious case of wanderlust. I felt like just walking out of the office during lunch and not returning for the next 3 months. However, logic tells me that would be a really stupid move. I believe I could probably come out with 101 answers for why that would be a really stupid move but I do wonder what would happen if I did that? That move would be so out of my character that nobody would expect it. Anyway, I probably would never find another job in the banking industry if I did that. Ha ha ha.

Anyway I feel like if I don't wander off somewhere soon, I'd die of boredom. Maybe I just need some variety to spice up my life. Maybe I seriously need a girlfriend. Maybe I just need to grow up. Maybe I need a purpose in life. But for the time being, I'm going to spend the time daydreaming about where I'm going next. It is my quick fix, my 'wander' cure for boredom.

Tomorrow, I'd see if my boss is in a good mood. I'll try my luck to see if I can negotiate a couple weeks holiday sometime next month. If it is successful, then I'll have to stop daydreaming and start forking out months of hard-earned money to some greedy airline company. Seeing the damage to my already thin wallet sometimes cure the wanderlust like no other wonder drug. Once the dough is gone, quite often the desire to travel subsides. I wonder why?

My Korean friend

2007-05-07T23:19:00.000+08:00

I went up to Mt Kinabalu again this time with some friends - one of them was Korean. Once you get her started talking about Korea, there is no stopping her... If I'd listened intently, I could have written a guide book about Korea but as usual I'd tuned out after 5 minutes. Anyway, her photo is blurred to protect her identity. Instead you get to see my beloved travelling doll.

My new Core2 Duo

2007-04-17T23:38:00.000+08:00

Well I finally splurged and assembled a new computer. I spent $1500 SGD on the box without the monitor. I'll keep to the existing monitor since it is rather new and the monitor currently doubles up as my PS2 display.

Compared to my old Pentium 4 1.6 GHz machine, this new one can run rings around it. My previous rig was 256 Meg ram and spots a 40 Gb harddisk. It runs on a $40 graphics card. My current computer is a Core2 duo 1.83 GHz machine, 2 Gb ram, 500 Gb harddisk with a Radeon 1950 Pro graphics card. Currently this set up would be a mid end computer but since I have been so used to the old setup, software just seemed faster. Moreover, the 500 Gb harddisk allows me to burn rental DVDs into the harddisk in about 10-15 minutes. No more late returns for rental DVDs.

All in all, does the new machine save me time? The answer is a resounding "No!". As with most(98%) new technology gadgets, this computer just does not save me more time. No matter how fast windows take to boot up, I end up having to spend more time learning new software, playing new games where the old junk could not play, downloading new animes to watch and a plethora of things that just eats up my time with nothing to show for in the future. The morale of the story is this - "Don't kid yourself into thinking that the latest gadget will save you more time." I'll have to admit I kind of like playing with these new toys even if they eventually end up wasting days of my life.

In a blink of an eye

2006-12-07T21:07:00.000+08:00

The last month has been really interesting. A lot of things happened but of them 2 events stood out. First, my brother got married. Bam! Out of the blue I heard about it from my sister Kim. Since ,about now almost everybody in the world knows it, I might as well publish it officially. I don't have a picture yet so I can't post it.

From what I heard or felt, it happened really quick. One week he wasn't married nor dating, the next he was married.I was shocked for a couple days but happy for him. It's about time he got married. He's old enough to know what he wants in life. It's about time I got married to but lady love has not been as happy with me as my brother. I'm not sure how's the other family members reacting to it but I'm sure we'll all be very supportive.

The other event was that mom's shop got robbed. Cleaned out by 5 robbers - 2 with guns. This also happened really quick. 5 minutes. It took the robbers only 5 minutes to clean up the whole store from what dad said. They took a lesser time cleaning the shop than I would have taken cleaning my room. Gosh, might be even faster than my shower. Luckily no one was hurt. In times like these, money does not seem like such a big deal after all. It would have gone really bad if someone was shot.

In a blink of an eye, these 2 event happened and will likely impact my family and my life for a quite a while.

Lava Wall

2006-08-27T22:54:00.000+08:00

Legaspi, Philippines - My travelling doll amidst the lava wall at Mayon volcano.

