why do i see myself crossing the finish line of stan chart overjoyed and in disbelief?
when i know almost for certain that it will not happen?
i maybe able to run, but im not sure whether my legs will hold up for 42km with minimal training.
my longest run so far is only 20km.
why?
but if i dun have this dream, then where will i be?
after all, isn't life about dreaming?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
I dun watch American Football, but this is pretty amazing
| Play of the day: Grant's Kenneth Acker's amazing punt return touchdown |
Sunday, November 22, 2009
RP Bi
almost cant believe that it's been a year since this race happened last year. how time flies.
last year i took part in the relay team event and swam 400m while norms was my running partner for the 1.5k run. we got third that day.
this time i was in the individual category with josh and dex. there werent really any preps for this race, mainly cause it is so short (450m swim and 2.4km run - though we all agree that it was not 2.4km. way too short)
NUS was the only uni participating, alongside the other polys and this time, singapore sports school. scott ang was there. scay kid. he swims damn blooody fast, not to mention that he's representing singapore in the youth olympics next year.
JJ chartered a super duper nice van to take the team to RP. after a short warm up, we were soon up on the blocks to start.
my swim was stiff. i was still aching from gymming on thursday, so my back felt like a block of wood (or whatever is stiff). i saw the 2 swimmers from SSS gaining a ridiculous lead over all the rest of us. my only thoughs were just to keep pushing so that the deficit would not be too big out of the water.
finished the swim in 6:25 at third position (definitely not at my 100%). got out of the pool and headed to transition. one of the SSS kids was still at transition while scott was already running out. at that point i was about to put on my shoes when i noticed that the shades on the shoes were orange. it was josh's! (the perils of having the same shoes with same lock laces next to each other) i jumped into my own box to get into my shoes.
i realised that i had too many things in transition for such a short race. race belt, shoes, shades, singlet. wah lau. so i bit into my race belt and grabbed the singlet and ran off with my shades on my head. i had to change while running so as not to waste time.
scott had about 25s over me, and i had no choice but to push real hard on the run to catch him. at first it looked like i wouldnt be able to do it, until slowly but surely the gap between us closed that i knew i had a shot at this.
i told myself to keep up the ridiculously painful pace i was running, and soon after i passed scott to get into the lead. then we hit the slopes of the run course. wah lau. damn painful. but i knew that after the slopes it was just another 100m or so to the finish. so i kept going at it till finally near the end i saw that i had a comfortable lead and i could pose for the ending. it was a sign of thanksgiving to God at the finish line.
the night before i actually prayed for victory. it was the first time that i had made this kind of request. usually i just pray for a good race, but never to win. but the night before i realised that this was a race that i could win. so why not right?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything , by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,, present your request to God. - Philippians 4:6
my run time was 7:46, so total was 14:11.
josh came in 4th, while ZY won her race as well! orlanda, delphine and dex also took part and finished in good time. Nic and JJ got 2nd for the relay cat, with ben and zhan yuan finishing up the rest of our team's performance. thanks goes out to norms as well who drove all the way down to woodlands to support us!
another rewarding day for the team! the oldies certainly showed that we are no pushovers!
last year i took part in the relay team event and swam 400m while norms was my running partner for the 1.5k run. we got third that day.
this time i was in the individual category with josh and dex. there werent really any preps for this race, mainly cause it is so short (450m swim and 2.4km run - though we all agree that it was not 2.4km. way too short)
NUS was the only uni participating, alongside the other polys and this time, singapore sports school. scott ang was there. scay kid. he swims damn blooody fast, not to mention that he's representing singapore in the youth olympics next year.
JJ chartered a super duper nice van to take the team to RP. after a short warm up, we were soon up on the blocks to start.
my swim was stiff. i was still aching from gymming on thursday, so my back felt like a block of wood (or whatever is stiff). i saw the 2 swimmers from SSS gaining a ridiculous lead over all the rest of us. my only thoughs were just to keep pushing so that the deficit would not be too big out of the water.
finished the swim in 6:25 at third position (definitely not at my 100%). got out of the pool and headed to transition. one of the SSS kids was still at transition while scott was already running out. at that point i was about to put on my shoes when i noticed that the shades on the shoes were orange. it was josh's! (the perils of having the same shoes with same lock laces next to each other) i jumped into my own box to get into my shoes.
i realised that i had too many things in transition for such a short race. race belt, shoes, shades, singlet. wah lau. so i bit into my race belt and grabbed the singlet and ran off with my shades on my head. i had to change while running so as not to waste time.
scott had about 25s over me, and i had no choice but to push real hard on the run to catch him. at first it looked like i wouldnt be able to do it, until slowly but surely the gap between us closed that i knew i had a shot at this.
