There was a watermelon seller. The nobles loved her because she sold the sweetest watermelons. She could always produce the best watermelons any time of the year, even when no one else has has any stock.
She could always produce the watermelons even on short notice, it was as if she made them appear magically.
And she would only sell her sweet watermelons to the nobles.
The peasants on the other hand hates her for forcing them to eat the rotten watermelons.
And the farmers hates her even more, for stealing their watermelons.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
New Balance Real Run 2008 - The Actual Event
boldly took up the challenge... and sucked.
We are filled with the power of bananas!
Arriving early with the Ang Mo Kio pickup bus, I sat around and consumed my breakfast of six sorry looking bananas. 'Naturally' I waited until it was really crowded before joining the long queue for the WC. Unable to shed off the curse of having to start every race late, I finished my business and attempted to catch up with 老爷.
The race begun with the Trail. It was a complete disaster. Mistaking one runner after another for 老爷, I wrecklessly bounded left and right like a disoriented kangaroo. The first 20mins or so was an intense challenge for me, in not tripping over the uneven dirt track, while fellow runners try not to trip over me.
The Cheer Leaders
This event is supported by teams of what appears to be boys from secondary school uniform groups. Armed with naive enthusiasm, a bright promising future, and more than enough free Sunday mornings to waste for volunteering in random sports events to earn a few CCA brownie points, these kids filled the unenviable role of standing by the roadside and pretending to be concerned for half dead running strangers.
没有工捞，也有苦捞
As if the humbling marathon lesson was not enough, I soon had a dejavour of seeing the same people overtake me repeatedly whenever I slowed down. They came in all demographies: young colleague girls; army boys; ice-cream stall uncles; grunting ang mohs; fire-extinguisher salesmen etc. But one thing was common - They Never Tire!
I refrained from asking if any of them were coincidentally related to the Energizer Bunny and wisely saved what's left of my breath and my dignity for the race.
In an entry level (10km) event, there are usually enough novices and quitters around to fuel me with a false sense of superiority.
But this was an intermediate tier, some treat it as training for heavier events, some take it for the greater challenge.
I am probably that 'greater challenge' - a slow but erratic moving obstacle that refuses to keep to any lane, and despite the best efforts, fail miserably not to be a safety hazard.
Revenge!
The Beach was the segment I was looking forward to! Tormented by the humiliation 2 years ago on the treacherous sands of Sentosa, I screamed for vengeance and charged the sandy slopes with everything I had.
5 mins later, regardless of all the heroism, it became painfully obvious that mimicking a hardworking dung beetle will not get me very far. I switched to the only other strategy I knew...
Along with countless other like minded enterprising 'uncles' we overran the barriers and left the track to take advantage of the firmer terrain beyond the beach boundaries. The outnumbered Marshall's helpless protests soon turn into horrified squeals against the very real possibility of getting stampeded by the numberless mass of slow moving, sweaty, obessed and mindless bodies. (that will teach them to get in my way!)
Who says cheating isn't a strategy.
Thank God this is not a Marathon!
It must have been a hundred degree celsius.
Towards the end, there was a 2km stretch of straight and unshaded (Aviation Park) road. This was truly the killer stretch! the horizon was too far to spot and the surroundings barren and monotonous. One could be forgiven for mistaking as road dividers, those poor students, who were spaced evenly along the road center and then left to bake.
To cope with the heat, everyone slowed to a uniformed pace. Most entered a trance like state. When viewed from the correct perspective, the scene was not unlike that of a giant conveyor belt, carrying dough through an industrial confectionery toaster.
I silently cursed my imaginary friend the Talking Beer Tower for disappearing at the time I needed him most, and continued.
The rest of the way was dotted with misleading sharp turns. Cruelly designed to give false hopes, these turns appear (from a distance) like they lead straight to the end point, only to taper off viciously to yet another U-turn.
Eventually crossed the real finishing line (after checking that it was neither a mirage nor a mass delusion).
=== Results ===
15 KM Trail/Road/Sand
Myself >1:35:28
老爷 >1:35:17
WK >1:16:42
Talking Beer Tower >Disqualified for disappearing
Saturday, October 18, 2008
New Balance Real Run 2008 - The Night Before the Race
The best way to prepare was to eat right, and sleep early.
If only everything worked out as best...
After a less than healthy dinner of beer and pizza, I headed home, hoping to hit the sack early.
And ended up watching "Exorcist - The Beginning" on TV till the wee hours. Not much were going through my head at the time, apart from this weird imagination that the Priest (Stellan Skarsgård) in the story might in fact, be switched with a Hongkee actor, who banishes the demon with his stereotypical Canto-accented English... "The(3) pow(1) were(3) of Cry(1) see(2) com(3)pells(1) youuuu (use pacifist/persuasive tone)"
If only everything worked out as best...
