When Death Came From The Sea
What does 135,000 look like?
Friday, December 31, 2004
In Cash, Not Kind
More about the Dec 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake/tsunami here.
Photos Packs 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Source: Neowin; Hosted at Cryptome.org; contain graphic images)
The sky over here has been crying almost non-stop for the past few days and nights, probably over the death toll, which is now 125,000 and counting.
Many kind hearted souls around the world are taking action by sending stuffs they don't need to the various collection centres around the country.
But many of the relief agencies like Red Cross, SPH(Singapore Press Holdings) are now saying, if you really want to help, contribute in cash, not kind.
The Singapore Red Cross began its policy of collecting cash only after the 1999 Turkey earthquake after receiving tonnes of items 40 days late, which were not suitable or needed at that time. It had taken more than a month to collect, sort, pack and ship.
Not only does it take time, effort, and money for all the logistics involved. If the supplies turn out to be useless to the victims, it also cost time, effort, and money to dispose of what will be tonnes of garbage. So instead of helping, our kind efforts could end up as big headaches for those already busy people.
In short, to help, cash is best.
You can read more about in-kind donations at charitywatch.org, or just flip the local papers to read about what the victims really need.
God have mercy on our souls.
Singapore Government website: Crisis & Emergencies
Google's tsunami relief and resources links
Photos Packs 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Source: Neowin; Hosted at Cryptome.org; contain graphic images)
The sky over here has been crying almost non-stop for the past few days and nights, probably over the death toll, which is now 125,000 and counting.
Many kind hearted souls around the world are taking action by sending stuffs they don't need to the various collection centres around the country.
But many of the relief agencies like Red Cross, SPH(Singapore Press Holdings) are now saying, if you really want to help, contribute in cash, not kind.
The Singapore Red Cross began its policy of collecting cash only after the 1999 Turkey earthquake after receiving tonnes of items 40 days late, which were not suitable or needed at that time. It had taken more than a month to collect, sort, pack and ship.
Not only does it take time, effort, and money for all the logistics involved. If the supplies turn out to be useless to the victims, it also cost time, effort, and money to dispose of what will be tonnes of garbage. So instead of helping, our kind efforts could end up as big headaches for those already busy people.
In short, to help, cash is best.
You can read more about in-kind donations at charitywatch.org, or just flip the local papers to read about what the victims really need.
God have mercy on our souls.
Singapore Government website: Crisis & Emergencies
Google's tsunami relief and resources links
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
What is a tsunami?
With the death toll as of now at 66,000 and rising, it's really a very depressing and unforgettable way to mark the end of the year 2004.
What makes a tsunami so deadly?
In deep water, the energy of a tsunami is constant, a function of its height and speed. Thus, as the wave approaches land, its height increases while its speed decreases. A tsunami has a very long wave length (in the order of 100 km), which makes it act as a shallow-water wave. Since the speed of a shallow-water wave is, where g is the gravitational acceleration and d is the water depth, a tsunami in the open ocean can obtain a speed of about 700 km/h. While in deep water a person at the surface of the water would probably not even notice, but the wave can increase to a height of 30 m and more as it approaches the coastline and compresses.
More about it's definition here.
I could be wrong, but, from the above description, it seems that by the time anyone's able to guess that a tsunami is about to hit them, it may already be too late to really run very far.
Given that a tsunami travels at about 200 m/s in the open ocean (yes, that's 200 metres per second, although it starts losing speed but gaining height as it hits the shore), and a bullet fired from a weapon, depending on the bullet's shape, calibre, and various other factors, flies at about 180 - 1500 m/s... well you can imagine the rest...when a wall of water hits you at speed, not much difference from flying into a concrete wall...
Just when you think things cannot get any scarier, there is the megatsunami...
The forces of nature are formidable indeed.
More about the Dec 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake/tsunami here.
Decided to recce a possible running route from work back to home. This road runs parrallel to the MRT line all the way from Kranji to Yishun. Used the odometer from outside TECH Semiconductor and it shows about 10km travelled upon reaching Yishun. Double checked using the route calculator from Streetdirectory.com and it's about right. The bad thing is that there are just too many traffic lights and junctions along the way.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
MR25 ultra
I'm at work right now, so this will be a quick one.