i told myself to keep up the ridiculously painful pace i was running, and soon after i passed scott to get into the lead. then we hit the slopes of the run course. wah lau. damn painful. but i knew that after the slopes it was just another 100m or so to the finish. so i kept going at it till finally near the end i saw that i had a comfortable lead and i could pose for the ending. it was a sign of thanksgiving to God at the finish line.
the night before i actually prayed for victory. it was the first time that i had made this kind of request. usually i just pray for a good race, but never to win. but the night before i realised that this was a race that i could win. so why not right?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything , by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,, present your request to God. - Philippians 4:6
my run time was 7:46, so total was 14:11.
josh came in 4th, while ZY won her race as well! orlanda, delphine and dex also took part and finished in good time. Nic and JJ got 2nd for the relay cat, with ben and zhan yuan finishing up the rest of our team's performance. thanks goes out to norms as well who drove all the way down to woodlands to support us!
another rewarding day for the team! the oldies certainly showed that we are no pushovers!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
HAHAHAHA DAMN FARNY!
"Unfriend" named word of 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – "Unfriend" has been named the word of the year by the New Oxford American Dictionary, chosen from a list of finalists with a tech-savvy bent.
Unfriend was defined as a verb that means to remove someone as a "friend" on a social networking site such as Facebook.
"It has both currency and potential longevity," said Christine Lindberg, senior lexicographer for Oxford's U.S. dictionary program, in a statement.
"In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year."
Other words deemed finalists for 2009 by the dictionary's publisher, Britain's Oxford University Press, came from other technological trends, the economy, and political and current affairs.
In technology, there was "hashtag," which is the hash sign added to a word or phrase that lets Twitter users search for tweets similarly tagged; "intexticated" for when people are distracted by texting while driving, and "sexting," which is the sending of sexually explicit SMSes and pictures by cellphone.
Finalists from the economy included "freemium," meaning a business model in which some basic services are provided for free, and "funemployed," referring to people taking advantage of newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests.
In the political and current affairs section, finalists included "birther," meaning conspiracy theorists challenging President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate, and "choice mom," a person who chooses to be a single mother.
Novelty words making the shortlist were "deleb," meaning a dead celebrity, and "tramp stamp," referring to a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman.
(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Miral Fahmy)
article taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091117/lf_nm_life/us_words_unfriend
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – "Unfriend" has been named the word of the year by the New Oxford American Dictionary, chosen from a list of finalists with a tech-savvy bent.
Unfriend was defined as a verb that means to remove someone as a "friend" on a social networking site such as Facebook.
"It has both currency and potential longevity," said Christine Lindberg, senior lexicographer for Oxford's U.S. dictionary program, in a statement.
"In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year."
Other words deemed finalists for 2009 by the dictionary's publisher, Britain's Oxford University Press, came from other technological trends, the economy, and political and current affairs.
In technology, there was "hashtag," which is the hash sign added to a word or phrase that lets Twitter users search for tweets similarly tagged; "intexticated" for when people are distracted by texting while driving, and "sexting," which is the sending of sexually explicit SMSes and pictures by cellphone.
Finalists from the economy included "freemium," meaning a business model in which some basic services are provided for free, and "funemployed," referring to people taking advantage of newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests.
In the political and current affairs section, finalists included "birther," meaning conspiracy theorists challenging President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate, and "choice mom," a person who chooses to be a single mother.
Novelty words making the shortlist were "deleb," meaning a dead celebrity, and "tramp stamp," referring to a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman.
(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Miral Fahmy)
article taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091117/lf_nm_life/us_words_unfriend
Sunday, November 15, 2009
my achilles heel
the dream: do a 3:10 for stan chart and qualify for boston marathon. (and probably be the youngest singaporean to run there)
the plan: run from hall to home this morning. total 30km.
the worry: shin splint on my left leg thats recovering.
the reality: shin splint didnt act up. BUT achilles tendon (i think. more or less) on my right leg protested against the exertions. after 18km when i reached ECP i couldnt run anymore from the pain. walking to find a bus stop to get home was the most painful walk i ever had. felt like screaming the whole way.
the remedy: iced it when i got home and it got better. now still really sore though.
the conclusion: thinking i should give up stan chart (im leaning towards giving it up) and lay off running for a month or so after RP Bi this weekend till everything shit thing in my legs recover. the bigger dream is still next year's Sing Bi and Aviva and Frankfurt.
the plan: run from hall to home this morning. total 30km.
the worry: shin splint on my left leg thats recovering.
the reality: shin splint didnt act up. BUT achilles tendon (i think. more or less) on my right leg protested against the exertions. after 18km when i reached ECP i couldnt run anymore from the pain. walking to find a bus stop to get home was the most painful walk i ever had. felt like screaming the whole way.
the remedy: iced it when i got home and it got better. now still really sore though.
the conclusion: thinking i should give up stan chart (im leaning towards giving it up) and lay off running for a month or so after RP Bi this weekend till everything shit thing in my legs recover. the bigger dream is still next year's Sing Bi and Aviva and Frankfurt.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
What Soft Drinks are Doing to Your Body
Soda, pop, cola, soft drink — whatever you call it, it is one of the worst beverages that you could be drinking for your health. As the debate for whether to put a tax on the sale of soft drinks continues, you should know how they affect your body so that you can make an informed choice on your own.
