Last post for the year 2006....

In just less than 2 hrs, 2006 will come to an end n a new year, 2007 begins. As i look back in retrospect, this year has been very eventful and also a difficult year for me. To start it off, i began 2006 with a new career. I left my previous job in the private sector to join the teaching force. Was in svc for 6mths before i left LPS for NIE to begin my training stint. It was a huge change for me but i guess this is where the Lord was me to be. I did quite ok for this semester n will aim to maintain or do even better in this new semester. I must say tt it took some adjustment going back to school as it has been almost 5 years since i graduated from the varsity.

2006 also saw me preparing the journey into parenthood. Angela n I are expecting our first born, a daughter in abt 3 mths. It has been a journey filled with excitement, anxiety n also happiness. However, the journey has had its fair share of struggles as well. As many of u may know, we suffered a miscarriage ard June. That was tough but we knew tt God was in ctrl of the whole situation. He blessed us with our soon to be born daughter.

Our CG community has also been through a fantastic period. We saw our members growing in numbers n also in depth. The only down side is tt just as when everyone was getting to be really comfortable, the IDT is here. But we know tt this is where the Lord is leading us so we look fwd to the journey ahead.

Before i sign off, i wish all if u a great n blessed year ahead.

Farewell BBQ

Our expanded CG.

We held our farewell BBQ at Maysprings Condo. It was a wonderful time of cathing-up with past CG mbrs together with present ones. After the worship session, we viewed 2 short clips n collections of photos dated back to ____ years ago when some of our current mbrs started out in the youth gp. But the BBQ was with some interesting events. Read on n u know what i mean.

As we watched the clips in retrospect, although we have grown older, we thank the Lord for His guiding n moulding hand upon each n every single one of us. Through the years, many have joined the CG n left as they reached certain seasons in their lifes. However, one thing tt has kept everyone together was tt of God's faithfulness n the spirit of unity.

The weather was great the whole afternoon. Bright n sunny, we were praying hard tt the weather will sustain. Just as we were preparing to start the fire, it began to drizzle. We decided to wait for a while until the drizzle stops n it did. So we proceded to start the fire. This time, the charcoal provided by the caterer was fantastic. It was much easier to ignite compared to those tt were used last wk. However, just as the fire was burning nicely, it rained. Not only did it rain, it poured! Everyone scrambled to bring the stuff to the basement carpark. Despite this, the fire kept on burning!!! We reached a critical point. A decision had to be made.

We decided tt we will adjourn to Tommy n Jophia's place. Despite not having a BBQ, we improvised n had a special BBQ. Rather than using charcoal which by now was of no use due to the rain, we decided to have stir fry satay, steamed otah n prawns, grilled chicken wings. Sounds healthy compared to BBQ where we will breathe in smoke n having to eat some overcooked food otherwise known as carbon! So with only one car available since MK had to leave, i made 3 trips to ferry everyone.

We carried on with the thanksgiving where the core team mbrs shared n presented their special items. It shared a common theme of thanksgiving n well wishing. Some of u may be wondering what this farewell is all about. Well, as the church moves into a new chapter of discipleship training next year, there will be major reshuffling among groups. Therefore, we had this gathering to look back to the good old days n how the CG has progressed to what it it today.

Before I end, a big thank u to Grace n ST for putting all these together.

I finally got rid of 4 chairs which took up soooooooo much space in the house. Gave them to my aunt n parents-in-law. Those chairs were given to my mum when she left the company which was relocating. Since we do not have a use for them anymore, it has been sitting at the corner gathering dust, we asked ard if anyone wanted them. Thankfully the chairs have found a new 'home'. These chairs r pretty sturdy which means they weigh quite a fair bit. Carrying them to n from the car park was no easy task.

Went to c our gynae earlier n currently Esther (our soon-to-be-born daughter)weighs 1.2kg. She is growing well inside mummy's womb n our doctor projects tt Esther might weigh abt 2.7-2.8kg at birth which shld be abt 10-12 wks from now. Many have asked me what r our thoughts n feelings. Well, besides anxiety n excitement, it is with much anticipation tt we await for her arrival. Bringing a child into this world is tough. Raising him/her is even tougher.

