blessed christmas!

Do you marathon?

and so Mok has completed and won his very first marathon! yay!

picture courtesy of uncle tho, ripped off FB so resolution not that good

so back tracking to the long overdue pictures of my field trip to sungei buloh nature reserve... a few just to show the highlights of the day.....

family of otters sleeping!

the mudskipper!

and the monitor lizard....

crabs fighting

HUGE grasshopper

Squirrel!

there were more but i think i will stop here. haha

next up, pictures of Loop de Mandai with Jambion Low Suthep and currently 21-years-1-day-old sister!

all loaded for the ride!

decided to be vain and wear ankle socks

cloudy sky........

picking up my first companion Jambion Low Suthep with a newspaper tucked in his pocket, his cheater Easton wheels, and his custom made jambion helmet that says "LOW JI WEN", "2009 Singapore National Champion"

here comes the sister!

Jambion drafting!!!!

and finally, the not so happy ending - a rear flat on the cheater Easton wheels, making them not so cheater anymore...a nail pierced through it along Kranji reservoir and poor about-to-bonk-Jambion had to ride on it for half an hour before we could swap with my sis's wheel at NTU

no more pictures cos i spend most of the time worrying if the Jambion was fine and if the pace was alright for the sis, etc. i shall bring the camera along next time!

TWO days to Laos

FIVE days to my event

iamfeelingtired

God's Blessings (:

hi friends, prepare yourself for pictures, pictures and more pictures!
First up,

Pretty pretty Starbucks Coffee mug! very pretty and christmassey! the penguin is so cute! and it matches my bedsheets!Given by MOK, for christmas! :)
Next, JohnChin gave me this custom made Nike Shirt! Long story as to why he got it for me...haha!

Bought a new handphone! Samsung Omnia Pro 7330. the old one was really cranky so i traded it in

Now, time for BIKE STUFF! In preparation for the SEA Games, Uncle Robert Choy lent me CARBON CRANKS, DISC POWERTAP as well as ZIPP 404.  VIOLENT! After the bike was built up and I was supposed to train with it, I didnt DARE to touch it! but of course in the end I did la and it was AWESOME! Super light! Check it out! Looks soooo fierce

Gaerne also sponsored my NEW WHITE SHOES! Thanks to Jackie from Actionbods for brining it in for me! She got them to specially DHL it to Singapore so that I could get used to it asap for the Games!

I also got a free pair of OAKLEY RADAR, red and white, just like my bike/helmet/shoes/everything else. Thanks to Joey from Oakley Singapore! I see the world much clearer now. hahaha!

Not forgetting a new nutrition sponsor! Science in Sport (SiS) has joined my long list of sponsors in supporting me! :) Thanks to Patrick for taking me in! Here are the products that i've tried so far:

Rego Strawberry – Recovery Drink. It's Delicious! I love this product the best! It tastes exactly like a strawberry milkshake, not like any other protein shake that I’ve taken before (they all have this weird protein taste). It helps me recover from a hard training session and it is definitely something I look forward to at the end of training!

Go Lemon Lime – Electolyte Drink. Very refreshing taste! Gives me a boost of energy whenever I take a sip of it during my long rides in the sun.

PSP22 Orange – A carbohydrate drink. Keeps me going during my long rides and prevents me from bonking. I don’t feel as tired as the times when I just drink plain water during my rides.

Go Gel – As the name says, its a gel. It was my first time ever eating a gel and the experience was WONDERFUL. I was climbing a mountain during my training camp in Chiang Mai and I my legs were feeling extremely tired. After eating a gel – it was so delicious and tasty I finished it up in a few seconds – I immediately felt better and had more energy to push my heart rate up. The gel tasted like jelly and it wasn’t too sweet or too sticky. I love it.

GO Bar – They use real fruit juices to make the snack bar! I like the apple blackcurrant flavour. It’s a good bar if I am hungry on a ride and need a solid snack. It's huge too...it took me 3 days to finish 1 bar. haha!

Nocte – A night drink that helps with recovery, for consecutive tranining days. Chocolate rocks, just like having a night cuppa milk before going to bed.

and finally, thanks to NIKE for supporting me! check out the number of bags i had to carry back from the lil visit to the office...........looks like i just got back from a warehouse sale or something. Thanks Andrew! And all the best for your IRONMAN! (i dun think he even reads my blog. hahaha) the stuff inside will be left for another day...........

