Mahjong

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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....