The Sky's the Limit

POPed!!!

2008-09-11T05:20:00.000-07:00

OMG! POPed 2 days back. Unbelievable experience in Tekong, memories tat will stay wif me thruout my entire life Im sure.

Well my idea abt NS still din change; its still a waste of my 2 years. Hopefully I can get into command sch after my blk leave, but seriously I doubt so, Im such a blur cock in NS!!!! HAHAHA Weiyang can verify tat!

Still no matter what I just wanna get out of NS ASAP and continue wif my normal life, uni etc. I duno why there are some ppl who are so garang and enthu abt the army. Makes no sense to me.

But Im v glad that at least my BMT experience has been wonderful, thanks to the great friends I met!!! Viper Coy Platoon 3! Best Platoon in the entire sch no joke!!

There were some ups and downs during the BMT course for me. For one I muz overcome the mental block that I face during SOC. Thats my biggest obstacle so far. Everything else has been pretty smooth sailing, tho I didnt really excel in BMT Im sure. But at least I managed to hit Gold for my IPPT, and in the process hit quite a decent PB for my 2.4k. Hopefully I can shave off more seconds for a better timing.

God has been wif me thruout my life in Tekong. Always kping me safe and sound, and also providing me wif great section buddies and fantastice sergeants. Im really grateful for tat. Now as I move on to my nxt vocation in army, no matter where or what, I know its God's plan for me and I will accept it as his will for me. So long as:

I CAN ORD IN 1YR 8MTHS TIME!!!!

Post graduation, pre-NS blues

2008-06-04T01:37:00.001-07:00

Ok so grads over, just over a month or so to NS enlistment. Am I looking forward to it?

Well I guess the key thing is NOT to dread it, but to view it as a special journey where I learn to adapt, to survive and to be independent. Yes and prolly pick up new skills too =) All these will come in useful when I start on my Uni life after NS, hopefully I can be mentally tougher to deal with new challenges ahead.

This morning I had a hearty conversation wif Zhifeng, and we discussed abt our poly life etc. So far I have to say that poly education brought out the best in me, and I really really have no regrets at all coming to TP, meeting a great bunch of friends who were with me through thick and thin. However we still have to move on. What are my goals in life?? Right now its hard to say, maybe trying to achieve more things?? Take things easy? I dont know honestly. Still, goals change as we grow older, people change, attitudes change, whether for the good or for the worse. Most imptly, even when everything changes, friendship should always last, it should nvr be altered. I hope to carry on in life with these group of buddies =)))

But right now, Im still running, and I hope this adrenalin will nvr go away. Its not always easy, going out there for a run, no matter what is its purpose. And it will nvr be easy. But still the commitment must be there, whether u are training for racing fitness or just maintaining fitness. People say the mental aspect is just as important as the physical aspect, but how on earth do you train yourself mentally? I feel that training your physical fitness is most impt, mental toughness and motivation comes naturally during the workout itself. Especially on somedays when u feel sluggish and simply feel realli difficult, what brings u through is tat extra bit of motivation.
Where does it come from? It comes from within.

Recently I read a triathlon book at Lukai's lab, and I saw a sample of an elite weekly training mileage and a day's workout. Its darn crazy, but at the same time its dam inspiring. It goes something like this:

One week: 20k swim, 300 miles (480k) cycle, 48 miles (76-77k) run
One day sample:
1) Eat pear and banana b4 heading out for a morning run of 5 to 8 miles.
2) Eat a big bowl of cereal, head out for swim.
3) Lunch is a big bowl of pasta, afternoon rest and hydrate, head out for cycle.

Why does he torture himself? What does he gain? Where does he get such inspiration from? No life arh every week doing such trainings!! Alot of people will surely ask. But Im sure the answer to all these questions are clear and simple. Its his goal in life. Theres no such thing as NO LIFE. So long as u have tat target in mind, u have to work hard for it; its not going to come for u if u are just contented to sit back and relax.

Really, its tat simple, but u muz be prepared and committed.

Now Im still taking baby steps. Last wk i just covered a wkly mileage of 45k or so, Im hoping to slowly upp tat mileage progressively to prevent injury. This wk tho I will do lesser, to perhaps help recover my slightly sore legs. Im definitely not used to higher mileage, but I think its needed for better aerobic base training. Just like the good ol saying: The more u run the better u get.