I THANK GOD FOR ALL HIS BLESSINGS, ALL THESE STUFF THAT HE'S GIVEN TO ME IS OVERWHELMING!

okay this post took me extremely long. that's why i don't like to blog....but since i have all the time in the world now, that's why i blogged. hahaha! alrighty enough nonsense. i'll leave it to another post to show you guys the pictures from Monday's lil field trip to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

one last thing: TAPERING ROCKS MY SOCKS!

TWO WEEKS

today marks the end of the hard training period for the SEA Games
tomorrow we start tapering! YESSSSSS!!!!
14 days to my event
11 days before we leave
EXCITING!

i think this picture is very nice
it was taken at the flag presentation for the SEA Games a few weeks ago
the whole road cycling team was there! nice!
check out the lil boys swimming in their huge Tshirts which were size S. and mine was too small for me. hahaha

so, i went to sitex yesterday with the bf with the aim of getting the Panasonic Camera as well as scout for a new handphone cos my old one has been really really disobedient
it was such a disappointment! there wasn't even a SingTel booth! only M1 and Starhub
couldn't believe it man! and there wasn't a Panasonic booth either!!!!!!
the Samsung booth didn't have many handphones too, or maybe we (I) was so disappointed that there wasn't a SingTel booth that i didnt even bother to search much for the samsung phones -_-

well at least the visit to the Library before that was successful
reading Positively False now, the Floyd Landis book
very inspiring! these professional riders are so driven and ride insane number of miles
i guess that's what makes them champions
their brains are wired differently

so today's TT training was TIRING

good thing i met Lan Niao along the way to LCK and followed his L2 pace so that i got a good warm up before the hard intervals....if not i think i'll be slacking away.haha!
then saw the Thomson ride as they passed by with chichi jiwen adi and a few others in a breakaway! so exciting to see a ride from the outside...the pelaton was rather big today

ok sorry for it being abrupt, but suddenly i am feeling VERY TIRED
bye!

yet another beautiful sunset

TA DA!

again, i wish i those buildings didn't block my view -_-

i wanna get a Panasonic Camera!!

for the sun lovers

this was yesterdays nice-but-not-as-nice-as-tuesday's sunset! but my handphone camera doesn't do justice to what it actually was..........







AND................... DRUMROLL..........................

this is today's! taken with a better camera.......IT WAS AWESOMEEE!BUT it was from Mok's room which was blocked by KR...my old room in KR would have given me a MUCH MUCH better view

but STILL, i thank God for this life (really) and the beautiful sunsets that He makes everyday although we hardly get to see them here in Singapore (:

so, i had a good day today:

1. rode and almost bonked

2. gymed

3. got my superb massage

4. came back and slacked around

ahhh, the life of a professional cyclist. i could get used to this.........

so it's off to bed for me. exciting stuff tomorrow since it's a public holiday - motor pacing!!

good night toodles!

love

"Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful."




God please help me love all around me, especially my family. Amen. :)

of the tired

sorry my dear blog readers (i think the numbers can be counted with one hand)
i am of the tired
never plan to attempt to ride another 2hrs after doing/having the following:
1.  an average lab session, plew's standard - a bad one by dinahsaur's standard
2.  contrast bath
3.  freezing in ssc for 2hrs with wet clothes
4.  yummilicious lunch treat from dan loy
5.  a full bladder

with that, I shall TRY to take an afternoon nap
haven't been sleeping well these few days although i am SO TIRED
wish i can be like this

it's contagious

it's Christmas time!

decided to change my blog skin to something blue! this is totally influenced by Low Suthep

this is a good start. i will continue tomorrow (if i have the strength after lab training) and add more links etc.

please stay tuned!

meanwhile, have a good night everyone!

Nike+ Human Race Rock Concert!

3,000 members of the public get the chance to attend concert by top local and regional acts at Nike+ Human Race


Rock acts such as Estranged and Agrikulture will join local bands The Fire Fight and Composition B on stage for a musical treat at the world’s largest running event!



The public is welcome to join in the unique heart-pumping concert flag-off at 7am along the start lines of the F1 Pit Straight. The first 3,000 members of the public will be given access to the concert this Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis.



A highly energetic concert is expected to round up celebrations of the world’s largest running event, held on the same day in more than 30 cities worldwide, with powerhouses Thaitanium (Thailand), Agrikulture (Indonesia), Estranged (Malaysia) Chicosci and Taken By Cars (Philippines) as well as local talents Composition B and The Fire Fight taking to the stage

Nike+ Human Race Route

Hey everyone! more about the Nike+ Human Race! this year's route is quite different from last year's..
Pretty exciting...check it out!

click on it to enlarge

The race starts start off at the F1 Pit Building, moving along Republic Avenue onto the Nicoll Highway, passing the Kampong Glam mosque in the background and towards the iconic National Stadium before making a loop at the newly renovated Kallang Leisure Park.


