Penguin owner

Last race of the year...SCMS 2011

2011-12-04T18:30:00.007+08:00

SCMS is my last race of the year...

Nowadays, I do not really like to participate in a run only race...but there was that possible free BMW...so I decided to sign up for the 21k...wahaha...what a bimbo huh?
Actually I was also interested in the new route, in Sentosa and Universal Studios, when I first saw it last year...and since it was a similar route this year, I decided to go ahead ;)

However, this is the probably the first, and hopefully last, time I did a race even though I was clearly unwell, with some fever, the day b4...under most circumstance, that would be a clear "no" to any form of exercise, except that...that's basically how I felt on and off for the past few months...and I did get clearance, to go ahead with the run, from my nice doc, with the promise that I won't drop dead from the run...wahaha...of course, he already had me on dozens of tests and even verified through various means that my lungs, heart, kidneys and liver are at the right places...even though not necessarily in optimal condition...haha :p

Anyway, I signed up for this race in Aug 2011...b4 I started feeling unwell and had funny fevers in Sept...I initially cut down on all exercises with a couple of recovery pace activity in a week, but that didn't help...so I decided to go ahead with some more regular, easy swim, mostly < 30mins (as I was suspecting stress as a culprit and swimming was my most guaranteed method to relieve physiological effects of stress)...in fact after clearing me from any possible infection resulting in bacteria in the blood, my doc suggested I go ahead and swim everyday...haha...I like my doc!

Since then, I have been exercising (mostly swimming) 5-6 times a week...but most of the work out remains less than 30 mins (~5k runs), with an occasional more than an hour work out (~10k runs), which is pretty much what I used to do previously...haha...however recently it's more of due to the fact that work outs more than an hour long tends to leave me feeling like a wreck, regardless of how I normal I feel during the work out itself *_*

So before the race, I was prepared to go for a slower time, maybe a 2:30, and have fun at the race by dressing up as angry bird...hehe...
For the first time, I actually put in so much thought into what to wear for the race...haha...bimbo in the making :)

On the race day itself, I parked at Fort Canning and took a train to Harbourfront where our start point is...there was a very very long queue at the baggage deposit, but I managed to get that settled and quickly head towards the starting point...
It was pretty long walk!

By the time I got to the start point, my heart rate was at 151! Uh oh...and I was thinking of running the few km at HR of 140+ like I usually do when I go for a 5km run...hmmm...looks like need to change my tactics a bit...
I decided that I will run at a pace I feel comfortable while monitoring my heart rate and decide from there...so angry bird turned out to be a bit more preoccupied than expected...which probably explained why I missed so many ppl told me they saw me along the way...haha

Anyway, I decided to try to keep my HR at approximately 160 and to slow down when it hits 165...that a slightly higher HR than I would like...but what to do...at least I still feel comfortable up til HR of 160...
I definitely do not want to walk through out to keep my HR at 150, no matter how scenic it may be...I think it's more torturous to walk 21k!! :p

The part of the route in Sentosa and Universal Studios was full of bottle neck...it's always a challenge having a race in S'pore with such limited space...and it definitely doesn't help with the poor running etiquette of the runners...not keeping to the side when they walk, or worse still, walking in a row or holding hands while walking!! Oh well, I will just have to push those guys aside then :p
Otherwise, the run inside Universal was pretty interesting...quite a number of ppl queueing up to take photos with their favorite character...haha...so funny...
I would have taken photo with the autobots if I saw them...but somehow I missed them while being preoccupied :(

The route within the Sentosa was abt 10km and I spent about 70 mins in there...that's very slow for me...esp at HR of 160 :p

Anyway from there on...I continued running for another 5km...before I started half walking, half running...up and down AYE/ECP, up and down Benjamin Sheares Bridge...on and on until finally at last km...I saw a familiar face with her camera...Le Giang (the very fast cyclist and runner who thinks she is slow)!
But she missed the first time...haha...no worries, I will u-turn and try running towards u again :) Thanks for the photo!

And then there was Jayce (my fellow eguana and bfast buddy in hall in 2001/2, and then my early morning running buddy at Sentosa when she was working at dolphin lagoon and I was doing my PhD work at NUS ard 2005/6), who completed almost an hour ahead of me!
And it was the sprint to the finish...but alas..walking ppl in the way again...gotta push them aside b4 I get to pose in front of the official photographers...haha...

Next it was another queue to stroll on the muddy ground to collect our finisher medal and 100plus...
And then I headed towards the BMW booth where I met my tanjong beach twin, Sin Guan, who was a 4:15 pacer...had some finger food and collected their finisher pack consisting of a pair of slippers and towel :)

Then I went to collect my stuff from the baggage deposit...went back to look for LG to see if there's anyone else around...b4 we started walking back to the padang where we bumped into Craig aka Mr Courtesy (say thank you and make his day :D), who did the 42km, and his sister...after which we headed our own ways...where I slowly walked back to Fort Canning...and head home :)

Overall, I wasn't too happy with how my stamina has "deteriorated"...especially since I was still at my usual stamina the last 2 times I ran that distance, in July (Trifactor 21k run) and Sept (Mega Tri 18k, after 1k swim and 65k bike!) this year...

At least I still had my fun with angry bird...and I realized I still look good on camera regardless of how I feel...wahaha...vanity wins!
And now I can say I have participated in a 10k (2004), half marathon (2011), and full marathon (2005) for SCMS! Yippee! :)

"Why do a triathlon?"

2011-11-29T22:27:00.002+08:00

I actually have no answer to that question when it was first posed to me this year in April.
But I think that question was the “fertilizer” given, to the triathlon “seed” I planted in myself 6 months b4 by joining the triathlon group to swim on Mondays.

I have done triathlons b4, as an individual and as a relay team member, few years back. But I have kind of stop after getting busy and not having time (or rather the motivation, since it’s all about time management) to train.

Last year, after graduating from PhD, I realized I needed some structure in my life, so I decided to plan a workout schedule to start my day, then it was swim, jog/breeze walk (I was so reluctant to run then), gym, all of which is easily accomplish within my condo area. However, a workout schedule that involves myself only is really difficult to sustain. That’s when I decided to join the Mon tri swim even though I didn’t really like the idea that it was in the evening and worse still it was all the way in the west. But at least it’s a sport that I enjoy the most.

At that point it was just enjoying the workout and company. Hearing stories of the biathlon/triathlon/ironman they accomplished, resulted in a “seed” planted in me to do an ironman again…one day. No idea when that would be…haha.
Subsequently I also started joining this same group of people to swim at Tanjong Beach on sat mornings when the tide is right. More ironman stories there.
I was also present at some races to support my friends who were racing, eg. the Aviva 70.3.

I frequently go to the library to borrow books, and one fine day I came across the triathlon section and started borrowing books from there too, inspirational stories about triathlete/ironmen, training strategies etc.

But for some reason, all those are just thoughts, I never got myself to run, I didn’t even have my bike with me (my bike was with my friend for years!).

And then one day late April this year, someone I respect very much, saw me with a book on strength training for triathlete, and casually asked me why do I do a triathlon (I believe that person had no idea that I was nowhere near doing a triathlon then, just a lot of thoughts about it). I managed to come up with some lame answer saying I think it is fun or something to that effect.

For some reason, that question actually became the question that got me to start really doing a triathlon. Subsequently, I had additional “water” and “sunlight” to add to the “fertilizing” question…haha…
A few days later, a chat with another person about his children and doing triathlon (this person knew I was pretty active in sports all the while, but wasn’t aware I haven’t really been racing recently, except for a long distance open water swim), got me to go check out races that were coming up. Then, the intention was to introduce his children to the sport and see how they might be interested to participate in it (I dun think dad had a chance to bring them to experience the atmosphere at a triathlon competition yet til now…I better keep him posted on next year’s race already..haha). By chance, that weekend, 1 May, there was a triathlon at Changi Beach Park. Knowing an uncle of mine does triathlons too, I sent him a message to ask if he were participating as I was thinking of going over to support them. The reply was “yes”, he and my 10-year-old cousin are, but my aunty, who has signed up too, has just recovered from an illness and is giving up her slot, “am I interested to take her slot?” It was a mini distance triathlon (i.e. 200m swim, 10km bike, 2.5km run).

That week, I just so happened to have gotten myself to run 2 loops around my condo (that’s ~2km, but I thought I was never going to do it again because it was too boring!), swimming is never an issue for me (I just swam 20km in the sea half a year b4 that…what’s 200m..haha), 10km cycling is definitely do-able, except that I do not have any bike with me then. So I replied saying that I do not mind, but will need to borrow her bike. And it was all set. Suddenly within 10 days of being asked “Why do I do triathlon?” and yet not having really done any in the past few years, or not having really trained for it (except the swim part), I was agreeing to do a triathlon that have been thinking for months but never really taking action towards it.

2 months later, I was doing a full distance triathlon (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run).. of course my fitness level has always been pretty good, so to have moved into that distance in a short span was not difficult (or harmful to health)
Another 2 months later, I was doing a slightly longer, but funny distance triathlon (1km swim, 65km bike, 18km run…yes, a very swimmer unfriendly distance)..and managed to finish the race pretty strong, after having swam 100 laps the day before!

I have indeed come a very long way and am extremely happy with my performance. But most of all I am extremely thankful to that person for his simple, casual question of “why do a triathlon”…I doubt he knows what kind of impact his simple questions had on me..haha

I am still not sure why that question seem to have such a big impact on me. Is it because it was such an unexpected question (most people around me know I have always been active in sports..so I guess they never thought of asking me such a question) that it made me wonder hard enough that I just decided to jump into it? Is it because he is someone I respected so that question has bigger impact? Is it simply because I felt someone actually cared enough to ask such a simple question?

Whatever it is, I guess I should find the courage to thank him in person one day ;)

Charity swim 2011... the one I prepared for but didn't participate in the end...

2011-11-18T08:00:00.005+08:00

This year's SAC charity swim has just passed over the last weekend...
Instead of toughing out in the sea, I was toughing out in a seminar at Bangi...haha...it was a great seminar with plenty of amazing speakers...but I am not writing abt that here :p

The SAC charity swim has been something I try to participate annually since I first found out about it in 2006. I can't quite remember what got me to sign up for this swim...but I believe it was an impulsive decision when presented with the challenge (at least that's how I signed up for the 20km swim last year :p)...if someone actually brought me through the distance I have to swim...I would have freaked out (that's how I felt last year while taking the boat from end point to start point of the 20k swim :p)...haha...
and like all endurance events I have participated, once u have tried it, u tend to develop some addiction to it...even though during the event u may curse yourself for signing up AGAIN!!

So this year, I signed up to swim in the dirty waters of ECP again when SAC sent out the email abt the event...

Swimming was in my life since I was very young...
I started learning to swim when I was in primary 1, joined some "competitive" training in our country club in primary 4 ("competitive" because we basically have fun and compete for the last few positions during competition...at least during my time)...got switched to focus on tennis during secondary school...and started joining the school team again when I was studying in JC in S'pore...of course, I was never a serious swimmer...but we do have a lot of fun...and in uni, we did have our winning team for IBG and IHG when I was in Kent Ridge Hall :)

In 2004, after graduating from undergrad, marathons, open water swims, biathlons and triathlons came into my life. It started of with 5k runs, then 10k, and b4 I knew it I have completed 42k marathons (yes more than one :p)...in the mean time, I also started biathlons, triathlons and even adventure races...

However, somewhere around 2006-2007, I got busy with PhD and other work, and my sporting activities got reduced until almost zero...of course, I was still walking around with my big bag a lot...so that's sufficient exercise to burn calories and keep me trim :)
For almost a year, I went without any exercise...I almost gone crazy...haha...fortunately, I managed to force myself to take time off and go for a swim one day, and the effect was amazing...there was an instant calming effect the moment I jumped into the water! Since then I have always made an effort to swim at least once a week or at the very least, once in a fortnight, unless I am sick...

It wasn't until last year (2010), after I have official graduated from PhD, that I started picking up on my exercise again...

First there was the 20k charity swim I was training for...so I swam on my own in various pools, on certain days, swam with Trevor (organizer of the charity swiim) at NYP, and on Sun with the charity swimmers at UWCSEA...
Then in oct, there was that move to my current place which has a 50m pool...yippee!
Somewhere in dec, I started to join the Mon tri swim at Buona vista pool...then not long later, I joined the Tanjong beach swim on Sat...

...and since May this year, I have been swimming very regularly, at least 3-5 times a week...and with the influence of those crazy ironmen/triathletes I swim with, bike and run is also part of my training...although still not as frequent as swimming :p

As a result of all these training, plus some technical tips from various experienced swimmers such as Amos Tan, Matthew Wong, Dion Gan etc...I found that my swim has improved beyond my previous personal best...I was looking forward to my best swim in this year's 10km charity swim...but alas an important meeting clashed with the charity swim date. It was probably to save me the agony of making the decision to swim, with an unknown cause low grade fever lingering around...that initially worried me, is more of annoying me now :p

But that said, I am still very happy to have seen significant improvement in my swim times during the various preparatory events I participated in...
(1) Trifactor 3k swim... 62 mins
(2) Port Dickson triathlon (<1.5k swim)... 25 mins
(3) NUS splashdown (5k swim)... 102 mins
(4) Mega tri (1k swim)... 18 mins
(5) Charity swim time trial (1.5k x 4 sets, <2-3mins rest in between)... 29:04, 30:13, 29:25 (cheated with paddles :P), 25:35 (cheated with fins!)

It is definitely disappointing to not be able to participate in the charity swim after so much preparation and to know I have improved so much this year...but like I tell my friends when they have to skip an event (usually due to injury), there are many many many more races in the future ;)

I look forward to more open water swims, biathlons and triathlons in 2012!

Below are links to some of my previous charity swims...and also photos put up my SAC for this year's swim

2011 10k swim photos.. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Student-Advisory-Centre-SAC/174213012636176?ref=tn_tinyman

2010 Tioman 20km swim... http://penguinowner.blogspot.com/2010/11/charity-swim-tioman-2010.html
2008 ECP 10km swim... http://penguinowner.blogspot.com/2008/11/marathon-charity-swim.html
2006 ECP 10km swim... http://penguinowner.blogspot.com/2006/06/marathon-charity-swim.html

Mega Tri...and NUS splashdown 2011

2011-09-11T19:30:00.004+08:00

The mega tri was my third and last triathlon for 2011. It was also the longest distance I have completed, although it’s not in the typical triathlon/ironman distance. It was a very last minute sign up…haha…the race was on 11th September, and I signed up on 2nd September! I was not planning to do that race, however, after the disappointment of having to miss the Trifactor triathlon due to work commitment, I decided to sign up for that since it was the last triathlon that I could participate in (I would be away for the Desaru tri on 24th Sept too).

The day b4 the triathlon I had a 3-hr swimathon event at NUS (NUS splashdown). I have participated in that event 3 times and place top 3 twice :) This time, with my swim improving after all the Mon tri and Sat Tanjong Beach swim, I was aiming to swim close to 170 laps in 3 hrs. However, it didn’t turn out that way. I was unwell from Saturday (after I signed up for the Mega tri on Friday!) with some non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, headache and fever (most doctors would not agree I have a fever though, since it was less than the magical 37.5C :p)
As I was not clear whether I have an infection, or it’s just a physiological response from some significantly stressful situation I experienced in the week, I decided to go ahead with the events, but with careful monitoring of my heart rate and prepared to stop early if there was any sign of “wrong” feeling.
I was swimming at a very comfortable pace and I found my heart rate to be pretty consistent at ~140. However, I was surprise to find that I completed the first 50 laps in slightly under 50 minutes. As I went on, I was thinking about the triathlon the next day, and decided that I will try to aim for 100 laps (the minimum number of laps we were supposed to swim) in as close to 100mins as possible and stop a couple laps later... just in case I miscounted the laps and I could use those extra laps as warm down ;) I also figured I could swim more during the Safra Swim for Hope, where we will have 7 hrs to swim!
As it turned out I completed the 100 laps in just under 102mins with a quick water break every 20-30 laps. I was definitely very happy with the timing especially since I still felt strong at the end of the swim. The only problem was my nose was congested the rest of the day as I go about my usual business :p

Fortunately after an early night’s sleep, the next morning I woke up feeling pretty good, and temperature was normal (my penguin normal :p). I headed off to Changi Beach Park at 7am to get prepared and catch the boys b4 they were flagged off. The sky was rather gloomy then.
After I set up my bike and stuff at the transition area, I immediately went to the swim start area to look for the boys who were doing the long distance event (2km swim, 95km bike, 27km) . Yay…I saw the Hui Koon aka Pro, Robert aka Ironchef, Desmond, and Enrico, and Richard was there earlier than me to help us take photos!

I did the middle distance event (1km swim, 65km bike, 18km… swimmer unfriendly distance :p) which started later, so I had a chance to cheer the boys at least for the first lap of the 2 x 1km loop. After that it was my turn to get ready. As usual, I was planning a “swim fast, bike slow, run slow” race. So when we started, I was quick to enter the water and swam on the further out away from the pack. I have found this strategy to be more efficient even though it is a longer route, as I spend less time swimming over, under other ppl or kicking ppl who try to pull my legs.
I completed my swim in a very respectable time of 18:14 (mean = 25:51; median 28:30; 1st out of 9 who completed), but took my own sweet time at T1, having a drink, putting on socks, cycling shoes, race belt, cycling gloves, shades and helmet…haha…spent 3:04 in there, before I was out cycling... Luckily din bring any make up along, otherwise may spend more time in there :p

The bike route was 4 loops along Changi Coast Road, with a short detour into Aviation Road, each loop about 16 km. It was very flat route, where I barely changed my gears. Drafting was not allowed in triathlons but it still happens…haha…I was impressed that the organizer actually has officials on motorbike going around to spread out any drafting pack.
I think I was at my 3rd loop, when it started pouring. I was so cold…brrrr….but it was quite nice riding in the rain ;)
Although I did not think my bike time was very slow based on my current standard, my bike time of 2:32:35 (mean = 2:23:31; median 2:22:20) was the slowest in my age group! Haha…looks like all those in my category are cyclist :p
Then it’s back to T2 to unload my stuff, change shoes and go for the last bit of the tri…took my own sweet time again, spending 2:54 there :p

After I got out of T2, I realized I forgot to remove my cycling gloves…fortunately this tri suit has pockets big enough for me to stuff them. Then off I go jogging slowly along the 9km run route x 2. We were supposed to run from Changi Beach Park all the way to the Changi boardwalk and back. Somehow we had to pass my some hawker center and that made me really really hungry! Fortunately, we had water/isotonic drinks, sponge with iced water, power gel and bananas along the way.
It was a pretty slow run as I was keeping my heart rate below 150, and I walked quite a bit as my ITB was getting tight especially during the 2nd loop. However, surprisingly my run time of 2:08:48 (mean = 2:13:33; median = 2:15:14; 4th out of 9) is faster than average.
I also had plenty of photos taken here, as our friends, Richard, Le Giang, Vijay, Sanae and Wilson, who did not participate in this race, were coincidentally stationed at different locations. Being the vain penguin, I automatically break into a smile or pose, whenever I see anyone with a camera. Their presence, together with the cheering of other competing friends, kept me smiling most of the run route :)

Overall, I completed the race in a time of 5:05:31 (mean = 5:09:52; median 5:13:44; 4th out of 9), which made me a very happy penguin! I definitely can improve a lot more in my bike and run, but I have gone a long way since the beginning of this year :D

Time to take a break and figure out what’s wrong with me…until the next race...

Port Dickson triathlon 2011

2011-07-24T19:29:00.003+08:00

It was just in May I did my first triathlon after a long break from races (that involves more than just swimming).

Today I embarked on my first Olympic distance triathlon… this is what happens when I spend too much time with people who do triathlons and even ironman races.

Getting to Port Dickson itself was already pretty exciting. We were supposed to depart on Sat morning, but I just arrived from Penang late that morning, and had a seminar to attend in the afternoon, b4 I could make my way down to Port Dickson. Fortunately for me, Robert, our Ironchef, was driving down and was planning to depart in the afternoon. He was nice enough to wait for me, and picked me up from town.
Before I left for Penang, Desmond has kindly helped me take my bike, so that it can be take the bus to Port Dickson with the other crazy friends of mine.

So on Sat afternoon, a chef and a penguin was zooming on the Malaysia’s North-South highway towards Port Dickson. We reached there just in time for me to join the rest for dinner, while Rob went to check out the race route. He is more serious. I am just going to figure out the route as I race *_*

That night, after hanging out and chatting in one of the rooms, we went back to our room, got our bikes and gears ready, and slept immediately.

The next morning, my roommate, Teryn aka Dino, and I (yes..a penguin and a dinosaur stayed in the same room) just refused to wake up until almost 6am…haha…race starts at 7am.
Anyway, we are fast. So after washing up and changing into our trisuits, had the bfast we brought along, we immediately brought our bikes and stuff to the transition area.
It was pretty crowded by then, and there were long queues for body-marking.

We put our stuff at our designated area, got our body marked, then headed towards the beach. So many people were there doing their warm ups…but the tide was sooooo low, we had to run out at least 100m or more b4 it was deep enough to swim. Darn… not fair to the swimmers…we are going to swim less than 1.5km :p

Anyway, the guys started first, so we were hoping the tide will be higher by the time we start off....haha…fat hope :p
The moment we were flagged off…everybody was running, and running, and running for a while b4 we started swimming…I think that was the point where my heart rate was highest throughout the swim leg...the water was very calm so it was like swimming in a pool with a lot more people around. It was a simple L-shape swim x 1 lap. As expected my swim time was pretty fast @ 26:38 (mean = 33:32; median = 32:24; 8th out of 64) though 6 mins slower than the fastest :p I am still very happy to as fast as the Dino :)

Next step is to get to the transition area, put on my running shoe (I wasn’t using clipless pedals), shades, helmet, race belt, have a drink and off to “bike out”.
Many triathletes like to participate in Port Dickson triathlon because the bike leg is just one 40km loop (instead of multiple loop routes the Singapore races offer). The route had some slopes but they were manageable. However, it definitely wasn’t helpful to be using regular platform pedals :p My bike leg was pretty slow @ 1:26:17 (mean = 1:24:47; median = 1:21:33, 43rd out of 64), but I am still happy to have completed it. It means I have more room for improvement next year ;)

After the bike leg, I just needed to remove my helmet and put back the bike (no need to change shoes..haha) and off I go to “run out” for my 10km run. On the way out, I saw Sanae with the camera. Had time to smile to the camera and continue running. Actually I was smiling at all the cameras that were aimed at me :p

Apparently, this year’s run route was different from previous year’s. Since this is my first PD, it doesn’t matter to me…haha… but most of us did not really like the new run route as a third of it was running on sand/trail. However, I was happy that it was shorter than 10km…haha :p
My run was pretty slow too @ 53:43 for about 8.5km (mean = 55:42; median = 54:10; 30th out of 64), but it’s better than the average and I actually still had the strength to sprint and overtake a few people near the end point…haha :)

Overall, I completed the race in 2:49:14 (mean = ?; median = 2:50:14; 29th out of 64). There’s definitely plenty of room for improvement here, but I am extremely happy to have completed my first OD tri, feeling strong ;)

Until the next race…

Sprint series triathlon (mini distance) 2011

2011-05-14T07:18:00.004+08:00

My first triathlon of the year...the last (and, if I’m not mistaken, only) one was 6 years ago!!

How did I end up doing this triathlon was quite interesting...

I started training with the Mon tri swim bunch at Buona Vista some time in December or January this year...and subsequently Tanjong Beach swim...I have been swimming regularly b4 this but decided swimming with others is more motivating as I still frequently find that I m dragging myself to swim even with a 50m pool at my condo…
Anyway, with so much influence from these ppl, a couple months back, I started considering doing a triathlon again before I embark on my Ironman dream :)

4 days before the event, a Thur, I was at NUS and decided to drop by a very nice Prof’s room to have a chat with him…somehow our chat ended up with his kids participating in some kids triathlon event as they regularly run with him, and occasionally swim and cycle too. I suggested he bring his kids to go watch some triathlon especially those with kids event. So I told him I will go find out what are the events coming up that he can bring them to.

