A MacRitchie Trail Adventure - The First of The North Face 100 Progressive Runs Friends are brought together by certain commonalities, be it in terms of background, belief, enemy, interest, tragedy, hobby, mission or cause. I took up running as a sport primarily to fulfill my fitness goal for this year. I've taken steps to increase my success, which included setting up a training schedule, joining as much running events as I could, taking up a healthy bet with co-workers, tracking my progress and plotting it in Excel, and influencing as many people as I can to join me in my simple quest. It didn't occur to me that I'd be gaining a new set of friends while at it.I've made friends with friends of friends who are also into running. With a little bit of prodding here and there, I'm joining the upcoming The North Face 100 with them. My partner-to-be assumed that we were going for the 100 km category, but I'm glad to have clarified the matter before I registered for the two us and had given him the option of finding another teammate should he really want to participate in the more punishing category instead. I felt there was simply no way I'd be ready for the full marathon in such a short period of time, much more 50 km. In the end, he agreed that we should just go for the shorter distance.We also signed up for the progressive runs to force ourselves to undergo training. The idea is that runners should be able to increase their mileage over time — therefore the increments of 10 km every scheduled run. The first of three, the 10 km run, took place last Saturday, July 10 at the MacRitchie Reservoir Park. It turned out to be quite an adventure.The official start was 8:00 a.m. and I got there with a few minutes to spare, just that I ended up making the wrong turn and found myself at a bridge that didn't really look like it could be called the zig-zag bridge. I called up my partner to ask for directions, who readily handed over the phone to one of our other friends because he wasn't familiar with the place.When it seemed clear to me where I should be heading, I could not resist asking, "Is it going to push through even if it's raining?"It had started to drizzle and I could see several joggers going for the nearest shed. The rowing teams who were in the water at that time were being called to come ashore as well. I knew the answer before I even popped my question. I guess part of me was just saying "go home and don't risk getting sick".When I finally got to the designated place, the runners, led by Kenneth Koh, were in the midst of stretching. One of our friends instructed me to register, stating that there was going to be a draw afterwards for a few freebies from The North Face. I registered and skipped stretching, feeling relieved that they had not started running.It didn't take long before we did. We let the others stay in front, we had to assume they were all stronger runners. Our feet got a taste of the pavement as we headed towards the trail. After that our feet were never subjected to the same kind of surface for more than a few minutes.The trail had become steeper before I had a chance to warm up. As if that weren't challenging enough, rain kept pouring. Fortunately, it didn't get any stronger. I couldn't help but worry about catching pneumonia. But I soon forgot about that when I couldn't distinguish sweat from rain.Just when the trail began to ease a bit, in fact it had began to gradually slope downwards, we found one of the runners who was previously ahead of us lying along our path and grimacing in pain. He was supposedly our marker, for he carried with him two orange hiking sticks which made an X mark on his backpack — something very hard to miss. Kenneth asked if he was alright, to which the injured man replied he would be. They motioned for us to go ahead as one of the organizers grabbed her phone and made a few calls. Kenneth went with us while the same lady who made the call stayed behind with the marked man. The diagnosis? Groin muscle cramps. Apparently it was the guy's second attempt to cover the same distance during that morning.My partner was a strong runner, having already completed the full marathon before, and so I let him lead as I tried my best to keep pace. My only advantage was that I had been training for the past few months. He hasn't joined any running event since last year's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and hasn't been running on his own either. He was with us during the Suburban Run where I met him actually, but he only acted as our photographer then. Well, whatever he lacked in training, his genes more than made up for it. Thank goodness I was the one who did some training.What took me, friends and family almost three hours to walk during our first visit to MacRitchie Park took us only a little over half an hour to run. When we got to the Ranger's Station, we weren't sure which way to turn because there wasn't any trace of where the others had gone. My partner tried asking one of the cleaners if he had noticed a group of runners heading towards the direction we were inclined to take."There are so many runners," he replied, smiling.We had to make a quick decision — either we headed towards the HSBC Treetop or took the alternative Sime Track. I didn't remember it then that the route to the HSBC Treetop was a very punishing climb, which is not only obvious but also worth remembering because that was the only way you could possibly get to the treetop level. We would later find out that the route we avoided was where our fellow runners went: steep climbs help build endurance when done on a regular basis.That wasn't the first time we had to guess which way to go. At one point, we became worried when we noticed a sign at the side of the trail that said "8 km". We knew we couldn't have done less than 5 km so we should be left with just 3 or 4 km and yet here was a sign which hinted we still had 8 km to go. Not only that, the path ahead of us revealed there was more climbing to do. Faced with these circumstances, my partner slowed down to a halt and for a moment considered turning back and retracing our steps. I voiced out that we couldn't go back having gone so far, and that there was a chance we'd be presented again with a few options as to which path we can take if we kept pushing forward — something we wouldn't have for sure if we turned back. We pushed forward.Kenneth would later point out what I realized while picking where my foot landed — that as opposed to running on pavements where you can plug in your iPhone and just zone out, you had to be mentally present when running on trails. It is very easy to slip, trip or twist your ankle if you don't pay attention to what where you're going. Disallowing the use of earphones during the race for safety reasons makes perfect sense.By the time we resolved our second dilemma, our feet had already sampled various surfaces: muddy, rocky, grassy, sandy, wooden and solid. Then we came to the part where the trail formed a narrow U-shape path with a very uneven bottom surface littered with sharp stones jutting out, so we had no choice but to avoid stepping on the middle, running with each foot on either side. That mini-obstacle course definitely made the route more interesting.We found the view somewhere along the Golf Link area as the most exciting, a welcomed respite from the seemingly endless trees, dirt and stones. My partner must have read my mind as he also expressed that it would have been nice if we brought a camera. The sight of the water was truly refreshing and we would've wanted to take that with us if only commemorated in photos.We would soon find out that we made the right choice by pushing forward. It turns out the signs indicated how much distance had been covered from the starting point, not how much farther there was to go. Soon enough we reached the zig-zag bridge and joined our fellow runners in filling our tummies with as much liquid as we can.Too bad no one from our group won any freebies. But the microfiber towel they gave away was a prize, not too mention the magazines.Overall, it was a truly good experience, something we'd very much like to repeat in the near future. If one thing, our adventure made me realize that I prefer to run on trails than on pavements. Well, we're already planning to hold practice runs in MacRitchie park on our own. *** Some links worth visiting:Always Running the Same Way, The Trouble With Running on Concrete and AsphaltGet Off the Pavement!!!How To Build Endurance With Trail RunningRunning Program to Build SpeedGo Long! Build endurance for a full day or more on the trailhttp://www.timeforfitness.com/running/keep_running.htm Sunset At Bedok Reservoir I had been to Bedok Reservoir thrice prior to this day. The first was when we attempted to go for the grand course of the treetop adventure, which unfortunately we weren't even able to start because it rained so hard and we ended up getting stuck there for almost two hours. The next two times were for running — one was in preparation for the Passion Run and the other for the Mizuno Mt. Faber Run.On the last two occasions, I've been fortunate enough to see the glorious sunset and kept wishing I brought a good camera with me. Well, I actually did bring a camera the second time around but I don't think the pictures I took do justice to how marvelous it was to see in person, not that photos will ever be better than the actual experience, but still, I think they were kinda ugly. I'm still posting those pictures below.It was impossible for me not to remember my wish when I began taking pictures of sunsets in Pasir Ris Park. I had to come back. So I did when I finally got the chance.I came with one purpose and one purpose only — to take pictures of the sunset over the water. I would have wanted to run but that meant getting home late and putting the camera at risk.Unfortunately I wasn't early enough. The sun had already began to disappear on the horizon when I got there.Still, I tried to do what I came there to do.The photos are not as great as I want them to be. But I think they're definitely better than the ones I took earlier.I guess I'll just have to haul myself with a camera back there again some time soon. Practice makes perfect. And yeah, it pays well to be early too.There must be dozens of other places where it's nice to take pictures of the sunset here in Singapore. I wonder, where should I head to next?*** When H1N1 Hits Home - Aftermath With much help from the medicines he has been taking, Mattin finally got rid of his whooping cough on day 5. With that gone, he didn't appear to be sick at all. However, he was still quarantined in his room as a precautionary measure and the Cisco guys still kept visiting him at least twice daily until day 7.The rest of us were fortunate not to have been afflicted with the virus. We didn't even have to take Tamiflu, something I really didn't want to do unless it was absolutely necessary. Our misfortune only went as far as having to eat the same food everyday and being confined within the walls of our home — insignificant to the ordeal my six-year old cousin had to go through. Except for the initial scare (for Matthin's condition), momentary paranoia and period of adjustment, the experience wasn't as bad as we were led to think.I've agreed since the beginning with my uncle's decision to have Matthin stay at home instead of confining him in the hospital. It would have been twice as difficult for the six-year old boy if the alternative was chosen. Besides, the doctors wouldn't have presented the option if they weren't sure it was safe for him in the first place. This might not need saying, but I'll say it anyway: if this ever happens to your cousin, brother or child, I invite you to consider taking the same course of action.Today is Matthin's first day in school after the break. He was excited to go back and we were only glad that his excitement had the opposite effect last night — he was able to sleep early. A number of parents in Matthin's school had previously expressed their concern about the unnecessary spread of the news regarding what the boy has been through in the last week, worried that this might cause unnecessary panic on the part of other parents. Their concern is not unwarranted — just a few weeks ago, a boy was being avoided by his classmates because he had cough and colds.Today is also the day the rest of us go back to our normal lives. Today we regain contact with the outside world, not having to worry about being a threat to the rest of society. We have a story to tell and a few lessons to remember and share from the experience.Maybe there's no need to be overly concerned with H1N1. But this doesn't mean we can take things for granted and not take measures to protect ourselves from unnecessary trouble. Remaining vigilant is not synonymous to being obsessed. There's wisdom in Andrew Grove's words: "Only the paranoid survive." But as always, we need to take advice with a grain of salt and see things from the right perspective lest we give things a different meaning and turn a totally good advice into words of disaster.Practicing proper hygiene is a must, with or without H1N1. But if anyone at home should ever be afflicted with the virus, informing the right people is the right thing to do and wearing a mask if you have to report for work or go to school is a little sacrifice that's not unworthy of making.This is the end of day 7 and the end of this H1N1 series.***>>Day 4 >>Day 3 >>Day 2 >>Day 1 A Rasa Sentosa Singapore Weekend Getaway A few weeks ago we decided to go on a quick weekend getaway. We didn't want to spend so much time traveling, so going out of Singapore was not an option. There are numerous hotels to choose from but we wanted a feeling of seclusion, of being away from the frenetic activities of a normal Singapore day. What could be better than staying at a hotel by the beach?Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa it was. The fact that a bridge needed crossing to get to the island resort somewhat gives it the feeling of isolation. Knowing that Sentosa means peace and tranquility in Malay is also a bit comforting. On the other hand, Rasa means taste, feeling or sensation in Malay as a noun. A few minutes in Rasa Sentosa was enough for me to conclude that we made right the choice and that the name of the hotel was justified.If there was any doubt that we were in a five-star establishment in the hotel we went to early this year, there was no such feeling this time around. The rooms were in great condition, the surroundings were exceptionally clean, the facilities were well maintained and the people were very hospitable. To top it off was a panoramic view of the nice pool, the blue sea and the white sand.Staying in the room just watching TV, reading a book, appreciating the view or simply sleeping would have been good enough. But we opted to do some experiencing and not just viewing.At daybreak, we walked along the shoreline. It was impossible to miss the people sleeping on the sand. Some managed to pitch tents. Here and there were a few litters, but the shore was rubbish-free by the time the sun was fully out.We did go around Sentosa but we spent a lot of time by the beach. Besides, there are too many things to mention about Sentosa that would make this post to lengthy to include.Swimming, playing volleyball, flying Frisbees, kayaking, sunbathing, what else do people do at the beach but have fun while basking in the sun? What about throwing-in-the-water time? Boys will be boys.We never did get to the flying trapeze in Siloso beach in action. We did get to sample Trapizza's pizza and pasta though. The food was great.One other thing we didn't get to try was riding the Segway. Oh well, I'm sure there will be some other time for that.We did have good food for dinner at Coastes by the beach. The fireworks from the Songs of the Sea could be seen and heard from where we were. Not to forget where we had lunch, which was in Shutters at the Amara Resort. The food was pleasant although the place was almost empty.It was a very good weekend getaway if I may say. I can only wish every weekend was like that.*** When H1N1 Hits Home - Day 4 I see Matthin drawing on his desk. He looks good under the circumstances. I can definitely see his improvement since day 1. I just wish he'd lose the cough in the next day or two. Somehow his mother managed to do just that. The rest of us in the house remain asymptomatic. We're glad that aside from this major inconvenience, there seems to be no permanent damage that H1N1 has caused us. We're glad that the virus is not as lethal as it was earlier feared to be. Of course, this doesn't mean we'd want to be down with it if we had a choice.If you've read the previous posts, you already know that Matthin is quite big a boy for his age. Since there's pretty much nothing to say about this day, I'd like to share a few more things about my cousin:1.He loves fried rice. Well, he likes food in general. But he especially loves fried rice. Aside from not wanting anything else but hotdogs when he was younger, Matthin never really gave his parents much of a headache when it comes to getting him to eat. It's good to see him continually expanding his menu since he turned five. 2. He likes playing badminton. Like any other child, he'd cry if you beat him. But he keeps playing nevertheless and of course, the inevitable happens — he keeps getting better at the sport as the weeks go by.3. He's a Nadal fan. His mother is Federer fan and so am I. Still, Matthin made up his mind and roots for Rafa. He's not yet playing tennis but I'm sure he'd love it when he does.4. He's into running. It wasn't easy to get him started though. At first he was excited when he joined a fun run in school. Then his face turned bluish red after running 25 meters during a running clinic. My aunt made it her mission to get Matthin into better shape. I remember us pulling out every trick in the bag we knew to get him to run a complete round in the track. His tears kept rolling and his shouts kept coming but he just wouldn't run. After six rounds of walking, he seemed convinced we were never going to stop unless he gave it a try, which he did. Don't ask me how, but he's enjoyed running ever since. Before he was down with the flu, he was running more than I did. Actually that's an understatement because I only get to run a maximum of three times in a week but this kid runs a minimum of five.5. He likes playing the piano. This kid has a great memory. I'm running out of stuff to teach him on the keyboard. He's been recently forcing me to teach him a piece I haven't even completed myself. I'm sure a piano teacher will have a good time with him. Geez, I miss playing with this boy.Oh well, it looks like we can see the end of this quarantine period. I sure hope there are no unpleasant surprises. We'll keep praying.Matthin can barely keep himself inside his room. Thank goodness for TV, X-box and his ever patient mom.***>>Day 3 >>Day 2 >>Day 1 When H1N1 Hits Home - Day 3 Wednesday, Day 3. Fun flies when you're doing time. I should be taking pictures of sunsets. How much more for a six-year old boy who's confined in his own room for three days now?Well, except for his coughs, Matthin appears to be fine. But his mother seems to have developed the same unpleasant sounding cough. Everyone else in the house remains asymptomatic.The Cisco staff came twice during the day to check on Matthin. They never go in. They just let Matthin come to them near the door and they examine him visually from there. My uncle hypothesizes that they're merely making sure that Matthin is not getting out of the house and the real intention is not to check if he's doing fine, because they're not doctors anyway. Whatever the motivation, I'm glad they're checking. The phone calls come in too.My uncle actually called them to ask for more Tamiflu, as suggested by the doctor, so everybody else —aside from Matthin and his Mom— could take it as a preventive measure. Over lunch I made a comment about possibly not taking it before the symptoms start showing up. I realize of course the point of not having to go through unnecessary suffering, which is why one would want to take it while being asymptomatic. It's just that I remember hearing in CNN that it might not have the desired effect if it's taken too early and that it's best taken within two days after the symptoms appear. I think I also remember hearing that if you don't have the virus and you take Tamiflu, it might no longer be effective once you really get hit by the virus. I don't trust what I think I remember, so don't you too — I don't want to be the source of misinformation. I decided to do a bit of research on the Web to learn more about this. Below are what I found.From http://www.tamiflu.com/treat.aspx:For flu prevention: When you have been exposed to someone with the flu, taking TAMIFLU can help keep the virus from making you sickFrom http://www.dancewithshadows.com/pillscribe/swine-flu-india-on-high-alert-plans-to-stockpile-15-billion-oseltamivir-pills/:Oseltamivir may be given as a preventive measure either during a community outbreak or following close contact with an infected individual. Standard prophylactic dosage is 75 mg once daily for patients aged 13 and older, which has been shown to be safe and effective for up to six weeks.From http://www.drugs.com/pdr/tamiflu.html:To prevent the flu, take it once a day for at least 7 days. Protection lasts as long as you take the drug.Based on these, Tamiflu does help prevent someone from getting the flu. That is, as long as it's being taken. I didn't find anything saying that it won't be effective in the future when the flu hits if it's previously been taken for preventive measures. It occurred to me while I was doing the research that Matthin wasn't able to take Tamiflu within 48 hours after he had high fever, his first symptom. If the Cisco guys weren't late and came a day earlier —day 1 instead of day 2— they would've made it on time. Still, he has showed some great improvement after taking the medicine so we're all glad about that.With closed windows and an open door that leads to the living room and everywhere else, the ventilation might be a cause for concern. Or maybe not. Remains to be seen in the next few days.This is the end of day 3.***>>Day 2 >>Day 1--!> When H1N1 Hits Home - Day 2 Day 2 is Tuesday, July 30, 2009 — two days into home quarantine and four days since Matthin, my cousin, was symptomatic of the H1N1 virus. Among other things, I started this day with a call to a friend who was a doctor. We discussed some other thing and when we were about to say goodbye, he asked how I was doing so I gave him the news. He says we shouldn't be worried too much, that it's very similar to the common flu, and that deaths are very rare. Coming from someone you trust, that was quite reassuring.Matthin is doing well: no fever, no asthma, just a very bad sounding cough. He doesn't look lethargic; he would've been out of his room if his parents weren't scaring him that the police would come get him if forced his way out. I'm glad he's a strong, 40-kilo, almost 5 feet tall, 6-year old boy. So far no one else inside the house is symptomatic. Matthin's mom looks haggard but appears to be healthy. Matthin's dad, my uncle, has been sleeping in the living room since day 1. The rest of us have been taking extra doses of vitamin C. My uncle came up with his own concoction of boiled ginger, lemon and honey for all of us to drink. Can you blame us? We'd do what we can to stay healthy. By the way, uncle's concoction tastes good to me.The Cisco personnel arrived late at the afternoon, citing delays due to MOH. They should have been here on day 1. That doesn't sound good because it could mean they have too many cases to take care of. Oh well... As one might expect, the Cisco guys were wearing N95 masks and yellow plastic scrubs. They brought a standard H1N1 kit —as they called it— which included a short literature for Matthin's parents to read, thermometers and most importantly, medicine. There were two sets of Tamiflu — one for Matthin and another for his mother. They did not install cameras as we were earlier told. They didn't even go beyond the door step. I guess they had no reason to do so. Maybe we really are not suppose to take things too seriously. It's just that in my obsessive-compulsive state of mind, I was expecting a little bit more, like a short lecture on the most critical things we need to monitor Matthin about or a demonstration of how to properly ventilate his room. In place of the cameras, my uncle was told, would be constant monitoring through phone calls. Anyhow, I'm still glad they came and that Matthin could now take proper medication.***Here's a very good booklet regarding H1N1 from UN.ORG:Pandemic Flu Influenza A (H1N1) Virus). It's a concise and practical guide on things you need to know about the virus, what you should do to prevent contracting it and what you ought to do in case you or your loved one has already gotten it, including how to properly take care of them. If you're serious about wearing masks, there's a proper way to handle them and there's a short paragraph about that in the booklet. Even with the constant barrage of information from the news, I was surprised about how much I and my housemates didn't know about H1N1 and viruses in general. For instance, the booklet suggests that "separating of eating utensils for use by a patient with influenza is not necessary". It was something we did as a precaution but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. But then again, if you ask me, I'm really more concerned about other things than the segregation of utensils.Here's a preview of its Table of Contents so you'd see how practical it is:That's it. This is the end of day 2.