I couldn’t believe this came from a Sec 1 student.

Recently when I went to Tampines, I saw some signs tied to the lamp posts saying "Share the pavement with cyclists" or something along this line. So I was wondering if cyclists could actually ride on the pavements now (since this was not supposed to be allowed).

I called the Ang Mo Kio North Neighbourhood Police Centre, and as soon as the guy (a policeman, I assumed) picked up the phone, I asked, "Are cyclists allowed on the pavement now?"

"You bullshit." That was the reply.

"Huh? Sorry?"

"You bullshit", he said again.

What the… I thought. This is a policeman?! "Erm, what do you mean?", I asked, a little frustrated.

"You should pushit.. pusshhh ittt."  

I almost flipped. 

Signed up for the Singapore Biathlon a couple of weeks ago, and I was required to go for a swim trial. One has to swim 30 laps within 40 minutes in order to be eligible for the actual event itself in March.

I did my first biathlon late last year, but since that event organiser didn’t provide any certificate of completion, I had no proof of completing any biathlon, and thus had to undergo the dreadful trial too. Dreadful not because I didn’t do it under 40 minutes before, but because I hadn’t swam such long distance since last October.

Things didn’t go smoothly for me right from the start. I underestimated the travelling time, and had to get out of the MRT halfway to hop into a cab in hope to reach Safra Tampines in time. That costed me $10++++. Ran into Safra like a lost and anxious ant, stopping everyone in my way to ask where the pool is. Phew, lucky my detail had not started yet. 

No time to do stretching, quickly changed into my tri-shorts and dipped into the pool with 7 other swimmers. "3, 2, 1, go!" shouted the timer, and the 7 swimmers dashed ahead with front crawl, leaving me struggling behind with breast stroke. I had to cautiously check my lap timing on my polar watch every lap, making sure that I did not exceed 1 min 20 sec (which is actually hopelessly slow) for each lap. 10, 15, 20, 25.. and 30. Yay, completed the much dreaded 30 laps.. and I passed the swimming trial! I actually improved my personal timing to 36 min 16 sec, shaving off almost 30 secs from my last bi’s open water swim! A moment of relief indeed.

Met up with my cousin for a nice late dinner and coffee at Cafe Cartel before heading home. Not a bad day afterall.  

Geez, I’ve not been blogging for quite a while. Well, was just looking through some photos from my last trip to Thailand, and decided to put a few pictures up to fill this space. Haha..

Sara and I took a mini-bus to Pai from Chiang Mai bus station, not sure of what to expect because we didn’t really do any research beforehand. We didn’t even book any guesthouse! (We realised later that it didn’t matter anyway, since there were many cheap guesthouses around).

It is a cozy little town that seems to occupy as many westerners as the Thais. The pace of life here is twice as slow as elsewhere. No wonder the westerners prefer to settle down here.

Weather was cool in December, and it was especially cold at night. Most people were seen wearing their beanies and scarves on top of their woollen jackets. It was kind of cool to see such dresscode all around the town. The only thing lacking was snow.

At night, westerners and other local tourists would gather at the pubs along the roads. Sara and I went to one that had live gipsy music performance. I liked it there. Good music and atmosphere!

Pai is quite high in altitude, but you can still see lots of mountainscape around it. I didn’t know I enjoy such mountainous view so much until I travelled to the Northern Thailand. It’s definitely more beautiful and calmer than having a dozen skyscrapers towering over you.

There are many minority hilltribes that live in Pai. They’re especially good in making handcrafted items such as knitted bags, pouches, clothes and beanies. While Sara and I were cycling uphill 15km (with great effort) to a waterfall, we passed by 2 of such hilltribes. Friendly people. We exchanged smiles with them everytime we cycled pass the locals.

We were impressed by the hospitality of the locals, really. At the waterfall, we decided to settle our lunch, and ordered spicy papaya salad and mango salad from a side stall tended by a young lady. When she saw both of us hunching down to eat the food (put on a stool), she immediately carried a table for us, put a blue table cloth over, and even got us a makeshift vase with fresh flowers!

This is why I love Thailand. You hardly see any angry people.  

Well, the first week of school has already passed (although there’s still CCA fair tomorrow). I guess everything started off quite well. I’ve got a nice and experienced colleague to take charge of my new class together, and it looks like this class is gonna be a real sweet one.

Did a 15-lap swim, after a break of more than 1.5 months, to start off my training for 2 biathlons in Feb and March. Swim trial is within these 2 weeks! 40 minutes to complete 30 laps..  I hope I still can manage! 

So 2007’s over. It’s the first day of 2008, and along with the new year, comes along many new challenges and goals to achieve.

It’s been a busy yet enriching year in 2007. Some of the highlights include being a form teacher for 1 whole year the first time in St Nics, struggling to picking up a new language at my own free time and record-breaking number of flights I’ve taken in a year (6?!!).

But what I’d been most proud of was to have accomplished a feat that I never thought was possible in my 20+ years of life: Enjoying the joy of running, and along with it, swimming and cycling. That includes completing 3 marathons, 2 sprint triathlons, a duathlon and a biathlon. Doesn’t matter that I always ended up as one of the last few participants to complete. The fun is in the preparation itself, and also the satisfaction felt after finishing each event. At least I’m doing something healthy rather than slacking in bed or facing the monitor 24/7.

Will I be able to sustain the interest in these sports in the long run? Will my health in future allow me to continue participating in such strenuous activities? Nobody knows, but I’m glad with what’s happening in my life now, and am appreciating every moment of it.

This year’s resolutions and wishes would be very different from the past’s. But as long as one has a positive outlook on life, nothing can bring him down.