This morn I headed for a long run, which was totally energy-sapping. It went ok, but not v smooth as I wanted it to be, even had a stitch at the last part of the run where I picked up the pace. I nvr had a stitch for quite some time. Prolly due to starting to run faster too soon? I think the best thing is not to force the pace, but let the faster running come in naturally, just like tempo efforts.

The art of cruising. ^^

WAAAAAAAAAAA I must be ranting on and on for so long!!! Sry arh now slacking at home, nth much to do, currently jobless lol. Got any job lobang for me? =D

SOME GRAD PHOTOS

2008-05-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Inside the reception room posing with ELN, CEN and TEL course medallists!! In the middle are the VIPs.

Nazir, me and Lukai!!! Proud medallists and pals forever!!!

ELN medallists + Tay Eng Soon and LKY award recipients. Getting abit tired so much phototaking!! Dunno where to look at also -.-

Finally, a moment of relief. Just me with my parents.

ELN course photo. Me seated beside the Tay Eng Soon winner conversing with Nazir, prolly talking about some chio bu we saw during grad -.-

Ahhhh!!! The closely-knitted MP group posing together!! Me, Swee Kiat and Lukai. Really nostalgic, reminded me of our MP days where we slogged hard together through soo many obstacles. But we still made it thru our perserverance; thanks pals!!! Do you notice someone missing tho?? Who else but the 'original' Mr Tan Tai Suan!! Hes off to China for the Robocup Competition I guess. Best of luck Tts!!

GRADUATED =)))

2008-05-22T04:28:00.000-07:00

YESTERDAY WAS MY GRADUATION WOOOOOOO!
Can say that my poly education is finally done. Felt realli happy ytd because I graduated wif TP Honours and am my course's BRONZE MEDALLIST!!!!! Its quite a personal achievement to me =)

But the sian part was not able to interact much wif my friends after the ceremony, because had to be in a separate reception room eating and taking photos wif the VIPs etc. Eat also have to watch my manners, so stressful =X. I rather play arnd outside wif my pals instead. But I guess the food inside was better and sufficient, tho I didnt had much of an appetite, unlike Lukai, who was busy wolfing his lasagna, calamari rings, beef wrapped asparagus, chocolate mousse etc. LOL! Well he needs the carbs for his training anyways.

Lazy to upload pics yet, prolly in the nxt few days to come. WATCH OUT FOR THEM YA!!!

TEA RECEPTION (or not)

2008-05-10T05:08:00.001-07:00

FIRST THING IN THE MORN= VISIT TO THE DOC

Sick la. Viral infection wif mild fever, not feeling well. Heart pulse seemed irregular and high. Dunno why prolly due to being sick? Really didnt feel like attending the tea reception but pulled myself to go, coz already made arrangements to meet wif friends to go together. Cannot last minute pangseh la.

So went to Marina Mandarin wif SK, HT, JB, Hendi and Lukai. Mete a very friendly professor there in charge of Triple Electronics; his presence made us feel more welcome. Discussed here and there and clarified some doubts, then waited and waited for the video presentations and talks for ONE thing.

Wad else but the TEA RECEPTION WAHAHAHA!!

Dam good!!!! Got carrot cake, mushroom croissant, peach cake etc!!! For one moment I didnt feel sick!!! We started getting carried away and kpt ogling at a girl beside us, until I din realise there was cake on my upper lip la. I think there was a grp of girls that walked past us laughing at me. Prolly looked real kuku lar -.- But haha heck la having FUN is the main thing!!

A LONG BREAK

2008-05-09T05:16:00.000-07:00

Jus back from working at Media Expo, but the experience wasnt v good, FHA was like sooo much better!!!!

It was such a bore the entire 3 days!!! But luckily for Jon, Tammy and Xinling who livened up our tiny registration booth. Kiat Rui and Zhifeng were working inside Hall 6, with 2 other girls.

No offence intended, but the bad thing was working under some Indians. They realli made full use of us!! Second day ask me carry stuff to the seminar room, muz check somemore, as tho Im some thief!!

