We played badminton for 2 hours. The pace was moderately slow and the shots were easy. I felt a difference in my physique. I can no longer move as fast as I used to. Sadly, over these past years, the muscles that are becoming more agile and developed are my fingers, my brain and my mouth. More regular whole body workouts and aerobic trainings have to be scheduled into my timetable.
tennis on friday. yay!
10.12.09
7.12.09
the logistic of cycling
ST Art Researcher Jeanette Wang updates readers on the progress of her car-free pledge. See its not because I do not want to cycle. Sometimes, there is just too much hassle. I will let her explain.
"IT WASN'T going to be easy from the start.
Who was I kidding? If it were that easy to just ditch the car and ride a bike everywhere instead, most people would be doing it. The reality is, the bike can't take you everywhere, especially in certain situations.
A week ago, I announced on this blog that I would try to commute by bike as much as possible, in an effort to make my carbon footprint smaller. Here's a breakdown of how I've fared so far:
* Tuesday, Dec 1 -- Success: Biked to work and back.
* Wednesday, Dec 2 -- Failed: Day off from work. Had to pick up four big bags of items (that required two pairs of hands to carry) on the other side of the island, so the two options were drive or cab. I drove.
* Thursday, Dec 3 -- Success!
* Friday, Dec 4 -- Success!
* Saturday, Dec 5 -- Failed: The Singapore Marathon was the next day, and I wanted to save my legs for the race. Drove to work instead.
* Sunday, Dec 6 -- Semi-success: Cabbed to the Singapore Marathon start line but took the bus home after the race.
* Monday, Dec 7 -- Failed: Legs too sore from the Singapore Marathon.
I have to say, the weather was pretty kind to me in the past week. On two evenings I cycled home from work on wet roads after a storm. That was the closest I got to getting drenched by the rain.
But though weather didn't prove to be a deterrent this week, some logistical issues did.
For one, bicycle commuting is not ideal when you have many items, especially heavy ones, to ferry around. You could equip your bicycle with panniers, but even so you could never carry as much as your car boot does. And carrying too much while cycling could also prove to be dangerous anyway.
Second, some days you just have to rest, out of necessity or exhaustion. Yes, I could have taken public transport to work and back on Saturday and Monday, but I was strapped for time then and a one-way bus journey to work would have taken nearly an hour. At least I succeeded with public transport on Sunday!
So, a couple of problems encountered so far in my quest to go car-less. But the key positive -- other than some money saved and calories burnt -- is the headache-free, jam-free journeys. Somehow, cycling home after work also helps clear my head. It's always nice to get some fresh air after a day cooped up in a cubicle.
Riding to work takes some planning, though. With Singapore's weather, you can't possibly commute more than a few kilometres without breaking a sweat. So that means you probably will not be commuting in your work clothes or shoes. What to do then? Well, I'm sure there are many ways to tackle this issue. But here's what I do.
1. Leave a couple of pairs of work shoes, toiletries and a towel at my work desk.
2. Use a 17-litre cycling-specific backpack to carry my gear. Its advantages over a normal backpack is that it's lighter, more ventilated, is waterproof and has reflective material to ensure I get seen in the dark. It also has an external removable webbing to hold a helmet or extra gear, and chest and waist straps so the bag wraps snugly around my body and doesn't bounce around when I ride.
3. Work clothes, a small hand towel, laptop and charger, notebooks, documents and other work-related items go into the backpack. A 17-litre backpack, I feel, is just right to fit all the necessities in.
4. Cycle in a pair of bike shorts and dri-fit top. Rinse these clothing in warm water when you get to work so they don't stink later -- you won't want to ride home in smelly clothing! Find a place to let them air-dry on a hanger. On your feet, either a pair of sports shoes (flip-flops are very dangerous to cycle in as they offer your feet no protection) or cycling shoes, if you use clip-in pedals.
5. Attach a saddle bag to your bike and put a spare tube, bike levers, a mini handpump and mini toolset in, just in case you get a puncture or a technical issue with the bike. Of course, ensure that you know how to use these tools first!
6. Don't forget your bike chain and lock. Get a good heavy chain and lock, unless you want your prized possession to be stolen! When locking your bike to a permanent fixture, ensure the chain loops through both the frame and the wheels, or at least one of the wheels.
