My 101th post and on one of the better weekends in 2016 (finally..)

Honestly, I was more excited about this (long) weekend than the one which I went to Bangkok for and it did seemed that it was pretty much packed with activities that time really flies.

After a pretty good RD run, which I did feel a little disappointed that A didn't turn up cos he was heading to Seoul, I headed home for some much needed sleep. The long weekend started for me!

Began Thursday with going for my appointments and did my dynamic bike fit at Loue with Shuwie for $450, my highest investment yet.Took about 4h but it was pretty good, I must say...Started Friday with an easy ride and swim and another day of appointments. Friday night, Debs and I went for CLEO Bachelors' Party at ZOUK, which I was a little more excited for. Besides the pretty cool goody bag, I was there to support Malcom, whom I met at another fringe event. This year's party was a little disappointing though cos they were playing so many games and there wasn't much introduction on the bachelors, such that there wasn't much of an impression made on the audience. The games were cute though - thank goodness Malcom played some biting on the pocky stick game, which wasn't too embarrassing or tough on him. It'd be cool to stay for some clubbing which I haven't done in ages but I had to run a race the next day..Although we didn't have much time to talk, it was nice to see him.

To cut the long story short, I was first for Women Open (21:08) for the CEO run but somehow the impact didn't seem to be there. Glad that my legs felt ok after cycling down so it was more of a brick session. Thereafter, we went down to Killney's Real Food to celebrate Coach David's birthday. It was a nice and cosy gathering and the food was not bad. It has been quite a while since I've talked to the rest of the team and it felt nice to talk to Jon, Pete, Barbs and the rest..Went to Mandarin Gallery in search of coffee and a cafe to read because it was hard to find an empty one! Guess I'd have to do more research before heading out. Coincidentally, I bumped into Philip, whom I've never met since uni! Well, he was supposed to kill some time by reading but he decided to ask me for coffee and we ended up at Jones the Grocer. Despite that, there was so much to talk about and there was simply no need to break the ice. In that 2h I think I learnt so much more about him than in the time he was in cross coutnry! From his job, to wing chun, to what was happening, to Chicago, I do enjoy such impromptu meet-ups and it'd be nice if this could happen more often - just randomly meeting people and having meaningful conversations with them; I do really really miss that, especially with E.

Speaking of E, yes, I met him on the ride today. Was expecting it but didn't really know quite how to react to the situation. He made the first move (as usual) when he saw me at Lower Pierce although I was riding behind him most of the time. Had really mixed feelings but it did seem like to him, nothing much happened :( My first official ride on the bike went pretty well and the route was...interesting. We rode into Bukit Brown first and boy, having no headlight sucks :/  Then the route led us to Mt Pleasant, Lower and Upper Pierce. It was fun to get to know the other RCC boys and other ladies on the ride. If only this was a Saturday, then I wouldn't have to rush for church..

Oh, was happy for A cos he texted me on his marathon time=3:14! Although it wasn't a qualified time, it was pretty good. Hope he isn't too disappointed though and he'll be back tomorrow.

After church, met Sher for tea and time passed so fast! It was great catching up with her :)

Overall, I guess I couldn't ask more for this weekend. Now, back to how to deal with the E issue..

To the Middle East (2-8 Apr 15) - Cheapskate's Guide in UAE

I had actually 2 agendas while in UAE (United Arab Emirates), to participate in the Nissan Triathlon Festival in Dubai and also to attend Tanya, my cousin's wedding in Abu Dhabi. Well, unfortunately for me, the race got postponed due to a sandstorm :( My cousin's wedding still went on smoothly, thank God for that. Unlike other posts, I think I shall attempt a different format, considering I'm pretty lazy to post nowadays - let me offer you some tips and guide to where to go in Dubai and Abu Dhabi!

Things are pretty expensive in Dubai and Abu Dhabi so hopefully this would help in you saving some money!

1. TRANSPORTATION 

• Cheapest way from the airport to Dubai city centre is via Dubai metro (AED3-7, depending on which areas you stay - although it might continue to increase again). 
• From Dubai to Abu Dhabi, the cheapest form is to take a bus (Al Ghubaiba/Ibn Battuta Bus Station), takes about an hour and half, depending on traffic. Current cost is AED25, pretty worth it considering the seats are comfortable and free WIFI onboard.
• Getting around in Dubai is mostly via metro/tram/bus (not sure) and if it is too out-of-the-way; cab. Walking is possible but unadvisable. As for Abu Dhabi, I used the cab most of the time as there is no metro and the bus system is ??
• The abra, a traditional water boat (now operated by motor) cost AED1 and it's the most fun and cheapest way to get from one side of the Creek to the other

