Army Half Marathons 2009

I made it! I made it! Completed my first ever 21km run at Army Half Marathon.

Time taken is so so - took almost 3 hours but glad that I finish it by my pair of leg (of coz la, who else).

Army Half Marathon Run experience:

The day started with hunting for toilet, toilets in Raffles City, Esplanade are locked to prevent thousands of ppl using it. Walk here and there, queue up at the Raffles City MacDonald for toilet but the person using it never comes out, most likely doing a BIG, if not, MacDonald locked it. Then walk to Esplanade to look for one. Lucky there was a disabled toilet available! Queues that seldom form for man is forming a snake queue outside. Waited awhile for my turn, phew...

Starting Point - Queue up about 100m from the Starting Point. Lotsa people around. Seeded runners are in front including our fren - Jimmy C.
Met Suet Ting earlier and then Calvin over at the starting point.

0 km : Pehhhhz (Loud hailer horn)! Run starts! Everyone chiongz! The pace was fast... I ran my own pace so not to be tired out too early.

2 km : Enter into ECP near Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resorts, everyone started to slow and walk abit. Hmmm.. guess runners started too fast in the beginning.

3-4 km : Run up Sheares Bridge, more people walking.

5 km : Elite runners made U-turn at East Coast and running back towards the finishing line. While me? Stil have at least 15km more to run. Dun understand how these people can run so fast?!

6-12 km : This stretch is within East Coast Park, the part of the running route that I dislike most. Nothing much to see and just run and run. My walking started liao as fatigue strikes. Run and walk, run and walk. At 10km, when everyone is sweating like pig, the smells of sweat started to spread too... *cough cough*. Started to feel hungry, though there are bananas provided, I don't think I can eat it. If I did, confirm vomit.

12 - 21 km : Fatigues hits me harder, walk more and ran abit. Stop at almost every water point to get my self hydrated. At 14km, the run meets with 10km runners, the wide becomes so crowded that you basically try to avoid knocking or running into others path.

21km : Saw the timer at the fininshing line, showing 2:59. Wooo hoo.. at least I don't see 3 hours yet but I shall take my time as 3 hours.

Tht's all for running experience. Pains sets in... I remember I saw one of the Army Division's station, putting up encouraging words - "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever." It keeps me moving though I am having pain on my heel and legs.

Now? Sitting at home and icing my heels and legs at home.

Will I go again? I think so... next run is Mizuni Wave Run 2009 that starts at 7.30pm. Much later time and 16km. Think should be able to cope. =D

Remember - Voltron?

Once a favorite cartoon during my childhood time. It is no doubt the nicest toy it had created from the cartoon. Lions ~~~

Living with a condition called Duke Nukem (Game).

This is my first time knowing this disease exist. It is all due to rare condition called “Moto-Neural Demyelination”. The person's motion is un-controllable and resemble the game - Duke Nukem first shooter hand position. Watch the video to know more about such condition.

Singapore to Penang Budget Flight Schedule

SIN- PEN

Morning
0700 – 0825 Jetstar (T1)
1015 – 1140 Tiger Airways (BT)
1030 – 1145 AirAsia (T1)
Afternoon
1645 – 1800 AirAsia (T1)
1820 - 1945 Tiger Airways (BT)

PEN – SIN

Morning
0850 - 1005 AirAsia (T1)
1210 – 1335 Tiger Airways (BT)
Afternoon
1505 - 1620 AirAsia (T1)
1710 – 1835 Jetstar (T1)
2015 - 2135 Tiger Airways (BT)

视而不见

有个阿姨，把吃过的餐具,推到我面前,然后视而不见. 我还望着她,看了看.没反应.厉害!

最近常遇到很多人,可以对很多事情，视而不见，明明就在他面前，可以当作没看到的，高招高手!
想应该是非常非常的‘专注’于其他的事. 你是不是和他们一样，有眼不开？有眼'看开'？

噢,那些餐具最后怎样? 当然没飞回她那里,我唯有向前推咯!

I ran 12km today!

I had a good run with Suet Ting, mixture of run and walk, in between short break. Did a 12.24km run in one and half hour. The run is around NUS area.

Starting point is Singapore Poly gate 4 car park, NUS, Clementi road, Pasir Panjang, Haw Par Villa, Vista Crescent, Kent Ridge Park, Science Park 1, NUH, NUS, Clementi Road and back to the Singapore Poly carpark.