Got to see lava

2006-08-27T22:49:00.000+08:00

If it is any consolation to myself, I finally manage to see lava. I thought I was about to waste my only decent holiday of the year being trapped in a dinky town with nothing to do but sit in my room watching tv. I finally decided I would just suck up my pride and call the taxi that fetched me from the airport to take me to see the volcano. Yup, I had a strong feeling I was over charged for the ride and it was quite a waste renting a 10-seater van all by myself. So he came and drove me to some of the sites that had great views of the Mayon volcano. Much to my delight, the volcano had some activity during the night I was there. In the night, you could see streams of lava flowing down the Mayon. It was a majestic sight. I couldn't get any pictures because it was too dark and I found it impossible to hold my camera still for more than 3 seconds.

The next morning, I got the driver to find me some willing villagers to walk me to the nearest lava site. This was rather difficult because the military had imposed a 6 km radius evacuation plan. The villagers had to take me through the routes where the military guards could not spot us. Fortunately, there were plenty of volunteers. Initially I had a guide, who then brought along the uncle who then brought along another uncle by the road side. I wasn't upset about the party but everyone they bring along means Pesos coming out of my pocket. We had a 30 odd minutes 'brisk' walk to the destination. They brought me to a point where the lava had formed into a huge wall and many coconut trees were brought down by the lava. The wall was still smoking so I did not want to risk my hands getting burned to climb it. The sulfur smell was still very strong so I just took a few snaps, had a short rest and started my journey back. Not 'Discovery channel' close but close enough for a tourist. A good experience for me and a profitable morning for my guides and driver. A win-win situation, I guess.

What am I doing here?

2006-08-22T19:52:00.000+08:00

Immediately upon reaching Legaspi, I find myself regretting it because it was raining quite heavily and I have no idea what I am doing in some dinky little town in Philippines. I initially came to Legaspi and skipped the more touristy part of Philippines because I thought the volcano here was about to blow. Upon reaching here I find that for everyone life is as normal. People are still busy running around doing their usual thing, all the news you read is a little exaggerated. I have no idea how to get to the volcano and it seems the only tourists here are visiting relatives or some volcano specialists. I on the other hand am a tourist who knows next to nothing about a volcano except that my mobile phone theme is volcano.

I am going to stuck here for 2 more days without the trusty lonely planet because I decided to be adventurous and not let the lonely planet ruin my holiday. Now I scouring the local bookshops trying to find out where the hell is Legaspi, Philippines. Well I get what I asked for. Or I need to find the local bar and chat up with some locals who are willing to be my tour guide. Anyone would do but I wouldn't be complaining if it turns out to be a hot local Filipina.

My 4% fund

2006-08-05T00:20:00.000+08:00

From the few places that I have stayed for a little while - Malaysia, US and currently Singapore, Singapore's deposit interest rate has been the most dismal. Currently, the rates for a savings deposit is about 0.25%. That means if you have 10,000 Sing dollar in a savings account in the beginning of the year, you will get only $25 at the end of the year. Yes 25 stinking dollars. If you have breakfast at Starbucks and then take a taxi to the bank to collect your one-year $10,000 interest, the breakfast and taxi fee would have almost wiped out all your interest. Moreover, $10,000 savings to a salary earning adult like me is ultra difficult to save (of course, with my lifestyle I almost spend it all).

Well, my colleagues and I have been scouring the banks for a better deal and quite recently there has been a few 'limited time only' 2.8% fix deposit rates if you put 20,000 and above. Good rates compared to 0.25% but $20,000. Somehow, I think I can do better than 2.8%. I have always boasted to the colleagues that I can top the 2.8% offer. I told them if they put money with me I will give them a 4% fix rate. Surprisingly, none has taken me up on the offer. I don't know why not!! Do they think I would run away with their money?

Lately, a bank has called me up and said they would give me a 5% loan for six months. 5% is not too far from what I am offering my friends. I have been thinking of taking it up to see if I can get back more money with it. Very tempting. I will let you know if I take up the offer. The chances of me taking up the loan is very high. Very high indeed.

Mad interns

2006-07-31T00:49:00.000+08:00

(This was written 13 April 2006)

Today is the last day for our intern who came in from one of the local colleges. Almost from day one, we constantly had to keep her entertained by conjuring up menial tasks for her to do. Correction, maybe from day four onwards – after her id was created and she found out that she had no internet access. It really isn’t because my colleagues were mean or anything but whenever we give her quality jobs, jobs that required learning and understanding the business, she would complain or come up with a half completed jobs that took us more time to clean up. So for the past six weeks we have just been trying to keep her entertained, filling envelopes, filing, excel charts, no brainer SQL queries, crossword puzzles, sudoku, etc. If we don’t keep her entertained, she would come over to our desk and pester us. Her enthusiasm on non work related things when she is not napping on the job is really incredible.

