Ajun

Ride to Cure Diabetes

2011-01-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

http://ride.jdrf.org.au/teamParticipant.asp?participantID=83

Here's a cause close to my heart since I look after all the kids with type 1 diabetes up here in Darwin

It saddens me when parents tell me that:

"no one asks my child over for a sleep over because they are afraid of the added responsibility and if they have to give my child an injection.."

"..other people think my child has diabetes because of what I ate when I was pregnant or what I gave my child to eat (like lots of lollies)"

Obesity may be contagious

2010-11-23T03:44:00.000-08:00

With rates of obesity in Australia only marginally behind the United States and tracking at the same pace, mathematical and social modelling on the projection of obesity rates in America is sobering reading for Australians.

The most recent statistics on the weight and health of the Australian population paints the grim picture of one in four adults classified as obese (defined as a body mass index above 30 kg/m²). When overweight is added to this, 68% of adult Australians are likely carrying more weight than what is good for them. These rates have been consistently rising for the last three decades and do not appear to show any signs of slowing.

A research team from Harvard University has applied complex mathematical modelling, derived from long running diet and health studies, to determine how obesity rates could look like in the United States in the future. As Australia closely matches and tracks the United States for obesity rates, and has a similar standard of living, then forecasts from this modelling would have currency for Australians.

The bottom line is that obesity rates will likely reach a peak of 42% of the population within 40 years. This result on its own is probably not so surprising, but the interesting finding that came from the research was the factors most likely to predict if a person would become obese.

The more friends a person has who are obese, the greater their own chance of becoming obese is. To put some hard numbers to the finding, each adult was found to have a 2% chance of becoming obese in any given year. But for every obese friend a person had, their own risk of becoming obese increased by 0.5 percentage points. So someone with a social circle of six obese friends would have a risk of 5% of becoming obese themselves.

Although another recent study found that a single gene mutation heightened the risk of obesity by up to 67 percent, genetics cannot explain the skyrocketing obesity trend. Lifestyle choices or other features of modern life must be contributing as well. And some researchers have even proposed that infections of gut bacteria account for some cases of obesity.

Christakis and political scientist James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, analyzed 32 years' worth of recent records from 12,067 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, which has followed the health of residents of a small Massachusetts town and their offspring every four years since 1948.

Aside from listing their spouses and family members at each follow-up, participants gave names of close friends who would likely know their future whereabouts; more than 70 percent of these were also included in the study, creating a dense social network suitable for identifying epidemiclike effects.

When two people each listed the other as a friend and one of them packed on the pounds, the second person was 171 percent more likely to become obese. However, if only one member of the pair considered the other a friend, obesity was more likely to spread only to the person holding that view.

A person whose friends had obese friends carried an added 20 percent risk of obesity, which fell to 10 percent for friends of the third degree. In comparison, a chunky sibling increased the risk by 40 percent and a spouse by 37 percent.

Geographic location had no bearing on the results: A portly neighbor had no effect, but a friend who gained weight and lived far away still appeared to raise the risk of obesity. People of the same sex also had a stronger impact on one another.

So, arn't you lucky to have me as a friend ;)

Gravity

2010-11-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

Its that time of the year again. Gravity 12 hour, a fun filled weekend be you a hardcore rider or weekend warrior. Guarantee you will feel pain where you have never felt before; never will you buy a lightweight saddle, Assos feels rather cheap, and you start to contemplate the idea of using butt cream to relieve the pain and minimise the chaffing (and never go there with a new bike).

It was a mud bath. And I only managed 4 laps compared to the 6 I did last year....*sigh*
How can I not mention Cat in this post. Unfortunately, I left my camera in Darwin and the phone doesent take good pictures. Have to thank Joel for picking up the bike and lugging the bike bag all the way from work home ;)
Cat's place always feels like home (away from home). Towels provided, luxurious shower gels, free access to the pantry and books/magazines I like to browse (cookbooks, home decor and the tech stuff from Joel).

Moving House

2010-11-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

If you love your house that much, take it with you....
This is probably a walk in the park after watching Monster Moves.

Till next time..

2010-10-31T04:26:00.000-07:00

Friends and classmate at Uni. Got me my first job in Darwin, while I was sending applications all over Australia and waiting to hear back. And with the connections I made, I could pretty much walk back into Darwin, when the rest of Aus would be hesitant of hiring someone from overseas. Been housemates ever since... but after close to 4 good years, things unfortunately have to come to an end.

Anthea's decided to move to Queensland.

And with that goes the furniture as well..ha. All that in the picture is due for the removalist soon. It's funny when friends come by and comment, "nice place you got here, nice furniture..." And my reply: other than the 4 walls, nothing in this house belongs to me, not even the plates and cutlery.

Time to get some new ones but thats another post.
While we chatted about works and things, we had our difference in opinion but we couldnt' have been so like minded. We are both fanatic about sports. She's into Circus arts (Tisu, one where you twirl yourself around in midair with a piece of cloth) and the Tri scene and me the road and mountain bikes. We shop at the same bike shop (online). We are both very particular about keeping the house clean (to a certain degree). She does not wear shoes in the house (try telling that to an Aussie). Alas, it'll take a while getting used to someone new.

Will you survive?

2010-10-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Obesity is currently worsening throughout the developed world and becoming the top public health concern.

In Australia, over 60% (aged 25 and over) of adults are overweight of which 20% are obese, making us almost as fat as the Americans.

So why is the world getting more and more obese? It was not that long ago that my clients could recall dipping bread into the dripping on the oven tray and drinking full cream milk straight from the cow, so where did we go wrong?

Back in the dark ages, most societies would have known obesity, it is not something new. However, it was seen only at the elite end. Walk into any art museum, open any history book and you will probably see paintings of kings and nobles who could afford to eat what they wanted, tons of meat and pastries washed down with ale and wines.

Unfortunately, what has been limited to the elite, noble class is now available to everyone.

After the World War, there was limited choice with food, in fact food was rationed. But came the 1950s and we saw the birth of some of our most famous fast food giants, companies were also doing their best to convince the "typical" 1950s homemaker to purchase time-saving appliances and serve the family with new convenience/packaged foods. This had little success as traditional homemakers preferred to cook "the old fashioned" way.

As a country gets more developed, foods (both fresh and processed/packaged) become more readily available. The 1970s saw an increased participation of women in the labour force; this coupled with longer working hours meant that time available for traditional meal preparation from raw ingredients shrank as a result of changing working and living conditions. As such, the time saving nature of fast food and convenience foods now grew in popularity as they were available virtually everywhere.

The introduction of the World Wide Web in the 1990s revolutionised the way we work (as we spend more time behind a screen) and even shop. Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that between 1998 to 2008-09, household access to the internet at home has more than quadrupled from 16% to 72%, while access to computers has increased from 44% to 78%.

These are all factors that, directly or indirectly, contribute to the lifestyle changes which have caused the obesity epidemic.

We certainly cannot go back to the days where there was no choice with food or when food was being rationed. But it’s my role to help people navigate through the supermarket aisles and hopefully make an informed choice about the food they buy.

However, the notion of informed choice relies on the premise that we make rational decisions but we humans are an irrational lot, aren’t we? We thrive on emotions and succumb to temptations and that, oh glorious chocolate cake/macaroon.

I have a dishwasher that came with my apartment that is still in its wrapper as I have never used it (waste too much power and I can do it in 10mins). I have no microwave at home as I feel it erodes people’s cooking skills. I try to cook from scratch and cycle to work whenever I can. These are all decision I made, they are not easy ones, but ones I live by.

Why do people wear seatbelts? Have a think next time you put one on, was it because you felt safe wearing one, or it is because the cops will pull you over and you risk losing points and have to pay a fine. Why do I not see ‘as much’ alcohol related violence and people smoking on the streets in Singapore. Is it for health reasons or is it because alcohol and cigarettes are the 2 most heavily taxed items on top of legislations that ban smoking in air-conditioned places.

On a higher level, governments need to think about how they are going to address this with radical policies that look at prevention rather than cure. Workplace need to place more emphasis on not just occupational health but also the general health and well being of its employees, perhaps incentives for staff who car pool, ride to work or enrol in a health class/program (i.e smoking cessation); only then will we be able to make some in-roads to the obesity problem, if not, we’re just pissing into the wind.

Darwin’s law of natural selection (while not in gene related evolution terms), states that when the environment changes, it’s the species that is able to best to adapt and develop those traits in adapting to the environment that will survive. Law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. Unfortunately in an environment where we are surrounded by cheap calories with high pressure advertising, I don’t think that people are able to make healthy choices – it’s just too difficult. The population as a whole is not going to survive. Its the sub-groups and individuals within who choose to make the hard choices based on those informed choices that will SURVIVE this obese-genic environment.

Who will you be?

Choice

2010-04-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the most common client conversations I have:

- Client with elevated cholesterol levels:
But my grandparents used to have bacon, butter and even dripping with bread but they still lived to a ripe old age.
(Well, they didnt have much food then did they?)

- Client with blood pressure:
We used to be given salt tablets cos we live in the tropics and sweat more.
(But the food supply was fairly unprocessed then)

- Obese/Diabetic client:
I only drink no-added sugar juice.

Clients are shocked when I tell them that there is the equivalent of 12-13 teaspoons of sugar in a 600ml bottle of coke. BUt really, their jaw drop when I tell them its the same with that bottle of juice. If you compared the calories and even carbohydrates of juice, most of the time it similar or even higher than coke. So a client trying to lose weight really hasnt achieved anything by switching from coke to juice as the caloric content is still the same.

Which brings me back to the same question: Choice

Back in our grandparents time, food was rationed, there could have been a famine, lots more physical activity but there was LESS FOOD CHOICE (in some cases no choice). You ate what was available and probably worked it off. If you wanted a 600ml bottle of juice, you probably had to cart a 3kg bag of oranges home and juiced it up. All which requires physical activity.

These days, we are spoiled for choices. We have to make decisions about food all the time. Which brand do I get? What to order for entree? Should I go with that low fat variety? Is the lite stuff better? But that says fat/sugar free. Lower GI is better, right?

We can't go back to days of NO CHOICE and thus my job is to hopefully help people make informed choices (whether they take that advice is another story).

But seriously, I dun think eating healthy is rocket science. Here are some of my favourite rules from Michael Pollen's book (and I left out some of the more controversial ones).

- It isnt food if it arrived through the window of your car.
- If its from a plant, eat it. If its made in a plant, reconsider.
- In relation to food additives; Did grandma have foods with all these numbers in it?
- Avoid foods advertised on the TV. (How often do you see an ad for a tomato or apple?)
- It’s not food if it’s called the same thing in every language. (Think Big Mac)
- Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."
- Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk. (eg.gCocopops, fruit loops vs Just Right, Sustain, weetbix, all bran).