7. Most importantly, safety comes first. Wear a helmet and sunglasses (to prevent dirt and debris from entering your eyes when travelling at speed), and have front and rear blinking lights and reflective ankle straps.
Finally, don't forget to factor in the extra time it takes to travel by bike. For me, it takes about 15 minutes to drive to work and 18 minutes to bike to work. (No, I don't ride that fast, but driving to work takes a longer route as I have to do a U-turn. The cycling route is about 3km shorter.) Also factor in the time spent showering after the ride -- about 10 minutes for me -- though it's not exactly extra time spent as you would have showered anyway before you drove to work. So, all things considered, I leave home 15 minutes earlier than I would if I were to drive to work.
To sum up a very long blog entry, bicycling commuting has its challenges, but once you get the hang of it, it is actually pretty practical and easy to do.
Lets see how long I can keep this up for!"
6.12.09
sunday afternoon lesson
My mother woke me up from my afternoon nap, singlehandedly snatching me away from and defeating the Zzz monster. She always manages to do that so effortlessly. However, this afternoon she probably had a harder time, as I was clinging onto the finger of the Zzz monster hoping it will hold on tighter. I was not planning to wake up before dinner. hmpt zzzz..
She: "Wake up boy. Dad is going to show you how to fix the leaking tap."
Me: "Of cos it is still leaking. It has been leaking for months and you will not let me call the plumber."
She: "Dad says he wants to teach you how to fix the leakage himself."
Me (thinking to myself): "He could have taught me how to do it months ago when we found out that the tap was leaking; instead of letting a few hundred liters of water be wasted like that. He must have been sitting on his job and using me an excuse."
She: "Go wash up and look for your dad in the kitchen."
Me: *Yawn*
So there I spend a full hour sitting in the kitchen wondering what is happening under the sink. The layout and furnishing of the kitchen is such that I am not able to see what his hands are doing under the sink unless I decide to curl into a ball and sit inside the cabinet under the sink. Even so I am too big to crawl into the cabinet. Maybe the lizards managed to learn a thing or two from their strategically secluded nest. All I did was to turn the main water on and off for my dad to make sure that the linkages and the pipes are not leaking.
After fixing the water works, on my way out of the kitchen, my mum asked," So next time the taps are leaking, you will know what to do right?"
Me (without missing a beat): "Yup of cos. Like dad, I have skilled hands."
I really do know how to fix a leaking tap; only that I did not learn it this afternoon. I learned it hands on many afternoons ago. Take a good look at the pipes its actually rather straightforward. I guess my mum still thinks that the choked sink in the bathroom was fixed by my dad. If you ask me what my worst plumbing experience was? Let me bring you back to 27th july 2007
need a plumber? call 1800-plumber-chia
She: "Wake up boy. Dad is going to show you how to fix the leaking tap."
Me: "Of cos it is still leaking. It has been leaking for months and you will not let me call the plumber."
She: "Dad says he wants to teach you how to fix the leakage himself."
Me (thinking to myself): "He could have taught me how to do it months ago when we found out that the tap was leaking; instead of letting a few hundred liters of water be wasted like that. He must have been sitting on his job and using me an excuse."
She: "Go wash up and look for your dad in the kitchen."
Me: *Yawn*
So there I spend a full hour sitting in the kitchen wondering what is happening under the sink. The layout and furnishing of the kitchen is such that I am not able to see what his hands are doing under the sink unless I decide to curl into a ball and sit inside the cabinet under the sink. Even so I am too big to crawl into the cabinet. Maybe the lizards managed to learn a thing or two from their strategically secluded nest. All I did was to turn the main water on and off for my dad to make sure that the linkages and the pipes are not leaking.
After fixing the water works, on my way out of the kitchen, my mum asked," So next time the taps are leaking, you will know what to do right?"
Me (without missing a beat): "Yup of cos. Like dad, I have skilled hands."
I really do know how to fix a leaking tap; only that I did not learn it this afternoon. I learned it hands on many afternoons ago. Take a good look at the pipes its actually rather straightforward. I guess my mum still thinks that the choked sink in the bathroom was fixed by my dad. If you ask me what my worst plumbing experience was? Let me bring you back to 27th july 2007
need a plumber? call 1800-plumber-chia
5.12.09
run
The pattering of the raindrops
on the roof of the windows.