She was the topic of many of our office gossips for the past few weeks. Some of the ladies couldn’t stand her and she could somehow sense it, so she ended up disturbing me and the other guy who could take her ‘rubbish’ most of the time. I even wrote in her report book 10 things she should learn from this internship. For example, thou should not sleep on your desk during the job, thou should learn to do your job with enthusiasm, etc. This was a reaction to her constantly posting posters of scantily clad women on my cubicle.

However, sometimes we adults or professionals who think we know better might benefit from learning about life from those who are more innocent. She was annoying but there was an innocence around her that was lacking in all of us. When she was happy, she smiled. When she was bored, she let us know about it. She bawled her eyes out when she left. I wish I could cry and feel more like her and not feel that my heart is becoming more and more calloused gradually.

Derms and All

2006-04-20T11:53:00.000+08:00

Thanks for all your concern. The previous post was my sighing and my attempt to score some pity points. I have pretty much learned to live with what’s happening with my skin and am grateful that it doesn’t bother me as much as it can. Of course, I still wish it to go away as it is still embarrassing but it has improved quite a lot.

Yes, I grown rather tired of dermatologist because they tend to recommend the same treatment for a great majority of skin diseases. Corticosteroids. Now this class of medication has helped me a lot but I sometimes wonder if they worsen the underlying problem – which often goes undiagnosed. Of course I am not trying to undermine the work of dermatologists whom have spent a great deal of time learning their trade rather I see there are some underlying flaws in their approach of always treating the symptoms and not the cause. Just in case you are wondering, I think the better treatments are cyclosporine and Narrow-band UVB treatment. As with all medication, these treatment have their side-effects as well.

Skin deep

2006-03-24T00:37:00.000+08:00

It's 12 something and I know I shouldn't be writing. Sleep, it does your body good. However, I am still up so I just thought I'd come up here and do some complaining. For the last few years, I have been struggling on and off with a skin problem. At first it was diagnosed as an adverse reaction to insect bites, now it is discoid eczema. Living with a skin problem is no fun. There were times when my skin was so itchy I wake up with blood on my sheets because I have scratching my skin in my sleep.

Fortunately, lately the condition is rather manageable. Also, most of the spots are covered by my usual long sleeve shirt and long pants. I shouldn't be complaining because I have seen pictures and heard stories of people who had to go through so much more. It is a terrible condition to live with and western medicine doesn't seem to have a cure for the condition only temporary solutions. Even going to the gym, I am always in a track pants. Hopefully, things go better in the upcoming months. Enough complaining already. Good night.

Don't delete this Blog

2006-03-01T23:14:00.000+08:00

At long last, this is an update of my blog. I am updating this blog because I have told many people that I was going to update my blog weeks ago. I haven't updated this blog so long, I fear Blogger would delete this from their disk space. Fortunately, they don't have this policy because I think thousands of blogs will be deleted daily.

Anyway, my boss just had a talk with me today about my confirmation and I was really at a lost of words about what I want to learn in the future when it comes to my job. I usually can talk about most topics under the sun but when it comes to my future, I am stumped. My prophetic capabilities stop there. She wasn't asking about my predictions on the Singapore stock market (in which case I would likely say up) nor was she asking about who the next prime minister of Malaysia would be, she just asked about my aspirations in my current job. And my mind turned blank. There was nothing I could say that didn't sound like a lie. Sad to say but I wouldn't wish for any of you to be in my situation today. Just in case my colleagues stumble on this blog, I absolutely adore them and I am not in the mood for lying today.

I do miss my days as a temporary worker. Ah, carefree and unhindered. Roaming around collecting stories and experiences. Too bad I don't have an endless supply of money. If I did, I would be a total bum. Maybe, that is why I don't have an endless supply of money. God is trying to teach me character and hard work. An idle mind is the devil's playground. Fortunately, that statement is not in the Bible.

More China Pics

2005-11-18T01:11:00.000+08:00

Sorry haven't taken the time to write much so I guess I will post some of my other China pictures. Actually I feel like writing but my thoughts are not very organised right now.

Monk's Ritual, XiangCheng, China. I managed to sneak a picture of a monk shaving another monk's head in this lovely and tranquil temple.

Bustling Marketplace, Litang, China. A typical, Tibetan-Chinese style marketplace. Another place to find some exotic and strange foodstuff for the typical city-dweller like me.