At this moment, CT and TLR is at MR running the MR25 ultra.
CT just called me about 45 minutes ago upon completing her 1st round. I sent her there in the morning, a bit late, she started around 0710hrs. She also took the wrong route, which is about 2km longer!
Each round is about 11km.
One more round and she would have already overtaken what I did yesterday. Cool huh?
Furthermore, the terrain is much more difficult, off-road with lots of slopes.
As of now, she still has about 9.5 hours to achieve her goal of above 50km.
All the best Ct & TLR!
UPDATE: It is now about 2210hr. The run is over. CT is already in bed now. She told me she felt her calf muscle 'jump' when walking back to the endpt. I suspect an acute muscle tear. She's sort of limping right now, and she mentioned getting punk grrl over tomorrow to help her run errands. Fed her with painkillers and vitamin C, E, and Omega3. And apply an ice-pack to the pain. Look out for her blog update tomorrow!
At this moment, CT and TLR is at MR running the MR25 ultra.
CT just called me about 45 minutes ago upon completing her 1st round. I sent her there in the morning, a bit late, she started around 0710hrs. She also took the wrong route, which is about 2km longer!
Each round is about 11km.
One more round and she would have already overtaken what I did yesterday. Cool huh?
Furthermore, the terrain is much more difficult, off-road with lots of slopes.
As of now, she still has about 9.5 hours to achieve her goal of above 50km.
All the best Ct & TLR!
UPDATE: It is now about 2210hr. The run is over. CT is already in bed now. She told me she felt her calf muscle 'jump' when walking back to the endpt. I suspect an acute muscle tear. She's sort of limping right now, and she mentioned getting punk grrl over tomorrow to help her run errands. Fed her with painkillers and vitamin C, E, and Omega3. And apply an ice-pack to the pain. Look out for her blog update tomorrow!
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Christmas 2004 Morning Run, Yishun~Orchard
Christmas 2004 route : Yishun to Orchard
Finished work on Christmas Eve morning. Went for a very quick and short run with CT towards SAFRA for a swim. Wanted to test my Adidas ClimaCool Adventure shoes without any socks. Mistake! Got blisters on my right foot as a result. But it wasn't too bad.
Slept from afternoon till around midnight, while CT has punkgrrl for company. When CT woke me up, they were already waiting for me with Lamp Chop, salad, baked potatoes, and grape juice on the table, complete with candles for 'effect'.
After 'dinner', they turned in around 3am, while I surf around for a while.
Very soon, I got restless. I needed to get my ass off the bench. I needed to hit the road.
So, being as silent as I possibly can, I packed my hydra-pack, mobile, and wallet. Nike cap to keep my fringe off of my face, NB singlet, adidas tights and shorts, short socks to go with my NB900 shoes. Time to test them on hard roads. No music player for me, me no like thing dangling out of ear when running. Let me hear the sound of nature, and traffic, of course.
Started running at about 5:35am. This is the hardest part. To get out of Yishun itself seems to take forever. The long stretch of Avenue 2 plus Lentor Avenue is a long straight flat road, so luckily for me, it was quite easy to clear. I ran at a very very slow pace because I was hoping to conserve energy and see how far I can go. I sipped about a mouthful of water every 10 to 15 minutes and also when I have to stop for a while at traffic lights to keep myself hydrated and cool.
By the time I hit the Yio Chu Kang Road Junction, it was already about 6:20am, about 6.5km from my start point, that's about 45mins. Yishun done, time to tackle Ang Mo Kio.
Passed YCK MRT and Anderson Junior College without much difficulty as the road was level. But after that, there was about 700 to 800 metres of inclination of about 10 to 15 degrees. And towards the end of the down-slope, I had to walk, my left ankle and right knee was starting to hurt. I would later find out to my dismay that the whole stretch of this road all the way up to Marymount Road would follow this pattern, up down up down.
Took me about 20minutes to run through Ang Mo Kio and Bishan Park and hit Marymount Road. There were parts of up and down slopes when I was forced to walk. It's about 6:40am, getting brighter. My breathing was already pretty steady and relaxed, but my left ankle and right knee was starting to take center-stage.
