BOLD enough to ENJOY life now!: September 2011

27 SEP 2011 TUE - 8th Formal Training @MacRitchie for OCT Nepal Trekking Trip

bke very slow traffic today... i arrived late... we started the trek at 0855...

along the way to tree top walk, this 'one-leg-runner' approached me to help him take a pic... st said she remembered seeing him in the papers... i googled... he is Mohd Shariff - Singapore Blade Runner... 'Life was not easy... I have to accept it and be strong... I want to inspire everyone to join sports to keep fit and strong... I was just testing out on the run... I noticed I had the potential to run......'

reached tree top walk at around 1010... the uncle attendant is back from holidays, he went russia for 10days...... today another uncle 'trekker' joined us chatting :)

1016

1017 'bird eye view' of canopy from the tree top bridge

we completed the blue route [tree top walk] at around 1149... we had milo no ice then took 157 to TPY and parted there to run our personal errands

haha st mentioned 大包 while chatting during the trail... i very long time never eat 大包... so i had 大包 for lunch today :)

24 SEP 2011 SAT - 7th Formal Training [from MacRitchie to Bt Timah Hill] for OCT Nepal Trekking Trip

i was having mild sore throat on wed when i have the vaccination... then on thur the sore throat worsen, the condition improved after i took the 'allergy' med to treat my nose [heehee i refuse to admit i ever have sensitive nose... after stopping the kl business travels (after seeking dr lee advice)... i believe i have acted fast enough to prevent my nose from getting sensitive... no more waking up in the middle of the night with very dry throat in the sickening hotel room]... then on fri i'd runny nose... i dare not take the flu med as i am not sure if by doing so will defeat the purpose of the flu vaccination [the vaccination = injecting the virus (very little) into our body for our body to develop antibodies?]... so i just continue with the 'allergy' medication for my nose... guess the condition did improve a bit... so i was having runny nose for today's trek...

st was saying since i m having runny nose why not postpone today's trek... but i guess if i have runny nose during the trekking trip, i will still need to continue the trek... so no excuse for me to stop the training for today ;) [see... i can still trek with runny nose! previously when my 'nose was getting sensitive', i was like 3/4 dead whenever i had runny nose and it usually took me more than 2 weeks to get well... now the runny nose is not affecting me much... thank you to dr lee for the brilliant diagnosis and advice.]

we started at around 0837

0907 'bamboo forest'

1000

1006

1007

1019

1034 heehee i heart this 'mirror'

btw this is nothing new between us but i guess i have never mention in my blog lol... haha st was farting along the way after this pic, she said she only fart 'in front' of her family and me... haha we only do that 'in front' of close ones ;) we usually 'take turn' to fart during the training lol ;)

we covered [the pink route, distance 9.5km, approx walking time 4-5 hours, trail grade difficult ==> H A B C E F I Bukit Timah Nature Reserve] ==> we took less than 3 hours 0837-1115... then we continued to 'up' bt timah hill

we took the red route to 'up' bt timah hill... the initial up-slope was terrible... i had no much problem previously with this initial up-slope when we started from here... but today after 3 hours of trekking then continue with this initial up-slope was killing me... really 'siong'!
[the 'siong' was just for that moment but fast recovery as compared to my 1st training... guess i m building up my stamina...]

1146 me lying flat at summit hut the moment we reached here... very shiok... for the first time really feel lying down can be so shiok!

1151 heehee st pictured me 'lying flat' b4 we ended our break & continue with the trek

1152

hahaha my turn to fart while descending... we can really expelled gas besides perspired after a really good workout...
by 1213 we were down at the visitor centre

1235 replenishing energy with cold milo no ice at beauty world shopping centre mc

we remembered there is a very famous nonya eatery in bt timah plaza... i have not come to this place for so long, at least 7 years i think... not sure if the nonya eatery still there... so we tried our luck...

1300 ~~lunch~~ queuing [heehee st queuing la... me 'chopped' seats] at bt timah plaza #B1-K69 Nonya Delicatessen... the queue never ending one lor... the rice all sold out already

1312 my nonya laksa & lime juice... yum yum

Management Course

got this via email from a friend, 挺有意思的 :)

Lesson 1

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.
They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.'

'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.'
Puff! She's gone.

'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life..'
Puff! He's gone.