Not all BMW's are the same?

2010-04-04T23:27:00.000-07:00

I am already thinking of my 6 months long service leave. What to do, where to go and see..
Maybe a round trip of Aus. I dun think I can afford a 4Wd and I have always viewed them as abit of a petrol guzzler and really, how often do I go off-road.
Perhaps an offroad touring bike might fit the bill. And if its good enough for the Dakar Race, a similar bike wil be good enough for me. Unlike Singapore, its $95 for a 3 day course and you get your learner's, so why not.

Anyway, here I am at the BMW dealers; as the sales person was serving another customer:

Overheard conversation to a customer:
Salesperson: "Its normall $118k, but as its a 09' plated car, you can have it for $98k. $20k off is a really good deal......."

My turn:
Salesperson:"What can I do for you today?"

Me: "So that was a pretty good deal there for that car. Do you think I can get $20k off this bike" (the RRP is $14,500)

Salesperson: "I'll give you $500 off".

I dun think it helped when I went in there with flipflops, shorts and t-shirt.

The Man himself and the 160k

2010-02-08T03:43:00.000-08:00

Not many people can attain such a cult following. It happened with the Victoria government paying Tiger Woods to come to Melbourne to play a game of golf and the deal paid off handsomely.

Lance Armstrong twittered " who wants to come for a ride in Glenelg with him and Robbie McEwen and close to 7000 cyclist turned up".

The guy has won 7 Tour De France. In an interview, a reported asked "Lance, what are you on?" (trying to instigate that he was on drugs). His reply "I'm on my freaking bike 6-7 hours a day".
The Tour De France is the pinnacle of cycling. Basically, it involves cycling anywhere from 120-200+km per day, everyday, for close to 3 weeks.

SO I asked myself, what could it be like cycling a stage of the Tour Down Under in Adelaide. We started at 6.30am and the professional racers will ride the same course but starting at 10.30 (so we got a 4 hrs head start). 8000+ riders signed up, and we got the SA police closing most roads for us out of the city, you could not ask for more.
160km...with a hill thrown in. It reached 12-13% gradient at some parts.

Australia's version of the devil girl greeting you as you get past the final climb.

This guys obviously did it on a MTB.

8000 riders, so you need plenty of rails for bikes.
I finished in 5.5hrs. Frankly, I dun think I couls do it again the next day. The legs were actually pretty good but the neck was stiff as!
No picture of me after the race. Mate said, I looked like 'shit'. U get cramps in places you never thought possible.

Here's me in the final stage race in the City itself.
Saxo in the lead

Lance, the man himself in the pack.

HTC protecting Griepel
Australia's Cadel Evans
And Mike, the Guy flys in, in his private Jet Stream, he flew out the same night. Its pretty hard to get close to him.

PS: Cat, there was actually study whereby a client with kidney failure decided to eat heaps of bananas and died from the potassium overload! His heart could not take it.

I ate 6 bananas that day!!

The Killer: Ride to Stirling

2010-02-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

When you got no car, the bike's the next best transport but defintely not on a 40c day.
For people who remember Glen Osmond and the freeway up to Mount Lofty and then Stirling, basically that was where the race was gonna be ending that day. So we RODE up it and boy, I almost died when I got there. Unlike rolling hills whereby there is up and downs, its just up, up and more up, no chance for you to catch your breath.

The Peloton rolling past.
Skoda, the official Tour cars. Rather than the cars, the point I was trying to make was that those people driving them must all by qualified to drive in car rallies. The corners they take; lets just say I would stay ON the footpath.

What is priceless: On the way back, I had the Astana, BMC, French Team riders flying past me back to the city. I was coasting down from Stirling at 60-70km/hr holding on to dear life (and the brakes) and these guys are just zooming past me!
Now I know why bike riders break collarbones so easily, even a guy on a motorbike has more padding than me!

Eye Candy

2010-02-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

Team Sky's Chris Sutton winning the last day of the race in the heart of Adelaide.

The new Pinarello Dogma 60.1 running Shimano's Di2. And the Prototype C50.
Spesh's new Tarmac SL3.

Feels like home...

2010-02-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

Its hard to describe but when you've been away from Adelaide for that long, it somehow still feels like you're coming back home. Maybe its cos my good friend and hsemate for 4 years is still there. Or maybe its cos you look down a street or turn your head and you can tell exactly (or most of the time) whats round the corner, where are the good cafes.
Mate, Mihkel and me after touching down in the early hours of the morning having breaky in the city.
Adiemus and wife, Debbie. Stayed a few days at their newly built house in Adelaide.

Occupation Hazard: I pry into people's pantry when they are not looking. I wake up pretty early even without the alarm clock and was roaming through the house. (Cup-a-soups; what I like to refer to as just a bigger packet of salt sachet)
Trust me, Cat. I go through yours as well ;)
Well, if I'm going through your pantry, it also means I consider you a pretty close friend.
Team cars packed in Victoria Square, near the central markets
Nothing has changed too much. KY CHow is still there, but changed location, still on Gouger. Went to some of the cafes on King William street. Had lunch at Hong Fatt.
Glenlg, unfortunately is now lined with high rise apartments.

Want vs Need

2009-12-23T14:27:00.000-08:00

Want: Subura Forester or Mitsubishi Outlander

Need: Corolla or Honda City

Price: $30-32k (want) vs $21-23k (Need)

Engine: 2.4L vs 1.5-1.8L

Fuel/100km: 9-9.5L vs 6.5-7.5L

I probably only need the 'want' car 20% of the time, if folks visit or I'm going biking/camping.

The 'need' car would probably suffice for 80% of my time.

I'm a logical person but when I pose the Qs to my hsemate, the reply was:

" you only live once.."

Its a write off

2009-12-17T23:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a Christmas Lunch that the whole office is not gonna forget anytime soon.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/14/2770593.htm

Cyclone Lawrance was just passing through the gulf of Darwin but it brought along with it 250+mm of rain in 1 day (which is what we might have gotten in a month). Iwas having Christmas Lunch at the Vibe Hotel at the waterfront but next thing I know, the cars flash flooded.

I'm insured with AAMi but unfortunately, people down South just have no clues.

Me: I'd like to put in a claim for my vehicle that got flooded in a storm

AAMI: Oh, thats no good, was it raining

Me: Yes, it was (We've just got a freaking cyclone pass through)

AAMI: Were you trying to drive through it?

The hardest thing about the episode was that whenever a big 4WD decides to drive past, the wakes it creates from the water was just bobbing and hitting the semi floating cars against the kerb.

A friends Hyundai (parked behind me) and another driving a Mitsubishi Magna was written off straight away as the engine could not even start. But I was able to start and actually drive it off. So if you want a reliable car, I cannot recommend Toyota more than enough.

The Airbags electronics are located near the central console so even if I was able to drive off, the airbag circuit had actually been short-circuited. Most insurance will write it off as its too hard to repair electronics and its a safety issue. If I was to be involved in a accident, there is always the likelyhood that it will not deploy.

So here I am off to look for another car...

Gravity 12hr MTB race (Melbourne)

2009-11-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

Went down to Melbourne's Apline regions for the annual Garvity 12hr bike race. Basically, the aim of the race is to complete the most number of laps within the 12hrs. I teamed up with a mate; Mihkel and entered as male pair.
Melbournians called it a heatwave that weekend, while me and Mihkel who flew down from Darwin called it great weather.

The day was fairly hot and dry but the nights were still freezing. Above; the guys discussing the pros/cons of hardtail vs a full suspension bike. I'm crap at the downhill sections but always catch up at the uphills.Pre race startThe fairies were out. He was in that outfit with the time trial helmut for most of the whole day!Mihkel before going out on his nightlap.

I was fine the whole day until my nightlap where I took a dive at one of the ditches. Could not see my bike line or path to take as I was going down. Next thing I know, I'm sprawling on the gravel. Just took some bark off the right knee cap.

Some facts:

600+ participants, 250+ teams; 4 male and female cubicles (equates to long q's at the toilet in the morning)

How I fared:

Team name: Mixed Nuts; 148th out of the 250+ teams and rank 19 within the male pair category.

So Mike, I was doing some free promotion with the Shimano Jersey, any luck for me on sponsorship?

Sydney 'Work' Trip

2009-08-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

I think the guys still didnt believe I was in Sydney for a work trip.

Anyway, I was not in the best of shapes that night. The drug company wanted to fly me in overnight and expected me to attend a full day conference on Saturday and Sunday. I was also watching the Tour De France (live) in the night and survived with a few short blacks the next day.

There arnt many tickets/flights from Darwin so I flew via Adelaide to go Sydney. But that meant I could be there the night before. I even managed to catch up with an old friend/hsemate (Adiemus and Debbie) at the Adelaide Airport.
Siew was taking the pics but she was there as well. Am glad Serene could make it with Ed and Charlotte. Am sure Serene has more picts and things to blog about but perhaps getting to the computer is not so easy these days ;)

Top End Tour: Day 3

2009-06-26T02:26:00.000-07:00

Day 3 was a more relaxing ride; no matter what I did, even if I contested all the King of the Mountain climbs and Town Sprints, it would not change my standing on the group. Here I am leading the group out but everyone was pretty relaxed to start.Attacking on one of the climbs up the hill

Me taking out Stage 5 of the race.

Group picture of the the winners from the various stages

Neighbour, good mate and oldest rider on the tour (turning 66 this year) which just goes to show age is no barrier.

Top End Tour: Day 2 Race

2009-06-26T02:20:00.000-07:00

The order of the day for pretty similar on Day 2. A road race in the morning followed by a criterium in the afternoon. Good friend and one of the oldest rider on the Tour listening in on some race tactics....

Me in the Criterium

Top End Tour: Day 1 Road Race

2009-06-26T02:05:00.000-07:00

After my experience at a 3 day road race, I'm starting to go beyond what people would call normal. My usual 40km road rides do not give me a kick anymore. The standard is now 85-100km on a saturday morning.
Anyway, here are some picts of the road race:
Day 1: 80km road race followed by 20km time trial in the afternoon.
Race brief in the morning. Hanging in 3rd place within the pack.

Here's what you get after a road race and lunch. Tired cyclist.

I never ever buy softdrinks and only drink them 'socially'. But I gulped finished a 1.25L within the hour.

