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Quiet Time

2009-07-11T20:11:00.001+08:00

I have finally managed to read Johann S. Lee's third novel - Quiet Time - after borrowing a copy from Marine Parade Library. I first read about this novel many months back and have been waiting for a sale before buying a copy, but alas, the appropriate sale never came and I never got around buying a copy.

Personally, I have a certain bias against local authors. I never really enjoyed the writings of the very few local works (think Catherine Lim) I have read and therefore local works were not quite in my reading list. However, a very positive review of Lee's third novel as well as the LGBT theme changed my mind.

I must say the novel is a really good read and is probably the best LGBT themed fiction (autobiographical or otherwise) I have ever read. It touches on a lot of things that many LGBT people go through and that resonates a lot in me. The book is about relationships and family-things I long for.

Gonna try to get to get a copy of Lee's first novel - Peculiar Chris - as well as his second - To Know Where I'm Coming From. I don't think these will be a letdown and hopefully as good as Quiet Time. Seems like Kinokuniya stocks all three books, so I'm waiting for the next 20% off storewide sale.

Starhub Digital Voice Home

2009-07-10T21:24:00.002+08:00

Ported over the Singtel landline (which has not been working for months due to a physical wire failure) over to Starhub which came into effect last Monday evening. As I had only one working phone, I couldn't play around with it until my new cordless phone battery arrived in the mail yesterday.

This time round, I am on Starhub Digital Voice home which meant changing over my old Net-only cable modem into one that worked with Digital Voice. Sound quality seems pretty good and there did not seem to be any lag nor jerkiness during moments of heavy IP downloading. I also dialled my Digital Voice Travel number which is connected through the same data connection and the call went very well.

All is good so far and my family will eventually save $110+GST annually.

Leyland Atlantean

2009-07-03T15:07:00.002+08:00

A package all the way from Australia was waiting for me in my mailbox. I wonder what it might be.

Oooh, it is the Public Transport Commission of NSW's (predecessor of Sydney Buses) Leyland Atlantean!

The model features route 372 heading to Coogee Beach via Cleveland Street, a route that has more or less remained unchanged till this day, except that Scania L113CRLs and Volvo B12BLEs operate on it.

Just a bonus picture of 8023 operating route 154. Also happens to be the first Soon Chow-bodied Volvo B10M Mk4 that I have photographed.

Credits go to the two unidentified gunzels I spotted camping under the train viaduct next to my block, which meant there was something interesting happening at Eunos Interchange. They were camping for 9807 on 60/60A, but I decided to hang around after that cameo and found out that 8023 was operating the next 154 out.

Scheduling Conflict

2009-07-02T21:26:00.002+08:00

I just realised that 6th September 2009 occurs during the Ramadhan fasting month, so I can't do the 10km run. But the goodies are too enticing, so I have decided to WALK the 5km run which is $5 cheaper, but with the same goodies as far as I can read from the webpage.

Yay for that.

Also got a delivery from Australia. Unveiling pix will be uploaded tomorrow. I'll keep you readers guessing for the next 24 hours or less.

Passion Run 2009 Results

2009-07-02T11:10:00.003+08:00

I just noticed that the Passion Run 2009 results have been published.

Ran the run at a very respectable 1 hour 5 minutes 5.36 seconds, but still no Newsletter, yet.

I'm so looking forward to my next run - the 21km Army Half Marathon. I won't be targeting an average speed of 10km/h, but rather something around 8km/h which I think is just nice for me to complete 21km without tiring myself early in the race.

The Yellow Ribbon Prison Run seems to be an interesting race due to the low price ($25, of which $5 goes to the Yellow Ribbon Fund), the relatively interesting gradients along the route, as well as the numerous goodies. It is on 6th September - 3 weeks after Army Half Marathon - and thus makes it a nice short run to insert into my 42km marathon training schedule. I think registration opens this Saturday.