2. SHOPPING

• In my opinion, Dubai/Abu Dhabi is like a HUGE mall with both international and local brands - but not cheap; even with sales :/
• Things native to the UAE that are WORTH buying are; dates, coffee (with cardamon), fruits (pomegranates, grapefruit...etc), flat bread, tahina (sesame paste) and hummus spreads, honey, figs, nuts, spices
• Supermarkets offer pretty reasonable prices for takeaway salads/meals
• The annual Global Village is like a mini-World Expo with lots of interesting things to buy

3. ATTRACTIONS in Dubai

• New Dubai Area: Ibn Battuta Mall (a huge mall divided into 5 continents which Ibn Battuta the explorer travelled to. They even have a mini exhibition with artefacts for curious visitors!), The Walk at JBR ( a short area of beach and filled with many al fresco dining areas, been there in the day but not at night, which I understand that it would be more happening), The Palm Jumeirah - yes, I've been onto the world's largest man-made island! (you have to CAB or take the monorail which costs AED22 for 2 ways in! An exclusive place which I had mistakenly tried to run in but was stuck near the entrance and had to look for a cab :( Nothing much unless you want to dine in some atas restaurant or look at the Arabian Gulf..hurhur). Dubai Marina merely offers a good background for profile pictures but don't spend time walking along the area.

• The Burj al Arab Area (Malls of the Emirates metro): I didn't get to go there because you need a reservation at the restaurant/bars but it would be the global icon of Dubai. Walking down Umm Suqeim Road also leads to Souk Madinat Jumeirah, a place I would consider visiting the next round - modelled after an Arabian town.
• Old Deira: Al Fahidi Historical District (one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Dubai) and Bastakiya Quarters (see the old restored wind towers, look through the small shops, visit the Coffee Museum to try the various coffees and see how they are prepared, go for the Jumeirah Mosque visit - AED10, 945am daily except Fridays)

• Bur Dubai: Heritage and Diving Village (walked past but didn't look around much, except stopped to have a coffee by the road by one of the camel owners), traditional spice, gold and grand souks (a mix-mash of Little India?), Dubai Museum (AED3 but one of the best maintained museums around)
• Inner Suburbs of the Creek: Wildlife Sanctuary on Oud Metha Road
• Deira City Centre: Perfume Souk (didn't spot it), Fish and Vegetables Market (they have pretty good buys there! Iran dates going for AED5/kg), Naif Museum (old police station), Al-Ahmadiya School museum, Heritage House (all free, worth a short visit because they are very small and not very well-retored)
• Downtown Dubai: Dubai Mall, Souk al Bahar, The Palace and Fountain (pretty impressive fountain shows daily. The Dubai Mall is a really HUGE place, also links to the Burj Khalifa and houses the Underwater Aquarium)

4. ATTRACTIONS in Abu Dhabi

• Malls (again)  -We visited Marina Mall, World Trade Centre (with a pricey Shake Shack), Al Wadha Mall - got pretty sick of these extravagant huge places, although it provided a respite from the heat
• Emirates Palace - It is actually a hotel but looks so grand like a palace. Note that it only opens to visitors from 10am onwards and in order to get through the security to the outdoor area, walk all the way to the end and look for a resident's entrance. You will be amazed by the immense extravagance of the place - long pristine (man-made) beaches, green lawns, even camels available for rides!
• Abu Dhabi Heritage Village - only "cultural" place in the Washington-like administrative state. Gives you a glimpse of traditional crafts like pottery, carving...etc and of course, camels are available for photos!
• Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque - the most opulent mosque you've ever seen. Vistors can borrow an abaya to enter as you are required to cover up. The mosque is a functioning mosque so I think at certain times, they don't open for visits. There are free daily tours conducted with a guide (we were late so we didn't have) so we walked around on our own. The architecture and details of the carvings and interior are breathtaking. Somewhat equivalent to a Chinese palace or European church. 
• Other attractions include Yas Island and Ferrari World...etc but are really pricey so we didn't bother

5. ACCOMODATION

• Stayed in an AirBNB apartment in Jumeirah Lake Towers (SGD50/night), the cheapest form of accomodation in Dubai. Hotels are pricy
• In Abu Dhabi, because my cousin paid for my hotel, it was a way to save costs for me. Centro Al Manhal located beside the bus station and Al Wadha mall

 THE WEDDING

Was held on Nurai Island, a private island that required us to take a speedboat across. It was really fun and was my first wedding by the beach! There was first the traditional Chinese tea ceremony, followed by the exchange of vows, then dinner (which was AWESOME) and dance.