The slow, slow walk to the start of the Time Trial

MIA..but getting stronger, fitter, faster

2009-05-24T04:41:00.000-07:00

I had been busy recently with the Arafura Games which is held in Darwin every 2 years. It comes no where near the the prestige of the Commonwealth or even the South East Asian Games, but its a little something that Darwin is proud to hold. And I must say, the event attracts many developemental athletes from various countries. Here are some picts of the Criterium (an event where you race round a circuit to score points at specific sprinting points or at the end) in the city. The exercise physiologist I work with was racing so was there to support.I think I only mentioned this to Mike. 3-4 weeks ago, I competed in a Time Trial (basically you are on your own and race from point A to B in the fastest time). And guess what, my ego was bruised by 25sec (and alot longer after that) cos I lost to a guy turning 66 (more than twice my age) in 3 months time!!

At the end of the day, its time on the bike. And that's perhaps why Australia produces such great cyclist, cos there's nothing but vast open space/land.

Well, no more will my ego be bruised! Been training hard; clocked 85 km on the bike yesterday and another 50+km today and I dun feel sore at all. Gimme a bike tomorrow, and I'll be riding it. Taking part in a 80km road race next week and a 3 stage road race(http://topendtour.webs.com/) in June.

Foreign Concept

2009-04-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

Hey, I just paid my dues and got my license to ride my bike. Been riding my bike since my secondary school days for tuition and just about anywhere and never with a helmut. But now, I have to get a license to ride. Now thats a concept I have to learn to accept.
"...we are pleased to advise...cover for all memebers 24/7, whenever they are on their bike..." Guess part of my memebership goes towards that as well.The second part goes on "...Cycling Australia promotes a zero tolerance of drugs in sport..the anti doping policy applies to everyone who particpates in cycling competition..."

Now, just where am I going to get the drugs from? I had been crook last week and just popped a couple of panadol and thought, problem solved. But I had this lingering sore throat that would not go away, and after doing a supermarket tour for clients last night, I practically lost my voice this morning. Never in my life have I lost my voice. I guess I was pushing it last night with the tour.
I am a firm believer in the body heals itself so I rocked up to work but the boss still wanted me to see the doc even when I was perfectly all right (just without sound).
Made an appointment with the Doc, rocked up, he looked at my throat, listen to my lungs, I indicated I had no coughing/headcold and next he goes, its phyringitis. Here, I'll write a prescription for some STEROIDS and that should clear it up. I have never been offered steroids in Singapore for any 'common' ailments. Frankly, its still sore throat to me, but there you go, I got my steroids. Now I wonder if that will make me go fasterrrrr...

Back to the rationale of why I needed the license. I have been doing the local criterium bike races every thursday night and unfortunately in Aus, you need a license to race. Above are just some of the usually fast suspects. The race is conducted on the V8 race track in Darwin so there's no issue with cars or potholes. Basically racing heaven.For Mike's interest, the average speed for 40-50km/hr for the first 4 laps, but I lost it towards the end. Maybe cos I didnt take my steroids...ha

Grade C was a little too easy so I went up to Grade B but as I mentioned, I got hammered by the second sprint.

http://www.darwincyclingclub.com/news/displaynews.php?id=1239276331

C Grade: 8 Riders:
First Sprint: Luke Hansen 1st; Graham Smith 2nd; Gerard Wong 3rd:
Final Sprint; Luke Hansen 1st; Graham Smith 2nd; Gerard Wong 3rd:

Zipp SL145

2009-04-01T04:22:00.000-07:00

Good things come in little packages. This was never an option but I got some credit from my last purchase at Team Cyclist ( in the US) as it was their policy to price match and beat. I found one on the internet and needless to say, they honoured their claim.I needed a shorter stem and got the 100mm. Picture after I brought the bike in to the shop to have the excess fork steerer cut.
Notice the massively oversized stem/clamp area. One thing that drew me to the stem was Zipps claim of extreme stiffness. It may not matter to most, but for a small rider like me who practically pulls on the handlebars on climbs and sprints to squeeze out that extra bit of wattage, it matters.
On the old aluminium Avanti Corsa, stem flex/vibration were part of the daily ride order of the day. But going from that to the Pinarello stock MOST carbon, its been a delight. That was until I put the Zipps on. I guess its slightly biased as the 1cm drop does make a huge difference as well; I am finding that I am getting to ride more and more in a compact position.

In terms of weight; Ritchey 4Axis 100mm (116g)

Stock 'MOST' 110mm stem; (151g )
Zipp sl 145 100mm stem; (147g)

While the Ritchey wins hands down on weight, it is something I will not trade over for the stiffness of the Zipp's SL145. The former also exhibit more signs of flex as compare to the 'MOST' stem.

A day out on the harbour

2009-03-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

The humidity drops, the air is crisp and fresh after a storm. Its the change in seasons for us. Only 2 to start with, the wet and the dry. You start to notice when you cannot get a table at your favourite restuarant without having to book. The tourist buses seem to be full and there is just generally more people than usual at Woolies. Anyway, it was a good time to get out on the harbour on my ex-bosses catamaran.

Housemate relaxing with a cold beer in hand.

Eat your fruits

2009-03-19T04:57:00.000-07:00

As a dietitian, unfortunately you get top pecking order of being cc-ed into any and every fruit and vegetable joke. Here's one of them..

Cooked Out

2009-03-03T03:49:00.000-08:00

Besides my Diabetes cooking class, I also work with young athletes. Part of keeping myself in the loop of Sport Nutrition. Do I make a killing? Not really. My books just about balances. Meaning I have a slight profit hopefully to keep the tax office happy.
The good thing about having your own business and ABN is that I could go buy a cookbook, new frypan and even dinner at a restuarant and call it work related expenses...
But, I'm pretty cooked out these days working the 2 jobs.

Strong Light CT2 and under-torque

2009-03-03T03:21:00.001-08:00

Standard gearing 53/39 versus compack 50/34 cranks (which some traditionalist scoff at).
Frankly, I think the comapct ratio are a gem. Being 55kg and not very massive legs, I can hardly hold/pull the 53T for long. The only downside is the 34T combo which I find too low (unless I am cycling up the Pyrennes!). Thus, the 110 BCD makes it easier to change or upsize to a 38T. Spot anything wrong with the picture. I always thought over torque was bad but under torque can be worse. I didnt even notice anything until last weekends ride when I notice I had lost 3 of the 5 bolts holding the crank together! Here's the last surviving two.

Here's one area which I would not mind using steel bolts. The alloy inner bolts on the crank are already starting to round off.

Gore Ride On and Bontrager

2009-03-03T03:05:00.000-08:00

With newer designs and wider and ever engorging bottom brackets, the front derailuer cable now has to thread through part of the frame. One of the criticisms of the design is that a small plastic sleeve is actually placed just when the cable curves up. Maintainance is an issue as dirt and gunk tend to built up much more easily.
Enter the Gore Ride On Sealed system with teflon cables which are said not to need lube during service. You can feel the 'teflon' immediately as you try to pull the cable to tension before screwing in the bolt clamp. Any difference in shifting? Not that I could notice, but I do not shift the front that often and the old cable arent that old to start with.The cable is pretty easy to install. Time needed: 30min max. The plastic sleeve runs all the way through.Cable/frame 'donuts' tend to slide up and down and congregate at an area after a while. Not much use. Install some Bontrager rubber sleeves/widgets on the outer cable.
Time needed: 20mins!! The are a pain to get onto the cable but once at the required location; DOES NOT MOVE.

Lightweight Clinchers

2009-03-03T01:28:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of weight weenie website

1. 1095g, 2008 Carbonsports Lightweight Standard C, 110kg
2. 1099g, 2008 Lew Racing PRO VC-1, 16/20, 90kg
3. 1120g(A), 2008 American Classic Magnesium Clincher - Sapim Spokes
8. 1250g, 2008 DT Swiss RRC1250, 18/24, C, 90kg
9. 1255g, 2008 American Classic Magnesium Clincher - 28/32
10. 1300g, 2008 American Classic Sprint 350 28/32, 24/24mm
13. 1315g, 2008 FRM FL-R21 Aerolite SL HCB , 24/28,
17. 1350g, 2008 Rolf Prima Elan, 20/24, 23/23mm, A,
19. 1355g, 2008 Mavic R-SYS Clincher, 16/20, 22/26mm, A,
20. 1348g, 2008 HED Ardennes, 18/24
23. 1365g 2008 Bontrager XXX Lite, 20/24, 24/24mm,
24. 1370g, 2008 Fulcrum Racing Light Clincher, 22/24
25. 1386g, 2008 Shimano WH-7850-C24-CL , 16/20, 24/24mm

For the average cyclist, even a change to a lighter set of wheels can be felt almost immediately. It feels 'lighter', your ability to generate speed is quicker. And in a race/criterium situation, this becomes even more important with constant changes in speed.
There however comes a point when the cost benefit ratio of a set of wheels become ridiculous. Here's a list from weight weenie with the highlighted bits of what I deem the most cost effective set of clinchers.
Yours dun fair too badly down the list Mike but with a set of 202/303 tubs weighing less than 1100g, its something to consider.

Jockey Wheel Service

2009-02-28T00:40:00.000-08:00

A simple service to keep things running smoothly. 20min tops.
Pictures from my mates trek madone. He rides and forgets. When I removed the chain, I was surprised how seized up it was.
Sand + chain grind = paste. Not a good combo. While the jockey wheels state 'sealed bearings'. I thought a few drops of dry lube actually made it smoother.

Cholesterol: Can a change in diet and lifestyle really help?

2009-02-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

Dyslipidemia is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease. (CHD). Dyslipidemia is generally characterized by:
- Increased total cholesterol,
- Increased LDL cholesterol (LDL-c) and triglycerides (TG),
- in conjunction with decreased concentrations of HDL cholesterol (HDL-c).

At present, these lipid imbalances are most routinely treated with medications which beg one to ask: Are diet and lifestyle changes still relevant forms of treatment in the age of cholesterol-lowering drugs?

So what contributes to cholesterol?

Everyone produces cholesterol in their liver. Some people naturally produce more than others. Things that influence cholesterol levels are diet, exercise and cholesterol lowering medications.

A review of some of the studies combining dietary change and physical activity revealed that a low fat (<30% of daily energy) and low saturated fat diet combined with 30-60 minutes of physical activity (3-7times per week) can lower your total cholesterol by 7-18% and LDL-c by 7-15%.

Putting that into perspective, for both males and females weighing less than 90kg, it would equate to a daily fat intake of between 60-85g; not a lot when you consider a 400g tin of coconut milk contributing 50-60g of fat (the majority saturated fat) and a meat pie containing 25-30g of fat.

The effect on HDL-c was however less clear. Although some of the trials showed significant increases ranging from 5 to 14%, a majority of the trials showed no significant effect. It is important to note that some studies showed improvement in cholesterol profile with shorter trial periods, however interventions should be maintained for at least 16 weeks (or 4months) to achieve a change in cholesterol profile.

