rain rain rain stop rain

rain rain rain. hiatus. rain.

there was a short break from the continuous downfall yesterday. having the sun out again was awesome. thank God i was on leave and i could embrace every moment of the sunny day.

i did my 2.02 bike module and PASSED! (2nd attempt though =P) it was a lovely day to start a pretty day.

cycled back home first and lazed around.

biked to rjc to get the letter signed. i felt a bit of struggle within me..but i told myself i will start small and give myself a chance to experience a new environment..new challenges..and give myself a few months before i review if this is what i want to be doing. a part of me questioned if i should step back into the accounting sector for that will definitely get me remmunerated well..but of course it'll entail more unwelcomed stress and other what-nots.

from bishan i went down bt merah to get the swimming aids..an accidental discovery of the much talked about stretch cordz.

from bt merah i went down to mum's shop at south bridge road. moments after getting there, the sky began to drizzle.

met up with super boy to wander around a few shopping malls..intended to meet dw but i "lost" him. oh well.. let's hope he reappears soon. =)

went back to mum's shop at almost 10pm to have dinner..and ended up leaving around 1035pm or so after washing one round of the mountain of dishes. biz was good that night thanks to victor's bday celebration in the shop.

to wrap the night..i had to cycle from south bridge road home. i'm not going to take the bt merah-farrer-bt timah route next time. it's freaking LONG and hilly. should have just opted to go orchard-bt timah. =(

the hiatus from rain was short but welcomed. as i peer out of the window right now and look at the rain that i reckon won't be stopping so soon, i'm thankful i made full use of yesterday. next thought: shit. i'm going to drive and bike in RAIN tomorrow..oh man! stinky and damp helmet..here i come.= S

the rain has been disrupting most of the training planned. i might just have to end up on the trainer one of these days. sigh..and what's next? treadmill?!?

should i bring my shoes along? would i get to run intervals tonight? i wonder..i wonder..

ang ku kwey is CONFIRMED coming...woooweeee...i can't wait to start its engine and drive it.. erm..haven't gotten my license but i think driving around the surrounding blocks at cck shouldn't cause that much a traffic hazard right? =P (by the way i'm learning parallel parking on friday!)

cny's coming soon...sometimes i dread cny..i hate visitation..i'm sick of relatives telling me i've put on weight and i'm getting chubby.. it's such a sore spot to me. i hope i can restrain myself and enforce more discipline to stay in shape so i won't run into a whole lot of such unnecessary comments from them again. anyway i'm not going visitation with my bro n parents. i'll probably opt to stay with my aunt in m'sia and spend the cny with my relatives in jb instead.

cny coming also means im is coming. uh-ohh..

i finish work at nl on the 19th.. could tricia go for a short getaway again? can't seem to find courses to take up that'll fall within that window.. backpack to m'sia again? it's fun in many ways..the only boring part is getting around alone. heh..let's hope something would come along. =)

time to go to work now. (not exactly what i'm looking for but life leaves us with little choice sometimes..haha)

just do it tricia

have intended to sleep early tonight but it's coming to 10pm and i'm still online. chatted with grace for a while..now it seems like a floodgate of thoughts is released..

maybe i'm being a difficult friend..but i think i no longer feel chum that close to me these days. he used to be a phone call away, a sms away..a msn chat window away..nowadays? i'm not too sure. perhaps it's me. maybe he's in the blind spot which i am unable to locate on my mirrors.

maybe he's right. i might just find more empathy from super boy and other friends. from my perspective, he's saying he's washing his hands off me. =( that's sad. but it's ok. i know friends do move on. thanks for being a friend to me for the past year. appreciate it much.

you'll still be the first to help me move a mtb from sg to senai airport on public transport..and then kept me company at senai airport on hard plastic chairs till i was ready to board the flight at 7am. and then u helped me move the bike from senai back to sg when i returned..again on public transport.

sorry i haven't done much for u in return.

-disjunction-

i vowed on saturday night that i will never ask my bro & sis in law for another favour. he has also drew lines clear too. sad, how family now becomes strangers i'm not even sure i can say i've knew them for 2.5 decades.

mum will always be the only one kin i've truly got. the only one kin i will treasure and love.

-disjunct 2-

ang ku kuey will be here soon!! this is sooooo exciting.. finally super boy and i will no longer have to be at the mercy of other's "comfort level" nor "see my schedule"...we'll have more liberty to move around as we please.. =)

-disjunct 3-

i'm 5kgs away from ideal. the rift is getting larger and larger. i need some discipline!!!!!

maybe you're right. i'm distracted. i lack that kind of focus and drive i used to have.

stop thinking. stop planning. just do it. do it. do it do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kidz camp's over!

2 days of hectic kidz camp has finally ended. heaving a sigh of relief, i'm just mentally and physically tired. chris too, i reckon. nonetheless, the feedback from the children was really good..i'm just thankful they enjoyed themselves.. (despite the ostracizing of nick)

1 down. 1 more to go. kidz party on the 29th. let's just finish that and close the year well. i've also managed to clear the stuff i've wanted to..labelled all the boxes and arranged things in order. whoever is to take over, i hope it'll be maintained well.

spent the morning ranting to grace..she's so sweet to just listen to my whines..

training progress is still pathetic. i got to pick up soon, now that camp is officially over.

i've cleared most of my files from my workstation. moved all my funny and swim clips back..that's important. i've gathered most of the craft materials i'll like to use..i'll probably use the remaining weeks at nl to handmake some stuff..let's see what can i come out with.

i failed my bike module. idiot..the instructor talk talk talk so much we didn't even have time to practise..how to NOT fail??!?!? grrrrrrrrrrr....rr..r...

tmr's billy indoor tri..i'm confident he'll do well..=) he's superboy after all!! yay!

sunday's my race.. not hopeful to do well for it..just aim for completion i guess.. hope xiao niu isn't too competitive though...else..*gulps*

christmas' coming..i'm looking fwd to the holidays...won't it be nice if i can go for a short getaway somewhere?=)

marathon's over. phew!!

really thankful for a few things..

-thank God the hamstring strain was kept at bay throughout the entire run.
-thankful for pre and post race massage by the top massuer- Billy .. in fact since the hamstring strain a week ago, i've been getting massages after every run..woohoo!!
-thank God for the nice cool weather
-thanks so much to all the wonderful Trifam Pacers..you guys rock!!
-thanks to adrian n his guys who brought to us the powergel..not exactly the yummiest food on earth but it's race-needy.

i did a 4:47 for this yr's 42km.

had initially wanted to give up the run..coz i didn't want to aggravate the hamstring strain that had bugged me for a week.. i gave up on friday's interval training 1/3 way through as it was pulling so badly.. on sunday morning, i was really reluctant to go as i didn't want to do a bad run. nevertheless, billy's enthusiasm rubbed onto me and though i was frowning (due to my growling tummy), i went. lost billy amongst the bag deposit crowd and i dragged my feet to the start point. the thought that went through my mind was that i was definitely going to stop once my hamstring pulled. probably won't get to finish the marathon..but nvm la..

i was all the way at the back ..so it took a while to stroll to the front.. half way through marina, spotted trifam 5:30 pacers and i thought...yea..y not? pace with 5:30..that's a decent timing and their pace is comfortable to follow..

after following them for 10+ km..at esplanade road i lost them at a drink station..so i pushed on alone.. not too long, i spotted two 5:00 pacers..and i asked them if they were still on time for 5:00 finish..one replied ..yea!..and i pushed forward.. found jeremy yanglyn who were the 5:00 way way way in front at ecp area..and i lost them after a water station too.. i told myself i want to try to locate the 4:30..can find, good. can't find also nevermind.

pace all the way to 35km was great.. i employed a new strategy to hydrate from the start..from 6km, i started sipping water at every station..if i took a cup of 100plus, i would skip one station. around 21km mark, powergel was made available. as i started to feel a little draggy, i began sipping my powergel..there were no water stations any where near ahead..hence i didn't gulp down the entire pack..slowly intaking the powergel over a few kms really helped..when i saw the 'drinks ahead' sign, i took in more and washed it down with water. at 30-33km, i took another power gel. (the 2nd one sucked. eeks.)

all's well till 35km..my pace dropped slightly and felt my legs go heavy.. the hardest bit was the last 3km..i was so near to stopping to walk..but seeing cheng really made me push on..i passed him and that kept me going. i wanted to win him badly..coz he's just too xiao zhang!!..hahaha..

pushed on..and i tried to kept pace with the few gals around me.

glad at 4:47 it ended..yipee!

hehe..to think since powerman, i totally never do any mileage. for 3 weeks, i was sick for almost 2 weeks. i strained my hamstring for 1 week. the longest run i did in those 3 weeks was 10km. before that the longest mileage i went up to was 20km. i haven't done any 30km runs at all. dratS!

i'll keep in mind to train properly next time..=) the bonus to the run yesterday was really the nice cool weather. it does make a huge difference. last year it was hot hot hot!

fuelling strategy is really important. guess experience has taught me to plan how i want to proper fuel my body for a race. in addition, brick training for powerman taught me to endure the soreness in my legs and just keep moving. my quads were so sore at the last 3 km..but i told myself this feels exactly how i felt after getting off my bike after a 5hrs bike ride and running..if i can tahan through those training..this one i can tahan too.

looking forward to more runs. 30km kl pace setter run next on the list.