My cousin also brought us around her place - St Regis Serviced Apartments on Saaiyat Island, a rather chill environment with many high-end apartments and hotels.

The next trip to Dubai is in October. Overall, it was a little disappointing because it wasn't as good as I expected - not a lot of cultural places and mostly seems like a money-making artificial city..Hopefully I will be able to visit the deserts in Dubai and Al Ain!

Marching on MARCH - A pretty memorable month for me

March 2014 has been quite an interesting month for me, full of ups and downs - physically and emotionally. And it has been a special month for me too, considering it began with my birthday.

March 1 - Coach David organised a 10km time trial for the aquathlon team - didn't do that well because I haven't been training but at least it didn't get worse from last year. After that we headed over to SPRUCE for a birthday brunch with JJ, Sher, Debs, Chunnie, David and Baris. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a team thing though :/ Maybe a team time trial on my birthday wasn't that much of a blessing. Nevertheless, it was great spending a special day with people who really mean a lot to me. For dinner, we had it at PITAPAN, where I finally managed to convince the family to try some vegetarian dining options. We had the Mediterranean Platter ($25.90) and Red Shashuka ($11.90).

Team TT on my birthday

Brunch at SPRUCE!!

Blueberry Pancakes - $16.90 but worth the $!

Meet up with the Wuhan group and prebirthday celebration:)

Pretty cosy brunch at SPRUCE

Pitapan Feast! :)

March 8 - Venus Run (refer to my previous post)

March 16 - Metasprint Duathlon 2014 and Coach David's first birthday celebration
My first ever duathlon done! It was really an experience as I couldn't feel my legs after the 10km bike! Gotta improve on my run by doing more brick sessions I guess.. Was really thankful for the first place under Discovery 16-39 as my bike wasn't exactly the strongest component. I was also pretty happy that Jon was first for his category, Dex was second but sad for John that he was 4th :(

After the race, we went to Botanic Gardens Food For Thought for lunch and celebrate Coach's real birthday. As it was raining, as some of them drove, they managed to bring our bikes there without us having to brave the rain :)

Food For Thought lunch :)

March 22 & 23 - SIA Road Race 2014 and Coach David's second birthday celebration
Kebun Baru Road Race

This weekend saw me racing a 4.3km at Bedok Reservoir and a 5km at Kebun Baru, tiring but pretty satisfying weekend. I managed to get a first for the SIA Road Race and a 2nd behind Sumiko for Kebun Baru, which was expected, though my timings were not as good. Well, do a give and take but I have to jot myself out of the comfort zone soon and break my barriers because being stagnant is really bad :/

Coach's birthday celebration on Saturday was pretty cosy because quite a large group came :) Although it was quite a rushed affair because I think everyone had to rush back to study, I hope Coach did enjoy himself at Pita Pan :)

Prize presentation at Kebun Baru

With Ghana, Mr Tan Pee Teck & Mr Goh Choon Phong

RWG group

Happy Birthday Coach David :))

March 30 - NUS Biathlon 2014

Back to not racing under Team NUS :( It helped that my race wasn't as early but still it was uncomfortably hot when my wave started at 945am. I wanted to reach earlier to watch the rest race but somehow that didn't happen and by the time I had arrived, the girls were in the midst of running and the guys were done. Somehow I feel that this year, the team was not as close, also because the Jons & Justin had WUT training after their race. Anyways, i was pretty stressed, having to race Shuwie and this Japanese triathlete in the Open Category, plus one Caucasian girl. Although my swim had improved to a 15:22, it wasn't enough to get me a podium :(. I was pretty disappointed but oh wells, time to buck up. John and Debs weren't here, or else the experience might have been more interesting. Anne did well in her novice category though, I was regretting not joining that..hahas.

Current girls' team (minus Charis)

The usual team photo! (sadly minus the planking Jon Ma)

Right, I spotted the camera, must pose a bit ;)

Just another packed weekend! :)

I'm always looking forward to the weekends now, especially when I'm working so I can sleep and rest more but strangely I'm always ending up more tired due to the hecticness of my weekends when it's back to work on Monday :O