Temple Courtyard, XiangCheng, China. We were stuck in this little town for a day and we were grumbling a little because the town was not pretty. Moreover, it seems like the whole town is going through major reconstruction. However, the huge Tibetan temple at the place was enchanting. Tourist-free except for the four of us, quiet and the monks and the people were really friendly.

Head on a pedestal, China. Buddha head sitting in a Tibetan temple somewhere in Western Szechuan. After a while, I lost track of some of the temples that I have been.

The Journey to LiJiang

2005-10-22T12:17:00.000+08:00

As with most trips I have done, sometimes the journey is more interesting than the destination. I didn't write much about my week long detour to Lijiang via the Sichuan-Tibet highway but the trip was very memorable. Yes, there were daily bus rides which most of the time were not so comfortable but the trip, the scenery, the company and the friendly people that I met made it memorable. Here are some pictures.

River towns, Yajiang, China - Many towns were situated beside a river. With a raging river, beautiful mountain landscapes, what more could a town ask for?

Kid Games, Litang, China - Kids playing at a monastery compound at Litang. Better than video games, if you ask me.

Blue Skies and Sunbeams, Yajiang, China - Blue skies, fresh air and vast open lands, this is the part of China that captivated me more than the industrilisation of modern China.

Monk's house, Litang, China - This friendly monk invited me in to his house for a chat.

Final few days: Hong Kong

2005-09-24T20:02:00.000+08:00

I reached Hong Kong this morning and it means I have reached my final destination for the trip. I wanted to come over so that I could meet up with some friends and also to go to church for a Sunday. Somehow, one Sunday probably will not make up for the months or years of neglect of my spiritual life but at least it is a try.

Anyway, Hong Kong and its previous British rule means no more toilets that can't take toilet paper, no more spitting everywhere, no more smoking in the buses and those are very welcoming thoughts. Also, with all the Falun Dafa protesters in the Kowloon harbour area means I am kind of out of China.

I checked in to another el-cheapo Mirador Mansion beside the infamouse Chunking Mansion because it was cheap. It was also rather sleasy - about 10 bunk beds cramped together in a little room with 2 toilets in the side. After I agreed to the place, I was wondering why I had to sleep in a sleasy place like this since my flight is only 3 days away so I promptly checked in to the YMCA beside the Peninsula hotel. Now, the Peninsula hotel would be nice but the price of one night would be equivalent to another China trip.

Today there is a level 3 typhoon warning in Hong Kong and the walk around the Tsim Tsa Tsui promenade was nice and breezy. Hopefully, the level would go up a little so it will get a little breezier in Hong Kong.

Day ??: Guilin & Yangshuo

2005-09-23T19:36:00.000+08:00

Guilin had a beautiful 7-star park. I was pleasantly surprised when I climbed up the Sky Pavilion to see a gorgeous view of Guilin. Also, since the pavilion isn't heavily touted on the tourist map or the lonely planet, there was only one other person there. Guilin definitely has its charm - gorgeous scenery and interesting food. I was thinking that some of the small limestones hill can be compared to Ipoh but Ipoh doesn't really have much to snare the tourists. Too bad. My hometown should be more interesting. Yangshuo lies an hour and a half south of Guilin. Another gorgeous little town, absolutely catered to the tourists. I knew I was going to face a rough time with the touts, when an 'Auntie' followed me from the bus and down the whole of West street - their most touristic street- despite numerous demands that I wasn't interested in whatever rooms she had. I did a little cycling around the vicinity of the town to the some scenic spots and the place was very interesting. We passed through padi farms and little lakes to reach the popular Banyan tree and Moon Hill. I'm glad the French tourists that came along with the trip didn't want to do the parks nor the bamboo rafts nor the caves, as I did not want to get wet at all. I did not have a guesthouse or clean clothes so I wasn't very interested to take the bus to HK all grimy and muddy. Maybe I did miss some interesting sites, but then Yangshuo is really near to Singapore/Malaysia and I can always come back for a prolonged weekend trip. Anyway, after the bicycle trip - I was all sticky and grimy so I would have to look for a shower before the bus trip. Maybe drop down the local Giordano and get a cheap t-shirt.

