Another Busy Week with School, Cycling and TKD

The week just flashed by. The workload is quite crazy but life goes on. I rode to school on Mon, had TKD on Tue, rested on Wed, cycled again on Thu and had TKD on Fri. To round it off, I went mountain biking on Sat via the usual Track 15, BT and Lorong Sembawang route.

The trails were real busy because of the North Face 100. The Nike Human Race was also on Sat so I guess the sane would run the 10km while the insane would attempt the 50km/100km off-road race.

Total distance for the week: 157km

A Hell of a Week

The database project took up most of my time this week and I am glad most of the accounting project has been completed three days before it’s due. Unfortunately, I have not done my tutorials for this week so I have a lot of catching up to do!

I only cycled twice to school this week. Injury prone me took a couple of knocks during TKD training on Tuesday and that lay me off for the next couple of days. I am getting quite used to the limping and pain week after week. =( By Friday, I was back on my bike but my leg felt real funny when I cycled. Somehow, there was this nagging pain and it subsequently went to my knee.

I spent the whole Saturday with Dad, Bro and Phebe in JB. We met at 9am at Woodlands but we took more than 3 hours to clear the jam which started even before the Woodlands checkpoint.

Lunch was at Restoran Black Canyon (Tebrau City, Desa Tebrau) and I think it is worth mentioning as the service was excellent. The staff actually recognized me when I walked past the restaurant – I was surprised when he asked how I was doing. Not that I didn’t recognize him, I had to turn down his promotions for the past few times I was at Tebrau City! =P This time though, we patronized the restaurant and the food was good. I felt their service set them apart from the neighbouring restaurants we had patronized in the past and it left a really good impression on me.

After shopping at Tebrau City and subsequently Tesco, we headed for Taman Sentosa for dinner. The “pasar raya” there didn’t garner much of our interest so we had dinner at one of the supposedly famed seafood restaurants. The price was reasonable but service totally a turn-off as compared to our experience at lunch.

City Square was our last stop and as usual, we bought bread from Mum’s favourite bakery. I visited Optik Vision – their good service has ensured my continued patronage thus far. Sometimes I really wonder why our neighbours fare so much better in terms of customer service. Singapore really needs to work hard in this area!

Total distance for the week: 112km

Sembawang Circuit: 6.3km run

The Hills

I found myself at the peak of Kent Ridge Hill and subsequently that of Mount Faber a few hours ago. The night was cool and definitely silent up in the hills, despite the significant human presence. Most were couples lost in their own world anyway and I was probably the noisiest person around when my cleats grinded the ground.

Orchard was definitely a contrast and I was not totally surprised to see the long queue outside the Selegie Road bean curd stall. Cycling through Little India was another experience. Orchard was lit up with incredibly bright white lights (it felt almost like F1) whereas Little India felt traditional – nicely prepped for Deepavali with a whole range of decorative lights lining the road. We had our snacks at the bean curd stall along Balestier Road; then headed for home.

Total distance: 68.8km
Money spent: $1.80
Participants: LSH, Dad

A Tiring Week

This week took off literally with a “stressful” start. I thought things would get better after the FM test but I found myself readily occupied with heaps of work and approaching datelines. The announcement of the Accounting 1 quiz to be conducted online over the weekend didn’t exactly lift my spirits. =P

Tuesday’s TKD training was tiring, more tiring than I care to admit. Kicking non-stop for close to 150 repetitions wasn’t exactly rejuvenating and I found myself struggling to breathe. My legs were getting heavier at each repetition and my muscle fatigue was definitely at a all-time high – not since the KL – Singapore expedition last year have I experienced such fatigue that totally discouraged me from further physical activities for the next couple of days.

I was disappointed that a thunderstorm swept through Sembawang on Thursday, totally grounding my chances of cycling to school. I grabbed the opportunity to do so this morning despite my still aching muscles but all went well. I got into a close shave with an impatient lorry driver but then again, it’s just another common occurrence in the life of a cyclist. I met a Caucasian on his road bike as I entered NTU – I have seen him around before – and I guess from his age that he may be a lecturer. It’s good to see others actively cycling to work. =)

I hope the weekend turns out great, though I have quite a bit of work to clear! I find our coach’s motivational talks quite inspiring. When you are faced with adversity, dare to push your limits. Tell yourself you are the best and you can do it!