***>>Day 1 When H1N1 Hits Home - Day 1 There has never been a post more difficult to start than this. And I'm not even sure how to proceed.Maybe I can begin by saying that true to the title, the H1N1 virus has indeed found its way to our very home. It's just too bad that my six-year old cousin, Matthin, had to be its first victim. What worries me is that he has asthma and is therefore considered to be among the higher risk group.They arrived here in Singapore last Wednesday, June 24, Matthin and her mother. My aunt had to rush home because his father had suffered a heart attack. She had to take Matthin with her because no one could take care of him if he was left here. They came back after making sure aunt's father —who's undergoing therapy because his right side from head to toe was paralyzed— was on his way to recovery after a few scary days in the ICU. As if that unfortunate event wasn't enough, they arrived here to find out a few days later that Matthin had somehow caught the virus.What purpose does it serve if I share this with the rest of the world? Well, apart from simply telling a story, I think there are lessons to be learned from this. Let me stall no further.For starters, for anyone who has been outside the country, I think it serves Singapore best that you isolate yourself from society for a few days after you arrive. Actually, even before that, and this has been stated in the news over and over again, travel outside the country only if it's really necessary. Going back to the idea of self-quarantine, I simply opine that it's the responsible thing to do. Going one step further, maybe it's a good company policy to implement this for employees coming from overseas. One of my clients even require their employees to wear masks for a number of days in the office, after the quarantine period. This idea is also applicable to schools, but I think they're doing a much better job.In our case, the first judgment error was assuming that there was no way Matthin and his mom could have contracted the virus because they weren't going out too often when they were overseas. Some would conclude that's so naive, but it's a more common conception than we think. It's so easy to be careless. What a cliche, but hey, just because you don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist and won't find its way to you.Because of that initial wrong assumption, another case of bad judgment was bound to occur. Despite us being aware that not going out of the house for at least seven days was prudent, Matthin and his dad went out to watch Transformers that Saturday. He got home in the midst of an asthma attack along with coughs that didn't sound good. He also had a high fever late that night. Once again, because of that wrong premise, it was easier to rationalize the cause than suspect H1N1 was the culprit.The next day, Sunday, Matthin's parents finally decided to call the hospital and report his condition. An ambulance arrived after about two hours to pick up Matthin and his mother. "Mommy, I'm excited to ride the ambulance!" Matthin stated.I saw them being handed a mask before they were allowed to step into the ambulance. Fast forward, about three hours later, they were back at home announcing that the results would only be out after two days. It had become a waiting game.Day 1 is today, Monday, June 29 — the day we learned of the results. I was in the office when my aunt called me. "Bad news. Results are out and Matthin is positive." She gave it to me straight.For a minute there I thought she was kidding and I was waiting for the punchline. She even told me guys from Cisco where coming to that house later at night to install cameras so they could monitor the patient. When no punchline came, I had to ask directly if she was pulling my leg. I believed her when she told me it was no joking matter. When she told me to buys masks, the little doubt or hope inside me dissipated.I gave myself a few minutes to think things over and decide what was my best course of action. Soon thereafter I informed my boss about the news and I was immediately sent home. It took me three blocks to find 3M N95 masks from a Guardian store in Raffles — a box of which containing 20 pieces cost $60.When I got home, they've started trying to quarantine Matthin in their room. No one was yet wearing masks. I handed out what I bought and we all tried it out, Matthin included. I found it a bit difficult to breathe through the mask and there's a certain kind of smell that never really goes away.We started segregating our utensils after dinner. Matthin was told he wasn't allowed to leave the room. My uncle moved one of the TV sets along with the Xbox from the living room to what would be Matthin's own little world in the next few days. Except for his eyes, Matthin looks fine. Well, Matthin is a strong boy. He'll be fine. We're praying for his speedy recovery.As for Cisco, we waited for them to arrive until way past midnight. They never came. This is the end of day 1. Another Sunset At Pasir Ris Park So one day I had gone to Pasir Ris Park to take a few pictures during sunset. I thought it was a good idea to come back, with the area nearer to Downtown East as my target.I was lucky to catch bus 403, luckier still to have made it in time to watch the sun disappear in the horizon.I fail not to notice the strange syzygies in the view above. There's the child sitting, a man fishing and a lad swimming, then there's the three fishing rods which are almost perfectly aligned.I tried to cover as much ground as I could. But there was never enough time. The moon was out before I knew it.My last stop had to be the moored ships. I could get no farther. I had reached the boundary of the Pasir Ris Park.Bedok Reservoir sounds like a good place for the next sunset adventure. Sunset At Pasir Ris Park With the sun out and no signs of rain coming, it was a good day to take a walk in the Pasir Ris Park. It was a perfect opportunity to catch the sunset and take photos too.We had barely entered the park when we began putting the camera to work.Well, sunsets have always been a favorite subject by photographers. Not without good reason of course.But rather than attempting to explain why, I'll just post a few pictures here. But then again, I'm not a photographer. Even so, I know that the tired cliché is undoubtedly true: a picture is worth a thousand words. So let me say no more. Conquering Mt. Faber: The Mizuno Mount Faber Run 2009 A number of friends decided not to register for the Mizuno Mount Faber Run 2009 for either of two reasons:there was a negative review of a previous run by the same sponsor, andMt. Faber didn't sound like a fun, easy, flat terrain for a 10 km run.In my case, I'm at a stage where I'd take almost every opportunity to run in preparation for my 21 km challenge by the end of the year. I registered before I gave myself enough time to realize what I was getting into, although I've once been lost in Mt. Faber so I knew it was going to be a serious challenge if the event was going to live up to its name. This sounds naive, but I only found out on the race day itself that Mt. Faber was indeed part of the route.On that day, my alarm managed to wake me up at 5 a.m. despite the fact that I only had a little over two hours of sleep. I went straight to the shower contemplating whether I should go through such self-inflicted punishment. When I couldn't find a pair of shorts to wear, I thought things had been decided for me, but of course one eventually showed up after a few more minutes of frantic searching. So I was going to run half-awake. What the heck? Each race is a new adventure.From the Tiong Bahru MRT station, I followed a trail of moving green shirts to the assembly area — a huge open space between HDB buildings. It was a little past 7 a.m. and people were scattered all over the place. It occurred to me that the atmosphere was very different from those of the other runs I had taken part of. Perhaps it was the lack of exciting music or perhaps the inability of the announcer to get the crowd moving. Maybe it was just my zombielike state.Getting hydrated is an important thing for runners before they start any race, but so is the opposite. I joined the queue for the loo, my unforgettable experience from my first run looming in my head. There were a number of announcements, including one which said participants should be behind the starting line by 7:25. Then, before I knew it, when I had barely finished what I had queued for, the race had already started. There was neither a countdown to warn of what was to come nor a loud horn to signal what just happened. With the lessons from my recent run still fresh in my mind, I was off to a slow start. Dozens of runners overtook me. I caught up with some of them at an intersection, the first of many, where we were asked to stop to allow cars to pass. The first slight ascent came only after a few minutes, and I thought running without adequate sleep was torture enough. I took my time warming up, after which I began to increase my tempo a bit, only to be slowed down with more stops and uphills. Like an unexpected gift, a long downward slope was suddenly in front of me. I zipped past more than a hundred runners, wondering why they chose not to take advantage of the rare opportunity being presented. I was thanking the heavens for giving me lots of practice running down steep hills and mountains when I was a child, praying at the same time that I wouldn't slip and become the laughing stock of the event.Then it was time to head up Mt. Faber. I initially tried to maintain my pace but weariness soon overtook my body. Tens of other walking made it look fashionable. How could I resist from doing the same? It was at this stage that I remember having pocketed my remaining caffeinated energy gel from GNC. At the pace I was going, I had no trouble getting it open and consuming its content.As if a direct answer to my complaint that I could still feel the sticky fluid halfway down my throat, the first drinking station came into view. I was in no rush drinking as much liquid —first H-Two-O and then the real H2O— as I could, Mt. Faber wasn't going anywhere. It seemed like the rest of the route was pretty much upwards from thereon, which only meant I did a lot of walking. When the road went downhill, again I was one of very few who dared to go full speed. During the agonizing ascents, Confucius' words kept echoing in my head — "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." Wise words indeed.Of course, all good things must come to an end. I reached the finish line in a little over an hour. Partly to my own doing, it was the most challenging run I had participated in. I guess Mt. Faber will be seeing more of me in the coming years as I aspire to complete the same run in a shorter time. Next run: POSB Run for Kids 2009, July 12.Photo credits to Joan "MoJo" D.G. Sarcasm, Feigned Incomprehension And Plain Ol' Rudeness Paul says his sarcasm has toned down a bit ever since his experience in the dentist's chair as young boy where he woke up to find his face black and blue after a simple tooth extraction. Paul realizes sarcastic remarks are not taken too well by dentists and has since decided to use them sparingly, even on people outside the dental profession.Mike is one of those people who can be sarcastic but chooses to be nice almost every time. We discussed what hypothetical verbal responses he could have given in various dialogs where he originally played nice but would have wanted to play dumb, be sarcastic, or just plain rude. All responses below given by P1 in italics are therefore hypothetical.***Food CenterP2: "May I clear you plate?" P1: "Certainly not. I'll do it myself. Go buy your own food."***Food CenterP1: "May I have some ketchup please?"P2: "Here you go..."P1: "Not chili sauce, ketchup please."P2: "Oh, tomato sauce?"P1: "Uh, no. I would have gone to the supermarket to buy ingredients if I wanted to cook spaghetti."***A Fried Chicken Fast Food Based In Kentucky. In White Sands, Pasir RisP1: "May I have some gravy please?"P2: "What's gravy?"P1: "Are you serious? Do you even work here?"***OfficeP2: "By right the file should be in this folder everyday. By right the server should automatically dump it there. By right even if there was no data there should still be a file."P1: "What about by left?"***OfficeP2: "Just one more question also can or not?"P1: "Okay, I'm confused. But that sounds like a question already. You've had your chance."***A Sandwich Store In Downtown EastP1: "One Italian BMT please..."P2: "Oh, I'm sorry we ran out of bread."P1: "Again!?! Why don't you just close down?"***A Vietnamese Cafe In Boon Tat StreetP1: "Can I have plain water please?"P2: "I'm sorry, we don't server plain water."P1: "Not even without ice, straight from the faucet?"P2: "Boss says we're not allowed to do that. You need to buy your drinks so we can make money out of it."P1: ????Mike says he's still figuring out what he could have said to this one.*** The World Of Babahuskis A page from Dr. Roch’s journals, May 3073Several million light years away in the Lidebo Galaxy, lies the Planet Babahusk. In many ways, it is much like Earth. Air, water and sunlight are among the essentials for survival.Before I force myself into a scientific account of the planet’s composition, structure and all — which is certainly not my intention for I do not consider myself qualified enough in this field — let me give you a short account of its very amusing inhabitants, the Babahuskis. Intelligent beings and culture are after all my expertise, my so-called cup of tsaw-tsaw (tea in Babahuskian), having earned multiple degrees including doctorates in Alien and Cultural Studies.First, let me give a basic description of the Babahuskis. They are very much like Homo Sapiens, with a complete set of the major bodily systems found in the human species: nervous, digestive, reproductive, circulatory, endocrine, immune, integumentary, lymphatic, muscular, urinary, skeletal and respiratory. In more simplistic terms: they think, eat, talk, walk, breathe air, get sick, and like all biological beings, they perish. I shall leave my dear Italian friend, Dr. Jocani Pagi, to discuss the similarities and differences between humans and Babahuskis in greater scientific detail while I dwell more on their alienus nature.The Babahuskian civilization is a proud one and although its roots are probably as old as the planet itself, they are certainly modern and their technological savvy is perhaps surpassed only by us Earthlings. For all their pride and scientific know-how, they have one particular weakness. They are not a very neat life form.Deodorants are but a recent discovery. I daresay as much as twenty percent of the Babahuskis I’ve encountered don’t make use of this practical invention. I initially thought that perhaps their olfactory system has not completely evolved. Maybe they smell things differently. But then I asked myself how is it possible that quite a number of them don’t appear to emit that distinctly sour and foul odor? What about the few that use deodorants and wear colognes and perfumes? Could it be that they choose to ignore this unpleasant reality or are they just being courteous not to point out what is obvious in the same manner that we, their guests, never speak to them about this even as a matter of science lest we offend them? My educated guess is that their culture has a different belief about the need for deodorants and whether bodily odors are offensive.Another observation I’ve noted is that at about 6 p.m., when their two suns start to set and when their air cooler in the offices automatically shut down, the acrid smell starts to fill the air ever more strongly. I fail not to