Soft drinks are hard on your health
Soft drinks contain little to no vitamins or other essential nutrients. However, it is what they do contain that is the problem: caffeine, carbonation, simple sugars — or worse, sugar substitutes — and often food additives such as artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives.
A lot of research has found that consumption of soft drinks in high quantity, especially by children, is responsible for many health problems that include tooth decay, nutritional depletion, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Why the sugar in soft drinks isn’t so sweet
Most soft drinks contain a high amount of simple sugars. The USDA recommendation of sugar consumption for a 2,000-calorie diet is a daily allotment of 10 teaspoons of added sugars. Many soft drinks contain more than this amount!
Just why is too much sugar so unhealthy? Well, to start, let's talk about what happens to you as sugar enters your body. When you drink sodas that are packed with simple sugars, the pancreas is called upon to produce and release insulin, a hormone that empties the sugar in your blood stream into all the tissues and cells for usage. The result of overindulging in simple sugar is raised insulin levels. Raised blood insulin levels beyond the norm can lead to depression of the immune system, which in turn weakens your ability to fight disease.
Something else to consider is that most of the excess sugar ends up being stored as fat in your body, which results in weight gain and elevates risk for heart disease and cancer. One study found that when subjects were given refined sugar, their white blood cell count decreased significantly for several hours afterwards. Another study discovered that rats fed a high-sugar diet had a substantially elevated rate of breast cancer when compared to rats on a regular diet.
The health effects of diet soda
You may come to the conclusion that diet or sugar-free soda is a better choice. However, one study discovered that drinking one or more soft drinks a day — and it didn’t matter whether it was diet or regular — led to a 30% greater chance of weight gain around the belly.
Diet soda is filled with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin. These artificial sweeteners pose a threat to your health. Saccharin, for instance, has been found to be carcinogenic, and studies have found that it produced bladder cancer in rats.
Aspartame, commonly known as nutrasweet, is a chemical that stimulates the brain to think the food is sweet. It breaks down into acpartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol at a temperature of 86 degrees. (Remember, your stomach is somewhere around 98 degrees.) An article put out by the University of Texas found that aspartame has been linked to obesity. The process of stimulating the brain causes more cravings for sweets and leads to carbohydrate loading.
Carbonation depletes calcium
Beverages with bubbles contain phosphoric acid, which can severely deplete the blood calcium levels; calcium is a key component of the bone matrix. With less concentration of calcium over a long time, it can lower deposition rates so that bone mass and density suffer. This means that drinking sodas and carbonated water increases your risk of osteoporosis.
Add in the caffeine usually present in soft drinks, and you are in for even more trouble. Caffeine can deplete the body’s calcium, in addition to stimulating your central nervous system and contributing to stress, a racing mind, and insomnia.
Skip the soda and go for:
• Fresh water
Water is a vital beverage for good health. Each and every cell needs water to perform its essential functions. Since studies show that tap water is filled with contaminants, antibiotics, and a number of other unhealthy substances, consider investing in a quality carbon-based filter for your tap water. To find out more about a high-performance filtration system, click here.
On the go? Try using a stainless steel thermos or glass bottle, filled with filtered water. Enhance the flavor of your water with a refreshing infusion of basil, mint leaves, and a drop of honey.
• Fruit Juice
If you are a juice drinker, try watering down your juice to cut back on the sugar content. Buy a jar of organic 100% juice, especially cranberry, acai, pomegranate, and then dilute three parts filtered water to one part juice. You will get a subtle sweet taste and the benefit of antioxidants. After a couple of weeks, you will no longer miss the sweetness of sugary concentrated juices.
• Tea
Tea gently lifts your energy and has numerous health benefits. Black, green, white, and oolong teas all contain antioxidant polyphenols. In fact, tea ranks as high or higher than many fruits and vegetables on the ORAC scale, the score that measures antioxidant potential of plant-based foods.
Herbal tea does not have the same antioxidant properties, though it is still a great beverage choice with other health benefits, such as inducing calming and relaxing effects.