Next in my plan is the 42km Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon which is a good 16 weeks after the 21km AHM and thus there is more than enough time to train for it. I have a confirmed partner for this event who has many years of experience in running the StanChart Marathon, or rather walking the marathon. His last timing was around 8 hours, which started off around 5 hrs a few years back. :)

Goodbyes

2009-06-29T00:01:00.004+08:00

The past week, there has been at least four famous deaths, of which I can totally relate to one - Michael Jackson - and partly relate to two - Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon.

I kind of grew up listening to Michael Jackson. I was not a big fan of his music, but did enjoy the occasional airplay of his songs as well as the short period in 1993 where I had his Thriller album on repeat.

But what hurts most is saying goodbye to someone close to you and I had to say that to Jonathan.

Jonathan Lu
14th October 1981 - 21st June 2009

Jonathan was my classmate from Raffles Institution class of 1H and 2H of 1994 - 1995. I kind of lost touch with him since leaving RI, but got back together, along with fellow classmates, on an irregular basis in 2003 which became fairly regular in 2005 and pretty much every other week or month since late last year.

We had things in common and that pulled us together in recent months. His inclusion into our mini 1H/2H gatherings and board game sessions made us closer even as a group.

His passing was not unexpected, but, for me and probably a few others, very sudden. We had gathered at his place for a fellow classmate's birthday and board game session a day earlier.

I hope he now has found peace.

I'm running in this year's Army Half Marathon (21 km) and I'll run in his memory. I'm hoping to gather a group of 1H/2H classmates to run in this year's Stanchart Marathon in his memory. So far, I have a fellow 42km'er.

On another note, this is the 3rd passing from my class and sometimes, I cannot help, but wonder who is next to go.

2XU

2009-06-21T22:12:00.006+08:00

Yay! After missing the previous Keypower International clearance sale, I have been looking forward to the next one, which started last Friday and ends tomorrow.

Got myself a pair of Team Australia cycle shorts ($49), an Elite Men's jersey ($59) and a running T ($29).

Other 2XU stuff were going at 20% off and I'm thinking of getting a pair of the compression running tights ($123 - 20%) or a pair of Newton running shoes, but I'll get them during the next sale as I plan on using my existing Brooks and existing compression shorts that I have.

I don't usually post this on this blog, but I managed to breach the 16km mark during last Wednesday's run. This means I am on target to complete the Army Half Marathon this August 16th.

Yay for that.

1337

2009-06-20T09:08:00.003+08:00

Bishan - Eunos is an elite route, or at least that is what my speedometer says.

Went to Toa Payoh yesterday to, hopefully, obtain a free CEPAS-compliant NETS FlashPay card, but apparently all have been given out. Kind of a wasted bike trip there, but at least I got my planned workout. Yay for that.

Tomorrow is the National Runway Cycling event and I am so looking forward to that.

LECIP Desto

2009-06-16T12:39:00.002+08:00

Went chasing for the newly LECIP EDS-equipped Volvo Olympian on my bike. Packed my DSLR and EEEPC for on-the-go bus tracking, but stupid me forgot to bring my CompactFlash memory card, so I only had my teeny weeny W880i mobile phone to take photographs of the bus.

Shoutout for Fanfarlo

2009-06-11T18:27:00.003+08:00

Just a quick shoutout for Fanfarlo. They are an indie band from the UK and are releasing their debut album - Reservoir - in digital download form for only US$1. Yeah, that is a single US dollar or around $1.50 in our currency.

Without sounding like an advertorial, you can buy their album from their website. I bought mine yesterday, but have yet to listen to the album in full. However, from the few streaming tracks I have listened to, they sound pretty good.

If only more bands would release their albums cheaply. I don't mind paying $1 or even a $2 - $3 for an album.

New Bus Stop Poles

2009-06-09T10:16:00.001+08:00

I'm trying to send the following message to LTA but their fucking feedback page says to Try Again Later when I click the Submit button.