write this observation based on a serendipitous yet unfortunate circumstance – it is now exactly 6 o’clock here in the Feteo Center of Excellence.While it can be scientifically proven that their musky smell can be attributed to the food that they eat, I have also noticed that several of them hang their clothes to dry in their kitchen and don’t bother to remove them when they cook, leaving them to absorb the aroma of their food. Still, the scent of food on one’s clothing is tolerable. What is unbearable is the stink of body odor, whether emitted from the armpits or elsewhere, especially when they can be effectively controlled through the use of substances known as deodorants. Dr. Pagi and I share a common view that allowing bacteria to continually thrive in the underarms so as to ferment sweat, which leads to an overpowering odor when left alone, is highly irresponsible especially when the intelligent being on the spotlight possesses qualities such as self-awareness, sentience and wisdom. Much like humans, Babahuskis are social by nature. Their social structures are as complex as ours and law also shapes their society in countless ways. What is most interesting is that they have stricter and more numerous laws than us humans ranging from what food are allowed for consumption during certain days to what is allowed in the intimacy of a couple’s bedroom. Their implementation of environmental laws is astonishing – smoking was a perennial part of popular culture until a law declared that “it endangered the environment… and is a harmful activity…” The Smoker Rebellion is very interesting but to give a more thorough account of it is not within the scope of my intended topic for this writing. Suffice it to say that millions of Babahuskis perished in this bloody ten-year rebellion before the government finally succeeded in its campaign to totally outlaw smoking and bring an end to the rule of the Puffer Industry.Still, Dr. Pagi and I find it odd that while they have very strict laws on all sorts of things, a decree to regulate outrageously horrible body odor has never been considered in its long and colorful history.On the lighter side of things, I am happy to report that I have made quite a number of Babahusk friends. I feel fortunate and honored to have found a few Babahuskis who share my interest and appear to be delighted in my company. I have come to conclude that I was wrong in my initial assessment that most Babahuskis are undesirable and civilly hostile to humans. You could say that I was at the wrong side of the planet in my first six months and was unlucky enough to have met Babahuskis who thought they knew everything, who loved exaggeration to the extent of saying “101% sure” only to end up totally being wrong and even though this is statistically impossible (Math is truly a universal language), and Babahuskis who are lazy and put their creativity to use by finding ways to avoid work that belonged to them in the first place.Allow me to end this entry with a quotation from Dr. Pagi, “Not all Babahuskis are created equal. There are good smelling, bad smelling and ugly smelling Babahuskis.” The Singapore Passion Run 2009 Experience I went straight for the 10 km category on the first running event I joined. It was one of the ways I thought I would be able to force myself to run consistently, knowing I wouldn't be able finish without proper preparation. After a few weeks of hitting the track, I had been able to run at least 7.5 km without feeling like I was going to pass out. I knew I could handle 5 km and I'd just be complacent if only went for that.I'd say I didn't do so badly with a gun time of 66 minutes on that first attempt. In contrast, I thought I didn't do so well in my second run, the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. Was it time to scale new heights, er, run longer distances after that? It took me sometime before I could decide and when I finally did, I was out of the country. I had to ask a friend to register me for the 10 km non-competitive category. I had chickened out and opted not to go for 15 km yet. With the busy schedule at work, it took a lot of effort to get running at least twice a week. I made it difficult for myself to miss the weekend runs by agreeing to run together with two other friends who were also joining the Passion Run. To keep it more interesting, we went for a different venue each week.Come D-day, I had no trouble waking up from a good night's rest. Except that I was just recovering from a bout of sore throat and bad colds so I didn't feel a hundred percent. The doctor saved me from missing my second 10 km attempt by prescribing me antibiotics early during the week. I had two slices of bread and a sunny side up for breakfast, resisted the urge to eat more than I should, but was afraid to consume too much water as I thought of my experience during my first 10 km. I didn't want to run with soaked feet again.It took me less than half an hour to get to the venue, East Coast Park. Since the run came in a series of waves, I wasn't exactly sure what time I was supposed to take off. A countdown was ongoing when I got there. I was just about to start exploring the place when it was announced that all participants to the 10.4km category wearing green and yellow bibs were up next. I went to the start line and joined my fellow runners. A number of others approached the race officials standing on a stage near the starting point, inquiring if they were too late or too early for their take offs. Some were asked to start running immediately as they've already been left behind.The siren that signaled the start of race sounded and we were off and running. I was near the starting line so the effect was immediate, unlike the previous times I was near the back. But I was slow to realize the full repercussions of being near the front. In my previous races I was usually overtaking others but that certainly wasn't the case during this time. I had totally forgotten about the advice a friend gave me, which was to resist the urge to go too fast in the beginning. In keeping up with the other runners, I was going at a faster pace than I was accustomed to. My legs began to feel heavy after only two kilometers.It didn't help my overall psyche that my phone was constantly ringing in my belt bag. I couldn't bring myself to answer it because talking and running at the same time seemed like a gargantuan effort. But then I was getting paranoid and began playing scenarios in my head on why people were calling me. When I saw the first u-turn I thought perhaps I might have gone off too early and was running the 5 km event. Were my friends calling to tell me I was running the wrong race? Calling to find out was certainly out of the question. I decided to slow down to a walk and think my options over. Should I come back to the starting line? Should I sit down and just call it quits? It took me about a minute to realize that I wouldn't find out for sure if I didn't finish the race. I started running again. A few minutes and several hundred meters later I started wondering why I was out of rhythm and why my legs were really bothering me. I looked ahead to see a toilet on the left and noticed that several runners were taking their sweet time going for a break. I decided to go for one too. I relieved myself of excess fluid, washed my face and took a good look at myself in the mirror. I was going to finish the race even if I had to walk most of the way or run as slowly as I could.I was soon back on the race, jogging past stores that haven't opened yet. I was beginning to enjoy myself. Several minutes later I felt like I was back in my usual form. I breezed one kilometer after another. When I saw a familiar figure running just ahead of me, I knew I was okay. I had been able to catch up with someone who I remember overtaking me just before my toilet break. It was time for me to do the overtaking, never to stare again at his back for the duration of the race. I finished 10.4 km in 1 hr 11 mins. It wasn't what I had aimed for but it wasn't very bad either. Never again would I forget that my body requires several minutes to get warmed up before I could go at a faster pace. I also learned that I did run earlier but I couldn't blame myself totally — how could I know there was green and there was light green? I vowed to be better prepared for my next run.***I think the Passion Run 2009 did a pretty good job of organizing the event. I found their posters along the route quite inspiring. Even the volunteers who untiringly and enthusiastically cheered for the runners did an amazing job. Also, there was no long queue to be able to claim the freebies after the race. Finally, the results were out in less than a week.The only not-so-great thing I noticed is that they began allowing cyclists, rollerbladers, runners and all other people in the race route long before the race was finished. The race became an obstacle course for a lot of runners. I thought they might have at least restricted them to a single lane. Maybe they'd implement that suggestion next time around.I'm already looking forward to the Passion Run next year.Next race: Mizuno Mount Faber Run, June 14. Meeting Robin Sharma Over the years, various books have found their way to me through different paths and varied means. Gulliver's Travels was the first book I remember having received as a gift, while The Old Man And The Sea I found in my grandfather's bookshelf. I can still remember learning the words scanty and lure from these great classics as a child. In elementary, a classmate influenced me to read Hardy Boys. We raced to finish the entire mystery series along with Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew. In high school, Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy was shoved down our throats as a required reading. Not that I ever got to finish the three canticas, but I do remember learning about simony, among other things. More important than how I got my hands on each book, there was always something to take with me after every reading. I first came across Robin Sharma's The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari in the library. Nothing is supposed to be unusual about that, except I wasn't intending on reading an inspirational or self-help book, at least not during that time. I had read a few before and I thought the lessons from them were enough to last and experience in a lifetime. It so happened that the library had a promotion allowing bookworms to borrow up to three books for an entire month. I was on my way to the checkout kiosks with the two novels I had already chosen when I decided to get a third book and went for the nearest shelf. I didn't have a very hard time choosing. The combination of Monk, Sold and Ferrari in the title intrigued me, as it was probably designed to. I thought it wouldn't do me any harm if I at least tried to read it. I ended up reading it from cover to cover, felt inspired and compelled to act and quickly decided it was going to be one of my favorite books, filed in my own practical category. I discovered another of Robin's books several months later. It was titled The Greatness Guide. I liked it. I thought it was a practical, unconventional, easy-to-digest kind of book, similar to a Tom Peters book I've read a few years back.***I think there's a certain kind of joy in meeting the person who wrote a book you really like. It's akin to watching your favorite artist perform in front of your very eyes, or being a few feet away from an actor you truly admire, or watching a live game of your favorite sports team or athlete.I learned from a comment in one of my posts sometime ago that Robin Sharma was coming here in Singapore for a seminar this May. I wanted to attend but my money had to go to more urgent things. And there was no way the company I worked for was going to sponsor me. So I was settled on not attending.To my surprise, a friend sent me an e-mail on the first week of May informing me that Robin was going to be in Borders Parkway on May 16 at 3 p.m. and said that we should go. I had given him a copy of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari at a time when I thought he needed it. It must have had the desired effect for him to want to come and meet the author in person.And so, together with another friend, we made arrangements for us to go. The plan was for us to meet there at Parkway Parade, see Robin Sharma, proceed to my house to celebrate my grandmother's seventy-fifth birthday, and jog together for about an hour in preparation for the following week's Passion Run 2009. ***I was there forty minutes before he was set to arrive. I grabbed four of Robin's books and paid for them at the cashier — I was certain he was going to do some signing. I then proceeded to Dome, just beside Borders, and got a cup of tea to pass away the time. Not too long after, I came back and joined the crowd forming near the entrance where a table had been set up and several of Robin's books lay atop. I participated in the conversations, hearing of the others' delight in reading Robin's books. A guy shared that he liked The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari but not The Greatness Guide and thought the latter was a book that had to be written probably to make some money. One other guy chose to be polite and seemed to agree with him, and then, like a scene from a movie, Robin came in before I could share what I thought.With no time to waste, the representative from the Sharma Leadership International's local partner gave a short introduction, after which, in a twist of irony, Robin read a few lines from The Greatness Guide. He then gave a short talk and entertained some questions. Robin didn't fail to mention, as if he were telekinetic, that The Greatness Guide was meant to be a practical book. I couldn't help but smile.I got my books signed and had a chance to pose beside him for a picture.