Revival in F1?

Go and check out the qualifying results in the Aus GP. If it carries on this way, perhaps it marks the end of the Ferrari and McLaren domination of the sport. For ages it has usually been the red scarlets versus the silver arrows and occasionally the renaults in the 05 and 06 season. However, with the still to be confirmed diffuser issue, perhaps we will see some of the other middle players rising up to the podium. However, all i want to see is That Arrogant Englishman lose his title this year and make him eat humble pie.

my new toy

Apologies for going AWOL for so many days. Been so tied up with course work and it just got so overwhelming that I went for some retail therapy today. Total damage was $372 at the Athele's Circle for something that is said to be the companion to a runner's shoes.

Forget me not

Went to visit mum yesterday and I had to painstakingly sign a document authorising the home to the use of restraints as a last resort should she get exceptionally aggressive or violent. This as explained by the staff is one of the common signs of mental deterioration due to senile demantia. It was a difficult decision to sign on the line but for the sake of her own safety, the other residents and the staff, I had no choice. This is similar to the painful task my brother and I had to take 4 years ago to put her up at the home due to her mental condition.

Then the next shocking thing that occurred was that she mistook me for somebody else. Though I had anticipated the there will come a day when my mum will not be able to recognise anyone of us, I felt that it came a little too soon. It is not surprising that she might not be able to recall that she already has 3 grandchildren but then again, this is all part of the downward trend for demantia patients.

It is no use regretting that we did not spend enough time with her but the least that we could do is to try to the very best of our ability to visit her more often. There were times when I really wished that she would be normal but things do not always turn out the way we desire. For those of you who are blessed to have loved ones and friend who are normal, cherish their presence, relationship and friendship because by the time you want to appreciate or spend more quality time with them, it might already be too late.

Disturbing article in the New Paper dated 14 th Mar

When I went to Shop N Save to purchase some weekly supplies, the headline of TNP caught me attention. It mentioned that there were 13 students who were arrested due to being in pocession of weapons like knives and choppers. I bought a copy and when I read the article in detail, I was quite perturbed that students brought such things to school just to scare others. Perhaps they were victims of being bullied? I really thank God that Sg is very strict as far as banning the pocession of firearms is concerned. Imagine that students bring guns to school just like some countries which have had shooting cases.

I can only pinpoint that the internet plus the lack of proper education by parents are the main causes of such shocking behaviour. I feel that the schools are already being over stretched so the home must support in reinforcing certain values on the students. Parents cannot expect that the schools will take over the role completely. It is a collaborative effort to ensure that the students learn the right values and the home helps to cement it in. So I hope those who think that the school is responsible for such deeds, think again....

Fellow runners out there: any of these apply to u? (part 4 finally)

At last, all 4 parts have been posted. Seems that quite a number apply to yours truly...

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...you are embarrassed to wear sandals because of your hideous sock tan, but you where 'em anyway

...you are not embarassed to show someone where your hamstring "really" hurts

....you know splits are something that not only cheerleaders care about

...girls: you're embarassed to wear a bikini because of your shorts/bra/tank-top/t-shirt tan lines

...you have hundreds of safety pins scattered around your house

...you enjoy running in the rain

...you carry a waterbottle to every class

...you double knot all your shoes out of habit

...you have a watch tan that never goes away

...you feel naked without your stop-watch on

...you enjoy playing duck duck goose with a youth group knowing you can outrun them- you then get sad when no one picks you as goose

...when you pack a seperate bag for your running clothes

...when pasta is the only food you'll eat two nights before a race

...when you try to convince people to run a 5k because it's "only" 3 miles

...when your friends think they need to practice more before they can run with you

...Every time you see a runner when you're driving you feel like you too should be running, even if you ran 15 miles earlier in the day

...You shower about 12 times a week

...you're not a masochist, but you enjoy ironing out tight muscles and tendons on a foam roller

...You see your opponent shitting on the side of a road during a race and don't think twice about it

...You really have to take a shit during your 90 minute run, but without any leaves or toilet paper handy, you rip off the bottom half of your t-shirt and use it

...your toenails are black

....you feel lost without your water-bottle

....you have running withdrawl if you don't run everyday

....you consider school as just a break between runs

....your room smells like Icy-Hot and New-Skin

....you are bankrolling your physical therapist's next vacation

....your girlfriend can bench more than you....you can count all your ribs.

