Of runs, destructions & passion

2 weeks since I last blogged. Well, been on a lot of shift work ever since I transferred to A&E. However, I realized that I am growing to like the shift work. I can do my swims and runs in the morning when I'm more energetic and then proceed to report for work at 2pm. I am in fact not tired in this way and most of the time, perform better for my workouts in the morning. When the roster this week required me to wake up at 6am to report for work fro 8am to 3pm, *WHOA OH*, it was quite a killer in a way. I needed my dose of coffee every morning, otherwise I would be suffering at work! Although the swims and runs could be done in the afternoons, it?s usually very hot (just like in the mornings at around 9-10 when I usually exercise) and I would be very tired mentally as well.

There's lotsa free time to myself as well. So much so that I have not have the chance to meet up some friends for very long! *Screams* I miss u girls! :( So hard to coordinate a timing to meet since I'm working on most weekends. Sorry pals... I work mostly 2-9pm too. I have to train for my upcoming biathlon and have been putting much time into the trainings. It's in preparation for my Nepal trip too!

Talking about Nepal, I'm trying to get myself excited about it. Yeah, actually no need to try. I know when the time comes to getting all the last-minute logistics and paperwork to be done, I would be naturally EXCITED. Haha... Of course, I have been reading up very generally on the country as well. The usual prep I would do before visiting any country. But this time round, no need to go into details into the places I wanna visit and the itinery cuz everything's planned!

There is definitely mild excitement as I read about Nepal as there would be in every other trip I went for. However, this is really different cuz to put it simply, Nepal is a CHILDHOOD DREAM. Yes, a country I have always wanted to go the very moment I read about it. Or maybe watched a TV documentary on it. Long before I even started backpacking. Long before I even fascinated about visiting the exotic countries in every nook and cranny. Long before I even dreamed that I was 'born to roam'...

There are 5 countries I always wanted to visit since young. Egypt, Greece, Rome (not a country, but I did not know it last time! I always mixed it up with Greece where all the Roman ruins and architecture are! Hah!), Tibet and Nepal. Each and every country had something that fascinated me at a young tender age when I read about them, seen pictures or watched TV. Of course, the list has grown very long ever since! But these places do occupy a special place in my heart. They are what 'makes a Man big, for he dares to dream'.

Nepal. Here I come. I'm looking forward to stepping on your sacred ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I actually had today off, but a colleague changed his off day with me as he's flying to HK. Have fun, boy! Anyway, it was a kind of a 'normal' weekend for me more or less (besides the fact I have to work today). I had yesterday off and it was precious. I went to GV to do my simulation training for the biathlon next week. The last one before the race. I did 60laps across the pool at 8:27, 8:28, 8:25. 8:25, 8:35, 8:35 and took 3minutes for transition, after which I ran 52 minutes to Hillview area and back. The sun was strong, but there was shade along the way. Still tolerable.

Definitely not as strong as the very 1st time I did the simu-training. Probably due to the fact I did over an hour of swim? Anyway, no serious muscles tension in calves nor thighs after that. Good.

Cooled down with 10laps of B.S and 6 laps of F.S. There was only 3 other guys in the pool at that time! 1pm! 2 were teacher and student. Another was swimming seriously. What a great pool! Yet underutilized.

Wanted to meet LL after that for a drink but she was not feeling well. So off she went to rest at home. Hope she's feeling better now. The weather lately is a killer when u are not in an A/C environment. :p Humid, stuffy and fair(no clouds!) in the morning. That's the sunny island of Singapore for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was early when I got back today and the weather was relatively cloudy. I decided to get my bike out and go cycling to capture some images that I always wanted to take when I'm out running around GV area. Of the destruction caused by Man in order to build some roads and drain a canal(?!) Sigh. I got those pictures. I really miss the old area which I used to run. I did not take them for granted. I appreciate the moments I get to run there and meet fellow runners or walkers and the friendly smile or greeting I would get from them. Sigh. One stretch is forever gone. There was an uncle who usually runs there and I met him just now with another uncle picking durians. They were talking about how the number of runners along that stretch had dwindled due to the blocked access to another path. Sigh. Of course, even I do not run that stretch anymore. SIGH.