***For those who haven't read The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, here's a short review, a good summary and an excellent mind map:From Kuzzuk Singapore: Review of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma including Mindmap Summary Life Is Unfair An office. Over a year ago.A woman was talking to someone on the phone."What?!?!"By this time, most everyone's head within a 10-meter radius was turned toward her."What do you mean unfair?!?!"A bit of silence. The person on the other end must be talking.And then..."Of course, I'm unfair. Life is unfair!"It would be a week before we stopped using that line on one another.***I need to stop writing and start working now. I know. Because life is unfair. :P*** Singapore 2009 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge The Start LineI had been running even before the race began. My meeting with a client dragged until 5:30 p.m., thirty minutes before the official start of the run. I hurried to the office to join my colleagues who were also participating in the event. It made perfect sense to leave our belongings there and just get to the venue in our running attire. We were out of the office in less than five minutes after I arrived. Getting to the venue by foot seemed like our best option and so we raced against time, jogging towards the Esplanade, slowed down only by people traffic and pedestrian lights. When we finally got to our destination, we had about three minutes to spare. At least we were all warmed up.With the enormous number of people in front of us, I could barely see the starting line from where we stood. They couldn't have numbered less than five thousand. From the time we heard the signal that the raced had began to the time we reached the starting line, the official timer had already clocked 6 minutes. Coming from my first race —this just being my second—, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed with this experience. I must have set my expectations a little bit too high because of the name attached to the event. After all, I had quite a pleasant experience with the Suburban Run. How could I go wrong the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge? Or did I have the wrong frame of mind coming in to this race?No Official ResultsIt's a race; it has winners; it has an official timer. But there are no official results.While another blog mentions that it wasn't supposed to be a serious race, given that there are official winners, an official timer and official registration fee, some of us expect official results to be published. By official, I mean the time for each runner being officially recorded by the event organizer. In this case, the race depended on the team captains submitting the time for each runner on his or her team.How are the results compiled?We score three categories — Men’s Team (four men), Women’s Team (four women), Mixed Team (two men, two women). It is solely up to the Company Captain to determine what participants go on which teams after the runners have turned in their times that evening. You cannot place an employee on two separate scoring teams. You do not have to enter everyone's time.Their web site explicitly states that the registration fee is not able to cover all operational expenses incurred from the race. Thing is, the registration fee for the Suburban Run is substantially lower but they managed to attach chips to the back of the bibs that automatically register the time for each runner. I shared this disappointment with a friend, who happens to participate in running events in the Philippines, and she says that the runs there, be they for charity or some good cause, have official results published, with part of the race's staff officially encoding each individual runner's time at the finish line.If other races can manage to take official results, I'm sure J.P. Morgan can find ways to improve in this aspect. I'm sure they want the yearly event to be a better experience for its participants. They don't have to stick to their old ways just because they've been used to it.Walkers GaloreHaving walkers is a good thing in running races because they give slow pacers like me people to overtake. It just becomes crazy when there’s too many of them — the race becomes an obstacle course. Maybe, just maybe, they could have a lane for walkers next time around.Here's part of an entry from RepMan's blog citing his experience last year at the JPMorgan Chase Coporate Challenge in Central Park: They also do a horrendous job of separating the walkers from the runners so, at almost every half-mile or so, I was running right up the back of an unsuspecting walker. There's absolutely no crowd control either, so we runners had to dodge everything from pedestrians trying to scoot across the course to, believe it or not, a woman walking her dog against the flow of thousands of runners. Someone should whisper in that dog whisperer's ears. Talk about animal cruelty!I'm glad I didn't come across anyone walking his dog. But what RepMan is saying is not difficult to believe. From what I've seen, the race's staff found it very difficult to make the runners stick to the lanes and prevent walkers from taking shortcuts, eventually interfering with other runners. I can't see how they'll ever manage to carry out the threat they've written in their web site as part of the Specific Race Day Rules:Walker Policy: All walkers must start at the back of the field. They may not start in front of any runners, and may not start the race early. Walkers must complete the exact 5.6km course route and may not take optional or shortened routes. Violation of this policy may lead to disqualification of the entire company team from this and future Series events.They are almost never able to find out who takes shortcuts. The staff don't make it too difficult for people to cross the boundaries either. The same friend I've mentioned above says she's seen an effective way to control this being implemented at the races she's joined — color-coded strings are given to each runner at every major turn that they need to show at the finish line to prove they ran the entire route.Chaos Claiming Shirts And BagsThe queue for claiming the freebies, or should I say part of the race pack, was very long indeed. It took longer for me to queue than to complete the run. Two flights of stairs had to be climbed and with the sheer number of people and their natural tendency to push forward, the risk of having accidents was not very low.As we got nearer to the counters where the freebies were being distributed, people started becoming more aggressive. It turned out that there were several lanes, one for each shirt size. Some began cutting lanes, going over the rope barriers, eventually toppling the steel posts and causing those who chose to remain in their lines to complain. Some went for lanes that had fewer people queuing in them even if the shirts they were getting didn't match their actual sizes, while some pretended to do the same thing only to switch lanes when they were at the counters.This made me the appreciate the arrangement by Suburban Run to have runners collect the race pack before the event. Maybe the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge can do this next time?The Finish LineIn summary, I still enjoyed the race because I was with friends. At least I got to run, walk and then run again. In the spirit of the race's focus on promoting "fitness in the workplace", this was a first run for a number of my colleagues. Friends and I share some of the disappointments I've noted down here. One such friend, who had been religiously monitoring her performance was puzzled as to how she could have done so badly in the last 600 meters. She was on right on track at the 5 km mark. Add to that the uneasy feeling that there will never be an official result coming out.Imagine her frustration when a few days ago, I showed to her an article in the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge web site saying that the distance was changed to 5.94km from 5.6km. Imagine how that could ruin things for you if you were planning to sprint the last 600 meters. My friend comments, "The JPMorgan race organizers are like newbies... hmmm..."Would we be joining the J.P Morgan Challenge next year? We don’t know.***To put a perfect ending to our adventure that day, friends and I decided to have dinner at the nearest food center. We found a one near the Singapore Flyer and took our sweet time feasting on Popeyes Chicken.Next race: Passion Run, May 24.*** Suburban Run, My First Singapore Run It was actually my first time to join any running event. Inspired perhaps by the memories of the recent Olympics, motivated by friends back at home who've taken up the sport, fueled by the long time desire to get as far away from the Alcatraz of an asthmatic childhood, pressured by the bet taken with colleagues to best the half marathon in our group at the Standard Chartered by the end of this year, compelled by the overall goal of a leaner and stronger body, and finally helped by a tinge of vanity, I forced myself to run the track at least once a week for two months in preparation for the event dubbed as Suburban Run. The end result was not disappointing — with a time of 1 hour 6 minutes for 10 km., the sometimes painful and boring minutes spent on the track was well worth it. A lot of things are indeed won at the preparation stage, with the actual event serving as the coronation event. Not that my time will ever be enough to win the category, but my worst and best competitor is my self. I was merely trying to complete the 10 km. in under 75 minutes, a benchmark set by friends who've done this before, a number they consider respectable.During that day, we took a cab to get to the venue. The map provided on the web site provided little help for the cabbie. We weren't much of a help ourselves for we were new to the area. But we got there with a few minutes to spare. Just as well as I had to use the toilet, not being to fully comply with the instruction I got about hydrating myself more than two hours before the start of the race.There were more than a dozen portalets, with about a dozen people lining up before each one. As luck would have it, it rained during the night and since the door of the portalets were facing the grassy area, it was impossible to avoid the murky puddles in joining the queue. I happened to wear a pair of Adizero Mana, which had a lot of holes in it to ensure air circulation. I knew I wouldn't be able to run without relieving my bladder so I really had no choice — my shoes, socks and feet became soaked in mud. I thought about changing socks, but with just a little over a minute to go before the start of the run, I decided against it.The gun sounded and we were off and running. I started my own stop watch, wanting to check my progress from time to time. I pushed myself forward, trying to remind myself how it was like in the track. I resisted the urge to go too fast in the beginning, taking a friend's good advice, but even at my speed I was overtaking a number of people and yet there were too many who were ahead of me.I was just starting to warm up when one, then two, then many more runners began coming from the opposite direction. I then realized that these people were racing back to the finish line! I checked my watch. They've completed more than half of the 5 km at an amazingly short time while I still had a long way to go. Apart from my soaked feet, the following are some of the things that caught me by surprise:1. The heat. The only time I started running that late in the morning was when I jogged at the Pasir Rir Park. The difference is that there were a lot of trees in the park to provide friendly shade. With nothing to shield me from sun's debilitating heat, I felt like I was running out energy. Good thing there were water stations at strategic locations at the race route. Instead of drinking a whole cup, I preferred throwing half of it over my head to cool me down a bit. It worked like magic.2. The slight acclivity. I've been used to running on a flat surface, but part of the race route was a sloped bridge. It was quite alright coming from the starting line but it became quite challenging on the way back. I'm thankful that after every run at the track, I always opted to climb the flight of stairs up the 5th floor where our unit was located. I just have a feeling this helped.3. Overpowering scents. I had two choices: slow down so I'm left behind or run faster and overtake the source. I went for the latter, realizing that I might be catching up with the same thing again and slowing down every time wouldn't help me accomplish my goal of finishing in 1 hour 15 minutes. I just kept doing that each time I came across something undesirable. I think this is an example of turning a crisis into an opportunity. ;)In summary, I think the Suburban Run was pretty well organized. The race packs, the bananas, caps and medals were very much appreciated. Of course, there's also room for improvement. The following are my suggestions for a better race next time around:1. Earlier start. It's just too hot when it's almost 9 a.m. It would definitely be better for the runners to start earlier.2. More signage. That goes for those that point to the start of the race and those that indicate the turns for 5 km. and 10 km. Might as well improve the ones that indicate how far more you need to go. They have to take into consideration the number of people in the race — the signs are not easy to spot when there are too many people running.3. A better place for the portalets. Or some way to ensure that water does not accumulate near the entrances. What about stepping stones or elevated steps?Next race: JP Morgan 5.6 k.m. on April 16.