My furthest run in gym is about 5.5km and never did so far and it is outdoor. Quite happy with the result but I think I can better the timing. =)

I hope I have enough distance to cover and be prepared for the Army Half Marathon on 16 Aug 2009. The distance is 21 km I think. Didnt even know the distance. haha.

I will run more and better timing! Hmmm.. will the slim down my tummy? No idea... but I will continue to run and run!

Life so far...

• Still employed. *Thank God.
• Went to Taipei again and again. Once every year since.. think 2003.
• Going gym at least twice a week.
• Tummy still not going down as fast.
• Eats multi-grain bread for breakfast since 2008.
• Got a small Kenari car that is good enough for city and some Malaysia road driving.
• Look forward to travel to other countries : Japan, Korea.
• Be a father. *By His will. =D
  

Cibai? What Cibai? Codename for Microsoft technology la.

What a name to use... Cibai for a codename by Microsoft.

*Cibai - "In hokkien (one of the chinese dialect), it means woman's private part. Used when cursing or fighting with another person."

See here .

Cibai: An abstract interpretation-based static analyzer for modular analysis and verification of Java classes

We introduce Cibai a generic static analyzer based on abstract interpretation for the modular analysis and verification of Java classes. We present the abstract semantics and the underlying abstract domain, a combination of an aliasing analysis and octagons.

We discuss some implementation issues, and we compare Cibai with similar tools, showing how Cibai achieves a higher level of automation and precision while having comparable performances.

Is this your lost luggage?

Is this luggage? Check it out at www.isthisyourluggage.com
It might be yours, your long lost luggage might be recovered from this website.

I am really amazed with people's creativity in their daily life, this website owner started to purchase those unclaimed luggage and started to photograph the contents in it.

Have you found your lost luggage?

World Biggest Bed Jump!

World Biggest Bed at Shanghai Century Square! Woo hoo!


World Trampoline champion, Jiang Yi Qi doing her jump on the world's biggest bed.

This world's largest bed is setup by world's biggest hotel group - InterContinental Hotels Group where they promote their new marketing effort, book 2 nights, get the 3rd night free!

The effort started in Shanghai and will be continuing in Paris, London and New York!
Follow them on twitter - twitter.com/bedjump or worldsbiggestbedjump.com

If you want the free nighte, book yours here!

I really hope I get to eat it now!

And that is .... this!

It makes me drool and have the sour feeling in my stomach. Really hope I can fly back now, eat couple of bowls and back here again.

Of course not! Just a thought. Although the budget airline going to provide the budget air ticket flying direct from Singapore to Penang, I still need to think twice due to the recession now. Never know what going to happen to tomorrow.

Check that link now to drool with me! haha...

My Canon 40D encounters ERR99

Bad news if you get this.

I encountered this early Apr and send in for diagnose and repair. It came back as, it's electronic board need to be changed. It will set me back as much as SGD$290 to change it.

What can I do? Repair it by changing the body lo. What to do...

haiz...

You should not disclose your personal information publicly.

Be careful about your personal information, esp. country that practices the use of personal identity card (IC) like Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. If you are not careful, it will fall into bad hands, real bad hands.

Reasons can be simple and yet nobody bother about it. However, during my last trip to Malaysia, I had noticed Malaysian had been very very very careful with the photo-copied IC. They had ensured that the IC had been canceled with a line stating what it is for and make sure they see it. Beside that, photo-copied credit card (front and back), the cvv number had been darken or removed completely to prevent theft of credit card use.

Why you should do the same?

If you don't, unknowingly, someone will pass your photo-copied IC to the loan shark to receive loans. You won't know until the load shark starts to paint you house door/gate red. By then, it is too late, either you report to the authority (police) or pay up. That's all you can do, worst still is that the harassment will affect your neighbours, by then you will be very shameful over it.

There has been report that this is happening, so please exercise precaution when disclosing your personal information.

Read more.

US President Barack Obama on Jay Leno show

US President Barack Obama appearing on Jay Leno night show. Any higher profile politician done that before? Don't think so, the world most powerful man is on the show. It shows how much things had changed over the years, politicians combining the comedy with their campaigns and ideas.

It reaches out to far more audiences, far far far more! He is really a new age leader in this chaotic world.

Enjoy the short clip. =) He speaks very well.

Hyundai Picanto anyone? Top car sales in Singapore.

