Sunday, August 16, 2009
Chapter 399 - SBR
Question: What does SBR stand for?
A: Sheares Bridge Run
B: Singapore Bay Run
C: Singapore's Biggest Run
D: All of the Above
Anyway, I did the the SBR/AHM this year, without much training again. I clocked a time of 2:24:37, which I had initially thought was a better time than last year, but apparently not. Looking at my entry after last year's run, I realised my time last year was 2 minutes better. I did clock a similar split time compared to last year though, 10 km in 1 hr 2 min, a little short of 18km in 2 hours. I seem to remember that it was a lot more painful last year though (not that it wasn't painful this year).
Though somehow I didn't remember the flag-off to be at 5.30am in previous years. I always thought they flagged off at 6.30am, to allow time for people to come by public transport. (First train from Pasir Ris is at 0554) So I had to get up at the unearthly hour of 4.15am this morning (!!), so that I could fetch Esther as well. And stupidly, along the AYE, all the Electronic Display signs only mentioned the road closures at the Padang area, and none mentioned that the Rochor and KPE exits were closed. Only when we were going up Sheares Bridge did we find out that it was closed, and ended up in a long detour via Katong. -growl-
I have a lesson ob by my VP and RO tmr. Hope it all goes well! And hope my body isn't aching too badly tmr... ;p
Labels: Singapore
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Chapter 398 - Sacrificing comfort for time
Rush hour traffic is so lame! I was coming home from Clementi just now, and there was heavy traffic / jam from Clementi (before the PIE entrance) all the way to Kallang! If you consider the MRT stations from Clementi to Kallang, that's 14 stops out of 30 stops on the East-West line! So basically half of Singapore's expressways are jammed during peak hours, and this is the case when there're no traffic accidents. Imagine the chaos when there's ONE accident.
Anyhow, I'm somewhat pleased by the fact that I ride a (motor)bike, especially in times like these. Alot of people think riding (a motorbike) is dangerous - of course it is, if you see the way some of the riders on the road weave through the traffic (i'm not one of them, although I do ride on lane two and a half. ;p) Given the situation on the roads now, I think it's unlikely that I'll be getting a car in the near future - I guess I'd just save that $1000/month on a car for now. (And of course sacrificing the comfort of sitting in an air-conditioned ride, while saving time and money).
Anyhow, I'm somewhat pleased by the fact that I ride a (motor)bike, especially in times like these. Alot of people think riding (a motorbike) is dangerous - of course it is, if you see the way some of the riders on the road weave through the traffic (i'm not one of them, although I do ride on lane two and a half. ;p) Given the situation on the roads now, I think it's unlikely that I'll be getting a car in the near future - I guess I'd just save that $1000/month on a car for now. (And of course sacrificing the comfort of sitting in an air-conditioned ride, while saving time and money).
Labels: Life
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Chapter 397 - Herd Mentality
A while ago, I read this article in the Straits Times (1 Jul 09) about the "Herd Mentality." I really applauded the writer, because at that early stage of the H1N1 "crisis" in Singapore, I was annoyed, and particularly frustrated by the temperature checks going on all over the country - from schools, to hospitals, to airports. The amount of manpower and resources deployed to carry out these temperature checks were tremendous and I can only imagine that it was not all that fruitful in the end.
Not that I am a pessimist, or that I have a penchant for complaining, but the number of hours I lost in school teaching was tremendous - about 3 hours a week (out of a total teaching time of about 20 hours a week, which is 15%). At that time, there were 2 temperature taking sessions, one in the morning, and one before recess. The first one usually ate up the first 10 mins of the first period, and the second exercise takes 30 mins of the period before recess. So on a typical day, I spend 40 mins taking temperature during curriculum time. While some teachers might rejoice at loss of teaching time, a dedicated teacher as I am (hehe) certainly could not condone such a disruptive exercise.
And just when I thought that all of these was over, I was once again affected by restrictive H1N1 measures put in place today - this time when I was trying to visit my grandmother at the hospital. In the pre-H1N1 era, visiting hours were not enforced (not at CGH) anyway, and today, when I wanted to visit my grandmother at 3pm (my work ends at 2.20pm, and CGH is literally right across the road from my school), I was turned away and asked to return in the evening. I thought the rationale for having visiting hours is so that patients can have sufficient rest, so how is this linked to H1N1 then? In my opinion, visitors should be allowed outside of visiting hours, between 2 and 5pm, although they should still take necessary precautions (visitor tracing, face mask, etc), and that they do not create a din in the wards.
Anyhow, I'm into Week 7 of officially teaching already! Hurray!
Not that I am a pessimist, or that I have a penchant for complaining, but the number of hours I lost in school teaching was tremendous - about 3 hours a week (out of a total teaching time of about 20 hours a week, which is 15%). At that time, there were 2 temperature taking sessions, one in the morning, and one before recess. The first one usually ate up the first 10 mins of the first period, and the second exercise takes 30 mins of the period before recess. So on a typical day, I spend 40 mins taking temperature during curriculum time. While some teachers might rejoice at loss of teaching time, a dedicated teacher as I am (hehe) certainly could not condone such a disruptive exercise.
And just when I thought that all of these was over, I was once again affected by restrictive H1N1 measures put in place today - this time when I was trying to visit my grandmother at the hospital. In the pre-H1N1 era, visiting hours were not enforced (not at CGH) anyway, and today, when I wanted to visit my grandmother at 3pm (my work ends at 2.20pm, and CGH is literally right across the road from my school), I was turned away and asked to return in the evening. I thought the rationale for having visiting hours is so that patients can have sufficient rest, so how is this linked to H1N1 then? In my opinion, visitors should be allowed outside of visiting hours, between 2 and 5pm, although they should still take necessary precautions (visitor tracing, face mask, etc), and that they do not create a din in the wards.
Anyhow, I'm into Week 7 of officially teaching already! Hurray!