marathons have a healing touch to them. they are really painful to go through..but they make us stronger. today i feel so refreshed and i'll be doing a recovery run tonight...even swim training would be fine for me too. =)

billy did a fantastic job. 3:47. exactly 1 hr ahead of me. =)

yea..but on the whole, i still prefer doing duathlons over marathons la..coz i like to bike and feel the wind..hahaha

another good news..i'm done with driving module 2. proceed to module 3!..bad news, module 3 is all done in the circuit. CRAP..today i did my few rounds in the circuit and it was PAINFULY SLOW. i was driving at less than 30kmh all the way..mostly at 20kmh. gee..i'm so going to miss my 70kmh rides outside. but at least i know i'm progressing fine.

tricia wants things to pick up steadily as it should. and i want it to be so. =)

$_$ money face

i was reading kpo forum and read this thread on food they disliked and reasons why.. hahaha..kpo me wants to do likewise on my bloggy too..

food tricia dislikes

-duck meat (i had bad indigestion from it once. the feeling sucks!)
-blood cubes (no no no..but hard to find it these days anyway..hahaa)
-mutton (stinks!)
-beef (i always have this thought that it doesn't digest well and when i think of a piece of steak i actually imagine white creepy maggots on it too..-faints)
-sotong (last time i like it but now gradually hating it..chews like a piece of eraser in my mouth..ahh..except those seasoned baby squids..the red red ones!)
-most seafood (except fish..i don't like shell fish..no to crabs, not a big fan of lobsters..no to oysters..no to clams..hum..=X)



food tricia likes

-strawberry yoghurt
-mushrooms (all kinds!!)
-tofu & soya (until i got gout)
-bread (wholemeal..yummy..tau sa..yummy..tricia is bread face)
-tau sa pia (salty ones pls!)
-mummy's chiffon pandan cake
-mummy's pineapple tarts
-mummy's achar
-mummy's grass jelly
-sashimi (raw fish! fish! fish!!!!!)


eh..let me put this list on pend first...want to close off this blog window so that i can do my research..

a thought sparked in my mind after reading kpo forum (yea..kpo forum again).. i might want to go into doing some biz online..been discussing with billy about doing our own biz for a long while..but we thought it'll be on our kiv shelf until we have capital to..but i'm witnessing an increase of pple doing online biz via their blogs..selling clothes, accessories..etc.. it might just work out..let me do some research..and i will be back...

$_$ <---- tricia's face now...giggles!..hahaha

TGIF

after reviewing my training programme, it left me in dismay. the fact that im langkawi is drawing so near further drew me into disheartenment.

i need to get my training going. i have to exercise discipline to carry myself through the next few months of training.

older folks would often rattle this off "you don't help yourself, no one can help you." that is so true for me now. =(

as i pondered on how better should i be doing things, iggy's words came to me. don't think so much, so go out and do it.

and so i slipped into my running shoes and went for a run outside. it's definitely better than shutting myself within 4 walls wondering what training should i do ..blah blah blah..

i sailed through my 1.03 bike module today..proceed to module 2! yay! 8 modules to get that license and i am heading at it till the end! =) in comparison of the 2 (driving vs biking)..driving is easier in the sense there's no need for balancing and not that exposed...but biking is more fun..i love the wind blowing in my face! yay..goin 40kmh within bbdc's circuit today was a not too bad an experience. i want to go on the main road soon! =D

as stress and unhappiness levels rockets up at work, i'm often found munching in office. =( gosh. fat. fat. fat.

i've got 2 kgs to lose.. or if i could, another 3-4kgs to cut off. oh..please..tricia..stop munching junk food!

it's finally Friday..let's see how things turn out tomorrow. i can't wait.

brainwrecked

tricia is

-brain wrecked
-junk food filled
-fat
-restless
-an escapist.. heehehe

spent the morning reading many things up.

-treatment for eczema
-compiling swim training stuff
-badminton rules
-finding a swim coach

i'm brain wrecked! =S

won't be continuing with shifu next year as i find forking out close to $500 very heavy on my budget. however i would still like to find a group/class which i can join in order to leverage on the competition. however finding a class/coach is really nerve wrecking. doing a search on goggle is only giving me hits to the bigger schools which are expensive and some narcissistic swim coaches whose faces turn me utterly off.

bored. tonight got to OT till 8+. siannnnn ah!!! get over with it..and done with. friday is MY DAY! ho ho hooooo!!

life beckons, let's go into recluse

woke up with a sore throat and runny nose. took a day off. the whole camp botch up is leaving me really peeved. everything is about image..image..image.. well, easy for u guys to just question about why cancelling, why not running..and then do an abrupt decision that we'll run with no minimum.. easier said than done. well, if you want to truly lead, then why don't you guys spearhead it rather than kick us on the boot and make us do something we don't believe in.

i'm utterly disgusted and peeved.

this friday is break free day. like it or not, i'm only giving myself till friday. it's been drafted. and it'll be promptly printed and submitted. it's my turn to make my move after christin. i wish she could do it with me too..but i'm aware of her concerns and reservations. she's made the initial move to tell nel about her decision to move on and it hasn't done her good in any ways at all. i wonder what i'll do in her shoes.. instead of constantly having to entertain his insensitive questioning on the response from mcys, from a rash point of view, tender la! walk out of this mambo-jumbo for good. far too much bad energy..it's gnawing on us. but of course, every decision entails far more implications..so though i would really want to just tender if and get over with it, there are consequences i must be ready to face up towards. sigh. if only life is simpler right?

spent the morning clearing my room a little. wiped off dust from the fixtures..threw a number of things here and there. prior to this last week, i was also clearing my workstation. i'm gearing myself to move off..i don't want to move a box of personal items on the last day, hence the stance of packing them all into a bag and gradually bringing an item or two back.

marathon's this sunday. i'm totally not ready for it. i would choose to not do it..but since paid for, maybe i'll just suffer through the 6 hours. again not something called for. heh.

every part of me feel sore. maybe it stems from my mind. i'm just feeling totally sore with life.

i wish i had a car now. drive up somewhere. to the mountains. to the seaside. go into recluse. drive down a long winding, never ending high way. let's not care where it leads too. just move, ahead.

run. i need to go for a run to get an endorphine-shot.

when life beckons, we can't run away from it.

picking up the pieces

christin received a few big "bombs" this morning..one of which also hit me straight on.

sigh. days here are getting tougher by the minute.

packed my table yesterday. threw a alot of stuff away..and brought some of the materials i wanted to keep, back home. i've still got a whole bag of things to bring home. will have to slowly move them a little at a time.

2.4km interval run yesterday proved to be quite a challenge for the slug who slacked through her weeks. nonetheless i'm glad i've made the first step to pick up momentum. billy had a hard time reaching his pb too.. fret not!..i'm sure we'll do better in the weeks to come. with more training, we'll be in shape!

t for tenacity

tricia has been such a slug for the past 2 weeks. bleah. how am i going to rev up my training. -bangs wall-

tricia is in search of vitamin T..t for tenacity.

yea..while some things are working out really well, some ain't.

i passed my 1.02 syllabus for biking yesterday. yay! riding a bike isn't that tough after all. =) i've booked my 1.03 on next thurs. really no choice because it's the ONLY day next week with the 8am slot so i've no choice to book it though i know we have meetings on thursday mornings. 1.03 will be done at the bigger circuit..woohoo!!

my zen was salvaged but at the expense of a total brainwash..it's been formatted..and *poof* goes all my 1700 mp3s. sigh! have to go thru a 'total recall' exercise soon.. can't imagine going through the manual tagging process..AWWW MAN!!

a good habit has been formed..we've kinda gotten used to eating yummy-licious cooked oats in the morning.. experts say habits take 1-2weeks to ingrain into us..i guess 1 more week of that and we'll be totally immersed into the way of having healthy fibrous oats for bfast every morning.

i've kinda kicked the habit of bread nibbling for lunch. now it's hamburger biscuits! hahaha..isn't any better isn't it? =X

time to exhaust those 2 boxes of quakers instant oats on my kitchen table. frankly the strawberry flavoured one sucks..but no choice la..shouldn't be wasting food..hence i'll be planning to consume it as lunch for the next 2 weeks to come. also a good move to save money and wean off my hamburger biscuits.

another driving lesson tomorrow then it'll be a break next week from driving. commencing a new routine of driving-once-a-week come november. i'm spreading my my lessons out as test date is on 8mar..so i need to space out wisely so i'm still in touch with the car by my test date. a concern is just that as i move off from new life, it'll become increasingly tougher to attend lessons in the morning.

i'm looking forward to change. change will be beneficial for me at this point in time. a new environment, a new set of challenges, new opportunities to learn from people who are good at what they do - that's probably what entices me.

rain. there has been alot of water falling from the sky these months. gee. my spirit has also been washed out by the rain as well.

tenacity..where art thou??

i better find it soon.

plans plans plans

driving is becoming a real joy these days. i learnt how to stop and move off on a slope. mr liew made it even better when he played all the super nice songs on his new sony ericsson hp to keep me entertained. singing along with all my hubby's (wong lee hom, obviously) songs..wooohooo!

the first day from the supposedly planned training, didn't quite fall into place as hoped for. billy's down with some symptoms of mononueclosis as well.. gee. that kind of fatigue which once consumed me, is now gnawing on him. =( i hope he gets well soon..rest is paramount!

i worked on a draft budget which will be put for a variance test in the month of december. i'll like to see how much real would differ from budgetted. that'll help the budget exercise for 2007 tremendously.

