Hot weekend
Save D the monks!
The past few days were quite eventful. D had to travel to Yangon for work (an education fair), which made me fret a bit... especially after all the violence on the streets reported recently. He assured me he and his colleagues would be in good hands, only to tell me the Myanmar government still had a ban on mobile phones (communication black out to the outside world continues). It was zero contact for a few days. Not even e-mail, although I did get a very short note on day 3, which apparently took 17 minutes to send out on a really slow internet connection. Something about being "safe", "good food", "lovely time". He swore it was not a government email template. The food really was good. So good he even ate vegetables. Rrrright.
So I sent him off on Wednesday night (public holiday), then it was back to work on Thursday, which instantly gave it 'Monday' status. Bleh. But all was not lost. Managed to squeeze in an RPM class and 1 hour of running at the gym. Then I had an awesome ride on the weekend.
Solar-powered
We met at Bangi right before the sun came up (lost my way, but finally found MS and AS's car at the Bangi tol). Parked our cars at the meeting point, and got our bikes and gear together. My new friends were there (MF, AL) as well as JW, one of my RPM instructors, and the PCC regulars.
We set off about 7.15 (or was it 7.30?) but before I could get out of the car park, *krak* my chain came off. I don't know how it happened, but it did. Hmmm. Everyone else were way ahead. Luckily WCC (thanks, man!) happened to be around to help me out and lead the way. I wiped bike grease on my tights. Talk about earning stripes. Hahaha.
We finally caught up with the rest at the petrol station near Salak, and continued our ride to the Sepang 'Gold Coast' in Bagan Lalang. Gold Coast konon... but I have to say, catching a glimpse of the sea while riding into the area was quite an awesome feeling (it actually looked blue and shimmery) . Wow! I cycled to the beach! *jakun smile from ear to ear*
We stopped for drinks and chit chat at a mamak before we went on our way again. The journey back, V encouraged me to keep up with the pack so I could draft and escape the strong crosswinds. Every now and then he would push me a little to get me up to speed. I'd catch up, then fall back from fatigue. I couldn't keep it up in the long run. The pack went far ahead, and soon it was just me, AR, MF and V. We spotted MS not too far in front of us and tried to catch her but she too, sped strongly ahead. Sigh. My newbie legs. No power. Inconsistent speed (averaging 24km/h according to bike computer), though I did keep my cadence above 80 most of the way.
As we approached Salak, we stopped at the petrol station for awhile. My feet were hurting cos I strapped my clip shoes too tight, and my feet expanded from the pressure and heat. Such relief to unstrap for abit and drink more fluids.
AR started to feel a cramp in her legs and ate a Powergel. We pushed off again after a short rest, but it wasn't long before the cramps hit her hard. Ironically, she stopped right in front of a government clinic (which was closed by the way) and stooped over in pain. We had to unlatch her front wheel to lower her bike and carry her off so she could lie down. I tried massaging her cramp thigh muscles which didn't provide much relief until a cab arrived. The poor girl could not move at all, so we carried her dead weight into the car. How they make throwing corpses into car boots look so easy on TV is an absolute lie. Hahaha.
After all that excitement, MF, V and I continued on our journey back to base. The sun was blazing hot by then. A magic hand helped to push me up some hills when I slowed down to a crawl (thanks V). I attempted some standing climbs (ala RPM, kekeke) at the last few hills, but I didn't last very long on wobbly legs. Even clipping and unclipping my pedals at traffic lights were clumsy near-toppling efforts.
Finally, we made it! My odometer clocked 97.71km for this ride - about 6 hours, including rest stops. Woooo hooo! The rest of the gang were waiting for us. AR arrived safely and was up walking again. Soon, we packed up and left, but not before going to the gas station for some cold drinks. In total, I probably drank 4 bottles of Gatorade and 2 bottles of 100 plus throughout and after the ride.
I went home with a bit of a tan (with SPF50 sunblock) and feeling like a solar panel. Really felt panas inside out, as if my body absorbed the sun rays and generated heat from within. I was so thirsty for the rest of the day and drank heaps of water. Weather's been crazy lately. Super hot afternoons followed by short but heavy rain in the evening.
SC is organising a 200km ride to Lumut from Centrepoint this Saturday. I'm tempted to go but I'll only be slowing everybody down. Shy la. Wondering if I should. Departing before 7am, ETA late afternoon. Wah liaoo...
Missing an arm and a leg
After the ride, I drove my weary body to the Sentul Raya office to check out materials for my apartment's kitchen cabinets. Rather than wait for my keys and hire contractors to build them, I decided to use the contractor recommended by the developer. That way, when I get my keys, the cabinets would be built-in (including Electrolux stove and hood). Then all I have to do is look for a tenant, and maybe furnish it abit. The materials seem decent enough (I chose the cheaper package, hehe).
The whole thing still cost the sum of some body parts, but I did my homework. It would cost about the same in Ikea anyway, but I would have the hassle of shopping for my own electrical appliances and pay for installation and stuff. Troublesome lah. Might as well get the developer to take care of everything, plus the prices are not too bad (bulk discount). Dream kitchen it is not, but presentable and durable lah. Sigh. There goes my bonus :(
In other news
The promotion - I can't say I worked any harder than most people in my department. So I can't say I really deserve it, but I'm grateful all the same.
A tempting offer - didn't think it would really come. But it did. And I don't know what to do. Opportunities come. Opportunities go. How many do I really wanna pass up?
The past few days were quite eventful. D had to travel to Yangon for work (an education fair), which made me fret a bit... especially after all the violence on the streets reported recently. He assured me he and his colleagues would be in good hands, only to tell me the Myanmar government still had a ban on mobile phones (communication black out to the outside world continues). It was zero contact for a few days. Not even e-mail, although I did get a very short note on day 3, which apparently took 17 minutes to send out on a really slow internet connection. Something about being "safe", "good food", "lovely time". He swore it was not a government email template. The food really was good. So good he even ate vegetables. Rrrright.