Marymount Road was worse. Because of part of it being the Braddel Road flyover, there was a rather steep inclination of about 20degrees towards it. I was really struggling, and I was about to cross the road and run over to MacRitchie Reservoir Park and call it a day. But then I know that Thomson Road is just round the corner and from then on, Orchard Road is not too far away. So I persevered, hit Thomson Road, and head for the Mobil petrol kiosk (marked X on map) to get myself a Pocari Sweat and a Snickers bar for 'breakfast'. It was about 7am. I took my time to finish up the Snickers and the Sweat, and at the same time massage my knees and calf. Then I realized that I'm feeling cold! I rested too long, about 20minutes. The idling plus the cold drink and the morning breeze are cooling down my body temperature too fast and I know that's not good if I want to continue running.
So quickly, I picked myself up and started off again. OUCH! My right knee! PAIN! I know I need to get my body warmed up quick. So I started to walk briskly. After about 10minutes and a few tries, I can start jogging again without too much pain. 7:35am.
By about 7:45, I was at the junction between Novena MRT and the Revenue House. I know I'm near. Thomson Road done, time to do Newton Road.
Midway through Newton Road, my right thigh muscle started to feel a bit tight. I could sense a cramp coming, my hips were begining to ache. I started to walk and tried prevent the cramp from taking place. I was thinking to myself, "that's it, I'm gonna have to end my run at Newton MRT". Then this middle age chinese guy came running from behind me. We looked at each other and he waved and wished me a Merry Christmas and ran past me. I waved back and said the same. Suddenly, my right thigh seemed fine, and the energy from the Snickers and Pocari started working. I break into a run and tried to follow the man's pace, but then he turned right whereas I'm heading straight.
Within minutes, I'm already at Newton MRT. My limbs felt like they were about to break. But I can already smell Orchard Road from where I was, I'm not about to come all the way here just to stop at the door!
I pressed on and finally saw Mr. Ronald McDonald sitting outside Pacific Plaza. 8am. I sat down, took off my cap, and took a picture of us. Then I crossed over to Wheelock place and gave CT a wake up call before having my breakfast at Mac. The 3 of us then met up and proceeded to Sentosa for some fun in the sun.
That's it. 2.5 hours of pain and pleasure. About 16.6 km. That's not even a half-marathon! I'm taking way too much time to complete that distance! Hopefully, I can get my injuries sorted and improve on my timing in future.
This run also confirmed a few things for me,
- Stamina/endurance aside, physical strength and condition is just as, if not more, important
- Mental strength is essential in order to push your body to do more
- A little encouragement from fellow runners works wonders
- Some planning and strategy is good
- Lie to yourself a little if it helps
- Pocari Sweat is nice (no gas!)
- Singapore is really tiny!
I think what helped me to push myself to run through the pain barrier and finish my objective here is that before I started, I alread got the whole route mapped in my mind. Divided into sections, they became many mini targets and were much easier to accomplish, rather than a straight point A to point B.
Everytime I felt like quiting, I'll tell myself to at least finish this section of the run. But when I reach that target, I'll tell myself that the next destination is not too far away and quite easy to complete. In my mind, I also try to visualize the section to be shorter than it actually is.
My next run will hopefully be less painful, and I hope to reach Sentosa. With luck, my joints will recover and get stronger, and I can work towards the marathon next year.
Pocari Sweat! With this, at least I can force a smile.
Need some more energy, fast!
Reached the endpt finally at Borders
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Burn some rubber, slowly but surely
I have been lazy. My posts are getting shorter and updates, less frequent. But working 5 nights straight can be quite tiring. But since I'll be free again tomorrow morning, I shall be a bit long winded here. (Well maybe not as much so as some of my fellow bloggers
)
Tonight I'm covering for my colleague Wilson so he can go back to his home town and celebrate Christmas. I can't wait for my off days to come. The sun, sea, and sand are calling out to me! And I feel the need to run, badly!
I use to be the one who will go out for a run on a whim. Now, ct seems to have caught the running fever. She's been running, with or without my company, farther and farther each time. In fact, she runs very poorly when I'm with her, coz according to her, my presence gives her too much pressure! And her pace and stamina has improved by leaps and bounds.
Looking at her now, you'd never guess that she has asthma and used to 'run' like a granny with a hilarious 'baby step'.