november is coming to an end soon. christin and i are really hoping to hear from the people we want to hear from. moving on. i hope the next job would free my finances more so i can drop the weekend job.

guess what my friends! i gotten the 2nd interview with RJC! it'll be tomorrow at 1pm. really praying i get this job!! Father Lord, please open this door! =)

what a long saturday

been sick since the completion of powerman.

mononueclosis.

starting from scratch again is hard. my legs are heavy, my breathes are short. but i got to pick myself up again. because tricia is a fighter. and she doesn't give up without a fight.

today's the big move day. if only i needn't work, then at least i would be able to help out. we're living closer to each other now..so no excuses not to go training..coz to complete ironman victoriously is our dreams alike.

working till 6pm today. after which it's off to novena square to get my tunic dress. i fell in love with it when i saw it at the cck outlet..unfortunately they have ran out s size..but the nice sale lady located a new piece at novena..hope it'll be available when i get there later. tricia with a dress..haha..that's something new.

boring day at work..can't wait to the end of it..tomorrow it's back to work (AGAIN!)..

enough of rants..i'm out.

life's passage

i scrapped pass powerman..i felt like a slow coach during this race, for some reason or another. the brutal sun baked all the participants during the first run. come the bike leg, a downpour drenched everyone to the skin. crosswind made some wobble on their bikes, i was no exception. second run was comparatively more manageable.. alas, crossing the finish line was sweet, like always. =)

staying awake through a 7+7hour car ride was challenging. loads of junk food helped..but it definitely added to the fats encapsulating my body. -gulps-

marathon's up next and i'm feeling strangely inadequate. mileage is kinda messed up with the impromptu breaks.. i shan't bear too much hope i reckon..

interview on friday went pretty alright, apart from some nervous pangs that went off when i entered the room with 3 interviewers - 2 ladies and 1 guy. i can only hope for the best right now..i'm really keen to take up with job.. so let's hope God opens this distant door for me.

will be working at nl through the weekend. 7days in nl for this week. -whines- on the brighter side of things, at least i'll finish around 2pm on sunday..so that leaves the rest of the day to be utilised for a probable badminton game.

tomorrow is motorbike lesson 2. gulps. back to the freaking heavy bike!

for today.. i'm going straight home to rest. tomorrow, training resumes. big dream is still langkawi.. and that'll be my driving force for now!

orange..i still thought it's RED...bleah!

yellowwwww

in blue

i want to lay my hands on one of these!!

my dream pink vespa..which i would name - PEACHY..muhahahaa

cateye front light hl-el135. an improved version from the 1led one.

bright smart 7 led light..just that i find the shape ugly =X

tricia the sick gal

i've been diagnosed with some ailments i wish i needn't have. gout. slight anemia. eczema on my right arm but i think it's clearing up pretty alright.

need to make some changes to my diet but i'm just tired to think about it. no more sardines, mackerel, soya, tofu, tomatoes..argh!! these are food i love! =(

need a front light but i'm procrastinating about running down to rodalink to get it.

latest update, i have gotten new front light. s-sun bidded goodbye after an attempt to revive it by billy. the battery leaked and killed it. sigh. the light served me really well..cheap, bright..just that the outer cover kinda corroded a little causing a sticky irremovable coating that made the light a little unpleasant to hold.

anyway, as i was dilly-dallying on whether should i run to jln kechil to get the lights, some strange notion just kicked me on my butt. the thought kind of went,"u sit here some more, u are not going to go anywhere at the end of the hour." that made me jump off my chair and run out of the office towards bt timah road. took me slightly over 40mins to get there and another 40mins to get back. the overhead 1pm sun was no joke. the heat on the return run was more forgiving.. the clouds gave poor tricia a little shade from the brutal sun.

slacked big time since saturday. an enigmatic fatigue overcame me as i spent the weekend resting from the usual bike and run. the initially-thought-of-as sprain didn't seem to go off, as i pushed through 2 hours of badminton nonetheless. spent the latter half of sat travelling to katong to get my new cycling shoes, as my sidi pair goes into the condemn list. sunday morning was a sleep in.. and then it was out to find a doctor to treat my "sprain". fortunately, from justin's contact, i got to know a doc at jurong east and i headed there swiftly. after over an hour of treatment, which consisted of passing through of electricity via 4 needles stuck onto my ankle and also tapping (pain =S), i could twist n turn my ankle with no pain after which. however, the pain returned the next day during my morning 7km run. sigh.

subsequently, i read up more on my gout condition. what i can do about it..like changing diet..losing weight..drinking more water.. avoiding high purine food..etc. somehow knowing i've got gout didn't come totally a shock as i've got a history of high uric acid since 2004 and i've been warned of the possibility of contracting gout..however i didn't take it too much to heart and continued to intake alot of soya (i don't like milk..so i'm often drinking soya)..and tofu..and also sardines. maybe it's my body giving me a red light that i'm really too off balance in my way of diet. seriously would have to give my diet some thought and make sure i recover well from gout.

tomorrow i'll be bringing my dad down to the same chinese doctor for treatment of his heel. before that it'll be napfa test. (read: CHAM lor...) then after doc's i'll be running down to bbdc for driving lessons.. run to pool and finish the night off with lifesaving.

thursday i'll start my first riding practical. woohoo..pink vespaaaaa!..here i come! found out from weiliang that a new vespa would cost around 12k..gulps. nvm bout the cost for now, i'll just concentrate on getting my license first.

friday night will be departing for powerman. i'll be taking anti-inflam to keep going on. tricia will pull through this. =)

green eye tricia

green eye monster consumed me yesterday as christin and i chatted over msn. envy gnawed my esteem to bits.

yes, i wish i had a cpa to boast about. i wish i could afford a car.

it's a trade off i guess. we get some, we don't get some.

pain on ankle was further aggravated after yesterday's game. i hope i'll pull through next week's napfa and powerman.

contemplating over the vegetable diet bernard mentioned. i simply lack that huge gunk of determination to throw my beloved bread out of the window and embrace the greens. moreover, my mum religiously buys the loaf each day and set it on the table for us to feast on. how am i to push that away and be oblivious to its presence?! ok..unless i wear a blind fold at home. =

just bought a pack of bread to eat..but somehow i suddenly lost my appettite as i look at it. imagine looking at all the food and the calories imprinted on them. woohoo!

sigh. am i turning paranoid?

greener pastures

have u ever experienced this.. going to a foodcourt with a friend.. you bought a bowl of wantan mee..and your friend bought for herself chicken chop with gooey gravy and mashed potatoes. u went, "what.....i shd have bought western food too! o_O

so often we peer over the fence and find the grass on the other side of the pasture greener.

this is probably what i am doing right now. peering all over and finding whatever on my plate uninteresting.

question: who can tell if the grass really IS greener? or if that chicken chop really DOES taste better than wantan mee?

napfa is just a stone away and i have not attempted to do any standing broad jump at all. ho seh liao.

my back and left ankle are sore from yesterday's 2hrs badminton game. ouch. feel so ah-mah-ish.

riding theory test tonight. tricia, please pass!!!

profound strength

have been really into badminton recently..and one important lesson i learnt from playing badminton, apart from being more alert and twitching my reflexes more... this is it..

"strength without control is of little use"

aim for the moon, land among the stars

received the mail from the army for napfa test. 2 weeks away. aiming for the gold but i'm really worried about the standing broad jump and seat & reach...haven't done shuttle runs in ages too. help. help. help!! anyone can offer tips as to how i can jump further? reach further? run swifter?

driving was a whole load of fun, minus all the "wrong, wrong, wrong"s from the instructor. apparently i was dragging the car too much as i procrastinated too long to change gears.. why change to 4th when i'm just 200m away from shifting it back to 3rd gear..grrrr.. almost hit a motorbike while turning out to the main road coz i didn't see it speeding down my lane..and my attention was on the big contruction lorry which was coming down the next lane. thank goodness the instructor stepped on the brake. phew!!! my oh my!

the instructor gave me a affirmation that i shd be trying for my women officer post in the army.. he asked," i see your pattern, u shd try for army leh." i grinned and replied," yea..going..going."

i'm keeping my options open.. army kind of interest me for now =)

heard josh mentioned about a likely collaboration with greenridge primary as the principal asked nelson to put in a proposal for step up next year. with west spring upcoming..our plates are getting full. somehow i asked myself if that'll be a pull factor to make me stay..i stopped short.

yes, coz that'll mean i'll probably get to run groupworks, which i really do enjoy. yes, coz it means more opportunities for me to learn new things?

no, coz i'll be doing the same things i've been doing for the past 2.5years. no, coz if christin isn't going to be around..and it's just josh and i again. gee.. i don't quite want to think about it. no, coz it'll cause me to shelf aside my opportunity to expose myself to a different working environment and the chance to gather new experience.

powerman simulation was done on monday..somehow the weather turned out abit cooler than i hoped for.. but along with the shady noon, came gusts of wind..the headwind was frustrating..but it was good training nonetheless. clocked 10km run, 80km bike (60+20), another 8-9km or so at the end. billy is really a great training buddy. having him around enabled me to keep going and not stop half way. i must admit that after the first run, going on to the bike was a little trying..my quads were kind of sore in some ways..and pedalling felt like the last thing i wanted to do. i was grumpling about the last run leg when billy took me from tpy to braddell, coming close to macrit..then turning up to tpy..it felt like a never ending run for goodness sake.. however, i loved the feeling of completing the entire training..such a sense of accomplishment..woohoo! =)

bernard kept reminding me about my base work..need to up my mileage for bike soon..it is so important for me now..given powerman is just a stone away.

he also asked me if i felt ready for powerman. i paused.

ready, yes i guess. but i was (am i still? hmm?..) aiming for top 8..that i'm not too sure if i'll be capable of..but i'll still go there and do my best. top 8 or not..at least i must put in my best effort.

tall dreams some may think..but i don't care.. coz i remember this saying that goes,

"aim for the moon, if you don't hit it, at least you''ll land among the stars."

personal best for 2.4km

some consolation..after such a long break from doing 2.4km intervals..i'm back at it today again..

i was giving myself 18min/set for 3 sets..and guess what i did..