Well, last weekend was spent in race preparation (trifactor run 5k) was on Sunday so I had to spend the Saturday resting but in the end, I could not bear to lock myself at home and decided to do a solo brick session at Sentosa (800m swim+ 5k easy run) just to get the blood pumping for Sunday's race. I won't say that the race on Sunday was "just another race". Although it was only a 5k (a distance which people don't exactly look up to nowadays with all the long distances and puke-inducing runs), it was an event important for me. I was out to win those Oakleys shades and make a comeback for 5k races, which I have not been doing since Singapore Aquathlon, I think! However, sadly, Denise Chia was present in my category and I knew at my current level, I was nowhere near to her standard so my only way was to stick as close as possible to her throughout. It was tough, she was going faster and faster and in the end the gap was 1min. Wasn't my PB but I guess it was the best for now - settled for a 2nd placing and got an Oakleys cap, Banana Boat sunblock, Cloth tube.. :/ Dennis, my aquathlon junior was 2nd too! :) Yays for NUS Aqua! I was glad to see familiar faces at the race too - Dwayne, Dennis and Jayanta, who made my event a lot more interesting.

me, dwayne and dennis

After my morning race, Debs gave me her slot for Splashdown! So I rushed to Woodlands after church and although I was late, I still managed to swim 7km in about 2h 40min, with many breaks, but just right to redeem the Arena towel, the most valuable item on the list. I must say it was an interesting experience, swimming with about 50people in the same lane. Going fast is a no-no, I really don't know how my teammates like Sherlynn, CP and Jon Ma were able to swim above 10k in 3h to place in 2nd and 3rd. Respect.

NUS AQUA peeps after the swim with 3 podium-finishers!!

#theregs

Well, that was last weekend. Now to this weekend: Basically, Saturday was so choked full with activities that my Sunday was spent recuperating :) But it was great, made up for my horrible Wednesday and Thursday. Thank God ..

First thing in the morning was a loop in Macritchie with the aqua team :)), after a long 200x7x2 at 40-42s the night before, my butt was pretty much SORE, though it wasn't half as bad as Sunday's Macritchie run. Its really cos of them I'm willing to sacrifise my mornings and its really worth it. Then we went for brunch (me, Debs, Chunnie, Kenley, Baris, Sara and Eden) at Thomson Plaza, followed by shopping and Fitness Expo visit. We headed to Chunkfest at the Promenatory and were a little disappointed that you had to pay for ice cream :( Lastly it was Nike training Run at AVALON :D

The pacers consisted mainly of the aqua people (Yinghao, Jon Tan, Aaron, me, Debs, Chunnie) and Jolene, Ruimei, Glenn, Ernest and Charmane. We had hiphop, pop and dance gear from Nike. However, I felt that it was weird running 7k  in those sort of clothes -__- Hopefully we can pull in more Aquathlon people..hahahas :D

Family Staycation at Marina Bay Sands

I haven't blogged for a pretty long time..still lagging for my NZ trip update as well as several articles for RunSociety (something on Holiday Running, Power of the Mind, Woes of the Working People) gosh.. work must be really tiring me out :/

Anyways had a staycation (having a vacation in your home country) thanks to my dad's company family day - we got to stay at MBS, which I've never been before, except Ku De Ta on a free Wednesday night, despite it being opened eons ago and that at least half of Singapore has already been there, done that. Well, I must say that it was indeed still an eye-opener for me and unless it's  paid for, I will never spend to step foot into that needlessly extravagant place ( though I admit that its a revenue-generator for Singapore and provides countless of jobs).

WELCOME TO THE LIFE OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS.

Don't kill me but I'm sure many people aspire to be rich, me too, but for various reasons. And MBS is one of them - more of an analogy - to be able to flaunt their wealth materially for others to envy. I was glad to be able to sleep in a comforatbly huge hotel room with everything provided for, take a dip in the famous infinity pool 57 storeys atop MBS, eat an international buffet meal that costs $60/person but I won't pay that much to be able to enjoy it again. One day in my life is enough - why? I get bored and I was bored.

Please don't misunderstand me but my intention merely to say that in my opinion, I would only use money to enable me to see the world, experience different cultures and interesting moments and not on paying to sleep comfortably in a hotel, swimming in a pool that overlooks a skyline and taking photos to upload and rouse people's jealousy. Hahas.. which I also realised is what my sister, Rachel, loves to do. Each to her own, I guess...

I'm not too sure if my perception will change if I'm older but I'm inclined to believe that it is in my principles rather than an age thing. Previously, I was telling my colleagues about what we touched on in Sociology of Tourism that older people do tend to prefer a different type of tour/holiday compared to teenagers - bogged down by work on normal days and the hectic lifestyle of a working person, older people shift their preferences to a slow chill relaxing holiday tour to slow their pace of life down, as compared to teens, who prefer activities like backpacking to see the world.

Ok, enough mentioned about my critique of wealth and back to family day. Dad, Mum, Esther and I went to the 2 domes at the Gardens By the Bay. I've been to the Cloud Forest once with Leon but not the Flower Dome. The flowers were really pretty, reminded me of my travels overseas! Other than that highlight, the day was pretty dull and passed really quickly and I realised that I haven't actually done anything much the whole day except eat at RISE at MBS and walking around the gardens. hahahas..no more staycations for me!