When I got home to check, I found out there was one coming up that Sun at Changi Beach Park...and various Trifactor events in the coming few months…so I informed him about it and decided to sms my uncle to see if he and his family are participating in that event (haha…I din know they are so active too until this year)...as I was thinking of going over as a supporter…
Instead he asked me if I wanted to take my aunt’s slot since she just recovered from an illness and was planning to skip the event. Fortunately she was doing the mini distance, and had a bike to lend to me…so I said ok! How impulsive heh :P At that point I din even have any plans to sign up for any triathlon this year yet…since I haven’t run in years and my bike was still with a fren (for the past 3-4 years)! But I figured…250m swim, 10km bike, 2.5km run…can’t be that hard right? :P

On that day itself…although I arrived pretty early (8am; when my wave starts at 950am, and my uncle’s one starts at 850am, my little cousin’s one 1020am), I din check where exactly is the start point, other than knowing it’s at Changi Beach Park…so when I saw some participant parking some 2-3km away from the start point…I blur-ly decided to park there too…the difference was...they were cycling to the start point…I was walking!!!

I walked and walked and walked until finally I found the start point…haha…just before my uncle’s wave started!! At least I can cheer him on too…together with my little cousin, Samuel :) After my uncle came out from the swimming leg, we tried to catch him at the transition area for a photo before bike out…but he was too fast!! Or the spectators route was too long…hehe…so we decided to wait at the u-turn area for his 2nd loop…by 930am, he was not back yet, so I decided that I need to get my race kit and go to the transition area to check out the bike (for the first time!)…haha…it’s always more exciting to do things at the last minute :P

Luckily all I needed to do was shift the seat height, get all the bibs/stickers pinned/stucked, take off my shoes and clothes, put on the champion chip, swim cap, goggles (it has prescibed lense, otherwise I will be "blind")…and run barefooted to the swim start :)

At 950am, our wave started...as usual, I swim further away from the line so that I dun have to fight with everyone else…it was just a 125m swim out and u-turn back…by the time I reach the u-turn point…I had this feeling I am the fastest swimmer (since I was participating on behalf of someone else, I was wondering whether to slow down or just go ahead and be the first swimmer since it’s unlikely I am going to keep up in the cycling and running leg and end up top 3)…I just went on swimming hard…when I got out of the water, my aunt told me I was the first…heh…timing was 5:05

After that, it’s off to the transition area…run run run…get to my bike…as usual, took my time to put on my singlet, cap, helmet…hmm…shall not use shades this time…not very sunny…finally, shoes…and off I go!! Took a total of 2:51 for transition 1…haha
My fastest speed on the flat roads of Changi Coast Road was only 30km/h and I can’t even maintain that :P I think my average was only 20-25km/h…even though my heart rate was maintained at 150-160! Oops…
Got overtaken by quite a number of ppl here…and later I found out I was still the 11th fastest cyclist out of 29 participants…with a timing 29:51…not too bad for someone who has not cycled for years :P and I think the bike speedometer recorded a distance of more than 10km :P

After that it’s back to the transition area, put back the bike, remove helmet…not using cleats so no need to change shoes…and off I go…but I was so dead already…my heart rate was 170-175…the highest I have seen…although theoretically my max heart rate is 190 :P

I ended up walking/slow jogging the first 500m or so to get my heart rate to a more manageable rate of 140+ before I start running at a heart rate of 160-165 again…at the water point, I walked again to enjoy my sip of isotonic drink…haha…I am a super slacker!! :P

Again I got overtaken by more ppl…and in the end my run time was 8th fastest…from behind!! 17:22 for 2.5km…thinking of the 10min 2.4km I used to do in JC…hmm…no comments...

Anyway, overall my placing was 9th for the female (16-39yo) category…in hokkien I would say…bey hiam :) But gotta start training on the bike and run liao…especially since I have gotten back my bike! :)

Now which should be my next tri…Trifactor or should I go for PD too?? Sprint or Olympic distance?

Proof of slacking can be found here

Charity Swim Tioman 2010

2010-11-04T23:11:00.004+08:00

Apparently keeping this blog updated has become an annual affair now...fortunately I had this charity swim to write about this year :)

Here's the long story about the crazy 20km swim I completed in Tioman...from the day we departed from Singapore til we arrived back safely :)

On Fri, 29 Oct 130pm, we all gathered at Seletar airport for our flight to Tioman Island . At 2pm we were ushered through immigration to the waiting area for boarding…even though the boarding time on the boarding pass is stated as 235pm. Anyway, all of us went to the little air-conditioned hall to wait…it’s just a hall with nothing else there…with the plane sitting right outside…

I was chatting with Charles, one of the Aviva swimmers (Aviva is one of the main sponsors for the event, a few of their staff formed a relay team to swim in the event), when we saw the pilot starting up one of the propeller…and then…hmmm…it stopped at that one propeller??!! Are we flying with just one propeller? Soon we noticed the crew starting to gather around that propeller…uh oh…

Next we were told there’s some technical problem and they are sending a rescue plane over. Huh? Rescue plane? Ah…they actually mean a standby plane…so we were told a delay of 1.5 hr is expected while waiting for the plane to fly over from Subang airport…

As we were a bunch of hungry people by then…we were quick to find out how to get food in that deserted airport…apparently fast food delivery is the answer! So Canadian 2-for-1 pizza was our answer! We ordered 2 large pizza which arrived in less than 45mins…and 16 people finished them in seconds…one slice per person...haha..

Soon after we finished our pizza at abt 4pm…we found out the delay is until 5pm…and then 540pm…uh oh…some of us are still quite hungry…so Herbin, another Aviva swimmer, had the idea of ordering more food…this time we decided fast food would probably be faster…so McDonald’s it shall be! Alas…did u know that McDonald’s has safety rules for their delivery man…no delivery for rainy area! Although it was not raining at the airport yet…the clouds were very dark…sighz…

So next we called KFC…but delivery takes 1.5hrs…ahhhh…I guess one pizza is all we are supposed have before the buffet dinner at 7pm…

At about 5pm…the rain started to pour…uh oh…that can’t be helpful! Indeed it wasn’t…the plane had to hover around the air space for a while before getting clearance to land at abt 540pm…and then…at 615pm we finally were ready to take off…apparently we nearly did not get clearance to take off due to the weather and the airport was closing at 630pm!!

Phew…we really need to thank our lucky star for the chance to fly off on that day itself!!

When we arrived at Tioman...it was slightly after 7pm…the group of passengers who were supposed to take our plane out to KL were stranded and had to stay one more night…same goes for the pilot and air-stewardess who were caught totally unprepared! We are indeed very lucky that this whole delay did not affect our charity swim plans at all…we just needed to rush to the dinner table when we arrived instead of checking in first!! :):)

Dinner was wonderful…so many good stuff to choose…yummy!!

After dinner…we had a short briefing by Trevor (the founder of SAC and organizer of the whole event) and team...and all of us immediately when to our rooms. Janine, another Aviva swimmer, and I were in the same room. We took a shower, prepared our stuff for the swim…and immediately dozed off on the bed!

Next day, 30 Oct, is THE DAY…the day we attempt the crazy swim!! We woke up at 530am…had breakfast at 6am…then 7am we took a group picture and off we go to the jetty, split up into a few boats to go to the starting point…Mukut village jetty!

The sea was very choppy and it was very cold that morning as it poured the night before…how are we going to swim in such conditions? :/

As we were bouncing up and down, freezing on the boat…and I was wondering how it’s going to be like when we swim in such conditions…Peter, chairman of SAC and also my swimming partner for the swim, was identifying landmarks we can follow during the swim to give us an idea how far we were from the end point…cool…I have a great navigator swimming with me :)

Along the way, we reached out from the boat to feel the water and realized that the water was actually quite warm…so the moment we reached the jetty…we told the boatman we were jumping into the water while waiting for the other boats to arrive…it felt so much better in the water!

When everyone arrived, we got onto the jetty…had another photo taken…and at about 9am we jumped off the jetty…from there we waited for the boat that will be following us before we swam off. Carol, a swimming coach who has been participating in most (if not all) of the SAC charity swim, Peter and I were swimming in the same group while Novie, from SAC, is on our support boat. I initially tried swimming with my fins but later realized it was too heavy and slowing me down instead. So I switched to paddles instead…it was a lot better but Carol and Peter were still faster…haha…

For the first hour or so the tide felt like it’s against us even though the prediction is that it will be for us from 9am onwards…hmm…was the prediction correct? Fortunately after an hour or so, even though the water was still choppy, I could feel like I was swimming faster as the tide was pushing us forward. GREAT!

We had a break every 30 mins to ensure we were well hydrated…but each time we swim, Carol went much faster ahead, Peter followed but he slowed down every now and then for me to catch up…I’m really glad to have him as a partner, seeing him waiting up for me makes me determined to catch up faster each time I feel like slowing down!

Not too long later, we were told there’s a jellyfish alert...apparently Ben, our youngest and faster swimmer, got stung by a jellyfish…the tentacle was so long and transparent…he didn’t realize and swam into it…OUCH! He was immediately brought to the safety boat while the rest of us were warned to swim further away from shore…
The idea of someone getting stung just made the swim more “scary”…but we just went on :)

Soon while I was just feeling like the tide is going very well and I could swim forever in that condition…we hit the 10km mark…it felt so fast even though it was 3 hrs of swim! That was where some of the 10km swimmers, Terry, Donovan and George, joined us...

But somehow before they joined us, we ended up taking a break at the jetty and was served some really refreshing cranberry juice on a sun chair…wow…

After about 15mins of break, we went back into the water…so did Ben who was much better after taking an antihistamine and washing off the sting with vinegar…that’s real determination! Bravo to our young chap!

In the first part of this 2nd 10km, we could see corals and fishes just beneath us…in fact, Peter who was swimming right next to me then, saw a turtle which I somehow managed to miss :(

From there on it’s just Peter and me, as Carol moved to a faster group instead. Peter kept looking out for the landmarks while I just kept swimming towards him…haha…he’s my perfect moving landmark?

The next 5km was still not too bad…just kept swimming and swimming…and drinking and eating every 30 to 45mins…with Novie and William “serving” us initially…and suddenly they became David and Jennifer, my friends who came along as supporter and photographer…haha…Novie wasn’t feeling so good after so many kilometer floating up and down on the boat, and dehydrated from not being able to eat/drink well…so they got David, who could finish a plate of chicken rice on the boat, to take over instead!!

The last 5km felt like eternity…we kept swimming and swimming looking for that little island called Renggis that was just off the shore at the end point. When we finally saw that island, we realized it will still take us more than an hour to get to the finishing point! I was so tired, and with so much chaffing on the neck, chest, armpit and behind the knee, I really wanted to stop swimming…but watching Peter swimming ahead and slowing down watching me just kept me going and going!

When we finally saw the beach where our end point was, we immediately turned right heading straight for the beach even though the actual end point was still a few hundred meters away. We just got onto the beach and walked towards the end point! Apparently we looked like a pair of spies from the James Bond movie while walking along the beach…haha…a pair of very tired spies. Alas! we have finished…20km in all...in approximately 7 hrs…it was totally crazy!! But I think I might just do it again in the future!! :/

That night we had another round of wonderful buffet, a seafood bbq buffet…with squid, crabs, squid balls, some fish, satay, beef, lamb...and even corn in the cob…we all loved it!!

After dinner, everybody just went back and sleep.

The next morning, we saw a letter at our doorstep…the flight has been delayed again…instead of a 2pm flight, we had a 410pm flight…oh well…that just gives us more time to go snorkeling at Renggis Island…or for Janine, more time to run and have a massage! So after breakfast, which was very good, some variation from the day before…Tristan (another regular participant of the SAC charity swim), Carina (Tristan’s wife who’s also a pretty good swimmer but was only here to support Tristan and their son, Ben), Charles (another Aviva swimmer), Trevor, Peter and I swam to the island even though we were told that it was not allowed…the other tourists took a boat over. Peter swam from the resort while the rest of us swam from the jetty…the shortest point to the island…haha…we were not as hardworking as Peter. We swam around the island…admire the many fishes and beautiful corals…then we swam back to the beach…haha…apparently 20km of swim the day before wasn’t enough. We had to swim somemore…Peter the most!

Before going back to the room for a shower…Trevor, Peter, Charles and I had some fun at the resort pool which had icy cold water…so different from the seawater which was much warmer…haha…but the slide at the pool was really fun!

After a shower, we met at 130pm, went different ways for lunch…Trevor, Herbin and gang and I went out to this Chinese seafood restaurant just a few minutes taxi ride from the hotel. We had hokkien mee, chicken, fresh prawns, squid, curry fish slices and 2 vege…all for RM40 each inclusive of the taxi ride!! Great selection of dishes by Herbin and gang…Trevor and I just ate :p

Then all of us gathered at the lobby at 3pm and took a bus to the airport. Just outside the airport, somehow we had some issue with one of the shopkeeper we bought drinks from the day we arrive...but we finally managed to settled that and took off before 4pm.
The plane ride was very fast, we were busy enjoying the view from above and before we knew it…we arrived at Seletar airport at abt 430pm…that was the last ever Berjaya air flight to arrive at this airport as the next flight will depart from Changi airport. Another historical moment for us?

….and then it’s home sweet home!! Til the next charity swim…

Will post some photos when I get them from my "personal" photographer, David :) If I'm not too lazy :P

Reminiscing my past in Singapore...

2009-09-24T19:52:00.006+08:00

Can't believe I have lived in Singapore for close to 12 years now...
I have to say it's been filled with adventure, fun, learning...and everything!!! Even though there are ups and downs along the way...I dun think I would change anything at all!!

HOW IT ALL STARTED...

On 7 Jan 1998...the long-awaited letter of acceptance for the ASEAN pre-university scholarship finally arrived at my house in Penang...
Two days later...I arrived in Singapore for wat's gg to be the beginning of my 12-year Singapore tax-payer funded education journey...yes officially I'm still a part-time graduate student at NUS...although since Aug 2009, I'm no longer funded by tax payers :P
Just for the fun of it...I do hope I can graduate by 9 Jan 2010 to mark the 12th year anniversary :D

PRE-UNIVERSITY @ NJC

My first "home-away-from-home" (as our most "affectionate" SML put it) was CJC hostel...
Since I had been actively participating in out-of-town or overseas competition since a tender age of 11 years (I think)...living away from my parents was nothing new...but 1998 was still the first time I'll be away for more than weeks!
Fortunately, there's nothing to fear here...from the very first day we reach S'pore, we were very well taken care of by our seniors...even though just a year older...and the hostel managements...no wonder so many parents like to send their children to study in S'pore!! From school stuff to shopping, entertainment etc...our seniors were always there for us :) In fact, we were always there for each other too...til now...

I had always lead a life full of activities...so JC life was perfect for me...
There was classes and compulsory extra-curricular activities in school...where I took triple science in A levels which gives me the most hours in my time table as all 3 science subject has additional lab sessions...and on top of that...I was in multiple ECAs such as the more exciting sport teams such as tennis, swimming, track and x-country...and the more brainy societies such as a biology society and malay society (haha..that was compulsory for all of us taking malay as second language)...

Meanwhile, in the hostel we also frequently had our own social activities (with the MnB United gang...hehe), besides activities among all the ASEAN scholars which includes a mixture of crazy orientation-like activities and the more serious merdeka day activities involving principals of our JCs...

It was just filled with activities!!

AFTER JC @ PENANG

So the 2 years past rather quickly and soon I found myself back in Penang...while waiting for entrance to a university...

Fortunately, at that point it was time to train for the 2000 Malaysian Games which was held in Penang...but b4 I went full swing into that...our family traveled to US for dad's biz trip in California...and at the same time attend my bro's graduation in Chicago...and further holiday towards the North Eastern part of US...

After we the trip...for 6 months while I was back in Penang...I was spending all my time at the tennis courts...haha...sounds like some professional tennis player hor...but trust me...I'm NOT!
In fact, I managed to do the stupidest thing of running into the drain and giving myself a nice hairline crack near my knee during the first few days of the Games itself...haha...

UNVERSITY @ NUS

Timing had been so perfect hor? After the Games which was held in June, it was time for me to head back to Singapore...attended some orientation activities...b4 university classes starts mid July...

University life had been just as colorful...with 3 main groups...(1) my pharmacy classmates, seniors and juniors, (2) all my fellow Kent Ridgean, and (3) the NUS tennis team...
At some point...u can say I majored in hall activities and minored in pharmacy...wahaha...but life has been wonderful and exciting with all 3 groups...

....to be continued....

Out-of-control work magnet

2009-03-03T17:10:00.002+08:00

Haha...the title says it all...I must have recently entered a really strong magnetic field...when I came out started attracting all forms of work...

B4 I started attracting any work...I already had plenty to juggle with...let's just look at those related to my PhD...since I'm trying to get that out of the way ASAP!!
Firstly, I have a biology paper which I have just submitted to one of my bosses...then I was starting to write my medicinal chemistry paper...and then I shld prepare for my presentation for lab meeting on 18 Mar...and of course the most important thesis which I plan to submit b4 I head off for my conference in US on 17 Apr!

Arghhh....so much writing...and I just hate writing...it's just eating up my mental energy...I need more physically demanding work!!

Anyway, apparently that's not enough! Haha...I had to attract more work...yippee!!
Firstly, I started attracting a lot of customers at the various pharmacies I'm working part-time at...that was great for the resident pharmacists there since I've "unconsciously" boost their sales...haha...but I'm supposed to be writing my thesis there!! Not so good for me huh? oh well...

Meanwhile, while I'm busy with all this writing and working, my bosses (the research ones) had a meeting on technology disclosure aka patent application we submitted many moons ago...and guess wat the outcome of the meeting??!! Yes...I have more work to do!! Darn...why do u guys need so much information...
So I had more paper work...and thankfully some lab work...
Hmm...but now I realize the lab work is more tedious than I projected...
So many cell lines...growing at different rates...of different sizes...thankfully in the same medium...and so many drugs to test...
Actually it would have been fun to do all this if I din have so much work already...

Then...next I had a meeting with my boss on the biology paper...haha...wat's new...more work!! So now I have to edit my biology paper, continue to write my med chem paper, prepare for my presentation and finally my thesis...exciting hor...

That all happened in the past 5 days...I'm totally overwhelm now...wahahaha...help me!! or just kill me!!

Marathon Charity Swim

2008-11-18T21:00:00.002+08:00

Just decide to post an email I sent out regarding my charity swim....

Hi all

The swim is over!
It must have been the most exciting swim I had in a while...especially when I started swimming at the same spot for more than an hour!! Feels like swimming on a threadmill!! hehe

Anyway, it's all my fault..haha...I was way to slack to start off...
During the briefing that morning, we were told the current will push us to the 5km mark and it'll turn ard at 12 noon...so reach the 5km mark by noon or u r doom!! haha...the latter was wat happened to me...wahahah

We were first matched to our kayaker, randomly...the kayakers were there for safety and also to carry our own goodies :D Mine was Verna, a very nice gal...who was unfortunately stuck out in the sea for quite a while with me...hahaha...

Well...it all started with a really slow and relaxing swim...took 36 min to complete 1km...and that shld be with current assisting...I call that atrocious timing...wahah...at least the next 1.5km was faster...36min (so abt 24min/km)...hmm...but that makes its abt 1145am already...it's too late!! the current is gg to turn ard soon!!

so i took another 24 min complete the next 0.5km...and...hehe...the next 1km was indefinite...i was swimming real hard but not moving at all for more than an hour...b4 i found out that the current is gg to be that way for 6hrs!! heh...that's when the speedboat came by to pick me and so that i could re-assess the situation...we found ourselves drifting at least 50 meters back towards the starting pt within a minute!! no wonder i'm not moving at all no matter how hard i swim...

I was dropped at the 4km mark and swam back from there...
I swam in extreme slow motion...heh..my arms were pretty tired from fighting the current..but...i still completed the first km in 15mins...the next 0.5km in 8mins...the next 1.5km in 18mins...and the final km in abt 12 mins...wahaha...that's less than an hour for the last 4km...versus 3 1/2 for the first 4km...
so it was sort of a 8km distance if u observe from land...but it felt more like 11-12km of swimming...hehe...exciting?

Well I'm still alive and kicking..in fact...i could still go back to work after that..and u prob couldn't tell i just swam if not for the "permanently" tattooed swimming cap on my forehead...hehe..

In conclusion...I had a real interested and fun weekend :D
I shld attempt more of such swims...maybe the English channel in the future :D

Thanks again to everyone for ur well wishes and support!!

2008 is more than halfway through!

2008-08-03T21:36:00.002+08:00

Oh man...how infrequent can my postings get!!
Had some inspiration to write somethings previously but never really found the time to do it...hehe...anyway...

More than half the year has gone pass...what have I achieved so far?
Wow...I shld really have asked myself this question earlier!!

Din seem to have done as much as I would have thought man!

I only managed to get quite a fair bit out in the lab...

I'm finally done with synthetic work...got a nice post-doc to help me do any additional synthesis now...hehe...so cool...

I can finally concentrate on biological work! Doing enzyme assays, antiproliferative asays, western blots...growing cells, killing cells...blah blah blah...hehe...it can be a lot of fun...even though enzymes and cells are not easy to handle though...currently stuck with a bunch of less active enzymes which is preventing me from reproducing results from the US...BUT..I have good news today...seems like a new batch of active enzymes has finally been made...after I'm not too sure how many months of wait...hehe...now just gotta wait for reconfirmation and shipment over...hopefully the enzymes can withstand the trip well :D Shall keep my fingers crossed...otherwise it might mean heading to US just to get the assay done!!
I also love my current lab...no need to wash glassware, fill pipette tips, autoclave, order chemicals/biologicals...someone else does all this things...our time is really valued here...so we can really spend more of our effort in research...and more imptly for me...other personal stuff...hehe...

Now that I know I have not achieved enough...time to buck up!!
5 months to go b4 2008 is over...

Gotta start getting down to effective planning! Just learnt that in a full day leadership training seminar I attended today...now it's time to put wat I have learnt into action!

Hmm...first step gotta learn to differentiate efficiency vs effectiveness...
I guess it all starts with a clear goal in life...

Ok time to get my goals clarified and come up with an action plan...

Till I feel like writing again...adios!!

2nd post of 2008!

2008-05-27T22:29:00.004+08:00

Wow...we are almost halfway through 2008...and i only have one post for the year!
Haha...i'm just too busy man...having plenty of fun though :P

Anyway, let's see wat's up this year...

I'm attending plenty of weddings...and there's also plenty of frens who're now pregnant...hmm..the rat year must be a good year :D

I've been out of the country so frequently...I feel like I'm now a frequent flyer...wahahaha...except that I dun always fly :P
Within the past 6 months or so, I've been to US, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, HK...and of course Malaysia! Wow...

I've also helped plenty more ppl improve their health...especially among my relatives and friends...I'm indeed fulfilling my role as a legal drug peddler :P

I'm doing a lot of biological work instead of chemistry work now...a biological lab is a much more pleasant place to be in...but that means I'm more of a mad biologist now than a mad chemist...mad chemist sounds nicer!!

Anyway, I think this post is getting very messy...just putting watever that comes to my mind...scatter brain...time to stop writing...wahaha...til I feel like writing again...ADIOS!

First post of 2008

2008-01-28T13:47:00.001+08:00

Wow! I'm getting really irregular here...hehe

It's almost the end of Jan and this is just my first post of the year :P

Anyway, life's been hectic...which is actually very good for me :D
I'm planning to be a rich PhD graduate by next year 2009...the progress is gg very well so far...just keeping me really busy...haha...

In memory of Picant

2007-11-22T11:31:00.000+08:00

It's been quite a while since I last posted...been crazy travelling ard...
Anyway, this time round I dedicating this post in memory of a fren I had the honour to cross path with during my days in Kent Ridge Hall...

It was totally a shock to have received the news of the passing of picant...especially from a fellow Kentridgean I just happened to bump into at the mrt station!!