* * * Mass Food Poisoning Proves Hawker Centers Have Room For Improvement Aside from the deadly L'aquila earthquake, the Geylang mass food poisoning incident is also another terrible news that we are forced to bear. The death toll may not be as high or the damage not as extensive as that of L'aquila's but there's reason to be concerned — with two deaths, a comatose patient, one miscarriage and dozens of others affected, it's Singapore's worst case of food poisoning yet.As of this writing, a certain type of bacteria has been identified as the possible cause of the outbreak. But further investigations are underway.I am a hawker center customer although I must confess I have avoided eating there as much as I could since early last year. Don't get me wrong, there are compelling reasons to enjoy dining in hawker centers. Take hawker center L for instance, I like it for its variety of choices. Also, a number of stalls serve real good food, not to mention they give good value for my money. But then, there are also substantial reasons to trade good, inexpensive food for equally good but more costly grubs. The huge number of patrons and the uncomfortable heat during day time are part of the hawker experience and I'm not referring to them. I'm talking about cleanliness or the lack thereof. Just a few months ago, when I entered hawker center L at around 1:00 p.m., it was impossible for me to miss the the stink of garbage. The reason being, garbage is consolidated or taken in instead of being taken out. You'd see the uncles and the aunties wheeling the huge, green trash bins in and displaying them in the middle. It wasn't the best way to get customers to fast. What about utensils? As much as possible, I go for plastic spoons when eating in food centers because it's easy to see that the dishwashers are not taking their jobs seriously. Even then, the plastic spoons and forks are not always clean. Friends and I have once tried to count the number of tries we had to take before we are successful in picking out clean spoon and forks or even the number of times the aunties and the uncles hand out the spoons properly, holding them by the handles. The results were frustrating. I'm bound to try it again and post the results here. I have mentioned in a previous post, Of The Best And Worst Singaporean Habits, about what I termed as the irresponsible handling of food:Now this isn't funny or annoying. It's sad.I find it hard to believe that some things I consider common sense need to be taught. For instance, when a waiter brings your soup or desert, you wouldn’t expect to see his thumb dipped inside to provide additional flavor, right? What about when serving drinks and putting cups on the tray? Being able to hold several at once may seem like a neat trick but I certainly don’t appreciate it if the fingers go into the cup and touch the ice. Same goes for handing off straws, spoons and forks; shouldn’t the food server know by instinct that he shouldn’t touching the parts that go into the mouth?Call me finicky or kiasu (I've learned that word late last year), but I believe good service means not taking such things for granted. Educating our food handlers will certainly lessen the risk of spreading disease. But how?I have the same observations in my recent visits.If it were a comedy show, this scene might have looked funny:1. Customer orders two slices of papaya and asks for food handler to slice it even further into smaller pieces.2. Food handler puts on a plastic glove on her left hand and takes two slices of papaya from the cold storage using the same hand.3. Customer sees this and appreciates the food handler's sanitary practice.4. Food handler slices the papaya into smaller pieces.5. Customer asks how much and reaches into his wallet to get a $5 bill.6. Food handler answers and extends her left hand, gloves on, to receive the cash.7. Customer hands his money hesitantly and with great disbelief.7. Food handler opens the cash drawer, puts in the $5 bill and takes coins to give as change to the customer.8. Customer receives his change and walks away nodding his head.It's not funny at all when it happens in real life. It happened to me. I should have told the food handler that the plastic glove wasn't supposed to be used to keep her hands clean.The scary thing about unsanitary practices is that they're contagious and later on become the rule rather than the exception. There was a Filipino stall in the same place, hawker center L, that colleagues and I would frequently buy food from especially when it was new. During a recent visit, the same food handler was not as careful when handing out dishes. Her thumb went as deep as a centimeter into the sauce. She did it to me, the person ahead of me and the one following me. Three strikes. She must have observed this was considered normal practice in some neighboring stalls.All the above examples are those that our senses can easily detect. What about those that we don't see, smell or even taste? Shouldn't we be even more worried about them?Still, I don't think it's hopeless and I have an example from real life to base this conclusion from than merely saying "This is Singapore!" There was this small cafeteria chain that operated in a few corporate offices. In one of their branches, we regularly observed their staff following unsanitary practices. Taking the cue from a huge sign that said something like "for feedback and suggestions, to: xxxx@xxx.com", we sent an e-mail detailing our observations. We got a reply the day after sending out the e-mail and immediately noticed the change.I often hear that Singapore has an obsession with being the best or being #1. There's no use denying there's room for improvement. Maybe it's high time Singapore puts having the best food centers not only in terms of taste but also in terms of cleanliness among its to-best list.*** Accident: 80-Plus Uncle Tumbles Down Escalator It was not a pretty sight. Coming from lunch and walking back to our client's office, we only saw it by chance. We were one floor below the ground at the Raffles MRT Station near the exit —just past Polar Puff & Cakes and a few steps away from the ladies' room where they usually distribute copies of the free newspaper— when we heard a shriek followed by a series of thumps. We turned our heads to the direction of the sound to see a man rolling down the escalator, one steel step at a time. There was a slight pause as he tried to break his fall, but in a fraction of a second, he was tumbling down again.I raced to climb the steps but a gentleman beat me to it and was able to stop uncle from falling down further. Thanks to the quick thinking of another individual, one I never saw, the escalator came to a halt after that person pressed the stop button. Immediately, the lady who was originally ahead of uncle came rushing down towards him. A second individual, a young man, followed her. Meanwhile, the gentleman who got to uncle first was trying to help him up his feet. All these happened very quickly."No, no, no!" was all I could say. I was concerned that uncle might have broken his back or something and it might not be wise to force him up. I am reminded of Rescue 911's advice: Do not move an injured person unless there is imminent danger. I was relieved when the gentleman stopped after a few futile attempts. The victim, uncle, was visibly shaken but conscious and managed to answer when asked if he was alright."I want to go up," he said, shifting his eyes to where he would have already been had he not fallen.Uncle had red marks on his arms and a bit of blood was coming out from his head. The same lady who came rushing down earlier brought out a tissue from her bag and placed it over the wound on uncle's head. The young man who had followed her took out his phone and held it in front of him."Don't take photo, call for help!" The lady exclaimed."I'm not taking photo; I'm calling for help," the young man replied.And so he did. The first MRT staff, a lady, came in a little over a minute. Another MRT staff, a man this time, joined him shortly. "Age 80 and above..." were the only words I could make out of what he said into his radio. He then had to direct an absent-minded man who was making his way up the escalator to the stairs on the right. A few minutes later he was joined by a third MRT staff, also male. No sooner did he arrive when a lady staff came next, this time bringing along with her a wheelchair and a first aid kit. With no time to spare, uncle was guided down the escalator as he limped one steel step at a time until he reached the bottom of the steps and finally sat on the wheelchair. No stretcher. No carry. Judgment call made. The physical assessment must have been too quick for me not to see. Maybe the look on uncle's face said he didn't have a broken back. I make no judgment. I only note down my observations. Besides, I have to trust them — I'm sure the members of the MRT staff are well-trained to handle these types of emergencies. At least uncle didn't look to be in too much pain as he was being guided towards the wheel chair. Singapore — Still A Fine City? Whenever friends see pictures I've taken of different places in Singapore, one of their usual comments goes something like "Hey, it's really clean".These friends have never been to Singapore and live in countries such as the US, the UK, India, China and the Philippines. Their use of the world really shows that Singapore's reputation as a clean city precedes it. This same set of friends know what it means when people say that "Singapore is a fine city".Now, for the benefit of those who haven't heard of this before, the word fine here is used to mean both pleasant and penalty. Singapore is a pleasant city indeed. It is also a city known for imposing huge penalties —in dollars— for minor infractions of the law. Or at least it used to be. Well, lots of friendly reminders still abound these days — in trains, buses, hawker centers and other public areas.I've heard the story about one of the key things on how Singapore prospered in just a few decades. It is said that in the early days of his administration, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew sent a few of his officers to more advanced countries to find out what was pivotal to their progress. When the officers came back, they reported that discipline was a fundamental component. From then on, laws that strengthened discipline were enacted, imposing hefty fines and stiff punishment for violations included.I have yet to verify the story and I have yet to read Minister Mentor Lee's biography, which is certainly on top of my list. But it's undeniable that Singapore would not be where it is today without discipline. I guess the more important question, other than if this story is true or not, is if discipline still regarded as important now as it was before?In the papers several days ago, it was mentioned that higher fines will be imposed for littering. Just when I thought I was the only one noticing that littering is increasingly becoming rampant nowadays, the government has already started taking action. The free paper also attributes part of the littering problem to the increased number of foreigners in Singapore. It's not easy to prove or debunk this statement. But as far as what I've observed, both foreigners and locals are litterbugs, only that I see more foreigners committing the offense more than the locals. No one has to take my word (or observations) for it. But things can go really bad when people start thinking that it's okay to litter, whether or not the surge in littering offenses is caused by the increasing number of foreigners. (Sidetrack: Imagine for a second what would happen if people started getting the idea that it's okay to flaunt overpowering body odor in public). I don't even have to go very far to be confronted by the problem. Some of my neighbors get too lazy to throw their trash in the refuse chute and settle instead for leaving it on the floor, just two feet away. From my place to the nearest bus stop, the harvest of litter is sure to be bountiful. Even the bus stop has remnants of thirsty or hungry travelers, or teens who use it as a place to hangout at night.Either gifted with a wild imagination or having watched too much of CSI, I can't help but think that if only DNA testing were simple and inexpensive, it can be used to track litter back to its owners. The same can be done to find dog owners who are too lazy to clean up after their pet's poop. Oh well, I'm sure we'll come to that in the future, even sooner than the invention of the device I have been thinking of that can be used to detect bad odor and catch its bearer.So is Singapore still a fine city? It certainly is. For now. But it's not just up to the government to keep it that way. Celebrating Chinese New Year On Treetops The Chinese New Year celebrations are one of the most colorful events in Singapore. More than just a display of fireworks or the cacophony of pyrotechnics, it's a celebration of the year that has come to pass and the ushering in of the new one, characterized by family reunions and gathering of friends.In our case, the idea of us getting together over the holidays was brought up by Mel, who unfortunately, wasn't able to make it on the actual day. For those of us who did make it, we had to wake up early that Monday to be at MacRitchie Reservoir by the time it opened at 8:30. The plan was to take the 5 km hike to the HSBC Treetop Walk, enjoy the crossing of the 250 m-long hanging bridge, find a nice spot to hold a picnic and be well on our way home by noon.We decided to meet at the Newton MRT station after a slight change of plans. We were about 30 minutes late and having taken the liberty of bringing food, we used the preparation as our alibi. It was partially true, for we had to give it ample time to cool down before packing, lest we risked it being spoiled. From