1st set - 14:23
2nd set - 13:46
3rd set - 11:12

it's a personal best for me..i was wondering if i saw the wrong timing or could i have short counted 1 lap..but i remembered when i finished 3 laps i was slightly over 6mins..and my last 2 laps i was chasing this uncle in front of me..as i chionged after him at hr of 176 for my last 2 laps.. i surprised myself with a nice 11:12.

woohoo! uncle pacer rocks!! =)

to fight, is a choice.

have u ever felt there is something you want to do for yourself but the thought of it intimidates you so. you've attempted it for a brief while..only to throw in the towel and mentally convinced yourself that "nah..i can't do it. that's not for me."

would you just turn your back against it and walk away..leaving that one thing a defeated episode in life?

or would you fight? despite knowing fighting upstream is always tough?

would you shake off the dust on your shoulders and say, yes i will try again?

to fight, is a choice.

lousy mid week

the haze this morning got into my head. breathing was hard.. i thought my fitness level has dropped or something..why was i taking more breathes to sustain myself.. we decided to cut the 60km bike short to a 40km one instead. it shall be continued tomorrow. haze, haze, go away..little children wants to play!

attending lifesaving tonight after quite a long lapse. last week was partially due to work and the haze..this week i really got to go before mohktar boots me out of the test.

put the wrong date on my palm n i missed my driving pract on monday. i marked it as wed. crap. crap. crap!! i feel like banging my head against the wall and die. =S

it ruined my entire day.

good thing i made the check.. else i would have ran to bbdc only to realise my mistake there.

lousy mid week.

pe teacher for tricia?

sleepy monday. somehow i managed to drag myself out to run 4km and climb the stairs back home. did feel quite nice after the run..but the aftermath of it is a little too much to handle for now. =0 (yawns)

what a sluggish way to start a new week. =S

the haze situation is deteriorating. i hope it won't disrupt with my training too much.

there's a tinge of jealousy sometimes. a competitive inner me would tell myself i must do more than her. i don't want to lose out to her. im langkawi is coming. brace yourself strong for a fight; i've got no one to prove to, maybe just myself.

revisited the reason why i would want to go for the physical proficiency test if i have no intentions to be a pe teacher in the first place. the thought of teaching an academic subject freaks me out, though the drawing points of the job are the interaction with students and being engaged with sports, which i am passionately in love with.

got to think it through and if i have to inform them i'm not going, do so before fri.

p for slim

the earliest i can take my driving test would be end of feb..but i haven't top up my account..so i think i'll just go for 1 march. gee. i was hoping i could do it end of jan. we can't have things go the way we want to i guess.

racing heartbeat. light headedness.

for all the suffering, it better work.

craving for fish..SWEET SOUR FISH

yummmy yummmmmyy~!!!

craving for...MA PO TOUFU!!

i broke the curse!!

i broke the friggin curse! i woke up on my own at a 3:45am. i woke up just as my hp's alarm started to sound. my radio started to sound slightly around that time and my brinjal clock oso sounded shortly after.

i really love the alarm on my hp. it has a snooze function. if i just press it without disabling the snooze, it'll begin to sound 10mins later. which is great..for someone so lazy like me. =P

hope this continues on. tmr i want to join bernard's recovery ride. i hope i can catch up. (keeps her fingers n toes crossed =X)

tried my best to maintain the 130 (to abt 140) bpm throughout the entire ride, as bernard taught me. not easy as it'll jump up on the climbs and dip on the downs. but on flats i kept it around that range.

more base rides to come. tricia needs to rebuild her biking base again. 1 mth to powerman. i need to rebuild it fast.

jia you tricia. 2nd day into the im training programme n it seems to be still going good. keep it up.

signed up with the nike runnerholic thingie. hmm..their sunday runs at 730am is abit disruptive to normal training. ecp is really out of the place, frankly. the best way to get there is to bike.

will be joining the 110km bike with bernard this sat.. running off about 16km to spe then swim on sunday. for the tough training, i'm going to pig out! tom yam soup! (craving for spicy food)..subway!! haehehaehea..here i come!! =D

5 persons u'll meet in heaven

thought came to me as i was doing my noon run. i notice we sometimes take on traits of the people around us. certain habits..certain attributes..certain likes..certain dislikes.

i introspected at myself and i found these which i caught on from my friends through the years. those friends probably had a significant influence in my life. =)

drinking earl grey tea - lydia

liking quality outdoor brands like gregory & chaco - dex

drinking warm water at night after a meal - billy

reading love novels - aiping

taking up triathlon - choonwei

hmm..these r the more significant ones i can think of right now. wa..5 persons..(thinks of book: 5 persons u'll meet in heaven)

6.5km run & 1 set of stairs done. i've got 3.1km to go to cover the planned 9.6km. i'll be doing a 4km run tonight after biking home from training. brick training!

stay motivated n focus gal!!

this is my new hp! thanks to billy =) 

sony ericsson k610i 

k610i yay!

i'll not be having any work at rl next weekend. so that means i'll be able to plan a longer training over sat & sun.

the following wkend i'll be in m'sia, so again, no work at rl.

23 oct, nelson will be declaring off day for us. yipee!! too bad i planned for driving in the morning from 8am..else i could have more training done.

everything in my head is training, training and more training..

9.6km run today..i'll be doing a long run around bt panjang later.

billy let me use his singtel plan phone upgrade and i gotten myself a sony ericsson k610i. it's really a babe. let me post some pics of it later. and best of all, i only had to pay $138. the hp i've been using is passed to my mum. i can't stand seeing her use a faulty nokia phone.. if i had more money i would probably buy her a new phone or something...but i guess i couldn't resist the opportunity to get myself a new phone too. gee..come to think about it..am i giving my mother 2nd best. =(

it's kind of too long for my current hp pouch, so i'm hoping to find a nice plastic protective case to keep it from scratches and probably a nice pouch to pop it in. anyone's place having pasar malam now?? =P

christin asked of me to take over the kidz camp portfolio and coordinate the entire nov kidz camp. i've been doing a more assisting role all these while while christin took the lead. i am apprehensive about it all up and spear heading it. hence i actually rejected the offer as i don't think i have suffice motivation and time. kidz camp feels like a task i need to do..and i would just prefer a do-what-i-am-told role for now. somehow i have no more of myself to give to the kidz club.. just want to get by..

i wonder if anyone understands the tug of war that goes on in my heart when it comes to training. i need to take the first step out, but fear cripples me..and i don't have enough assurrance that i can get through it. someone..help?

tomorrow is riding evaluation (again)..and i haven't touched my books (yes, again). i am bent to go thru the basic theory book 3 times by end of the work hours.. trying to finish up my novels as well.

let's hope the entire process of obtaining my bike n car licenses would go well. (keeps her fingers crossed...how many fingers can we cross anyway? = )

mooncake day

had a heart to heart talk with christin earlier. never thought we'll share so much of the same sentiments pertaining to work. glad i could talk to her about the work situation at nl.

ate 1/2 mooncake made by dorothy. super unhealthy..but it's nice =)

can i confess i'm not really in the mood for ls..i rather run n bike.

a day at the hub

today i'm on duty at the youth hub...and it was an eventful day. very happening..=

- theft case. guy a lost his wallet and everyone around denied taking it. nelson viewed the cctv and found the culprit. confronted guy b. no choice but to admit. returned the wallet. now as i type this entry. guy a and guy b are playing pool together. =) happy ending. not bad lar.

- gal a was reduced to tears as guy c wanted to kick her. gal b stopped guy c on time to prevent the kick. guy c left before i could talk to him. spoke to gal a & b. told them if it happens again, always report it immediately. tsk tsk tsk..guy c..so ungentlemanly. hai.

- hanky panky business that goes on pretty often.