Our CG BBQ is tmw! How exciting! I will blog abt tt in tmw's post. Akan datang.....

Thanks for all the b'day greetings....

I wld like to say a big thanks to the many who sent me b'day greetings. Received greetings from many friends, family members, colleagues n students. It was especially heart warming to receive a long dist sms from a former classmate who is now residing in Melbourne. Another Bruneian friend just sent me a sms as he had just touched down from HK. Thanks pple. Praise the Lord for His guidance n providance all these years...i shall not say how many...anyway, some of u know la...

Sent the car to the svc ctr to get the window rubber seal replaced as it came off. Found out tt this is a common problem with many Altises. However, it is nothing compared to some other makes tt have troubled gearboxes n other mechanical issues. Thankfully i need not pay a cent as it was claimable under the warranty.

The internet seems slightly better but there r still intermittent instances where the connection n loading of pages is slow. The evening news reported tt it may take days or even weeks to have them fully restored. So much for globalisation.....

Singnet n Starhub Internet disruptions

The earthquake in Taiwan caused 6 network cables to be damaged thus disrupting internet services in Sg. It was reported in the afternoon news. I was frantically trying to log into the NIE network so tt i can register for my modules. Ended up having to drive to school 2 get it done. N as Murphy's Law wld have come into play, the portal was also down. However i mged to register after using an alternative web address provided by the IT support staff.

The whole day saw MSN, Blogspot n Yahoo down. Either i cld not access it at all or i got bumped out without barely getting past one page. *sigh* So much so for globalisation.....n not to mention our high dependancy on the internet. Makes me wonder: what if someday the networks fail n all systems r down n rendered useless? Food for thought dont u think?

I got rid of quite a lot of stuff from the storeroom. Some things were still usable so i donated them to the Salvation Army. When i deposited the first lot in the morning, it was still empty. However, when i deposited the second lot after lunch, all the bins were full! Seems tt many people r doing their seasonal cleaning n so they r getting rid of their redundant items n donating them to charity. Hopefully people do not abuse it by taking the Salvation Army as a dumping ground.

A very wet day....

It is still raining. For the past 24hrs, it has been raining non stop. When i went to buy lunch it rained. When i had to drop off my army uniform at the Green Ad shop at WM it rained. When we went out for dinner with 2 of Angela's friends earlier, it rained.

We had dinner at some place near the Istana. Located on the top of some obscure place called Mount Emily, it was a nice little budget apartment with an eatery n it was not cheap. What's worse is tt the portion was soooo small n i m hungry now!!! Found out tt the apartments above were the places of accomodation of the Singapore Idol 2 contestants during the competition. Parking at tt place was horrible. It was so narrow n it was a real test of one's skill trying to negotiate the tight spaces without grazing the walls or adjacent cars. N to make it worse it was raining n there were not many lights so visibility was quite bad.

Another 13 days to my new term. Looking fwd to that....

A relaxed n lazy Christmas Day.....

After the countdown last night, our CG adjourned to Bt Panjang Plaza McD for another round of fellowship. We were chatting n Jophia was sharing with us her upcoming vacation to Sydney n Tasmania in Feb. So nice.....I m starting to miss Aus!!! I was sharing with her abt the driving conditions Down Under n what precautions to take. Tommy (her husband) said if situation permitted, that is, if angela was not expecting n if i was not in NIE or in sch, i cld take a break n join them!!! By the time we got home it was abt 2.30am!

Spent the whole day at home doing laundry n also watching a 'marathon' of Amazing Race Asia on AXN Ch 19. From afternoon till 7pm, they have repeat telecasts of the past episodes from the time it started to the lastest elimination. I find Amazing Race rather interesting to watch. What i found rather funny was when the teams were in Jakarta (capital city of Indonesia) n in a bid to be ahead of the rest, the taxi drivers became Schumis, Alonsos, Massas n Raikkonens...

The teams also spent some time in New Zealand. It is such a beautiful place. Have never been there before. Think i shld save up n go for a holiday there. N in order to really explore, u need a minimum of 2 weeks cos there is the North n South Islands. Maybe in a couple of years?