The moment I entered GV, all tension and stress within me seemingly evaporated into the air immediately. I was surrounded by Nature, with just the path before me to watch out for. And the sounds of the birds and insects in the bushes. The sound of the water flowing in the canal. The smells from the bushes or canal, sometimes putrid, sometimes crisp. I have not cycled through GV for very, very long. I almost always ran through it only. Cycling provides a different way of enabling you to enjoy the scenery without feeling the stress of your body weight with each step and the need to concentrate on your breathing. There was a light breeze as I cycled along. It was simply a piece of paradise. I stopped occasionally to take some pictures and appreciate the surroundings, taking in the fresh air that encapsulated the entire environs. *Pure bliss*

I went off-road into the army training grounds. It was mountain biking here. Whoa. Heart rate increased and perspiration dripped. Lactic acid built up as well. It was not for long though. I did not go to the hard trails for this was supposed to be a leisure ride on a supposedly rest-day.

I was going to exit GV soon and cycle to Yew Tee where I wanted to take some pictures of a stretch. I missed the initial feelings of entering GV already, whereby the emotions experienced was one that was indescribable for you have to feel it yourself. *In 7th heaven*

I cycled to Yew Tee and along the way, passed by Mowbray Camp, and of course there was lots of greenery on one side of me. That stretch of road is actually rather quiet on the weekends and the coolness exulted from the greenery on my left side thrilled me! I felt so good. It was a rather long stretch and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Oh gosh... I was reminded of the times I cycled in Ubud, Bali, and of Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Not that I cycled in Sri Lanka, but the coolness somehow reminded me of the very cool weather in NE. And the kind of peace and solitude that I enjoyed within was comparable to what I felt when I was in those places. Beautiful memories... :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went swimming on Thursday, 9th March at CCK pool. I forgot to bring my goggles and had to come back home to pick it up. Otherwise, I would swim at Delta which is quieter. It's the school hols, so it's a mistake to come to CCK pool. Maybe due to the fact that it was already after office hours, hence there were many adults as well. Many 'frolickers', I would call them, as they seemed to be nothing but S.O.Ls!!! (ie. space occupying lesions, ermmm a medical term) They do not do serious swimming and some, or in this case, many(!) do not have the basic courtesy to give way to you, knowing you are doing laps. This would not occur in a pool which sees serious swimmers mostly, such as Delta, Queenstown and SPE. Argh. Those people would give way to you. In the 1st place, they would not even take your lane, knowing that you are doing laps! Ah ha!

I was 'massaging' my back in the jacuzzi pool after that (yeah, there's one in CCK swimming pool and the jets are quite strong!) when a mother was speaking to her 6-7 year old daughter in Cantonese. The little girl was very sweet as she spoke to her mum and to hear a young child speaking dialect to their parents is so rare nowadays. I immediately suspect she?s not local. I was right, when her other kids came to join them. Malaysians. Cuz of the Mandarin they spoke. I could not understand a word of their exchange simply. And it reminded me of my own shortcoming of not being able to speak even my own dialect properly. Sigh. I refused to learn when I was young, and I really regret it now. Sigh.

By the way, I find it very pleasant to hear a child speaking in dialect to her elderly. It's so innocent. :)

There's a wave pool at CCK too. There would be waves generated every hour and when it came, many kids from the Jacuzzi pool would flock to the pool. I could see rather well from where I was positioned that people were really enjoying themselves in the artificial waves. Friends would hold hands and try to venture further 'out' into deeper parts and float there. I remembered those times I was in Redang. :) When we tried to jump into the waves whenever one crashes onto the shore.

I just wondered, how could people be just satisfied with just playing with artificial waves? Why don't they try to get out into the sea with REAL waves? I mean, go to the beach or something like that. Some people may view this point of mine as trying to drive at something more parallel to Life. Put it in another way. Some people may be afraid of the unknown when they go to the beach. After all, who have not watched 'Jaws' before? The artificial wave pool could boost their confidence by letting them have a go at what it's like to be out in the open sea. But come on, don't deceive yourself. Those who have been to the sea or even oceans before can never find the same ecstasy when in an artificial wave pool.

Simply put: When you have experienced something that you truly want in Life, you want to keep going back. You would find ways and means to fulfill that objective you have found and relive the exhilaration all over again. Because every time you go through that process, you would feel that you have lived all over again. With no regrets.

Think about it. What is the most passionate thing to you?


Jack Palance: "Do you know what the secret of life is? One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don't mean shit."
Billy Crystal: "Yeah, but what's that one thing?"
Jack Palance: "That's what you've got to figure out."
~From the movie City Slickers