Newton we took a bus to our destination, which we knew be nine stops away but opted to take the pragmatic approach by simply asking the bus captain to let us off at the correct stop. Uncle driver was happy to oblige. He got thank yous, happy new years and big smiles from all of us.Breakfast consisted of Gardenia bread, Doritos and ponkan, which we greedily consumed just as we began our trek. I guess the scarcity of our supplies added flavor to our food. At least we made sure we brought enough liquids.We saw a lot of other people along the way — fellow hikers and joggers, men and women, young and old, locals and foreigners.My six year-old cousin came with us, complaining from time to time and expressing his desire to go home instead. Bribing him with Doritos worked only in the beginning. Well, he certainly wasn't the youngest, for we came across several other boys and girls. There was the toddler who was being pushed in his stroller by his jogging dad, who also managed to keep a conversation with his buddy. I could see that at that speed — good enough to make 5 km in under 45 minutes — the boy was enjoying his ride.With several trails of different lengths to choose from, the MacRitchie Reservoir must be a haven for running enthusiasts, who were certainly in abundance that day. The foot paths are never even, sometimes going up, sometimes going down. The canopy provided a comfortable and constant shade, so the heat of the sun was not much of a concern. I'm sure to be back to run in preparation for my goal of hitting 21 km by the end of 2009.Getting lost is not a concern. Apart from the numerous people you encounter, there are several signs along the way, indicating which way to go. The signs don't tell you just that though, they also indicate distance, which allows you to measure how much you've covered and how much more you need to go. For us, there were always two ways of interpreting the distance, which depended on whether the person speaking was tired or not. Good thing most of us would say "Hey we've covered X kilometers, only Y more to go!", instead of "Oh boy, we've been walking for several minutes now and we've only gone that far!?!?"We decided to talk a 5-minute break when we reached the Terap Hut. Recharging with the isotonic drinks we brought and resting our tired legs even just for a bit seemed like a good idea. Indeed it was — there was a renewed sense of exhilaration afterward. We were also very near our destination after all. The call of nature came as a price to pay for those who enjoyed too much liquids during our brief respite. Good thing the ranger's station was just nearby.But before that, getting a glimpse of the Singapore Island Country Club was inevitable. There were lots of signs warning the general public not to cross the boundary or risk getting hit by golf balls. Just recently I've read in the papers about people getting into an accident, somewhat pointing a finger to the Country Club. If those people couldn't read, maybe the club could put up visual signs depicting what would happen to them if they choose to cross the line. ;)With its toilets, benches and drinking water, the ranger's station was certainly a good place to take a break. That is, if your idea of taking a break doesn't include eating. Apparently, food-snatching monkeys abound here.So after another quick rest, we resumed our quest to get the HSBC Treetop Walk. Little did we know that the last 250 meters or so were the most challenging. We should have realized earlier that the only way you get to treetops was to do some climbing.We got there alright. And everyone agreed it was well worth it. Although we all wished we could have spent a little more time on the walk. Oh well, we can always come back some other day.We planned to have our lunch on the Petaling Hut after crossing the treetop walk. But it was occupied when we got there. Not wanting to waste any time, we decided to eat somewhere near the ranger's station. We chose a bench under the shade of a tree.We were able to enjoy our food for about ten minutes, before the first curious monkey saw us and made its way toward us. When it was near enough, it bared its teeth and made no effort to hide its intention.Soon, several others joined the party, which left us hurriedly packing. What a way to conclude our Chinese New Year adventure. The 11 Rules To Change Our World Here's a timely and wonderful message from Robin Sharma. Below is the entire post without any alteration, taken from his blog post ->here. I'm doing my part to help "circulate this list across the world via The Net within the next few hours."1. You be the change you dream of seeing (Thanks Mahatma Gandhi). "If everyone of us would sweep their own doorstep, the whole world would be clean," observed Mother Teresa. She was right.2. Make time every day to reconnect to your highest ideals and boldest dreams. Without hope, people perish. 3. Leave every person you meet better than you found them. Life's too short to withhold encouragement and kindness. 4. As I wrote in 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", see every setback as a stepping stone and every problem as a blessing in disguise. Contrary to what critics might say, these are NOT corny aphorisms. They are timeless truths of humanity. (And critics are just people too scared to grow their dreams anyway - pay no attention to them. The world needs more people lifting people up rather than putting people down).5. Go the extra mile in everything you do - you don't need a title to be a leader. And on your deathbed, you'll never regret expressing the best within you6. Do what's right rather than what's easy. Being a great person isn't a popularity contest. Many of the greatest leaders were disliked because they refused to bend to the winds of public opinion. That's called Strength of Character7. Care for your health. You elevate the world by elevating yourself and your health really matters. Why be the richest person in the graveyard?8. Tell your kids they are geniuses - and how much you adore them. Each of us are born geniuses but lose that gift within the first 6 years of our lives as we adopt the fears and limiting beliefs of those around us. Your kids are the leaders of the future. Grow their potential. Now.9. Learn something new every day. As you grow, you begin to see possibilities you didn't have the eyes to see before. Read from an inspiring book, listen to an audio program, visit a good blog, go to a powerful workshop or have a conversation with an elder. One idea is all it takes to transform your life.10. Keep your life simple. Please. The secret to success and happiness is building your life around a few important things. The person who tries to do everything accomplishes nothing. As I recently mentioned on my blog, "What's the point in being busy doing the wrong things?"11. Remember that life is a mirror and we receive what we give out. To get more joy, give more joy. To have more respect, give more respect. To realize your dreams, help others realize theirs.P.S. I've written these lessons to help you make this year the single best year of your life yet. And to do my part to improve things. I need your help!If you were inspired by The 11 Rules To Change Our World, you can inspire others - and do YOUR part to improve our world. My goal is to circulate this list across the world via The Net within the next few hours. TOGETHER we can touch so many people. Just circulate The 11 Rules to all those you know. Let's change the world by spreading good ideals rather than celebrating negative ones. Thank you. A Hate-Turned-Love Story With Nando's Peri-Peri Chicken First impressions last. But they're not necessarily accurate.Such is the case with our first try of Nando's peri-peri chicken. That was in Mid Valley Megamall, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur. We were in search of a place to dine with one simple criterion — the food must not be available in Singapore. We can't remember exactly why it wasn't very pleasant — or more precisely, why we didn't like the chicken. Maybe they served it cold. Maybe the whole experience was something we'd rather forget.Forget we did, but not entirely. Thanks to a faulty memory and the branch's proximity to the bus terminal, we found ourselves trying out Nando's peri-peri flame-grilled chicken once again in Puduraya, Kuala Lumpur. We were making another visit to the megacity then. Had we remembered that we've already sampled their food before, we may have chosen to dine some place else. We realized the blunder only after the waitress had taken our orders. It was a little too late to walk out. I was saying peri-peri repeatedly like a chant while we went over the menu to learn more about the place and what they offered. The chant must have worked some kind of magic for we ended up asking the same question simultaneously, "Hey, haven't we been here before?" We answered our own question by recounting the details of our previous visit. We wished it wouldn't be so bad on our second try. We might not have remembered the restaurant's name, but we certainly remembered what peri-peri meant. It's easy enough to get the hint from the menu and the posters that the term peri-peri refers to chili. Wikipedia says:Piri-piri, peri-peri or peli-peli is the name used in Mozambique and Angola to describe the African bird's-eye chili" and that "the variations in spelling derive from the various pronunciations of the word in parts of Africa, although 'piri-piri' is the correct spelling in Portuguese.Nando's and the term peri-peri make a good pair indeed. Nando's is a Portuguese-themed chicken restaurant but has its origins in South Africa, where it's first restaurant was born in 1987. It didn't take long for us to confront our fears. The waitress arrived with our orders shortly. I must say that whatever doubts we had about Nando's and our memories of a previously bad experience dissipated as soon as we had our first bite into the chicken. Our second try turned out to be a serendipitous blunder.Since then, we've looked forward to dining at Nando's every time we go to KL. We make sure to visit the same branch at Puduraya though, just to be sure.We've tried three out of the four flavors — garlic, medium and hot. Maybe next time we won't be so chicken and we'll try the extra hot. Makes me wonder, will there ever be a Nando's Singapore?***More about Nando's on the Web:Main siteOfficial Nando's USA BlogNando's MalaysiaNando's AustraliaNando's CanadaNando's UKWikipediaFacebook*** A Visit To The Saujana Kuala Lumpur So it's 2009. What better way to start the year than taking a short break to recharge and plan for the next 11 months? In our case, those were among our objectives. But visiting Captain X, who was at a training with other pilots in Malaysia Airlines Systems (MAS) and staying at The Saujana Kuala Lumpur, was first in the agenda.Getting to the hotel without your own car is a challenge because it's 30-45 minutes away from the KL city proper. This leaves you with only one choice —taking a cab. Now I know from previous experience that this may not turn out to be very pleasant, but it must be one of those things that I might just have to learn to live with. Anyway, after several minutes of hailing taxis here and there, we managed to find a cabbie who was willing to take us to our destination for RM60. That amount was of course sufficient to pay for the ride to and fro, had he opted to use the meter. We tried bringing the amount down to RM50, but I guess the cabbie was shrewd enough to know we didn't have any bargaining chip to begin with. The driver ended up bringing us to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. I guess he wasn't able to read the entire address on the map I showed him earlier in his haste to close the lopsided deal. Good thing the hotel was very near from there. Equally good was that he had no qualms about turning around and bringing us to right place. The right place, Saujana Kuala Lumpur, is actually located in Shah Alam City in the Selangor state. I initially thought the hotel name was misleading, but I later found out that Shah Alam is part of Greater Kuala Lumpur or Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Area(KLMA), also known as Klang Valley. We got there at about 4:30 p.m., approximately seven hours from the time we left Beach Road in Singapore.The hotel was designed with golfers in mind. The driving range could be viewed through the windows in the lobby and two 18-hole golf courses are but a few minutes walk away. They even have a dining area called the Golfer's Terrace, where local favorites are served. You'd make the most of your stay if you're a golfer. Otherwise, you might as well make use of their other facilities such as the swimming pool, fitness gym and tennis court.They also offer spa services. We decided to give their Swedish a try. At RM190 per person, it's a bit too costly. We took the only available slot in the evening, which was at 9 p.m. We had to be served cold ginger tea (I prefer it hot) while waiting for the 8 p.m. couple to finish. It wasn't as great as we wanted it to be, but we had a good laugh when we talked about it afterwards. I thought my lady masseur was wearing a Band-Aid on her thumb because I could feel something rough rubbing against my back. Joanne thought her masseur was wearing a ring. Apart from that, the masseurs were moderately skilled. There was none of the usual custom of asking whether the pressure applied was sufficient. It wasn't bad, but we've gotten better massages for less than a fifth of what they charge. Not to nitpick, but I do wish they'd also clean the bathroom in the spa suite more regularly.As for the rooms, they're nice, clean and comfortable. The usual necessities are there, including an electronic safe. The cable channels are not that plenty though. To my satisfaction, Internet connectivity was provided for free. The other thing that surprised me but wasn't as pleasant was that the room comes with free breakfast for only one person. They charge you RM50 for the extra.The people are averagely friendly and attentive. When we arrived in the hotel, there were none of the usual welcoming courtesies. No offers to carry our bags, not even after we checked in. We had to ask for an extra pair of slippers and one more bathrobe, when we had booked for two. The free shuttle service provided is never on time and the driver may refuse to take you to the places in their regular routes citing heavy traffic as the reason. To be fair, there are others who make up for it — the courteous cleaning ladies, the efficient waiter, members of the staff who greet you in the corridors, the driver who went the extra mile by bringing us to the Pudaraya bus terminal instead of just the KLCC. Of course, with a basis for comparison, you learn to appreciate these people even more. I think what makes a five-star hotel truly shine are its people.