Christmas Eve.....

We will be in church from abt 9pm till late. Late as in past mid night. There is a Chirstmas Eve party in church n a countdown service there after. Hopefully the rain will not dampen the mood as the tentage outside the church bdg is sufficient to contain the people. Moreover, the countdown will be indoors. At least the neighbours will not complain abt the noise level.

This morning's svc was awesome. The whole sancturary was filled. The short item put up by the drama team coupled with Snr Pastor's evangelistic sermon was very suited for the occasion.

Have a blessed Christmas everyone.

Thanks for inviting

I wld like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all who invited me to the farewell function ytd. It was a great time catching up with all of u before the new term starts. Thankfully the rain did not dampen the mood tt much. I also had the chance to dialogue with some students whom i have nvr spoken to b4. Nice talkg to u pple. Apologies tt i had to leave early cos i had some other commitments. Do have such gatherings during the hols so tt the network of friends can not just be maintained but expanded as well.

For the graduating students, have a great time in your new schools. As for the soon-to-be P6s, I WILL BE BACK!!!!

I got my results....

I got my results today. Went online to get it. Was outside at Kiddy Palace when my course mate (Joanne) msged me. It kind of dampened my mood a little as i was a little concerned how i wld fare. So when we got home after lunch, i logged onto the portal but cld not get in. Since Angela had to go back to school to do some stuff while i was at the farewell BBQ with my ex-students, i tried to log on using her office comp but still the same. Kind of lyk," The answer after the commercial break...."

So i went to the bbq, then picked up angela n went to her folks place for dinner. Came back n tried to log on n my hands were lyk trembling when i logged on. Then reality struck!!! I passed all n did better than i expected. In fact i expected maths to be worse n eng to be better than what i saw. Praise Lord! I had 1 A, 1B+, 2Bs n 1 B-. Seems tt my hopes of crossing over to the deg course is still alive. Will certainly continue to work twds tt.

To all my fellow course mates: congrats on a job well done. Keep pressing on...

Power failure at parts of IMM....

We had just gotten back from IMM. Just as we were abt to pay for our purchases at Daiso, there was a power failure which resulted in us not being able to purchase the gift wrapper. In the end we went to West Mall to get it. On the way home, there were at least 4 - 5 traffic light junctions without signals as there was a power failure. Crossing such junctions require extreme caution as vehicles will have no traffic lights to guide them. In such cases, slow speed, courtesy n of course the horn r essential items!!!

Was at Kids Mall in IMM browsing the car seats for infants n toddlers. Saw this one which was on sale but it still will set us back by abt $249. It is still cheaper than another one which cost double the price. However, it is very sturdy n the best part of it is tt it can be used until the child is abt 4-5yrs of age. So tt means after March'07, the blackaltis will have a child seat behind.

Going to Century Sq later to have dinner n there is a Kiddy Palace branch which we will go n chk out if there r better deals available.

Heard tt many of the P6s got their choices of schools. Lookg fwd to mtg up with some of them tmw. Have a great time tonight during the prom.

Just blew $400 odd on purchasing baby stuff

Baby stuff r not cheap. Having just bought the basic things needed when our baby comes along, we aldy spent abt $400 plus. That is still excluding the stroller, car seat n some other things which we have yet to purchase. Thankfully my sister-in-law was with us so she cld advice us on what to buy n how much. We bought some clothes, baby wipes, milk bottles, sterilizer, blankets, bottle warmer n some other things.

Next items tt we need to purchase is the stroller, car seat, bedding items. Well basically, my 2mth bonus will all be spent these items. Thank God for providing the bonus at a appropriate time n also finding a buyer for my swimming club membership. By early Jan, the sale shld go through n that means a little more cash in the bank.