The return route will see participants of this annual race going around the famous Singapore Indoor Stadium before heading to the Police Coast Guard and passing the Kallang Water Sports Centre. The home stretch will be along Kallang Road towards Crawford Street and back into the F1 Pit Building.

The event will see runners celebrating the end of their race with a highly energetic music concert featuring top regional bands such as Thaitanium (Thailand), Agrikulture (Indonesia), Chicosci and Taken By Cars (Philippines), Estranged (Malaysia) as well as local talents Composition B and Fire Fight.

The Nike+ Human Race 10K will flag off on 24 Oct 2009 at 7am. Race entry pack collection will be held from 16 – 18 October, from 10am – 7pm at the Singapore Flyer.

For more information on the Nike+ Human Race 10K, please log on to www.nikeplus.com.sg .

jaded

Things to do:

1. IS individual portfolio
2. Gymnastics Assignment
3. Badminton E-learning assignment
4. Biology Concept Map
5. Biology Multiple Intelligences Presentation
6. Biology Mircoteaching practice preparation
7. many more

Friday

lab training, weights training, cold bath, massage, team dinner@HV

Saturday

180km ride, SEA games cycling team meeting @ Tampines, do work, church

Sunday

TT training, watch IVP, do work


HELP.


i.am.so.tired.

just needed to rant.

i like this

October SHAPE magazine

click on it to enlarge

i think i look weird =|

Nike+ Human Race 24.10.2009

hello everyone! sorry for MIA-ing for sooo long after Asian Cycling Championships!
been reallllly busy catching up with all the classes i missed during ACC and then it just keeps getting busier and busier!
thankfully Mike postponed the assignment deadline to Monday....whewwwww


anyways, it's 17 days 21 hours 27 mins 30 seconds to the Nike+ Human Race as I type
the response this year was superb man! every slot was grabbed up in record time!
so Nike opened an additional 500 slots for runners.. In addition, the first 1,000 customers who purchase the latest edition of the Nike+ Sportband will be given a FREE entry into the race!!

i think as of today there are still some slots left for the race, so HURRY GO GRAB YOUR NIKE+Sportsband asap! i've got the pink one! :)




Here's what happened on the day the extra 500 slots were opened - response was overwhelming!

Nike released 500 registration entries for the Nike+ Human Race 10K to the public exclusively at the Nike flagship store at Wisma Atria at 11am on Wednesday.


A queue of more than 500 people formed by 11am, with the first person queuing as early as 1130pm the night before.

22-year-old students from NTU, Joan Hsu and Cai Lixian, were within the first 70 lucky registrants.

They started queuing at 9am to register for the race.

Joan said, "This is our first time joining the Nike Human Race and we wanted to be part of the race as we've heard many good things about it from our friends who took part last year. We're really looking forward to it this year and I think it's cool that we get to run with people all around the world on the same day during the race!"

Singapore is once again the only Southeast Asian city selected to host the event, amongst 30 major cities worldwide.


For more information on the Nike+ Human Race 10K, please log on to http://www.nikeplus.com.sg/

check out the long queue man!

Joan Hsu and Cai Lixian started queueing at 9am and got their slots!

I'm so sad :( my leg is still injured so i don't think i'll be able to run the race and defend my title
sobs...i really had a great time last year, seeing the whole sea of runners clad in red shirts, running for a good cause....
soooo, people, pls register for the race and run on my behalf! :)
 
ok that was a long post... will post up my SHAPE article soon! i'm in this month's addition of the magazine!
 
back to Instructional Strategies meeting..presentation's on Thursday  -.-

ACC ITT

hello everyone! long tiring day finally over
it was HOT HOT HOT
Lem did pretty well for his ITT, but his junior field was really strong
As for me, being my first ever ITT, it was an experience! and i think i could get used to it, kinda enjoyed it a lil, although it was one of the most painful ride in my life ever
came in 9th in a field of 21 females, 4th in South East Asia
thank God for the performance!
Jun Rong did well too! the steady motorbike...
we stayed on to watch vino and the rest of the 'monsters'
no surprise, vino won the ITT

it's back to Singapore tomorrow!
what an exciting, enjoyable, wonderful experience this has been
teammates, team manager, assistant team manager/mechanic/photographer were awesome
it's definitely the best trip i've ever had! thanks Dan, Jeff and Deanna!
thanks to sponsors Wilier, PassioneBicycles, First Endurance and Limar, not forgetting Nike for supporting me in cycling
and to teammates Chichi, Lemuel, Junrong, Jiwen and Junaidi, hope to have more trips together in the future!