The second part of the review looked at supplementing the diet with certain foods known to enhance lipid lowering. The 3 most commonly studied and used being oat bran, fish oils and plant sterols.

Fish oil supplementation combined with exercise appears to have the most effect on TG levels. Studies over a 3-6week period were able to lower TG levels by 20-38%.

It has been suggested that the soluble fibre in oat bran is able to bind to bile acids in the digestion process thereby reducing total cholesterol. Supplementing the diet with oat products have been shown to produce significant reductions in both TC and LDL-C concentrations but having little effect on either HDL-C or TG levels (which could also be due to the shorter duration of the study periods)

In studies that have combined oat bran supplementation with exercise, consistent and substantial plasma lipid decreases were demonstrated. After 4 wk of supplementing with 35–100g oat bran/d combined with supervised endurance training for 60 min/d, reductions in TC and LDL-C of (8-26%) and (10-30%) respectively were observed.

Plant sterols, plant compounds that are structurally similar to cholesterol, were shown to lower lipid levels in humans by inhibiting cholesterol absorption from the intestine. Food sources of plant sterols include vegetable oils, seeds, and nuts. Increasing the dietary intake of these compounds is also possible through the consumption of certain products that have been supplemented with plant sterols, such as margarines and yoghurts. In a meta-analysis of 21 trials of plant sterol supplementation, it was shown that a near-maximum effect of a 10% reduction in LDL-C occurs at a dose of 2 g/d. This can be obtained fro the use of 20-25g of plant sterol enriched margarine (which roughly equates to spreading a teaspoon of margarine on 4-5slices of bread). Total cholesterol levels were shown to be reduced to a similar extent. Although the evidence suggests that these nutritional supplements have no effect on HDL-C or TG levels.

In conclusion, combination diet and lifestyle therapy is an effective means of improving cholesterol levels. For individuals who require only a 5–25% decrease in TC or LDL-C concentrations, such interventions should be implemented as a first line preliminary measure and be given at least a 3-4 month period before a review of management.

Nuts; it didnt come out right

2009-02-27T03:44:00.000-08:00

As you know I've been doing some cooking classes. One common finding is how often people understimate fat and the calorie it gives. Clients would say bread, pasta and rice is fattening but dont think about the cream carbonara that goes with the pasta.

Avocado is rich in fat, good in nature, so wont really put on weight?!?!?
Nuts, I can eat as much as I want, cos the fat in there is good?!?!?

Just to put into perspective
* your 400g tin of coconut milk has about 50-60g of fat (saturated fat, ones that will bump up your Lousy-LDL cholesterol and clog ypur arteries).
* A 100g worth of macadamia nuts (roughly enough to fill 1 measuring cup) has 70g of fat. I wonder how people come to the conclusion that nuts are not fattening.

Anyway, just as we were packing up the room with my female workmate, she started nibbling on the pack of nuts. Hey, in these time of economic crisis and working for a not-for-profit, naturally, I'd save the packet for my next class. So I yelled out, "Hey, will you stop eating my nuts" and she started laughing. Gosh, I wasnt even trying to be horny!

Going tubular? Zipp 606

2009-02-27T03:21:00.000-08:00

The hubs are great and spin for much longer than my stock 'Most' Chall wheels.
The only drawback at this stage with the Zipp 606 clinchers is its weight.
Straight line speed is unmatched, but given a crit situation whereby changes in speed is expected, the 606 underperforms. As you would expect from the weigh, it's slow to pick up.
Which begs one to question, should I consider going tubulars? Zipp 303/404.
Sorry guys, its a Mikey post.

Weight conscious

2009-02-11T03:38:00.000-08:00

Skewers (not the one for BBQ though)Zipp Stainless Steel = 112g

'Most' stock skewer = 116g

Token titanium = 44g

Lightweight at a price.. the price of fearing for your life when the wheels come off ;)

Juz kidding.

M5 Carbon Low Racer

2009-02-11T03:17:00.000-08:00

"....Pushed to the very limits of his power by the incredible performance of Matt Weaver on Friday night, Sam Whittingham became the first man in history to exceed 80 miles per hour.."

Fuelled by the open stretches of clear open roads, a recumbent becomes an interesting option. Other than the frame, the rest (i.e. shifters, V/disc brakes) are made up of MTB and Road parts (Interesting when you've got spares lying around)

The M5 Low racer (available in full carbon too)

The interest continues if I did not recall wrongly, from my days at the Sports Council... I can clearly crank out 250watts!! Part of the reason for the higher speed: lower wind drag closer on the ground. The recumbent excels in headwind.The slightly 'slower' M5 ShockproofTaiwan made Performer low racer, which is almost a carbon copy of the M5 but for a lot less. Cheaper still if you only get the frame.

Dream Job in Queensland

2009-01-12T14:57:00.001-08:00

HOW would you like to be paid $150,000 to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, feed ocean fish and live in luxury accommodation?
Tourism Queensland is advertising for someone to spend six months immersed in the culture and beauty of Hamilton.

Duties include feeding ocean fish, cleaning a pool and collecting deliveries of mail that arrive by plane but the employee is also required to go scuba diving, snorkelling and hiking and to enjoy at least 25 nearby island resorts.
To offset the drudgery, the state of Queensland is offering $150,000, accommodation in a luxury three-bedroom house and transportation to and from the island.

$150k for 6 months of fun, accomodation provided. Need I say more....

Effetto Mariposa

2009-01-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

Nuts and bolts will never feel the same again.
Mike did warn me on the calibration needed for a torque wrench but its just an esstential tool that you cannot do without.
The selling point. Effeto guarantees an accuracy of +- 4% deviation for 5000 clicks before recalibration is needed. If you do the maths, assuming I tighten an average of 10 bolts or clicks per week, every week. That equates to roughly 500 clicks per year, which means the wrench is good for an least 8-10years!! Man, thats more than enough for me.
The other advantage, as you use it more often, your hand 'learns' the torque. You can just able feel it before it hits the 4Nm mark/click and you just ease off. So frankly, 10 clicks/per week is really more than you need.
The bits are also standard sizes that can be replaced at any hardware store so fret not if you lose your fav No4 and 5 allen size.

Park Tool PCS vs Tacx showdown

2009-01-12T00:18:00.001-08:00

I've had the 2 workstands for a couple of weeks now and the winner comes down to this simple worktray. There was just not a place to get a worktray on the Park Tool stand other than spending more money on a proprietry one. For a similar if not cheaper price (<$200), the Tacx presents as great value for money. I'm so used to it now that I know exactly where my No 4 and 5 allen key is slotted. Spend an extra $20 on the PK magnetic bowl and you have a winner. It sticks extremely securely on the Tacx.
Not only that, the fact that it is supported by the bottom bracket and fork means that the bike is also more secure for hard nuts and bolts.

The Bike Shed

2008-11-30T04:23:00.000-08:00

I might need another bike rack soon looking at the way this is going. Hsemate has just decided to take up Triathlon and managed to borrow a old racer to train. And a new collection to the Team. Pinarello FP3.Anyone keen to get a 'light' bike, should be looking at Scott or elsewhere but not here.
Frame weight + Ultegra grouppo, Most oversized Crank and Look Pedals: 4.8kg (after the handlebars have been changed)
This exlcudes the wheels, seat post and saddle. Frameweight is a modest 1100g which is not too far off the mark but its the handlebar, seatpost, saddle which lets it down! Thankfully I think Pinarello realised this, as the seatpost is 31.6mm. An easy alternative to look for a lighter replacement.

One thing I cannot fault: Riding the same route every Saturday on an aluminium and converting to carbon, the damping properties are amazing. Not sure if its just the properties of carbon or the propriety ONDA forks, but every bump and humps used to send jolts up my back/neck but not anymore.

Cooking

2008-11-12T03:14:00.000-08:00

Hey Cat, its not the puttaneasca but its where it ended up and whats been keeping me busy these past few weeks. Trialling a 10 week pilot program of physical activity and healthy cooking.
I am quite amazed at how some people do not have the basic cooking skills at all while others just lose it over the years with hard work at the desk and substituting it with fastfood or takeaways.
U cannot talk about a healthy diet if the people do not have the basic skills to do it and that was how this was born!

Tacx vs Park Tools PCS 10

2008-11-10T03:58:00.000-08:00

The final piece to the workshop. Tacx's Spider Team bottom bracket vs Park Tools PCS10.
The Tacx is quick and easy to setup, pretty much good to go after opening the carton. Even comes with a handy tool tray. Its easier to stow away and is much lighter then the PCS 10.
Unfortunately with Park Tools, some assembly is required. Its much more suited to a fixed position. Not a stand I'd fold up, stow away and pull out when I need it. While its stable and also much more bulky; I wouldnt say its more stable that the Tacx.

The only main difference, the Tacx allows you to spin the bike 360 degrees while servicing (not the Park Tools).

But the Park Tools allows you to set the bike at any incline (if you foresee a lot of that happening, not that I could imagine a lot of scenarios).

Last piece of the puzzle

2008-11-07T04:14:00.000-08:00

Hey Mike, finally the last piece of the puzzle.

Park Tools PK63

2008-11-05T03:17:00.000-08:00

The grand-daddy of all bike tools, Park Tools PK 63. Bought it while the US dollar was at an all time low few months back. My day job, Dietitian, night job; Sports Dietitian and now a weekend wrench. The first project was restoring a mate's 1950's Malvern Star (suppose to be a pro bike in its hey day) Will try to get some picts next time round.
While you may have the best tools, it does not buy you experience. You just pick up a book and learn the hard way. Try looking for a 2-3mm ballbearing which I dropped while I opened up the hub of a Shimano cup cone wheel.

Options

2008-11-04T01:44:00.000-08:00

"...our squad of athletes have grown dramatically over the years..."
"...we need someone who knows the sport and is willing to train with the athletes... but also know their life outside the sport.."
"...we need someone who knows the education system and the stress the athletes face.."
" ...we need someone has done the hard yard, has life experiences and who the athletes can look up to as a life coach.."

Just some extracts of a phone conversation I had with the Singapore Sailing CEO last Friday. The irony, I worked with passion hoping for a full time job only to be told, we really need you, but red tape restricts us from hiring you (full time). I left the country and with it my disillusion.

"..we had a meeting some time back and your name came up as the best person for the job.."
"...would you be keen to take up a high performance/sports science coordinator for the junior squad of National sailors for the upcoming Asian Games and 2010 Youth Olympics...."

