Monday, December 7, 2009

Singapore Marathon 2009 Finisher

Weather Widget Says: 28 C, Clear
Currently Playing: If Today Was Your Last Day - Nickelback


Once again, Singapore's annual largest marathon event took place successfully with over 50,000 participants this year - Congratulations to all marathon heros who ran and finished their own race!

Kudos to the job well done for many who were 1st-timers to running a full marathon - The act of putting your name down on the registration form and actually being there on race day is commendable to say the least! Give yourselves a pat on the back for that! =)

This year, participants are given a blank tag on top of their running IDs for writing inspirational quotes, and then attaching the tag with their personalized words of encouragement onto the back of their running jerseys - Neat idea! Some of the more memorable ones I've seen:


"Running for free bananas and 100-Plus!"

"This sounded like a good idea 3 months ago!"

"I thought last year's marathon was my last... But the Early Bird pricing was just too tempting!"

"Whose idea was this anyway?"

"Got mountain... Climb. Got road... Run. Got food... CHIONG AH!!!"



I had a good chuckle while hot on the heels of these jokers! xD

The weather was cooling in the early morning, but turned nasty towards the last leg of the race - The sun was scorching by the time we hit the F1 grandstand and marina floating platform and most of us just got toasted. =_=

Unlike the previous years, New Balance replaces Adidas as the apparel sponsor for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2009. The comfort and fit of the running jersey isn't as good as the Adidas ClimaCool series, the material being tougher and causing some abrasions.



SCSM 2009 Jersey

The official running jersey that many said fitted like it was for basketball instead of for runs!



However, the finisher's tee design is pretty refreshing, with a body-hugging fit:



SCSM 2009 Finisher Front

Front view of the full marathon finisher's tee - Love how the blue and black colours come together! =)




SCSM 2009 Finisher Back

New design for rear this year, with larger prints. The stylised runners in white are pretty cool.



The front of the finisher's medal remains largely unchanged, but the rear now features the iconic Marina Bay Sands integrated resort:



SCSM 2009 Medal Front

Front view of the finisher's medal, which is the same design as the previous year's.




SCSM 2009 Medal Back

Rear of the medal etched with the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.



Once again, my running 4D number contains no '8's in it. =( A disposable timing chip is used this year instead of the champion chip. It's a good thing, really, 'cause we'll have an additional item for keepsake! =)



SCSM 2009 Tag

Running 4D number tag and timing chip.



Special thanks to the organisers and tons of ethusiastic helpers who cheered us on along the length of the route - The run was tough, but you guys made it easier! =)

See you guys again at SCSM 2010!

Friday, December 4, 2009

NUS Singapore Marathon Race Pack

Weather Widget Says: 25 C, Clear
Currently Playing: Reach Out - Hilary Duff


Didn't manage to collect the official Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon race pack from the expo personally 'cause I had exams right up till today. =(

But hey, the NUS Singapore Marathon race pack is pretty cool too. It comes with a running jersey in loud orange-and-blue school colours and a nifty bottle:



teamnus jersey front

Front of the running jersey, in really loud orange!




teamnus jersey back

And here's the rear. The design didn't change much from last year's.




teamnus bottle

Lastly, the bottle with a metallic base and cap that looks like it could withstand a fair bit of knocks and drops. I'm a careless user I know! =x

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Weight Loss

Weather Widget Says: 27 C, Clear
Currently Playing: I Will Be - Leona Lewis


Early Christmas present for me, from me. =P

This wheelset upgrade brings the bike's weight down by 500 grams to 11 Kilograms flat. Still have to lose some more to hit the magical 10 Kilograms. Sponsors, anyone? =P



XT Front

Competition proven for over 25 years, the Shimano Deore XT range of bike components is the de-facto standard for XC riding. Wonder why did I put up with my old Deore wheelset for so long. =/




XT Rear

The hubs are coupled with Sun DS2-XC rims and laced with DT Swiss Competition spokes - Lightweight and relatively stiff, at least for my weight. =)



More upgrades come come! =D

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Another Specialized

Weather Widget Says: 28 C, Clear
Currently Playing: Best I Ever Had - Vertical Horizon


Kenny finally got converted to the Red Camp with his new Specialized S-Works FSR:



Specialized SWorks FSR

Gold anodized brakes and blue hubs surprisingly look good on this bike! =)



So that makes 3 racy red Specialized bikes in the neighbourhood now! Apparently, this bugger floats over the trails like a dream, and at the end of breaking the bike in on the Bukit Timah trails, Kenny was grinning from ear to ear despite the wet weather and very dirty bike.

Here's the aftermath:



FSR After Wet Ride

Looks like he went for a swim in mud with the bike! =P




Stumpy After Wet Ride

Mine wasn't spared either. Francis piloted my bike this time round as his bike was sent in for servicing, and I don't ride during the hectic semester anyway. =/



But what's more satisfying after a trail ride than good food? Ta-dah! Pork trotters and Hainanese Chicken Rice for the win! =D



Pig Trotters

Super sinful braised pork trotters. But they're nice! =)




Chicken Rice

Chicken Rice with offals and chicken feet - Francis' favourites!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

EDMW October Spook Ride

Weather Widget Says: 27 C, Clear
Currently Playing: Torn - Natalie Imbruglia


It's one of those super rare occasions where the EDMW riders actually come all the way up north! So I really, really couldn't miss the chance of hanging out with the guys on my turf! =P

Halloween's just around the corner, and this calls for a spook-themed ride!