After a less than healthy dinner of beer and pizza, I headed home, hoping to hit the sack early.
And ended up watching "Exorcist - The Beginning" on TV till the wee hours. Not much were going through my head at the time, apart from this weird imagination that the Priest (Stellan Skarsgård) in the story might in fact, be switched with a Hongkee actor, who banishes the demon with his stereotypical Canto-accented English... "The(3) pow(1) were(3) of Cry(1) see(2) com(3)pells(1) youuuu (use pacifist/persuasive tone)"
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Tao of Jeet June Do - Attitude
Some motivational material in anticipation of the New Balance Real Run. This really influences me.
Extracted from The Tao of Jeet June Do
= Attitude =
The state of the athlete's mind as he faces his event determines the degree of excess tension he will carry into the event. The athlete free from excess tension as he awaits his performance is typically self-confident. He has what is commonly known as "a winning attitude." He sees himself as master of the athletic situation confronting him. To many athletes, being champion is a matter of 'psycological necessity'. Fed by previous successes and having completely rationalized previous failure, he feels himself a Triton among minnows."
As an event approaches, the athlete often notices a feeling of weakness in his midsection (butterflies in his stomach), and his heart pounds, he may experience pain in his lower back. The experienced athlete recognizes these sensations not as inner weakness, but as an inner surplus. These signs indicate a preparedness for violent activity. In fact, the athlete who expresses a feeling of euphoria before an event is probably in a poor state of readiness.
If emotional control is not well learned, critical moments in the fight when the emotional tension is highest will result in loss of skill by the fighter. His muscles suddenly must work against his own over-tense antagonistic muscles. He becomes stiff and clumsy in his movements. Expose yourself to various conditions and learn.
Experience shows that an athlete who forces himself to the limit can keep going as long as necessary. This means that ordinary effort will not tap or release the tremendous store of reserve power latent in the human body. Extraordinary effort, highly emotionalized conditions or a true determination to win at all costs will release this extra energy. Therefore, an athlete is actually as tired as he feels, and if he is determined to win, he can keep on almost indefinitely to achieve his objective. The attitude "You can win if you want to badly enough," means that the will to win is constant. No amount of punishment, no amount of effort, no condition is too "tough" to take in order to win. Such attitude can be developed only if winning is closely tied to the practitioner's ideals and dreams.
Extracted from The Tao of Jeet June Do
= Attitude =
The state of the athlete's mind as he faces his event determines the degree of excess tension he will carry into the event. The athlete free from excess tension as he awaits his performance is typically self-confident. He has what is commonly known as "a winning attitude." He sees himself as master of the athletic situation confronting him. To many athletes, being champion is a matter of 'psycological necessity'. Fed by previous successes and having completely rationalized previous failure, he feels himself a Triton among minnows."
As an event approaches, the athlete often notices a feeling of weakness in his midsection (butterflies in his stomach), and his heart pounds, he may experience pain in his lower back. The experienced athlete recognizes these sensations not as inner weakness, but as an inner surplus. These signs indicate a preparedness for violent activity. In fact, the athlete who expresses a feeling of euphoria before an event is probably in a poor state of readiness.
If emotional control is not well learned, critical moments in the fight when the emotional tension is highest will result in loss of skill by the fighter. His muscles suddenly must work against his own over-tense antagonistic muscles. He becomes stiff and clumsy in his movements. Expose yourself to various conditions and learn.
Experience shows that an athlete who forces himself to the limit can keep going as long as necessary. This means that ordinary effort will not tap or release the tremendous store of reserve power latent in the human body. Extraordinary effort, highly emotionalized conditions or a true determination to win at all costs will release this extra energy. Therefore, an athlete is actually as tired as he feels, and if he is determined to win, he can keep on almost indefinitely to achieve his objective. The attitude "You can win if you want to badly enough," means that the will to win is constant. No amount of punishment, no amount of effort, no condition is too "tough" to take in order to win. Such attitude can be developed only if winning is closely tied to the practitioner's ideals and dreams.
New Balance Real Run 2008
Signed up for the New Balance Real Run. Collected my race pack today. Will be running the 15Km Men's open category. This is an interesting race because it includes running across sand (beachside), and trail, which possess a different challenge from that of roads and tracks.
In preparation, I did various alternative training in addition to long runs.
Mainly trained in my Army New Balance Shoes which I'll be wearing during the race.
CONDITIONING
- Running on uneven terrain
- Martial Arts (Muay Thai kicks and kneecaps, shadow boxing, bag work)
- Under the sun long runs
ENDURANCE
- Medium distance speed runs
- Wind sprints
POWER
- Staircase sprints
- Static muscle training (horse stances, heel lifts, squat lifts)
- Chin ups, Weights
Had been rather laid back compared to the last few races. Probably won't be at my physical peak for this race. However, I do feel more confident nowadays, after my full marathon experience.