P6s will get their posting tmw. I wish them all the very best as they report to their new school n start a new chapter in their education life in abt a fortnight's time. Likewise for the rest, it is time to get into the momentum as sch will reopen soon. That means my term starts soon as well. The LPS prom is tmw night. May they have a fantastic time with their peers before each go their separate ways. I am sure they will have great memories throughout their 6 yrs in this sch called Lianhua Primary. Afterall, experience is once in a lifetime but memories r 4ever.

something not very right with my yahoo email

I just cannot figure out what is wrong with my yahoo account. Been trying to get into my mailbox but once it logs in, the window will hang. I can still re-open IE n get into other websites but it is only the yahoo tt is giving me problems. Tried it on the other computer n have no problems. N i dunno y the network seems to be so slow. Takes ages to open pages. N it is very inconveinent to have to change email addresses cos tt means having to inform EVERYONE n tt can be a real pain in the neck.

Rainy day

It was raining the whole day. Everywhere is wet & everything is wet. I had just come back from Sengkang n the visibility throughout the whole journey was quite bad. Dared not drive too fast as the roads were wet n slippery.

So it looks lyk i need not wash the car for quite a number of days....but shld at least wipe it. However, these kind of weather is great to sleep. Doing laundry wld be a nightmare though....

AV duty today was glitch-free......

Praise God tt today's svcs went on without any technical glitches. Also informed my gp leader tt i m only able to serve till Feb cos after tt i wld be on 'paternity sabbatical leave'. Also had to inform the counting team as well.

What i saw today during counting was a chq of a HUGE amt. It is not conveinent for me to say the amt but when i saw it, i was lyk," All glory to the Lord." It is so heartening to see members of the congregation giving sacrificially to the second bdg tt is coming up at Woodlands.

Though we had quite a lot to count today as there was a special offering taken for an adopted gp in East Timor, i always feel a sense of thanksgiving when i see the stacks of currency notes, cheques n pledge forms. This is stg tt we shld teach the young believers tt what matters most is the attitude n the heart n NOT the amt given. Afterall, the Lord delights in a cheerful giver.

Itching to start running again....

From top: Chk out those support soles, my running n day-to-day shoes
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It has been 2 wks since the StanChart Half Marathon. Except for taking my fitness test in camp in tues, i have NOT been running at all. It was a recommendation to fully recover n have a gd rest before embarking on training once again. However, barely a wk after the event i was aldy itching to start running! Oh well, runner's itch n addiction coming up again.

Got a Christmas gathering next sat at my aunt's pl. It is a gathering for the extended family n my cousins will be bringing their children also. So u can imagine it will be quite a HUGE affair. There will be 14 children ranging from ages 5mths up to 11yrs. 8 boys n 6 girls. N there is one more girl on the way.

I will be serving tmw for both 1st n 2nd svcs. Praying hard tt it will go well without glitches.

Out processed.....

I finally completed my 5 day low-key In-Camp Trg. Due to the sensitivity n the security of the SAF, it is not conveinent 4 me to blog abt what i was up to over the past couple of days. But there r still some issues tt have been like that for years n it is still the same n will still be the same. Rush 2 wait, then wait to rush.

Just came home after watching the Christmas Musical in church. It was fabulous. I was especially impressed by the segment where the children performed alongside the adults n it really brings a smile to everyone seeing tt these young ones will someday grow up to spread the love of God to their peers besides being a disciple of Christ.

Two pple shared their personal testimonies to the audience n it is really unbelievable tt they were once upon a time something tt even u n i will find it hard to swallow. However, tt is the beauty of the love of Christ. He died for all so tt we may have eternal life. I m sure fellow believers out there have their own story to tell. What happened in our lifes before we became believers may be history but it is when God writes His Story in our individual lifes n we become a different person tt matters. I too have my own story to tell. B4 i accepted Christ during Easter '99, over the past 7 yrs or so i have seen how the Lord works in ways tt i may not understand at tt pt in time. Perhaps in my time spent on Earth i may nvr understand. But i believe tt He has a plan n a reason for situations to occur. What is essential is tt i 'put all my eggs in His basket' cos i know tt the Lord has never failed n will not fail us in all things.

bought 2 pairs of shoes n tt made me $148 lighter..

It is such a coincidence tt both my working shoes n running shoes r due for a change at the same time. So i took the opportunity to purchase both of them today. Bought my working shoes from the SAF e-mart n it cost me $40/-. Cheap, looks good n most of all comfortable! In fact, many of my daily stuff r bought from the SAF e-mart. Cheaper than outside n best of all it looks presentable. I m quite a cheapskate!!!