'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'

Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 2
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.
A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?'
The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.'
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 3
A turkey was chatting with a bull.
'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.'
'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.'
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:
Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there...

Lesson 4
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.
While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.
The dung was actually thawing him out!
He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

THUS ENDS THE THREE MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE
Send this to at least five bright, funny people you know and make their day!

21 SEP 2011 WED - Medicine & Vaccination for OCT Nepal Trekking Trip

went cck polyclinic to see doctor to get 'stand-by-medicine' for nepal trekking trip... sore throat, cough, flu, fever & diarrhoea... my nepal/tibet trip 5 years ago [apr2006], i had very bad sore throat & cough... mar2008 sore throat & cough from rishikesh to nasik, nov2010 kl business trip also... i am very prone to have sore throat and cough because of my nose... hope this round i will not have the chance to consume any of these medicine ;)

i never had vaccination for traveling purposes... india, tibet, nepal & posting in guangzhou, ~~i'd~~ 'i have & will have' no problem even without vaccination... hee hee i always believe that my 'dirty eat dirty big' body has the antibodies! in fact i'd no intention for the vaccination for this nepal trip... st had her vaccination done on monday, told me about it on tuesday during our training, haha i told her i never want to do so... but today the doctor advised me to do so... since he said so, i thought i better have the suggested vaccination done... if not 'sway sway' got problem, how?... TOUCH WOOD! haha this is the certificate:

so long no injection, can't even remember when was the last time i'd injection? so painful one hor, i din remember injection so painful one lor... influenza vaccination on left arm and typhoid vaccination on right arm... :( now my left arm pain and right arm pain pain pain :( the nurse said the pain might last for few days :(

st paid S$38 for the 2 vaccination plus 'stand-by-medicine', at private GP... i paid S$69.80 at polyclinic! polyclinic more expensive than private GP!!!???

btw, polyclinic doesn't have diamox [to reduce the incidence of acute mountain sickness], the private GP that st went also... we will get it from the local travel agent :)

20 SEP 2011 TUE - 6th Formal Training @MacRitchie for OCT Nepal Trekking Trip

raining! but we did not take the opportunity to skip our training ;) heehee we so discipline hor ;)

btw guess our nepal trip not affected by the 18SEP2011 Himalayan earthquake, aka the 2011 Sikkim earthquake [affected areas include northeastern india, nepal, bhutan, bangladesh & southern tibet] keeping my fingers crossed... my trip to nepal always so happening lor... 5 years ago political instability... now got earthquake... anyway we will see how? nearer the date... scheduled to fly to kl on 6oct night, kl to nepal on 7oct morning :)
thank you my friends for the concerns... will postpone if not safe to trek then :)

0845

0956 before 'down' to tree top walk

the uncle attendant not here today, a local chinese chap from the same outsource security agency relieved him, he said uncle traveling on leave for 2 weeks... he said not lucky today, mrt circle line got problem today, heavy rain, wanna take taxi but no taxi, all wet and late for work... wow he not permanently posted to a park but always on relieve at different parks... hopping from park to park... not bad hor?

1004 along hanging bridge

all wet... very dirty... very uncomfortable... esp my feet soaked in wet socks & sandals

our dirty feet

1009 along hanging bridge... misty view

completed the blue route [tree top walk] at around 1145... as usual... milo no ice... shower... lunch

1258... on board bus 162... 'made myself at home' hahaha... my feet pale and 'wrinkled' after soaking in wet socks & sandals for the whole morning

lunch at the absolute integrity eatery... <rabbit brand seafood delicacies> @lucky plaza #02-114
1323 my set M - Sharks' Fin Steamed Egg + Rice + Soup + Chinese Dessert (White Fungus Longan Soup) + Chinese Tea... wow the soup got button mushroom & shredded chicken... S$6.50 only... i love this makan place

st's set J - Sharks' Fin Scallops Scrambled Egg + Rice + Soup + Chinese Dessert + Chinese Tea S$5.50

side dish - Spinach Tofu

we parted after lunch...

i went to indonesia embassy to pick up passport for tini... again walked n walked... reached the embassy at around 2:15pm... queued at the gate till 2:30pm... went in need to queue at the counter again till 3pm, the queue ticket machine not being used... i just leave my backpack on the floor to queue and sat comfortably to wait ;)

17 SEP 2011 SAT - 5th Formal Training [from MacRitchie to Bt Timah] for OCT Nepal Trekking Trip

coincidentally we were both a bit late today...
we covered [the pink route, distance 9.5km, approx walking time 4-5 hours, trail grade difficult ==> H A B C E F I Bukit Timah Nature Reserve] ==> we took about 3 hours and we dun find this route as difficult as it sounds...wow walk from MacRitchie to Bukit Timah... sounds so tough lor... in fact we feel that the blue route [tree top walk] is more difficult than this pink route [to bt timah] :)

0847 @A
0937 @B [about 2.5km]
0950 @C

1004 @F

1011 out of nowhere got this hut? dunno what's this for?