We visited the abandoned Neo Tiew Estate located in the depths of Lim Chu Kang:



Spook Ride Neo Tiew Edited

The Neo Tiew Estate - An abandoned HDB town right smack in the middle of nowhere. Photo credits: koshiro@EDMW



After that, we headed to the very haunted Kranji Beach, where the Japanese soldiers perished while attempting to make their landing onto Singapore from Malaysia.



Spook Ride Kranji Dam Edited

Mozzies galore at the Kranji Dam. Photo credits: koshiro@EDMW



Thankfully, what haunted us for most of the night were merely the mozzies. =_=

The ride ended with late night supper at Al Ameen!



Spook Ride Prata

Satisfying prata supper after the ride! =) Photo credits: koshiro@EDMW

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Late Dinner at Cafe Cartel

Weather Widget Says: 27 C, Clear
Currently Playing: I'm Sorry (I Don't Love You No More) - Craig David


Project teammates and I decided to hit the nearest Cafe Cartel for a good dinner after working our butts off at the "Teck Whye Concentration Camp" for most part of the day. =_=



Cafe Cartel Orders

Why was the set lunch menu provided when we arrived at 8 plus for dinner? =/



The badly starved ones went for the St. Louis Pork Ribs right away, while the rest opted for the chicken chops with a smaller serving size:



Cafe Cartel Dishes

The St. Louis Pork Ribs in the background is just huge compared to the puny chicken chops.




Cafe Cartel St Louis Pork Ribs

A close-up of the pork ribs - This isn't the largest portion I've seen though. Sinful!




chicken chop mushroom sauce

We're keeping things realy healthy here for the chops - Swapped the fries for mashed potatoes, and black pepper sauce to mushroom sauce, 'cause I felt like I was gonna fall sick soon. =(



We were literally gorging ourselves with the food, when 9 PM struck! It's when the frappes and cakes start going for 1/2 the usual price, everyday! =D



Cafe Cartel 9 PM Sharp

Cakes and frappes frenzy starts now!



And here are the frappes we got, 2 for the price of 1!



Cafe Cartel Frappes

Whipped cream comes standard! Frappes just don't taste like they should without cream! =)



And our hefty bill:



receipt

Dinner left us with much lighter wallets. =_=

Thursday, August 13, 2009

A Little Surprise

Weather Widget Says: 26 C, Rainy
Currently Playing: It's a New Day - Will.i.am


Picked up a yummilicious Belgium chocolate cake from Prima Deli in preparation for a lil' surprise for sis!



Ah Beng Look

Jodan knows it's mummy's birthday today! So he's watching over the cake and making sure no one touches it before mummy comes home! =)



And there's booze, too. =P



Barcardi Breezer

Peach Bacardi yum seng! =D



Sis was super touched, and showered her pride and joy with lotsa kisses!



Kiss Kiss

It seems like Jodan's pretty shy about the affection mummy's showing!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Ride Before The Crunch

Weather Widget Says: 30 C, Clear
Currently Playing: Save You - Simple Plan


I don't usually hit the trails when school starts, but I can't help it this time, since the weather's been truly great lately - Hot and dry makes for fast runs and clean bikes! =)



Clean Stumpy

My beloved Stumpy, unbelievably clean!




Rest at Zheng Hua

Taking a breather at T15 - The dry, hard packed trails are just begging to be ridden!




Clean Superlite

Kenny's feather-weight SuperLite.



Really can't wait to tame the different kind of monster of a trail when I get back on the saddle towards the end of the year... Wet wet wet! ^^

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Tampopo Ramen

Weather Widget Says: 30 C, Clear
Currently Playing: It's Like That - Jermaine Dupri Feat. Mariah Carey



Tampopo Menu

Tampopo's menu had us spoilt for choice!



This time, we throng Liang Court for the acclaimed Tampopo Ramen. They're famous for their black pig soup base and black pig cutlet sets:



Original Black Pig Bone Soup Base

The Original Soup Base made from Black Pig's Bones is a little to the salty side, but tastes great when you add chilli powder to it! *slurp*



And there's something special about the hard boiled eggs that come with the ramen:



Egg Yolk

The yolk centres are not completely cooked, giving them a very nice texture when you pop the egg into your mouth! =)




Black Pig Spicy Ramen

The Spicy Black Pig Ramen adds chilli flakes to the already outstanding soup base and turns the Tampopo Ramen experience up a notch! Hawwt!



And not forgetting the Black Pig Cutlet set:



Black Pig Katsu Set

This one is for rice lovers. ^^



Overall, the ramen is comparable with that from Marutama, springy and smooth. However, the signature soup base for the Tampopo ramen is slightly more salty. The black pig pork slices of Tampopo ramen is super sinful with generous amounts of chewy fats, and in my opinion is the main selling point of the ramen, with the unique, hard on the outside, soft on the inside boiled eggs as a welcoming addition.

Here's how to get to Tampopo Ramen:





Directions credits: Google Maps and gothere.sg

Friday, August 7, 2009

Aim Before You Fire

Weather Widget Says: 28 C, Clear
Currently Playing: Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects



Attention

Guys, aim before you fire. Please?



This is a public service announcement for the guys who shoot everywhere BUT into the toilet bowl. Guys, please check if your rifle needs, erm, zero-ing? =D