Just the day b4 I received an odd sms from silverfrye abt a gathering in hall where the details is posted in a blog...which at that point kinda made me wonder y they used such an odd name for the blog...inmemoryofpicant.blogspot.com...y would picant have such a weird sounding blog...he can't be dead...he's abt my age!!

Well I was really busy then since I just touched down from US abt 24hrs b4...and was busy getting prepared for my trip back to penang in abt 48 hrs time...frequent flyer huh? so I kinda forgotten abt the sms...until fortunately, I bumped into Li Peng at the mrt on my way to a business talk at raffles place...just a quick 5 mins chat and I found out that the gathering silverfrye mentioned was this sun and it's a memorial for picant...I could feel the chill down my spine then as I heard abt his passing...how could someone so young that I know passed away so suddenly...he's just abt my age!!

However, as I was at the talk, I was quickly cheered up as everyone ard was happily and attentively listening to the speaker...
The news of picant's passing never really sank in..although it stayed at the back of mind throughout the talk...

That night when I got back...I decided to check out the blog silverfrye sent...it was really touching to read the words left by so many of his frens...I left my piece...and I was so tired I went to sleep after...it still haven't really sank in...

Until this morning when I got into the lab and started doing the mundane work of "washing" the beads in my assay tubes...I switched on my computer halfway through and saw the news on picant's passing...it finally sank in...

I started really pondering abt 2 points...

Firstly, even though I had known and stayed in the same hall as picant for 2 years...I never really got to known him very well...I knew he was a nice guy...but we never really worked on the same stuff...I'm more of a sports person..he was more in drama and rag...so he was more of just a hi/bye fren...
It really made me wonder how many more of such wonderful ppl that I have had the fortune to cross path with...that I did not really got to know better...

Secondly, even though picant was only 26 years old...he has accomplished so much in life...his life might have been short...but he has positively affected so many ppl in this short 26 years...I really feel so honoured to have known such an amazing person!!
At the same time, this made me wonder abt myself...can I say the same abt wat I have accomplished so far...have I made a difference? I'm in fact a year older than him...

Picant has indeed touched so many this past 26 years...he'll forever be in the hearts of all who had the fortune to know him...we'll always remember 18 of Nov...

P.S. On a lighter note...I would like to thank my many frens from 642...for their influence...which made me think so profoundly of this event...
Thanks to WL, ML, YY, XR, KS and last but not least, Mr and Mrs Wang!!

2 months have passed!!

2007-10-30T07:23:00.000+08:00

Wow...amazing...I forgot to write something last month...and this month is almost over too!!
Time really flies!!

Firstly let me congratulate the "boss" aka Oyster..and his Pearl on their wedding!! Just attended their wedding 2 days ago :D
So IWA is not solely work...even our boss has time for social life :D
So Vorlacks...when's ur turn...hehe :P

Anyway, life has been crazy recently...fun but crazy...

Went to Salt Lake City, Utah last month...which part explains my disappearance from the internet world...the other part is my cranky computer that has been in and out of the "hospital"...now I have finally gotten it reformated...but need somemore time to put all the necessary programs back in ;)

Anyway, back to Salt Lake City....the trip was superb...attended a convention there and had loads and loads of fun...so much fun I've so many photos...I haven't really uploaded them :P

...and even b4 I have time to settle down...I'm gg to Korea this Thur!! That's after a couple of trip back to M'sia...once to KL, once to Penang...after my US trip...I feel so IWA!!!

Korea is more of a fun vacation trip...so I'll probably nua for once...stay out of IWA for that few days...hehe

Then a few days after I touch down from Korea...I'm off to US again...this time to Duke University at Durham, North Carolina...woohoo...another working trip...so exciting!!

So do look out for photos from me...or more likely...u shld come look for me in person...I'll probably take a few months to put up those photos on the internet :P

Till I come back from US...
Adios!!

August is almost over!!

2007-08-25T00:58:00.001+08:00

August is almost over!!
...which means another month has passed since I last posted something...
time really flies man!!

As usual...I'm just busy most of the time :P

Well...rem I mentioned abt all those safety audit thingy?
My boss has prepared a safety dossier...and she's indeed humourous...wahaha...let me quote one section...on appropriate attire...

"(v) Gloves, when worn for an experiment, must be removed before leaving the laboratory. Do not touch the telephone, a door handle or a computer keyboard whilst wearing gloves. One more word about gloves (and other “take and throw” items): spare a thought for the environment and your PI’s budget. If you are one of those of reach out for a new pair of gloves every hour (10 pairs a day !), it is time to change or the PI will change /exchange you."

That's my boss...very environmentally friendly :D

Well besides this safety audit that's keeping everyone busy for the rest of their life in NUS...there was also that hole digging from the lab upstairs...heard our lab was really dusty and inaccesible then...hehe...I was conveniently away in KL then...perfect timing huh?

Talking abt KL...I went for this interesting talk by a well known oncologist from Taiwan, Dr David Chung...he's really cute for his age...hehe...
Here's a summary of some points mentioned...

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion.When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumours.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental,food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal,Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk cancer cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains,seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts)and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine.Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (reishi, green tea extract, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, fish oil etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

Wat else can I say...

Oh ya...oyster and pearl's wedding will be on 28 Oct!!
If u guys still read my blog...congratulations!!! Looking forward to seeing u at the wedding!!

It's july!!

2007-07-21T23:53:00.000+08:00

Almost another month has past since I last blog!!
Time really flies man!!

As usual...I've been busy busy busy...

Interestingly I was looking at my previous post abt the little explosion I created in the lab last month...and this month...we r doing a lot of preparation work for safety audit...where we as grad students have to do a lot of SOP and risk assessment write ups...
Somehow I have been asked to write an SOP for the procedure of a hydride reduction reaction...haha...that's the one that caused the little explosion which nobody in the lab knew abt...wahaha...interesting coincidence!!

Anyway, that's the only more "interesting" thing that happened this month...haha

Oh ya...another thing is I have finally got quite a no of compounds synthesized till their final step...now the only problem is that they r not all that clean after purification once...so gotta do a lot of column chromatography next week...that means...a lot of solvent wasting, solvent inhaling and test tube washing for me :P

Anyway, time to write some SOP now :P

June update

2007-06-28T21:52:00.000+08:00

It's been more than a month since I last posted something...time really flies man!!

Oh well I'm always busy...hehe...been catching up with sooooo many ppl...

So wat r the "interesting" things I have noticed ard me recently....

Quite a number of weddings among my frens!! to be exact...it's 3 within a period of abt 30 days...well..tat's pretty much wat happens to ppl of my age i guess...haha...soon I'll be attending weddings with my fren's bringing their children along!! That's gg to be scary!!

Quite a number of frens back from overseas...like sylvia back from canada and headed to australia next, oyster's pearl back from the hague, my cousin is back in Penang from Russia, eng hui back from sweden for hols, huiwen back from KL for hols...

Quite a number of frens has gone overseas too..haha..like my housemate is in Japan for hols, my dad is in shenzhen/HK for work, my mum is in S'pore to visit a fren..haha..audrey gg to Australia to study, many fellow postgrad, lecturers are in shanghai for a conference, some of the nus tennis players are in HK for a competition...sighz..i never train so cannot go :(

Hmm...and quite a number of ppl I know are not well or hospitalized...such as cancer, cyst, some growth, stroke, immobility due to nerve problems...and the list goes on...half of them happening to ppl who r just abt 30 years old...such as the cyst, stroke and benigh growth!! sounds so scary...and extremely expensive!! that's y better take care of ur body when u have a choice while u r young and healthy!! dun wait til something happens man...u've no choice then...and u'll still be suffering!!
So how to take care of ur body...hmm..that'll take another whole post to cover it comprehensively man :P

Ok..better get back to my work now...
Hmm..talking abt work...I just created a minor explosion in the lab yesterday...which I believe no one in the lab knew abt...but got me rather "stoned" that whole day...oops
Well now I learn...LiAlH4 shld be added in small portion for very good reasons...it's not to be added in a whole chunk...it'll go *poof* and u'll see fire!!

Tom I'll be attempting that reaction again...since the reaction did not go into completion when I carried it out yesterday...got a whole load of un-reduced acid :P
At least some reactions are working now...after months of dead ends working on some of the amines and amides...so damn demoralizing...
The good thing abt all these failures is...things can't get any worse...haha...yippee!!!

NBTY Shark Cartilage Capsules Recalled

2007-05-18T23:23:00.000+08:00

MedWatch - The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program

NBTY and FDA informed consumers and healthcare professionals of a nationwide recall of 3 lots of Shark Cartilage Capsules the company manufactured in 2004 and distributed to consumers through mail and internet orders, and retail stores throughout the United States. The product was recalled because of possible contamination with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis. Customers can return the product back to the place of purchase for a full refund. Read the press release for specific names and lot numbers of the recalled product.

More on this issue here

Hmm...this thing is manufactured in 2004...and recalled in 2007...I wonder how many has ended inside the consumers already...
Looks like there shld be a cautionery label stating "Take at your own risk" for such supplements that do not go thru screening for contamination prior to ending up on the shelves...esp since supplements like those from deep sea source are highly prone to contamination!!

Moral of story: "Understand thoroughly the company which u take ur supplements from!! Get a chance to visit their facilities if necessary :P"

Interesting household tips

2007-05-17T22:55:00.000+08:00

Saw some of these interesting household tips that came along with my electricity bill...

Tip 2:
You can remove ink from your clothes by spraying any kind of hair spray on your ink-stained clothes. Dry the sprayed area with a tissue and wash your clothes as soon as possible.

Comments:
Sounds like u r using some kinda hair spray with some ethanol inside...I doubt an alcohol free hair spray would have the same effect :P
Ethanol is a very good solvent which is miscible with water...it sure would dissolve the ink and carry it away :P
At the same time...if u use hair spray containing ethanol, it'll dehydrate ur scalp as it carries water along with it when it evaporates!! So dun blame hair loss on genes if u r using the wrong hair product :P
Not to mention ethanol is flammable...make sure nobody smokes ard u when u r using the hair spray :P

Tip 3:
Want to remove stubborn stains such as chilli sauce, blood, and soya sauce on the collars of shirts, blouses, skirts and kids' uniforms? A bar of bathing soap should do the trick. Apply the bar of soap on the stained area and scrub it before soaking it in a pail of soapy water (powder form). Your stained garment will soon be spotless again. Try it out, it works.

Comments:
Wah...soap can remove stubborn stains...that sounds pretty harsh!! Are u sure u wanna use such harsh soap on ur skin!! I'm sure the soap I'm using won't be so effective in removing stubborn stains...
If u try testing the pH of ur soap...it's probably pH 10 or higher...very alkaline...which is very good for removing stubborn stains...just like how we use sodium hydroxide to clean the stubborn stains off our glassware in the lab...but err...r u really all that dirty...and have u tried testing the pH of ur skin? (wet a piece of pH paper and put it on ur skin...see wat color it turns into and match the color to its pH)
I think it's time to change ur soap...and just use that bar of soap for stubborn stains on clothes!!
Alkaline soaps can dehydrate ur skin too...as it removes the acidic protective layer of our skin!!
So next time if u find ur skin very dry...maybe u shld change ur soap besides using a moisturizer...no point destroying ur natural moisture protective layer and use a synthetic one over it which may not be as effective :P

So if u happen to use hair spray that can remove ink stain OR soaps that can remove stubborn stains...it's time to use them just for stains...and get some new hair spray and soap for ur hair and body ;)

Chemical glassware on Ebay?

2007-05-12T01:06:00.000+08:00

Wow...I din know u can purchase chemical glasswares on Ebay too!!

I was searching for companies where I can get quotation for this particular glassware used in distillation...which now I know is called Vigreux distilling column...

Besides Sigma-Aldrich...I noticed is sold on ebay too!! No wonder ppl can have their own mini chemistry labs in their basement...doing funny things like small scale counterfeit drugs? Oh man...it's really scary!!

Back in S'pore!!

2007-05-01T11:28:00.000+08:00

I'm finally back in S'pore!!
...being hardworking and all...I'm now at work on Labour Day!!
Unfortunately, for once, the construction site just outside my room is all quiet!! I shld have stayed home and sleep...zzzzz :P Oh well...

Anyway, the flight back from Amsterdam was quite good...din sleep much though...was watching a few movies in the dark instead ;)
Let's see wat I have watched over this couple of weeks....

On the flight to Amsterdam...
First I watched Casino Royale...
Then..Freedom Writers...based on a true story abt how a teacher made a difference to a group of teenagers of various minority races in the US...facing hopeless life of poverty and crime...I think it's really good educational movie...
Slept the rest of the way..

On the flight back...I watched Coming to America, The Guardian and Beat the Drum...and part of Beverly Hill Cops and Night at the Museum...hehe...I slept less on the way back :P
Anyway, I think the best movie was Beat the Drum...another good educational movie abt AIDS in Africa...a very true depiction of the understanding of HIV/AIDS in many rural villages in many developing countries...even at this very moment...resulting in millions of orphan kids each year...
The result of ignorance can be very scary hor??

Check out the webiste on Beat the Drum movement...

I'm in The Hague!!

2007-04-29T22:34:00.000+08:00

I'm now in The Hague :)

Leaving for Amsterdam soon though...hehe..then it'll be back to S'pore!!

Din do much here...just stayed in the IPSF flat...pretty messy place...haha...
Visited the beach...
..and gg for a bbq later at Boyan's place...then gotta catch a train back to Schipol to catch my flight back to S'pore!!

Okie...time for bbq :)

I'm in London!!

2007-04-28T14:46:00.000+08:00

I'm in London now...been here since Wed nite :D

Met up with some sec sch frens, JC fren and now I'm headed to the north to meet a fellow pharmacist, Lindsay...b4 I head back to Amsterdam...then to The Hague to meet Oyster again...and I'll be leaving from Amsterdam soon!!

Gotta catch a train now!!

I'm in Amsterdam!!

2007-04-22T04:29:00.000+08:00

I'm in Amsterdam...been here since Thur morning!!

Left Singapore on Wed nite...and arrived in Amsterdam on Thur 5am!!

On Tue...the day b4 I was supposed to leave, I had a cold!! Was sneezing away in the lab and having a headache...but with my various supplements and the yummy g3 drink...I felt very perfectly fine on Wed...haha...so started packing that day :P
I'm totally not prepared for this trip...haha

When we (Ana, Peiling, Hanyi and I) arrived in Amsterdam...we started figuring out how to get to our hostel...it was still early after all...no need to rush...won't get to check in yet :P
Met an Indian guy instead...he saw us carrying the poster...apparently he took the same flight as us...he flew in from Australia and transferred to our flight...

We went to Keukenhof on Wed where we saw plenty plenty plenty of tulips of various colors...it was soooooo colorful...sooooo beautiful!! But I'm a lousy photographer...so dun think the photos I took turned out that great :P

Thur was spent at the pre-satellite congress...at Vrije University...as usual Asian tend to get together whenever we r in a International event like this...esp since we r the minorities ;)
We had ppl from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, China...many studying in Europe...interestingly I have yet to meet anyone from S'pore or M'sia in the pre-satellite congress :P

Today...after sleeping thru the keynote speakers' talks...Ana and I followed a free tour in Amsterdam...it's up to us how much we wanna tip the tour guide...
It was a pretty interesting tour...the tour guide was, Per, from UK...his background was in Architecture...but his full time job now is a tour guide...hehe...he found it more fun ;) Anyway, he's pretty good at it now...very humourous ;)

Now it's time to go zzzz....oh ya...Oyster is in Amsterdam already too...with his Pearl...hehe...hope to see him tom!!

Wat's up since CNY??

2007-03-30T00:04:00.000+08:00

So wat's up since CNY??

Hmm...let me see...I think 2 is a lucky no. for me :D

I have gone back to Penang twice...including the time I went back for CNY :P

I have attended 2 weddings...both weddings I know the bride and groom...one pair from KR..the other pair from SGH :)
Ronald and Vivien has been together forever...since b4 my first year in hall...glad to see they r finally married :D
Meanwhile...proud to say I'm part of the matchmaking group for TG and PL...hehe...basically we just tease them all the time while we were in outpatient pharmacy...and well...apparently our talkativeness (i.e. not paying attention) while TG was discussing various topics with us got his attention on the only gal that paid attention...hehe...

I have also participated in 2 swimming related events...one charity event at NTU on a wed...swam 3k...and the S'pore Biathlon that same week's sat...swam 1.5km and din run :P

I have only exercised twice...not counting the 2 events I participated in...hehe...I know some tigger would just say I'm a slacker :P
Anyway, I swam once and ran once...ran ard my home...and found out there's a Sheng Shiong nearby...at McNair Rd...wow...new discovery after staying here for more than 2 years!!

I have also found a couple of long lost secondary school classmates in S'pore!! One staying just a couple road from me!! More to be found soon :D

IN SCHOOL...

I was "arrowed" to do an oral presentation of my QSAR paper..2nd presentation on it in this 2 months...well being "arrowed" is not bad lah...that meant I was assured of a chance to win some prize money :D
Unfortunately I din bribe the judge enough...so we ended up with a tie..
Come to think of it...I have 2 presentations this month...hehe...lucky no. 2...

I have gotten 2 compounds out...actually these r the only 2 since last Jun...no wonder I'm stressed out...need more compounds out for testing b4 I go to Amsterdam!!
Since the no. 2 seem to be good for me...I shall try to get 2 tertiary amines and 2 esters out...sure hope they r not as much of a problem as the primary amine!!

Amine and ester I hope to synthesize :D

Problematic primary amine I need for the amido and ureido analogues

I know I must be pretty stressed out when...

2007-03-29T23:40:00.000+08:00

I haven't posted anything for more than a month!!
I can't stop scratching away!! argh...it's not even itchy...
I feel totally lost when I dun have that little notebook of mine with all things I plan to do or discuss in it...
The list of things I need to do seem to be getting out of hand :P
I can't figure out how to purify that stupid primary amine and I need it to synthesize a couple of other compounds...time to move on to something else first...b4 I kill myself or someone else :P
My boss is expecting some compounds out b4 I leave for Netherlands mid next month...I sure hope my new strategy will work *keeping fingers crossed*
My room is in a mess again...well I wonder is that the cause of stress or the result of it...hmmm...chicken n egg...
My BP gets quite high...esp at night...I need more Relaxation formula?

Happy Lunar New Year!!

2007-02-17T18:12:00.000+08:00

A very happy lunar new year to all Chinese frens out there!!!

...and happy holidays to all!! :D

Also happy collecting ang pow for the unmarried..
and happy giving ang pow for the married? hehe :P

Improved short-sightedness

2007-02-17T17:50:00.000+08:00

I've been short-sighted ever since primary sch...not too sure when it started...but when it was detected at the age of 11...my power was a few hundred on the right side...and perfect on the left side...hence, I always felt I have perfect eye sight :P

A set of specs was made which I still never wore since I could see everything clearly :P

Finally in 1996, when I was at my peak of my competitive tennis "career"...I decided it's better to have good eye sight on both eyes...otherwise games in the evening tend to be quite a problem :P
Then..my power was 400 on the right and 0 or 50 on the left...so I got contact lense on 1 side only..hehe :D

After I started to use the contact lense for a year or so...my left eye start to "balance" itself with the right eye...hehe...
So I switched to specs...since I hated the contact lense :P

From then on...my power just kept climbing every year I went for a check up...
So I get new specs every year!! :P

Anyway, it continued to climb until early last year...it was 550 on the right, and 350 on the left...told u the left one was trying to balance with the right ;)

After I started taking Lifepak (multivitamin/mineral and antioxidant supplement) for a few months...my power actually dropped to 500 and 300...
I added g3 (a high antioxidant health drink)...and now...it has dropped further to 475 and 275...cool right!!
...and I now read a lot more on the bed...haha :P

Maybe if I stop reading on the bed...my eye sight will perfect itself in a year or so :D

Check out the graph of how my power has increased over the years...got the record from my optometrist :D

Lifepak and g3 rocks!! :D

I know I'm just very busy when...

2007-02-11T23:13:00.000+08:00

My room is in a big mess and I just can't be bothered...
The kitchen is also dirty and messy...
I have books surrounding me on the bed...hehe
I have thousand over emails in yahoo unsorted...and another 750 in outlook express unsorted...
I haven't been backing up my data as regularly as b4...hmm..maybe I better back it up real soon...
I iron my clothes every other week instead of twice a week now...luckily I have enough clothes for 2 weeks...hehe
My letter tray is piled with weeks of unsorted mails...

Yeah...I'm busy...very IWA indeed :D

No more extremely sensitive nose??!!

2007-02-11T22:54:00.000+08:00

I was just cleaning up my super super dusty room...haven't really clean it for weeks I think...or is it months??...hehe...it's still pretty messy now...but much cleaner :P

Previously if I attempt such a massive cleaning...I'm pretty much sneezing all day long...the only way to stop it is to take an antihistamine and sleep...

Amazingly...today...other then some slight sniffling...I'm totally fine...

Hehe...all the supplements I have been taking is doing their work very well indeed...yippee!! :D

U know u ought to be stressed out when...

2007-02-02T20:43:00.000+08:00

Ur synthesis is not working...
U can't figure out which is the compound u want from the many many spots on the TLC plate...
U r spending a lot of time trying to confirm the compounds u r synthesizing...
The compounds u r synthesizing seem to be degrading as u r trying to purify it or confirm its identity!!
U bought the wrong starting material for ur synthesis so u r stuck...(how blur can one get :P)
Ur boss is starting to hint that u r getting slack...(and it's true!!)
U have to read up a lot on ur synthesis but u just hate reading such stuff :P
U'll also probably have to start reading up on homology modeling as ur boss has conveniently collaborated with another PI to do some computer work...
U have presentation deadlines staring at u...hmm...but u dun seem to care abt it...
Oh ya...u totally forgot abt ur teaching assistant duty...that'll sure screw up ur plans for lab work :P
Ur email is piling up with plenty of unimportant seminar announcements and u dun even know if u have missed out any impt emails??
U have yet to make any plans for ur trip to Amsterdam in April...air tix and accomodation price may be gg up...
Ur room is starting to get really messy but u just dun have time or the mood to tidy it up...
U just have plenty of other things to do besides ur lab related ones!!!
Finally, u dun really know who to "complain" to...oh well...

Just another post...

2007-01-19T19:34:00.000+08:00

I haven't posted for so long man!!
Just been busy I guess....
Anyway, being IWA...it's kinda expected to be this busy :P

Wait a minute...I wasn't all that busy...in fact, I wasn't doing much last week...just sleeping a lot...hehe...

Well...it all started after my last posting...on the 4th...my housemate started to be very sick...actually it was the 3rd nite...but i got home late and never see...just assumed she has slept early that day...
The next day...she msg me to ask whether I'm gg home early the day...would like me to get dinner since she was sick...hmm...that din sound rite...she must be really sick...
Indeed she was...with really high fever...up to 39 degrees!!

The next day same thing...still having a fever...went back to see the doc who refered her to TTSH for a blood test...suspected dengue...uhoh...
Anyway, blood test result was inconclusive...with pretty low platelet...but not at a critical level...so she was sent home...
Apparently she had an interesting episode there...haha...some "kuku" guy (her words) was there...kept requesting for "X-ray! X-ray!"...apparently his slot was for 11 Jan 10.30am...so he was asked to go home...