I have seen some of the new bus stop poles and I certainly agree that they look much neater than existing poles, especially the new 'Standard' poles compared to the older generation.

However, I am unhappy that the farestage information has been removed in the new signs.

I use this information to ensure that the buses' EZLink machines are properly synchronised to the bus stop before I tap my card and the loss of this information, however minor it may seem, makes it harder and more inconvenient for me as I would have to carry the Transitlink Guide around especially in cases where I have yet to memorise the fare stages.

The existing fare tables are useful for estimating the alighting point's fare stage given the boarding point's farestage, but without the boarding point's farestage, it becomes useless for us who ensure that the EZLink machines are properly synchronised to the bus stop before tapping in and out our EZLink cards.

I hope that the farestage information will be restored and displayed in either the new signages, as in the current generation bus stops, or the fare tables.

Fell Again

2009-06-05T14:56:00.003+08:00

Went out cycling to Changi Point last nigh and once again, I fell due to me being unable to release my cleats in time. Good thing this happened on my way back at Telok Kurau, so I was not pissed due to not being able to cycle as planned.

SPD is cool, but I need to practise releasing my cleats. It is not hard, but sometimes, it is still engrained in me that I'm using normal shoes on platform pedals. Both times it happened as I was slowing down to a planned stop and preparing to land on the road when I realise that I'm still cleated in.

And I think my pedals need some degreasing and a spray of WD-40. I hope I remember to buy a new can of WD-40 as I have almost used up my brother's supply.

On a positive note, the 58km bike ride has resolved the nagging pain in my ankle. For almost a week, I had a pain in my ankle that did not go away even with compression socks and ankle sleeve. Somehow, I think the pedaling I did last night helped to realign my ankle bones and nerves and now it feels good.

My MTE AA-powered torch (C3-70120 - US$18.08) came last Friday and I finally had a chance to use it as a bike light last night.

I used the MTE as a low-beam and my Regalight as a high-beam and both were used simultaneously at the Coastal Park Connector. They work pretty well together, though a I think a torch with a further throw would be more suitable.

The MTE is not as bright as the Regalight and seems to have a relatively inefficient driver. After close to an hour, the MTE shows significant dimming compared to the Regalight. The Regalight also has better throw as it has a very well defined hotspot. The main advantage of the MTE is that it has both 1Hz and 3Hz blink modes that makes it suitable as a to-be-seen bike light. So despite the inefficient driver, I'll still keep the MTE.

The MTE also has a very low low-mode which I estimate it as being around a third to half as bright as the Fenix L2D-CE. So that is probably around 1 - 3 lumens and is more than enough for navigating to the toilet at night. Unfortunately, the MTE doesn't have a memory mode, so when it is switched on, I am blasted with the claimed 150 lumens out of the Cree XR-E Q5-WC LED.

My double-AA Fenix L2D-CE came in a few days back and I hope to test it out next week as a bike light.

My flashlight collection thus far.

From left:

Some cheap AA torch with an awful blue-tinted generic led. A waste of $6.90 I paid for it at Mustafa.
A triple-AA torch with an unknown LED, though I suspect it could be a SemiLEDs or most likely, a generic 1W LED. Very bright, but awful reflector with scratches and fingerprints. Worth a lot more than the $8 it cost me.
Fenix L2D-CE
MTE C3-70120
Regalight EDC
My EDC torch, Tank007 TK-701. Uses a single AAA battery and the Seoul Semiconductor P4 LED.
My at-home torch. Also AAA-powered and uses a generic 5mm LED and is quite a bit brighter than MTE's low-mode. Good enough to navigate myself to the toilet without spoiling my night vision.

My Yamaha YZR-M1

2009-06-03T23:15:00.003+08:00

Bought myself a Yamaha YZR-M1 while waiting for Terminator Salvation to start. Cheapy cheapy at $19.92.

