Saucony Sinister Review

I purchased a Saucony Sinister just a month ago & used it for 2 runs (5k & 13k). It's marketed as a performance trainer, suitable for the runner with a neutral gait. According to the catalogue, it has this carbon flexion plate which is suppose to get the runner faster onto his toes. But natural physics would dictate that every action has an equal and opposite re-action; if a force in the shoe is bending such that it's trying to straighen itself into the vertical plan, shouldn't it also react backwards to force the shoe onto the horizontal plan or in the opposite direction. This means that effort is required to overcome this force before the shoe even gets into its toes. All these marketing hype & I bought it. So far the road tests have not been too encouraging, using a heart rate monitor, I recorded that I require more effort to cover the same distance in a slighly longer time than another performance training - the Gel SpeedStar II.

Also I noticed that the extra cushioning that Saucony shoes portrait comes from the thicker than normal insoles. The grid system seems to be a piece of plastic glorified through marketing.

At least it looks wicked with a wicked name too. What looks good must perform good, but numbers do not lie.

The Grinch should Steal Christmas & all the other Holidays as well

Pardon me for being a wet blanket.
The reason why people welcome festive seasons is more due to the break than the reason of the season. What I wonder if why does everyone have to do the same thing at the same time. Crowding, humans or traffic at the same places. No wonder tempers flair & germs spread. If you really like someone, you don't have to wait till Christmas or Valentine's Day to display your affection. Gift exchanges? The only one smiling is the store keepers, all the way to the bank. In addition, everyone has to accumulate their leave till the end of the year together. Just like a bunch of lemmings.

Even Chinese New Year, family reunions stem back from tradition when families were larger & worked/ stayed over longer distances (like our ancesters from the mainland). But now it's more like gatherings with obnoxious relatives. Not to mention the locally-concocted "Yu Sheng", which doesn't even feature in our hertiage but only in the recent decades out of some enterprising retaurenteur idea of making money out of guilable locals. Imagine a group of rowdy adults elbowing each other & contaminating the dish with their saliva tainted chopsticks. Neaderthals.

Celebrate Everyday!

Another Loser

This is another typical . Just when we thought road rage & bullying was tailing off.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,150906,00.html

In summary, the car in front can do practically anything he/she wants. Blaring your horn is just provcation. And jumping on their bonnets is utterly childish.

Two wrongs don't make a right. If some one wants to be an ass, just let them be. Following the idiot will only make one likewise.

Guo Tian Fu, if you are reading this post, you are the loser of the day.

Kindly isn't Kind

I came across enough use of the word 'kindly' almost all in indicrimately places.

(extracted from http://www.goodenglish.org.sg/)
Did you know that ‘kindly’ is not a very polite word to use in your correspondence?
Below are common examples of the word ‘kindly’ being used in emails, letters and notices to colleagues, clients, customers and business associates:
‘Kindly complete the reports in time for the meeting’ , ‘Kindly pick up your parcels by 7pm’
‘Kindly send me the cheque by this week’ , ‘Kindly pay at the cashier’ , ‘Kindly take off your shoes’
But did you know that 'kindly' isn't the right word to use in the above instances?
Avoid Using The Word 'Kindly'
When you use the word ‘kindly’, it often means that that you are annoyed with the person you are writing to.
Using the wrong words can confuse or anger the people we are communicating with.
It is better to use 'please' instead of 'kindly'.
Replace the word ‘kindly’ with 'please' in any of the above examples and you will sound friendlier and definitely more polite.

A word a Day

I came across a word while reading F1 news. It's 'irascible' meaning easily provoked to anger; very irritable which was used to describe Jacque Villeneuve.

I think it's also a fitting description of Singaporeans, as I think that they (myself included) are losers.