Now? Boy, she's doing 10km ~ 12km runs on her own just coz she wants to! Although her pace is slower than mine, she is doing longer distances than I ever did, at a rather steady pace. I don't remember doing any 10km before... I think my furthest was about 8km.
Right now, she's preparing herself for the Ultrarun this coming Sunday. It's no chicken feat, you have to do so by first finishing what would be a marathon, it only becomes an ultra once you pass the 50km mark, according to Sukaimi.
This run is different, and better in a sense that you only run as much as you can, as fast or slow as you like to, within 12 hours. You can rest, eat, or drink when you feel like it. I wish I can join her, but I have to work on that day. Maybe it's a good thing, not having me around to pressure her. I'll support her in mind and in spirit!
I asked her how far she thinks she can cover in 12 hours? Her guesstimation based on her trial run yesterday morning is about 44km. But she's hoping to push herself a little bit more to hit the 50km mark. You get a free T-shirt and you would have just ran an ultra instead of 'just' a marathon! A mere 6km more, go go go!
So how did a sickly, pessimistic, asthmatic girl become so super in less than a year?
I believe the turning point was when she joined me in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. Ever since then, she never looked back. I am so happy and so proud of her!
Now, I can't wait for the night to past. I need to hit the road, burn some rubber, and see how far I can go.
)
Tonight I'm covering for my colleague Wilson so he can go back to his home town and celebrate Christmas. I can't wait for my off days to come. The sun, sea, and sand are calling out to me! And I feel the need to run, badly!
I use to be the one who will go out for a run on a whim. Now, ct seems to have caught the running fever. She's been running, with or without my company, farther and farther each time. In fact, she runs very poorly when I'm with her, coz according to her, my presence gives her too much pressure! And her pace and stamina has improved by leaps and bounds.
Looking at her now, you'd never guess that she has asthma and used to 'run' like a granny with a hilarious 'baby step'.
Now? Boy, she's doing 10km ~ 12km runs on her own just coz she wants to! Although her pace is slower than mine, she is doing longer distances than I ever did, at a rather steady pace. I don't remember doing any 10km before... I think my furthest was about 8km.
Right now, she's preparing herself for the Ultrarun this coming Sunday. It's no chicken feat, you have to do so by first finishing what would be a marathon, it only becomes an ultra once you pass the 50km mark, according to Sukaimi.
This run is different, and better in a sense that you only run as much as you can, as fast or slow as you like to, within 12 hours. You can rest, eat, or drink when you feel like it. I wish I can join her, but I have to work on that day. Maybe it's a good thing, not having me around to pressure her. I'll support her in mind and in spirit!
I asked her how far she thinks she can cover in 12 hours? Her guesstimation based on her trial run yesterday morning is about 44km. But she's hoping to push herself a little bit more to hit the 50km mark. You get a free T-shirt and you would have just ran an ultra instead of 'just' a marathon! A mere 6km more, go go go!
So how did a sickly, pessimistic, asthmatic girl become so super in less than a year?
I believe the turning point was when she joined me in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. Ever since then, she never looked back. I am so happy and so proud of her!
Now, I can't wait for the night to past. I need to hit the road, burn some rubber, and see how far I can go.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Shiny Happy People
Went to McRitchie Reservoir again this morning. Just wanted to do some light exercise and laze about, maybe continue reading Fish! while lying down on the grass. The weather was perfect, the breeze blowing gently, the 'mood' is in the air. After a few minutes of stretching, the itch got to us. 'Let's run', says CT. And off we went.
After a morning's worth of trekking yesterday, we decided not to stress our tired legs too much this time, choosing to run on the wooden planks that our Gahment erected along the perimeter of the reservoir. Other than having to slow down and avoid the people strolling abreast each other, this route is much much more easier to run. No up and down slopes, no rocky and muddy terrain, no risk of slipping on some loose rocks.
Halfway through the route, there were a few monkeys sitting around, enjoying the view. On my way back, I passed by them again, and saw this cute little one lying down while the other 2 groomed him. They were so adorable that I can't help but stop to take a picture of them. And they did well to maintain their pose even as I moved up close. Say 'Konica!'.
