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?
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Not sure...
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...
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...
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Busy life of a mad drug peddling chemist
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
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
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Something abt Penguins
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
High on Atarax..
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 ;)
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 ;)
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Army Half Marathon
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!!
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!!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
New Balance Real Run
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...
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...
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Sgrunners forum is back
Sgrunners forum is back!!!
...and so...penghulu will close the temp forum at midnight tonite (17/8)...
Adios, temp forum!!
...and so...penghulu will close the temp forum at midnight tonite (17/8)...
Adios, temp forum!!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
NUS triathlon
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
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
Thursday, August 10, 2006
More penguins in the news..
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.
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.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Penguins in the news
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Penang Bridge International Marathon
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
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
Monday, July 24, 2006
Weddings and President's Challenge Health Relay
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!!
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!!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Shape run!!!
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...
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...
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Photos from Vietnam and Cambodia
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...
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...
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Back from Vietnam
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
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
Monday, July 03, 2006
Hello from Siem Reap
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...
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...
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Hello from Saigon!
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...
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...
Friday, June 30, 2006
Vietnam and Cambodia
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!!!
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!!!
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