Mad World

2009-06-03T00:16:00.001+08:00

An awesome rendition of Tears for Fears' Mad World by Adam Lambert.

eMusic

2009-06-02T11:36:00.002+08:00

eMusic is grandfathering my 40-downloads-for-$12 plan and giving me the 30-downloads-for-$12. My original plan was the 30-downloads-for-$10 which was grandfathered when they increased the Basic plan by $2.

40 cents a track isn't too bad especially since the current 30-downloads-for-$12 is going to become the 24-downloads-for-$12. I have yet to decide on what to do with my eMusic plan, but will probably put it on hold for another 3 months.

Now eMusic is becoming not much cheaper than Amazon. If they are gonna make me pay such a high price for each track, they should provide me with the FLAC version. I don't mind paying 50 cents a track if they are FLAC. Otherwise, no, thank you.

Ticket to Ride

2009-05-31T18:15:00.002+08:00

Thanks guys for the lovely pressie. Another game to play with during our board game sessions.

Star Trek

2009-05-29T10:07:00.005+08:00

Ended up watching Star Trek at 6.45pm yesterday at Lido 7. Super tiny theatre with a screen around 2m by 4m. Good thing I was given the ticket for free. Otherwise it was a fucking waste of $8.

Why I agreed this time round.

I was given a day's notice (Wednesday), even though confirmation did not come until 2pm on the day itself (yesterday). So at least I was prepared that there was something on yesterday evening.

Even then, I was still kind of pissed.

Cos I had to spend $1.07 ($0.69 + $0.19 + $0.19) on the bus fare to Lido.

Cos I had to wait till 10.45pm for my ride back home even though the movie ended just around 9pm.

Cos I was too sleepy to wake up at 6am to prepare for my morning run. So I'm probably gonna do it this evening instead. I am hoping it rains in the afternoon and stops by the time I want to run.

I now dread this Saturday. My friends have organised a belated birthday gathering for me. Rumours has that the party will start at 5pm. Waking up at 6am the next day means a 10-11pm sleep time. I assume the party will not last less than 3 hours which will give me 2 hours to cycle home.

Yes, I'm gonna fucking cycle there. I'm sick of donating money to SMRT and SBSTransit. My transport budget for May is $0, but I have exceeded that by infinity percent - so far I have topped up $5 times 4 for a grand total of a wasteful $20.

I need to do 9.5km tonight and 11.5km on Sunday.

And I have decided to take part in the Army Half Marathon. $38 is going down the drain.

And when it comes to movies, the screen must be fucking big. Like Lido 1 and in Lido 1, there are 2 specific seats that are Yusry-approved - the two middle seats of the first row in the rear third group. Lido 1 seats are grouped into thirds - obviously 3 of them.

I have not done GVMax, but supposedly the screen is totally fucking awesome. Same goes to Cathay Grand; a supposedly fucking awesome screen that I have yet to see. I miss Prince 1. That was an awesome screen. Same goes with Capitol. An awesome two level theatre.

What Singapore all needs now is a proper IMAX theatre with the supposedly awesome 24m by 30m screen. Then it will be worth the price of the $6 weekday ticket. Otherwise I would rather climb Bukit Timah.

Okay. Enough ranting. I am expecting my Fenix L2D CE 2AA and MTE C2 AA torches to arrive very very very very soon. If these torches, along with my Regalight EDC, don't do the trick for my night rides, I'll have to go straight into one of those 700 lumens SSC P7 torches.

What's The Fucking Wrong With People Nowadays?

2009-05-25T17:06:00.002+08:00

I have never understood people very well.

I'm not your fucking boyfriend and neither are you my fucking boyfriend, so I don't (like to) do impromptu meetups.

I like the good old days whether people plan meetings way in advance, where the proposer has some fairly concrete idea in mind.

I don't handle: Let's watch Star Trek at 6.45pm when I receive notice of it at 2pm very well. I prefer arranging it a week or so in advance so that my diary does not look like a complete mess with cancellations and insertions and the whats. No, I don't have a diary; it is all in my head, but it is the same thing. Last minute cancellations and insertions screws up my memory and I don't like that.