After our short run, which I'm guesstimating to be about 3 plus to 4km give/take, we lepak and read the books we brought along with us by the water while waiting for Sukaimi to finish his expedition to the hidden Japanese shrine/temple with his MR25 buddies. There was a family near us, reading the papers and discussing about the news, and this man and I believe his brother was trying to teach the daughter how to fly kite, but it seems like it ended with just the two of them having all the fun while the girl just watched. I dunno why but I really enjoyed being surrounded by the peace and harmony of it all.
We just talked to Sukaimi yesterday about a 'running boom' happening right now. Yeah, noticed that too. Even before we got to know him, ct n myself joined my company in the JP Morgan and Chase corporate run, the turnout was so overwhelming that it exceeded their expectations. They don't have enough certificates and t-shirts for the runners and had to send them out later by mail or by other means.
And now I look around me, there are groups and individuals running everywhere. Mother and daughter, father and son, friends and colleagues, girlfriend and boyfriend, fit hunks and hot babes, they're everywhere. You know they enjoy what they're doing, coz you can see the 'glow' on their faces. Shiny happy people holding hands...
relakzing
Trekking fun
It was everything we hoped for. Fair, breezy weather in the 1st half, downpour in the later part of the morning. Sukaimi has a nice write-up here. I'll let the pictures do the talking, go here.
CT making our poor frens doing the 'jump' again
Joggers everywhere...
Crazy horse at it again, the uncle must be thinking 'siow si bo?'
As you can see from my facial expression...I'm rather used to it oredi...
CT making our poor frens doing the 'jump' again
Joggers everywhere...
Crazy horse at it again, the uncle must be thinking 'siow si bo?'
As you can see from my facial expression...I'm rather used to it oredi...
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Casshern...
After scanning through the latest trailers at Apple's QuickTime trailers site, I just realized that there are so many good movies coming soon.
Casshern is now showing at Cathay Cineplexes. Just watched the trailer, and it looks good. Some mixed reviews from IMDb users, but I'll watch it anyway. Got to have the soundtrack and the DVD too!
Fight evil while listening to heavy metal mp3
wow...
Casshern is now showing at Cathay Cineplexes. Just watched the trailer, and it looks good. Some mixed reviews from IMDb users, but I'll watch it anyway. Got to have the soundtrack and the DVD too!
Fight evil while listening to heavy metal mp3
wow...
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Finish whatcha started
Wanna know how to achieve inner peace?
Easy. Just make sure you finish what you started. Do it, it works.
Talk about finishing what you started, my dear bro TLR and I talked about trekking through the Mandai forest with the girls, namely fd n ct, who knows, maybe pg too? I'm thinking of asking 5d, LS, n maybe mt too! The more the merrier. TLR already has the day's plan all worked out, so I'm only left with the simple task of executing it. Sounds like fun. God willing, we'll finish the whole thing by afternoon coz my mum is expecting me to bring her to watch my long lost cousin in concert in the evening. I don't really listen much to local chinese music but then my mum already hinted very strongly that I should ferry her there, plus it's a good chance for me to see my cousin again, so...
Ah, but I digress.
I'm sooo looking forward to the trek. Should be a walk in the park (albeit a long one). I've never seen the trail before so it's good that I check it out before attempting to cycle or run the same route in the near future.
After tonight, I'm off for 4 days, so I'll be catching Wesley Snipes in Blade Trinity later while ct n Elliot watch Bridget Jones clowning around with those two blokes. Nah... I'd rather watch Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and their bitter sweet love stories.
Right now, I'm dog tired. I'm out.
Easy. Just make sure you finish what you started. Do it, it works.
Talk about finishing what you started, my dear bro TLR and I talked about trekking through the Mandai forest with the girls, namely fd n ct, who knows, maybe pg too? I'm thinking of asking 5d, LS, n maybe mt too! The more the merrier. TLR already has the day's plan all worked out, so I'm only left with the simple task of executing it. Sounds like fun. God willing, we'll finish the whole thing by afternoon coz my mum is expecting me to bring her to watch my long lost cousin in concert in the evening. I don't really listen much to local chinese music but then my mum already hinted very strongly that I should ferry her there, plus it's a good chance for me to see my cousin again, so...
Ah, but I digress.
I'm sooo looking forward to the trek. Should be a walk in the park (albeit a long one). I've never seen the trail before so it's good that I check it out before attempting to cycle or run the same route in the near future.