On Sat...she went back for another test...again...same thing...and the "kuku" guys was also there...haha...
Anyway, I went to donate blood that morning...my hemoglobin was 14.1..very good...last month couldn't donate 'cos Hb was a little low 12.1 :P

Sunday..same thing for Ms Lim...
But Feei and I went Vivocity for her b'day lunch with a few other ASEAN ppl...had to leave the lawyer at home...hehe...but we'll get some non-oily sandwich for her...she hasn't been able to eat well and been puking out most of wat she ate...she figured it's too oily...and she dreamt of salad and sandwich the nigth b4...haha...
How to find non oily sandwich in Vivocity?? In the end never get anything...instead I went out again in the evening and got sushi for her...it's kinda non-oily rite :P

On Mon...still not well...so her dad decided to send her mom and sis over to rescue her...hehe...
That afternoon...I started to feel..not too good...but anyway, I had plans to meet up with Mr Koh and the NUS tennis gals that evening...so I just hanged ard in school till we met up...
It was nice to meet up with ppl like Joanne and Sharon Liu again!! Busy lawyers...luckily we met up in Raffles City...they could drop by after work :D
...I found out Joanne works in Drew n Napier...same same as my Ms Lim...not only her...Grace Lai is also there...and someone else from the guys team...was it Ray? Haha...everybody works there?
Too bad Grace had plans that nite liao...Stacey also just happened to have left the country that morning...forgot abt Mei Ling...oops...but ChenMei said she's in Germany...phew...hehe
Anyway, it was nice meeting with all those that ppl again...haven't seen each other since after graduation man!!
I was pretty much "gone" after dinner...luckily got a lift home from Mr Koh :D

Tue...even though I was still kinda feverish...I had to go back to the lab to stop the overnight reaction I had started the day b4...gotta work it up...extract..then rotavap...wash my glasswares, clean up the bench...blah blah blah...then home I go ;)

Wei Lee's mum and sis was ard...anyway, I just went home and sleep till it's time to meet Vorlacks for dinner...oh ya...Vorlacks just got back on Sat...and will be leaving again on Sat...that's the only day I'm available to meet him...and find out from him abt his interesting posting on the blog!! Angel and Lili were there too...
It was Tue...so waffles were at 50% off...hehe...I left after one waffle...Vorlacks and Lili wanted another one...but the wait was 30 mins...I wanna sleep liao lah :P

Wed...I din go sch...just nua at home...even meals were settled by Wei Lee's mum...hehe...when to see doc and had a blood test there..just in case...platelets were normal...230..and WBC was normal but on the low side...4.6...

Thur...same thing...except I went to work in the evening...hehe
Wei Lee doesn't seem to have dengue...based on serum antibody...so the docs think it's Chikugunya...it's just a different virus...but basically the same as dengue...spread by Aedes, symptoms similar except different rash pattern...

Fri...went to the lab for a while in the morning...got someone to replace me for work that evening since I was gg to Malacca the next morning...needed more sleep :P

Sat and Sun...I was in Malacca for a day and a half for various interesting and exciting talks! So exciting that I developed a slight fever again on Sun nite :P

Mon...din go sch again...haha...tried to prepare that poster for the OLS opening on the 5 and 6 of next month...oh shucks...it's still not done yet...maybe I need to panick liao...since I have another presentation to prepare for next next Wed's group meeting...

Anyway, this week was just busy in the lab...synthesizing some cpds and purifying some other cpds by Combiflash...I love Combiflash...save me the trouble of packing my own column...and it's so much faster!!! of course that makes it more expensive...but who cares :P

Ok that's all for now...time to get off work soon...wahaha :P

Oh ya...Wei Lee has just been added to the statistics for Chikugunya yesterday...hehe...so wat did I have?

X'mas and new year!!

2007-01-03T13:21:00.000+08:00

There were so many holidays the past couple of weeks...so many long weekends!!
First there was X'mas...then there was Hari Raya Haji...and followed by New Year's Day!!
Oh ya...and followed by Feei's b'day..haha :P

So guess wat I did for the holidays??!!
I worked!! Very IWA indeed huh?

Worked at TPY on X'mas day...busy as usual...but ok ;)

Then I was at AMK on New Year's Day and the following day (replacement hol for Hari Raya Haji)...wah...that place is madness...that new hub isn't even all ready...wonder y the rush to open *shrug*
There's only one way down to the basement now...takes me 1 minute to ride on one escalator...ya..i was so irritated...i decided to time my ride...oh ya...there r 2 escalators each way...so...for a 30 min lunch break...I need to spend 5-10 mins getting in and out of that basement...arghhhhh!!
Oh ya..and that place is crowded as hell...dun u guys have another place to go...y all come and crowd in AMK...so irritating...I hate crowds :P
...and then there r the drug addicts...so crowded also u guys wanna come...wat's ur problem??!!
...and does the dispensary at AMK look a lot more like the cashier then any other shop??!! Stop coming to the dispensary to make ur payment...the word "CASHIER" is damn huge and u guys can ask me where's the cashier??!! U all irritate the hell out of me!!
Oh ya...I think a taller stool is necessary for the dispensary...or maybe just longer arms?? I can't even sit down to use the computer or write anything on the desk...design sucks man :P

Oh well...that was the sucky 2 days I had at AMK...at least I'm paid...although if I knew it were this busy and irritating...dun think I would I have chosen to work :P

Anyway, thankfully it's not all work the last couple of weeks...

There was the x'mas party the sat b4 x'mas...I was supposed to be santa elf...but in the end...din get the costume :P
I was a microphone stand instead...wahaha...
It was fun...with plenty of food and entertainment in the form of skit, cooking demo and singing...we sure have great singers ard ;)

Then last Sat it was KC's wedding lunch...met up with quite a few ASEAN ppl...with special guest appearance all the way from Canada...Ms Choy Lye Sim...hehe...
That evening...our lab also had a new year-cum-farewell dinner for Huiwen...at Xiaoling's place...wah...more yummy food...
Then after that..at home...we have the "sim"s...Lye Sim and Win Sim..and Yee Ling over at our place...just to drink and chat...
Lye Sim got really red after a little drink...that's a lot of acetaldehyde produced by her body...haha...not good!!

Anyway, the next day...there was the ultramarathon at MR...well...I totally forgot abt it...shld have noted it down on my PDA :P
Instead I had lunch with Angel...and her dad...hehe...she just got off work...and since she's on call...her dad came to pick her up ;)

That evening...went for countdown at grand plaza hotel...b4 that had dinner with kaizhen...with plenty of time to spare, I took the shuttle bus down to marina square and walked back to city hall...I was so against the human traffic flow...haha...everyone else is headed towards esplanade...no way I'm gg there...I hate crowds...hmm...think I have mentioned that b4 :P

After counting down, we just continued to hang ard...while I played with helium balloons...haha...I really talk like a cartoon after inhaling helium :D
Now I feel like dismantling the helium tank attached to the mass spec machine...and make more helium balloons....Sek Eng will sure kill me if i do that ;)

Oh and finally, yesterday we had a surprise b'day celebration for Feei...with her "friend" ard...hmm...interesting how come this "friend" (yup...just a fren) of hers always get to spend all those special times with her...haha

That's how I spent my x'mas and new year....

So now it's back to work....synthesis, synthesis, synthesis!!
When can I use the mass spec?? I need to confirm my compound b4 I make more of it!!

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-01T02:45:00.000+08:00

It's 2007 already!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

So wat's ur new year resolution???

I never seem to have a new year resolution b4...so this year my new year resolution is to have a new year resolution...woohoo...am I crappy or wat :P

Ok...time to sleep...dun wanna sell the wrong drugs to customers tomorrow...or rather later today :P

Will write more abt recent happenings later ;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! again...hehe...

Zzzzzzzzzz....

Penguin news :D

2006-12-19T09:54:00.000+08:00

16 December
Penguins offer evidence of global warming
(Antarctica)

The first Adelie penguin chicks of the season – black fluffballs small enough to hold in the hand – started hatching this month, and the simple fact that there are more of them in the south and fewer of them further north is a sign of global warming, scientists say.
Go to article - Reuters

15 December
Dog leaves penguin safe
(Australia)

Allan Marsh with two of his Maremmas.

Little penguin numbers at Warrnambool’s Middle Island have tripled after a world-first trial in which a Maremma guard dog, Oddball, was placed on the island to protect the penguins during their breeding season.
Go to article - The Warrnambool Standard

13 December
Mystery illness kills all but one yellow-eyed chick
(New Zealand)

DIMINISHING POPULATION: rare yellow-eyed penguins are under threat after a poor breeding season on Stewart Island.

Stewart Island’s yellow-eyed penguins are facing an uncertain future after a mystery illness wiped out all but one of this season’s chicks. Regular monitoring of the penguins’ largest population on the island found that of the 32 chicks hatched, just one had survived.
Go to article - Stuff.co.nz

11 December
How to see a penguin in Antarctica? Play it cool
(Antarctica)
Those who come to Antarctica often dream of seeing the regal emperor penguins or the smaller Adelies, but environmental policies require humans let the birds make the first move, and keep their distance in any case. But sometimes penguins’ curiosity brings them into close proximity with humans - and that's what happened for marine biologist Gretchen Hofmann.
Go to article - Reuters

7 December
Public asked to help track penguin vandals
(Australia)
Authorities are calling on the public to help track down vandals who attacked a colony of endangered little penguins in Sydney harbour. Two eggs were smashed and three nesting boxes destroyed in an attack on the colony near Manly last week, triggering widespread condemnation.
Go to article - News.com.au

Gender of zoo's baby penguins a mystery
(USA)

Samson, one of three penguins born recently at the Memphis Zoo, can be seen through the hatchery window. By spring, the trio should join the 24 other residents of Penguin Rock.

The three African penguins at Memphis Zoo have been named Samson, Dee Dee, and Liam - but without a blood test, you can't tell which gender penguins are. So what happens if Samson lays an egg?
Go to article - Memphis Commercial Appeal

I'm in Penang

2006-12-18T22:13:00.000+08:00

I'm in Penang..hehe...since last Fri...and will be back in S'pore on Wed :P

Haven't met up with a lot of my fren's for years...hehe...I'm always such a lazy bum when I get home...everyday just eat, sleep, watch tv, surf internet :D

Well this time round I decided to meet up with some old frens...and one thing in common I found out abt this Penang ppl is...they all work in Intel...or knows a lot of ppl who work in Intel!!! How many ppl did Intel hired??!!

First there's my primary school classmate-cum-swimming-cum-tennis fren, Foong Hooi aka Cabbage aka ba4zao3yu2...haha...long time no see...but still look the same...same goes for her sis, Foong Yen, who happens to be in S'pore now!!
Found out from Foong Hooi so many of our childhood fren...be it from primary school, swimming or tennis are in Intel too!!!

Then there's some my secondary schoolmates...Phaik Choon, Yoon Chee and Lee Ying Ying (there r 3 Ying Ying's in my class at one pt!!) also in Intel...but Ying Ying will be coming to S'pore soon...working so near where I stay somemore...cool...there'll be 2 Ying Ying's in S'pore then...haha...Chua and Lee...if Tan Ying Ying comes back to S'pore from US...it'll be a reunion of the PCGHS class of 1997 Ying Ying's!!! haha :P

Anyway, there r more ppl working in Intel...according to my tennis coach, Francis Su...many of his ex-students are there too!! There's even ppl like Julita...din even know she did IT related stuff :P
Oh ya...Francis has friendster now...haha...check it out here...he's still trying to confirm who created it for him...wahhaha...some mischieveous boy :P

Anyway, now I can't rem who's not in Intel liao...wahaha...except those overseas...like my tennis buddy, Sze Pheh aka prawn yeap :P Still studying medicine in Aussie...
Many tennis players seem to be there too...like Amy, Adrian, Siao Yin, Siao Khee...hehe...
Even my NJ-cum-pharmacy senior, Anne, is gg there soon...she couldn't take wat she's doing here...oops...so if u think S'pore pharmacy is bad...M'sia sounds a lot worse :P

It's still a lot of sleep for me back home...somehow there's this drowsy effect everytime I come back to Penang...haha

Will be back in S'pore soon...just in time b4 Kae Woei leaves...and few other frens come back...like Small Ice...hehe...even Oyster and Vorlacks will be back..yippee...IWA reunion!!

Wilson for NMP!!

2006-12-16T22:29:00.000+08:00

Go Wilson!! Proud of u!!

NMP nominations attract new faces under 30 years old

Friday December 15, 8:17 PM
Channel News Asia

SINGAPORE: The deadline to apply for the posts of Nominated MPs closed on Thursday.
Some NMPs are seeking a second stint while there are also several fresh faces, some of whom are under 30.

25-year-old Wilson Ang made a dash for it just before nominations came to a close at 4.30pm.

The president of the Environmental Challenge Organisation almost did not make it as verifications were needed on his application forms.

So his friend (Cheung Kar Onn) came to his rescue.

Wilson is possibly the youngest applicant in the running to be a NMP.

But will his age work for or against him?

Said Mr Ang, "Young, being inexperienced but at the same time, I connect closer to the youth from my generation. I hope to be a more informed voice for youth opinions and issues they want to raise (that are) linked to the environment."

Another nominee from the environmental camp is 28-year-old Louis Ng, who is the executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres).

He hopes to focus on educating the young about animal welfare in Singapore.

And he has already mapped out his plans.

"I hope to engage the youth in a more sustained fashion. I will hold fortnightly meet-the-youth sessions, very similar to the MPs' meet-the-people sessions but just that they are only for youths, for them to raise social community issues," said Mr Ng.

Another nominee is 44-year-old businessman Dr Ameen Talib, who is a board member with the Association of Muslim Professionals.

65-year-old Ooi Boon Ewe also threw his hat into the ring.

Mr Ooi contested the single seat of Joo Chiat in the recent General Election.

He had also made previous attempts to apply for the NMP position.

Three former NMPs, including Nature Society president Dr Geh Min, social work volunteer Eunice Olsen and biotech businessman Tan Sze Wee, confirmed they are seeking a second term.

Six groups representing business, the labour movement and social-community organisations have also nominated candidates.

In 2004, 37 nominations were made and nine were appointed.

A maximum of nine NMPs can be appointed to serve for a term of up to two-and-a-half years.

They will be selected and interviewed by a committee of eight MPs chaired by the Speaker of the House, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, before President SR Nathan approves the recommendations.

Those nominated should have been involved in public service, or distinguished themselves in their respective fields.

Under the Constitution, NMPs must be Singaporean, be at least 21 years of age and have lived in Singapore for the past 10 years.

They must also not be disqualified from being an MP under Article 45 of the Constitution that bars the unsound and undischarged bankrupts. - CNA/ir

Are they Men's Health Enough?

2006-12-16T13:38:00.000+08:00

Hmm...just helping a fren promote...hehe...

He's one crappy but fun guy in the lab...damn good looking too...plus he has a black belt in taekwondo...dun mess with him...hehe :P

Vote for Heng Seng...here!!

Publications and I..hehe

2006-12-16T10:41:00.000+08:00

Showing off some publications with my name on it...hehe...
2 are scientific papers...one is a testimonial :D

The first one...

A Preliminary Ecotoxicity Study of Pharmaceuticals in the Marine Environment

Authors: Mei Fun Choong, Amy1; Lay-Ming Teo, Serena1; Lene Leow, Jo2; Ling Koh, Hwee2; Chi Lui Ho, Paul2
Source: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A, Volume 69, Number 21, November 1 2006, pp. 1959-1970(12)
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Ltd

Abstract:

Environmental fates and effects of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment have been the focus of recent research in environmental ecotoxicology. Worldwide studies of common over-the-counter pharmaceuticals have reported detectable levels in the aquatic environment, but there are few studies examining impacts on marine habitats. These drugs can affect the functions of various vertebrates and invertebrates. The stability of two pharmaceuticals, cyclizine (CYC) and prochlorperazine (PCZ), in seawater was examined under light and dark conditions, as well as the toxicity of these compounds to larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite, which is a cosmopolitan marine organism found in most of the world's oceans. CYC was very stable under all the tested conditions. On the other hand, PCZ degraded in light but not in the dark, and was more stable in seawater than fresh water. For the barnacle larvae, the LC 50 of prochlorperazine was 0.93 μg/ml and the LC 50 for CYC was approximately 0.04 μg/ml.

Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1080/15287390600751371
Affiliations: 1: Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 2: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore

The second one...still in process of publication :P

Quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) of indoloacetamides as inhibitors of human isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase
Jo-Lene Leow1, Rudi Baron2, Patrick J. Casey2 and Mei-Lin Go1 ,
1:Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, 18 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore
2:Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Centre, Durham, NC 27710, USA
Received 18 July 2006; revised 26 October 2006; accepted 13 November 2006. Available online 15 November 2006.

Abstract
A QSAR is developed for the isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase (ICMT) inhibitory activities of a series of indoloacetamides (n = 72) that are structurally related to cysmethynil, a selective ICMT inhibitor. Multivariate analytical tools (principal component analysis (PCA) and projection to latent structures (PLS)), multi-linear regression (MLR) and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) are used to develop a suitably predictive model for the purpose of optimizing and identifying members with more potent inhibitory activity. The resulting model shows that good activity is determined largely by the characteristics of the substituent attached to the indole nitrogen, which should be a lipophilic residue with fairly wide dimensions. In contrast, the substituted phenyl ring attached to the indole ring must be of limited dimensions and lipophilicity.

Article still in press in BMCL (Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters) ;)

Yippee....that's like a lot of CPE points for me...hehe...

The third one is a testimonial..hehe

From here...

If u live in the modern world...I'm sure u are under plenty of free radical attack too...from the sun, the polluted air, radiation from handphones/computers, stress or just from exchanging oxygen into carbon dioxide :P
So would u like to try a bottle of g3 or a box of Lifepak? Dun wait till some chronic diseases or worse still cancer develop hor :P

Interesting cards

2006-12-11T21:17:00.000+08:00

Nothing much has happened last week...besides work :P

The only interesting thing was helping out in an adventure race on Sun...din even know wat time I'm supposed to get to yishun etc...until I got home on Sat nite and called the race organizer...hehe...slept at 2am and woke up at 5.30? *yawnz*

It was fun though...saw the usual faces in adventure races again...and met some of my frens again...like gabriel, evan and lily...and also linda!! She's in the Singapore Women's Everest Team...used to be from KR :)
Also met some new frens like Edmund, Ken and another boy...oops..forgot his name...we were helping in the same area...which was the last station...so had time to go for kopi together b4 proceeding to the station...haha...the race organizer was frantically searching for us :P

Anyway, last thur was my b'day...got some of these interesting cards...actually one is a coaster :P

This is a coaster from michelle...cute heh :D

This is a card from my twin who's now in China...the messenger was supposed to pass me the card on 7 Dec..no earlier, no later..but she din...haha..I'm supposed to send the penguin of death after her :P

This isn't exactly a b'day present...just something my housemate saw when she was on holiday in Brisbane...hehe...sounds like me...except that this is a postcard for AIDS awareness :P

Eureka!!

2006-12-05T19:11:00.000+08:00

After the 5th time...i think...trying to separate my cpd...i finally figured the 2 spots on my TLC is due to the 2 E/Z isomers of my compound!!

Well all this while the NMR and MS results seem to indicate that the cpd I wanted is in all fraction...but I thought it's just because the other cpd I can't identify has similar NMR spectra :P

Hmm...but I still can't figure out y the isomers of my cpd appears as 2 totally different spots on TLC..
...and still can't figure out why it can't be separated if they r 2 different spots...

Maybe my cpd isomerize in solution..so even though it was initially one isomer when it came out from the column...but by the time I spot it on TLC...it has become a racemic mixture??

Dunno lah...anyway, doesn't matter which isomer...it's just an intermediate (oxime) which will be converted into a non-chiral cpd (primary amine)...so who cares which isomer it is...
So I just wasted a lot of time...and plenty plenty solvent and columns...wahaha...

Time to move on :D

Carl Lewis was here!!

2006-12-03T16:56:00.000+08:00

Wow...haven't posted for 2 weeks :P
Just realized that I have been so busy that I haven't really kept in contact with my IWA members too...well...we r all busy...IWA mah :P
Also haven't seen my twin, Vorlacks, online since he left for China...his last posting on his blog was one and a half month ago!!

Anyway, what has kept me so busy man???

Deadlines in school!!

Had a couple of presentation to prepare for last week...and also an assignment to hand in...

This week I was just busy trying to separate my compound...failed so many attempts liao!!! Still haven't separate it and I'm still not sure which spot on the TLC is the compound I want...can't really carry on with the next reaction like that!!

My compound is aromatic with an oxime grp...starting material was an aldehyde...and there's a 3rd spot on the TLC which I have no idea wat cpd it is...any idea how in the world I can separate this compound??!! they seem to be separable on TLC...but why can't I separate them using Combiflash or the self-packed column??!!

Check out my TLC plates :P

Oh well...will attempt again with a much smaller load...see if overloading is my problem :P

Anyway, it wasn't all work and no play for the past couple of weeks :P

Last sat we went to play boardgames at Cheryl's place again...I was there for a short while only...Sotong, Roonz and Bala were late...so me played Club Penguin with Eric first...hehe...Eric and Rachel are sooooo cute!!
After the rest arrived...we tried to get Rachel to play hide-and-seek...haha...but she dowan!!! We played Taboo instead...and had plenty of pop corn...yummy!!!

After that I go do facial as usual at Raffles Place...anyone wanna join me? I'm a bimbo there every sat :D

On Sun...went for the beep test by Philip...to check our VO2 max...hehe...the cd player sotong brought din work...so we played the CD from his car instead!!
We ran 20 meter back and forth, back and forth...at increasing pace according to the beep...until we finally can't make it!!

My heart rate when up to 200 beats/min after stage 9...abt 80 laps of 20 m...phew...so my VO2 max was 44.5...hmm...does that mean the measurement using my HRM is quite accurate...according to my HRM...my VO2 max is abt 45-46 :D

Then this past Fri...we had an early "Operation Ninja Ambush" at Cheryl's place...haha...it was her b'day!! Got a giant mumble for her...hehe...luckily I got a ride from sotong...otherwise mumble would have to take a ride on the bus with me :P

Here's a photo of giant Mumble with Tigger...hehe

Yesterday...we met Carl Lewis!!! Nike invited him here for the Vivocity Nike opening on Fri...and also a motivational talk for some athletes on sat...
Thanx to TLR..some of us managed to attend the talk...and I got an autograph from him and a photo with him...woohoo...

Got an autograph from Carl Lewis!!

A photo of Carl Lewis and I!!

Closed up photos of Carl Lewis

The thing he said that really caught my attention was abt his medals...after his 1984 olympics multiple win...someone asked him where he kept his medals, and he casually mentioned they r in storage...
Asked why...he said that the medals represents his past achievements...he doesn't need a reminder on that...he's only focused on what he can achieve in the future!!
This is truly a trait of a successful person we can really learn from...
Dun dwell on ur past achievements or failures...just look forward to what u can achieve in the future!!

Today I accompanied Cheryl for her first 10km run...err..or was it a walk...haha...we walked most of the way...pace was very consistent...abt 11-12 mins per 1km...well...the aim was to complete...not to compete...but we both ended at the finishing line extremely fresh after 1 hr 53 mins of walking and abt 400m of run...haha...

Cheryl after the run...still looking fresh huh?

Oh well...the goal was achieved...so it was all good :D
Next target for would be to complete in 1:30...

Another Ironman inspiration!!

2006-11-19T13:01:00.000+08:00

This is truly inspiring...

To me the most inspiring thing abt athletes who manage to complete such a feat is not so much the fact that they managed to complete it...i.e. the results...but more of the process...the amount of discipline and effort that goes into training for the event!!!
These athletes spent almost all of their non-working/sleeping/eating hours training!! Can u do that??!!

Having met Harn Wei b4 at the NUS pool...I also find him extremely humble...a trait that many truly great ppl have...think I gotta learn to be more humble if I wanna be great :P

The Straits Times

Nov 18, 2006
TRIATHLON
Kua completes 10 Ironman races in 10 straight days
By Jeanette Wang

IMAGINE swimming lengthwise across Singapore, then cycling up to Chiang Mai and finally running back south to Bangkok.
Impossible?

AMAZING FEAT: Kua Harn Wei took a total of 156hr 48min 43sec to complete the Deca-Iron Triathlon World Challenge in Mexico.

Singaporean Kua Harn Wei will tell you otherwise.

The National University of Singapore lecturer, 35, covered that distance at the Deca-Iron Triathlon World Challenge in Monterrey, Mexico, last week.

The event was organised by Multisport Andonie, a Mexican company specialising in ultra-distance events.