Day ??: Kunming & GuiLin

2005-09-21T23:27:00.000+08:00

I have lost tracked on time so I am not sure what day it is but I did zoom past Kunming and will likely fly pass Guilin just the same. Anyway, Kunming was a nice change after some days in small cities. The city has almost the same type of shops, like Singapore - Carrefour, Giordano, U2..., so I guess I am not missing too much. It seems like I might be rushing a little if I am to make it to HK. That will depend on whether I can contact some friends else I will have 2 more days to spend in Yangshuo. Tried some Kunming food which was quite good but really didn't do the city justice as I stayed only 1 day. The same will go for Guilin. All I did so far was had bad food in Guilin which was supposedly a very good place for food. It seems like with their menu I can only read the simple dishes and the stupid waiters can't understand me enough to make recommendations so I end up with really plain and horrible dishes. The next time I will just do what I normally do and point at what the locals are eating but first I have to find the places to eat. GuiLin does have really nice lakes, rivers and mountain backdrops. Also, at night they block off the main street for a night market. However, it seems like there don't seem to have a large backpacker crowd here so I had a hard time looking for a cheap hotel. I ended staying in a 100 yuan room, which was quite nice but it has been the most expensive lodging I have paid so far. Also, I took the 25 hour train from Kunming to Dali. Wanted to fly but they didn't have a discount so I decided to savour the experience of taking a China train. I can't visit China and not take the train. The trains were more comfortable than the buses and there were attendants cleaning every so often and reminding the Chinese not too smoke in the cabin. Not too bad but the place was really packed with people and I had to worry a little about losing my stuff. For your info, most internet cafes in China block blog sites so I haven't been able to look at any of the blogs I have written or reply to any comments.

Day 13: Dali

2005-09-18T20:21:00.000+08:00

I reached Dali in the afternoon and there was a little rain. The horse carriage that was suppose to send me to my guesthouse stop me in the middle of the city and I had to make my way to a guesthouse that I had in mind. Unfortunately, I was sidetracked by some of the touts along the way and stayed in another guesthouse that was affiliated. I found a Swiss guy, Patrick, that was on my bus from Lijiang staying at the same place and so we decided to share a room and cut the cost.

Dali (Old town) is a neat town, built somewhat like an ancient Chinese fortress built with four main gates. I suppose in more ancient time a wall would have surrounded the city but now only the gates remain. Also, there is a huge inland lake right beside the city. The main hotels are all in a satellite town to the south, Xiaguan, so there are not a lot of local Chinese tourists with their little flags crowding the streets.

I liked Lijiang better as Dali is a little more 'Chinese' which means it is a little dirtier. However, it does not mean that Dali is not a charming city. I had a really good time taking the chair-lifts to the top of Zhonghe Temple and there were no tourists once I hiked up the steps a little more. I found a great cafe on the top and had a really good time just reading and chilling out. I also did a little tour of the Lake in the rain but the places the boat took us to was not that interesting. The boat trip was nice as the rain made the trip very cooling and the raindrops dropping on the lake was very serene.

Day 11: Lijiang

2005-09-17T20:15:00.000+08:00

I finally reached Lijiang after grabbing my bags from Qiaotou. It would be nice to stay in a place for a little longer than the short hops that has been happening. China is a big place and even in little places, it takes a few days to visit some of the sites.

Anyway, the old town of Lijiang is a very interesting place. The place is very nice and has a lot of friendly people. However, after a while you will see that the place is full of tourist. The old town is a little like a theme park with everything catered for tourism, which was fine with me since I am a tourist. This also means that there were clean toilets and the public toilets were impeccably clean. It was definitely cleaner than my guest house toilet so I paid the 5 jiao to use the toilet beside my guest house.

It felt a little touristy but I loved the place. The old town had 3 little streams running across the town and the water was clear. Staying a little longer just chilling out seemed more like a holiday than the bus rides but each journey has its own beauty.

Day 9 & 10 : Tiger Leaping Gorge

2005-09-16T12:39:00.000+08:00

It has been a few days of just moving quickly through some really nice Tibetan-Chinese towns. The bus moved through some magnificent mountain passes and scenery was absolutely beautiful. However, the bus rides were not very fun. 7-8 hours of bus rides on the average everyday, with a bus full of smoking and spitting Chinese is not an enjoyable journey. Some kept talking to me despite my crappy Putonghua and I really had difficulty understanding their Sichuan hua, which is something like a mix of Mandarin and Cantonese. Anyway, after a few days of waking at 6am to catch the bus was quite enough for me so I was glad when I reach Qiaotou, the start of the trail to the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

I stayed one night at the Gorged Tiger Cafe which was run by Margo, an Australian lady. The Australian and American ladies that were travelling with me seem to think she was crazy but I thought she was really nice. Also, she gave us accurate advice on the conditions of the track and advice on what to take and wear for the track.