Last day have to lug 25kg worth of mineral water!!!! No commission!!! And they just sat there crossing their legs!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Fell sick also. Not good. Had fever and some chills and cough and some bad throat. But no choice had to pull myself to work on the last day for the sake of $$$.

But sian la next few days surely no running at all. And tml have to go down to Marina Mandarin for some NTU tea reception lar. Plus Mother's Day celebration dinner. Need to rest.

FHA WAS A BLAST

2008-04-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

FHA was dam happening!!!!! I worked ad hoc as a shuttle bus boy-cum-moveout instructions distributor, so tiring had to comb so many halls!!! But whacked all the food like those typical Singaporeans, until pretty queasy. But it was great thanks to Jon, Kiat Rui and Gabriel, a nice lad that we met while working together as a team. Oh ya plus Christina!!!! LOLOLOL!!

Most happening day had to be the last day. Ok la I saw this girl at this coffeee booth that we went earlier, then thought of asking for her friendster. Gawddd how can I entertain such thoughts??? Dear me I havent asked a girl liddat b4, and dun think I would ever have the courage to. Im such a failure in this area -.-

So I went there wif Kiat Rui, and the 2 of us standing there like morons. Kiat Rui knew my intention, and he helped me ask. Yea helped. Hey I was supposed to be the one LOL. But when I jus stood there nth could come out of my mth la.

"Er what time does the exhibition close" he asked.
"Er 4"?"she replied.
"Can I have ur friendster?" WTH NO LINK SIA WAHAHAHAHA.

I laughed, ya but at least he had the courage to ask. Deep down Im such a coward. I jus cant make it la.

Although all went well these 4 days, I knew of my scholarship status on the last day when I reached home. Sad thing was tat I didnt get it, the competition was super intensive and there are alot of other very competent people arnd. Prolly only top JC students and the very cream of the Poly batch. Nvm lar just have to work hard in uni, and hoping that I can still earn that scholarship during my study there.

A Very Happening Day

2008-04-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

Like wad the title says, a huge day. A shocker. A stunner. Really, sometimes u just have to expect the unexpected. But nvm lets go abt it step-by-step shall we?

In the morning managed to squeeze out a run. Was eager to try out something different, which went like this:

A warmup jog of 1k
Descending ladder workout consisting of: 1500m, 1200m, 900m, 2X600m, 300m, recovery all 1 min
Rained, so cldnt do the warmdown jog, but at least completed the main set.

Mileage: 6.1k

Was quite a nice run. I felt that at the beginning I worked at prolly threshold pace, and with each descending interval I upped the pace, until the 600s and 300 were ran anaerobically. It started raining arnd the 600s, but I guess the rain really helped. For some reason the effort felt easier. Maybe in the next few sessions to come I can play around with more sets to work both my aerobic and anaerobic capacities.

Reached back home, was trying to relax for the afternoon's interview. Then Zhifeng msged me on MSN. I clicked and I saw. I began to kanchiong. IT WAS THE NS PORTAL LINK!!!

Somethings not quite right. I opened the link. Guess wot. MY ENLISTMENT DATE IS ON 9 JULY!!!!! OMGGGG!!!! Tat leaves me with 2 months+2weeks. I need to be mentally prepared for a totally new life. Well on the bright side at least it woulnt clash wif uni I suppose.

Okok calm down, I still have an impt interview in the afternoon, so dun fret and think abt it, I told myself.

Fastforward lar.

I found myself soon on a very long train journey to NTU. From Simei to Boon Lay. My interview started earlier, from 4pm to 3.15pm. NTU IS HUGE!!!! Had trouble finding the Student Services Center, but with the help of some friendly lads I got there in time.

Opened the door. Nervous. Wa why the room so big? OMG 3 ppl to INTERROGATE me!! But they were friendly after all.

So the conversation went on for arnd 15 minutes. Dear me I prolly blundered a few times. I remember them asking me the Youth Olympics, and I said this:

"Oh yes definitely its a great honor to host this event, esp for them."

"WHAT FOR THEM IS FOR US, US!" the lady barked, though not tat fierce la.

GG.

Another one.

"How abt helping out in any way for the Youth Olympics?" she asked.

"Er if given the chance..." I started.