If tea doesn’t satisfy your sweet tooth, try adding cinnamon or a little honey, which has important health benefits that refined sugar lacks. For a selection of healthy teas that promote total body wellness, click here. Drink up!
I hope you find the ways and means to avoid soft drinks. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
--Dr. Mao
article from http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/20270/what-soft-drinks-are-doing-to-your-body/
Soft drinks are hard on your health
Soft drinks contain little to no vitamins or other essential nutrients. However, it is what they do contain that is the problem: caffeine, carbonation, simple sugars — or worse, sugar substitutes — and often food additives such as artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives.
A lot of research has found that consumption of soft drinks in high quantity, especially by children, is responsible for many health problems that include tooth decay, nutritional depletion, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Why the sugar in soft drinks isn’t so sweet
Most soft drinks contain a high amount of simple sugars. The USDA recommendation of sugar consumption for a 2,000-calorie diet is a daily allotment of 10 teaspoons of added sugars. Many soft drinks contain more than this amount!
Just why is too much sugar so unhealthy? Well, to start, let's talk about what happens to you as sugar enters your body. When you drink sodas that are packed with simple sugars, the pancreas is called upon to produce and release insulin, a hormone that empties the sugar in your blood stream into all the tissues and cells for usage. The result of overindulging in simple sugar is raised insulin levels. Raised blood insulin levels beyond the norm can lead to depression of the immune system, which in turn weakens your ability to fight disease.
Something else to consider is that most of the excess sugar ends up being stored as fat in your body, which results in weight gain and elevates risk for heart disease and cancer. One study found that when subjects were given refined sugar, their white blood cell count decreased significantly for several hours afterwards. Another study discovered that rats fed a high-sugar diet had a substantially elevated rate of breast cancer when compared to rats on a regular diet.
The health effects of diet soda
You may come to the conclusion that diet or sugar-free soda is a better choice. However, one study discovered that drinking one or more soft drinks a day — and it didn’t matter whether it was diet or regular — led to a 30% greater chance of weight gain around the belly.
Diet soda is filled with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin. These artificial sweeteners pose a threat to your health. Saccharin, for instance, has been found to be carcinogenic, and studies have found that it produced bladder cancer in rats.
Aspartame, commonly known as nutrasweet, is a chemical that stimulates the brain to think the food is sweet. It breaks down into acpartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol at a temperature of 86 degrees. (Remember, your stomach is somewhere around 98 degrees.) An article put out by the University of Texas found that aspartame has been linked to obesity. The process of stimulating the brain causes more cravings for sweets and leads to carbohydrate loading.
Carbonation depletes calcium
Beverages with bubbles contain phosphoric acid, which can severely deplete the blood calcium levels; calcium is a key component of the bone matrix. With less concentration of calcium over a long time, it can lower deposition rates so that bone mass and density suffer. This means that drinking sodas and carbonated water increases your risk of osteoporosis.
Add in the caffeine usually present in soft drinks, and you are in for even more trouble. Caffeine can deplete the body’s calcium, in addition to stimulating your central nervous system and contributing to stress, a racing mind, and insomnia.
Skip the soda and go for:
• Fresh water
Water is a vital beverage for good health. Each and every cell needs water to perform its essential functions. Since studies show that tap water is filled with contaminants, antibiotics, and a number of other unhealthy substances, consider investing in a quality carbon-based filter for your tap water. To find out more about a high-performance filtration system, click here.
On the go? Try using a stainless steel thermos or glass bottle, filled with filtered water. Enhance the flavor of your water with a refreshing infusion of basil, mint leaves, and a drop of honey.
• Fruit Juice
If you are a juice drinker, try watering down your juice to cut back on the sugar content. Buy a jar of organic 100% juice, especially cranberry, acai, pomegranate, and then dilute three parts filtered water to one part juice. You will get a subtle sweet taste and the benefit of antioxidants. After a couple of weeks, you will no longer miss the sweetness of sugary concentrated juices.
• Tea
Tea gently lifts your energy and has numerous health benefits. Black, green, white, and oolong teas all contain antioxidant polyphenols. In fact, tea ranks as high or higher than many fruits and vegetables on the ORAC scale, the score that measures antioxidant potential of plant-based foods.
Herbal tea does not have the same antioxidant properties, though it is still a great beverage choice with other health benefits, such as inducing calming and relaxing effects.
If tea doesn’t satisfy your sweet tooth, try adding cinnamon or a little honey, which has important health benefits that refined sugar lacks. For a selection of healthy teas that promote total body wellness, click here. Drink up!
I hope you find the ways and means to avoid soft drinks. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
--Dr. Mao
article from http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/20270/what-soft-drinks-are-doing-to-your-body/
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