However, my running shoes cost $108/-. It cost more than my previous pair but CK told me tt this current pair is better suited for running distances up to 21k bcos my previous pair was only suited up to abt 12k. Nonetheless, my previous pair took me thru the 21.1k Stanchart. So I guess this new pair will be more comfortable. Cant wait to try it out!

Out-process from camp tmw! Next in-camp is in 12mths time.

time out....

Managed to get some time out from camp. We were allowed to book out of camp n need to be back tmw morning b4 0645hrs. The past 2 days were lyk basically 'rushing to wait & waiting to rush'. Nothing new.

On a lighter side, i had the IPPT which is the fitness test or schs know it as NAPFA. Well, i got a silver award but since i aldy gotten the same silver award together with a monetary incentive earlier this year, today's silver result will not make any difference in my bank a/c! However, i roughly know where i stand as far as my 2.4k run is concerned. Some of my camp mates asked me if i cld attain the gold award (tt means i have to run below 10m15s n tt means $400) but i have been training more for long distance so i m quite satisfied with my 2.4k timing.

Tmw we cant book out accdg to the trg prog. But nvm. We intend to chill out at the mess tmw night. B back on friday.

our CG mbr's baptism

Our CG at Angela Seow's (the one holding the cert) baptism

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Congrats to Angela Seow who got water baptised today. We witnessed her baptism ceremony after 3rd svc this aftn. Michelle was out of town n Kristen had a report to do so they cld not attend.

In the congregation, i saw someone very familiar. That person turned out to be my senior in camp. He is also going for the 5 day in-camp training starting tmw. Took the opportunity to catch up with him and also find out abt the trg prog for the next couple of days. Seems tt he too is also trying to ask for certain concessions for our group. Oh well, just have to wait n c.

It is the annual Star Awards Presentaion tonight. I wonder who will walk away with the coverted titles of Best actor/actoress, top ten etc etc..... However, the much talked abt topics wld be the outfits tt many of the celebrities will don. Obviously, Mediacorp will only disclose them when u tune in at 7pm later.

CG mtg ended at a record.........hrs..

Last night's CG ended at a record time of 0015hrs. Guess everyone did not mind as it was our last mtg for this year b4 some major movements come 2007. Some will go for IDT in the first half while some will go in the second half. Angela n I will be on 'maternity n paternity' leave sometime end feb/mar depending on when baby Esther (our baby daughter's tentative name!!) arrives.

We had a great session last night sharing n giving thanks for the past couple years when our CG muliplied in early '03. The group went through many journeys but one thing is certain n tt the wonderful hand of God was with the CG every step of the way. N we r sure tt this will continue as this CG does not belong to us but to The Boss Up There.

By the time we got home it was past 1am! We decided to sleep in this morng but by 9 we got up. Still felt a little tired. Spent a gd part of the day packing away some old stuff in order to free up space for baby Esther's stuff.

Thank God for providing us with whatever we need. Indeed He is our Jehovah Jireh n not only does He provide all our needs, He provides more than abundantly. All we need to do is to trust Him always.

Tonight's CG

I think tonight will be our last mtg for the year. Come '07, as the church undergoes IDT, certain gps will have to merge. It is indeed with mixed feelings tt we meet up for the last time before having a huge reunion on 30th Dec where an estimated 20 odd members past n present n future will have a time of fun n games and also a BBQ.

I m in-charge of the ice breaker segment this evening. Was thinking what to do when i thought of a game tt is to do with 1 of our most common items: handphone. I intend to give them a category n some digits n based on the corresponding letters on the keypad of the handphone, they have to decipher the word. Similar to the ch 5 quiz show "Brainiest Kid/Teacher/Lawyer etc etc"

I m itching to go running aldy. Think i might resume after my 5 day In-Camp Training starting from next mon till fri. Hopefully it wld be quite relaxed.

back from the trip.....

We just came back from Batam n i must say tt the resort we stayed in was quite pathetic. They were undergoing some renovation works so the whole place was lyk dusty, smelling of cement n super glue.....oh well....at least we had some time away from sg.

