Houseman!

Some of the best work outs has to be doing the house-cleaning, and turning it upside down... so it's not just about the feng-shui (Chinese geomancy, literally "wind-water"), but actually doing exactly what Pat Morita got Ralph Macchio to do with waving hands and rowing strokes on Lemmon Pledge and a towel - in my case. The funniest thing was watching Grey's Anatomy tonight and when I got up to get a drink, for a second, I didn't recognise where I was... thought I was in a friend's place elsewhere on the other side of the world. Talk about getting dis-oriented when you get up too fast... Well, it could be the world spinning faster on its axis than I thought. Well, anyway, it's good that the bike's all pumped and cleaned and ready to rev, too. About Joe's Subaru Forester...?

Torso Twist, Outstretched Arms, and Spread Fingers

Thanks, Gary, for the Drill Four tips. As I haven't been in the pool a while, I decided to keep my 40-lap tryst yesterday afternoon casual and easy-going. That's another way of saying that I planned to enjoy the swim, which ultimately means doing breast-stroke. But occasionally, I would do the front-crawl - either because a new intruder into the pool is hijacking my lane or because I was breaking my lap routine for variety. Anyway, as I broke into the front-crawl, with the torso twist advocated by Gary, I found myself more relaxed, and with the vertical alignment of my outstretched arms overhead, into the water and pulling it back with slightly opened fingers, I could immediately feel the vast increase in efficiency. The net result was a much smoother, faster and breathable swim. But the pool quickly got crowded, with swimmers who really did not care about lane swimming and in particular, one bloke who simply could not swim straight! Thankful for the fine afternoon sun that came out to bless the day, I found myself in the training pool side, away from the hustle of the competition pool, and then taking on some essential vitamins from the day glow. It was great that I met Gary last night and could happily tell him about this experience, too. What a cool guy!

Long Walk West

I had thought it would have been a more active day, but it began with a slow start and despite the great weather outside, lethargy from a slow roll off the bed simply means the rest of the day will be "no go"! I was very inspired with my meeting and knowing Gary GL Heng - an astounding triathlete and ironman in his own right. It was terrific to have him talk about the Total Immersion programme to fine tune and tune up one's competitive swimming skills for these multi-races. He was adept in describing to me the drills 1 through 4, and emphasised the benefit of focussing on the first two up to full comfort, if the objectives are to be achieved. I definitely will schedule myself at the pool, early and without any distraction, to take the slow pace of drills 1 and 2... Really can't wait, though, but these couple of days are difficult with the funeral to attend etc. Anyway, by 3 pm I felt it was going to be a wasted day. Oddly, my whole body ached at one point and my legs just felt like they did not have any control... I knew something was wrong, but felt alert and reasonably energised. So, not to waste the beautiful sunshine, I thought it would be fantastic to take that long walk through Westlake to MacRitchie, and through the trails to Bukit Timah via the famed Rifle Range Road. The walk itself is worth a full blog, for it held some surprises and had its moments. But I will list two down here: the first was finding another mudslide site, just off the locations WO12 and WO13 (marked concrete wells) on the trail diverting joggers around the Sime Track mudslide area. This mudslide looks very recent (see picture left), and is dangerously close to the ridge which the jogging/hiking trail sits on. The drop is also very precarious and you can hear the sound of the stream gushing beneath the vegetation at the drop below. The other surprise occured as I crossed over the Rifle Range Flyover and hiked down the "S" curving road towards Mayfair Park/Bukit Timah. Then I spotted it: it was fully laden with green figs on the branches and main trunk, all over. Talk about Jesus looking at the fig tree in the Gospel and cursing it for not being fruitful. Now, when you look at this tree, you understand why it would be very obvious if the fig tree was barren. And it looks completely luscious and pleasing with all that fruit lingering on it. I am certain that a few more days and either the birds will get to them (good for seed dispersal), or these will fall and rot on the ground around it. These figs are terrific when ripe to sun-dry, salt and eat. I have also seen the same figs in pickled form as popular snacks from Thailand, Taiwan or China. Well, I might as well add that I found a Cardamon grove as well... Maybe the lucky folks who follow me during my next stroll westwards through the Nature Reserve will know more about the popular orchard within, and not just those Tongkat Ali plants!

Much In Vain, Where There's Plain Gain

The festive season still has a week or so more to go, and meanwhile those sugary delicacies are not fading out of view and falling out of reach. In fact, more obvious and ubiquitous than Mars or Snickers bars, these pineapple tarts, greenbean pressed-powder cookies, caramel batter rolled flakes (or "Love Letters" as they are popularly known), et al. are simply impossible to avoid and their seductive powers are greater than any sex siren. So, even as vanity might induce one to fast, you cannot avoid the impulse to procrastinate on the protein at the sight so many conveniently available carbohydrate temptations. The nett result is a real gain... not in losing weight but gaining greater girth! And all the dinners, suppers, snacks, and sweet sensations that symbolise wealth and prosperity in the simple shape of Chinese Mandarin oranges, will make one imitate the Fortune Buddha in form faster than a flash! No pain, no gain is lost in meaning here. There is everything to gain from realising simply that it is in vain to resist. It will only be an added incentive to make things right and be weary of all dietary controls going awry whenever the festivities come around...