Buffet Spread at RISE

The Sister and I :D

Look at the variety

Sushi round!

They even have cheese!

Ice cream selection I made!

Desserts!!

Awfully sinful!

Spoilt for choice!

Mommy!!

Doing the heart, acting cute

My sis is really cute

Toeshot 1

Attempt to take a poolshot

Singapore Aquathlon 2013 - A first for me ^^

   A year ago, I ran Singapore Aquathlon as a runner, in the tertiary relay with Enid. We both achieved first as a team but as the race was pretty small, there wasn't much competition and hence, I was happy but it lasted for a short while. However, at that time, I was only a rookie in the field of biathlon/aquathlon (swim & run), my hopes wasn't too high.

   This year, after about a year of racing and trainings (especially my swims), I was a little more confident of my swims (which compensates for the lack of confidence in my runs after being down due to injury) and forked out $70 to take part in Singapore Aquathlon 2013. This event seemed much bigger, based on the publicity, number of participants, Metasports as the event organisers and definitely the higher cost, as it was replacing Singapore Biathlon (not held this year).

   Arrived at the race venue early at 8am, thanks to Leon who decided to go for a morning ECP run and offered me a lift. The event ground was pretty neat, with all the tents clearly marked and I was able to find out where was the information booth, baggage deposit, body marking, drinks station quite easily. And everything was pretty well-organised and there was not much of a queue at any of the stations, despite the high participation rates - I guess Metasports is an expert in organising such events. The only downside, which I was not too happy about were the meals/food for post-race where there was only nasi lemak available (whoever eats that after a race?!) and the electrolyte drink was pretty bad (had to settle for water).

   Anyways, I wasn't expecting much from the race because I was a little shocked when I saw the number of participants for the Sprint Distance was so much more than the Standard Distance and I haven't been back to my usual speed for my run. :( In fact, I was a little more confident for my swim in comparison because I have been working hard at it. Josh Li, Dereck, Debbie and Sherlynn went first at 830 & 840 while me, Max and his brother, Clement waited for 940 and 950 to start our race. Race cap, Oakleys, shoes, goggles, race bib, gel checked. Moved them all to the transition area before Max and I did a short jog to warm-up. You see, unlike runs, there is quite a number of things to prepare for a aquathlon (and even more for a triathlon) - the benefit is that it does diffuses the pre-race tensions :) Looking at the ships direction, I made a mental note on the swim course I should go (following it strictly is another matter altogether though). 

   Watched Max and Clement go off, I made a final mental check on everything and slowly headed to the starting line. Decided to stay at the front and do my best to attempt to draft the front swimmers. hahahas..which kinda failed but at least it was a try. 3min, 2min 30seconds, the organisers were pretty punctual. GO. Telling myself not to be afraid of swim kicks I rushed ahead with the front pack and tried to follow them - at least for the first 100m. The course, though it was only 750m, felt super long but at least the waters were not too choppy.

   Soon, I got out of the water and ran to the transition site. I spotted Yiwei in front of me and recognised her to be the SMU girl who won me during the run in SUNIG 2012. I was quite determined to chase her but my race plan was to tail her from the back until the last 1km. Good thing my transition went rather smoothly and I was out in a jiffy. Following her was quite comfortable for the first 2k all the way to the Sailing Centre u-turn, where my stamina felt it had taken a bashing. Slowed down a little but was telling myself, COME ON, YOU CAN DO THIS!

   At the last 1k, the gap was widening but I managed to catch up with her at the last 200m. Summing all my strength, I sprinted to the finishing line but the gap was a little too wide and I lost to Yiwei by a mere 3 seconds!!! :( Thank God that He gave me the strength to complete the race in a good time and that I managed a 3rd position for the 20-39 category! :D yays!

   

   Although we didn't enter as TeamNUS Aquathlon, it was nice that Coach David, Kenley, Jon Tan and Chunnie came to support us and that there were some of us taking part! Sherlynn and Debs were 2nd and 4th for Standard Distance, Dereck and Josh were 1st and 2nd, Max and Clement were 2nd and 3rd. Pretty good achievements for the NUS family :)

Hopefully, I will be brave enough to up the level next year to do the Standard Distance. But for now, my aim is still to complete a Sprint within sub-40 :)

Yays..i lost to Yiwei by 3seconds but oh well..

Much room for improvements - both run & swim

The $70 trophy - that's how much its worth