1013

1018 another 5.3km to bukit timah nature reserve

1019

1022 four foreign workers cutting leaves and branches with grass-cutter here [not so safe for lady to trek alone along this route, not many people doing (running or trekking) this route]

1025 so far we covered 6km in 1hr 40min [from 0847 till now 1025]... the elderly couple on the right 'yong' hor

1027

1030 this route got lots of this kind of 'covered wells'... saw an angmoh with his partner [his partner not angmoh so i cannot just say the angmoh couple] using one of such as table top to put water bottle and sandwich box :)

1033 @I... the metal barrier-fencing rather high [for my height la lol] and the gap rather narrow... i jokingly told st 'aiya i cannot pass through la' then i climbed a small step to pass through the narrow gap... that angmoh [i mentioned above seeing him using the 'covered well' as table top] was just behind me, saw my trekking boots, said something like 'oh you have this type of shoes... very good'... as i turned back, wanting to share with him about the 'goodness' of the shoes, i saw him squeezing through the gap without climbing like me but somehow had to 'pull up' his belly a bit... i commented 'oh you are 'slimmer' than me hahaha... and he said 'oh i don't mean to embarrass you.... muahaha... we all had a good laugh...

1033 on the right of above pic

1038 that is that angmoh with his partner

1041 we covered 7km in about 2hrs [from 0847 till now 1041]

1044 near BKE, can hear the busy-expressway-noise here

1049 along rifle range flyover... see the icon of bukit timah hill in the middle [the radio towers]... also got captured the grass-cutting worker on the left of the pic

1049 along rifle range flyover... on the right of above pic

1049 us along rifle range flyover...

1050 view of bke from rifle range flyover... i have been traveling along this bke for so long, go town, go airport, go TPY, Bugis, MacRitchie,... sure take this bke... today for the first time i see this bke from high :)

1054 after rifle range flyover... see the icon of bukit timah hill in the middle [the radio towers]...

1055

1057 um... rather mis-leading here

1057 at left of above pic... that angmoh & partner were standing around here... flipping through a booklet... we 'eye-contact'... i told him we are heading to bukit timah nature reserve... they too...
he said 'follow us then'
i said 'blind leading the blind'
muahaha we had a good laugh again

1058 a mr handsome jogger [a local] jogged by, i asked him which way to bukit timah hill... he so kind, stopped and asked us to continue trekking along the 'orr-yew-lor'... up slope then down slope then before t-junction turn in from right, got sign board there... wow he must be a regular jogger... not panting lor and can still give clear and precise direction in clear and stable voice :)

1101

1102 st answered an incoming call and we somehow slowed down... the angmoh & partner overtook us and soon we cannot see them

1102

1110

1117 i saw the angmoh's partner standing around this board, i waved at her and she waved back... then i saw the angmoh, again i waved at him and he waved back, then they turned in and continued... soon we reached this board

1124 another 0.5km to bukit timah nature reserve visitor centre

1126 we just 'down'ed' this...so shiok!... can imagine how the 2 cyclists, that we saw a while ago, tediously 'up'ed' this lol

1128

1130 we came out from here... that angmoh &partner were 'waiting' for us... i pointed to him the direction to bukit timah nature reserve visitor centre... he asked if i am sure... told him i used to 'climb' bukit timah hill... haha he said they were waiting for us and asked 'isn't it nice to have someone waiting for you' hahaha i replied 'ya having someone waiting for us make us feel WARM'... muahaha we had a laugh again... we parted here ;)
[it is always nice to communicate with someone with the same telepathy, need not talk much, just 'short and sweet' and we can 'catch the meaning' and we ended with lots of good laugh... i dun even know his name... each time total we talked not more than 3 sentences each but each time we ended with a good laugh :)]