After tonight, I'm off for 4 days, so I'll be catching Wesley Snipes in Blade Trinity later while ct n Elliot watch Bridget Jones clowning around with those two blokes. Nah... I'd rather watch Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and their bitter sweet love stories.
Right now, I'm dog tired. I'm out.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Dawson vs Hayek vs Kruger
Watched a few movies in the past few days.
1st up was Alexander. I read so much about his exploits in children's story books when I was a small boy, didn't know that he was gay till I watched the movie! Of course, we don't expect kid's story books to delve into issues of sexual preferences, so I can't blame them. Like many of Oliver Stone's films, I left the cinema a bit confused and thoughtful at the same time. This guy here almost conquered the entire known world during his time, drove and stretched his weary men to their limits, and achieve all that he did when he was only... well... around my age now!
I don't know why some reviewers and journalists are comparing this film with Troy, as they are quite different. Troy has lots of action and battle sequences. But Alexander has more drama and talking scenes showing us the growing tension between Alexander and his mother, father, his men, and his lovers (Rosario Dawson! What a babe!). So being quite different, I can't say it's better or worse than Troy. Maybe it's the script, and the way the story was laid out. In typical Stone fashion, complicated. *
Next up, After the Sunset, starring Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek! Lovely.
Very much like The Thomas Crown Affair, but with Salma Hayek!
Now go and catch Salma Hayek cavorting au naturel with Mr.Bond on the beach. *
Then there was National Treasure, which I've been looking forward to. Diane Kruger, who was Helen of Troy in Troy, is the female lead here.
After a slightly slow start, the story shifts into the higher gears and from then on, it's a rollercoaster ride. Although in the end, it turned out to be more Indiana Jones instead of going back to really try to make sense of what all those mystical symbols and what not are supposed to mean, overall, I think it's quite an enjoyable movie. *
Got my new High Sierra Wet Hydration Pack in preparation for our planned trek through the Mandai/Bukit Timah forest with Sukaimi, which, according to him, should be about 21km +/-.
1st up was Alexander. I read so much about his exploits in children's story books when I was a small boy, didn't know that he was gay till I watched the movie! Of course, we don't expect kid's story books to delve into issues of sexual preferences, so I can't blame them. Like many of Oliver Stone's films, I left the cinema a bit confused and thoughtful at the same time. This guy here almost conquered the entire known world during his time, drove and stretched his weary men to their limits, and achieve all that he did when he was only... well... around my age now!
I don't know why some reviewers and journalists are comparing this film with Troy, as they are quite different. Troy has lots of action and battle sequences. But Alexander has more drama and talking scenes showing us the growing tension between Alexander and his mother, father, his men, and his lovers (Rosario Dawson! What a babe!). So being quite different, I can't say it's better or worse than Troy. Maybe it's the script, and the way the story was laid out. In typical Stone fashion, complicated. *
Next up, After the Sunset, starring Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek! Lovely.
Very much like The Thomas Crown Affair, but with Salma Hayek!
Now go and catch Salma Hayek cavorting au naturel with Mr.Bond on the beach. *
Then there was National Treasure, which I've been looking forward to. Diane Kruger, who was Helen of Troy in Troy, is the female lead here.
After a slightly slow start, the story shifts into the higher gears and from then on, it's a rollercoaster ride. Although in the end, it turned out to be more Indiana Jones instead of going back to really try to make sense of what all those mystical symbols and what not are supposed to mean, overall, I think it's quite an enjoyable movie. *
Got my new High Sierra Wet Hydration Pack in preparation for our planned trek through the Mandai/Bukit Timah forest with Sukaimi, which, according to him, should be about 21km +/-.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Morning Run
Went for a short run at McRitchie Reservoir this morning. I tried to keep my pace constant throughout, but on our way back, I was panting like a dog! I really need to build up my stamina and strength. The up and down slopes were killing me. And I only ran about 5km or less.
But the shoe turned out alright, able to help me regain the grip after almost slipping on some loose gravel. And it didn't feel too hot or heavy either.
We were talking about running the inner route in future, which stretches about 11km at least, not sure if it's a round trip so it could be more. It should lead us all the way to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve pass some lakes, reservoirs, and jungle trail. Sounds like fun.