Festive Season Lets Spread Germs

Remember SARS? It was just a recent memory that a simple sneeze or cough would send one into the quarantine camps. Proper hygiene was inculcated widely. Even public act of spitting was criminal.
Since the global efforts to subdue this deadly virus, everyone is now removing their masks & coming out into the open. It's very sad to see that all the civic mindedness & hygienic practices all gone to waste. People are back to their old ways. Over-confident that it's just a mere flu bug. But a bug is still a bug & we should keep it to ourselves.
Come this festive season, more people are becoming sick & the change of weather is blamed. It's more likely the increasing instances of concregation & the inconsideration of ill people. They spread more than just gifts but sickness as well.

Stupid & dirty Singaporeans

Patience, you must learn patience

Many a time we see acts of impatience, we, myself included are even guilty of such behavior. But I would just like to bring up 2 examples of simply lack of comprehension of timings combined with impatience.
Ever crossed a road partially while a vehicle is travelling along in your face? The extra little inches will help us reach our destination more swiftly, the hospital that is. Obviously this is dangerous, but also goes against our original intentions. The driver of the vehicle is invariably slow down when faced with imminent danger of pedestrians crowding the road.

Another situation is people rushing for a croweded lift at the lobby where there are more in service but pending reaching the ground floor. The lift is just going to stop at more levels before reaching your destination. Instead, simply wait a little longer for the next empty lift, there will be less people (if any) & less chances to catch germs from some sneezer (in a coming post).

Stupid Singaporean behavior, just do the maths

The 6th C

The loose catagorising of most most commoners aspire to possess are the 5 C's of : Cash, Car, Credit card, Condominium, and Club membership. Cash is subjective, even a penny is considered cash. Even a jalopy like a proton is a car. Club membership of course excludes those term health memberhips. Condominums are more difficult to come by thesedays in light of the rocketing property prices. Finally, most banks would love to deliver a credit card in hope of having the subscriber seeing even their soul to loans.


One last C which I would like to add is 'China girls'. I'm sure most would shudder or roll their eyes at this thought. Afterall haven't we all had enough or heard enough bad press. The fact is just that, 20% of the rotton eggs make up the basket. There's more than enough reports of guys getting hit or cheated to go around. But it takes two hands to clap. If you are robbed, don't blame the robber for lack of security measures taken.


So far, I have been vigilant, skilful or just plain lucky. Have you had your nails trimmed, by a female? Your mum's don't count. China girls just know how to make a guy feel like a real man. They are also better at maintaining a decent conversation. They are able to discuss topics on-the-fly. Singaporean girls would just bitch about their jobs, the weather or shopping. Of course there's a lot more.

In fact, I might even marry one today.

A new pair of shoes

Bought a new pair of running shoes, even owning 2 other pairs. But this is my first pair of Sauconys, having my last 4 pairs of Asics. The current 2 pairs of Asics are good shoes, but showing signs of poor durability. The Nimbus 7 is actually seperating at the midsole & the Speedstar is loosing its outsole despite only using it in 3 races & a handful of tempo runs after a few months.

I made my selection from the web & my foot type. It was the Sinister I wanted, a performance training shoe. My choices towards lightweight trainings are after deliberating that I'm a runner of average to lightweight. Over-built cushioning shoes like the Nimbus are going to be overkill. The difference between the Nimbus & Speedstar is 300g for the pair, which is substantial considering the rate of impact a foot sustains during a training run. Also if I were to wear the most protective shoe, what would overweight runners wear? Also, I love blue shoes.

I went to the Saucony agent at Kaki Bukit & spotted the Sinister for the 1st time in real life. The salesman mentioned that it's dubbed the WRX, with reference to the Subaru car. I could not

agree more, in terms of it's deep blue colour & type of running it was designed for. At the retail price of $189, I had a 40% off, paying $116. A bargain for a top of the range new release. It's also loaded with gadgets without being bogged down.

Can't wait to take it out for a spin.

What irritates me

Many things irritate me, if it's you, the coincidence is not intended.