- defiance (not uncommon)

- confiscated a cigarette from gal b as she was passing it to guy d. i told her.." i see 1 stick, i confiscate 1 stick. i see 1 packet, i confiscate 1 packet." don't know wat to do with the cigarette now. it's lying on my table. i collect a few more sticks and i can resale it to adult smokers. =P

what a day. i'll probably enjoy the dryland torment later. =D

fighter must FIGHT!!

new training programme will commence soon. truthfully, i'm full of apprehension. just fearful if tricia will be able to handle it.

when has the fighter become so unsure of herself? =X

i must fight on...

i'm in a turmoil

i cannot decide. do want to rest after that tormentous swim training yesterday..but to skip lifesaving when test is coming soon... is it wise?

but if i went for the training tonite, it'll mean i'll be dead tired tmr..probably won't be able to do any training tomorrow then.

i should be able to still pull through tonight if i wanted to.

so put down by bernard. ouch. what he said hit me so hard =(

sigh.

i am reading again

borrowed 3 books from the library yesterday. 2 of nicholas sparks and 1 of barbara delinsky. started off with the delinsky first as it's the thinnest. haven't been digging into books for quite some while..needed something to start my engine going.

this morning as betty used my pc to do some work for sr, i took the time to read. completed 2 chapters and i feel real satisfied..that after-meal satisfaction!

main focus these days would be to getting my driving license, start on my biking license, training...getting faster.. trekking. in this list, there is not much of the work i am doing.

honestly just hanging on for the sake of hanging on. market's slow as many are hanging on like myself, for bonus sake. it'll pick up once the new year starts. people will start quitting their jobs and moving on.

i'm acting kind of weird these days.. feeling fat. fat. fat.

swam with hand paddles yesterday..this morning my shoulders and lats hurt big time. when i removed the paddles, my fingers were near to a cramp, couldn't straighten them. =S nonetheless, i like the feeling of pulling the water with the paddles..could really feel the propulsion..and the heaviness..when i swam without the paddles, i felt i wasn't catching as much water.

i am a multi tasker. blogging, doing my ophir ration budgetting, talking to isabel and eating my lunch. woohoo..

got to study for my riding evaluation..booked it on next tues..

lifesaving bm test is at end of oct.

a whole lot to look forward to. none of it work related. haha.

lost in translation?

yan's blog entry stirred alot of after thoughts. coincidentally, moments before i saw yan's entry, i was just ranting to billy about the work situation at rl.

i used to enjoy working rl lots..with sam, yanni, aaron, dino and eng huat.. but these days the whole environment has mutated into one that's no longer fun. for me, it is just a JOB now. to be just there at the designated time. clock in-clock out-clock in-clock out.

some days i can be totally unnerved ...on some days i have to keep learning to take it easy. smile with it..play along.. somewhat superficial..but at least time passes by more easily.

i'll be holding on to the job till i find the next destination to move on to.

my name is finally up on the participants 2007 list for langkawi im. wow. the same kind of -gulp- feeling as i saw my name on imca. a little lost for the moment. training. that whole big thought filled my tiny mind. what would it entail i wonder. do or don't. there's no try.

my mind seems to have gone into this hibernation mode of getting lost in translation. a tinge of uncertainty. a little fearful. some apprehension.

tricia's back!!

back from sabah.. it was a wonderful trip despite not being able to reach the summit. jameson and jill made it..while billy and i turned back at 6.7km mark. we were 2 km short to reach the summit. though reluctant to turn back, but the acute mountain sickness set it pretty badly. i was really giddy and nausea overtook me. sigh. it was a real waste..but i concur with billy that there will always be another chance. jameson thought it was wise that i didn't continue with the ams as the condition nearer to the top got more demanding..i might not have been able to make it anyway.

nonetheless, i still feel a tinge of soreness..just because tricia is a fighter and i questioned myself if i have fought hard enough.

it rained 1/4 through the trek. the rain knocked us out. we were really ill prepared to handle a rain that hard and cold. trekking for hours in wet socks and clothes, my body temperature went down fast. billy offered me his windbreaker which really kept me warm till the rain water started seeping through it and trickled into my shirt. my hands were frozen cold and i was literally unable to move and feel with them.

it was only close to the top that we took out our warm clothings to wear.

every step was really pain, with the rain and coldness.

laban rata was like a haven in the middle of the storm.. with hot showers and heated (but not too hot initially) rooms.. it was really a god-sent. there, we rested for the night. the next morning we headed for the summit.. a dark and cold way up-up-up.

and since my journey ended early..so i took the extra hours to rest myself.

the rest became really useful as billy and i ran half the way down on the return route. going down hill took us only 2hrs 20mins. it's a record for us! we took the timpohon way down which was like an extended-air-conditioned version of bt timah. i'm glad we took mersilau up coz it was definitely much more scenic but 2hours longer a route to take. it took us almost 6hours to reach laban rata.

i'll be back. billy and i are going to conquer that mountain come next mar-apr. this time we'll do a 1 day up and back .. never mind bout the sunrise..i just want to reach the top and come down.

now i know what kind of training to put in and what to expect.

padas water rafting was a BLAST! the trip there was a killer but the entire 10km raft down was super thrilling..on top of that, our raft had the most fun.. we were just doing fun with body rafting..and all the paddles-up at the end of each rapid..wooohooooo!! ivy was the cutest! she was the VVIP seated in the middle..VVIPs job is to hold on to the paddlers and make sure they don't fall off and outwards from the chamber..she was shouting "FOR-WARD" and tugging jameson and NP-guy inwards with each call..haha..they were falling INWARDS more than falling OUTwards..hehaehaehe.. i had some candid moments with the falling backwards of the first rapid.. as i was VVIP of the front, the first rapid threw us back so badly i was thrown back onto ivy's lap! billy and np-guy-2 were being tossed all over as well.. i had a nice extended body rafting through 2 rapids! and the river guide was commenting i'm a strong swimmer! =D (that's totally untrue..i was just enjoying myself.. but am still flattered nonetheless!)

one of the river guide kept bullying me by pulling me into the river and pushing my head into the water.. ggrrrrr!!! i had my revenge...muhahaha.. i dunked his head into the river a couple of times too! i can't remember his name..but he made the rafting fun! thanks!

so much for my sabah report.. back to reality singapore now.

took the day off just to get some extra rest from the trip. feeling extremely lazy.. probably fall back into bed a moment later. watch my taiwan devil beside me serial..hmm..browse thru the motorcar guide book (i'm going to start my 1st vroom vroom lesson TOMORROW! woohoo!!) ..plan out my training for the rest of the week and the next..hmm..laze laze laze...

coming BIG events..

-nov: powerman
-dec: standchart
-feb07: langkawi im
-mar/apr: mt KK

eeks..why am i feeling so hungry ar?!?

6pm rules AGAIN!

6pm rule works!!

i had some problems getting myself to sleep initially..tossed around for a while as really wasn't used to sleeping on a close-to-empty stomach. had always thought tricia can never go to sleep on an empty stomach..but i kind of overturned that belief.

it can be quite a struggle, i must confess. looking at the nice plate of veg and whitemeal bread in the kitchen was agonising. but at least i got to drink my protein whey when i got home as my muscles were hurting big time and i spinned really fast to get home in 41mins from farrer park to cck. that was the reward for myself. new personal best. 8mins to get from farrer to spe..meaning from spe home took me 33mins. usually i would have taken 35mins.

the effect of 6pm rule: i woke up at 4am all ready to go bike..only to remember i'm not biking today. suppose to do 7km run and weights instead. hence after pinching some steamed cake, i went back to sleep till 6am.

6am: popped out of bed feeling fresh and went for my run. wow. i haven't been running on wkday mornings for a while now..it's actually quite tough to get my engine going.

managed to do 7km run and 3 sets of wts in the morning.. not bad!!

will stick to my 6pm rule for now... hopefully i'll wake up feeling fresh tomorrow too. =) brick training!

teng is getting serious with dieting too..now she's doing bfast n dinner yoghurt..lunch as per normal. wow. i better buck up too.

i'm now 1st swimmer in lane 1 for shifu's swim. though andy and i are pretty on par, i managed to keep the lead throughout. my arms were freaking sore after training yesterday. it was aching big time! i seriously lack power/strength for my swim. pulling deeper as iggy has instructed, makes it even tougher. i was observing vincent swim when i swam next to him during 50m sprint..as i was too tired to make my arms go faster, i just concentrated on pulling deeper and harder..and i could see him using more strokes than i did. we ended about the same time. =)

iggy taught me to work with the water than fight water. he taught me how to "catch" water with my feet. he taught me how to feel the water. thanks, grandmaster!!

tonight's lifesaving. got to go down abit earlier to observe the bm test going on.

ours up in november..i made a typo in my previous entry. bm test is tentatively scheduled early nov.

taking half day tomorrow to do some last minute shopping for kk trip.

putting the everyday routine aside..KK here i come!!!!!!

6pm rules!

i feel lousy today. can't explain the feeling..but it's a really intense extreme unhappiness within me which has just burst open like a pandora's box.

3.5mths more and i'm done. what's next? where to go next? i seriously do not know either.

i hate the things going around me which i am not in control of.

what can i control? someone tell me!

i wish i could go on the tour of hope. perhaps the person in need of hope is me. 1 month long of biking from singapore to thailand. sounds absolutely wonderful for me.

if i had the money/savings now, i would really love to take a break from work, fly off to US and join a training camp..go trekking.. backpacking..

however, back to reality.. dreams remain merely dreams..

maybe i should join the army bmt for 2 months. that might actually serve as a break for me..

my sanity is down the gutter now. feels like i've been caught in a downpour. that same down and out feeling.

there's swim training i cannot miss tonight. sigh. how?

finished reading synopses for the entire devil beside me series. i'm up to episode 5 now. can't wait to finish the entire show. it's simply sooooooo lovey dovey!!!

this coming sunday i'll be leaving for sabah along with ivy, billy, jameson and jill. can't wait to get out of the everyday work routine for some altitude training.

morning brick training is a struggle. by the time i get home from swim/ls training it's almost 10pm.. by the time i get to bed, almost midnight. how to wake up the next morning without feeling tired to do bricks? monday is a struggle. tues is worse..coz shifu's training is tough (like usual)

i'm back from my noon jog n stairs. usual 4km run..and 3 x 20 stairs..came back and joined ivy for another 3 x 12 stairs.

coming back from the workout, i felt much better. ready to take on swim later. iggy told me to remember to just reach DEEP into the water and pull. will do just that later. never mind if shifu is still going to say i'm slow.

i want to start enforcing my 6pm rule today. no more eating after 6pm. if i adhere to it, i'll reward myself with nice baked beans for bfast!!

here we go...6pm rulez!!!

friday's

lifesaving test is tentatively fixed on 1st wk of oct.

ronnie, our new instructor, has alot to comment. we've just got alot to work on.

new running shorts n singlet from chum. reward for HIM. singlet abit too big. shorts r really nice.

sleepy.

tmr run to bt timah. trek. work.

another long wkend ahead.

ahhh.

life is about conquering mountains

tricia is endeavouring on a new project..to obtain her class 3 and class 2b license

crazy tricia decided to sign up for class 2b while waiting for her class 3 application to be processed. the consideration was because i thought it'll be wise to make use of my time left in new life to obtain both license. i might not have such flexibility once i start on a new job, moreover nl is so near to bbdc, i can just take a 20mins jog down.

tomorrow i'll be taking my 1st riding theory practise.