Fellow runners out there: do any of these apply to u? (part 3)

read on from yesterday..........especially the 1st one about sleeping in running shorts. Well I sleep in my running attire as it is multi-purpose. Those adidas or FBT jerseys are just so comfortable and gives off that sporty look.....

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...you sleep in your running shorts because they're more comfortable than whitie-tighties, not to mention you don't need to change for morning practice

...you can correctly pronounce names like "Hicham El Guerrouj" "Kennesia Bekele" and "Haile Gebresilassie"

...you've learned that shopping after a long run or hard workout for food is bad, because when you get home, you realize all you have to eat for the next week is queso dip, mission tortilla chips, and a 5 pound bag of twizzlers

...you've ever found yourself running around an airport thinking "if i can just get in three more miles, I'll meet my mileage goal"

...you've become a member of the "Century Club", and by that I don't mean the older brother of the "Power Hour". (100 miles in 1 week of training)

...you wear sandals despite having the ugliest feet in the world, along with several missing toe nails

...speciality running shops are better than the mall

...you get upset and impatient when results from the race you ran aren't posted online by the time you get home

...LetsRun.com is your homepage

...you spend so much time on LetsRun that any one of the following could/has happened: you've been fired, you've been divorced, you've failed 1 or more classes, you have a regular posting handle and participate in all the Brojos prediction contest, and/or you've actually won a LetsRun.com prediction contest

...you need a magnifying glass to see your name in the paper.

...you have chafing in strange places

....you spend more on training clothes than school clothes

....there's nothing like intervals to start the week off fresh!!

...you talk to your coaches more than your parents

...off-season training starts a week after Finals

...you run when you feel like it, be it 6AM or midnight

...you know what "Badger Miles" are

...you use "Badger Miles" on your long runs and easy days

...you have the guts to do the steeplechase

...you do anything to try to heal an injury except go to a doctor or athletic trainer because you know they will just tell you to "Stop running."

...you wear a black, plastic sports watch with your dress clothes

...you can remember a time from a race 4 years ago, but you can't remember your friend's birthdays

...Your heart rate is below 50 and you are not dying

...You know how many grams of carbs there are in a banana

....You can name a person from Namibia, Djibouti and Zimbabwe

...You've said "she'd be one hell of a pole vaulter" at a strip club

Fellow runners out there: do any of these apply to u? (part 2)

Continued from yesterday.....

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... you are a man, you eat all the junk food that there is and still weigh 119 pounds

... you dont care when you hug a sweaty girl

... you can sit in the cold whirlpool and still hope you will have 15 kids

...ultimate frisbee is the only other sport your good at

..."Quarters" are not a monetary unit

...You have recorded a marathon or track meet over your wedding video

...Your fridge contains two types of drinks: Beer and gatorade

...you waste ridiculous amounts of time engaged in meaningless arguments and discussions about running

...you get hit by a car and you don't bother to get the license plate of the person who hit you because you still have 6 miles left to go

...your carry-on is a spike bag

...the first question anybody asks you once they find out you are a runner is "Have you ever run the marathon?" even if you explain that you are a miler or 5k runner - then they immediately lose interest in the conversation

...You say things like "long and hard" to your female friends and it is not a sexual inuendo

...You hate Runner's World

...you are used to the sound of a gun

...you make hundreds of left turns each week

...you and your teammates have meaningless debates about training, running, and coaching, especially when you're drinking