Total distance: 57km
Money spent: $2
Participants: LSH

For the Sake of Seafood

I was in some taxi, speeding down the narrow winding roads of Changi. Somehow, I was instructing the driver in shifting his gears, or something to that effect. Then, Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” cut into my thoughts and I was jolted awake. It was 3.50am. I was supposed to meet Eng Joo at 4.30am.

He reached early, despite sleeping only for 1 hour! We set off for the Woodlands Customs and as expected, traffic was super sparse. At that weird timing, I was glad to see a friendly smile from the customs officer. Clearing Kompleks Sultan Iskandar, we turned onto the familiar Jalan Tebrau, greeted by the first major climb of the day.

The ride to Kota Tinggi took roughly 2 hours, our progress impaired by hunger settling in. The town was abnormally quiet today and my favorite pit-stop was not ready for business. Hobson’s choice, we settled for another “restoran” where food and service standards were just average. Fortunately, the prices were reasonable.

Stomachs filled, we started on our second phase of the expedition – the ride to Desaru and subsequently Sungei Rengit. The weather was in our favor today and we made good progress. I started to face headwind halfway through, and just 12km from Sungei Rengit, we encountered wet weather. Rain covers up, we pedaled on.

Eng Joo is a strong rider and we managed to reach Sungei Rengit by 11.15am, probably the earliest I have reached the town so far. We met up with Bro and Phebe – I recognized two familiar helmets in the distance (a grey Giro and blue Prowell).

This time, we patronised Restoran Makanan Laut Yoou Kee, 55 Jalan Pantai, "critically acclaimed" for its lobsters (with Mediacorp food critic programmes featured over the shopfront). We had chilli crab, sambal kangkong, breaded prawns, bean curd with mixed vegetables and mushroom soup. The bill including drinks came up to a total RM121. I thought the prices of the main dishes were reasonable, the canned drinks slightly expensive and the serving of snacks very exorbitant! Just one plate of the fried popiah skin snacks caused us RM4! That’s how the restaurants in the area attempt to increase their profit margin – through charges of small yet “hard to reject” items such as wet towels and snacks. Nonetheless, the quality of the food served was fine - we had a good meal.

We paid a visit to the mango farm but harvest season was over. Dejected, we returned to Tanjung Penjelih where I started experiencing slight pangs of hunger. We managed to get onboard a Malaysian bumboat for the ride back to Changi (RM15 per pax, RM3 per bike; as opposed to S$9 per pax and S$2 per bike). Yay!

I lived to regret my decision not to grab a bite at Changi before heading home. In the pouring rain and pervading cold, weakness started infiltrating my system. I just couldn’t find any more strength amidst my hunger to continue pedaling. I am just glad my mental strength held me through the last few kilometres and the moment I reached home, I started gorging on any food I could find. =(

Total distance: 200km approx.
Money spent: RM54
Participants: LSH, Eng Joo, Bro, Phebe

Wanton Noodles @ Hougang Street 21

Bro’s craving brought us to our childhood haunt – the wanton mee stall at Hougang Street 21. There were so many familiar faces around – most of the vendors were there when I was not even in primary school yet; they are still there more than 14 years on.

Business at the wanton mee stall was as brisk as ever. I think we waited a good 30 minutes for our food. But it was as good as ever, though the price has crept up slowly over the years from $2 to the current $2.50. We also had mee rebus (similarly priced) and I thought it was among the more decent ones I have had.

The nicest surprise was from the familiar couple who sold soya bean drinks. At $0.30 per cup of grass jelly drink, I believe I have found one of Singapore’s cheapest stalls. Not to mention that they have been serving quality drinks for the past decade!

After lunch, we continued our ride to Ang Mo Kio where we visited Elken before heading home.

Total distance: 38.1km
Money spent: $8.10 (2 pax)
Participants: LSH, Bro