1st practical driving starts on the 29th after i get back from mt kk.

getting the class 3 is top priority. goal: to get license before 24 feb 2007

reason for getting a class 2b is because i would very much like to fetch my mum home from work. i'll most probably be unable to afford a car, so the bike is the next best alternative. with the bike, she won't have to travel home at 11pm and get home at 12mn.

i signed up for im langkawi. it's im for tricia, 1/2yr late. exactly 6mths late from im canada. finally tricia will be doing it!!!

time to source for a new pair of cycling shoes (road sidis are giving way soon. the buckle isn't working too well and the plastic is cracking), getting a new tri suit too! (can't ride fast also must LOOK fast)

aim for coming powerman in nov 11, to come in top 8.(8th only rm50..but better than nothing) i want the prize money!! bad news..powerman race will begin at 1pm. (read: hot hot hot.......) cut off is 5hrs at 6pm.

brick training starting tomorrow (was suppose to start today but i overslept *again*) got to start training in the freaking hot noon sun soon. that'll be beneficial for langkawi too.

life is all about conquering mountains..indeed..new mountains for tricia to scale. you'll do fine, gal. just keep going..and don't look back. =)

desaru him race report

desaru half ironman report

i took 7:28 to complete 2km swim, 90km bike, 21km run. s-l-o-w i know. but at least i completed it.

swim was bad. water was choppy and i was badly intimidated by it. breast stroked 98% of the time coz that was the only way i knew i could see where i was going and knowing where i was going kept me calm.

action: to try to arrange more open water swim. take part in more biathlons and aquathlons to expose myself to open water swim.

bike was BAD. putting bike aside to concentrate on my swimming for the past few months has taken it toil on this leg. i took almost 4hrs to complete the 90km. bad bad bad.

action: to do more long distance riding. schedule in more bike rides in the morning. to ride on neon more as i'll be using it for powerman.

run was the best out of the 3. i walked for the first 25min as my right knee really hurt when i attempted to run. the pounding made it quiver. after 25mins, i began to run-walk. when i pass the start line, the isotonic from kat/brenda somehow had some magical powers on my knee. upon gulping the 2 cups down, i started to run. and i just kept running and running all the way. i over took andy, lynten, grace, jerry...those who were ahead of me. it felt really gd. 2:22 for the run. i just kept telling myself, do a sub 3 run..do a sub 3 run.. and i just kept going and i told myself all the way to the end. and i did. pre race massage helped!! =D

desaru sprint report

grace and i teamed up, took a sprint slot and did a sprint distance on sunday morning. grace did the 500m swim in 17min..and i biked 18km+run 3km. we clocked a good 1:01 coming in 9th. not too bad.

bike was gd as billy paced me through the ride.. having elvia to chase after made it more interesting too.

run was slow at the start and i only managed to pick up a little more speed at the end. well..not too bad la..1st woman for the sprint came back in 54mins if i nv rem wrongly..so we're not THAT far off!

total calories burnt in 2 days come up to about 4000cal or so. i think i ate alot too! =P going back to proper diet tomorrow.

preparation for trek has to start soon.

preparation for powerman beginning soon too.

i'm aiming to come in top 10 for powerman. hopefully i can do it. wish me luck!

fruitful day at training

i slept at 7pm last night. after a good 8 hrs sleep, i was out at 415am, biking with billy. we did the usual adam-thomson-mandai loop.. then i got home, dropped my bike and went for a run. had initially planned to do a 7km run and trust me, i was super tempted to cut it down to a 4km one instead. nevertheless, i managed to go into "autopilot" mode and just cruise through the 3km. amazingly i finished the 7km feeling quite alright.. headed for the fitness station hoping to do some pull ups. got to the fitness station and found the bars rather corroded and damp from dew. i grabbed on to it and attempted to "elevate" myself..haha..it was a silly effort.. i wasn't even able to lift 1 inch off the ground. =X

anyway, as i related it to iggy about it, i told him that all i want is to do ONE pull up. and his response was, "aim for it".

after hanging on the bar for a mere 5secs..and went to another corroded bar, which was meant for incline hangs.. gee..it was so wet it felt like slimy (think:ghostbusters) just went through them. i ended up not having done any pull ups/inclines and headed home.

went through a set of wts: squats, fwd rows, dead lift, flies, biceps/triceps, lunges, crunches. and then i just sat there for 10mins stoning away.

picked myself up, cooked my lunch to ta-pao to work. today i'll be having a bowl of cabbage+carrot..added the last tomato in too.

going for a noon jog n stairs later..

i wonder if i will survive the interval run tonight.. =

it's like last min effort before the sat slaughter! ahhhhhh....

i am a survivor..i am a fighter! =)

yipee..final theory passed!

advanced theory - PASSED

finally i am going to get to DRIVE! the pointers and way of visualisation billy explained to me, did make the studying process much easier. the combination of questions i had was quite an easy and manageable one. thank God for that. =) there were only 2 questions i weren't sure of, the rest i could confidently say i should have gotten most of them right.

kk climb is confirmed. woohoo! time to start conditioning at bt timah. mt kk! here i come!!!

desaru him this sat..i am going to go there and suffer through half the day man. =S enjoy the pain while it lasts!

genting weekend

awana trailblazer was a blast! 14km in about 2:09. not too bad. the mud obstacle was really fun despite the mud. total body mud spa for us. the first jump into the muddy pool, i had wanted to climb the side(to avoid going into the pool) until the marshall shouted and pointed INTO the pool. then billy told me, "must go in la!" reluctantly i nodded and replied, "orh."

the water was FREAKING cold and was it was waist level deep. we had to go into a total of 3-4 pools of water and scale 4-5 slopes of different heights.

during the first half of the trail, there was sooo much mud..mud..mud.. felt more like a long arduous trek than a run in my view. my quads were really sore during the course as the uphill went up and up and the downhill went down and down. the mud looked soooo much like melted chocolate.. i told myself i am going to stay off chocolates for a while man.

next year we'll be back.. kind of miscalculated the distance for us.. if i knew the 2nd half was so short, i would have ran hard to the end.. i thought it was still a long way to go so i just walked uphill. but whatever..at least now i know what kind of preparation is required - probably walk up the long stairs at bt timah 10-20times as training per session..that'll probably simulate the going uphill of the race a little.

next year, we're going to train properly for it and bring a gloves. camelbak isn't a necessity to have though, in my view. on the whole, it was a great way to spend the weekend.

read the race report of action asia singapore. 107 teams. i thought there'll be more people..they were catering for 150 teams. the cost is the biggest turnoff for me.. and moreover, i don't have a team mate to race with. gee.

aac hk registration is open and i am still without a team mate. what to do? what to do?

it's going to be a long monday. got to study for advanced theory test tomorrow. went thru one of the q&a book twice during trip up to genting. got to go through the other 2 times today. one more time tonight and hopefully one more time tomorrow morning. let's see how it goes. wish me luck!

Wei Lun, Zhen Jie & Teck Heng 

Wei Lun feeding bday boy, Teck Heng, bday cake. Zhen Jie holding his mouth open. 

lonely 21km

totally jaded.

ahm report.
ahm was a lonesome ahm.
apparently after oversleeping.. i was way too late to join in the ahm which was suppose to be flagged off at 530am. though i have signed up for the 10km as rl was paying for it, my plan was still to run 20km down to esplanade and do the ahm. however, this sleepy head here had done it AGAIN.

oversleep. oversleep. oversleep.

after work at rl on sat, i was dead beat. went to bed feeling a little "out of reach". a head full of doubts on whether i would be able to survive a full marathon ordeal laid ahead of me. with that heavy heart, i laid my heavy head to sleep.

i was rudely awoken by a jolt, realising i must have slept way beyond the 3hrs i was given. oh shit! 430am?!?!? holly molly! so there i went..messaging chum n billy, this silly girl had done it YET AGAIN. while in the midst of exchanging sms and phonecalls, disappointment with myself picked my head and rammed it against the wall. i actually teared coz here i was sitting there watching time go past and knowing i was falling short of what i had planned.

somewhere in me, i needed someone to just tell me, hey..just go on. msging iggy, my coach who believes so much in me, i then took out a pen and my notebook and scribbled randomly the time i have had left and what i could accomplish out of it.