Is this heaven's idea of a
melancholic concerto?
The sky is gray,
but our mood is light,
cos tomorrow's Sunday;
and morning will be bright.
The 1st Sunday of December,
every runner will remember.
The forty two km of physical exertion
and the numbness of the mental satisfaction.
tonight gonna be another sleepless night.
for tomorrow we run at 1st light.
-cj
on the roof of the windows.
Is this heaven's idea of a
melancholic concerto?
The sky is gray,
but our mood is light,
cos tomorrow's Sunday;
and morning will be bright.
The 1st Sunday of December,
every runner will remember.
The forty two km of physical exertion
and the numbness of the mental satisfaction.
tonight gonna be another sleepless night.
for tomorrow we run at 1st light.
-cj
4.12.09
1.12.09
old man says
Over lunch one day, the senior consultant of the COMPANY sensed my displeasure of rich people. I could not remember our exact words, but the conversation went something like this.
He: "The meritocratic system is such that people who do well are rewarded. His or her background does not matter. Even a taxi driver's son can become a president scholar."
Me: "It would have been easier if my surname starts with L." (my bad. my Freudian slip led to the unwanted discussion about nature versus nurture)
He: "Your surname has nothing to do with it. You tell me why the taxi driver's son can become a president scholar and you cannot? It is not because his surname begins with L. It is because of the hard work and his intelligence."
Me: "Granted. But that was not my point. My point is that if one is born into a wealthy family with good connections the children will probably have a better starting point than one who is born into a poor family."
He: "Even if the rich kids do better in life eventually, you cannot blame the system for selecting them to become the future leaders of Singapore. The system cannot tell who is rich and who is poor. It is not there to give every an equal head start. It is there so that everyone gets a chance. If their father works hard, why should not he let his children bear the fruits of his labor? Correct?"
Me: "right.. Then let's say Child 1 is rich and Child 2 is poor. To get to the same successful point in life (like graduation from a university) Child 2 probably have to work a lot harder than Child 1. Once they leave this point and begin to search for jobs and work their way up the corporate ladder. Child 2 probably have to work a lot harder than Child 1, who has all the right connections, to get to the same corporate hierarchy... "
The argument carried on throughout lunch. He felt that I was unhappy about being disadvantaged just because my family is not as well off as many others. He gave me his words of wisdom.
He: "Why can't you see that all these hard work that you put in as a type of character molding. All the hard work you put in are not wasted. They will be the fundamentals you rest upon to you get on with the rest your life. With these fundamentals you will eventually get ahead of the rich child. Be glad you have these fundamentals set in place for you early in life."
I am humbled by my shortsightedness.
He: "The meritocratic system is such that people who do well are rewarded. His or her background does not matter. Even a taxi driver's son can become a president scholar."
Me: "It would have been easier if my surname starts with L." (my bad. my Freudian slip led to the unwanted discussion about nature versus nurture)
He: "Your surname has nothing to do with it. You tell me why the taxi driver's son can become a president scholar and you cannot? It is not because his surname begins with L. It is because of the hard work and his intelligence."
Me: "Granted. But that was not my point. My point is that if one is born into a wealthy family with good connections the children will probably have a better starting point than one who is born into a poor family."
He: "Even if the rich kids do better in life eventually, you cannot blame the system for selecting them to become the future leaders of Singapore. The system cannot tell who is rich and who is poor. It is not there to give every an equal head start. It is there so that everyone gets a chance. If their father works hard, why should not he let his children bear the fruits of his labor? Correct?"
Me: "right.. Then let's say Child 1 is rich and Child 2 is poor. To get to the same successful point in life (like graduation from a university) Child 2 probably have to work a lot harder than Child 1. Once they leave this point and begin to search for jobs and work their way up the corporate ladder. Child 2 probably have to work a lot harder than Child 1, who has all the right connections, to get to the same corporate hierarchy... "
The argument carried on throughout lunch. He felt that I was unhappy about being disadvantaged just because my family is not as well off as many others. He gave me his words of wisdom.
He: "Why can't you see that all these hard work that you put in as a type of character molding. All the hard work you put in are not wasted. They will be the fundamentals you rest upon to you get on with the rest your life. With these fundamentals you will eventually get ahead of the rich child. Be glad you have these fundamentals set in place for you early in life."
I am humbled by my shortsightedness.
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