Why can't people stick with email and arrange things in advance?

Oh well, that is just me.

Passion Run 2009

2009-05-24T13:30:00.004+08:00

I thoroughly enjoyed today's 10.4km Passion Run which I completed in approximately 1 hour 4 mins according to my GPS. Compensating for my toilet break and delayed GPS start, I probably did it in around 1 hour 6 - 7 mins. I am very happy with the average speed I ran at which is approximately 9.7km/h.

Only problem was that I was at the back of the wave, so I was running/walking very slowly for the first few hundred meters.

Now looking forward to my next event - Safra Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon - but I have yet to decide whether to run another 10km or do a half marathon instead.

I'm inclined to do the half marathon since I probably will hit 22km by end of July, in time for the half marathon 2 weeks later.

Kris Allen....

2009-05-21T10:06:00.001+08:00

.... is the new American Idol.

Oh well, let's see who releases the better debut album.

At least his rendition of No Boundaries was better today.

No Boundaries

2009-05-20T21:00:00.004+08:00

Kara DiGuardi is not too bad as a song writer. I thoroughly enjoyed the song she wrote for the American Idol winner.

Only problem is that I can't decide whether Adam Lambert......

or Kris Allen did a better job.

I prefer the way Kris started off the song. His voice is kind of soothing, but Adam's voice was much more suited for the chorus and the rest of the song.

I'm rooting for Adam as the winner though. He has shown to have a very very flexible voice that works well for virtually all genres of music. Of course his rumoured boyfriend is kind of cute too. ;)

New Divide

2009-05-19T22:31:00.004+08:00

Linkin Park's new single - New Divide - is pretty awesome..... if you like Linkin Park. It is one of their more melodic songs.... something you can hum along.

Joined a Facebook group for members of my now-defunct primary school - Haig Boys' - and found a few familiar faces, but decided not to add all of them; just a few selected ones.

Weather is kind of sucky. No mood to do one final pre-run session before this Sunday. Hope I don't KO half-way through the 10.4km run.

I'm thinking of getting a dog tag just in case something bad happens to me while running or cycling. The Road-ID wristband thingy is nice, but kind of expensive. So I think a $4 (??) dog-tag from Beach Road will suffice.

Assuming 3 rows of 16 characters, I'm thinking of the following engraving:

Front:

YUSRY S81XXXXXA
CONTACT MUM
9XXX XXXX

Back:

BLOOD A+
NON ORGAN DONOR
DO NOT REVIVE

Birthday Boy .....

2009-05-17T19:24:00.005+08:00

.... and his mum.

Taken at his birth time - 1720hrs.

And a surprise present from Singapore Passion Run 2009. I was assigned (I assume randomly) 5170 which has the sequential digits 517 which, to me, means May 17.

IDAHO

2009-05-17T00:01:00.009+08:00

Today is the International Day Against Homophobia - IDAHO.

A few nice people in Singapore did they part by having a day of fun, performances and, obviously, eye candy and thereafter forming the Pink Dot yesterday at Hong Lim Park.

I was there. It felt good.

Even met a few People-Like-Us from my high school Class of 1997.

Enjoy this cute Live music - Gotta Boyfriend - from an artiste named FrankMusik.

Eve.....

2009-05-16T08:19:00.004+08:00

...of my birthday and I'm pissed again.

2am end time.....

.....extended to 5am

.....extended to the time I wake up (5.50am)

.....about to be extended to the time they clear the board games.

tests my patience.

I broke my cardinal rule of making sure I have my own transport home and not to rely on others.

If I had not broken my rule, I would have taken the last 30 or 154 home. BLOODY FUCKING HELL.

And I hope I remember this incident forever and always rely on myself to get home instead of others.

This is the end of late night board games. No more relying on fucking lifts home.

Via CTE = 20.8km
Via KPE = 21.3km

Out of the way? Huh huh.