...you can run a beer mile faster than most people could run a regular mile

...you have running shoes in varying degrees of decomposition: used, well-worn, spent but still good, and useless-but-I-still-wear-them-because-they-still-feel-good

...you keep shoes and running clothes in your car so that if you're ever on a roadtrip and drive by a place thinking "it'd be sweet to run here..." you can get out and go for a run

Fellow runners out there: do any of these apply to u? (part 1)

Saw this on facebook. Those in bold apply to yours truly...more to come in the next post

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For anyone who is crazy and obsessed with running, or whoever just loves the sport

......you can use "easy" and 10 in the same sentence

...your shoes have more miles on them than your car does

...you go to a golf course to run

...you schedule dates around meets

...you've been to a golf course in every city but not to play golf

...you find yourself saying, "it's not really a hill..."...you're running and you don't know why

...more than half the people you know don't know what XC is

...you can't go a day without some little brat saying "Run Forest run"

...you've ever relieved yourself (1 or 2) in a heavily wooded area. Hell, it doesn't even have to be heavily wooded, just somewhere in the outdoors

...Ibuprofen is your recreational drug of choice

...You look into the toilet before a big race to inspect the size of the log you just dropped

...National collegiate "powerhouses" are Colorado, Stanford, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Arkansas

....not Florida St, Miami, USC, and Oklahoma

...you are from the US and you think in terms of meters not feet or yards

...you can look at a grass field and guess its circumference almost exactly

...you are up watching ESPN at 2am (when they actually show the race coverage)

...you have 5% body fat yet you don't live in Somalia

...you consider a 15 mile run a good cure for a hangover

3 yrs old

The blackaltis turns 3 in about a week from now. I just incurred quite a sum of money for the inspection, road tax renewal, insurance, servicing plus replacement of the tyres, brake pads and battery due to wear and tear. Guess the damage? I think I rather not disclose it.....With all these expenses, I will be keeping the car for quite a while since it drives well and serves us pretty ok. Plus the fact that with the recent major servicing, it drives really great.

Shocking News

Find it hard to believe tt such a thing can occur here in Sg. Thankfully there were no guns unlike in the US.........

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Taken from the AsiaOne website

Student in NTU stabbing identified

The student involved in the stabbing of a lecturer at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has been identified as a David Widjaya, according to a report that appeared in the Lianhe Wanbao.
The student, who committed suicide after stabbing the professor, Prof Chan Kap Luk, was a fourth year engineering student.
Prof Chan was alleged to be his supervisor on a project.
The stabbing occurred at about 10.35am Monday, at S1A, a nine-storey building in the engineering faculty at NTU.
Police recovered a 10-cm-long knife at the scene, believed to be the weapon with which Widjaya used to attack Prof Chan.
According to the Chinese daily, the student was alleged to have stabbed Prof Chan outside his office on the sixth floor. He then ran to the fourth floor and slit his wrists, before jumping off the building.
The motivation for the attack is still unknown, pending further investigations by the police.

Stab wound to back, multiple cuts on arms

Prof Chan suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack and was taken to the National University Hospital for treatment. Wanbao reported that he sustained a stab wound to his back, as well as multiple lacerations to his arms.
According to eye-witness interviewed at the scene, they believe the cuts on his arms were a result of his attempt to fend off subsequent blows made by Widjaya after the initial stabbing.
China student called the police
Wanbao also reported that another final-year student, a Chinese national, was the one called the police after witnessing the incident.
The eye-witness told reporters that he saw the Indonesian-Chinese student sitting at the ledge of the walkway between the two neighbouring buildings of the faculty before leaping off the ledge.

Word spread through the net

News about the incident spread quickly around campus. Wanbao reported that a student posted online that he had heard of the incident shortly after it occurred.
He and his friends spotted bloodstains along the walkway and saw the attacker lying on the ground below.
According to him, the attacker was believed to be wearing a dark coloured shirt and beige shorts.