So I sent him off on Wednesday night (public holiday), then it was back to work on Thursday, which instantly gave it 'Monday' status. Bleh. But all was not lost. Managed to squeeze in an RPM class and 1 hour of running at the gym. Then I had an awesome ride on the weekend.
Solar-powered
We met at Bangi right before the sun came up (lost my way, but finally found MS and AS's car at the Bangi tol). Parked our cars at the meeting point, and got our bikes and gear together. My new friends were there (MF, AL) as well as JW, one of my RPM instructors, and the PCC regulars.
We set off about 7.15 (or was it 7.30?) but before I could get out of the car park, *krak* my chain came off. I don't know how it happened, but it did. Hmmm. Everyone else were way ahead. Luckily WCC (thanks, man!) happened to be around to help me out and lead the way. I wiped bike grease on my tights. Talk about earning stripes. Hahaha.
We finally caught up with the rest at the petrol station near Salak, and continued our ride to the Sepang 'Gold Coast' in Bagan Lalang. Gold Coast konon... but I have to say, catching a glimpse of the sea while riding into the area was quite an awesome feeling (it actually looked blue and shimmery) . Wow! I cycled to the beach! *jakun smile from ear to ear*
We stopped for drinks and chit chat at a mamak before we went on our way again. The journey back, V encouraged me to keep up with the pack so I could draft and escape the strong crosswinds. Every now and then he would push me a little to get me up to speed. I'd catch up, then fall back from fatigue. I couldn't keep it up in the long run. The pack went far ahead, and soon it was just me, AR, MF and V. We spotted MS not too far in front of us and tried to catch her but she too, sped strongly ahead. Sigh. My newbie legs. No power. Inconsistent speed (averaging 24km/h according to bike computer), though I did keep my cadence above 80 most of the way.
As we approached Salak, we stopped at the petrol station for awhile. My feet were hurting cos I strapped my clip shoes too tight, and my feet expanded from the pressure and heat. Such relief to unstrap for abit and drink more fluids.
AR started to feel a cramp in her legs and ate a Powergel. We pushed off again after a short rest, but it wasn't long before the cramps hit her hard. Ironically, she stopped right in front of a government clinic (which was closed by the way) and stooped over in pain. We had to unlatch her front wheel to lower her bike and carry her off so she could lie down. I tried massaging her cramp thigh muscles which didn't provide much relief until a cab arrived. The poor girl could not move at all, so we carried her dead weight into the car. How they make throwing corpses into car boots look so easy on TV is an absolute lie. Hahaha.
After all that excitement, MF, V and I continued on our journey back to base. The sun was blazing hot by then. A magic hand helped to push me up some hills when I slowed down to a crawl (thanks V). I attempted some standing climbs (ala RPM, kekeke) at the last few hills, but I didn't last very long on wobbly legs. Even clipping and unclipping my pedals at traffic lights were clumsy near-toppling efforts.
Finally, we made it! My odometer clocked 97.71km for this ride - about 6 hours, including rest stops. Woooo hooo! The rest of the gang were waiting for us. AR arrived safely and was up walking again. Soon, we packed up and left, but not before going to the gas station for some cold drinks. In total, I probably drank 4 bottles of Gatorade and 2 bottles of 100 plus throughout and after the ride.
I went home with a bit of a tan (with SPF50 sunblock) and feeling like a solar panel. Really felt panas inside out, as if my body absorbed the sun rays and generated heat from within. I was so thirsty for the rest of the day and drank heaps of water. Weather's been crazy lately. Super hot afternoons followed by short but heavy rain in the evening.
SC is organising a 200km ride to Lumut from Centrepoint this Saturday. I'm tempted to go but I'll only be slowing everybody down. Shy la. Wondering if I should. Departing before 7am, ETA late afternoon. Wah liaoo...
Missing an arm and a leg
After the ride, I drove my weary body to the Sentul Raya office to check out materials for my apartment's kitchen cabinets. Rather than wait for my keys and hire contractors to build them, I decided to use the contractor recommended by the developer. That way, when I get my keys, the cabinets would be built-in (including Electrolux stove and hood). Then all I have to do is look for a tenant, and maybe furnish it abit. The materials seem decent enough (I chose the cheaper package, hehe).
The whole thing still cost the sum of some body parts, but I did my homework. It would cost about the same in Ikea anyway, but I would have the hassle of shopping for my own electrical appliances and pay for installation and stuff. Troublesome lah. Might as well get the developer to take care of everything, plus the prices are not too bad (bulk discount). Dream kitchen it is not, but presentable and durable lah. Sigh. There goes my bonus :(
In other news
The promotion - I can't say I worked any harder than most people in my department. So I can't say I really deserve it, but I'm grateful all the same.
A tempting offer - didn't think it would really come. But it did. And I don't know what to do. Opportunities come. Opportunities go. How many do I really wanna pass up?
Labels: cycling, D, The Saffron, work
says Wandernut on Monday, January 28, 2008
6 wandered by:
hi wandernut - sorry for late reply. my swim coach is Peh Gin Hai (ex national coach) and his number is 0193160991. he has many coaches, including himself. i am sure he can help you.
wow, your first 100km ride, well done lah! :D
hey babe, wah 100km ride - salam, salam...
ooh congrats too on your promotion, hehe a treat for me and our hot mama? :)
oopsl, that was chris by the way :p
100km???!! wow
and congrats on the promotion! how's it going with the decision making?
oh - my mum's going to myanmar for 4 weeks...
congratulations on promotion weina :)
and gong xi fa cai too!
adriene
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