With every drive..

I have not set foot here for more than a dozen years. 2001 is that year. That year the second year of my involvement with the national team, after being introduced to the sport in my first year at uni. That is also the year that a knee injury put an end to my sporting dream.

it is not the most popular of sports, but the challenges is very different. Different requirements. Different techniques, different technology. On different environment.

Water.

Oh, did you know that I could not even swim? And the sport does not even use life jackets?

But nothing beats the gliding of the boat on a windless, cast day, on water as still as glass, with each drop of water falling off the blades creating mini ripples not unlike the breadcrumbs of lore. And the mechanical sound of the oar collar, twisted at the gate, right before we slide our seat forward is as reassuring as it is crude.

Love. Fear.

Feels like I am falling in love again. Should be working on loving all things about rowing, all over again. After all, it is also hard work to love something. Or someone.


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The story of Scotty and me..

...went a long way back. We have known each other for almost a decade. When I first lay my eyes on Scotty, he was in a corner, lying motionless. You see, he was involved in an accident which leave him badly scarred. I ask my Coach, whether I could take him home, and help him to realise his true calling.

But it was not easy. Even having a normal one would readily put a strain financially, what's more an injured one. But, slowly he starts to resemble Scotty of old. He loves to run, and feel the wind running through his body. And when I finally graduated, I bring him away to be with me. And we have been together ever since. And now, its time to roll. Beam me away, Scotty!

We are on our way to pick up Scotty. He was supposed to be sent away last weekend but the waiting list is longer than expected and could not bear the thought of being away from Scotty over the long weekend. What am I supposed to do in the mornings if Scotty is not around? It would not feel the same.

REALITY CHECK: When I reach KPro, hoping to pick Scotty up, I was told that he have yet to take his bath and scrub. Adoi! Would have to come back tomorrow then..and make some changes to this weekend's plan ;(
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What's your 'watts'?

Today I had the opportunity to ride the WattBike in the office. That could easily be added as one other training mechanism or cross training that I could try in reaching my target next year. The first ride reading is as follows:

Length: 30:00
Ave Power: 106W
Peak Power : 634W
Cadence : 70rpm
Distance : 14559m
Ave Speed : 29.1kmh
L% / R% : 47 / 53

The readings confirmed my suspicion that power application from the left and right leg is slightly imbalanced. Need to work more on balancing the figures then ;)

The rush starts again

Like all good things, it must end sometimes. After a two week of bliss on the road (that includes actually going out of the house at 0745), the start of new school term means going out by latest 0715, send the little princess to school on time and still reach office before 0830hrs, while expecting a lot of cars on the road.

Aargghhh! Finally manage to get out only at 0720, rushed to school and onwards to the office. Traffic report on radio strangely did not list my usual route as jammed up, but highway notice stated so. Phew, heavy traffic but manageable and managed to clock in before the red mark ;)

Now...where can I park?

PlayBook anyone?

The tablet market is one of the most exciting. Since the introduction of iPad by Apple, everyone wants to be on the bandwagon. With Android being free, numerous phone makers churned out their offering with the intention to grab a piece of the pie. And as one of the leader in smartphones, Research in Motion presents its PlayBook.

When PlayBook first came out in April 2010, it was touted as 'the professional tablet'. Its hardware suggests so, but it's ecosystem or rather (the lack of) apps appears to be its undoing. Critics compare it to the Apple ecosystems, and Android free apps, and PlayBook offering is found wanting. With RIM seemingly slow to react to customers needs and falling behind the competition, not to mention the decline of its share prices to a fraction of its highest, it seems like PlayBook (and RIM) are heading south.

The change in leadership is inevitable. A new CEO is put in place and, it seems like the missed deadlines of past is no more, at least. The 2012 BlackBerry World signals a new urgency to be the leader once again. Announcement of the next OS, BBX and the new smartphones being demoed, raised the bar. And yesterday, the awaited update for PlayBook, OS2.1 (Dev Beta) is released, as promised, 'by the end of May.

BonBook is currently running OS 2.1.0.560 Beta and it does feel good, stable and snappy. Here's to 'RIMPIRE Strikes Back!'

It's that time again...

that the roads are a bit emptier.

Ahhhh..school holidays. It's that time of the year when we can discount the traffic going to school from the morning rush hour. I actually go out from the house at 0745, make my way to the petrol station, fill up and still managed to reach office before 0830hrs. If only everyday is like this, it would be bliss.

Alas, even if it's only for a few weeks per year, it definitely something to be enjoyed! This time around,  it's for the next two week...woohoo!

Ouch..

Here I was sitting in an almost empty room listening to a presentation in English. It was painful, to say the least as the presenter is clearly struggling with the presentation. The information presented is interesting, but the actual presentation leaves much to be desired. I would understand that English is definitely not the presenter's mother tongue, but homework should be done and presentation should be practiced and rehearsed. Especially if it is in a language that you're not familiar with. Some effort would show or maybe you should stick to presenting in your mother tongue. Anyway, congratulations and better effort next time ;)