upon doing so, i could tell i have time to run down from cck to esplanade and still make it for the 10km run. so it was a lonely 20km down..bought a bottle of h20 and brisk walked down to the start point. met johnny along the way and he almost wanted to join me for the 10km run (he just finished 21km).. but he decided to go home to sleep anyway. billy joined me for the 10km run (and he too did 21km already) ..

the 10km was the most horrrendous one i have ever ever ever done. 97% of the crowd were WALKING and because of that they jammed up the lanes causing the ones who want to run unable to move.. runners just had to walk with the rest of the walkers. billy and i were so disgustingly pissed! rain started to fall when we hit suntec which was about the 5km mark. the water barricades pushed everyone into a long bottle neck.. it was really frustrating walking in the rain and getting wet. on final resort, billy, chongyap and i climbed over the barricades and ran down by the side all the way to suntec for shelter.

anyway, cutting the long story short, tricia only managed 25km out of the 42km intended. oh well..

i have put myself on another endeavour for the 4-6pecs challenge. i have no idea where am i going to get those abs..but i will start doing the ab exercises i've found on the net. need some change to my diet too..sigh. let's see how this works out.. maybe i should just pull out. i'm not a worthy opponent against iggy and wicky.

bday surprise for teck heng turned out really good. i'll post the photos up soon. his friends - zhen jie and wei lun made it really fun. i see alot of potential in these youths around me.. i do hope they'll channel their talents to the things worth their effort, i'm sure they'll go far.

toolbox is cancelled. i think it's a good thing coz time is really to hard pressed for us to do a good job.

i am dying to get better. i want to get faster.. told iggy i will try my best if he can teach me how to. when someone believes in tricia, it gives her alot of strength. just like aman believing tricia can race sac, she went all the way out and did it. even when it meant mtbiking every after noon.. even when she fell umpteen times, she could still pick herself up and go on. i was able to complete sac because aman believed in me.

iggy believes in me too. i do hope i can get myself out of lane 1. i want to get faster. i want to get better. and it'll all start from my mind. =)

what pooh says?

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh.

"What do you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.

-- A. A. Milne, "Winnie the Pooh"

oversleeping & water sprinklers

got scolded by a youth with really unpleasant vulgarities (ccb) right in my face. wooh.

while doing 6 beat kick drill during shifu's swim yesterday, left calf cramped. one of the worse cramps i've ever experienced. pain was excruciating and i couldn't even straighten my leg. thank goodness it was after the 5x600m swim. koyok-ing my left calf now. hopefully it'll be well enough for a short run later.

was too lazy to do the macrit run this morning. ended up rolling in bed. i seriously should consider getting an alarm clock with SNOOZE function. then again..it seems that most alarm clocks aren't working too well to fish tricia out of slumber. oh dear. =( i know a sure way to get tricia out of bed is to blast some really lousy music...for eg madonna's hung up. i remember on 2 occasion when that song came on while i was sleeping, i was so disturbed, i had to choice but to wake up and switch the hi fi off.

didn't do much this morning..only ended doing some weights..some stretch..and listened to mos (ripped it from aaron). after putting mos on for 30mins, i couldn't stand the noise any more and changed it to cinema serenade. itzhak perlman makes better music than those mos-sy guys.

planning to do a bike ride before going down to sentosa for real run. i hope i can wake up on time though..=P

was wondering what can be a good remedy for my oversleeping habit. the only way that'll probably work would be to install time operated auto water sprinklers. =/

i lost my phiten on sunday. *sobs* this was how it looked like (not my neck..grabbed it from the net) 

i got a new phiten as a gift!! Billy bought me the phiten sport necklace in black with red wording. =)  

birthday part 2

they didn't forget!! =) ivy, nelson, souk heng and joshua gave me a shock surprise. i was talking to linda and qi fang in the study room until ivy came in and brought me out.. she said nelson wants to talk to me..mentioning that why i was no where to be found the whole day.. i was like o_O??? walked into office, the lights were all switched off. ivy led me to phileo room and i saw nelson sitted there.. i was thinking in me.."shit. am i going to get scolded or what? but i was in the office the entire day mar!?!?" surprise surprise!!.. souk heng n josh sprang out from behind the door with a muffin and candle on it.

awwwwwwwwww... =) so touched..sob sob!

adding to the list.. more well wishes from..

-mingshen
-joanne

protein whey is in. shit..if i knew i'm having dinner at home, shd have asked them to deliver straight to my home la! argh! going to do balancing act on the bike later. i stuffed one bottle into my bag (advantage of having a BIG bag).

birthday part 1

thanks for remembering my friends.. in the order i gotten the well-wishes

1. efrem
2. bernard (wildcat)
3. guobin
4. adrian chum
5. billy
6. dw (i had to mention it first lor!)
7. aaron
8. bimo
9. weijie
10. jerry liew
11. rennie
12. vincent ow (financial planner)
13. david chan (trifam)
14. francis (trifam)
15. jeremy (trifam)
16. grace (trifam)
17. caroline (trifam)
18. david, mythos (trifam)
19. steve (trifam)
20. yanglyn (trifam)
21. teng
22. janson

so blessed! =) it's so far one of the best bdays i've had.

no one in office remembered though. =(

my aunty got me a butterfly necklace. chum gotten me a mountain smith bag (way way wayyy before my bday). mum made me look prettier. kor offered to get me a present..ho ho ho..suunto vector!?!?!

moments into 11th aug, i had the chance to make a wish and cut a really nice bday cake (which i couldn't bring myself to eat. think: all the fat i'll pile on. and all the workout i need to do to burn them off!) hearsay often disallow the disclosing of bday wishes as it would cause them to not-come-true. somehow this year's bday wish clinged on in my heart.. even as i biked to work this morning, i was still thinking about it. my wish is to see my mummy happy everyday. if she's happy, i'm happy. then everyday will be a happy (birth)day.

happy things for happy me

yayyy! i've gotten the approval from nelson for my desaru him. i was feeling really depressed when i saw on the agenda this morning

v. Working Sat - Non Negotiable - no taking leave

i was like...wa laoooooooooo..sian ..this was indirectly saying my leave for desaru is gone..

an hour into the meeting, we finally came to that Working Saturday point.. as nelson explained.. working sat is non negotiable -nods- sometimes we do change 3rd saturdays to other sats..-nods-.. sept tricia has applied for leave on working sat -nods-.. we changed from 3rd sat to 2nd sat in sept -nods-.. so nelson will approve tricia's leave! -nods!?!?!?- woooooweeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! i was delighted! immediately i thanked nelson. finally, after missing HIM last year (due to working sat), this year i am getting to go.

kenneth, quan wei and i named the pui pui red nose fish in the youth centre tank - JOSHUA. laffs! kenneth and quan wei came to the centre and said our fishes are dying..so i pointed to the pui pui fish and said.."where got dying? u see our fish so fat!" then kenneth replied, " joshua" (i think he was calling joshua then... then i looked at him and said, " har? pui pui fish is joshua?!?"

okies..comic relief.

nus called up if i'll still be keen for the management support officer post..and i said YES! wow..this job thingie have been bugging me for quite some while, i have to admit. the lady mentioned about putting my application for the school of business. -crosses her fingers- let's hope for the best! =)

i do know it's about time for me to move on. there've been alot of people and things coming together to affirm that feeling. i probably won't stay in new life over to 2007.

billy showed me the simulation of trailblazer course yesterday. oh crap..it looks like another painful race, akin to sac. i probably will get really scratched up..this time i must wear the tights i gotten from adidas to "protect" myself. going to have a hellish time washing it at the end of the race. o_O

bulk bought protein whey. chum and i are like stocking on whey, as though we'll be facing famine or something. imagine 2 marshmellow persons, muscle packed, walking down the street.. hahaha..okies..this is crap. but just IMAGINE all the muscles i'm going to get. hahaa..

i need to get some heavier weights.. but the thought of lugging it back is daunting. gulps. the last time i had to transport two 5kg weights back from queensway shopping centre, the plastic bag that held them nearly gave way. i ended carrying the weights like they were babies in my arms.

had early bday wishes from efrem and bernard. thanks guys. thanks for remembering.

kor asked what i want for birthday. the 2 things i can think of are my sunnto vector and probably another saucony pheonix. it's always safe to get my sports related stuff..things i can use for running, biking, swimming or adventure racing. it seems a little too much to ask for a vector..though pheonix is not on the i-really-really-want-it list. arghhhh..howie?!?!?

interval training tonight. will end the night off with some conditioning. lights weights, more reps, like justin taught me.

oh yes. embarking on this new diet plan. (not again)

i've somehow managed to replace dinner with something light and soupy (excluding yesterday coz i was famished after the ride..and one other day which i had some crap food). okies..so it'll be soup for dinner and lunch will be replaced with protein whey. bfast will remain as bread (my top carbo choice).

in addition to that, it'll be 3 sessions of weights training per week, week ends will be cardio focused. with desaru him just a brick away, it's high time i be more conscientious about things.