ACC Part II

Day 4 – Men’s Elite Road Race
The day started nice and cool with the grounds still wet from the night rain
I woke up at 545am to spin for a short while on the trainer before having breakfast and following the boys to the race site
Anddddd…Vinokurov was really there! The Kazakh team had powerful riders like Fofonov Dmitriy (ex Crédit Agricole rider) and Astana riders Iglinskiy Maxim and one more other guy I forgot who
Basically they are power la
Me and Lem got dropped off on top of a climb so that we can do a standing feed for the boys
It was nice and cool for the first 2+hrs, and then it started to get rather sunny and hot
The race was exciting man! The stronger riders literally zooooomed past us on the climbs and made it look so easy! The Kazakhs relaxed for the first 3 rounds then made their move and they took the field from then on
1, 2, 3, finish for them (Fofonov, Vino, Iglinskiy) and a Hong Kong Rider (Wong Kum Poh) was 4th
The hk rider was powerful! He managed to follow fofonov and vino until he got attack badly by them
Our guys did pretty well! Jiwen 19th, Jud 23rd, JunRong 30+ and Calvin 40+
Calvin and JunRong worked really hard in the chase and attacked many many, really brave
Sat the broom wagon back to the finish line after that
My face was totally burnt man
Took pictures with the 3 race winners!!

Day 5 – My Road Race

It was nice and sunny when I woke up, had breakfast and got the new team attire!
It’s much thinner and more ventilation compared to the old one
Sat the bus to the start line with Dan
It was soooo hot man, so I stayed in the shelter until about 830am, then headed out for a short 20mins warm up with the boys who were having a short spin before packing their bikes and leaving for Singapore
The race started at 9am and off we went
A total of 39 female starters, riders from China, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Syria, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam
The peloton started really slowly so I had time to warm up and relax… then we hit the climb.
First climb was rather painful cos my legs were not used to the pain yet….then down we went and PFSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT when my rear tire, just 20 minutes into the race
In my head, I thought that all was over as Jeff was changing my rear wheel, and even more so when I started to ride with my heavy Aksium training wheels
But with encouragement from Daniel over the radio, a lil drafting from the team car (which got us fined by UCI.lol) and God’s help, I managed to catch up with the peloton!
From then on, I just tried to stay alert and sane. The peloton was really slow cos there was a breakaway and most of the teams were represented there, so their teammates held the rest of us back. But on the climbs, I felt really good and was always ahead of the peloton 
Thank God for his protection, it’s totally amazing. The 2 chinese Taipei girls came from my sides and just squeezed me, so I touched the left, then the right rear wheel and spun out of control to the right towards the road divider. Just when I thought I was going to crash, SOMEONE held my handlebars steady and I didn’t crash! THE hand of God (: lovely
I gave it my all at the end, but due to me not eating (cos I’m not used to eating during the race, but I really have to start learning how to cos I almost bonked!) I lost out at the sprint..my legs were starting to cramp!
So I was probably 15th or 17th but could have been top 10…but overall I guess it was a good race!
My back was sooooo achey after the race that I couldn’t even remove my clothes! Good thing it got better after that, and at night, the world’s-best-team-manager Daniel Loy gave me a ONE hour back massage.
Feel like a Queen here sia.hahaha

Day 6 – ITT

Couldn’t really sleep last night only slept 6hrs, and when the sun came up (at 6am), I couldn’t sleep anymore
Had breakfast in the lounge as usual and its Indonesia’s National Day! They had some mini flag raising ceremony downstairs
Then went down to check the bikes to make sure everything is in order and sent Lem off for his ITT
Slacking around now, will take a nap later before my race
1pm race! Hot hot! But….i see some rain clouds coming! Hope it doesn’t rain but just stay cloudy..
Okay more updates later! Pictures will be up soon when I get them cos they’re in the big camera and we don’t have the cable…

