If you have been following or linking directly to this blog via a Blogger or Google based RSS feed, you will realise that my URL has changed and this site has been discontinued. A mirror has been created at the original URL http://geecee0.blogspot.com, so please re-follow or re-link to that URL, thanks! =)

Posted at at 2/06/2010 09:57:00 PM on Saturday, February 6, 2010 by Posted by Glen | 0 where are comments   | Filed under:

The last week of school passed in a blur, and suddenly we're left floundering, with too few days left between us and the next exam in 5 days time. The syllabus has been going way too fast, and I hope they know it. I don't want to spend this blog post lamenting about our fates as the pilot (guinea pig) batch (subjects) of the new syllabus (experiment), but now you know what I've been up to, and will be, until Chinese New Year comes around next weekend.


Ah yes, in answer to to last post's question. After a bit of searching around, I found that studies seem to show that the presence of HCO3- in sports drinks (or in other words, the gas that makes drinks fizzy) actually results in a boost performance, attributed to the buffering effect of HCO3- in regulating the lactic acid produced in exercise. Hmm. 100 Plus over H-Two-O next time.

I would like to point out at this point, that there actually exists at the bottom of my blog a tagboard (cue shock and awe), where you or anyone can write comments (or anything you like). Unfortunately, over the course of time, I've found the board to be neglected, whether due to ignorance or reserve (or, perhaps, that I don't get visitors >.>). I proposed, on the board itself a week ago, to change my blog's comment system to post-based comments (the blogger default) instead of using a tagboard. I haven't heard much since, and so am thinking of implementing the change by Monday and gauging the response thereafter. If you object, advocate, have questions, or just feel like typing anything, do visit the tagboard =).

Bible study this week at VCF was quite interesting. In the midst of our broad discussion, we stumbled upon a burr (a "can of worms" as Emmett put it) concerning a topic (prayer, from a study in Genesis), for those curious, which lead us down different tracks depending on the point of view of any given denomination. In essence, it came down to: what is the balance between praying in faith and prayers according to God's will, if one exists? Various denominations say different things, and the bible guides only in specific cases. We ultimately left it at the fact that we should be led in the right angle and direction to pray by the Holy Spirit, something I personally believe. However, it is not a widely held angle, I would imagine, and everyone has to start praying from some point, taking some stance along that balance.

Having mum around the house these few months has really been a different experience. On the one hand, she makes a lot of things easier, especially with household trifles and food arrangements. On another, well, after one and a half years living alone, I suppose I've become accustomed to not having anyone yell at me. Just another trial I guess.

Posted at at 2/06/2010 07:20:00 PM on by Posted by Glen |   | Filed under:

This morning, I did the unthinkable and decided to go for a run. To which I realised, I have never actually done so before on the basis that it was simply good for me. Swimming, yes, and running for other reasons (like fears of getting destroyed in the army) have been motivators before, but this one's technically a first. Those who know me well would know that I have an inherent distaste for running, particularly long distances. Reasons cited included having fast-twitch muscle fibres, induced boredom by repetition, headaches and discomfort for days, dislike of the mind-numbing effect endurance exercise has on my brain, general aversion towards exercise, seeing no reason to self-flagellate, and the list goes on.


The dilemma is, when thinking about it, going for a jog (with a sports complex so conveniently nearby) appears the easiest and least troublesome way to get exercise. And barring that, I really wasn't getting any exercise, despite how I tell myself that running isn't for me... Everything else just takes too much effort.

Which brought me to today. However, I thought I'd try doing things a little differently today. The idea: to lessen the negative aspects of running that have kept me away from it for so long. First to go out were the strict (albeit sensible) rules while running: cadence breathing, proper heel strikes, and the like. They tend to become incredibly mind-numbing and uncomfortable to me... Not something I enjoy. Next, while I've often heard that people run with music, I haven't actually tried it myself. Technically bad practice, but I didn't really care. Anything for the boredom.

So I got up nice and early (it was early for a Saturday morning >.>) and set off to the stadium... Which I found, to my shock and horror, was closed for some sports meet. You know that feeling when you spend days psyching yourself to do something, and then you finally take the step and do it, only to find the situation's changed and your motivation goes out the window? I hate that.

As I walked down around the stadium, stretching and wondering what to do, I came to the other end of the stadium... And found my solution. Little Guilin "小桂林" (the closest thing you get to a rock-face/hill in Singapore) looked so serene, the lake was glittering in the sunlight, and the area was totally silent except for the sounds of nature. Took a quick walk around the trail around it, planned a route, and started running. iPod in hand, breathing and steps out the window and music blasting (I queued four Dragonforce albums up, not knowing what music to use... But it went surprisingly well~). The weight in my hand was a small price to pay for alleviating the boredom that's always made running such a chore for me.

I don't think I've ever really appreciated how nice Little Guilin was as a boy living in the area... But in the quiet of the day and morning sun, it made running there less painful. Another measure I took was to deliberately not monitor my BPM, and not measure my distance or speed... I just ran around the odd circuit I made up.

Not sure if I hurt myself or anything by just ignoring all the rules and structures to follow while running, but it was definitely better than the previous times when I've tried. After all, I'm not really running competitively, for distance or speed or anyone. Just setting a time to stop and running really helped me not to kill myself too (a common occurrence when I stop exercising for a while and try to start again). Perhaps running might be bearable after all, if just barely =P.

On a side note, some food for thought... Picked up a can of 100 Plus on the way back, that fizzy isotonic drink and wondered: is the HCO3- content productive to it's role as a sports drink? Findings in the next post~

Posted at at 1/30/2010 11:50:00 AM on Saturday, January 30, 2010 by Posted by Glen |   | Filed under:

Well, I finally found resolve to resurrect this blog. Perhaps some may not have considered it dead, but in my mind it was. 6 months can be a long time, especially true for my last 6 months.

It seems the last time I blogged was in a little room off a side street on the east side of Venice. Brings back fond memories of the trip, and also contrasts. A great many things can change in 6 months. On hindsight, I didn't face all that many.

Sitting here at 1am on a weekday, struggling to stay afloat amidst the torrent of content school has been throwing at me since Year 2 started (from August '09). Strange how current circumstances magnify the past in different ways, isn't it? The three-week trip in Europe seems a distant dream now, and yet the emotional memory; of freedom, fun, and lightheartedness still remain all too real, but all too far away. I haven't had a holiday quite like that since, having nothing to worry about, no strife or stress plaguing my brief respites from the rigors of studying. But I'll have another yet. Last holidays I had, timing and circumstances clashed in such a crippling combination that I was left in a terrible state, and hardly rested for the new term. But thankfully, we're human. We learn, we adapt, and we progress.

Heartbreak, a painful thing, as the name suggests. It wasn't until then that I realised something, I hadn't felt anything close to the level of emotional pain I felt during the time. In terms of emotions, I've had a pretty sheltered life, which I thank God for. I also thank God for the valuable lessons I've learned from the encounter, for His healing and strength, and most of all for His plan and will for my life, and getting me back into it.

A question was raised at cell group tonight: if you could choose to selectively forget any part of your memory, would you (slightly paraphrased)? I don't know if I was thinking straight when I answered no, but I realise now that I meant it. If God is truly in control of my life, forgetting parts of it on purpose only denies a part of the continuous work that He is doing in us through our experiences, shaping our character and honing our being. Of course, much of my life has been lived with God's hand over it; perhaps my answer might be different otherwise?

Posted at at 1/29/2010 12:45:00 AM on Friday, January 29, 2010 by Posted by Glen |   | Filed under:
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