True North comes in 5th for NUS Race Adventura! Well done! 

mmds II race report

mmds putrajaya - completed. akin to last year, the bike leg was the killer. encountered a major hiccup during 1st lap of bike. couldn't understand why everyone was zooming pass me..i thought my legs were dead or something.. i was snail-ing away.. really a vast difference from the last time i did the same course in sept 05. 2/3 through the course, i finally couldn't stand it anymore and stopped at the side of the expressway. peered over my handlebar and found the right side of the brake pad against the rim. shit. my brake calipers were misaligned.. no wonder i was like a snail and my legs felt like a tonne. quickly adjusted it and pinched my rear wheel. the psi in there is definitely lesser than 120. thanks to the floor pump that didn't work. it released more air in my tyre than added on.

after the pause.. i was rushing to make up for the lost time. thank goodness i caught up with some mtbs.

the climbs felt never ending. up and down up and down. run was great. flat. dead flat. and really thank God for good weather. it became really cloudy towards the end of the race. the 2nd run was made alot alot alot easier. last yr's 10km run was a killer for me.

aug9 : desaru ride vs working at rl, i picked the former. woohoo.. it'll be fun riding with grace and the other people from trifam. =) i'm giving up work at rl for a fun day at desaru..hehehe

signed up for desaru him despite knowing it clashes with working sat. i'm bent to go for it since i missed it last year.

2 more days to major change in my life.

time to leave for swim training. riding up with my market bike. it's going to take a long time to get to queenstown pool! =

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it2LyfiaXyI

woohoo..takes my breath away. =) 

the exact way i wish my home looked. all white with a black grand in my living room. 

he has got interesting facial expressions when he plays 

i love him. for his talents. for the music he plays.  

i have a new love(again?!?!)

发花痴-ing again..

read about my new love: Li Yundi

Yundi Li was born in Chongquing in central China. As with many musicians, his penchant for music became apparent in early childhood. One day, when he was three years old, he was so fascinated by a man playing an accordion in a shopping mall that he refused to leave the mall.
At the age of four, he started learning to play the accordion. When he was seven, he asked his parents to let him have piano lessons. At the age of twelve, Li gave the best performance in a fiercely competitive selection process and thus earned himself a place at the top music school in Sichuan province.

About a year later, when Li's teacher decided to take up a post at the School of Arts in Shenzhen, southern China, Li's family moved in order to allow the young prodigy to continue his studies in Shenzhen. The tuition at this school was expensive, and Li's mother had already given up her job in order to supervise the boy's education. However, Li had won numerous scholarships and awards which enabled him to afford the fees.

At thirteen, Li won the Stravinsky Competition in the United States. He went on to take First Prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in the United States and Third Prize at the Franz Liszt Piano Competition in the Netherlands, as well as being a major winner in the Second China International Piano Competition in Beijing.

At just eighteen, Yundi Li won the first prize at the Frederic Chopin Competition held in Warsaw in October 2000.

He has recently announced that he will never compete again. He is currently on the roster of Deutsche Grammophon (DG). His first recording for DG was an all-Chopin recital album, released in early 2002. Meanwhile, he continues his musical studies in Germany

i found this really fun photo taken during the last toolbox kidz camp. merissa in black, denis in pink, tricia with her rendition of batgirl and kendra hiding behind the batgirl. 

these are NOT shoes meant for running. walking, yes. running, NO!!!! running 4km with it made my hamstrings hurt..to think i added insoles. imagine without insoles..o_O everyone deserves better shoes. nike sucks! (imho) 

i dream alot lately

bimo advised me against getting an slr unless i am ready to invest that amount of money into it. i kind of agree with what he said. gee..it's back to point and shoot cameras for me. why must there be such a huge leap from p&s to slrs? why must it cost soooooooo much to get a slr??

i ran to work this morning (with those idiot recoupe shoes) and i witnessed something really fun, which i wished i had a camera with me to capture.

a grandfather was riding a kiddy 4wheeler bike with his grandson behind, coming down the little slope towards the carpark. whenever the grandfather honked, the grandson would go "eeeeeeee!" and it was so amusing seeing and hearing the grandfather honking away and the grandson eeee-ing away. i wished i had a camera in my hand that very moment. i wished i had a SLR! i wished i had the ability to capture that scene. i can see the picture in my hand.. catch the photo in a slow shutter speed (is it slow ah?) ..then get the slight blurry effect...that gives that look of speed. i'll go find a photo to illustrate what i mean. but i can already see what i want to capture in my head, just that i didn't have a camera nor did i have the skills to.

the new thing i would like to pick up is photography. just some basic skills ..and like ivan said..the rest is practise, practise and more practise.

bimo said he'll let me play with his manual nikon. the one i fiddled which the aperture during our tomyam dinner. i can't wait to put a roll of film in it and start snapping. hoping all 36shots won't turn out all blurry.

talk about cameras, i haven't got to use my antique rangefinder as yet. i'm not too convinced if it really works or not. might just lug it along when i meet up with bimo and get him to try the camera.

this morning as i read the morning papers, i took a moment to sit back and just stared into the family portrait. he's finally leaving us. there's such a sense of relief for me. it feels like the release of a bondage or something. frankly, i feel if he wants to leave, leave for good. let us be able to start life all over again..he has already wasted so much of our precious time.

bro and sis in law are going to have a kid soon..they are a family unit now.

so it leaves just my mum and i who are going to watch over each other.

a nice side-track thought: won't it be nice to find a guy who can and will take care of my mummy and i?

dream on, tricia! haeheaheahaehae

unhappiness is nauseating

i packed alot of unhappy things into one big jar and gently put the lid on.

looking away from it. there are other things worth my time.

unhappiness is nauseating.

when it all gets too much, i go for a run. let's see how far my legs can bring me.

let me go!

my morning didn't start out too good.. a L plated car brushed against na na this morning. heh. miscalculation of the overconfident L plate gal who tried to filter through the 2nd lane to the 1st at a relatively high speed, cutting the cyclist.

after brushing against my bike that caused her left mirror to be pushed inwards, she hurriedly stopped the car at the side. i just carried on my way, i wonder why did she stop anyway..chum said probably she might have gotten ticked off by the instructor.

funny thing, though i could have been knocked over..there was no adrenaline rush. i just went..oooo..titanium handlebar is good. maybe i've been through much worse accidents to let such a little brush seem to be of anything worth a hoo-haa about.

i was about to sign up for desaru tri until i realise it clashes head on with nl's working sat. what?!!?!?!?! i'm going to miss this 2nd year. last year it was also because of the working sat at nl that's why i had to disappointedly miss it. this year again?!?!!? i cannot believe it. i'm thinking of trying to feign ill, get an mc to cover me through.. coz i really really want to do the desaru tri badly.

race report. we did relatively well. according to the marshalls, we came in the top few teams in mixed open..but how true that is, let's wait for the results to release. we completed it in less than 5hrs 15mins..which is much shorter/faster a race compared to the ntu one.

it's pretty well organised and fun. the only rant i have about the entire race is the passport.. it's by far the WORSE and MOST LORK KORK passport i've ever come across. it's just basically an A5 piece of paper with 3 columns. not laminated.. how is it going to withstand 5hrs of race??? probably the organisers haven't done adventure races themselves.. it's crazy to race with a passport like that.

anyway the entire race had 9 check points and it went like this.

starting point was at bt batok nature reserve.

cp 1: bt timah visitor centre. from there we had to locate 2 huts within bt timah itself. remember the code printed on a sheet of paper, placed at the huts and run back to start. (feels like sac's first station too. but much shorter. sac we had to find 10 chkpts out of 14 given)

cp2: run to macrit. bt being chew's home ground, we took the bike route out to the exit where catchment path leads too. then from there we run/walk to macrit.

cp3: venus link (at exit of macrit, near thomson) ran through macrit in the huge cat 1 downpour. (yes, we heard the siren from the ranger station but we just continued running) the rain was good to cool us off..but abit too heavy though. i was intially worried if my first aid kit would be soaked through..and my ziplock holding cash and cards might not hold. but what the heck..during a race, we just keep going. where got time to find banana leave to use as umbrella? hehe.. venus link turned out to be the road far deep in that can be reached by taking the road beside the country club.

cp4: bike to bishan park. again chew took us through some hdb flat to bishan park. short cut!! unlike the given instructions by the marshalls to take the route within bishan park. justin was stationed at this cp. nice seeing him.. he looks more muscular liao. punching him on his arm left my fist a little sore. =P

cp5: bike to sajc. i like this chkpt. haha..fun!!

cp6: bike to kallang. kayaking chkpt. we had some hiccup here..but ok la..smart chew worked around that.

cp7: bike towards esplanade. dropped bike at marina promenade. another chkpt. this chkpt, xiao niu did it really well. we failed during our 1st attempt..but 2nd attempt, xiao niu got it really fast n good.

cp8: run to keppel towers. it didn't occur to me we were going to climbadventure. if i knew, we could have took a short cut. that long cut let 1 team over take us. shit. chew n xiao niu did the rock climb. i did the super super super short abseil down. (i seriously thought the abseil down was a waste of time.)

cp9: run to chinatown. end point.

well done, team 121, true north!

i'm thirsting for more adventure thrills. more more more!!!!!

i might be giving action asia singapore a miss. will save that us110 for action asia hong kong. if xiao niu can't go, i'll team up with isabel..

i want to experience as much as i can this year, in case i do get into army next year..it'll be very tough to do any races at all.

oh yes..after going through bt timah yest..i told myself i am going to go back there one of these days and explore ALL the possible routes in there.

if i didn't have to work on sat, i probably would drag dw and chum along to bt timah for a walk after run at macrit. u 2 heng ah! i got to work..haehaehae..u r spared! =D

perhentian getaway is cancelled. weijie has to work. nvm la.. i actually felt it coming already. maybe i should try to utilise the leave for desaru..see workable or not.. i desperately want to go desaru!..please let meeeeeeeeeeeeeee... -sad look-