In preparation, I did various alternative training in addition to long runs.
Mainly trained in my Army New Balance Shoes which I'll be wearing during the race.
CONDITIONING
- Running on uneven terrain
- Martial Arts (Muay Thai kicks and kneecaps, shadow boxing, bag work)
- Under the sun long runs
ENDURANCE
- Medium distance speed runs
- Wind sprints
POWER
- Staircase sprints
- Static muscle training (horse stances, heel lifts, squat lifts)
- Chin ups, Weights
Had been rather laid back compared to the last few races. Probably won't be at my physical peak for this race. However, I do feel more confident nowadays, after my full marathon experience.
Human beings rely upon their brethren and are often disappointed by them.
Don't let someone become a priority in your life,
when you are just an option in their life
when you are just an option in their life
What would you do when you have friends like this...
- You personally recommend him for a job interview at a buddy's company. He fails to show up and becomes uncontactable while your buddy sits with his superior for a tense, embarrassing hour, before calling off the interview angrily. A week later, your friend informs you that he dropped his mobile phone.... And then you learn that, that was a lie.
- Busy friend wants to meet and catch up.
>>Friend manages to 'fix you a slot' [insert random number between 1-3] weeks ahead. On appointed day, Friend cancels the meet up because...
A. Completely forgets
B. Forgot that he/she needs to attend a preplanned company function/good friend's birthday/long lost relative from overseas/is a bridesmaid~best man for that day's wedding.
C. Needs to spend time with boyfriend/girlfriend/dog/cat/pig/some stranger on the street.
D. It's drizzling.
And then friend offers to reschedule the appointment.
Keep repeating above until one day you get a sms reply "sorry, may I know who's that?"
- Calls you only once a year, on your Birthday to ask if you would like to chip in on an expensive birthday present for someone you are supposed to have met before.
- Made you rush to town for a sudden meet up, within the hour, and then cancels just when you are nearly there, because her next appointment (which was not mentioned before) showed up 20mins early.
- Apologizes that he/she is working slightly late but would soon finish up and be there. You wait at the mall for 3 hours before checking again to learn that he/she is already on the way home. The appointment had been canceled and naturally you didn't need to be informed.
- Finds a convenient excuse when she realizes that you are not planning to treat her to an expensive restaurant of her choice.
Now what would I do?
Well I don't know, since I no longer have friends like that.
- You personally recommend him for a job interview at a buddy's company. He fails to show up and becomes uncontactable while your buddy sits with his superior for a tense, embarrassing hour, before calling off the interview angrily. A week later, your friend informs you that he dropped his mobile phone.... And then you learn that, that was a lie.
- Busy friend wants to meet and catch up.
>>Friend manages to 'fix you a slot' [insert random number between 1-3] weeks ahead. On appointed day, Friend cancels the meet up because...
A. Completely forgets
B. Forgot that he/she needs to attend a preplanned company function/good friend's birthday/long lost relative from overseas/is a bridesmaid~best man for that day's wedding.
C. Needs to spend time with boyfriend/girlfriend/dog/cat/pig/some stranger on the street.
D. It's drizzling.
And then friend offers to reschedule the appointment.
Keep repeating above until one day you get a sms reply "sorry, may I know who's that?"
- Calls you only once a year, on your Birthday to ask if you would like to chip in on an expensive birthday present for someone you are supposed to have met before.
- Made you rush to town for a sudden meet up, within the hour, and then cancels just when you are nearly there, because her next appointment (which was not mentioned before) showed up 20mins early.
- Apologizes that he/she is working slightly late but would soon finish up and be there. You wait at the mall for 3 hours before checking again to learn that he/she is already on the way home. The appointment had been canceled and naturally you didn't need to be informed.
- Finds a convenient excuse when she realizes that you are not planning to treat her to an expensive restaurant of her choice.
Now what would I do?
Well I don't know, since I no longer have friends like that.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Transition Issues Log - 1st stage
A list of system problems that a new Mac convert may face.
- Unnatural Mouse Tracking in OS X
http://db.tidbits.com/article/8893
Description:
(For many users), moving the mouse feels unnatural because of the way Mac OS X translates mouse motion into pointer movement (the "mouse acceleration curve"). This website describes the problem in detail and reviews and provides links to some recommended fixes.
NOTE: I used "USB Overdrive" with the settings >> Speed=80 dpi (fastest); Acceleration=20%
- Make Airport Express Stream Audio From Any App
Description:
By default Apple's Airport Express will only channel audio from itunes.