Starting last Monday, Kua completed one Ironman triathlon - a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.195km run - every day. He did it for 10 straight days.

Competitors had to swim 76 laps in an indoor heated pool, cycle 93 laps of a paved circuit, and run 22 laps of that same circuit within 24 hours.

Once completed, the remainder of the day was free. But each day at 9am, a new round would be flagged off.

Of the 17 athletes who started, only nine - eight men and a woman - managed to finish all 10 races.

Kua is the first Asian to complete the challenge.

The 2006 Singapore Youth Award winner averaged 15hr 40min 12sec for each Ironman. He won the final leg in 13:16.33.

His total time for the 10 races was 156hr 48min 43sec.

The overall results were not available at press time.

Kua, who took part in his first Olympic distance triathlon (1.5km swim, 40km ride, 10km run) in 1992, has also competed in the Ironman and Double Ironman distances.

Last year, he was ninth at the Quintuple Ironman World Championships in Mexico.

His latest feat has left Triathlon Association of Singapore president David Hoong in awe.

'It's beyond the human body. I can't believe he did it,' he said.

Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports Teo Ser Luck, a three-time Ironman, added: 'Singaporeans should take this as an example of someone who always sets the bar higher for himself.'

Kua could not be contacted.

So do u think I'll attempt a crazy feat like that in the future?
Neh...dun think so :P
Of course things might change in the future...after all I never thought I would attempt...much less complete...a full marathon...up till my undergraduate days :P

Penguins in the news again :D

2006-11-17T07:40:00.000+08:00

National Geographic News

Photo in the News: Penguin Shoes Ensure "Happy" Feet

November 15, 2006—They might not be suede, but these blue shoes are a perfect fit for "Elvis."

The newly shod bird, seen here, is one of 18 "second chance" little penguins now living at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. The penguins, also called blue or fairy penguins, were adopted from Marineland in Napier, New Zealand, which rescues sick or injured marine animals and sends some of those that can't return to the wild to live at regional animal centers.

But not long after their September arrival in Christchurch, a few penguins started to develop calluses on their feet that could have led to infections. Such calluses are common for penguins in captivity, because the seabirds, which normally spend most of their time fishing at sea, occasionally get lazy and spend too much time waddling on land.

"When the penguins arrived … some developed sore feet, and this has proved quite tricky for us to treat," International Antarctic Centre director Richard Benton said in a press release.

So the center's staff began a rigorous treatment regime, including saltwater foot baths, ointment applications, and fashion footwear design. The special penguin shoes—available in blue and green—are tailored specifically for the little penguins and are made of breathable material with light rubber soles.

"We have seen a dramatic improvement," Benton said, "and [we] expect that they will only be wearing their pretty shoes for a very short time."

—Victoria Gilman

Happy Feet

2006-11-12T00:13:00.000+08:00

More penguins in the movie!! Must watch this too!!!

Penguins in An Inconvenient Truth :D

2006-11-12T00:03:00.000+08:00

U must watch this show!!

Busy life of a mad chemist

2006-11-11T18:25:00.000+08:00

Hmm...have I really been that busy the past 2 weeks??

Let me see...
I have finally completed my cell assay work last Mon...yippee...managed to get 3 good readings liao...so no need to do extra...hehe...I feel so lucky...
Anyway, I have killed of the remaining cells...gave them a huge dose of bleach :P

Now I have started on synthesis again...got to use the Combiflash to first purify my previous synthetic cpd that has been kept in the RBF for moons and moons...hehe...
So far I have only synthesized one cpd and but I have yet to separate them...had 2 failed attempt with the Combiflash...first the column I used was too big...then the solvent system too polar liao :P
Oh well...that's part and parcel of synthesis...plenty of failed attempts :P

Besides my research work...I also had plenty of assignments :P
Well this is the last sem I need to do any assignments...have completed my module requirement for PhD...yippee ;)

My first assignment for the "Pharm Analysis" module was on NMR and MRI...due long time ago...that was a boring paper :P

The second assignment was on LC-MS...a grp assignment...we were supposed to come up with a problem related to our research field and come up with a solution involving LC-MS...
My group decided to write up on the standardization of Lingzhi (aka Ganoderma lucidum)...I found out that there isn't a single product in the market that has standardized lingzhi...except Pharmanex :P
Lingzhi is a very good TCM that's potentially very useful as an adjunct in anticancer treatment...but w/o a standardized pdt...which oncologist would dare to let their patient use it??!!

If u r interested, check out the write up here ;)

My final assignment for this very same module (super a lot of assignment for one module hor :P) due on 23rd Nov...is on biophotonic imaging...hehe...sounds familiar?
Well similar to my 2nd assignment...we r supposed to write on a possible application of this technology in relation to our research work...
I'm planning to write abt the use of Raman spectroscopy for antioxidant/carotenoid determination to investigate the potential synergistic effect of antioxidants and my anticancer drug :D

Finally, for the "Emerging Concepts in Drug Discovery" module, I wrote on ziconotide...an interesting marine natural product for chronic pain...which was just approved by the FDA in 2004...

It's a very interesting drug 'cos it has a novel mechanism of action...unlike the usual opioid drugs which works on..err...the opioid receptors...haha :P
Ziconotide work on the N-type calcium channel...it's the first of its kind!!

Also another interesting pt is that ziconotide is the original/unmodified form which was extracted from the cone snail, Conus magnus...most drugs are usually modified/improved form of the original natural pdts...
But in this case even with attempts to improve this natural product, scientists found that the most potent form is still its original form ;)

Well...have I bore u enough? :P
Anyway, if u r interested...u can download my assignment write up here...I have also included the story behind how ziconotide was serendiptously discovered ;)
I hope to do some research on marine natural products in the future...hehe...hopefully I can go diving to get my own samples too...haha :)

Oh...assignments are not all that's keeping busy...
Starting from next week...we r gg to have weekly meetings for all those in my lab...each week, someone has to present briefly abt the work and progress...
I'm supposed to present the following week (20 Nov)...my co-supervisor will be coming along to...save me the trouble of doing the presentation twice...hehe...but I think our meeting with him is long overdue...I hope they have some results on the enzyme inhibition assay for me too :P

Well...that's my busy life for now...but I still managed to exercise at least once or twice a week...been swimming every week...and last week I also went to Sentosa to run with Jayce...it's been so long we ran together!! Hmm...but my ITBS seem to be still there...shucks...I gotta be more hardworking and do some strengthening exercise...otherwise how m I gg to fulfill my IRONMAN dream??!!!

Farewell to my twin?

2006-11-11T11:35:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I have posted...been busy and lazy :P

Anyway, I gotta post something since my twin aka Vorlacks will be leaving for China soon...tomorrow actually...he's been to China quite a number of times the past few months...but this time round...it'll be a much longer trip...at least for a few months...

So I met up with him at Hougang Mall on Thur...it was the only weeknight I was free :P
Wow...I haven't been to Hougang Mall for so long...it's pretty different now after the renovation...renovation is done except some tiny ppl still doing some final touch up like minor screwing and paintings...haha...ok...that last part is crap :P

We had dinner at Cafe Cartel...wanted to order the special combo which contains ribs, chicken, pork etc...unfortunately it's for 4 person...there was only 2 of us and 2 penguins...
Oh well...we had something else instead....forgot to take photo though...shucks!!

Only took one b4 dinner was served...Vorlacks was pretty hungry...so he resorted to eating....my penguins!!!!

After dinner, Vorlacks took out his laptop to get connected to the internet...we found the Hao/How brothers online...How is also in Netherlands with Hao aka oyster...haha...we got a call from Hao which we put on speaker...couldn't hear half the things they said...could only hear them laughing and laughing...typical of the Hao :P

We had dessert after that and it was time to head home...
Of course b4 that...we need took some twin photo...no more twin photos for a while after this!!!

Here's the photo...

So long, twin!!! Till we meet again!!!

Campaign 4 An Inconvenient Truth

2006-10-27T00:02:00.000+08:00

Just watch the documentary on global warming at a special screening by ECO at GV Plaza Sing...would like to encourage more ppl to watch it...

It's an excellent documentary that everyone have to watch...and take action!!!
Global warming has to be stopped if u want the earth to live longer than u and many generations after u...

The evidence of global warming is overwhelming and undeniable...
1) The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years.
2) Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level
3) The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade
4) At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles

...and if the warming continues...
1) Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years - to 300,000 people a year
2) Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antartica, devastating coastal areas worldwide
3) Heat waves will be more frequent and more intense
4) Droughts and wildfires will occur more often
5) The Artic Ocean could be ice free in summer by 2050 (where would penguins and polar bears go then??!!)
6) More than a million species worldwide could be drive to extinction by 2050

Therefore, take action b4 it's too late!!!
A little effort goes a long way...

Here are 10 simple things u can do...
1) Change a light
2) Drive less
3) Recycle more
4) Check your tires...keep it properly inflated
5) Use less hot water
6) Avoid products with a lot of packaging
7) Adjust your thermostat
8) Plant a tree
9) Turn of electronic devices...when not in use
10) Spread the word!! Encourage your friends to watch An Inconvenient Truth!!

For more information, go to www.climatecrisis.net
Most of the information above are obtained from the website

My favorite quotes from the movie: "Ask your parents not to ruin the world you'll be living in" and "If you are a parent, join your children..."

"It is DIFFICULT to get a man to understand something when his SALARY depends upon his NOT UNDERSTANDING IT."
Upton Sinclair

Just another busy week

2006-10-26T23:32:00.000+08:00

It's been busy busy busy again...so busy I can't really rem wat kept me busy :P

Let me see...I have been swimming at least once a week recently...other than that...it's just going to the lab...nothing interesting...

Sat I went to KL for a seminar...left super early in the morning...and came back super late at night...after a yummy dinner at a nyonya restaurant in Malacca...yummy!!!

Sun...even though I went to bed pretty late...still had to wake up early for an interclub tennis match in NUS...it was my longest game!!! 3hrs...3 sets...lost the first one...won the 2nd...then...lost the 3rd...sianz...I think our NUS ladies' team has yet to win a single match throughout this doubles league!!! excluding the walkover we got :P
Eunice and I got real close to winning one...but...sighz...that's kinda wat happen when u dun train...u regret it!!!

After the super long match...I got lift to Suntec for pharmacy week!!! Plenty of free health screening...including blood glucose, blood pressure, body fat analysis, bone density test...and, most importantly, ANTIOXIDANT scan!!!
Well...ur antioxidant score tells u how healthy u are...unlike the other "health" screening which only tell u wat disease condition u have or do not have...for example a normal blood glucose only tells u that u do not have diabetes :P

Whereas if ur antioxidant level is high...it means ur body is better protected against free radical attack...
Free radical attack can cause aging and cancer, and have also been proved to be associated to 200 over chronic diseases!!!

My antioxidant score is 53000 (optimal = 50000+)...wat's urs?

This week...back in school...except on Tue...'cos it Hari Raya!! Worked at TPY instead...
It flooded at the basement due to a burst pipe the night b4!!! Luckily by the time I got there...it was more or less cleared up...nothing interesting except I got so many calls from that irritating aunty again!!!

Wed I was planning to column of the crude compounds I synthesized a couple months back...hehe...jialat hor...leave it for sooooo long...
Instead I was busy editing a paper...that hopefully will be published on the Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters soon...it finally came back after a long review...

Finally I managed to column my compound today...it was really fast using the Combiflash...looks quite clean...I think...hehe...Jianchao doesn't think so :P Oh well...it's just an intermediate...will do NMR on Mon and see how ;)
Had to do another cell culture assay to determine the IC50 of 2 compounds because blur me added the wrong compound in the last assay!!! Waste time and waste money man!!! So I seeded the cells today...tom add drug...next Mon add MTT ;)

After a mad rush...decided to join Wilson at the screening of "The Inconvinient Truth"...it's a documentary on global warming...narrated by former US Vice President Al Gore...hehe...last minute go gate crash :P

I'm still alive!!

2006-10-17T00:46:00.000+08:00

Yippee...the test is over...and I'm still alive...haha

In fact, I think the little bit that I studied was all I need for that paper...hehe...yippee...

Hmm...so now I just need to complete my 2 assignments due in less than 2 weeks time :D

...and in the lab it's back to playing with chemicals again soon...well...my boss have been bugging me abt that quite a while ago...but...hehe...cell culture work is really time-consuming...my boss dun seem to understand that...seems like u really gotta do it to understand it :P

I'm so dead :P

2006-10-15T18:20:00.000+08:00

Just realized that I haven't had a closed book test/exam for a long long time...since undergrad times...

Being so used to open book exams...I'm usually quite bochap abt tests/exams...until a day or 2 b4...and I'm still quite confident I'll survive :D

But now I have a closed book test on NMR and MRI tomorrow...I know nuts abt this topic...and I just started looking at the notes yesterday!!! Spent a whole day out yesterday, and the whole morning out today...
Can't believe I had a tennis match this morning, and went for an KR alumni gathering after that...as though I'm so free...not realizing how jialat I'm gg to be if I dun spend more time studying...and worse still...I still dun feel like studying now!!!
I feel so stressed for myself :P

Well...if u find me dead tom...this post will tell u y...wahahah :P

Ok...back to staring at the notes :S

Ironman inspiration!!

2006-10-13T12:03:00.000+08:00

I have been inspired to do an Ironman race ever since I started participating in various marathon/biathlon/triathlon last year...esp when I see so many fellow triathletes who aim to be an Ironman!!!

Interestingly...even though I have been very active in sports since...err...primary school years?!! I played tennis competitively to a pretty high level and also represented school, college or hall in swimming/track etc...
Yet I have never thought that running 10km or more was an achievable target...

And now I have done various marathons, biathlons and triathlons!!! In fact, the more I participate, the more inspired I'm to go further!!

However, training for a triathlon is really really time consuming...wat more an Ironman??!!!
Not to mention a tribike is pretty expensive and not cheap to maintain too!!! Dun think I can do an Ironman with a mountain bike or a hybrid :P

Today I saw this clip on Youtube...it is really touching to see so much love of a father for his son...so much that they participated in so many marathon/triahtlon together!!! U really have to watch it and be inspired!!

It also inspires me further to do an Ironman...not just for myself...but for a charitable organization!!!

So now I have to work hard to find time and money to do an Ironman b4 I reach the veteran's category for ladies...hehe :P

More on team Hoyt here :D

Are you feeling sleepy/lethargic lately?

2006-10-12T10:56:00.000+08:00

I kept feeling sleepy last week...just couldn't figure out why...so decided to blame the haze...haha...actually I thought it must be psychological lah :P

Then someone mentioned she felt the same way too...hmm...then I really started to wonder whether it's the haze...

Last Sat I was referred to the website by the National Environment Agency on the latest PSI readings...
There's this 24-hr PSI at 4pm for each day...where they report the SO2 (sulphur dioxide), PM10, ozone and CO (carbon monoxide) level...

I noticed the CO level was abt 30-40 on Fri and Sat when the air was very hazy...and that is still within the good range of 1-50...
However on Sunday when the haze was gone...the CO level was in the single digit range!!!
Which means there's something like 5x more CO in the air than normal during hazy days...maybe that's the reason for the sleepiness...after all, sleepiness is one of the early symptoms of CO poisoning :P

So that's my theory...haha...
Saying that...increased my dose of Cordymax seem to help elevate these symptoms...maybe from the increased VO max :D

Some facts abt Carbon Monoxide

What is carbon monoxide (CO)?

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and toxic gas produced as a by-product of combustion ...well, not surprising there's additional CO in the air with the haze...plenty of incomplete combustion gg on in our neighbouring country :P

What are the medical effects of CO?

Carbon monoxide inhibits the blood's ability to carry oxygen to body tissues including vital organs such as the heart and brain. When CO is inhaled, it combines with the oxygen carrying hemoglobin of the blood to form carboxyhemoglobin (COHb). Once combined with the hemoglobin, that hemoglobin is no longer available for transporting oxygen ...well, lack of oxygen in the brain can sure make ppl sleepy :P

How quickly the carboxyhemoglobin builds up is a factor of the concentration of the gas being inhaled (measured in parts per million or PPM) and the duration of the exposure. Compounding the effects of the exposure is the long half-life of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood. Half-life is a measure of how quickly levels return to normal. The half-life of carboxyhemoglobin is approximately 5 hours. This means that for a given exposure level, it will take about 5 hours for the level of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood to drop to half its current level after the exposure is terminated.

What are some symptoms of acute low level CO poisoning?

The earliest symptoms, especially from low level exposures, are often non-specific and readily confused with other illnesses, typically flu-like viral syndromes, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and migraine or other headaches ...anyone experience any of such symptoms recently?

The effects of carbon monoxide in parts per million are listed below:

35 ppm (0.0035%) Headache and dizziness within six to eight hours of constant exposure
100 ppm (0.01%) Slight headache in two to three hours
200 ppm (0.02%) Slight headache within two to three hours
400 ppm (0.04%) Frontal headache within one to two hours
800 ppm (0.08%) Dizziness, nausea, and convulsions within 45 minutes. Insensible within two hours.
1,600 ppm (0.16%) Headache, dizziness, and nausea within 20 minutes. Death in less than two hours.
3,200 ppm (0.32%) Headache, dizziness and nausea in five to ten minutes. Death within 30 minutes.
6,400 ppm (0.64%) Headache and dizziness in one to two minutes. Death in less than 20 minutes.
12,800 ppm (1.28%) Death in less than three minutes.

Better air please?

2006-10-05T23:09:00.000+08:00

Wow...the air has been real bad recently...wonder wat's the PSI...

Dunno it's the air or it's just me...but I feel like sleeping most of the time...*yawn* :P

Anyway, that said...I'm real glad the sitting area in my lab has been partitioned off just in time...so at least now we have an air-conditioned place to hang out and do our non-lab work...w/o having the smoky smell from the hazy air...hehe...lucky us :)

...and luckily I went for a swim on Tue afternoon...after the downpour which cleared the air...
Hmm...that means I was swimming in smoky water...oops...

Maybe now's a good time to go diving...we could use more compressed clean air now :P

Interesting weekend?

2006-10-01T18:16:00.000+08:00

I think this must be one of the more interesting weekends I had for many many week liao :P

Yesterday...after I had lunch...or rather brunch..went to dreamergal's place for board games...hehe...
On the way there...while I was changing bus at one of the bus stop...saw this young boy with the mum massaging his head...found out that he had knock his head on the bollard 'cos some big guy was running to catch the bus which the boy just alighted from...that guy banged into him and somehow the boy knocked his head...ouch!!!
In the end the mum insisted on that guy gg along with them to see the doc...so much for rushing to catch the bus...that guy has just wasted more time :P

Anyway, when I was near dreamergal's place...I saw this red car with an arm each swinging from both front seat windows...hmm...squid tentacles? hehe...yeah..it's sotong and mrs sotong...
We got to dreamergal's place in time just b4 it started pouring...

Well the rest were not so lucky...renoh had to run in just b4 it poured really heavily...then charlotte, daisiki and roonz came in a cab...

Tiwazz, TLR, Fd, Ripley and Philip came later...hmm...I din even see Philip since I had to leave early...

Anyway, we had loads of fun playing all sorts of games...together with dreamergal's many siblings :D
Started of with Billionaire, then Taboo and finally Pictionary b4 I left...after that they continued playing more games...including Jenga and some "banana" game suggested by...who else...sotong lah :P

Had to leave early 'cos I was working at HBF...

Nothing much happened there except kena scolded by some uncle who wanted to buy 3 strips of lomotil...
I just casually asked him how come he needed so many...'cos usually most ppl just buy 1...and usually a few tablets is more than enough for a case of diarrhea...unless u just wanna get constipated :P
Besides, lomotil can be abused...
Well this uncle not happy...apparently I have asked him the same question b4 and he refused to answer me previously too...
But the last time I worked at HBF was moons ago!!! why so "lucky" kena him again...
so he claimed I dun wanna sell to him and said he wants to complain...hmm...I dun really care leh...but I do care if I'm selling any medication to someone who might be abusing it...
In the end he got the lomotil from elsewhere and came back to show me, make noise and tell me he's gg to complain...ya..watever lah :P

Well...tat evening...I met up for dinner with a fren...hmm...she has an interesting story to tell me...apparently some idiot has been bugging her...and that idiot seem to know me too...though I dun even know him!!!

That's my Sat...

Today...I woke up early to go back to the lab...my cells have not been growing as fast as I would like them too...dunno wat's wrong also...maybe something not quite right with my media? At least it's not killing my cells ;)
Oh...when I talk abt "my cells"...I meant the IMR-90 fibroblast cells I'm growing in a flask :P
These cells are inherently slow growing since it's normal cells...not the usual cancerous cells that are more commonly used...and definitely grow a lot faster!!

Anyway, today the cells have finally grown confluently...finally could seed 2 plates from one flask and subculture the other flask...
It's quite peaceful working in the lab on a Sunday morning...not so recommended to work alone if I'm doing synthesis...but cell assay...not so bad lah hor?

After that...I had to rush off to the courts...hehe...got interclub doubles...that's part of the reason why I went back to the lab...I've travelled all the way to NUS after all ;)
Gloria partnered Pauline, Yunwen and Sherene...then I'm with Mich...
Mich and I were so lethargic throughout the game man...sunday morning tennis matches are not good...but since I can't make it for sat matches...I'm playing most of the sundays instead...maybe I need a younger, more energetic partner...hehe...
Mich and I were committing suicide all the way...so our score ended up with 6-0, 6-0...and we din even reach deuce for any game!!! Hehe..ya...it's that bad :P
We also realized we din sweat much throughout the game...when we decided to hit after the game...and found ourselves sweating away...hehe...we were really not warmed up for the game man!!!

We played against NUSS...so after the game they tried to recruit us (the old ones :P)...heh...nothing new...they've been doing that since my undergrad years...hmm...that made me sound rather old :P

Anyway, after the match, I washed up and went down to Orchard to meet a couple of frens for lunch...2 fellow primary school mates!!! Hmm...I think our parents see each other a lot more than we have seen each other :P
After lunch, it's time to head home...

My back is kinda achy now...hmm...looks like I can't do with that lazy way of hitting where I bend forward and try to reach for the ball instead of running to it and hitting in a more upright position...hehe...signs of old age...oh well :P

So that's my more interesting weekend for u ;)

Zoanthropy

2006-09-28T22:38:00.001+08:00

Stedmans.com Word of the Day for Thursday, September 28, 2006

zoanthropy
A delusion that one is an animal (e.g., a dog).

[G. zoon, animal, + antropos, man]

Hmm...am I zoantropic?

Not sure...

2006-09-28T07:34:00.000+08:00

I feel kinda sad at times...
but I'm not too sure why...

I think I have done something wrong...
but I'm not too sure what...

I think I shld talk to someone...
but I'm not too sure who...

Even if I think I know who...
I'm not too sure how...

What should I do?
I'm really not sure...

Busy life of a mad drug peddling chemist

2006-09-23T22:49:00.000+08:00

Hmm...haven't really posted for super long...the last post that really count was when I was high on Atarax :P
Glad to say that my rash outbreak is now more or less gone...still feel itchy occasionally esp at night..and esp on the face and ears...so still taking Atarax at night...which seems to give me weird dreams that I can't seem to rem when I wake up!!! No mention of such side effect in my DIH (Drug Information Handbook) or Micromedex though...oh well it could be due to something else or I could be the first with such an effect :P
We are all guinea pigs when we take any drugs after all :P

Anyway, I haven't been posting much since it's that time of the year...or rather semester...that I get really really busy!!! So busy that I have been last team to arrive at home every night...either due to lecture, work or just out for dinner with frens like yest and today...

I also haven't really exercise since AHM!!!...until early this week...
It's nothing to do with the workload...I wanted to take a break from land sports due to the injury I had during AHM...then the rashes came along so I din wanna subject my skin to the harsh chlorine in the pool...
But I finally went for tennis training on Tue...then the next day went for a swim...nice relaxing swim :D

I think deadlines and the lack of exercise sure made me feel like a pressure cooker!!
I feel so much better after handing in my assignment on Tue...plus the exercise...phew...