But the shoe turned out alright, able to help me regain the grip after almost slipping on some loose gravel. And it didn't feel too hot or heavy either.
We were talking about running the inner route in future, which stretches about 11km at least, not sure if it's a round trip so it could be more. It should lead us all the way to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve pass some lakes, reservoirs, and jungle trail. Sounds like fun.
New Balance 900
Finally got the running shoe that I 'need' today, cos I couldn't find what I wanted anywhere.
After some swimming, sun and sand at Sentosa with CT & our little punk grrl, we went shoe hunting at Bugis Junction.
Adidas has a sale on with 30% off most items. But after trying out a few pairs of trail and road shoes, I find them all too snug, especially from the heel to midfoot area. Apparently, this is an Adidas trait, and, after googling around, the Running Times website did mention that Adidas shoes do have a narrower fit. I have a rather low arch- almost totally flat-footed, plus I over-pronate moderately, and just standing with those shoes on, I can already feel the arch support pushing hard against my feet. And, in a long or hard run, that means PAIN. That's just too bad cos they looked really nice plus I think they make the most well ventilated shoes, and with 30% off, they're a steal. Mmm, I wonder why is it that my Adidas ClimaCool Banshee Adventure shoes doesn't give me these problems.
So I moved on to World of Sports and finally tried out the New Balance 900. And man, what a difference in comfort! The shoe is very light, rather wide with a low center of gravity(which also means slightly less insole cushioning compared to the Adidas), the arch is not high like the Adidas yet gives just enough support and comfort, forefoot feels extremely flexible, and it comes with spongy 'sausage' like laces which looks nice and makes it difficult for the laces to loosen on its own. The dark blue, grey, white, and yellow also complement each other nicely. Bought them at $127, 30% off the list price. I'm very happy with my purchase. I'll be meeting Sukaimi tomorrow at McRitchie Reservoir to try them out. The route I'll be running is a mix of mud, gravel, and road, which I believe the not too conservative outsole tread pattern should cope well.
just what I needed is now mine, this is the exactly the colour I ended up with.
Here's an overview and some reviews.
Here's some other useful info I found at the Running Times Shoe Guide 2004 site.
Short reviews of the shoes I need and want.
Useful list of reviews and recommendations of Manufacturer and models based on pronation factor.
Road shoes vs Trail shoes explained.
After some swimming, sun and sand at Sentosa with CT & our little punk grrl, we went shoe hunting at Bugis Junction.
Adidas has a sale on with 30% off most items. But after trying out a few pairs of trail and road shoes, I find them all too snug, especially from the heel to midfoot area. Apparently, this is an Adidas trait, and, after googling around, the Running Times website did mention that Adidas shoes do have a narrower fit. I have a rather low arch- almost totally flat-footed, plus I over-pronate moderately, and just standing with those shoes on, I can already feel the arch support pushing hard against my feet. And, in a long or hard run, that means PAIN. That's just too bad cos they looked really nice plus I think they make the most well ventilated shoes, and with 30% off, they're a steal. Mmm, I wonder why is it that my Adidas ClimaCool Banshee Adventure shoes doesn't give me these problems.
So I moved on to World of Sports and finally tried out the New Balance 900. And man, what a difference in comfort! The shoe is very light, rather wide with a low center of gravity(which also means slightly less insole cushioning compared to the Adidas), the arch is not high like the Adidas yet gives just enough support and comfort, forefoot feels extremely flexible, and it comes with spongy 'sausage' like laces which looks nice and makes it difficult for the laces to loosen on its own. The dark blue, grey, white, and yellow also complement each other nicely. Bought them at $127, 30% off the list price. I'm very happy with my purchase. I'll be meeting Sukaimi tomorrow at McRitchie Reservoir to try them out. The route I'll be running is a mix of mud, gravel, and road, which I believe the not too conservative outsole tread pattern should cope well.
just what I needed is now mine, this is the exactly the colour I ended up with.
Here's an overview and some reviews.
Here's some other useful info I found at the Running Times Shoe Guide 2004 site.
Short reviews of the shoes I need and want.
Useful list of reviews and recommendations of Manufacturer and models based on pronation factor.
Road shoes vs Trail shoes explained.
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