Me: How much are u going to pay me! ( not those exact words but similar meaning)

"no scale really. Its up to you to negotiate.." (I take that as any thing I want..ha)

I couldn't really sleep on Friday. I had initial granduers of box seat tickets to a stadium pack full of people while watching our group of athletes walk into the stadium. But am held back with a good stable job, my own patch and a lifestyle only people in Singapore can dream about. Do I really want to give it all up for passion again?

Darwin's Waterfront

2008-07-11T04:40:00.000-07:00

5 years back when I arrived, I recall the census reporting a population of just 100,000 for the Northern Territory (this includes Alice Springs and remote). Meaning; there's a lot less in Darwin. Houses were still pretty cheap then, you could get a land and home package for $250k.
Not anymore. Populations almost doubled and it was only befitting that we had a convention centre to match. National conferences were always held down South as there wasn't a location that could accommodate such a large crowd. Next year, we're finally having the National Dietitians Conference up here in Darwin for the first time

Apparently the State government put aside $500k for the celebrations with 2 days of spectacular fireworks. Some contested the splurge who thought the money could be better spent.

Happy Snaps...

The Kid in me

2008-07-11T01:42:00.000-07:00

Sis is gonna kill me for this, but I must say, the intention was there. I was to buy something for my nephew and 2 niece. But sometimes I wonder if I'm buying what I want instead. Am sure David (my nephew) would have been happy with a brand new train but no, not after I laid my eyes on the most elaborate (and expensive) train set!
And with that, I pretty much blew the budget. Then again, I'm a 'boy' person. I can wrestle, tickle, poke and play rough with my nephew, but obviously, my niece dun enjoy that..ha.

Did she ever feel secure?

2008-06-14T04:27:00.000-07:00

The Dry Season: cool and crisp weather, sky's crystal blue. Time to enjoy a little good ol' nature. Went back to Kakadu National Park for some ideas on my parents itinerary but I doubt we'll be spending much time here as mum's not the sit by the camp fire type. Gosh, we havent even got to the toilets yet...
Anyway, back to the post. I thought I got asked a question that sounded awfully familiar.
Gina: "Does your girlfriend ever feel secure?"
Me: "Why?"
Gina: "Well, you seem to know more Taiwanese backpackers than us (backpackers). And they're all girls."
First, let me set things straight. Perhaps guys are more focused on careers, that the thought of resigning from full time employment for at least a year to travel is a huge ask thus most of the backpackers are females.
Second, (not most but) all my colleagues are females.
So why am I single? Perhaps I'm used and contented with single life, perhaps I dun see myself in Darwin for the long haul. But one thing did come out of that conversation, its definitely harder getting to know people once you leave Uni and start working, cos its an extra effort that on days you'd rather sit back and relax in front of the telly.

Top: Was suppose to be rock art at Ubir but I think the camera was focused on other art.

Glenti 2008

2008-06-09T01:43:00.000-07:00

The annual Glenti or Greek Festival here in Darwin. All my Greek favourites from Yiros to fried Octopus and short bread to vanilla slices over the weekend.
Darwin only has a population of 200 thousand. If we take out the remote population, and a turn out of 35 thousand is expected, it pretty much a huge part of town. Thats a good crowd.

Back from Brisbane

2008-06-09T01:12:00.000-07:00

Was in Brisbane the previous 2 wks doing a course looking at the management of Type 1 Diabetes. But what I really do enjoy is the travel allowance that come with it. Its what I look forward to everyday when I'm on course.
You see, even though there's a limit, I am quite happy with cereals for breakfast in my hotel room and perhaps a quick sandwich at the hospital cafeteria or the bakery across the street. Which leaves me with quite a bit of budget come dinner. My daily routine has been grabbing a boost juice at the end of the day and trawling through the restuarants on SouthBank and in the City. I had been having a different cuisine everyday Chinese, Greek, Italian, Korean... with a few fine dining thrown in here and there. I can totally see how hard it would be for Steph to resist all these choices and good food (especially when the boss pays the tab). Took a couple of days after for some R&R and went for a day trip to the Lamington National Park.

Paranoia

2008-05-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

My housemate has this thing about the flat burning down. For me, I've got an obsession with security. And trust me, if I had the choice, I would never have gotten the flat on the ground level. I'm probably one of the few people who would pay $600+ for a 'flyscreen' door, the only difference is that the mesh is stainless steel, and you cannot lift it off the rails. I dun wanna have to close the sliding doors everytime I'm gonna take a shower.

Perhaps its also the fact that we've had someone broke into our place in Singapore previously. When the cops came and asked what was missing, we noticed that the burglar had actually taken something from upstairs. Meaning he actually came in, and ventured upstairs when we were sleeping. Frankly, I'd hate to walk into one, if I ever had to take a leak middle of the night. Anyway, Mike introduced me to a torchlight, Sure Fire. It's one used by police/tactical forces and is meant to blind assilants with its powerful rays; which I sleep with under my pillow!! (there goes my element of surprise).
I was doing the sheets this week and I noticed that the washing machine was more noisy than usual. As I started taking the sheets out, I realised that the torch was in there. When I opened it, it was bone dry inside and still works.

Any torch that has batteries with a shelf life of 10 years, can blind would be burglars, used for my camping and is able to go thru a whole washing machine cycle; thats where I'd put my money.

P.S. Its slightly smaller than the size of my palm so will fit nicely into any handbags ;)

Double Barrrel

2008-05-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Double barrel, triple volume, thats the claim and a pump that even Jeanie will like. For anyone pumping up tires you would know that for mountain bike, you pump it up to 40-60psi (depending on the tires), for racers (110-120psi).
Once you start getting into these ranges, you start to use your body weight to try and squeeze in that extra bit (and here's where Jeanie and even myself hate doing). That last extra bit.
For racing tubular tires, I cant even begin to imagine when we have to get it up to 220psi. Here's perhaps the key to the pump. 3 settings. Once you flick it to the 200psi setting, it somehows engages different chambers, cos its very easy and smooth. You cant get as much volume in but the needle on the guage moves. Sort of like dropping gears on a bike to climb up a hill.

P.S Mike, whats the view on Tufo's racing tubular clinchers (C3 lite, 135g)

The Splurge

2008-05-02T05:40:00.001-07:00

With a huge mortgage over my head, the splurging has been reined in (more or less). But when the government starts giving me a 'bonus' to counter the rising cost and the CPI, I still wouldnt use it. Well, I dun think I needed anything in particular really. Unfortunately the bonus comes with a catch as you would expect. If I were to take the cash, I would have to pay taxes on it meaning I lose 30-42.5% of it (not sure of my actual tax rate).
Here comes the other catch, cos I work for a not-for-profit organisation, we get certain benefits. If I were to purchase something work related, I get it tax free. Rather than give the money back to the taxman, I decided to upgrade the home office.
Got a new laptop. Point to note, the old on the left is a 14 inch screen , right 15.4, dosent look disimilar but an inch, I realise makes a huge difference when you need to cart it around!
Got a new b/w laser printer and gosh have prices come down ($69), and a new wireless G router, which I am making full use of now. Cos I'm watching a friday night movie and blogging in front of the telly.

Blackout

2008-05-02T04:40:00.000-07:00

During the wet/cyclone season (Nov-Feb), we're advised to be ready for power outages, but its the official start of the Dry season now where the sky is clear, humidity is at an all time low (20-40%) and it never rains for the next 6 months but now I get a blackout from a faulty power junction! Well, at least the candlesticks came in handy.

Mahjong

2008-04-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

I dun even touch the damn thing when I'm in Singapore, I guess I'm never as fast as the old-timers. But its become quite the novelty game here, well, at least Risa seems to be all for it. So much so that she has gotten someone to bring her back a set from Sydney. The tiles are much bigger than the pocket sized ones we were playing with initially. As its all for the fun of the game, there's never money involved and we never count the 'flowers'.
And if it includes lunch on the weekends as well, who am I to say no.
L to R: Odelia, Risa, Neil, Margaret and Joanna. All Taiwanese backpackers except Risa.Risa's got an interesting story. Japanese who met her Aussie partner as he was teaching English in Japan. Got married, went to Tassie where she opened a Sushi shop. Fell in love with Darwin when touring the country. Since then, they've just moved up here not to long ago and opened their second outlet here. Funny thing is, she's got to ask Patrick (her partner) how to make the sushi seasoning before he left for a month long trip but to Tassie. One thing about Japs, they've got a tool for everything.

Ride

2008-04-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

My3 monthly dose of bike information... LiteSpeed Titanium Racer: 3.8kg (Didnt even think that was possible).
Cannondale's foldable bike. The only difference is that my friend Mike gets to see it in the flesh.

Bday Pressie?

2008-04-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

Guess what I got from my boss; no its not speedometer/powermeter for my bike but rather a blood glucose meter. I wonder what does that mean? Should I be doing more at work??
Well, she didnt really say it was a Bday pressie anyway. But unfortunately, its not gonna to provide a lot of information if you're not a Diabetic cos your blood sugar levels will be close to normal in most circumstances.
Now if this was a blood lactate meter, that would be a whole different ball game.

Contentment

2008-04-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Frd: "So where are you working now?"
Me: Darwin.
Frd: " So ulu, what are you doing in that god forsaken place"

This was the conversation I had with a friend while I was back home in Singapore.
Contary to the title, if I was contented prehaps I would not have left Singapore in the first place.
Working in Singapore, we all cope as best as we can but the common remarks I hear from people about work is, the longer hours, work's not appreciated, pay is low, politics. Working here, I've never had those issues at ALL. Even if I had to work longer hours on some days, I gladly do it cos the gratitude from the patients or the appreciation from the boss well pay the dues.
And on the weekends, I enjoy my bike ride with friends and relax over my unhealthy bacon and fried egg breakfast finished with a nice coffee while browsing thru the local papers.

Sundays; I do my grocery shopping in the day, might clean up the house a little and head for a game of soccer in the evening.
Could I ask for more? Actually, yes I could. I do enjoy the cafe culture and fine dining that Melbourne has to offer (And the single and available doctors that Cat is offering). But for now, I guess I am contented.

U-lu? No, just the simple life.

Polar HRM

2008-03-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the Polar HRM readout from my Saturday ride. HR scale on the left, Altitute on the right
As you can see Mike, Darwin isn't exactly very hilly! Then again, u would probably be bringing the MTB if you do visit.
All that data would mean a lot more if I had cadence and speed on it and I just realised that its compatible with the 625x. What say you?

My Office

2008-03-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

The 3 most common remarks with clients coming into my office:
1. Gosh, its like a supermaket
2. Cheez, u've got a lot of crap in here
3. Did u really eat all that food? (of which the answer is Yes, over a FEW months!)