In one of their hypermarts i saw tt they sold Arnott's Tim Tam chocolate biscuits! My oh my, tt stole my attention n i bought a few packs! I really enjoy munching these chocolate coated biscuits with coffee. But there is still one brand of choc chip cookies which i still like n tt brand is called "decadent". It is only sold in KMart in Aus. Accdg to what i recall, 37% of the cookie is filled with mouth-watering chocolate chips. N such biscuits r really addictive. So at the departure hall of the ferry terminal, we used some of the remaining IND Rupiah to buy a few packs of Tim Tam.

N whenever i m overseas, i will miss 2 things: my car n my computer....

Going to Batam

We r going to Batam today n coming back tmw. Just a 2D1N trip to relax. I won this trip during the teachers' day dinner.

Will be back tmw evening...... Of all my posts, this is the shortest one....

Running is in my blood !!!!!

Retired F1 driver Schumi once said,"Racing is in my blood." No wonder he became the best driver ever known in the history of motor racing. I can imagine tt he wld 'eat, sleep n talk' all about racing!!

Likewise, even b4 i ran the half marathon on sunday, i had aldy caught the running bug. It goes back to last year when i failed my annual NS fitness test (aka IPPT) so i had to go for remeidal training. After i cleared it, i kind of got hooked to running. Since then, the rest is history.

On average i wld go running twice if not thrice weekly. Each session wld be at least 10km with my max being 20km. Obviously i do not run daily as the body needs time to recover in order for the endurance threshold to increase. I think my addiction went up after the Sheares Bridge Run. Needless to say, after sunday's event, friend of mine was aldy talking abt the next yr's running events! So not only is golf, diving n other sports addictive.

My cousin msged me saying tt she knows of quite a number of running routes n i asked her to show me when we have all recovered from sunday's event! Runners out there if any of u r interested, drop me a tinkle!!

Spent the whole day resting......

I was resting n recovering from ytd's exhaustion. Well, at least it is the hols. My friends who also participated in the event ytd have to work! We smsed each other to c how one another were coping and the replies seemed to be the same," still aching la...., limping ard, avoiding the stairs at all costs...." Guess this is part n parcel of a runner's life!!!

I rcved a call from one of my friends who asked when is the next run! haha! As far as i noe i dun think it is tt soon. But there r those lyk the New Balance run at Sentosa, the Osim Run besides the Sheares Bridge n the Stanchart.....So i guess we all have caught the running bug!

I know abt the 10k route at MacRitchie Reservoir. Wld love to try tt route someday. Heard tt it is undulating i.e: up slope, down slope, slightly rough terrain....so even if it is only 10km, the terrain makes it even more challenging. Once i have fully recovered from the aftermath of ytd, i wld give tt a shot....

Standchart Sg Marathon 2006

From top: The finisher's medal, my #tag with
the shoes tt took me thru the gruelling 21.1km

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I finished it. I ran past the finish line this morning in 2hrs 20 min 53.08 sec despite the cramps tt plagued both my legs. It was a great experience n the feeling as i crossed the end pt was simply fantantic. All the months of training, physical conditioning n also mental preparation was worth it. Even though my legs felt as if they were lyk jelly, tt is ntg compared to the sense of achievement.

Got up at 4am this morng n gave CK (my bro) a morng call. Took my breakfast (powerbar, banana, water n bread) b4 driving to Fort Canning to park my car as there were very limited free parking lots available. I tot i was early enough but the full marathon runners were even earlier. All along the way, passengers in taxis n other cars were wearing the similar kind of outfit so no prizes for guessing where they were headed. Met up with CK n we slowly made our way to the Esplanade Bridge where thousands (yes there were 9ooo pple running 42.195km, 8000 running the 21.1k n 13000 in the 10k n others) were gathered getting ready for the flag off.

At preciously 6.30am, the 8000 or so half-marathon runners were flagged off. The sense of being able to have the whole road to ourselves was simply wonderful. Hearing the cheers n the beep of the computer as it picks up the runners crossing the start line signals the start of a tough but rewarding journey ahead. I ran thru Shenton Way twds Marina Sth. Throughout the route, the crowd though huge was not squeeezy. What made the run enjojyable was the fantastic weather. There was no sun at all n it was cloudy n breezy. Praise the Lord for the fine weather.