"WAD GIVEN THE CHANCE YOU SHOULD TRY TO SEEK IT!!"

Wa sian.

I prolly got stuck here and there a few times, esp when they asked me abt being an ambassador for NTU in any ways. I replied saying prolly joining track in NTU and representing them in competitions etc but didnt sound that confident. Worst of all when they asked abt leadership qualities, I had not much answer. I do not have much leadership experience.

"Well leadership skills can be nurtured..."

"I thought leaders are born?" was the reply. -.-"

They even ask me to think of some leadership qualities I have shown in my past 20 or so yrs. I mentioned abt my drama days in sec sch that I was a props manager during the SYF competition, but again not that confident.

It would be quite hard to attain this scholarship, but if I can get it I would be v grateful. Overall the interview went so-so, so I just have to wait for the outcome and have faith, because whats mine will be mine, whats not will never be. Anyway I still have 2 more yrs to apply.

D DAY looming

2008-04-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Wednesday. Rest day. Tomorrow. D DAYYYYYYYYYYYY.

Well I have to make a trip to NTU tml for a scholarship interview. Its quite a big prospect for me, and the thought of uncertainty is really daunting. What questions will they ask? How shall I answer?

But again I shldnt worry so much. I will just have to have faith and trust and follow God's will, coz after all he has been guiding me through my entire life journey and Im grateful engh. I shant ask for more.

I will just try to be confident tml and take it easy. And everything will go just fine. =)

Intervals!!

2008-04-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

Started my first interval workout after the trip! MUAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHH!!

Actualli nth much la xD.

b4 the trip I did cruise intervals, which is a simulation of threshold training, instead of doing a continuous tempo you break it up instead. For example, you do a 2X10 minutes run hard with little rest. Benefits are that you can prolong 'working' at your max aerobic capacity and also work at a harder-than-threshold pace, which improves ur threshold and buffering of lactic acid and blah blah.

So I headed for the run, and at that moment just deciding what sets to do. It went like this:

1200m warmup jog
3X1200m cruise repeats ( sustain hard effort), rest arnd 40seconds
3X1500m cruise repeats ( sustain hard effort), rest arnd 45 seconds
1000m warmdown jog

Total mileage for the day: 10.3k

Was pretti hard man. But it was quite good.

Anyway later in the day Lukai gave me a great link from Runnersworld website. It said that 1200s are great distances for repeats, because the duration itself is long engh to stimulate ur V02max. I feel that when doing longer reps the work : rest ratio must be higher. That way intensity of the workout is greater, cardio benefits would be more. 1200s prolly hit the nail on the head; you work on developing your threshold and even your v02max. The article even suggested different sets and workouts, mixing different distances together etc. I would definitely wanna try that descending ladder workout, going from 1200m working all the way down, I think it really stresses aerobic capacity at the beginning b4 going down to anaerobic work at the end. Pretty much like a race too.

On a more personal note, I had this nice conversation with Eliza, my sec sch friend. It lasted all the way from morn to the afternoon. She was working but was pretti bored, so we talked on MSN. Discussed a wide range of topics, but one thing to note was that I still managed to talk with ease! Because I seldom keep in contact with my sec sch friends already, save for a few. Really cherished the conversation, thanks zar zar!! =)

PS : To every little good things in life, cheers^^

Just some pics from my Jap trip

2008-04-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well b4 my blog gets a tad too wordy I beta post some pics here =)))

Ducks wadling idly in the pond. Taken by my father; we think its pretty great, good engh for some photo contest LOL.

Dunno wad bird is this but it looks pretty sweet. Aww. It was the centre of attraction in this particular park.

Cherry blossoms in full bloom during Spring. Japanese have this particular habit of picnic-ing under these trees and spending their whole day away just by admiring the flowers. Yea u might just call it a waste of time here in Singapore.

My mom acting all cute in front of a plum tree.

What lies ahead?

2008-04-14T05:04:00.000-07:00

A new week begins, and perhaps quite a few interesting stuff to watch out for!!