Rogue Amoeba Software has released Airfoil, which enables users to send audio from any application (instead of just iTunes) directly to an Air Port Express base station.
Note:
Live audio streaming has some lag time, causing video and sound to go off-sync.
The VLC player workaround seems to be to check the Advanced box at the bottom of Preferences, and under Audio set a manual “audio deynchronization compensation value.” With a little trial and error, you should get the sound in sync.
Currently no workaround for online videos
- Transferring and synchronizing bookmarks across multiple machines
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2410
"Foxmarks" a free Firefox browser plugin which backups and synchronizes bookmarks using an online server.
- Migrating/backing up old emails
Switch to Mozilla's free email client "Thunderbird" which will be able to import all emails from MS outlook and save as a set of local mail files.
Instructions: Copy files/folder and then Paste To
hope79/library/thunderbird/profiles/ID.default/mail/local folders/
Note: This only works for MS Outlook to Thunderbird migration. Still have not found a way to import from OS X mail program.
- Free Antivirus for MAC
www.clamxav.com/
Tho it is not necessary since there are no known viruses for MAC.
- Instant chat
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-alternative-chat-applications-for-msn-on-mac-os-x/
Description:
The Mac version of MSN is one generation behind, lacking many useful features which windows users are used to. Furthermore, Voice chats, video calls/conferencing will not work.
This website makes a list of five alternative chat MSN applications for Mac OS X that allows customization, and better functionality.
NOTE: I used Adium
- Unnatural Mouse Tracking in OS X
http://db.tidbits.com/article/8893
Description:
(For many users), moving the mouse feels unnatural because of the way Mac OS X translates mouse motion into pointer movement (the "mouse acceleration curve"). This website describes the problem in detail and reviews and provides links to some recommended fixes.
NOTE: I used "USB Overdrive" with the settings >> Speed=80 dpi (fastest); Acceleration=20%
- Make Airport Express Stream Audio From Any App
Description:
By default Apple's Airport Express will only channel audio from itunes.
Rogue Amoeba Software has released Airfoil, which enables users to send audio from any application (instead of just iTunes) directly to an Air Port Express base station.
Note:
Live audio streaming has some lag time, causing video and sound to go off-sync.
The VLC player workaround seems to be to check the Advanced box at the bottom of Preferences, and under Audio set a manual “audio deynchronization compensation value.” With a little trial and error, you should get the sound in sync.
Currently no workaround for online videos
- Transferring and synchronizing bookmarks across multiple machines
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2410
"Foxmarks" a free Firefox browser plugin which backups and synchronizes bookmarks using an online server.
- Migrating/backing up old emails
Switch to Mozilla's free email client "Thunderbird" which will be able to import all emails from MS outlook and save as a set of local mail files.
Instructions: Copy files/folder and then Paste To
hope79/library/thunderbird/profiles/ID.default/mail/local folders/
Note: This only works for MS Outlook to Thunderbird migration. Still have not found a way to import from OS X mail program.
- Free Antivirus for MAC
www.clamxav.com/
Tho it is not necessary since there are no known viruses for MAC.
- Instant chat
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-alternative-chat-applications-for-msn-on-mac-os-x/
Description:
The Mac version of MSN is one generation behind, lacking many useful features which windows users are used to. Furthermore, Voice chats, video calls/conferencing will not work.
This website makes a list of five alternative chat MSN applications for Mac OS X that allows customization, and better functionality.
NOTE: I used Adium
Transition Issues Log - Bootcamp
- 'Disk error' during WinXP installation
http://forums.macnn.com/104/alternative-operating-systems/375413/macbook-pro-disk-error-press-any/
VERY IMPORTANT
1. When you first start installing XP, it asks you which partition to install onto. You select "BOOTCAMP" (if you didn't select the right partition, the Windows installer is stupid enough to try to install onto the Mac partition, which hoses the Mac OS).
2. Then, you must tell XP to FORMAT the partition (even though it supposedly already is). Quick format is enough. If I don't do that, I invariably get the "Media error. Press any key" message.
- Installing Drivers for XP
Bootcamp Intallation Guide
http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/
http://forums.macnn.com/104/alternative-operating-systems/375413/macbook-pro-disk-error-press-any/
VERY IMPORTANT
1. When you first start installing XP, it asks you which partition to install onto. You select "BOOTCAMP" (if you didn't select the right partition, the Windows installer is stupid enough to try to install onto the Mac partition, which hoses the Mac OS).
2. Then, you must tell XP to FORMAT the partition (even though it supposedly already is). Quick format is enough. If I don't do that, I invariably get the "Media error. Press any key" message.
- Installing Drivers for XP
Bootcamp Intallation Guide
http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/
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