Top car sales in Singapore and there is a new model by Hyundai - Picanto. Ya, it is Hyundai Picanto you see here. But, for real, it should be Kia Picanto.

LOL. Taken from www.AsiaOne.com [link]

Nikon F Miniature (toy) with Glico Sweet Candy

I not a big fan of Nikon but this miniature is too cute to ignore. It is sold in Japan with candy. It is made like the real camera but smaller scale.

You can even setup the camera like the real thing!

Taken from [here]

Washing Qualifcation - IN COLESLAW (English at it's broken)

Washing qualifcation. Wash in Coleslaw.

Stabbing at Nanyang Technological University leaves one dead

It happens in Singapore now. Yes, it is and it is in NTU. Is it copy cat from US's universities stabbing cases? Or plain revenge? Or ....

Read more and follow the news at www.channelnewsasia.com

SINGAPORE - 2 Mar 2009: A stabbing had occurred at the Nanyang Technological University -- leaving one dead and another is believed to have been injured.

Police could only confirm that there is an incident, but was unable to give details.

Eyewitnesses told Channel NewsAsia that someone had been stabbed, and that a student had jumped.

The body was found at the bottom of a building at the engineering block, which was about five-storey high.

- CNA/yt

How to live to 100.

The biggest factor that determines how well you age is not your genes but how well you live. Not convinced? A new study published in the British Medical Journal of 20,000 British folks shows that you can cut your risk of having a stroke in half by doing the following four things: being active for 30 minutes a day, eating five daily servings of fruit and vegetables, and avoiding cigarettes and excess alcohol.

While those are some of the obvious steps you can take to age well, researchers have discovered that centenarians tend to share certain traits in how they eat, move about, and deal with stress—the sorts of things we can emulate to improve our own aging process. Of course, getting to age 100 is enormously more likely if your parents did. Still, Thomas Perls, who studies the century-plus set at Boston University School of Medicine, believes that assuming you've sidestepped genes for truly fatal diseases like Huntington's, "there's nothing stopping you from living independently well into your 90s." Heck, if your parents and grandparents were heavy smokers, they might have died prematurely without ever reaching their true potential lifespan, so go ahead and shoot for those triple digits. Follow these 10 habits, and check out Perls' lifetime risk calculator to see how long you can expect to live.

1. Don't retire. "Evidence shows that in societies where people stop working abruptly, the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets after retirement," says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The Chianti region of Italy, which has a high percentage of centenarians, has a different take on leisure time. "After people retire from their jobs, they spend most of the day working on their little farm, cultivating grapes or vegetables," he says. "They're never really inactive." Farming isn't for you? Volunteer as a docent at your local art museum or join the Experience Corps, a program offered in 19 cities that places senior volunteers in urban public elementary schools for about 15 hours a week.

2. Floss every day. That may help keep your arteries healthy. A 2008 New York University study showed that daily flossing reduced the amount of gum-disease-causing bacteria in the mouth. This bacteria is thought to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation in the arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease. Other research has shown that those who have high amounts of bacteria in their mouth are more likely to have thickening in their arteries, another sign of heart disease. "I really do think people should floss twice a day to get the biggest life expectancy benefits," stresses Perls.

3. Move around. "Exercise is the only real fountain of youth that exists," says Jay Olshansky, a professor of medicine and aging researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "It's like the oil and lube job for your car. You don't have to do it, but your car will definitely run better." Study after study has documented the benefits of exercise to improve your mood, mental acuity, balance, muscle mass, and bones. "And the benefits kick in immediately after your first workout," Olshansky adds. Don't worry if you're not a gym rat. Those who see the biggest payoffs are the ones who go from doing nothing to simply walking around the neighborhood or local mall for about 30 minutes a day. Building muscle with resistance training is also ideal, but yoga classes can give you similar strength-training effects if you're not into weight lifting.

4. Eat a fiber-rich cereal for breakfast. Getting a serving of whole-grains, especially in the morning, appears to help older folks maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, according to a recent study conducted by Ferrucci and his colleagues. "Those who do this have a lower incidence of diabetes, a known accelerator of aging," he says.

5. Get at least six hours of shut-eye. Instead of skimping on sleep to add more hours to your day, get more to add years to your life. "Sleep is one of the most important functions that our body uses to regulate and heal cells," says Ferrucci. "We've calculated that the minimum amount of sleep that older people need to get those healing REM phases is about six hours." Those who reach the century mark make sleep a top priority.