*** 2009 Singapore Marina Bay NY Countdown: A Blast! This year, we chose to take part of the Marina Bay Countdown (MBC). We were a bit disappointed with our choice last year, when we opted to go to Vivo City. We almost didn't make it, because the Sistic website was showing that the Party@The Float was canceled, without clearly indicating that the countdown was going to push through. Good thing Channel 5 continued advertising the event, which prompted me to go beyond the first few clicks in the Sistic website to make me realize my earlier mistake. I learned from a number of friends however, that I wasn't the only one who misunderstood the ambiguous message. Anyway, the MBC was definitely a blast! Spectators started queuing before 7 p.m. Young and old, male and female, Singaporeans and foreigners alike, thousands of people chose to leave the comfort of their homes to participate in the countdown. That may not have been enough to fill the 30,000 seating-capacity in the world's largest floating stage. But for those who chose to take part in the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration event in the country, they couldn't have been disappointed.There was a bit of a ruckus between 9:00 - 9:30 p.m. when a number of people crossed over from the blue benches to the yellow ones through an opening in the barriers. They must have misunderstood the emcee's call for people to find good seats. The emcee was explaining that rows nearer the stage would definitely give them a good view of the celebrity show but not a very good one of the fireworks and that no one would not be allowed to changed seats once the fireworks display started. The exodus ended with some people returning to their original seats and some getting a better deal.The televised show started at 10:30 p.m., but performances by Ash (from By Definition) and the band Rivermaya rocked the house as early as one hour before. The band from the Philippines and recipient of the prestigious Best Asian Artist Award, Rivermaya also sang a song in their mother tongue, much to the delight of Filipinos present among the crowd. As promised, performances by showbiz personalities dazzled the audience. Celebrities who were present include Gurmit Singh, Michelle Chia, Fiona Xie, Utt, Michelle Chong and Adrian Pang.The spotlight momentarily left the showbiz stars when the fireworks display started.What word describes the fireworks best but spectacular? The oohs and ahhs of the people watching the 8-minute display definitely indicated their approval.The queue for food was awfully long and painfully slow. If there was anything that needs improvement, this would be it. The servers were clearly at a loss on how to handle the huge volume of orders: spilling beverages in panic, forgetting to display new stock coming in, not having enough change, being unsure of what exactly they had ran out of. A few customers couldn't help voicing out their frustrations after queuing for over 45 minutes and finding out the food or beverage they wanted were out of stock.As far as national TV is concerned, the show concluded with the stars gathered on stage while Rivermaya rocked the house with another song.Ash performed the closing act as spectators left the venue.We ended up taking a long walk to the MRT station, among with several thousand others. We got to Pasir Ris before 2 a.m. and had to take a walk all the way to the house because no more bus services were available. We already anticipated this, as this is exactly how it went last year. How could we complain?Happy New Year!***I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.It covers:The best blogging techniques.How to get traffic to your blog.How to turn your blog into money.I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free. Getting Lost At Mount Faber Sometimes getting lost turns out to be a remarkable adventure, especially if you eventually find your way and get to your destination on time.This time around, it started with an invitation to dinner by one of our clients. They wanted to try something different, I was told. So we headed for Marina Deck Restaurant at Mount Faber. The trouble started when we were climbing Mount Faber and the driver, Uncle, slowed down in front of a lodge and asked me if that was the place I wanted to go to. It turns out he didn't know where Marina Deck Restaurant was either. After we kept making the wrong turns and going around in circles --and the meter kept registering additional spondulicks--, Uncle suggested that I should probably just walk. I took the offer enthusiastically. It was an opportunity to marvel and revel at the great view and of course, take photos.I opted to take a flight of stairs instead of following the road Uncle and I had earlier taken.A few minutes later, I got to probably the highest point in Mount Faber, where a park overlooking the city was built. The sight of the sea and the Singapore skyline was mesmerizing.There was even a mini-version of the majestic Merlion.A few minutes later I was walking along the sidewalk, following the main road.I ended up in The Jewel Box. I asked the people stationed in front to point me the proper direction.And so they did. All I had to do was keep following the road, they said.I finally reached my destination in a short while.No more figuring out why it's called the Marina Deck Restaurant.They serve hotpot."This is a totally new experience!" kept exclaiming one of our clients as he tossed in the meat and vegetables into the boiling water every now and then.What's new for me is that this sort of gas stoves was being used. They're on top of the table too, instead of being partially hidden, as I have gotten accustomed to.The important thing is that we bonded and had fun.Will I be coming back? If I get an invitation...Will I be getting lost in Mount Faber again? I hope to jog there sometime in the future.*** Singapore's Best Christmas Trees Purple, blue, red, white, gold and green. In different colors, they can be seen. We went around searching for the best. Oh won't you help us find the rest?It's the most colorful time of the year once again. The Christmas spirit is in the air and the festive mood is just contagious. More so at Orchard Road and Scotts Road, which are splendidly decorated with festive lights strung across the streets from building to building that make it livelier than ever. At least in this part of town, it's rare to find a standing structure left unadorned with any kind of embellishment. Everywhere your head turns, you're sure to find a mall festooned with sparkling objects, or a hotel infused with dazzling decorations or an office building bathed in colored lights.We've being going around Singapore looking for the best Christmas trees. Here's our list.Paragon - definitely artisticChristmas Spectacular the sign says. We have to agree. The adjective could be used to describe their tree as well.Vivo City - definitely the tallestIt would have been picture perfect with the sun going down and the Christmas lights illuminated. But it's almost impossible to get a shot without somebody in the frame -- everybody's out to have their photos taken with this giant tree in the background.Central - definitely elegantIt's neither too huge nor too flashy. It's simply elegant.UOB Plaza - definitely charmingThe toy soldiers did it.Raffles City - definitely strikingBright and tall. Now that's a Christmas tree!Takashimaya - definitely chicOh yes, the term could be applied to Christmas trees as well. Here's proof. Takashimaya does it year after year.Bugis Junction - definitely enchantingA Christmas tree in the shape of an elf's hat atop a carousel? Who would've thought... Well, someone obviously did. Kudos!Suntec City Mall - definitely uniqueHanging Christmas trees surrounding a similarly hanging giant wreath. They're one of a kind.HarbourFront - definitely fun and creativeTampines Mall - definitely star-studdedOne Raffles Quay - definitely traditionalPlaza SingapuraMount Faber - definitely resourcefulNow there's a reason why we took a picture of that tower. It turns out to have been dressed to serve as a Christmas tree at night. From afar, we wouldn't have been able to guess.The photo doesn't do it much justice. Guess we'll be dropping by again sometime soon.***The space below is reserved for those that are not as spectacular but deserve some attention.Vivo CitySuntec CityTakashimayaVivo CityNext places to visit on our list:Tanglin MallMarina SquareWe'd love to hear what you think -- do post your comments!***Living in Singapore? Want to send us photos of your Christmas Tree at home?This one's from Aileen Aboard The MV Doulos If there was a ship that was built before the Titanic, which is still on sail today, wouldn't you love to come aboard even for just a quick visit?For us, the invitation came by way of a friend from church, who mentioned that a ship bearing Christian books for sale was docked in HarbourFront. We met at VivoCity after work on a rainy Friday evening and had a quick dinner before being led by three of the ship's volunteer crew members towards where the ship was berthed. We didn't expect the ship to be moored right out of VivoCity, just outside the Modesto's and the Carnivore restaurants.It was Kirsten, one of the Doulos's crew, who got us on board and toured us around the ship. We went from one room to another as she told us bits and pieces of the ship's long and colorful history.The MV Doulos, it turns out, is not only the world's largest floating book fair but also the world's oldest ocean-going passenger ship. It was built in 1914 at Newport News, USA and has been sailing around the world for the past 94 years. Before being christened anew as Doulos, it had been previously known as Franca C (1952-1977), Roma (1948-1952) and Medina (1914-1948), and aside from the USA, it has been registered in three other countries -- Malta, Italy and Panama. It has served as a cruise liner, migrant carrier and a freighter. It was in 1977 that GBA Ships e.V., a private, non-profit, charitable organization registered in Germany, purchased the Doulos to serve its current purpose. Hence, the letters GBA -- painted on the ship's funnel, which stands for Good Books for All. Apart from the Doulos' legendary tale, Kirsten also told us about its 350-strong volunteer crew and their purpose of bringing knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world. They go from port to port to supply vital literature resources, encourage inter-cultural understanding, train young people for more effective life and service, promote greater global awareness, provide practical aid and share a message of hope in God wherever there is opportunity. The volunteers come from 40 countries and have chosen to dedicate two years of their lives to be on board. A lot of them are singles but it is not uncommon for entire families to join as well.We got to meet some of them as we walked along the hallways, the main lounge, the dining room and even the laundry area. We caught some of them doing a dance rehearsal.It was a short and sweet tour that ended with a visit to the book fair. We were surprised to find that the Doulos not only offered Christian books but also covered a wide range of subjects, such as science, sports, hobbies, cookery, the arts, economics and medicine. There was even a children's section. How could we resist buying? For more info regarding the Doulous, or how to join as a crew, or ways to give support, visit their website at http://www.mvdoulos.org/. View From Above: Bukit Merah I would have loved to get a glimpse of the sea everytime I look out the window. Such a view always had a calming effect, a respite from stressful work or not-so-pleasant encounters. Back at home, it made me dream of far-away places and served as a constant reminder of the world's vastness. Away, it made me dream of coming back and served as gentle reminder of my roots.I settle for the view from our client's office in Bukit Merah, which reveals --apart from the trees, buildings and roads-- empty, stained swimming pools. The one on the left must have been for children, as its shallow depth, yellow slide and the easy stairs suggest. It must have been wonderful to watch toddlers wading in the water and older children performing the endless cycle of running, climbing, sliding and splashing. It's mostly buildings and trees from the other windows. But of course, this is Singapore. Thank goodness for the trees. It's not so easy to see where the name of the place takes after. That is, bukit is Malay for "hill", while merah means "red". In the photo above, the patch of green clearly stands out and looks out of place with the dense collection of buildings at the background. But it's such a relief from the sight of sprawling structures. With the sea out of sight, I'll take it. For the time being.