I don't have to take the public transport to have their ringtomes pierce my ear. It's in fact more irritating in the office. Fellow officer workers, or even worse, cleaners with handphones blaring out tasteless chinese sing, baby's wails & some stupid jingle.

Stop it, please. Spare my ears & the traquility of the office working environment. It's as though the owner cannot tell when his/her own handphone ringing. Daft fucks.

Back to Basics

How often have you seen or even ourselves from putting in our physical utmost during exercise. In fact almost all believe it's the only way to train - the no pain no gain syndrome. We blast ourselves to our last ounce of breath to the finish line or in this case a training session.

One thing I have learnt from my supervisor - Back to Basics. Don't run if you can't walk & crawl if you have to.

Let's use jogging for example. Such training intensities are in face mediocre. At tempo pace (runner's jargon) it's too slow to be counted at interval, thus not enabling the athlete to reap the benefits of these sessions. On the other hand, such speeds are too strenuous to maintain for proper endurance distances. Training intensities that fall into 'No man's land," are either too easy or too hard to reap the benefits you want. As quoted from writer Jack Daniels; You are not, as may sometimes be assumed, achieving the purpose of training the two systems on either side of the chosen intensity. What you are doing might be termed, "Quality-junk" training. At the least, it is training aimed at accomplishing an unidentifiable purpose. Always have a purpose for every training session; ask yourself the following questions: "What system do I hope to improve by doing this workout,' and 'What am I really trying to accomplish?"

Let me share my development after smarter training. I was an above average runner compared to my teamates. After just three months are taking a step back, not literally, of training at lower intensities, to engage fat burning; I managed to feature a top 3 position in a race I was usually just scraping the top 10. I was able to hold onto the hard initial pace & still follow through & finish with a strong kick. There are only 2 speeds one should train at; so slow snails fall asleep and so fast your eyes bleed.

Am I afraid the reader would use this method to outrun me? I just hope to share what I have learnt & I'm not worried. Most of the others are too dim, stubborn or lazy to change their methods of training. Remember, the fastest in training may not be the fastest in the race.

The Death of a Fun Run (updated)

in Finally the day came. Two company recreational clubs (rec clubs) locked horns on their annual sports friendly. One of the 10 events is cross-country. However the victor would be the winning team out of the majority of the 10 games. No prizes for indivitual winners.
This fun run was meant to generate participation & held on the relatively undemanding 3km female route at MacRitchie Reservior. However the weather was less than kind & opened it's gates. Runners were treated to a mud bath on the lower half of their bodies & so will be their shoes. I was reluctant to even start this run. No prize, no glory & all fun.

Off we went, starting half an hour later for the weather to clear, but the ground was still a pig's haven. We started from the parade square carpark. 2 of the opposition team runners took the lead at an easy pace. Once we hid the dirt trails or rather mud trails, I assessed the condition & looked at my pristine shoes. It's only 500m away from the start, I was following the fast pair with ease & I was not even red lining, unlike other similar races. Then I closed my eyes & stopped. No way am I going to risks an injury on the slippery trails or dip my shoes into the mud puddles. I walked back against the flow of runners, who were bewildered at my decision, I just smiled. I've never dropped out from a race before. But wait a min, this is just a fun run & I stopped voluntarily. On my way back I learnt to appreciate nature from a different view.

The winner completed in 18min30sec over 3.5km. I smile again, knowing that I'm capable of 17min-ish. But I'm clean.

Aftermath:
When the results were released, if I came in first (which also meant knocking the other runners down by a position each), both teams would had tied on points. Which goes to show that my team needs me. LOL

Losers All P1

Many things irritate & now some of my blogs will detail my take on these bothers.
However, if you should take offence to the contents or feel that it strikes an uncanny resemblance to you or your life, then no coincidence was intended. It's just my opinion in general, nothing personal.