Never Plain Sailing

2008-03-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

Coming from a windsurf background, I've always considered us as being fastest on the water when the wind picks-up. Surfing from Joe's Shack or PA sea sports club, I'd see sail boats bobing up and down and think to myself, "Gosh, I'd never want to be in one of those, it'll be damn boring".
As a Sports Dietitian I was given the sailing portfolio to look after, partly for my love of the sea and perhaps partly cos I stay pretty closeby. Guess my point of view changed after attending the basic laser sailing course. While the speed might not be as fast, u still get the thrill when the boat heels on a strong gust. Maybe the drawing card was although it was more technical it was still relatively easy to pick. Windsurf on the other hand can be punishing initially.
So when I was back in Singapore for hols and asked to tag along on the keelboat with 3 of the nations best, I never hesitated. The trip came up as a dry run as one of the sailors was doing a coporate teambulding gig, and we were the participants.
Justin Wong (same name as my bro) but totally different character, always ready to crack a joke and ogle at anything with breast. Anyway, when it came down to business, I could see why he was the best. Cos hes good at what he does, and FAST! To setup the sail, he had to climb up the mast. Just imagine climbing un-aided up a 2 storey pole on a boat that is rocking with each passing wave. Its no mean feat.
Seng Leong, who pretty much was at the helm to whole way. Between him and Justin, I think they could have pretty much sailed the boat by themselves.
Me, together with Siobhan's sister and b/f.
Packing up the sail for the day....

Incapitated..

2008-03-23T03:35:00.000-07:00

Thats how I'm feeling......
After close to 3 weeks of being in the comforts of home (not have to think about what to cook, no dishes to clean up, laundry washing all done), its hard to get back into the routine again.
I have yet to touch my kitchenware.
Opening up my pantry and looking at whats in there dun give me inspiration.
Ask myself what I'll have for dinner and its a blank.
Lunch was noodle soup at the market and dinner as you can see; Red Rooster!
I'm sure I'll get back into the hang of things (soon, I hope).Spent the day setting up my 'training room'. Cant really rent the last one out jusy incase I get guest or family coming to visit so I might as well put the room to good use. Setup the telly for my CTS training sessions (courtesy of Mike) and the bike stand as well, which makes it look a wee bit more tidy.

What Oakley?

2008-03-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

What are Oakleys good at? Advertising!
I couldnt find the exact poster/ad on google but I was sold on Oakley since young. I loved biking as well which could have explained it. I still remember the poster vivdly. Anyway, the ad went something like this... it had the sun in the foreground with its rays reaching Earth. And awaiting it was a pair of Oakley Sunglasses with the caption... the suns rays has travelled XxxXXx miles to reach Earth. Its a long way to come to be rejected. Now was that good or not.

But its come to a point whereby Oakleys are just getting plain expensive. While it is quality, they seems to be much more selection out there which are just as good (and cheaper).

Take smoke, sand, and fire--whip it into a frenzy with whirling chopper blades, or fierce winds. Now you have an idea of the environment Wiley X set out to conquer with the Climate Control™ Series (C.C.S.). This eyewear selection can't be beat when it comes to fast paced action and the need to seal off your eyes from outside elements. C.C.S. technology is as determined and tenacious as the men and women who wear them. All Climate Control™ styles exceed High Velocity ANSI impact standards

PRICE: A$149

ESS Features
* Optically-correct polycarbonate lenses for distortion-free vision
* Lenses are extra thick (2.2mm to 2.8mm) with 100% UVA/UVB protection, and premium Clear Zone™ anti-fog / anti-scratch coatings
* Goggle lenses have very high impact resistance, well beyond the ANSI Z87.1 requirements, and above the level of the US Military spec: MIL STD 662F
* Recently awarded Singapore Arm Forces contract.

PRICE: A$79

www.legear.com.au
P.S. Now, I thnk thats the closest you can come to bullet proof glasses

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2008-03-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

When you in AngMoh land, u cook pasta and pizza.
When you are back home, you eat fishball noodles.

Well, cos AngMoh stuff is so much more expensive that you often have to compromise on quality as you start to forgo ingredients. I'd gladly pay a 'high' price to cook a piece of steak in Australia but back home at $45-$50/kg, I think not. But sis was abit tired of the routine lunch menu and asked that I did something different. Well pasta it was.
And it always good to get the young ones involved. At least my nephew got the herb 'parsley' right, which is more than I could say for my sis (Coriander in garlic spread?!). And if it was just a lucky guess, I made sure he had a smell of it.

Home Sweet Home

2008-03-09T00:23:00.001-08:00

Its always good to be home to see my niece and nephew and maintain my favourite uncle status with my 6 monthly bribes of Chupa Chups, Snakes and a big chocolate Easter Egg to top it off.
My flight was delayed by almost 3hrs (which was a relief) compared to the 12hrs initially thought. Apparently we had a 'bird strike' at the engine which required a special camera to inspect the damages. Darwin did not have one and it had to be flown in from Melbourne. To cut the story short, the engineer gave the all clear and we were off.

First thing I did was head to the kopitiam, ordered a bowl of mee rebus, kaya toast and kopi (the one with condensed milk). While I dun crave local food its good to have a taste of home again. Had a BBQ with some Polytechnic mates the next day. I am perhaps one of the few who have deviated from the Engineer background. I dun think I got much into the local electronics / telecommunications conversation but the rest of the common local topics made me wonder if I can ever return back to Singapore. Things like which Expressway is always jam when going to work, $$ never seem to be enough, rising food prices, a friend was even enrolling for medical drug trials for some extra cash, which I must add pays pretty well, the increase in taxi fares etc etc. I guess we all winge and Australia is no exception but having it all hit in one day seem too much to digest.

Second Life

2008-02-13T04:32:00.000-08:00

Deep down inside, I think we all have our alter ego. The other side of oneself that is kept hidden but occasionally pops out to real life. Perhaps in the Singapore context; it is covered up by our hectic lifestyle in the pursuit of financial independence. Maybe thats why 'Heroes' was such a hit; ordinary people who one day was blessed with extra-ordinary powers. But my friend Mike seems to be bucking the trend, who went from a couch potato to contemplating his first full iron man triathlon admist his busy work schedule. Certainly in Darwin, my housemate has gone after what she would truly like to do.
Dietitian by day...

Aerial artiste (tisu) or circus performer by night..

Me... maybe I'm still searching for that alter ego. So far its been work and work, or work and just chill out by the pool, soccer or coffee with friends...

Sick Leave please

2008-02-13T04:07:00.000-08:00

Whenever I'm home in Singapore, dad always laments on how weak I am as I get sick so often. I could never understand why; I am fed a well balanced meal with plenty of vegetable, daily soups (being Cantonese) and fruits to stack, I never had to wash a single dish and with clothes all washed and pressed. Maybe its the work and stress, maybe its the air, I cant really pin it down. I've been back in Aus for a little over a year now and I've never been to the Doc! Frankly, I dun think I eat as well here and certainly back in Singapore, I'd be physically training with my group od athletes. Felt much more fit back in Singapore.
Everytime I get a sniffle, I go "Wished it turns into a big fat headache so I can rent a DVD and rest at home" (no MC required). NOooo!! It never happens. I'm always fine the next day. Maybe cos the GP's here are so ex to see and you cant exactly walk in when you have a fever. U make an appointment but by the time they are available, u've probably self medicated and felt so much better that seeing the doc is just a waste of time...
Now I understand how a friend managed to chalk up 6 months plus of sick leave and wondered how it wouldnt be such a bad idea if he fell off the ladder and broke his foot...

On a un-related note, as its always nice to see have a pic, here's a nighshot from the Crown Casino looking back on Melbourne, the last time I visited Cat.

Lack of updates

2008-02-04T03:58:00.000-08:00

Yes Mike I hear you. I have just been swamped with work at the moment (at least till March where I get my much deseved break back in Singapore). Lets see, where do we even begin:
- I've got my full time job as a dietitian with Diabetes Australia
- Been asked to lecture for the sports nutrition component with Sport Medicine Australia
- Lecturing the Cert IV fitness students at the local Uni
- Commitment to the Northern Territory Institute of Sport for athlete consults

As you can see for the past couple of days, I have been hard at work even at night preparing lecture notes. Now why dosent my bank balance reflect my workload, I seriously dun know!

Adding to my workload; my housemate's dad is really sick so she's flown off to Cairns to be by his bedside leaving me to look after the Cat. As you can sense from my tone, I'm neither a Cat nor a dog person. I may enjoy the occasional pat or two but definitely not looking after it.

Cyclone Helen

2008-01-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

'Helen' is here.
We had been placed on alert but that has just been upgraded to a current warning. 'Helen' has decided to change its path and head towards Darwin. You could already feel its fury last night with strong winds and rain leashing out on the window as I tried to sleep.
Should I be concerned? Well, just slightly but my workmates having been through a few are rather panicky right now. Did I mention I havent bought home and contents insurance!

TROPICAL CYCLONE ADVICE NUMBER 9
DARWINat 11:00 am CST [10:30 am WDT] Friday 4 January 2008

A Cyclone WARNING is current for coastal and island communities from Kalumburuin Western Australia to Cape Hotham in the Northern Territory, including Darwin.

A Cyclone WATCH is current for coastal and island communities from Cape Hothamto Goulburn Island, including the Tiwi Islands.

At 9:30 am CST [9:00 am WDT] TROPICAL CYCLONE Helen CATEGORY 1 was located in the Timor Sea approximately230 kilometres north of Wyndham and320 kilometres west southwest of Darwin and moving northeast at 16 kilometres per hour.

The cyclone is likely to take a more eastward track during today toward the TopEnd of the Northern Territory. The cyclone is expected to cross the coast between Darwin and Port Keats tonightor early tomorrow. GALES with gusts to 100 kilometres per hour could affect coastal and island communities in the north Kimberley and western Top End during today. DESTRUCTIVE WINDS with gusts to 130 kilometres per hour could affect coastal and island communities between Darwin and Port Keats tonight or early tomorrow.

Tales of the past

2007-12-15T23:27:00.000-08:00

The main reason for going to Auckland besides attending the conference was actually to visit my Auntie Marcelle. Yes, I've got a French Auntie who lives in New Zealand now. As you would imagine, good food is often the central theme. The last time I was in Auckland, I still recall having one of the best pate I've tasted. Everything else after that seems second best. You know that you're in a truly French restaurant when there's a hundred and one cheese at the deli display; in the wine cellar, other than the price on the wine racks and perhaps a few varieties of grapes which I could work out, the rest of the writings are all in French. Its like being a Caucasian in a Chinese shop only the roles are reversed.