Unfortunately I still have plenty of deadlines ahead of me...a couple of assignments I just got this week...due late next month...and maybe another which will come along next month...and 2 tests...or maybe it'll be 3 or 4 within the next 2 months!!
Well the good thing abt having so many tests/assignments is that the weightage each of them is not very high :D
...and this will be the last sem that all these tests/assignments will get into my way since I have cleared my module requirement...yippee...more time to do my personal work then ;)

Oh and did I mention abt marking lab reports...plenty to mark...since I'm taking 3 classes this sem...but it also means I would be able to fulfill my teach assistant duty requirement in 1 more sem :D
Anyway, hanging out with the students can be quite fun also...esp those who r eager to learn...hopefully they dun learn the wrong things from this drug peddler though :P
Of course there'll always be those who dun like to learn "how to fish"...they want me to "fish for them" instead :P

Hmm...those are my "sideline" work...my main work is research...so everyday I still have to do some work in my own lab...
Now I'm spending time in the not so clean "clean room"...growing cells and drugging them...hehe...that's wat mad drug peddling chemist do :P
Cell culture work seem to be not so flexible though...gotta grow them on Mon and Thur, feed them drugs on Tue and Fri...and check their viability and kill them on Fri and Mon...just so I dun have to go back during the weekends :D
In between still gotta check on the cells and make sure they r growing fast enough in the flask so that I can continuously carry out my assay...and not to mention all the autoclaving of the rubbish generated and some pipette tips etc...phew...
Hopefully I can finish all the cell culture work within the next 3 or 4 weeks...then after that clear some of the assignments and make more new drugs ;)

I feel so WA!!!

That said...next week is term break!! Yippee...I still have to do my lab work...but at least there r no lectures...did I mention my lectures are pretty late at night? 6-8pm on Mons and 8-10pm on Tues...siao hor?
...and no TA duty...just need to finish marking last week's lab report :P Yay :D

Ok...time to go iron my plenty un-ironed clothes :P

Something abt Penguins

2006-09-17T15:59:00.000+08:00

Well this article is on the crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin's, death...but there's a mention abt Penguins...and since I haven't posted for a while...hehe...here's a post for u :P

The Straits Times
Sep 16, 2006
Irwin's 'final lesson' was his most valuable
By Ong Soh Chin, Senior Writer

Australian Steve Irwin, host of the popular documentary Crocodile Hunter, was only nine when he caught his first crocodile. He was killed by a stingray last week.

LAST week, a stingray stuck a fatal barb into conservationist Steve Irwin's heart.
Immediately after, his fellow Australian, feminist writer Germaine Greer, got a whole sling of verbal arrows when she wrote an article in The Guardian newspaper suggesting that Irwin had got what he deserved.

Enraged fans attacked her for being a 'bitter feminist' - as if that had anything to do with the price of fish - and even Queensland's Premier Peter Beattie got into the act, calling her argument 'extreme radical rubbish' and stating he wished he could triple the tax on her Queensland rainforest property.

He said: 'We should double the taxation. If I could do it, I would double it or triple the taxation on it.'

Okay, maybe Ms Greer was a little insensitive to Irwin's grieving picture-perfect family, but what she said - about Irwin disrespecting the space that animals need - is painfully valid, whether or not we want to listen. And more often than not, we don't.

Thankfully, on Monday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) came out in support of her sentiments. Its spokesman, Mr Dan Mathews, said on salon.com of Irwin: 'He made a career out of antagonising frightened wild animals, which is a very dangerous message to send to kids.'

Irwin's tale reminds me a little of the tragic story of Mr Timothy Treadwell, an American conservationist who saw himself as a protector of bears.

Mr Treadwell spent a lot of time in the Alaskan wilderness filming bears and 'befriending' them. He would talk to them, give them names and even got up close to touch them.

In October 2003, he and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard were mauled to death by two bears. Parts of their remains were found in one of the animals, both of which were eventually killed by park rangers.

Last year, German filmmaker Werner Herzog released a highly acclaimed documentary on Mr Treadwell called Grizzly Man, using the reams of footage Mr Treadwell had shot of himself and his beloved creatures.

It never made it to Singapore, presumably because the distributors thought it had limited appeal. Documentaries don't normally do well here.

I caught the film - one of the most compelling documentaries I have ever seen - in New York where it did not draw much attention too, probably because it opened at around the same time as another documentary, March Of The Penguins.

Everybody and their grandmother went to see the penguins. In the United States, the movie went on to make US$77 million (S$121 million), becoming the second highest-grossing documentary there, after Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.

Elsewhere around the world, it was a big hit too. In its opening week in China, the film earned two million yuan (S$400,000), taking up a quarter of the total movie takings and making box office history, reported Xinhua.

Worldwide, the movie earned US$45 million and even enjoyed a short run in Singapore.

Its success was understandable. The penguins in the movie were cute and resembled nuclear families - in short, they seemed human.

This was reinforced by the movie's tagline, 'In the harshest place on earth, love finds a way', which implied that penguins were capable of a human emotion.

The American version had actor Morgan Freeman narrating, but the original French version unfolded like a bedtime story, with actors supplying the actual voices of Daddy, Mummy and Baby Penguins.

Many parents dragged their children to see March Of The Penguins, thinking it a delightful and educational movie.

But the lesson learnt - that animals think and behave like human beings - is a harmful and erroneous one.

It was precisely that kind of mistaken arrogant thinking that killed Mr Treadwell and, to a lesser extent, Irwin.

While Irwin never pretended that all the animals he encountered were cute and cuddly, he did, as Ms Greer pointed out, 'barge into' their space to 'manhandle' them.

Her ultimate fear, she concluded was that 'a whole generation of kids in shorts seven sizes too small has learnt to shout in the ears of animals with hearing 10 times more acute than theirs, determined to become millionaire animal-loving zoo owners in their turn'.

Children have always been fed a highly anthropomorphised diet in popular culture, thanks to cartoon characters like Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Big Bird, Speedy Gonzales, Nemo and all the creatures in Madagascar.

But one can easily distinguish between reality and fiction in cartoons. Clown fish do not talk in real life: That much is ascertained pretty quickly.

But when films like March Of The Penguins claim to be documentaries and conservationists like Irwin make it a point to poke and prod crocodiles, that line quickly becomes blurred.

It's one thing to dress your poodle up in baby clothes, it's totally another thing to assume that your poodle likes it.

Irwin's downfall was assuming he knew better than the animals and that he had the upper hand. A few years ago, he was lambasted by the public for dangling his infant son in one arm while feeding a dead chicken to a crocodile with the other. He then baby-walked his son in the compound.

In his defence at the time, he said he always had the situation under control. But he could not have been absolutely sure that the crocodile would not lunge unexpectedly - just like that stingray.

The irony now is that Irwin's death may teach the world a lot more about animals than his life ever did.

Human beings can sometimes be animals, but animals will never be human.

High on Atarax..

2006-09-05T23:09:00.000+08:00

Forgot to post last week...wat happened to the weekly posting requirement for IWA??
Oh well...Vorlacks also dun have time to post regularly...and boss...ah...forget abt him...he hasn't been very WA since...u know when lah...hehe
He's now busy enjoying himself in Brazil...with his Pearl :P

Anyway, I haven't been very WA last week too...think i spent abt half the time in bed :P
Well I had a case of pretty bad rashes...so I took a lot of Atarax :P
It all started from the Fri b4...just a small patch on each arm...then it spread to the whole arm and neck on Sun...it was really itchy :P

Went to school as usual on Mon...decided to see the doc at the TPY polyclinic on Tue...wow...the waiting hour is really long...at least they let u know it's 2 hrs...after finding out from the lady at the registration counter that there r 17 (yes..17!!!) ppl in front of me...waiting to see the same doc in the same room...I decided I shall not sit there and fret...I went to get a hair cut at TPY central instead :D

Anyway, the doc thinks it looks like some allergic reaction...but gave me a referral to the Skin Center...in case it doesn't clear in a week...
But...the earliest appt to see a dermatologist in NSC is abt 2 months!! So the nice lady at the counter suggested getting an appt at CGH instead...guess wat...they have a slot for me the very next day!! Well...I would like to wait a while and see first b4 spending my time and money travelling all the way to CGH to see a specialist...so got an appt a week later...

On Thur...the rash seem to have spread to the thigh and face!!! Hmm...weird rash...seem to be on the exposed parts of my body only...
Anyway, decided to bring forward my appt to see the dermatologist...as advised by a caring fren :D

So I went to CGH on Fri...their dermatology clinic seems really free hor? can get appt next day one :P
Wasn't a great visit...with all the wait here and there...typical of a specialist outpatient clinic...generally u dun have to wait long at any pt...usually ard 15 mins or at most 30 mins...but they make u wait 15 mins many many many times!!! So irritating...
Not to mention the MO and consultant I saw wasn't really frenly...in fact u can consider one of them rude :P
Anyway, the consultant within minutes of seeing me...I hope he read the case notes the MO wrote...decided I have developed an allergic reaction due to an insect bite...
I really wonder how come he's so sure it's an insect bite...

Well...tat turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me...my insurance agent told me I'm covered for insect bites!!! wahaha...so I can actually make a claim for this kinda weird condition...not bad huh?

My arms and neck started getting better yesterday...I guess the thigh will be better soon too ;)

Army Half Marathon

2006-08-27T14:44:00.000+08:00

My 2nd time participating in this race...and my first incompleted race :P

Oh well...better give up one race for many more to come rite?

Anyway, as usual...had to wake up super early...abt 4am...had a quick bfast, then was off to CTE...kops21 got there b4 me!! oops...thanx for waiting ;)

Got to the carpark by the Bible House at almost 5am...
After we got ready...we walked towards the starting pt...I stopped by Parkroyal for a toilet break..lost kops21 and Francis after that :P

At the baggage deposit area...I saw Jayce, Elaine, Evan and a few other frens of theirs...then as I walked towards the bridge...I saw Balasing and flip...I think...

After we got onto the bridge...suddenly a whole grp of sgrunners appeared..wah...dunno where they come from...anyway, they also disappeared quite as fast...as we walked towards the starting line...I only see renoh and ripley nearby...wonder where have the rest gone...I'm sure ppl like brokie, our chilli padi, was right in front...in her sexy running attire...hehe...

At 5.30am...we were flagged off...I decided to run slowly..as usual..at a comfortable heart rate...
Since I was pretty near the starting line when we started...I was overtook quite a lot :P
I rem seeing Taz, Mythos, Jennifer, run3, and few others who kinda stared at me when they run pass...must be 'cos I was wearing the sgrunners singlet...hehe :P
The rest must have been too far in front...
Elaine and Jayce also run pass me and whacked my cap...I'll pull their hair next time I see them :P

Anyway, as I approached ECP...the side of my right knee started aching a bit...as I slowed down to a walk...the pain kinda disappeared...then as I continued running...the pain came back...so I slowed down again...then run again...after I u-turned back and passed the 9km mark...I decided it's time to stop and ice my knee...

Went to the medic tent at Fort Rd...got "check-in" and was given a piece of cold pack...then the doc came by to check out wat happened...
After that, I hanged ard there as a couple of other gals, a sec sch gal and another one who works with OSIM, came in...
Then a couple of counsellors came by to chat with us...wow...so cool...
Apparently there're quite a number of ladies in the army too :D just like ripley...

Later on...this gal, Harmony, from Brewerkz, came in...apparently she's been walking and hobbling for a few km...b4 someone finally stopped her and brought her here...she was still thinking of continuing the race even though she can barely walk!!!
We finally convinced her to give up this race...there'll be many more to come...esp since she's still pretty young...

At abt 8 plus...we were ferried back to the ending pt...where I found the sgrunners...but not kops21!!! My stuff are still in his car...luckily brokie had her phone with her and she has his no...met him back at his car...
Since he was gg back...decided to take a lift from him...esp since the sky has turned pretty dark!!

A photo b4 I left...

Got back in time just b4 it started pouring at my place...
Took a shower, iced my knee again...b4 Feei and I went out for bfast...

After that, I slept pretty much the whole afternoon!!! slept a couple of hours...wake up...sleep again...wake up...housemates came back from "S'pore-M'sia badminton match"...sleep again...felt like a pig...haha...must be the Atarax I took for the rashes all over my arm...yawnz...

Guess I'll just be swimming for the next few weeks :D Shall skip the tennis training too :P

Anyway, congrats to Brokie and TeeLee for coming in top 20 for their category!!

New Balance Real Run

2006-08-22T13:53:00.000+08:00

There r so many events this month...one after another!!

Anyway, I din sign up for this run...not so thrilled abt running on sand...esp since this coming Sun is the army half marathon :P
But since I haven't run for so long...since Penang Bridge run...I decided to head down to Sentosa to run a bit and meet up with the other Sgrunners...after all, the first time we met last year was for this run ;)

Woke up at abt 6 plus on Sun...and I'm considered late liao!!! Siao man!!
Got to Sentosa at abt 7 plus...walked in from harbourfront since the queue was very long for the shuttle bus...and the road was jammed up too...

Got to the gateway carpark at 8am...where I found the support crew...the runners have all run off :P

After we settled our stuff at the finishing pt...I started running from the finishing pt towards the beach...ran past the musical fountain, towards the entrance of the trail...decided to run along the road instead since I din want to interfere with the runners running on the trail in the opposite direction :P
From there I ran all the way to Siloso beach...in the opposite direction on the running/cycling trail along the beach...some of the volunteers were wondering why I was running the wrong direction...haha ;)

Made a U-turn ard the 6-6.5km mark...which means I have ran abt 3.5-4km?
From there I followed the Real Run route all the way back to the finishing pt...somewhere towards the middle of the jungle trail...some "irritating guy" started mumbling "excuse me, excuse me...." behind me...even though I was just running at the side...haha...it was TLR lah...he overtook me and I started speeding up, trying to pace after him...since finishing liao...might as well run faster rite?

As I came out from the trail...someone shouted "penguin!!"...but my shades was pretty fogged up...so din couldn't really figure out who it was...until I saw this photo in KJ's album...thanx, dude :D

I finally reached the finishing pt after abt 40 mins...saw Fd waiting with her camera near the finishing line...but..hmm...she took a lot of blank photos...wahaha...it's really hard to spot ppl and take their photo when there r so many running in ur direction :P

Here's my heart rate curve...showing I was slacking...wahaha :P

After everyone got back...we took a group photo...then the Sgrunners when off to the beach...

Group photo taken b4 the run...I wasn't there :P

Group photo taken after the run...wow...compare with the one taken last year!!
Who is who? (Courtesy of a fellow very tall sea creature...at the back...hehe)
Front Row (Seated): Teelee, TinTin, Penguin, TLR, Andy, T@z, Brokie, Vincent (Brokie's Hubby), Kay
Second Row (Seated): Spyfish?, ?, Bee (Partially hidden), Loneshark, Cyberkinetic, Freddie, Ronnie, Commando (in front of ronnie), Roentgen, Cheow12, ?, Burnz, Fd (half squat)
Third Row (half squat): 136Fallschirmjäger, Daisiki, Charmane, Meteor, cFred84, LaticAcid, ?, Cokiee, Tekko's Wife, Le Charlotte
Fourth Row (Standing): ?, Roonz, ?, Fennel (partially hidden), Bikerchic (Partially hidden), ?, Dasher, Sotong, Alvo, Bug (Behind Alvo), AiChai, Cosmic, Siong, Tekko (behind Siong), ?, Lyn, ? (behind Lyn), SportVenturer, ? (behind SV), Hedgehog, Renoh, ?

A photo of me and one of my many twins...we have the same shades..and similar cap :D
Hey...TLR is trying to appear in our photo...

Merey and Reef came...Merey injured herself a bit...so decided not to run...but she came by to return her championchip and collect goodie bag...
Reef wanted to see turtles, seahorse etc...so we headed towards Underwater World...we din go in though...just hanged ard outside checking out the stingrays and turtles...then Reef was tired liao...

Merey and I had to collect our AHM race pack...so we headed to TPY, collected our race pack, had lunch, did some grocery shopping..hehe...then it was time to head home...yawnz...

Sgrunners forum is back

2006-08-17T11:57:00.000+08:00

Sgrunners forum is back!!!

...and so...penghulu will close the temp forum at midnight tonite (17/8)...

Adios, temp forum!!

NUS triathlon

2006-08-16T15:50:00.000+08:00

Yet another race...
Not a great one though :P

Pretty poorly organized...from the swim (it's biathlon...swim-run-swim-run-swim-run) to the cycle (think that's the worst...with all the stops at various junctions) to the run (no signs at u-turns...poor kids ran 4-5km instead of the 2km they r supposed to cover)...
...and pretty expensive too...can't say they used much money for logistics at the bike route...there's hardly any marshall and no roads were closed!! Not too mention safety at the transition area was horrible...anyone can walk in and out...why bother giving us the wrist tag??!! wonder anyone lost their bike there?

Oh well...I guess next year the organizing committee shld try to be less ambitious...stick to a simpler route...and maybe try to get help from a more experienced organizer...like TAS or Tribob...no point trying to claim they can handle it when the committee is a new one each year...
Just my 2 cents worth ;)

Anyway, I did enjoy my time there hanging out with some of the other participants...

So wat happened on Sun?

I know I was woken up at 4plus...TLR sms me :P
Bochap..I went back to sleep...finally I woke up at abt 5.15...TLR picked me up at 5.45...with our paparazzi photographer, Ripley, already in the car...hehe...

Got to ECP at abt 6am...waited for our cyclist, Junrong to arrive...he cycled all the way from Punggol...just warming up..hehe...
Then we put on our no. tags...mark myself...while the paparazzi was busy taking photo :P

Told u we had a paparazzi ard...she can't help taking any photos...be it Junrong pasting label on his bike or TLR marking my arm :P

After that we went into the transition area to put our stuff...not many ppl yet...yawnz...still had an hour or so to wait...nothing much to do except to chat and look out for ppl we know...rem seeing sanji182, runalone, mythos from Sgrunners..

Also saw Lee Li, Shawn and Huiping whom I met at the charity swim...hehe...I'm the only slacker doing relay...3 of them doing long distance individual event :P
Well with frens like Jayce and Elaine...slacking seem to be the way to go...hehe...they also participated in the relay event...with their cyclist, San San, who got registered w/o knowing it!!!

Of course Vicky was there too...she claims she haven't been training much..but still came in first in the Women's open...and also beat everyone in the Men's Closed category :P

Team beyond boundaries and frens....

Anyway, at abt 7am...I decided to get ready and walk over to the starting pt...my wave was supposed to start at 720am...but...
...it was delayed!!!
I was so bored...so sleepy...so was Jayce...hehe...yawnz
Finally after half an hour wait...the first wave was flagged off...
Oh man...the tide was so low...and the ground was so muddy...I ended up swimming abt 2/3 to 3/4 of the distance and was on foot the rest...3 loops of wat's supposed to be 500m each...took only 31 minutes...sure or not...that's abt my usual timing in the pool where there's no wave, no current, no one blocking my way...and I dun have to keep looking up to make sure I'm gg the right direction :P

Anyway, after 3 loops...I dashed my way to the transition area...on the way there..photo kena taken by paparazzi again...hehe...
That's the end of my leg of the race...haha...we were second for the long dist mixed relay then...few seconds behind...

Our cyclist sped off for 60km of cycling and a lot of stopping...before he finally got back in first place at the dismount area...but the other cyclist ran faster from there to the transition area...so we were still second when TLR ran off...

After an hour...he was back from his 2 loops of 7.5km...we came in second!!! Woohoo...team Beyond Boundaries rocks!!!

Team Beyond Boundaries in action!!
I just had to make that face since someone is taking photo :P
Guess how old is our powerful cyclist...someone wants his autograph!!

Photo with my competitor, Michelle...her team, MaxOut!, came in first...

A certain flip trying to avoid the paparazzi...not too successful huh?

An ironman-to-be (mythos) and an ironman dreamer (IMD)? Mythos is joining his first ironman end of this year...all the best!!!

Had to leave not long after TLR got back...so I wasn't ard for the prize presentation...

Team Beyond Boundaries again...taken b4 I left...

Hey...Gary gave out the prize to TLR and Junrong...he's another guy I met from the charity swim...even one of my housemates know him...hehe

Got the prize from TLR that evening 'cos we were having a surprise b'day dinner for Fd...
The prize sucks...we each got a medal which was blank on one side...and the engraving was on another piece of metal which was stucked on...oh man...and...
...one bottle of weird supplement and a tube of weird cream to be shared among the 3 of us...haha...we played with it during dinner instead :P
Dinner was good though...with fellow mods (Mr and Mrs Sotong, Cyberkinetic, Ripley, Alvo, Meteor, Philip, Tiwazz, Renohtaram) and some other ppl like commando, flip, Roetgen, IMD, SV (who cycled there...and park his bike in TLR's car!!)...
After that, I was pretty dead...so was renoh...hmm...twin effect? hehe...so we left while the rest probably went for coffee...

Photos are courtesy of Ripley

More penguins in the news..

2006-08-10T23:51:00.000+08:00

Unfortunately...this is sad news for animals lovers...especially penguin lovers :(

The Straits Times
Aug 10, 2006
Bird blood bath

PHOTOS: AP

It was a day strictly for the birds after two lorries overturned, sending feathers and penguins spilling onto the roads in Texas.

In a turkey mishap on Monday, the lorry had been carrying about 5,000 six-week-old hens when the driver lost control of his vehicle near Gholson. Thousands of birds were killed and many of the dazed survivors scattered into the woods, though some were later recaptured, the Waco Tribune Herald reported.

A day later, a truck transporting zoo animals also crashed, throwing 24 penguins, an octopus and tropical fish onto the road in Marshall. Four penguins died, including three hit by oncoming traffic, Reuters reported.

'The rest of the penguins kind of stayed together in the ditch,' state trooper Richard Buchanan said. The octopus emerged unscathed.

Penguins in the news

2006-08-03T13:09:00.000+08:00

Hehe...

Clean penguins return to sea after spill

By NATACHA PISARENKO, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 1, 7:41 PM ET

SAN CLEMENTE DEL TUYU, Argentina - Dozens of freshly cleaned Magellanic penguins waddled into the ocean Monday to the applause of onlookers, the first batch of close to 200 goo-covered birds that were rescued and washed after an oil spill.

The 49 penguins, each tagged with metal identifying bands, were released on a wind-swept South Atlantic beach not far from the outlet of Argentina's River Plate. Another 141 birds that survived an unexplained oil spill off Patagonia in May still await release.

About 220 penguins were found alive in remote Santa Cruz province following the spill but some later died. The 190 survivors were airlifted to Fundacion Mundo Marino, a marine facility in San Clemente del Tuyu, some 185 miles southeast of Buenos Aires.

There the migratory seabirds were repeatedly washed until their bodies were rid of the sticky oil and their feathers realigned to regain their waterproofing against the chill of the South Atlantic ocean, experts said.

About 50 tourists, some waiting for hours, cheered as the caged penguins were brought to the shore in two pickup trucks. They were freed en masse and raced past the tourists, disappearing in seconds under the waves.

"Beautiful! Beautiful!" someone shouted as video cameras whirred. The birds could be seen swimming away from the coast and then they vanished in the distance.

"This makes it all worthwhile," said Valeria Ruoppolo, a veterinarian with the International Fund for Animal Welfare who helped rescue the birds along with government experts from Santa Cruz and teams from the Fundacion Mundo Marino.

Ruoppolo said another 50 penguins would be released sometime before Friday with the rest returning to the sea in coming weeks.

Although the source of the May oil spill was never determined, she said it could have been an offshore ship dumping engine oil and other pollutants. Ruoppolo said penguins are wide-ranging migratory seabirds whose routes make them vulnerable to spills.

In early May, penguins coated in black oil began showing up on rocky coasts off South America's southern Straits of Magellan. Authorities first reported that 70 dead Magellanic penguins were found at the Cabo Virgenes nature reserve on the Straits, 1,350 miles south of Buenos Aires. About 400,000 penguins live there during the warmer months.