We took the upper road and found very few travellers, maybe because it wasn't the peak season. Six of us started out together and we planned to reach the Walnut Garden about 8 hours walk away. I really liked the trail as the view was gorgeous. Along the trail there were magnificent mountain backdrops, waterfalls and sharp drops down from the cliff. What didn't help was my el-cheapo shoe that seem to have no traction at all when we were walking through wet areas. The gorge trail was one place I didn't want to slip because one slip and quite likely my dad could collect on my travel insurance. Slipping wouldn't be fun. As we walk along, the ladies kind of rested for too long and by nightfall only Neal, a british traveller and I reached the Walnut Garden.

Also, Neal made some adventurous decision that kept getting us lost. First was deciding to go back to the trail from the road at 7:15pm when we were 30 minutes away from the guesthouse we were planning to go. So we had to track in the dark for a while because the path wasn't very clear in the dark. On the next day, we track down to the river and we decided to come up through the landslide. We quickly found that we could get lost even in short bushes. Walking through thorns were not very fun, we found out soon enough but managed to find the trail back after half an hour. Of course, we were never in any real danger because we could see the river below and the roads not too far ahead of us. It was tiring, getting off the trail, but it was fun.

Day 6 - Litang

2005-09-11T21:24:00.000+08:00

Ok I am not going to be long as I have splitting headache from the altitude here about 4000m above sea level. Anyway, I am in Litang and will be making my way to XiangCheng on the way to Lijiang. Also, some technical glitch happen with my harddrive backup machine and I lost all the pictures from the first day till today. Will write more when I get more comfortable.

Day 3 & 4 : Emei Shan & Le Shan

2005-09-09T22:03:00.000+08:00

I did a rush rush job to see both Le Shan Giant Buddha and Ermei Shan. There were a lot of construction going on in both places. Particularly, the summit of Ermei was closed due to construction so that was a little dissapointing. Ermei is a beautiful place but I did not get to see as much as I did not hike up. Most of the places are only accesible if you do a few hours of walking. The day I thought was really cloudy because I couldn't see many of the surrounding peaks but I overheard some other tourist say that the day was especially clear. I managed to stay up at one of these guesthouses to catch the sunrise and thankfully a screaming and rude monk awakened me by screaming for the receptionist at 6am in the morning. With most of the Chinese places I have seen, too many places have been artificially touched up or reconstructed. The museum at the foot of the mountain was nice as well. Whenever, I look at something like that and realise how young Singapore and Malaysia history is. History here goes to the BCE era whereas Malaysia history goes to the 16th century.

I also had to rush Leshan because I decided to do a detour in the route and go west toward Tibet before heading towards east again. The detour will probably eat up 5-10 days of my time so I will probably be in a rush for the remainder of the journey and probably have to fly in to Hong Kong. Tomorrow, I will head to Kangding and then to Litang near the Sichuan-Tibetan border.

Day 2: Chengdu city

2005-09-07T23:38:00.000+08:00

I was overjoyed when I landed in China. It seems at last I have made my
way to China, the homeland of my forefathers. Some friends that I met as
I made my way to Chengdu asked me if I was going to kiss the ground. I
pondered on the idea for a while and then decided it was a little out of
character for me to kiss the ground. Also remembering that I do not have
a hepatitis jab, kissing the ground might transmit some unwanted
diseases. I expected the place to be a bit wilder with cars not obeying
traffic rules and everybody trying to get a few more of my hard-earned
dollars, but I was pleasantly surprised that people it Chengdu were
generally honest and traffic abiding. I was expecting India but guess
nothing really beats India.

One of the first thing that I noticed very blatantly was that my Chinese
is not enough for me to communicate. Yes I could manage 'Where is the
toilet?' but how many times does one have to make their way to the
toilet. Anything more than that I found rather unmanageable. Luckily,
the friends I met will still be in Chengdu for 1 day before flying off
to Lhasa. I can still let them do all the haggling and taxi and the
ordering of food till they leave tomorrow.

Chengdu is a beautiful city - the most beautiful chinese city I have
seen. It has to be since it is the first Chinese city I have been to.
The food is on the spicy side and I got to visit a few cultural temples
and parks. The city is very old and historical but with my kindergarten
level of Chinese I did not get to understand too much about what is
going on. Tomorrow, I will try to make my way to Ermei Mountain on my
own and have not decided whether to walk up the mountain or to take the
bus. Judging from what the others say, I'd probably take the bus or the
cable car up.