6. Consume whole foods, not supplements. Strong evidence suggests that people who have high blood levels of certain nutrients—selenium, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E—age much better and have a slower rate of cognitive decline. Unfortunately, there's no evidence that taking pills with these nutrients provides those antiaging benefits. "There are more than 200 different carotenoids and 200 different flavonoids in a single tomato," points out Ferrucci, "and these chemicals can all have complex interactions that foster health beyond the single nutrients we know about like lycopene or vitamin C." Avoid nutrient-lacking white foods (breads, flour, sugar) and go for all those colorful fruits and vegetables and dark whole-grain breads and cereals with their host of hidden nutrients.

7. Be less neurotic. It may work for Woody Allen, who infuses his worries with a healthy dose of humor, but the rest of us neurotics may want to find a new way to deal with stress. "We have a new study coming out that shows that centenarians tend not to internalize things or dwell on their troubles," says Perls. "They are great at rolling with the punches." If this inborn trait is hard to overcome, find better ways to manage when you're stressed: Yoga, exercise, meditation, tai chi, or just deep breathing for a few moments are all good. Ruminating, eating chips in front of the TV, binge drinking? Bad, very bad.

8. Live like a Seventh Day Adventist . Americans who define themselves as Seventh Day Adventists have an average life expectancy of 89, about a decade longer than the average American. One of the basic tenets of the religion is that it's important to cherish the body that's on loan from God, which means no smoking, alcohol abuse, or overindulging in sweets. Followers typically stick to a vegetarian diet based on fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts, and get plenty of exercise. They're also very focused on family and community.

9. Be a creature of habit. Centenarians tend to live by strict routines, says Olshansky, eating the same kind of diet and doing the same kinds of activities their whole lives. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day is another good habit to keep your body in the steady equilibrium that can be easily disrupted as you get on in years. "Your physiology becomes frailer when you get older," explains Ferrucci, "and it's harder for your body to bounce back if you, say, miss a few hours of sleep one night or drink too much alcohol." This can weaken immune defenses, leaving you more susceptible to circulating flu viruses or bacterial infections.

10. Stay connected. Having regular social contacts with friends and loved ones is key to avoiding depression, which can lead to premature death, something that's particularly prevalent in elderly widows and widowers. Some psychologists even think that one of the biggest benefits elderly folks get from exercise the strong social interactions that come from walking with a buddy or taking a group exercise class. Having a daily connection with a close friend or family member gives older folks the added benefit of having someone watch their back. "They'll tell you if they think your memory is going or if you seem more withdrawn," says Perls, "and they might push you to see a doctor before you recognize that you need to see one yourself."

Spent some time in NYC.

Walking towards Time Square.

Central park in NYC. It is a big park right at the middle of New York City. Gives you a breathing space amidst the concrete jungle.

New York City road junction , this is the norm in NYC, every junction almost the same.

View from the top of Rockefella building, pay USD $ 20 to have this 360 view of NYC.

Am I getting old or what?

My appetite has changed:

1. Smaller/lesser rice will do
2. Can do without rice, vermicelli or bee hoon is also good
3. Eating Multi-grain bread for breakfast
4. Eats Nature Valley Granola bar for tea time
5. Exercise more often
6. Drink decaf drinks
7. Don't mind eating sandwiches

Am I getting old?

Your lifepsan (81 years) in Time Sand

Official Time Sand by Rolex. Super accurate sand pack that when it is pass through the hourglass, it will really calculate every single second.

Stacks of official Rolex Time sand art installation created by Michael Marcovic.
What you see here is a representation of a average human lifespan of 81 years. Each bag represent 30 days.

Food (Homecooked) for thoughts from Atlanta.

The sauce is called Hummus. First time eating it. It is made of chic peas. Healthier choice for dips!

Couscous. (pronouce as: "cuss cuss".) Interesting food that I had on board a plane and now I know that it is called couscous.

"It is a Berber dish consisting of spherical granules made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour."

More here.

Nice American style dinner. It is homecook and healthier. Well, after coming to Atlanta for 2 weeks, I had started to feel sick about the food at restaurant and food centre. With this nice dinner cooked by my boss's wife, it has made me and another colleague felt revived!

In short, I am home sick!

The food I took on my plate.