Coast Guard authorities sent overflights but could not detect the source of the oil.

"Having all these ships throwing their oil in the water ... it causes a big problem," Ruoppolo said, adding hundreds of penguins were found dead "but the real number we'll never really know."

Ruoppolo said rehabilitation efforts at the initial rescue site near Rio Gallegos, in frigid Santa Cruz province, were hampered by the cold. A decision was taken to airlift birds to San Clemente del Tuyu with its warmer weather, speeding up the recovery process, she said.

The birds regained their waterproofing through a painstaking process of repeated washings and dryings that realigned feathers, she said.

"To regain their waterproofing, they need to get wet and dry off many times. This is how they align their feathers to the normal position, so the feathers interlock together and form a barrier against the cold water," Ruoppolo said.

Why did the hacker cross the road?

2006-08-01T21:16:00.000+08:00

To hack into the Sgrunners' forum :P

Anyway, dun fret...the new temporary forum can be found here

Penang Bridge International Marathon

2006-07-30T16:19:00.000+08:00

Yes...I participated in the Penang Bridge Run...the full marathon...
Wonder was I plain stupid or just mad...

Why do I think I'm plain stupid?
Well if u know my mileage for this year...dun even talk abt this month...I'm sure u would think so too :P
I believe my mileage for this year (based on the Polar Precision Peformance Software) includes...
Feb...5 + 10 + 6 (very very slow) + 2.5/10 (NUS biathlon mini and full distance)
Mar...5 + 10 (Singapore biathlon)...
Apr...3 + 5 (JP Morgan...also very very slowly :P)...
May...0...
Jun...6...and finally...
Jul...10 (Shape Run) + 10 (Health relay)

...hmm...that adds up to be abt 80km since Jan...and 20km for this month ;)

Stupidity??

Then why could I just be mad?
Oh well...it's not the first time the mileage I clocked is less than optimal...and so far I have survived well ;)
So maybe I'm just mad...a bit screwed up in the head?
After all...I signed up b'cos I happened to be back in Penang...emailed them way after the closing date...and in fact...I was only included in the race 3 days ago...there were only 27 female participants including me!!! :D

So wat happened today?
Slept at abt 8 plus yesterday..and woke up at abt 2.45am this morning...good thing I stay abt 15 mins from the starting pt...
Otherwise the lose screw in my head wouldn't have got me into signing up in the first place :P
Somehow everyone at home is awake too...aunt haven't slept yet...mum and dad just got up...mum wanted to walk with me to the starting line...dad's got a golf game in Ipoh...he has to take the ferry...but not this early!!! :P

Anyway, I reached the starting pt..Sg Gelugor Primary Sch..at abt 3.30am..where we were "locked" inside...hehe...until almost 4am when we were gg to start the race...
The crowd here was definitely a lot smaller than the Stan Chart S'pore Marathon...
Even though I started from behind...I believe I crossed the starting pt in less than a minute...that's how small the crowd was!!!

Stucked to my previous marathon strategy of following my heart rate...din wanna kill my heart :P
Think I started off a bit slow though...HR was less than 140 :P
After abt 2 km...I started to speed up to HR of abt 150-160...which I maintained till abt 30km...then slowly went up above 160...
Managed to overtake quite a no. of ppl throughout the race...esp towards the end...hehe...that's wat happens when u start of slow...makes u feel good even though u r probably at the back of the pack :D

Anyway, the route started off with a loop from Sg Gelugor...towards the coastal rd...U-turn at RECSAM...then the Penang Bridge...very nice run there...U-turn at the end of the bridge...then coastal rd towards the Free Industrial Zone...U-turn near Seagate...along the coastal rd again...all the way to the Marine Police building...then finally back to the USM...phew...dun think most of u have any idea wat I'm talking abt here :P

I saw Angel so many times during the run...first time along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah near RECSAM while she was walking to the starting line (she joined the half marathon)...
Then on the bridge..we happened to meet where there was a gap in the center...most parts were blocked at the center...
Finally I saw her again after the race...while gg to get a drink...hehe

I also saw Jayce and Elaine running on the bridge...din even know they came...and when I was abt to reach the ending pt...I saw them again...I made a dash to catch them even though my leg was almost dead then...wahaha...

Chatted with a few other guys towards the last 10km of the race too...most were not from Penang...a few were from Pacesetter in KL...one told me he always told himself that it would be his last 42k...but ALAS peer pressure prevailed...hehe :P
It was good that we chatted and cheered each other on at that stage of the race...

In the end I finished the race in more than 5 hrs...abt 5:20...I knew I couldn't do sub-5 the moment I hit the 10km mark...it was already more than 1 hr...got to the 20km mark at abt 2:20...after that it was abt 18-19 mins per 2.5km...
Can't say my timing was good...but with the kinda mileage I put in prior to the marathon...wat do u expect :P
I even managed to come in 16th!!! wahaha...since there were only 27 ladies...that wasn't even top 50%...but I still got my medal (given to the top 20)...hehe :P

It was quite a wait to get that medal though...ended up chatting with IMD who came in 12th for Men's Open...woohoo...go sgrunner!!
Hui Ping...whom I met at the charity swim was there too...she came in 7th...just behind Clare...an Australian who's currently staying in Penang with her hubby, Graham...who can't run now due to a previous back injury...almost recovered...but maybe start off with swimming first? ;)
Hoping to see Clare in the coming SCSM!!

I was abt to walk home after an hour's wait...but then...I saw Jayce and Elaine...they came in 17th and 18th respectively for the half marathon!!! Ended up hanging out there another hour...b4 we finally got our medals and left...phew...

Now I'm moving at snail speed...
Supposed to meet a couple of frens tom...Miss Chew, my classmate from PCGHS...just back from US...
and Becky, my roommate in JC!!! din even know she was back!!! Long time no see man...it's gg to be Becky, M.D. in a few more years :P
Maybe meeting my primary schmate...cum swimming and tennis fren...Foong Hooi...

Hopefully I'm not in too much pain tom...hehe :P

...also hopefully I din get any darker...otherwise I would get screamed at soon :P Already kena for participating in such a massive free-radical generating event :P

Weddings and President's Challenge Health Relay

2006-07-24T21:23:00.000+08:00

Haven't been posting much 'cos it's been always the same old thing...work work work...busy busy busy...

I did have 2 weddings to attend though...one of them is a ROM reception of certain IWA oyster...oops...but I had something on...wanted to go later...but all the soulezian have left to have supper at Kovan...din really know the other ppl that were still at oyster's place...so I ended up at Kovan instead :P
Sorry, Oyster...I'll make sure I'll be there for ur wedding ;)

The other wedding was that of my fellow JC classmate cum hostelmate...Vania...met up with quite a no. of Indon frens from CJC Hostel or NJ...Sari, Albert, Silvia, Liliana, Dedy (not exactly from CJCH or NJ...knew him from tennis)...Liliana stays in the same apartment as me..hehe...din know she was gg too...haven't met her in the lift for quite a while...she's moving out soon though...
Also met some Indon frens from KR??!! Ah...those are the groom's frens...Felicia, Heri...can't rem who else...
It was a really beautiful wedding...glad to have attended it...thanx for inviting me, Vania :D

Sun...I went for the President's Challenge Health Relay...the relay started on Sat morning and ends on Sun morning...it covers 185km (SGH is 185 years old this year ;P)...various healthcare institutions will form teams of 6 ppl...and each team will run abt 10 km...
Luckily the team I joined..Singhealth..is running the last leg...so we dun have to run in the middle of the hot sun...or in the middle of the night ;)
Our leg was from Heng Mui Keng Terrace to Seah Im...
We r supposed to start at 7am...but we started a bit earlier...abt 6.45am...we r also supposed to run at abt 6km/hr...but think we did something like 10km/hr...ended up hanging ard Morse Rd for close to half an hour...
After that we continued our run to Seah Im...where the baton was passed on to the Minister of Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan...and we continued our journey to the National Dental Center...where the President was waiting for us...hehe :D
Had a cool down session and some performance there...

Overall it was a pretty good workout...my last run b4 I embark on the crazy full marathon at the Penang International Bridge Run...hehe ;)

Penang...here I come!!

Shape run!!!

2006-07-16T12:40:00.000+08:00

Yeah...I went for the Shape Run...even though my registration was unsuccessful :P

Wanted to crash the race...but Brokie's fren who signed up couldn't make it...so I decided to use her tag to run :D So she now has a cert with my timing on it...wahaha...can't rem wat's my exact timing...but it's ard 1:05...hehe...slacker....

Anyway, the day started off with kops21 giving me a lift...he hijacked me at CTE...near St Wilfred sports complex...hehe...thanx, kops :D
Kops was there to accompany his sis to run...hehe...Shape run is for ladies only in case u dunno :P

First person I met there was JerryWan from trifam...just out from the car park...haha...another guy...don't they know it's a ladies' event??!! haha :P

Then we went to say hi to the other Sgrunners who r gathered at our usual teh tarik place...left my stuff with them too :D
Found out that the mods planned to wear uniform color...yellow top and black bottom...and just nice I was wearing that...haha...xin ling xiang tong :D
After some photos...we proceeded to the starting pt...
There was actually a warm up session there!!! Everybody was crowded together...how to do stretching there?!?! Such a weird event...

Saw a few other frens there...like sxuanjing, angel and cupid...Vicky was there too...she's definitely a potential podium finisher ;)

Started the race at 8am...
This race is really small...I could actually see the end of the pack during the run...and I was quite near the front initially...

Anyway, sxuanjing and I ran together through out the race...we started off with Brokie...but obviously we r not gg to keep up with this chilli padi...hehe...anyway, both of us are using someone else's no. tag :P

I have not run for soooooo long...but I'm always a bit screwed up in the head...that's y I still went on joining the 10km run :P
We started off slow...with my heart rate below 150...getting overtaken left and right....slowly moved up after 1km...then ard 3km mark...we kinda stop 'cos we saw this gal who fell and sprained her ankle...hmm...but no medic seem to be ard...then another gal also got injured within a few meters of her...injury prone zone?? Din do much...just advice her to rest the ankle and keep it elevated until help comes....
Later a policeman came by to help out...so we left and continued with our run...

Nothing much happened after that...just post for plenty of cameras..hehe...some fren's, some organizer's....also saw a few other frens...like Merey, San San and Ching Hui from SSC...ah...Merey and San San are back...team Chelonia can meet up again soon ;)

After 1 hr 5 mins...we r back at the finishing line...so our run was abt 1:02 (we stopped ard 3 mins at the 3km mark according to my HRM :P)...someone will sure say I slack one :P
Anyway, it was a pretty comfortable pace...able to chat with sxuanjing throughout...so guess I'll do the same in next Sun's president challenge health relay...supposed to cover 10km in 1 hr :D
I'm joining the Singhealth team...just found out run3 is also in that team...yippee...someone I can chat with during the run!!! I thick-skinned...go and email organizer to ask them whether I can join any team...hehe...that's how I ended up with Singhealth ;)

After hanging ard finishing pt...eating kiwi fruits and taking photos...we walked back to our teh tarik gathering place to get our stuff...hehe...and take more photos...then headed towards Marina Square to collect goodie bags...super long queue man!!!
Ended up in the foodcourt first...after that...I decided to head home...
Was back late yesterday 'cos of some problem with the POS system...and I was up and out since 8am!!!

Time for a nap now...yawnzz...

Photos from Vietnam and Cambodia

2006-07-09T21:38:00.000+08:00

Who went backpacking in Vietnam/Cambodia...

Feei was behind the camera...hehe

Me and my studious travel mates...clockwise...me climbing on the bus, Feei reading in a library at Angkor Thom, Mei2 busy at the comp, lawyers reading Vietnamese newspaper...

Housemates in traffic light color...

Kidnapped victims?

Our favorite past time...play dai di or bridge...wahaha...clockwise...Madame Cuc Hotel in Saigon, on the bus on the way to Phnom Penh, Pavilion Indochine in Siem Reap and Paragon Hotel in Phnom Penh...

more photos coming ur way...

Back from Vietnam

2006-07-08T22:42:00.000+08:00

I'm back!!

Anyway, to continue from where I left off....

The second day at Siem Reap...we went around the temples on a mini-van with a tour guide, Thom...that's his nickname...which means big...although he's quite a small guy...hehe...he does martial arts though...wow!!!
The temples...esp Angkor Wat...are really impressive...
It was really tiring climbing all those super steep steps at the "Wat"s

The following day...we decided to rent electric bikes and ride round Siem Reap and the temple area...it was really fun...but we got pretty wet as it rained in the evening...and certain ppl got burnt really "funnily" with an obvious t-shirt line on the arms...wahaha...from the morning and afternoon sun...a rare sight during our trip since it's been cloudy or raining almost all the time...

Then it was back to Phnom Penh...all squeezed in the taxi again...but this time our driver, Porate, speaks English...so we had some stopover to take photos and try out weird stuff...like spiders, crickets and frogs!!!
At Phnom Penh we visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda....

Took a bus back to Saigon the following day...and spent the rest of the day shopping...first at Ben Thanh market where I finally found the gac fruit!!! Din really buy much other then food there...hehe...Wei Lee and I are food ppl...we just went round the market looking at food stuff although they sell almost anything there!!!
In the evening, we shopped near our hotel...Liz and I also went to pick up our suits...which was really nicely done :D

On the last day...we went for a half day tour to Cu Chi tunnel...a network of 200 plus km of tunnels!!!
It's really amazing how they managed to dig such a long network of tunnels...
The tunnels are really narrow...just nice for Asians...not Americans...hehe...maybe that's y our tour guide, Tom, is so small sized...
After the tour, we had lunch and it was time to go to the airport...

...and now I'm back in S'pore...will add photos to my post later...to lazy to sort them now :P

Hello from Siem Reap

2006-07-03T21:42:00.000+08:00

I'm in Siem Reap now!!!

Took a bus from Saigon to Phnom Penh yesterday...met a couple of guys from Norway...one of them is a Vietnamese though...but he's been away in Norway since a very young age...
They are supposed to be Siem Reap now too...not too sure where...maybe we'll see them again tom...hehe...

Today after visiting the genocide museum...a depressing place...we went for a short "retail therapy" at the Russian Market nearby...was fetched ard by this nice Engish speaking tuk-tuk guy...hehe...
Then we took a 4hr ride on a taxi...4 of us squeezed at the back...all the way here!!! phew...

Tomorrow we'll be headed towards the "Wat"s...go to Angkor Wat...then dunno go to wat other Wat lah :P

Now I shall head back to our nice comfy room to read and watch tv...

Hello from Saigon!

2006-07-01T23:21:00.000+08:00

Today is my second day in Saigon...

Arrived late afternoon yesterday...so only managed to try their yummy beef noodles...and Liz and I went to get some suit tailor-made ;)

The whole of today was spent at Mekong Delta...saw the locals making coconut candy and rice popcorns...it was a pretty interesting river cruise where we met 3 other S'poreans and an American, Austin...from Texas...hehe...funny huh...
Our tour guide, Tony, was a pretty interesting guy too...he told us abt the history of Vietnam...how Saigon is now known as Ho Chi Minh City...he is also very optimistic with the current progress in Vietnam ;)

Tomorrow we'll be headed towards Phnom Penh...followed by Siam Reap the following 3 days...then back to Saigon...b4 its time to head back to S'pore...

Will post plenty of photos when I get back...

Vietnam and Cambodia

2006-06-30T01:16:00.000+08:00

It's been a really busy week...mainly writing my report...and some other impt stuff...
I have also finally completed my Lifesaving 1,2,3 test...next would be Bronze Medallion course...wonder if I shld proceed with that or not..I'm getting really really busy now...sighz...

Anyway, I have been really busy rushing my report 'cos I'm gg for a backpacking trip to Vietnam and Cambodia with my housemates...tomorrow!!!
We r so unprepared...we just started packing tonite...lawyer Lim still at work at this moment!!! Oh well...

Guess it's time for me to sleep now...gotta go sch tom morning to settle some stuff...b4 I fly off in the afternoon...

Yippee...Vietnam, Cambodia...here I come!!!

Wat's up?

2006-06-21T13:22:00.000+08:00

Haven't posted for 8 days!!!

Anyway, I have just been busy as usual...
Nothing interesting to tell...

Just posting to fulfill IWA requirements...wahaha...

I did meet up with some of my pharmacy classmates last week...haven't met some of them since the last pre-reg training...even though these were my closer friends during our undergrad years...
We r the slackers in class...since we r more actively involved in extra-curricular activities...hehe...working life is sure different...everyone is just so busy...but I'm sure glad everyone was reponsive and made time to meet up again...

Oh ya...I also attended a fren's wedding...a fellow ASEAN scholar in JC and subsequently classmate in uni!!! Somehow we were never close though...
Luckily my housemate, Feei, our ASEAN-happenings-updater...hehe...kept us in the loop abt gatherings etc...
It was sure great to meet up with old hostelmates from JC...one appeared superbly "high" that day...wahaha...super entertaining...

Also had lame lunch on Sun..supposed to be with Vorlacks, Weiyi and Faith...but Faith had to "fly-kite" us...must get her to esprain y...hehe...
Vorlacks is flying off to China for a business trip again...so happening!!!
Oyster also gg China ard that time...IWA is so happening!!!

Anyway, that's abt all of the more interesting things that happened recently...

I'll be gg off to Vietnam for a backpacking trip with my housemates in 9 days time...
Next week I have a guest in the lab to learn some computer stuff...so I better get back to writing my PhD conversion report now :P

Vulgaris

2006-06-13T15:48:00.000+08:00

Stedmans.com Word of the Day for Monday, June 12, 2006

vulgaris
Ordinary; of the usual type

Interesting...

Did a search on the Concise Oxford Dictionary...and this is wat I found

vulgar
adj.
1 lacking sophistication or good taste.
> making explicit reference to sex or bodily functions.
2 dated characteristic of or belonging to ordinary people.
– DERIVATIVES vulgarity n. (pl. vulgarities). vulgarly adv.
– ORIGIN ME: from L. vulgaris, from vulgus ‘common people’.

So it's just a common word...pun intended :P

The true value of volunteers

2006-06-11T21:14:00.000+08:00

Interesting article from The Straits Times, June 5 2006

By Willie Cheng

'FREE Labour Wanted; Conditions Apply'. Occasionally, when working in the voluntary sector, the sign above pops up in my mind. Like the time I attended a volunteer briefing for an overseas mission several months ago: A volunteer manager started off by asking: 'Who would you say are our customers?'

His point was that the volunteers were not his customers, the beneficiaries were. Hence, his main job was to worry about those faraway beneficiaries of the mission ahead. Volunteers should just fall in line.

Apparently, he was peeved at feedback some volunteers had offered his board of directors to the effect that his organisation needed CRM (customer relationship management) - a term from the commercial world for how companies should value and treat people who contribute to the organisation's revenues.

The tone of the meeting was so bad ('Sorry, don't expect too much information or help from us for you in this strange land - after all, you had volunteered to go knowing the risks and uncertainties') that, at one point, a volunteer raised his hand to ask meekly to be treated as a 'secondary customer'. I was tempted but decided not to launch into a lesson on volunteer management at that very briefing.

In all fairness, the volunteer manager felt overwhelmed and could not answer all the questions thrown at him by this batch of spoilt-by-the-good-life Singaporean volunteers who were anxious about the unknown terrain ahead.

So what do you do with high-maintenance volunteers?

When this question was posed some years ago at an annual conference of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), Mr Robert Chew, one of the panellists, responded spontaneously: 'Why, just fire them, of course!' It was a typical response that Robert, a good friend and former partner of mine at Accenture, gave. After all, in the corporate world, when the cost of maintaining an employee outweighs the value he delivers, there is no business case for his continued employment. These two stories illustrate a common perception within and without the non-profit sector: that volunteers are nothing more than free labour. Non-profits simply use volunteers because they cannot afford to have paid labour do the same thing. Such a view underestimates the true value of volunteerism.

Two years ago the NVPC conducted a study to quantify the value of volunteerism in Singapore. We thought it was important to do so in a country driven largely by economic imperatives. The result was a bit disappointing. Volunteers in Singapore contributed the equivalent of S$746 million per annum of 'unpaid labour' at fair market value, which is less than 0.5 per cent of our national GDP. In contrast, the US' volunteer contribution equivalent was 2 per cent of its GDP and Australia's was 7 per cent.

However, the study also looked at costs, as opposed to economic value, that volunteers contributed in 24 volunteer host organisations (VHOs). Now, even though a VHO does not pay a volunteer any wages, there is a cost to recruiting and managing them. We measured the VIVA (value investment & value audit) ratio which is the dollar value of the voluntary work compared to the cost of investing in the volunteers. A ratio of 1:1 means the organisation breaks even.

The majority of VHOs had VIVA ratios that showed returns ranging from 6 per cent to over 480 per cent more than their cost of recruiting and managing volunteers. But two outliers, in particular, sparked strong debate within the study team. These VHOs had negative returns: That is, the cost of recruiting and managing volunteers exceeded the equivalent labour costs they contributed.

So, had the VHO known their true cost, would paid labour not have been better? Yes, from a purely economic standpoint, but not if you consider the broader aspects of what volunteerism means to non-profits and the community. Our debate led us to conclude that it was good to devote a section in the report to the non-economic value of volunteerism as well.

When you cut to the chase, it all boils down to engagement - engagement of the individual volunteer with the VHO and the community, and engagement of the VHO with the community.

Volunteers are rewarded beyond any monetary return for their services - otherwise they would not have volunteered. Often, they broaden their horizons and receive immense personal satisfaction from giving back to society.

For the VHOs, volunteers give them access to talent they can't afford or which is not otherwise available. However, beyond that, an engaged volunteer represents an extension of the VHO's personality itself into the very community it aspires to serve.

Several charities today are involved in the building of houses for tsunami victims. Many do so by sending funds raised while a few such as Habitat for Humanity, Mercy Relief and Singapore International Foundation engage volunteers from Singapore and other countries to go onsite to help build these new homes.

Volunteers who usually pay for their own cost of travel and accommodation are also asked to contribute to the costs of construction material, typically about S$1,000 per volunteer per week, depending on the location. It's a common contention by critics that the same money would go a lot further if it was spent on local labour, for not only could more houses be built, but the displaced could also be employed.

But ask any volunteer who has been on such a mission and you will be convinced about the value of such trips to build houses. The impact on volunteer attitude is never adequately captured in slide shows and fanciful brochures. Many volunteers I know leave a lot more than their work or money at the site: In a sense, they empty themselves of the earthly things that weigh us all down and they come back with a renewed sense of mission so they get involved in future projects more readily.

Moreover, the money a volunteer spends may not have been forthcoming in the first place without prior volunteering experience. But having gone before and been deeply engaged, they now give more of their time and money. This is borne out by the NVPC's recent philanthropic survey which found that volunteers tend to donate 63 per cent more than the average individual donor.

Volunteerism also develops the community spirit and encourages people from diverse backgrounds to bond with one another. Picture flag days without volunteers. Imagine the National Day Parade if the contingents and helpers were all paid. Think about a Standard Chartered Marathon if the 'runspirators' (people who cheer you along the way) were paid to do it.

In 2000, I went to my first Olympics in Sydney. To my surprise, I was met at the airport and driven to my lodging by a volunteer. I learnt that she was one of some 47,000 volunteers, mostly Australians, who had raised their hands for the simple joy of being part of a historic moment in her country's hosting of the Games.

She and the other volunteers we came into contact with during the trip were genuine and excellent ambassadors for Australia and the Olympic movement.

Such is the power of volunteerism for any community. Properly harnessed, volunteers are not solely free labour but the very soul of a free society.

The writer is chairman of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre. This article appears in the May/June issue of SALT, an NVPC publication. The opinions expressed here are the author's alone

Charity Swim Thank You Dinner

2006-06-10T00:14:00.000+08:00

We had a thank you dinner after the charity swim...today...
Food was great!! Yummy!!

Hmm...but tom eating another 8 course meal again...feeling like a pig now :P

Anyway, some photos taken today...