Day 1: Cheng Du + flight delayed

2005-09-06T12:04:00.000+08:00

The flight to Chengdu is delayed for 2 hours tentatively, possibly a little later. Fortunately, there seems to be quite a lot of shopping and free Internet stuff to distract me from all the wait. I am walking around a little like a zombie because last night, I started packing at 1am and finished packing at about 4am. Usually I am quite a fast packer but I was distracted by the laundry and trying to sort out my first aid bag so I spent a little more time. Also I had to clean up my room before my Austrian friend, Ulfred, takes over my rental room. So by the time I went to bed, it was something like 5am.

Anyway, the airport free Internet service here limits me to 15 minutes. Quite interesting - it does make me more productive in churning out one of these blogs. Maybe I should organise my life similarly, in chunks of 30 minutes. I'd get so much done or spend all my time trying to update my organiser.

New toys

2005-08-20T08:28:00.000+08:00

Lately I got a bit more updated with technology and bought myself some new toys. For example, I just bought myself a wireless router and a new cable modem and so I now have broadband internet access at home. As with most new technology stuff, I find myself getting less time and sleep because now I have something to play new to play with. Also, I find myself checking my mail all the time when I am at home. Fortunately, I still haven't immerse myself into the world of instant messaging. As usual I am quite a late adopter of technology because I think technology should free us to do more things but this is usually not the case.

Right now, I am typing this message out as I am lying on my bed with this new wireless BenQ mobile phone that a friend lent to me. Quite a nifty device. It is one of those new phones with a PDA. It also has a camera, voice over internet capabilities and has a mini keyboard plus a wi-fi connection. And of course, my hands will soon be cramping because I am trying to type out this message on the mini keyboard. Classic case of how gadgets suck up our time because there is a full size keyboard at the computer desk beside my bed.

Back to Ipoh

2005-07-29T01:01:00.000+08:00

I went back to Ipoh to visit Grandma and family. She seems to be not as cheerful as she used to be. Maybe it's the aches and the tiredness from old age that is getting to her. Yet I am glad that she can still move around, watch TV and chat with the neighbours. It is still nice to go back for a visit. Wouldn't mind staying in Ipoh at all if I had a good job there.

Ipoh is a beautiful place - good food, great people and a nice pace of life. However, the city hasn't been able to generate enough income for many young folks and people like my cousins and I have all left the place to work in bigger cities. I wish I could do something to help the city. It really is a nice city. However, even some nice food stores will be closing down soon because the hawkers are growing older and the young ones don't want to take over the businesses. I truly wonder how the city will be when there are lesser and lesser kids growing up in Ipoh.

Everytime I come back to Ipoh, it is just a lazy time for me. I take grandma and uncle for food and shop. The majority of my time is spent watching TV and catching up on sleep. And I dread the time to go back to Singapore because it means work...

Sergei's principle

2005-06-24T00:56:00.000+08:00

I have not posted anything in the blog for a while now. It seems like ever since I started doing the temp job the desire to write has slowly ebbed away. Anyway, I am still kicking and looking for a more permanent job. For now, I will just be doing whatever pays me money without breaking the law or my conscience. So no stealing or killing.

For now, I would leave you with some wisdom that an old traveller I met up in Chieng Mai shared with me about. Now it might not make any sense to you, so take it for what its worth. This old man, an American who decided to build his house in some remote part of Thailand, told me that after living all these years, his had a principle that he would like to share with me. His principle was that "Happiness in life is inversely proportional to the number of keys that you own." Of course the "keys" here doesn't refer to your miniature padlock key but rather to the big items in life that you own, for example, a house or a car. So his philosophy was that the more big ticket things one own the more unhappy one would become. So a person with 3 Mercedes and a Jaguar would be more unhappy than a person with a Toyota. If that philosophy was true than I would be a really happy person as I do not own any keys.

Well, just thought I'd write something to share with you. Maybe there is a little truth in his philosophy if we reflect on it a little more. It is a little difficult for me to judge as I have not owned much in life.

Mountain Preparation

2005-05-15T19:22:00.000+08:00

Rudolph Giuliani said in his book "Leadership" that one of the key points to an effective leader is to prepare relentlessly. In that sense, I am a little ashamed to say that preparation has never been a strong point in most parts of my life. Sometimes, however it is not the lack of ability to prepare but to choose not to be too prepared as I feel that too much preparation in something like a holiday trip takes away the sense of adventure in it. However at other times, the lack of preparation hits you in the face hard.