There's one thing I never seem to get tired of hearing whenever I visit. Auntie Marcelle would tell me about how she got sent to New Zealand to work and while riding a bicycle had a freak accident which shattered her pelvis. My Uncle David was at that time her physiotherapy. Need I say more... Then there was the time when Uncle David went to Paris to visit her folks and offered to cook dinner. To this day, those that were still alive at that table remember how a 'little' Chinese man was able to dazzle the French palette by cooking up a feast with few ingredients to work with (just imagine looking for oyster sauce in 1970's Paris).

Auntie Marcelle has also got lots of old photographs stashed away which she has chronologically labelled with little bits of sticker. You can never get tired looking at these pictures and listening to tales of the past. Below: Mum and Dad on the left with my sister (1975)
Below: My mum on the extreme right (1970; way before I was born)
Old pictures of my cousins and Uncle Swee Chan among others.
Hope you get well soon Auntie. Love, Jun

Paths cross once more...

2007-12-15T22:38:00.000-08:00

Its hard to come by 'available' funds while working for a not for profit NGO. I had to write to drug companies and reps for a nutrition conference in Auckland and time was not on my side. Fortunately, my boss agreeed to fund my expedition perhaps in recognition of my hard work in securing the recent grant proposal.
This trip has been most fruitful; both with work and the friends I manage to catch up with:
I still remember vividly that Samatha picked me up from the Airport and dumped me at the townhouses. Joyce who was a Singaporean teacher was the second person I came to know and thirdly was Debbie. I was looking for a place to stay at that time and Deb was commenting that I would make a great housemate for her then 'boyfriend'(husband now).

Well, what do you know?? She was right. 4 years down the track as housemates and another 3 years later; Adiemus was having a work conference in Auckland at the same time as well.

Cooked sausages and eggs for breakfast. (And trust me, my diet gets worse down the track as Cat would attest to it).

The clause for my funded trip was that my boss would only fund the conference and the airfares but not my accomodation. As you would imagine, I bunked in with Adiemus in his service apartment.
The Auckland christmas party.

Cyclone Season

2007-11-02T02:14:00.000-07:00

The Start of the Wet or Cyclone Season. This is perhaps the hottest time of the year for Darwin (30-35c)with humidity levels at an all time high (pretty much like Singapore). But while the South prepares for Summer and bush fire season, we prepare for any impending cyclone.
Lining the streets now are truckloads of 'rubbish' such as old sofas, TVs, bikes and even a stove top. The rationale for the clean up day by the council is for residents to tidy up their garden, tools and tie down any equipment as they are potential flying missiles/projectile in a cyclone. Obviously some people are taking advantage of it by clearing out their whole garage.
Its perhaps a coincidence as well that a letter from my Superannuation (CPF) indicated that I have not names any beneficiaries. You hardly think of such things in Singapore as we are so 'sheltered' but the last big one was Cyclone Tracy in 1974 which pretty much flatenned Darwin. You just wonder if the next one is due soon with all this global warming and odd weather talk.
Maybe a Will in the process too.... Cat can have my Global Knives, Serene can have my cookery, Kheng (the racer), Mike (Giant MTB).....hmm, I dun have much other possessions to give ; )

Boys Toys: My New Ride

2007-10-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

Woohoo... here's my new ride. Got this bike for a dime off one of the triathlete I was looking after.

I once had a conversation with this girl on bikes. She was never a 'rider' and would not understand why her boyfriend would need so many bikes. After getting on a racer herself, she was able to answer her own question. One is for city riding, if it gets stolen you dun really give a damn. The other is for riding off-road when the suspension makes the ride more comfortable. And the last one is for when you wanna go really really fast. I must say that she's a true roady 'convert' now as she's taking part in her first OD triathlon next month and Half Iron later on in the year.

After riding for months on the mountain bike and forever lagging behind. I'm finding myself closing the gap to the front of the pack now. Its a breeze to ride. With long stretches of open road and hardly any traffic or traffice lights, its the perfect backdrop for a roadbike.

Politics and Health

2007-10-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

Half of my pay comes from the government, while the other half comes from donations and sales of diabetes related products. We have very little to do anything else other than the day to day running of the clinic. Therefore when election is round the corner and the government is throwing out ridiculous amounts of money, you just got to put your heads together to get a submission in there. Its these little bits of money that helps to upgrade and improve our services.
The process is long and arduous. After the submission, it took 3-4 months before we got to know the outcome. So when a friend who is working in the government sector rings to say congrats you've got the money...so what did you put in for? Urr... cant really remember, but I know its something to do with cooking and exercise, let me check to see what I wrote!

$143K for 4 series of 10 workshops around exercise, nutrition and cooking for diabetic and cardiac clients. There's always small grants around, I've written a few for 1-2k but this is the biggest lot of money I've ever recieved.
Needless to say, I'll be doing the cooking and nutrition session. But hey, they'll be no golden taps here... we are truly poor.

Great Outdoors: Katherine

2007-09-13T03:15:00.000-07:00

With the booming economy, the Adelaide to Darwin rail and Tiger Airways spreading it wings around Asia, so too have the tourism numbers increase. Whenever the Dry season approaches the Southerners escape the winter chills to come up to Darwin for its crisp cool weather. But with this Dry Season, I noticed that there was also a large number of Taiwanese backpackers. Here's a group which I got to know. Without the new working/tourist visa and Tiget Airways they would not have contemplated backpacking. A sad fact of a Asian working system is that you can never expect to ask for 6 months leave and still expect your job to be there when you get back. Many of these girls gave up their jobs in order to travel. Good thing for me is that I get a free holiday as well. My contribution: the car (obviously with me in it). This time, we drove to Katherine (3 hours from Darwin) to kayak up the gorge.

Here's Edith Falls our first night campsite. After a short hike you get to a nice big waterfall swimhole..Second day, we drove to Katherine to begin our kayak up the gorges. Katherine has 12-13 gorges (I think). The hardest part was not the kayak rather the carry of the kayaks over the gorges which separates the river... Thats me being sun-smart.

Am sure Sis would love the adventure and so would no 1 and 2. Not sure how I'd get no. 3 over though.

And thats how I busted my watch.

End of an Era

2007-08-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

I still remember vividly where I got this watch (an old Formula 1 series Tag Heuer). It was at the HourGlass shop at Marina Square. I had been eyeing this watch for a while and decided to get it after much deliberation (well it was the cheapest one of the Tag range I could afford). Think I paid $200 plus for it then. But in those days, when you're at Poly and not earning a wage, it was a lot to spend. No complains here but after a good 12-13 years of service its finally had it.
Tags are suppose to be waterproof but as I was kayaking up Katherine Gorge I noticed water had gotten in. Too late to do anything, not before long, it was gone. Guess after so many years, the seals would have been stuffed. Am a bit reluctant to throw it away though.

Lesson on Survival

2007-08-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Waking up at 7am to get into a 4WD with 3 Aboriginal health workers for a 3 day Aboriginal Mens Camp doesnt really sound like my normal work week does it.. An hour later, we were bashing through the Aussie outback where I could hardly see any road trails. These guys sure know where they are going. Anyway, without going into too much detail, Aboriginal people have a dramatically lower health status as compared to the rest of Australia. During white colonisation, many were centralised into camps and gradually lost their skills of being a hunter gatherer. The camp was organised for us health professionals to discuss issues of smoking, alcohol abuse, sexual health and of course, nutrition. But it was also for the Aborginal Elder to teach the younger ones the ways of hunting (and being physically fit).

Heres the billabong where our main source of water is. Me, after going through the National Service, you'd think would be more survival savvy. But I got told off when I was asked to get water. Well, I take pail, go river, grab water; how hard could that be.
Apprantly, I had to tie a rope to the pail and stand behind the tree to do it. Why????
Cos the locals have seen a 4m croc lurking in these water!!!!

Task 2: Shooting a flying target, namely duck of geese with a double barrelled shot gun.

A: "So Gerard, have you ever shot a gun?" (I think they were expecting never as the answer)
Me: "Yes, I did"
A: "Woa, you should be pretty good at this then. What gun have you shot before?"
Me: "Urrr...just the M16" (Hey trust me, I was being humble here, at least I didnt give the full list of M203, section assualt rifle, GPMG, bazooka)
A: "What the?!? we got a terrorist here! Are you serious?"

Heres a pict of the boys waiting for geese to fly overhead.
The Boys with the kill.And heres lunch within 1hr. Freshly shot from the sky, plucked and cooked over wood fire.

Well, as for me, I did not get one. And needless to say, heres the joke of the camp. "Hey Jerry, you didnt get any! You just missing your M16 right"

Next Task: Fishing.

All these kids have is just a reel and a rubber fish bait. When they lost the bait, they just tied a small piece of plastic bag to it and were still reeling them in!

Heres another task which I failed terribly. Theres only these words to descibe it.

Outclassed, Outcast and Outlast. For something so simple, you would not think that there would be any technique involved. But hey, you gotta pull the line in at such a speed whereby it reassembles a fish swimming?!?

Outcast: By the time I had cast and pulled the bait in 2 times, I reckon the Aboriginal kid beside me had already cast his forth or fifth time.

Outlast: Its Australia. The sun is FREAKING HOT. Even with suntan lotion, I'm not standing under the hot sun just to hook a barra!

Think in the end, they taught me more about survival than I did with them on nutrition.

Great Outdoors: Part 2

2007-08-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

Me and the boys (Hao, Rocky and Ravi).

The view at the Ubirr plains

Sunset at Ubirr over the Nardab flood plains.

The Great Outdoors

2007-08-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of being in Australia; the Great Outdoors. The ability to just pack up and go camping for the weekend. There's nothing like sleeping under a blanket of stars, waking up to the scent of fresh morning air and having bread toasted over a wood fire . Here's one of the trips where I went Kakadu National Park.

Darwin only has 2 seasons. The Wet and the Dry. The wet starts from around Novemeber to March whereby the temperature starts to rise to the low-mid 30's and humidity is at an all time high. As the name suggests, the season comes with wet tropical downpours with freakish thunderstorms (not a good time to visit unless you are one of those camera fanatics who love to capture lighting strikes). I must say, even though coming from Singapore, where lightning is a common occurance that the 'lightning' show is pretty amazing. Maybe its because of the lack of high rise that you see the full extent of its beauty here.
The Dry on the other hand (April to Oct) is characterised by cool 'winter' night in the teens and daytime temp of 20's with low humidity. Perfect weather for camping.

Our campsite for the first night.

Rocky, Joyce and me.

The group .
Yellow water billabong.