It got a little more congested when i crossed the U turn where the 10k runners made their roundabout. However, what kept me going was being 1 of the 30,000 participants in this world-class event. Yes, the Stanchart Marathon is well known around the world.

The critical pt was at the 16km mark. I hit the 'runners wall'. The last 5km proved to be real tough. At this juncture, my left hamstring started to cramp. I slowed the pace n even walked but it seemed to get worse. Stopped for water replenishment n also to do some stretching. Overheard another participant telling another," The worst thing to happen is tt u get cramps n u have to stop n stretch. This cld mean the end of the race." Yeah, right. But this was a case of mind over matter. As i posted b4, the mental component plays a crucial part esp when u hit the 'runners wall'. Once u overcome the 'wall', u got it made. I was not prepared to give in to fatigue so i prayed for supernatural strength n endurance.

As i approached Esplanade Bridge for the last leg twds the end pt, i cld hear the screams of joy, cheers of encouragement, clappers making noise n spectators encouraging the participants on, i forgot all abt the pain, cramps n fatigue. Seeing the end pt within sight, i made sure tt even if i had to crawl past it or worse still 'collapse', it will be after the end pt! haha!

The moment of truth set in when i stepped onto the mat n heard the computer beep to signal the end of my gruelling 21.1k. I punched the air in jubilation! CK came in couple of metres behind me. He too hit his 'wall' ard the 17k mark too. Kudos to him for finishing well. For the next 10min or so, i literally cld not walk. I sat on the pavement as both my hamstrings (it was at the 19k mark tt both my hamstrings cramped) were cramped up n the pain was quite substantial. CK helped me to stretch n i did my warm down before heading to return the timing chip in exchange for the finisher's medal.

I m glad tt as a 1st timer, the timing was 5 min below my set target. So what is next? I need to nurse those 'jelly legs' of mine n will resume running again in abt 2 - 3 wks time. Here's to the next half marathon in '07. The Army Half Marathon n the Stanchart Sg Marathon '07. My cousin who also ran the half marathon is going for the full 42.195k next yr. She asked if i wld be joining her then. I think the runway is still insufficient. Perhaps by '08?

Approximately 13.5 hrs to flag off.....

This is it. Having registered for the event 3 mths back n started training abt 9 mths ago, the final countdown to the event tmw morg is here. Hopefully the weather will be favourable unlike the Sheares Bridge Run where i got drenched as i crossed the finish line.

Have been consuming food tt is non-spicy for the last couple days n also been increasing my carbo n protein intake. However, no matter what prepn tt has gone in, seasoned runners have advised me tt the mental aspect is one of if not the most essential during the course of the run. This is especially vital when all runners (both seasoned n amateur) will hit the 'wall' which is the crucial pt of mind over matter. That is where u got to psyche youself to overcome the physical fatigue n envision the end pt. Once u have crossed tt 'wall', psychologically u will feel an added boost of energy tt will take u 'all the way to the chequered flag'! haha, me n my F1 terminology again! However, if ur mind chooses to switch off n throw in the towel, all the training, prepn n hard work will prove futile.

So i guess i will hit the sack early tonight. Got to rise at 4am tmw. Will blog abt the event tmw aftn or evening. To my friends who r also participating tmw, all the best n c u all at the end pt! We all can do it!!!

Final 30 days of 2006

30 days to the new year. I found tt 2006 sailed by faster than i had ever realised. Perhaps it is bcos of the hectic but eventful yr. THis sunday is the long awaited Stanchart Marathon. This morng's Straits Times reported tt compared to marathons held in other countries, the motivators for the Sg marathon pales in comparison. One of the main reason is the early hrs. Those running the full marathon will be flagged off at 6am while the half marathon runners will start half an hr later. Some suggested to have the event start a little later so tt more can not just be spectators but motivators as well. However, the local climate does make it tough for such events to start later. It may seem rather insignificant but having participated in such events before, the cheers n screams from the spectators sure give tt added boost especially when u r getting tired.

That's all for 2day. Going out to celebrate a CG mbr's bday later.