Off the beaten path

I am supremely surprised that since the days when I was last physically active things have changed so much. It has been really revelatory about all the new things that I can get up to. Recently a colleague of mine participated in a truly interesting event. It was The North Face 100. What it is, is a 100 KM race across Singapore running mainly through off road and trails.

Ok before I go on, do not get me wrong in thinking that I have ideas or plan to try or attempt such a race. I am not going to neither will I try because I know what I can do. But what intrigued me the most was to know the route of this race. I was delighted to find so many interesting trails for me to discover just like my Kent Ridge discovery.

 

So instead of trying to do the whole 100KM, I thought of splitting it up into more manageable chunks. Here is one part (basically Part 4 of 6)that I might be trying in the near future. The last time I walked this part of Singapore was back in my scouting days in SJI, and I think I was Sec 1, which was in 1987. Yikes!!

Oh well, we all have to restart somewhere, even it is 22 years in the making. Just putting down these numbers is making my tummy cringe in places where cobwebs are.

So this is Part of 4 of 6, I have already completed Part 1 and 2 during the first part of my Epic Weekend.

I aim to complete it all before the year end.

M on a mission!

Trail Running

Today I did something I have not done in almost 17 years! Gosh has it been that long? It was 1992 when I last went trail running something I sort of fell into as I was leading people on hikes as part of our school’s Outdoor Activities Club. Whenever, I got lost I would ask the group to stay and I would run ahead to make sure we were on the right track. So basically it running in the jungle via a trail or path made by previous hikers.

It is a really good work out because you need to be very alert and aware of your surroundings and terrain to make sure you are putting your feet onto stable ground. Most of all, it is extremely empowering and exciting! Make you feel in so much control and in a way makes me feel one with my surroundings and the trail itself.

I found a really great trail last Friday. It is actually the Kent Ridge Mountain Bike Trail, which I attempted with my bike. I found the trail really tough going with a bike. I spent most of the time off the bike pushing it up steep inclines and down steep and slippery paths. I thought to myself whoever can ride this without getting off their bikes must be a crazed expert. Even pushing the bike, the workout was intense and I was drenched with sweat. Then it dawned, perhaps I should ignore, the “Mountain Bike only” signs and run it.

So today I did it, and that empowered feeling came back as the adrenaline took over. I surprised myself with the speed I was getting during some stretches considering my large “curvy” frame. So here’s the route and some pictures thanks to MotionX-GPS Sport. Its not a long route under 3 KM but the terrain is tough and makes for a good 40 minute workout!

 

M with the trees.

We Ride Again

Have I mentioned that I love my iPhone? I must have just can’t remember where, oh well (big grin). Found another brilliant App on the iPhone called MotionX-GPS Sport. Using GPS signals it gives data for hiking treks, bike rides, walks, run, etc. Its pretty cool and I have been using it for a while to log down information for my bike rides and occasional hikes.

After figuring out some not so mind blowing logistics, I have figured out a way to make more use of my bike. So today I went for a short but pretty grueling ride, filled with lots of up slopes, stairs and narrow roads with heavy vehicles. Here’s some data:

Date:	21-Oct-2009 7:50 am
Distance:	9.73 kilometers
Elapsed Time:	52:21.5
Avg Speed:	11.1 km/h
Max Speed:	38.9 km/h
Avg Pace:	05' 23" per km
Min Altitude:	31 m
Max Altitude:	131 m

Start Time:	2009-10-20T23:50:01Z
Start Location:
Latitude:	1.288312º N
Longitude:	103.790915º E

End Time:	2009-10-21T00:42:23Z
End Location:
Latitude:	1.288336º N
Longitude:	103.790796º E

Here’s the overall route:

 Far better cry from the getting lost ride in March, geez man that was almost 6 months ago. Honestly if you look closely you will realise that I did get lost here and there. Oh well. By the way, other than the data, the map was logged via MotionX-GPS as well. Pretty cool!

M Riding Again

Life’s Funny Moments

 

 

Among the myriad of pictures that I take, once in a while I have a silly image that makes me laugh.

Here’s one. A few weekends ago, the wife got herself water baptised, it was rather special as our church was conducting a mass baptism at the beach. It was a truly awesome event.

So I was along with my camera and among the many pictures I got, this one made me laugh.

 

M Tickled.

New Neighbours

I believe that good neighbours are a key to happy home. So when we moved in to our current home we were both really happy to have friendly and helpful neighbours. Of course, as time went by we realised that our area was full of foreign workers due to large dormitories nearby. Worse was the fact, we saw how some houses in our estate got rented out to foreign workers who would just make a complete mess and basically took the joy out of coming home for the people they were living next to. I have nothing against foreign workers to be honest and I normally make friends with them but the problem is that they squeeze too many of them into one house. A house which should normally house 6 people max. was home to around 20-25 workers. Not a pretty site.

So we prayed, not just for us but for the workers as well that they be moved to decent accommodation and eventually, all the foreign workers including the ones not so close to our house moved out. PTL! So when John our super helpful neighbour said he was moving out a little fear crept into us. He had said it before in the past but never moved out. So when a few days later we saw big trucks hauling his stuff out and property agents showing new tenants the house; more fear crept in and with Mojo on the way, we didn’t want “undesirable” neighbours moving in.

All the while I kept declaring that we will have some pretty awesome people moving in. After John had moved out completely, I met very briefly our new neighbours. A Eurasian couple who looked like decent folk. As they moved in and we got to know them better in I realised again how great our God is.

Our new neighbours are a friendly young couple who have 3 young kids. Get this; they run a event company which is mainly geared for doing children events and parties! The husband is a trained clown, magician, entertainer and emcee. What made me smile more, was the fact that his wife, told me that her daughter saw Maju preggers and got really excited about seeing a little baby soon!

M Blessed