Began the week with a 5k or more tempo effort. Yes it was pretti tiring, but somehow I didnt feel that comfortable as b4 the hols. I dun quite know why. Roughly took arnd 21-22 mins, which is kinda average. Im hoping to do a sub 20min 5k prolly after more training, and having faith that all goes well. Seriously i duno how fast i can race a 5k now, but the fact is i dun feel confident engh.

These are just personal targets, tho not considered fast at all:

A sub 8:30 for 2.4k
A sub 20 for 5k
A 40-42 for 10k

Sometimes I feel as tho Im not making any improvement, the dreaded feeling of being stuck in a rut just keeps haunting me. But then yet again tats life. Wots life without setbacks. Cmon nth can be that baddd. I just probably need to do better with more consistent training. Everything takes time. I might look arnd and say wow that lad's improving pretty fast, I seem to be making no breakthrough, but hey, I am me. I would rather be patient and stay positive, and most importantly, have confidence.

CUT CUT CUT! Back to where I was. So after the run I went to do some pull ups at my park. Did some weird sets at the spur of the moment. It went like this:

4 sets of 3 reps
4 sets of 4 reps
6 sets of 5 reps
5 sets of 6 reps

Done.

Nth much significant abt the rest of the day, except that I went to rearrange my portfolio, tidied it abit here and there, in preparation for an interview on Thursday. Hoping all goes well that day too =)

Recapping back

2008-04-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Did my last run for the wk, and prolly the most exhausting one. Ran arnd 9k at a progressive pace, felt so burnt out altho it shldnt be. Jogged a 1k for warmdown. Total mileage for the wk was onli arnd 30k. Hoping to build up as the weeks progress.

Spent a lazy afternoon resting at home, then headed to SOY EU TUA coffeeshop at Katong area for a nice Zi char dinner.

On the bus back there was this girl, pretty skinny, sitted opp me. She was wearing a SG bia shirt and carrying her shoebag etc, so I figured out she was pretty fit. Man she was cute. She kept screening her eyes to watch TV Mobile, which had this 80s rewind show goin on. As she screened and smiled to herself I couldnt help smiling at her. I thought I behaved like an idiot =X.

She got off 1 busstop ahead of me. Yess.

Nth much else...

2008-04-10T05:50:00.001-07:00

Nth much else to bloggg abt, pretti much the same.

Again another run, prolly arnd 7k, which took me right into the heart of Fengshan. Had trouble maintaining pace and picking it up gradually. Was fatigued. Din do any sets after the run. Simply headed home.

As usual I read through the papers, then practically gamed the day away. No good for the eyes. And yea I think I need some work to spend my time. Well I feel that getting a job isnt all abt the pay or $$$, its more abt the experience and the various skills you acquire in the process. Even an internship programme is more worthwhile considering your future working life, like wot my cousin told me the day b4.

So hence I shall hopefully get a parttime job and enjoy it, rather than counting the hrs and the $$$. And at least I can kp my mind occupied somewhere else rather than worrying about things that I myself aint even sure why Im worrying abt.

Another day

2008-04-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

Started the day with a tempo run, mileage was abt 7k, followed by plyos. I did tuck jumps for explosive power, and hit off with 10sets of 3, 10 sets of 4, and a final set of 12.

Went for a haircut, then watched the replay of Liverpool vs Arsenal. Wot can I say it was a great European night, but quite sad for me. To see Arsenal lose it within the dying minutes of the game was depressing. But nvm, next season wld be better! Cmon u gunners!!

Received a call from TP. And yea perhaps there is a job vacancy for me? Hopefully so...

Wrapped up the night with some core exercises, did 4X15 then 4X20 leg raises.

And oh yea congrats Lukai for clinching the LKY award. Your hardwork paid off well =)

WOT A DAY

2008-04-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

A day with mixed feelings.

Well didnt manage to run today, had an interview at 2. Luckily had my cousin to accompany me, later i lose my way!!

Wad can I say. No evil malice intended, but the scene at Recruit Express was far from... yea nice. The first impression was quite horrid. I heard one of the staff plucking up the phone and talking rather rudely, saying sometime like tis :"So you want to work or not?!?!" Omg.

I got a pretty looking young lady, prolly just slightly older than me? Her name is Felicia Kwek. But beneath that seemingly fine appearance lies a fierce, competitive attitude. She didnt give me time to consider for a post, and she kpt bugging and pushing for a temp full time job which I am not interested in, rather Im looking for a parttime job. I was exasperated and said FORGET IT. Little did I know she would call me back again.