And here's why you dun go swimming in a billabong (notice the croc? I was told its a good 3m and not to stick your head out of the boat cos they can JUMP)

Misery

2007-08-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

It was great spending the past 2 weeks with family back home. But all good things have to come to an end and I had to hop onto the flight back to Darwin. Arrived at 2.30am. Got home by 4am, slept till 7am to go to work at 8am. Think I pretty much survived on caffeine till the end of the day. Would I do it any different? Didnt think so. If I had all that free time at home, think I'd feel pretty miserable... No niece and nephew to play with. I actually have to do housework again. What to cook for dinner??
Workmates were telling me how they missed the fragrant smell of my cooked lunches heating up in the microwave. I just tell them; "you wouldnt know what I was missing out on till you came to Singapore". To them my lunches of stir fried noodles with ginger, vegetables and soysauce seasoned pork seemed exotic as compared to the cold cut sandwiches, salads or bought sushi they were having. But compared to the 3-4 home cooked dishes + daily soup and freshly cut fruits I had been having back home, it is pretty miserable I'd say.
What to cook tomorrow??

Foreign Talent and National Pride

2007-05-24T03:55:00.000-07:00

I was having dinner with this other Honky the other day (who married a Spore girl); anyway, he was abit frustrated with the educational system here cos his kids never ever returned home with homework. "All they do is play sports in school". Hmm, what's wrong with that picture. I love my sports and if I was a kid again, that dosent sound too bad. Wait...think I'm going off track here. Bottomline: I love my Sports and do follow the cricket and Ashes recently and am looking forward to the Rugby World Cup.
So what do you do when its the Arafura Games and its the final Gold/Silver Hockey playoff match between Australia and Singapore? Well, I gotta say, I'd still barrack for my Singapore Team!!
Where do you draw the line on foreign talent? The world seems a smaller place these days and its increasing common to see athletes of different 'nationality' representin your own country; well cos they have been granted citizenship/PR. So its really heartwarming to see our Singapore Team made up of a Singh, Chinese and Malays playing against the Australians. It brings back memories of watching the Malaysian Cup and the reason of why we watch the Olympics/Major Games. To watch athletes from different countries competing, not watch a Chinese Table Tennis import playing against another player from China.
Well done to our Singapore Hockey boys even though they came in second.

Home Courture

2007-05-21T04:07:00.000-07:00

Here where I shop for my kitchen stuff. Not sure about the Eastern States but we dun get a lot of veriety up here and its often more expensive. By ordering on-line and factoring in postage, its still cheaper. So check it out..

www.homecourture.com.au

Quality

2007-05-21T03:20:00.000-07:00

Once I started paying my mortgages, I realise my disposable income has just greatly skrunk. You start to think about reining in your lifestyle. Thinking twice about going out or to the movies etc. But I dun do much of that anyway. I do however believe in paying abit more for 'quality' products (within my capabilities). I enjoy a lot of things and I guess thats where the reining in, comes in. I love my bikes, as you would know by now, nothing short of full carbon fibre, my set of Global knifes, tennis rackets and the polar 625X sitting at home in Singapore.
The other things I would splurge on is food and kitchen stuff and one of the first babies I got was the Weber BabyQ. Its small and compact. I can also bring it out camping if I wanted to; just swap to a smaller gas bottle. If I wanted a steak and roast veg for dinner, I just stick the veg in, take a shower; come out later just to sear the steak and its done.

Here are my ex-colleagues from Singapore and Mike at my place for a simple Aussie BBQ.
P.S. Sleeping on the floor isnt really that bad!

Go 2 and 5

2007-05-14T03:54:00.000-07:00

Eating plenty of fruit and vegies not only contributes to good health, but also protects against a number of diseases and helps maintain a healthy weight.
Well, that's the national campaign backed by Dietitians to encourage Adults to get their 2 serves of fruits and 5 serves of vegetables each day. So what do you get when Dietitians working from different parts of the TopEnd get together? You get a pubcrawl; and the theme: Go 2&5, only thing is, its not fruit and veg. You get a sticker for every standard drink and by the end of the night there should be a minimum of 7 on your tag. Frankly, by the end of it, I think most of us well and truly fulfilled that requirement.

The pubcrawl also coincided with the Opening of the Arafura Games held every 2 years here in Darwin. Was elated when I got a call from an old colleague who was travelling with the Singapore Team here. Andrew's been around the council for a long time and is one of the Head Sports Trainer. I'd go to him or the rehab lab for any of my aches and pains. Anyway, we caught up on old times over dinner at my place and I got him to tag along for a few drinks as well.

Anthea who is based in Darwin but flys out to remote areas (and also my housemate); Louise from the hospital and myself.

Last but not least; our organisers, Angela, Craig and also Anthea

Flying

2007-05-10T03:34:00.000-07:00

When I was working here previously (2 years back), I did a fair amount of travelling to remote areas in Australia; most of it involved flying. You get used to it after a while.
My current job scope is mainly within Darwin however a small percentage of work still required me to go outbush. When I was waiting at the lounge before boarding the plane, it felt a bit weird and I think I was kindof nervous. It seem to bring back memories of my first flight. Guess you never get used to the flying.
Btw, I'm not talking about a Boeing 747. Some say its safer to be travelling on a plane than in a car but I'm not so sure about the facts here cos if you're lucky, you get a twin propeller.

You feel kindof nervous when:
- The counter staff weighs your luggage first before weighing you to make sure the plane is not overloaded.
- As you get on the plane, the pilot ask the heavier people to sit near the rear so the plane 'balances' better.
- The pilot tells you the 'good' news that this plane does not have aircon so its a lot lighter than the other planes.
- The only form of airflow (before takeoff) involves the pilots door/window being opened as it taxis down the runway.
- You look at the analog instruments and think your car interior and gadgets look better than that.
- As you approach your destination you get the deja vu feeling of landing on loose gravel again.

And here comes my 4WD transport which btw is also an ambulance.

Young David Vs Old Goliath

2007-05-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here's part 2 of Boys and their toys. Meet my friend Mike and his bike: The Trek Madonne 5.2/5.5 (a bike made famous by Lance Armstrong who rode it during the Tour De France). Now sense would prevail that a mountain bike no matter how fast would NEVER IN THIS LIFETIME BEAT a racer. But what if we threw in the age factor? See Mike is a little over 60 which is more than twice my age. And I know for a fact that busy Mike working 2 jobs only goes riding once a week on a Saturday, so you could say that he's not as fit as me who swims/plays tennis almost 5 times a week, goes riding on a Saturday and soccer on Sunday. So the challenge was thrown down...

The distance: ~36km to East Arm Wharf (return). The terrain: mostly flat roads.

Here's the 2 of us after our ride. And the verdict: The Racer wins. And by the way, I've always lost but I'm not too far behind. Lagging about 2-3km roughly. But its a totally different story when the ride takes us to Channel Island (~90km return). Its not about winning or losing anymore, its about survival (at least for me that is; on a mountain bike)! Getting home in one piece. Am totally wasted after that.

Boys Toys

2007-05-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

Singapore: Consumerism at its best. That's assuming if you've got the $$ to spend. Going shopping be it downtown or in the heartlands is perhaps a pastime of many Singaporeans. But the second hand market is what amazes me. Just look at the local EBay and Yahoo auctions to see what a population close to 5 million on a small tiny dot on the map has to offer. Sometimes, the best offers comes from specialty sites like bluefinz for windsurf equipment, togoparts for bike stuff and tfn (tennis frinds network) for tennis games and rackets.
Of the few assets I have; here's one of them. A bike built for xc racing, carbon frame, chris king hubs, v-brakes on a 517 and a SID fork. Most of the parts were acquired over time. And the best part is, you dun have to pay extra taxes for 'goods' bought overseas at the Australian Customs cos its not brand new.
The drawbacks of on-line shopping: I got the frame in Jurong, the derailuers in Punggol and the wheelset in Tampiness. Sometimes I wonder if all that travelling is worth it??

Deam Bike: Pinarello F4:13

2007-04-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

Looks like this will have to be put on hold for a while. But with such aesthetics and named after a verse from the Bible: I have strength for all things through Him who gives me power. Its hard not to like it.

A changed man

2007-04-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

Did I mentioned that I bought an apartment as well. Unfortunately, with my wages and lack of job security in Singapore I would never have even contemplated it. But also perhaps I was pretty happy staying home with family and a maid 24/7 that there was probably never the need. Well, I cant say that I was entirely able to do it back here in Aus either cos I CANT. Couldnt have done it without mum and dad helping out with the downpayment.

After I moved a sense of cleanliness seem to have taken over (which is not me I must add). The anti-bacterial spray and glove are like my best friends after dinner and on the weekends. I clean the marble benchtops when the reflections from the florescent lamp appear 'smudged'. I look more at Home magazines. Dropping by Bunnings and Freedom are like my weekend routine. Maybe its the sense of ownership or just protecting my 'investment' but its good know that I am paying off my own mortgage rather than someone else's loan.

But I guess some things dun change much. Still as untidy in my room. By the way, everything you see in the pictures DO NOT belong to me. Even the mattress I sleep on belongs to my housemate. Property: Yes (the 4 walls). Furniture: Zero

Why did I leave Singapore?

2007-04-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

Lets see... where shall I start? It was never a once off decision. Since returning to Singapore to work 2 years ago, I constantly asked myself that question. I never believed in the theory that grass is always greener on the other side. If you want it to be greener, you just water it. There's always the pros and cons with any move and the longer I stayed, the more I realised that there were aspects of life which I valued more at this stage in my life that I could not get in Singapore.
I finish work at 4.21pm legally and bosses seem really appreciative when you stay till 5pm. There's a much better work life balance and lastly I get PAID more as well.

Frankly, I was always happy and passionate with my work in Singapore. Being one of 3 Sports Dietitians in Singapore, I saw National athletes and train with them when I can. Did most of my work with the Sailing Team which was perhaps the highlight.
P.S.first sailor on the right is Justin Wong. A person which bears the same name as my brother but the two couldnt be more dissimilar. If its about girls and breaking the rules, thats my sailor.

The only thing I miss about Singapore is my family. But with Tiger airways and returns from $400 from Darwin, I believe it can be an indulgence every so often for a tradeoff I am willing to take now.

My nephew.. How can you say no to this?

Tillandsias (Air Plant)

2007-04-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Tillandsia or air plants as they are known normally grow without soil. Moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air. They are often found in nature attached to other plants. Not parasitic, they only depend on them for support. All right, enough of that education spew, you can look it up on the net.
Got it from the local nursery for $5, platter from Target: $9, stones: Free (from the roadside).
Basically, its cheap, DIY and makes a good centrepiece. I only water it once a week or more if I remember. And for a person who is not too much of a green finger, this plant hasn't died on me after 3 weeks.