Asian Cycling Chapionships

Day 1 – Travelling to Balikpapan, Indonesia

The day started early at 5am as the flight was at 0755hr, so we had to be at the airport at 6am
Check in took more than an hour due to the number of oversized baggage we had
A total of 13 big boxes; 10 bikes, tools and wheels
The check in lady was really calm, cool and patient with us! I was so surprised at her superb service!
So we took pictures and all and Dr Low said byebye to us
Daniel Loy, Jeff Adam, Deanna, Jiwen, Junaidi, JunRong, Calvin, Lemuel and me
Twas’ a small aircraft and so when we hit the turbulence, it felt like we were taking a roller coaster ride!! I was enjoying it (ok la, freaked out just a lil) but junrong next to me looked like he was going to cry! Hahahaha!
Thank God we arrived safely in Balikpapan airport, Indonesia, where it was raining
We loaded our boxes onto an open air truck and good thing the rain had stopped, if not the cardboard boxes would have been soaked
The Korean team and one Hong Kong rider were on the same flight as us so we had to wait for VERY LONG (I think it was like close to 1hr) for another truck to come cos the Korean team REFUSED to load their cardboard boxes onto the open air truck
And so 23 people squeezed into a small bus and the up and down, left and right, bump bump 2.5 hrs ride started to our hotel
The rollings were NEVER ENDING man! And we all went ‘uh oh’ cos we knew our course would be like that too
We finally reached the Swiss-Belhotel Borneo after passing by a river..pretty nice. This town is rich cos of its timber and mining
The hotel is like WOW. We got the executive floor, which gives us access to the executive lounge that has food almost every moment of the day and computers with internet, although we have free wifi in our rooms (highly unstable)
After unpacking our bikes, we headed to a small mall nearby for a very late lunch at 4+pm and shopped around in the supermarket
Dinner, team meeting, then it was bedtime

Day 2 – Riding the route

I had a great sleep and woke up really early
We had breakfast at 8am and then it was out to ride the course at 9am
Weaving in and out of traffic before we finally hit the actual course
UPPPPPPPPP, DOWNNNNNNNNNNN times many many
So tired after the 2+ hrs ride
There was an upslope (not part of the race course but it was on the way back to the hotel) so steep that I thought I was going to roll backwards!
The course was rather intimidating to me with the many climbs, but the more I rode, the easier it seemed
we all had race radios too, first time for me having one. Very cool man
jeff our assistant team manager together with Deanna were in the team car, feeding us nice cold water and coke, and after riding, he cleaned and fixed our bikes
Not used to having someone clean and fix my bike. Thanks Jeff!
Then it was lunch and mall, transformers in lem and dan’s room, dinner, team meeting, sleep
Pretty boring day

Day 3 – TT bike

Rode the course and climbed 2 rounds on the road bike
Me and Lem switched to the TT bikes to try out the course and dan accompanied us while the rest went back to the hotel cos their race is tomorrow
Not bad, but really tiring man…then it started to rain on our way back! All our WHITE bibs and jerseys got dirty and the stain can’t come out!!! :(
I’ve been eating so much! Pineapples and watermelons especially
Just had dinner and I’m so full!!! Think I’ll put on some more weight again man! Bad bad….
But the climbs are so tiring that I’m so hungry and tired after the ride. Plus the hot sun! The sun rises really early here, like 545am, so by the time we head out to ride at 9-11+ it’s scorching
oh oh, Alexander Vinokourov is racing!!!! and a few other astana riders, all racing for Kazakhstan team! hope to get his autograph and see him!!
watching teevee now, the woman in the show so EVIL!!!! urgh.okay back to my show.hahaha...

Pictures plus more updates will be up soon!

roller

had fun on the roller last Wednesday, taking pictures and videos cos it was the first ‘ride’ after my ‘surgery’ on Monday and I was very happy :)

enjoying the ride

hello everyone!
the Wilier has been treating me very well these days!
very nice to ride, very stiff (Lemuel Shifu teach one), very fast!
back to proper training again after Doc Cormac gave the all clear on Monday
although a lil bit of fluid came back..but shd be okay! but if it hurts more and more with training then i have to go back to check again.praying hard that it doesn't come back!

went for swim training on Monday
thank YOU zhiyun for the yummy bakes! miss your bakings
and weewee's too!!! and lala bakes really well too
now that leaves only me who doesn't bake.hmmm

Mok is back from Jakarta! did a superb timing of 33.17
Ying Rong did a 40.38! that's insane for a 16 (almost) year old! crazily fast!

alrighty, gotta go off for lunch now and then lab training at ssc
followed by transformers later in the evening! yay!

new bike

just changed my frame a few hours ago, from 8am-12pm
presenting to you… WILIER IZOARD

i feel that it’s a lil too red though. wanted white handlebar tapes, but the last one was sold (cos the frame came in late……………. :( )

picture story of the building up process

can’t wait to ride it later! when the roads dry up

thanks to Lem and Tim for tips on how to strip and assemble my own bike, Alex for cable-ing it up, and of course Daniel Loy of Passi:one: Bicycles and Wilier for sponsoring the bike!