Sports rims are nice on cars, they are meant to accentuate the beauty of the vehicle. What sticks out like a sore thumb are such vehicle assessories with the IQ of a potato. Oh no, potatoes has eyes & these drivers do not. Flashing sports rims are sleek & they also bare the muscularly beautiful disc brakes. Nothing looks dorkier than drum brakes in their full glory. Please! Visible drum brakes belong to farm vehicles. They are the genitals of a car, vulgar but necessary. Don;t upset the fashion police or your expensive sports rims, cover those drum brakes if not replace them with discs. (I'll post pics soon so you can get the picture)

Nothing is for Fun

When I train, I train seriously. Otherwise it's a waste of time & may even be detrimental to health. A run is never supposed to be fun. Fun Runs are an Oximoron.
We get up, sweat, strain our joints/ muscles, welcome free radicals into our system when we exercise. It's an irony that what makes us stronger, makes us weaker at the same time. It's all about the net effect. I only train at 2 speeds: so slow snails yawn or so fast my eyes bleed. The rest feel good in no-man's land, the middle speed, where it's too fast to go long to train endurance or too slow for any race-pace training. Going all out in mediocre speed is false security. When I join a race, it's competition. To kill the opposition. But to do that, training & arsenal are important.

Don't just do it, do it right.
Don't waste my time. I don't run fun runs.

National Karting Championships

It's my first step towards attending the coming F1 race next year. Tickets would be too expensive & there's no better than way to gain access to places even the most costly tickets cannot buy. That is by being a marshal or a volunteer. So when volunteering at the National Karting Championships during the 1st weekend of October would add weight and provide the training & experience of motorsport marshalling, I jumped at it.

It's my 1st time volunteering at a race or any event for that matter, even I have taken part in numerous races before. Three days from 7 to 7 under the hot sun. What was I thinking?

Well it was a nice experience, had some freebies like a cool polo T, miserly $10 per day & food even unfit for the army provided. I really do hope this would add dividents to my resume when being considered for F1 marshalling next year. Of course, we had an opportunity to try out the karts. The feeling of travelling with my butt inches of the carpark tarmac is undescribeable.

I was tasked to do Flag marshalling at the first turn & witness some wheel banging action, even though the races were supposed to be a time-trial.

Singaporean Graduate Girls Deserved to be Taught a Lesson

You hear them complaining, about the weather, their jobs, boyfriends. They live in luxury, contantly shopping, hanging around with friends, going to the movies, grooming pets. They want to be this strong working lady but yet pampered by guys.

Overseas female university graduates are not so fortunate & have to resort to standing along the streets, soliciting just to feed their hungry families back home.

Local girls should be put through this similar hardship, let them know what life is. A 'BMT'-like training to stand the streets would knock some sense into them.

Moooo.....

We're a herd of cows, that's what we are, grass grazing, dung dropping, lactating mammals.

Extracted from Mypaper dated 24 Sep 2007:

"IT IS no secret that Singaporeans exhibit very strong herd instinct. When news of the Sembawang hot spring broke, Singaporeans flocked there to wash their feet and body with the spring water. At the height of the Everitt Road saga, people flocked there, hoping to catch a glimpse of the warring neighbours. And when the “monkey tree” in Jurong West Street 42 got into the news, people flocked there in the thousands to worship at the tree. Experts said that curiosity is what drives Singaporeans to display such strong herd mentality. Because Singaporeans generally lead mundane lives, any events or things out of the ordinary can easily attract a lot of attention. ....."

A lot has to do with the education system. It leans towards academics without provoking our thought. Generations like this are easier to manage, considering the meager size of our country. It's ironic that foreigners with greater inter-personal talents are embraced, while the locals are pressed under a thumb of comformity.

Oh yes, how now brown cow? I'm one of you too.