"Could you give me just a day to consider" I said.
"NO LA CANNOT LA WHY NEED SO LONG TML INTERVIEW" she replied.
''Ok how abt I call you back later at evening or night?"I asked, feeling very very scared as tho she was abt to jump out of the phone and eat me up.
"AIYA I KNOCK OFF ALREADY LA BY THEN"
Sia la.

Looks like those ppl are just after commission.
Looks like I shldnt go through agencies.

On the brighter note, I made friends with my cousin's friends. Luckily they were there. My cousin was from NP, his 2 friends were from NYP and SP, and Im from TP. Just lacking a guy from RP LOL. We hanged out at Wisma's Starbucks for like 3 hrs b4 I left. Its jus so relaxing chitchatting and joking and talking abt politics and life over a cuppa. Plus there were some babes on view so yea.

Thinking back, I feel that ultimately I still wanna find a job, not really for the $$$ but for that valuable work experience. Its more about knowing and experiencing the working environment more than anything else. Hence for me, parttime is the way to go so I can fulfil my other commitments.

Like running.

Training Resumes

2008-04-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

Finally able to start running once more!! Morning went for a workout:

- A 1k or so warmup jog
- Followed by a 5k tempo run

After the run felt tired, but quite good overall. Did some pullups after a long layoff, definitely felt the rustiness. Still managed to crank out some pyramids, going in this fashion: 1 2 3 4 4 3 2 1 pullups. Thats one set. I managed to do 5 sets.

Although it seems alot, but actually its really little because the reps were kept low. Cant help it I feel the general lack of practice and muscle soreness.

Well wads for tml? Hopefully able to run again but might not have time; gotta head off to Ngee Ann City for an interview... hope all goes well!! Long time since I did some plyos so I better start soon!!

My weekend and looking forward to the wk ahead

2008-04-06T05:40:00.000-07:00

Well heres nth much to post, very much a slacking weekend. Yesterday I went for another tempo run of arnd 5-6k, and today i didnt do anything much else. Went for dinner with my parents at Fengshan Blk 85, er did I get the address right?

Anyway we ordered bbqed stingray, oyster omelette, stir fried veggies, satay and rice. DAM OILY LA!! But the food was good.

Next week some intense workouts blus some intense blogging. Realli have to start again after a layoff, hopefully I can get back the feel once more.

New to blogging!

2008-04-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Im new here, so cut me some slack^^

After being so bored with nth to do, and yea after reading Lukai's blog I decided to set up my own.

Just came back from Japan, still feeling a little jetlagged and yea dam hot. Still searching for a job to pass my time, applied as a relief teacher at my ex sec school plus a parttimer at Changi Airport. Replies still pending.

I think I stress myself unnecessarily with worries. I keep worrying over some academic matters but yet again what is destined is destined. So to try to keep my mind free I went for a morning run.

Dang after a layoff by more than a week I felt shagged. Maybe also due to the weather change. In Japan the morning temperature hovered around 10 degrees, back here in SG it was 32 degrees. Omg.

Well what I did was a progressive effort. Before my vacation I was concentrating on lotsa threshold efforts and tempo runs, because I figured I was lacking speed endurance, which is one of the most crucial factors. So I decided to build up a base and run for fitness first. Plus I think that when you train your aerobic threshold and can sustain a fast pace your running form and efficiency becomes more fluid and better. So yea its like killing 2 birds with 1 stone?

I set off without timing. I read that on tempo runs or steady state efforts its sometimes better not to time but to judge and feel your own pace. If you time you might think you are going too slow and try to push it, then the workout would be wasted. My own opinion la. Anyway I initially wanted to set off easy, then gradually increase the pace throughout.

However I started off a tad too fast, maybe coz my legs were fresh after a long break. I ran arnd 4-5km, although I could maintain it I felt quite tired. Heng got a few traffic lights lol. But still I was grateful for the run.

I am going to keep building up a base of threshold efforts and hit some decent mileage in the weeks to come, hopefully I can get faster. Yes slowly but surely.