My table... most of us din know each other b4 the dinner...but it turned out we have a lot of winners at this table!!!
From left...Tristan (the only guy that swam 15km!! and also raised the most fund..$19,000!!!), Sarah (1st above 40 yo female swimmer...she doesn't look like she's anywhere near 40 huh?), Hui Ping (3rd female swimmer), Reese, Logan, Shawn, Lily (think she's the first 5km female swimmer..but that's not a competitive event), me and Boon Long (2nd above 40 yo male swimmer...he's a sr consultant in SNEC!!!)
There was also Efren who was first for the male under 40 category at our table...

Hui Ping and I...we both still have our no. tattooed on our arms....she's M28, I'm M29 :D

Receiving the trophy from Trevor...founder of the Student Advisory Center!!

Goodies I've gotten from the charity swim ;)

Unfortunately we found out that this is the last charity swim...so glad I participated in it this year...
Not too sure wat's gg to happen next year...but according to Trevor...it's something interesting :D

Marathon Charity Swim Certificate

2006-06-10T00:00:00.000+08:00

Hehe...check out the cert I got for the charity swim...cool huh?
The photo was really nicely taken :D

In the news...

2006-06-05T10:07:00.000+08:00

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 04 June 2006 1824 hrs

Long distance charity swim raises funds for youth outreach programmes
By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia

Some 50 swimmers battled the waves off East Coast beach on Sunday morning - all in the name of charity.

They had signed up for the Marathon Charity Swim 2006 to raise funds for the Student Advisory Centre, which runs programmes to help runaway youths.

Among the participants was Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development Youth and Sports, Teo Ser Luck, who later flagged-off the event.

Now into its fourth year, the charity swim featured the longest distance sea swim in Singapore with participants attempting a 15-kilometre effort.

Others opted for the less daunting 5 and 10 kilometre swims.

Some $50,000 were raised through the event.

The money will go towards subsidising youth outreach and development programmes. - CNA/ch

Marathon Charity Swim

2006-06-04T21:26:00.000+08:00

This charity swim was GREAT!!!

Woke up at abt 7 plus...had bfast, cleared the bowels...then packed up and took a cab to ECP...was lazy :P
Could have taken 31 there...but still need to cross the road blah blah blah...I'm just too lazy for that :D

Anyway, I got to Pasta Fresca...the registration pt...pretty early...so hanged ard and ate a banana...as I waited for more and more ppl arrived...
Din know most of them (except Gary whom I've met at one of the trainings b4) but have seen many b4 in various other biathlon/triathlon/marathon events...it's always the same faces...hehe...
Made some new frens there...like Angie, Sarah, Shawn, Lily and Grace...I believe all from Trifam :D
Finally at almost 10am...I saw a familiar face...Jerry Wan...hehe...also from Trifam...who introduced me to Smallcircle...and we wondered who's Jellyfish...
Still no idea who's Jellyfish after the race :P

After that we took a group photo...

Can u find me?

Then we proceeded towards the place where the kayaks are...we were assigned to our personal kayakers there :D
My kayaker was Yeehan...a 3-star kayaker!!! Good good :D

A photo of me and Yeehan taken after the swim...

Then we swam out the sea where we waited for the GOH...Mr Teo Ser Luck..again...hehe to start us off...
He was swimming too...so he jumped off the boat after he started us off...
Mr Teo...so wat if u started later than us...u dun have to swim out and tread water b4 the start leh :P

Anyway, the first 2km was ok...even though it was against the current...still had quite a no. of ppl ard me so I know where I'm headed...and I was still fresh...
Took a break at the 2km mark...had some ORS and hammergel...

The next 2km was full of zig-zagging...partly 'cos most ppl have dispersed and I'm a bit tired liao...and we were still swimming against the current!!!
At times I wondered if I was moving as I look at the apartment blocks at Marine Parade...I can't seem to swim past them!!!

At the 4km mark...my kayaker suggested he kayak in front of me to keep me on course...that was a great help indeed...
I'm sure I'm still zig-zagging a bit at times...but much less...
My feet started to get a bit cold after the 4km mark (same thing happened after abt 3-4km swim during last year's NUS mass swim)...so I started kicking a bit more...

Got to the 5km U-turn mark after abt 2hrs...I overtook Angie as she took a break...then she overtook me again at the 6km mark where I took my break (break at every 2km :D)...
From there we took turns to overtake each other...

Finally when we reached the 9km mark...I started swimming a bit faster...I'm almost finishing!!!

After abt 3 hrs 20 mins...I finished my race!!! yippee!!
...greeted by Merey, Eng Wan and Reef...at the finishing pt...thanx for coming and bringing some energy gel along :D
I also found out I was the first 10km female competitor!!! double yippee!!!

Me, Yeehan, Merey and little Reef

Overall, I think the event was pretty well organized...esp considering it's handled mainly by a small group of ppl from SAC...
Swimming condition was great too...current was not too strong and it was only the first half of the race...the second half, we were gg along the current...
Also there were no jellyfish (except the one from Trifam :D)...and very very few sea bugs...got stung by more sea bugs during the recent S'pore Biathlon even though it was only a 1.5km swim :P

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed generously to allow me to swim in this charity swim....
Also gotta thank Merey, Eng Wan and little Reef for coming down to support me :D
..and my kayaker, Yeehan...for guiding me, watching out for fishing lines and debris in the sea, and letting me hang on to the kayak and getting my gel and drinks for me during my breaks...thanx, dude :D
..and last but not least...SAC...for such a well organized charity event!!!

Oh ya..shall thank my twin for dinner at Kovan too...haha...took another twin photo :D

Criminal M29

2006-06-04T20:54:00.000+08:00

I'm branded criminal M29...wonder how long this one will last...

There are more tan lines...
If u see the photo of me taken with Yihan, my kayaker...there's an obvious tan line on the forehead...and a less obvious one ard the eyes :P

Minutes of IWA (formerly WA) meetings

2006-06-01T22:47:00.000+08:00

Somehow I was arrowed to post last nite's IWA first meeting minutes here...

A browse through our MSN history....I noticed this is the 3rd meeting we had...previous 2 was WA...so last nite's one is still IWA's first meeting...wahaha...

First WA meeting on 7 Apr 2006
Agenda: taboo words
Content: confidential*

Second WA meeting on 18 May 2006
Agenda: proposal to change to IWA, and, some secret
Content: confidential*

First IWA meeting on 31 May 2006
Agenda: overseas posting
Content: confidential*

Next meeting: 1 Jun 2006
Agenda: how to use BCC

*Content of each meeting is for the eyes of IWA (formerly WA) members only...
So IWA members are to check ur own MSN history :P

Wahahaha...I'm damn boliao!!!

Obnubilation

2006-06-01T21:24:00.000+08:00

Stedmans.com Word of the Day for Thursday, June 1, 2006

obnubilation
A clouded mental state

Hmm...I would have a clouded mental state if someone were to say that word to me...

But then again...this word reminds me of a word from Friends..."nubbin"...related to Chandler Bing...hehe...
Friends freak out there...rem wat it means?

Farrer Park Sports Challenge

2006-05-28T18:45:00.000+08:00

Went for the Farrer Park Sports Challenge today...

My event was delayed for 2 hrs...all 'cos of a heavy rain...so sianz...

Anyway, we saw MP elect Mr Teo Ser Luck...who's also the president of the Triathlon Family...came by as Guest-of-honour...to present the prizes for the kids category and start off the family relay event...
Ang Peng Siong participated in that event...swimming with his son on his back for one lap...hehe...so cute...

The inter-racial relay events started after the family relay....
I swam 400m in abt 7 mins while my partner, Sukaimi aka The Lonely Runner, ran 4.3km in abt 19 mins...while it continued to drizzle...

Team Beyond Boundaries came in 2nd for the Inter-racial mixed relay...yippee...hehe...good har...hehehehe....

After that...we had lunch at KKWCH...and headed home...

Was supposed to come back by 2pm for a meeting with my housemates regarding our up-coming Vietnam backpack trip...haha...yup..we had to set a meeting time since we hardly see each other...besides we r also supposed to meet our ex-housemate too...but...in the end...she was too lazy to travel...so meeting was cancelled...haiz...

Happy Birthday, Blog!!

2006-05-28T18:39:00.000+08:00

My blog just turned one year old today!!! Hehe...

Can't believe I have managed to maintain my blog for one year now :D

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY!!

Hmmm...this also means I have worked at Unity for one year...one year and a couple days to be exact ;) Wow...
...and I've been back in NUS for almost one year now...2-3 more years to go...hehe

YIPPEE!!

Coastal cleanup

2006-05-27T15:49:00.000+08:00

Helped out in a cleanup workshop for abt 20 ppl...from a certain company...who'll be leading a coastal cleanup this coming fri...at Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve...

I'm definitely not an expert in this but have participated in the International Coastal Cleanup last year with my Sri Lanka YEP teammates...

Here r some photos of wat we did...

First...it's a briefing by Hang Chong...one of my Sri Lanka YEP leader...also from the Nature Soc of S'pore...
A brief history of the coastal cleanup which started only abt 10 years ago locally...initially carried out on the beach only...but now also in the mangrove swamp...

Tools that r needed for the cleanup...

Proceed to the cleanup area...

Another briefing...how to use the data collection card...

How do u get down to the cleanup area??!

Dead horse-shoe crab...leave them alone...they part of the nature

Hang chong couldn't resist telling the participants more abt the horse-shoe crab...

A small pile of food wrappers n plastic bags...

How the cleanup is carried out...

One person will hold on to the trash bag, another 2-3 with gloves on will pick up the trash...then one person will record the type of trash collected e.g. food wrapper...

A big drum...leave it alone...to be handled by park rangers

Trash that are collected are brought out and weighed...b4 disposing into the dumpster..

Hang Chong's nature talk again...hehe...

Although we did the clean up for abt half an hour only...a total of 32kg of trash was collected...which includes hundreds of food wrappers, straws, drink bottles, glass bits, styrofoam bits...but excludes a car seat!!!

Take home msg...

All this trash that ends up in the sea...may end up in the stomach of the marine life...and starve them to death...
U can help save them by minimizing usage of disposable items such as plastic bags (mimics favorite food of the leatherback turtle), styrofoams (breaks up and gets eaten by fishes) etc...

Release of exam results

2006-05-27T00:38:00.000+08:00

Totally forgot my results was released today until I received an email with the following content...

We have been informed that the release of the results will be slightly late. Please do not fret if you are not able to view your results as yet.

Hmm...fret...din know ppl use such words in formal emails...hehe ;)

Well it turned out I have passed all the papers I have been taking the past month...and with very good results for the graded one...now I can slack for the next 2 modules I need to take :P

Makeover

2006-05-25T21:32:00.000+08:00

I have done some makeover to my lab bench and room recently...

Lab bench because my space will be more limited soon...so decided to tidy it up and get some drawers to put my glassware etc :D
Din take a b4 photo...but here's how it looks like now ;)

This is the bench space I have...

The drawers I've bought...we have funnels, round/flat bottom flasks in the big one...and filter papers, rubber septums, sample bottles, magnetic stirrer, adapters etc in the other :D

I relabelled all the solvent bottles...neat hor :D

My room also had a makeover 'cos I figured I have too many books now and it looks really messy...so I shall get a bigger book shelf...
Took a while for the bookshelf to come since the furniture guy din kept to the specs I asked for :P
Made them come to my place 3 times!!!

Anyway, here's how my room looks like now...after it's tidied up...

B4 that it's like that...

Can't really see how small the previous bookshelf was..but many of my books were either on the table or under it...now they r all on the bookshelf :D

KeGILAan?

2006-05-25T20:43:00.000+08:00

Craziness?

It's been pretty much madness since wat seems like forever...

In the last post I mentioned wat happened til the Sunday b4 last...since then it was just a lot more craziness...

Mon was spent in the lab...

Tue pretty eng...started off with a swim at TPY...followed by studying bet TPY lib and home...had to come home to wait for the furniture guy to send my bookshelf which turned out to be not exactly wat I want yet!!! sianz half...

Wed is exam day...hmm..it was actually really easy...esp since we only need 50% to pass...so I left after less than an hour...even though we were allowed 2 hrs...hehe...
Anyway by now we know we have all passed :D
That evening I went to Outram campus to send a couple of my compounds for testing...went to the old CDA (Center for Drug Administration) building which now belongs to Duke University-NUS Graduate Medical School...that's where my other boss' office is ;)
Intended to go visit the lab which is at NCC (National Cancer Center) but no one was at the lab then...
Anyway, after that I went visiting at SGH...from the lab...to DPIC...to SOC...to SP73...hehe...b4 I met up with another fren at Raffles Place...
Quite an exciting day!!!

Thur was back at the lab...computer all day...yawnz...
Finally got my bookshelf as I wanted that night :D

Fri was at the pharmacist training at GWC...hmm...it was a full day of eating...morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea...hehe...yummy...
Speaker was pretty interesting too...it was on diabetes...
Then at night was work at HLC...

Sat...swam at NUS in the morning...haven't swam there for a while...it's so much nicer than TPY 'cos there're less ppl...and there're lane lines...no swimming across the breadth :P
Then went back to lab to clean up my glassware and did a bit of work...b4 I left for work at RFC...

I'm sufficiently bo liao to take a photo of the glasswares b4 (top) n after (bottom) washing :P

Right after work...I left for the train station to go KL...wow!!!
It's definitely nicer to sleep on a train then in a bus...hmm...but a lot of ppl claimed it was shaky...was it?

Spent a whole day at a workshop in KL on Sun...
Took a bus home that evening...got home at 1plus in the morning...I feel so shack for myself!!

Yet the next morning I woke up at 5.45am as usual...din wanna get stuck in traffic plus I was meeting some frens that evening...so decided to go in early to get my work done ;)

Tue was another busy day in the lab...followed by another dinner with another group of frens...

Finally Wed...I decided to slack...woke up late...went to sch late...and left early too...hehe...had to send another cpd to the lab...this time I got to visit the lab and see the preliminary results of my previous cpds...hmm...looking good :D
After that...went to SGH again...this time to the lab only...chat till time to meet another fren again...hehe...busy hor :P

Today was another synthesis day...did 3 synthesis at the same time in the morning...and 3 work-up together in the evening...in bet...met up with my insurance agent and followed by a Da Vinci talk...hehe...haven't watch the movie though...shld be watching next week ;)
In the evening...while I was almost done...suddenly got a call to go cover RFC...hmm...shld I or shld I not...on my first free evening after dunno how long?
In the end...I decided to be nice :P

Tom will be another busy synthesis day...with a seminar in the afternoon...followed by a lunch treat from boss...actually I'm kinda just a calefare...or in hokkien I would say poon tio :D

Sat is helping out with some coastal cleanup training in the morning and working in the afternoon...

Sun is the Farrer Park Sports Challenge...team Beyond Boundaries will be in the inter-racial relay...look out for a swimming penguin and a lonely runner :D

That's how "gila" this 2 weeks is...how m I supposed to fit lifesaving and tennis training in my schedule?? Both on Mons and Weds...sighz...

IWA weekend away

2006-05-20T09:48:00.000+08:00

I for international...hehe...
We have globalized...
Hence we'll be all over the world this weekend...

Best WA member...Vorlacks...will be gg away on a business trip in China...2 weeks after he started working...woohoo!!!
Good job, Vorlacks!!!

WA boss...Oyster...busy travelling as usual...this time for the World Health Assembly at Geneva...doing his best for mankind...wahaha...

Err...I'm just gg KL...still away for the weekend :P

So if u need any WA help for this weekend...there's NONE...dun bother to contact us...wahahaha :P

When will I ever be free again?

2006-05-14T17:25:00.000+08:00

Another busy week has past...

Plenty of running up and down between 2 labs since I can't sit still and watch the HPLC run even with my laptop at the side...1-2 days...still possible...anymore of this...I'll just die of restlessness!!!

I was running HPLC on Mon, Tue, Wed and Sat...so I couldn't take it anymore...
Actually I was supposed to be done by Tue...then I kaypoh...go show my boss something...and she wanted me to do more...so I ended up spending Wed and Sat running up and down, up and down, up and down...every 15 mins :P

On Sat I decided to make-over my lab bench in between running the HPLC downstairs...
Forgot to take a b4 photo...will post a photo of how it look likes now later...added a couple of plastic drawers..and re-labeled on the solvent bottles neatly...I can be a neat freak at times...but when I'm busy I just can't be bothered :P
Wonder how long the neatness will last...probably it'll be gone the next time I start synthesizing again...so a few more days? ;)

That nite...had dinner with Vorlacks, Weiyi, Howard and Cupid...at Manhattan Fish Market at Plaza Sing...super long wait...but food was great..yummy!!

Checking out the menu while waiting...we ordered almost immediately after we were seated :D

The grilled and fried seafood platter...each meant for 2 ;)

Later that night...we went for coffee at TCC with Angel and Weihong...

Couples tend to be antisocial at coffee place?

Took twin photo there again...hehe

Whose hair do u think is shorter now?

Penguins also turned up...

Today after a swim, lunch with one of the TPY2 aunties, chat with TP3 aunties...hehe...went to study n work in the library again...had to study for a exam this Wed...and write an abstract for a poster presentation at a conference in US in October... :D

I wonder when will I be less busy again...2-3 years later?

Photos courtesy of Vorlacks ;)

Sian half

2006-05-09T18:28:00.000+08:00

Soooo sian...
I've been stuck in the instruments lab for almost 12 hours liao...yawnz...
HPLC w/o an autosampler totally sucks...such a waste of time...so not WA-like!!!

Anyway, the whole day I have been shuttling btw here...

...and here...

Having ur personal laptop surrounded by solvents isn't the best thing to do...but...oh well...

If u noticed the bottles on the left of the first photo and right of the second...u'll realize I'm just shuttling along a bench...

...and occasionally...I'll run up here...

Wow...m I turning into a computer geek??

YAWN!!! I wanna go home soon...it's 7pm liao!!

7yrs-itch?

2006-05-07T21:41:00.000+08:00

Found this sign at the door of a room in the computer center...was having a workshop at the SVU Vis lab...
Not too sure wat's that room for...but it looks like it's for storage...

Can u make sense of why this sign is on a door to wat looks like a storage room?

An attempt to nua the whole day

2006-05-07T21:02:00.000+08:00

Well...wanted to spend today nua-ing since I have been unwell the past few days but have still been working...
Besides...we were originally supposed to be locked out of the lab for this weekend too...

....but I totally FAILED!!!

Guess it's just not WA-like...so I couldn't stand it :P

Anyway, I started off on track....

Woke up at 10 plus...had bfast at 11 plus...
After that I started nua-ing in front of the tv with Tigger...usually the tv watch me while I do my work...but this time...I was actually watching it...hehe :D
Kept changing channels btw The Nanny on Hallmark and CSI on AXN...hehe
In between...I went to do laundry...well...that's when I started gg off track a bit...

After the laundry was done...all hell break lose...I started cleaning up the kitchen...then my room...and b4 I know it I'm no longer nua-ing...sighz...

Luckily I got hungry...so I had lunch...Gardenia's Original Wholemeal bread with cheese spread and bak hu...had the same thing for bfast :D
Then it was back to nua-ing and watching tv...hehe...it's the Secret Bible week on National Geographic...

B4 I know it...I was back to cleaning up the house again...oh man...

Then somehow I was back to watch tv...until housemate, Feei, came back...then we went out for dinner...

Oh well...so I failed to nua...but at least I din do any school/work related stuff...at least for the day ;P

Labour Day Dive at Perhentian

2006-05-05T23:38:00.000+08:00

Well...being a WA member...working hard and playing hard is very impt...hehe...
So it was a hectic week from Mon to Fri...synthetic work, computational work, analytical work...blah blah blah...throw in a couple of tests...and u get ur mad WA member :)

That's were my computational work is done...yup..penguins are very excited with the penguin OS computer...hehe :P

At 6pm on Fri evening...we were all rushed out of the lab which will be out of bounds for the weekend...hmm...some lame excuse was given for it...power maintenance and repair...are u sure?? hehe...we know the truth now :P

Getting kicked out by 6pm turned out to be quite good since I was supposed to hvae dinner and get to the dive shop at Telok Ayer St by 7.30pm...and who cares if the lab is out of bounds for the weekend...I won't be ard anyway :P

The trip started with 12-hour "schoolbus" ride from the dive shop to the jetty...where we transferred onto our "iGallop" speedboat to Perhentian island...

So why "schoolbus"...well...mainly because the bus driver-cum-tour guide (yup...that's how that guy introduced himself) is very strict...
Firstly...he does not allow us to eat or drink in the bus...only mineral/drinking water is allowed...he even have plenty of signs to reinforce his rules!!!
Secondly...he expects us to greet him back properly when he greets us...otherwise he'll keep repeating himself...wah!!!
Then he also does not allow us to stay in the bus we stop for a break...everybody have to get off...wow...can't I just stay in the bus and sleep??!!!
Strict hor...this guy?

Check out all the signs...U'll first be greeted by a "Pls Queue" sign...then there's the "Keep clean" and "No Food and Drinks" sign...followed by a sign that bars u from entering the drivers seat...and plenty of reminders while u r watching tv on the bus...

...and why "iGallop"...hehe
We had a good butt work out as we rode the wave towards the island...it was almost like working out on OSIM's iGallop...except w/o any cushion!!!
...and lucky for us...we were stuck with that boat throughout the dive trip!!!

The cushion-less seat boat (top) vs the cushioned seat boat (bottom) which we never got to ride on :P

Once we got to the island...we had bfast and checked into our rooms...3 to a room...Angel, Wei Hong and I one room, Cupid, Howard and Alex another...Kelvin shared with another 2 ppl...Melissa and Jonathan...whom we din know b4 the trip...

Couples get the queen sized bed...light bulbs get the single bed...that's Alex and I...haha :D

After that, it's off for our first dive...followed by lunch, nua-ing...second dive...nua-ing...third dive (which only Angel and I went for...the rest took a boat to another part of the island)...followed by dinner...then zzzzz
Second day was abt the same...first dive...followed by bfast, nua-ing...second dive...lunch, nua-ing...third dive...snorkeling...nua-ing, dinner...then zzzz
That's a lot of eat, sleep/nua, dive...hehe :D
Anyway, we went snorkeling at Shark's Pt hoping to see some white tip shark since we din see any while diving...

Nua-ing in progress...regardless of day or night...

This is wat happens when u nua on a "waffle" hammock...

Third day...which is labour day...we left at abt 8am...in that cushion-less "iGallop" speedboat again!!! This time we sat at the back of the boat...so it's much less bumpy...hehe...
Then it's another almost 14 hours of "schoolbus" ride back to S'pore...
Amazingly there wasn't any jam at the Woodlands checkpt though...everyone must have gone to the 2nd Link...hehe...

By the time I got home...it was almost 11.30pm...washed my dive gears, showered, did laundry...yet I managed to sleep by abt 12.30am...amazing!!!

Anyway this labour day long weekend wasn't a very restful weekend with so much time spent on the bus...but it was still a great holiday...away from work!!!

Labour Day Dive at Perhentian (2)

2006-05-05T23:35:00.000+08:00

Here's how each dive goes...

First we prepare our dive gears here...bottom is how the place looks like when there r no tanks and BCDs...

My rigged up BCDs...Penguin is in the pocket!! hehe :D

We have our dive briefings b4 each dive here too...

Then we have to carry the heavy tanks on our back to the boat...

Since we are diving off a speedboat as shown above...we had to do a back-roll...haven't done that since Open Water!!!

Here's how it's done...hehe...

1) First, do ur buddy check, put on ur BCD...de-fog ur mask (that's wat Howard is doing on the left)...put on ur mask and regulator...
2) Then, get ready at the edge of the boat...
3) Lean backwards...and...
4) Roll back...dun forget to cross ur leg like Alex ;)
5) U r in the water...whose fins r those?
6) Gone...

After each dive...u could either climb up the ladder at the side of the boat...or if u think that's not challenging enough...u can try wat Howard n Alex did...

Howard seem to make it look easy huh?

Well, Alex din think so...

Without the tanks it's much easier...hehe...