Health is a Choice

Many just go about daily lives living to eat, facing illness like tossing a coin. It's a contraditing fact that our bodies are the most amazing machines & we are dying everyday. Billions of cells die & replaced every second. Our bodies are never at rest, it's a struggle just to stay alive, & yet battle the onslaught of invading pollutants both taken in voluntarily & involuntarily.
What exactly are we consuming? Carbohydrates, protein & fats. Minerals & Vitamins? Nah, the soil now is not as fertile as it was decades ago, just like us compared to our forefathers. Vegetation & animals are not supplied with the required minerals & vitamins, how do we expect to obtain enough from them. People go about their lives eating as they wish & when they fall sick, they simply blame it on the weather, low body resistance or from someone else. Then they pass it on... with a sneeze or a handshake.
Human beings have no choice but to rely on supplements. That might raise a few hairs & voices shouting natural. But what is natural nowadays. So listen to your mum, eat your vitamins, but tell her to choose them well first.
With a healthy livestyle, supplements & exercise, we're protecting, enhancing ourselves & those around us. We either choose to be well or choose to be sick. It's up to ourselves to upkeep our physical well-being. We have to love ourselves before we can love others.

My take on Singaporean Graduate Girls

Before you read on, or the rest of my blog, the posts are not meant to refer to anyone I personally know. These are my general observations & opinions. I have comments about many things & if you are affected by them, you are welcomed to close the page.

This is my take on Singaporean Graduate Girls

It is the cumulative impact of Singapore’s rapid economic changes, especially the fast emergence of the educated woman. In addition, female undergraduates are gradually outnumbering males and also matched or outperformed them in many professions. This has resulted in fewer women are prepared to marry men who are below their educational or economic status. The prospects of blue-collar men ever getting local wives looks bleak.

The impact of this mismatch has become patently evident. Men in their 40s live with their parents or siblings had not gone on a date for more than 10 years. An increasing trend shows more men are seeking their brides from foreign lands. This includes educated ones too.
The reason is, of course, not entirely economical. Even some educated men are convinced foreigners make better wives, because they are perceived as more domesticated, less arrogant or materialistic.
One common complaint against Singaporean women is their demand for the 5Cs – condo, car, credit card, country club and cash. Others blame the Women’s Charter, which they say is over-protective of women, loaded against men and may even encourage marriage break-up in some cases. Common comments are that many women here don’t know how to cook or do household chores and are too dependent on maids since very young. My personal experience is that singaporean women are even proud & stand by their inability to cook, like it's a proclaimation of womanhood & indenpendence.
Not all the men who marry foreigners are hawkers, taxi drivers or low-skilled workers. Some are professionals, earning S$5,000 to S$7,000 a month.
Not long ago, a woman wrote a letter to the press asking for the government to intervene to make it harder for foreign women to marry Singaporean men.
Singaporean women are increasingly measuring better and better against their regional sisters in education and earning capacity, but are not too highly valued as wives.
“They are more career-minded, not domesticated and have high expectations” is one verdict. Singaporean women can also be very very opinionated.
I think most Singapore girls can't make it. Those who really make good wives are rare.
They are materialistic, and loves being so. Shopping is a major hobby, and does not know how to look presentable. They are constantly demanding or going for overseas trips, & complaining how disappointed when they return. Soon they are off to the next one.
Singaporean females are just assimilating from Western influences blindly, adopting the wrong bits. They are being out-spoken & ditching the "feminine side" for the sake of it.

Let me share a story with you The Starfish Story -

A traveller was walking along a beach when he saw a woman scooping up starfish off the sand and tossing them into the waves. Curious, he asked her what she was doing. The woman replied "When the tide goes out it leaves these starfish stranded on the beach. They will dry up and die before the tide comes back in, so I am throwing them back into the sea where they can live."
The traveller then asked her "But this beach is miles long and there are hundreds of stranded starfish, many will die before you reach them - do you really think throwing back a few starfish is really going to make a difference?"
The woman picked up a starfish and looked at it, then she threw it into the waves. "It makes a difference to this one" she said.

Notes :So many of them around, sometimes you can see them, hear them. The rest just blend in. It's a pity I can only save one.