I had a sense of this feeling a couple of weeks ago as I climbed Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in South East Asia. The climb was supposedly a walk in the park for many but I was rudely awakened to the fact that I am getting old and very unfit. I came to Kota Kinabalu without any preparation as I just thought of coming the week before and was told by friends that going up the mountain usually requires 3 to 6 months of advance booking. The climb was also said to be rather tough for an unfit 30 something year old person who leads quite a sedentary lifestyle.

The park was beautiful and pleasantly cooling as it was situated higher at around 1800m above sea level. There were jungle trails and guided nature walks. I spent a night over at the camp so that I could put myself on the waiting list for any cancellations the next morning. I thoroughly enjoyed staying at the hostel there and having tea and chats with 2 backpacker there. The next day, there was a cancellation and thus began my painful journey...

Australia Road trip, Part 2

2005-04-28T22:51:00.000+08:00

Too lazy to summarise my Aussie trip so as promise, I have decided to pull 2 entries from my journal. Some parts are a little exaggerated.

Recap of my journal before New Year's day...

(Dec 31, 2004)
One day more to the New Year and what have I accomplished? When I started off 2004, I'd probably didn't imagine I'd be out wondering like a vagrant across Australia. My resolutions if I made any was probably to settle down and to play with my grandchildren. The year however turned out to be quite different. Not that every part of the year was bad. Too many of my years have been spent doing things I did not enjoy, so in that sense this year was rather different.

Well the year sure turned out different. I am now cooped up in a Hyundai Getz on my way to Sydney. 2800+ kilometres. I have been sleeping in the car for the past few nights, taking showers at petrol stations and bus terminals. It has been quite a different experience from travelling in South East Asia. We've covered a lot of ground and it has been an experience of a lifetime - something to tell my grandchildren about. Now, if only...

(Dec 28, 2004)
We've been cruising through quite a bit of Eastern Australia - from Brisbane to Cairns and now Cairns to Sydney. We took the inner road away from the more popular coastal road as we will be taking that road back up to Brisbane, on our way back. Anyway, the trip on the inner road has been quite exciting. Daily we face the risk of adding to our road kill count as many of Australia's marsupials like jumping in front of our car. Up to date my sister has managed to hit kangaroos, koalas, numerous other little mammals, hundreds of tree toads and hundred of thousands of insects. This means that I am constantly worrying about how much the car company is going to charge us for the dents and scratches to the car. To be fair, I probably added a few counts to the road kill but comparitively (to the other driver beside me) I am quite a driving saint.

Quote for Students

2005-04-24T08:35:00.000+08:00

Here is a quote from Ecclesiastes that I related to a lot while I was studying.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

Ecclesiastes 12:12b

I realise after my last stint at school, I am a little too lazy to study with my own schedule. I need some tests to keep me accountable.

Books and stuff

2005-04-12T23:30:00.000+08:00

Kid sister at the park - Somewhere, Australia. One of the many stops that we went down to take a picture. I think beside this park is a beautiful art gallery. I just can't recall the town name.

I have been reminded to finish the story and I know I have been leaving a few hanging stories here and there. Anyway, the travelling is finish for now and it is time for me to get on with other aspects of life but fortunately, our life story continues. I will look through my journal for something on the Australia trip which I think will be again most likely about how my sister is messing things up.

Anyway, I started off the year reading Les Miserables. Yes, I loved the book but can't pronounce nor spell it. I like it because it is a book that helps me want to be better. I think about Jean Valjean and ever since his repentance from crime he has on both times that were important chosen to live true to his principles than take the easy way out of things. That is so difficult for me. Also, Hugo makes me want to do aware that I might be able to contribute something to society.

Another fiction I read was Pride and Prejudice. A painful read. I took such a long time to go through I was wondering if it would just be better putting the book back on my bookshelf. The english was tough because a lot of the words that author used are hardly used nowadays. However, I must admit I did love the ending and can see why and how it has been an inspirational book for thousands of women. Ah! so worthwhile an ending. Don't we all love happy endings.

I do realise now that I have a half an hour travel to my temporary job, I do get through books a lot quicker. Not that I have improve in reading speed, but because I get about an hour of uninterrupted reading a day. Unfortunately, a fair bit of my pay goes toward the purchase of books. Otherwise there are too many distractions to get to reading.