ToGoParts 11

November 23, 2007

Last last Sunday was the ToGoParts 11 hour enduro race, which i just realised was also held on the 11/11/07. It’s a 11 hour round the clock endurance race looping the Tampines Mountain Bike trail with a 4 person team. Here’s the race format from the site:

Teams: 4 members. Female participants get a bonus! For every lap completed by a female participant, it is counted as 1.25 laps. So…strategise away!

Relay: The race is conducted as a relay with only one rider on the course at any one time. The rider may do as many laps as desired. However every team member must complete a minimum of 4 laps each during the 11 hours. After the 4 laps ridden by each team member (in any order and need not be consecutive), team members are free to strategize which member will go for the rounds with the remaining time.

Team AdiDiction 1: Ming, Ling, Angela, Eric
Team AdiDiction 2: Laitthutt, Yew Weng, Collin, Yu Seung

Thank you to Adidas for being our technical wear sponsor for the event. It made it so much easier identifying approaching team mates at the transition area.

My online gallery got a bit messed, so for the time being, you can only see the photos from my Facebook site.

Here is Ming’s take on the Togoparts11 from his blog. You should also read the recent Boar incident an Pulau Ubin.

An 11 hour enduro race….. it sounded like a good idea for us to get together for an all-day race at an easy peasy pace….
It was tough recuiting victims, but we finally got together a Team of Old Cocks (Eric & Ming) and Spring Chickens (Ling and Angela).
Team Mingloid-Merciless-Birdman-Sotong. Spasticism of epic proportions for an epic race. It was going to be fun.

All our plans for an easy race became toast when Dirtraction and Adidas stepped in with sponsorship and support. So that’s how team Team M.M.B.S. became Team DirtAdidtion “A” (which Togogopaparts had tremendous difficulty pronouncing).

DirtAdidtion “B” comprised of riders from the international siongalingam MTB circuit :
Lai Thutt (Himachal Pradesh Mountain Marathon),
Yew Weng (New Zealand Enduro),
Collins (China to Tibet Epic),
Yu Seung (Malaysia Jungle champion).

Oops… even before the race starts… news of the first Cock-up!

Cock up #0 - Angela forgot her shoes!! Yikes!! Her darling Wayne rushed to get them and made it back before her turn!

The race started with a 400m run to the bikes. Easy for us adventure racers… let’s rush to the front of the pack and stay there for the 1st lap!

Cock-up #1 - Our plan to blitz the first lap was shattered when we found out that mountain bikers can run. Fast! We ended up way down the field.

The mud in the forested area was simply amazing… varying in consistency from Mushroom Soup to Clam Chowder to Rice Pudding. It was as unappetizing as wet cement.

Did I say MUDDY?

Lucky Break #1 - The fantastic support crew who kept the gears shifting, hydration pre-mixed and the energy food on the table. The only thing Wayne, HM, Jason and Ken didn’t do was to peel the bananas for us.

Team A’s average lap times was 30 mins. Team B consistently nailed sub 30 lap times, with some sub-25’s, thanks to YS and Collins.
Lucky Break #2 - Team B was doing better lap times, but Team A had girl power (think 1 1/4 laps for every girl-lap).

Cock-up #2 - Ling had chain suck! Twice! Luckily she un-sucked herself and turned in a respectable lap time.
12 noon, time to start our 7th lap and also the games! Teams were divided into 3 groups, and we raced against each other, threading the entire group through a 26″ tyre.

Lucky Break #3 - Team B got a 2 lap credit and Team A got 1 from the game!

1.15pm, time for the 2nd game. Sudoku! Yikes! Thanks to helping hands and Team KNN, we managed to hand in the Puzzle after 20 Brain damaging minutes. Kudos to Angela who still could think after just emerging from that mud!

Lucky Break #4 - One lap credit each for Sudoku! Yee ha!!

3pm, 6 1/2 hours into the race and 13 laps done. Time for the last game, and we sent Eric.
Lucky Break #5 - Last man standing! Eric nails if for the Trackstand competition. 1 more Lap credit!

6.30pm… Ming leaves for his lap. Ling to ride next, and she has to make it back before the 7.30pm cut-off, so that Angela can go for a last lap.

Chances were slim, considering our lap average was 30mins, and darkness was falling. Ming was considering taking his time, but Yu Seung pushes him hard (till cramping point!).

Lucky Break #6 - Ling rides the last lap at lightning speed in the dark and makes it back at 7.28pm! She rode like she saw a ghost! She even looks like one!

Angela get’s the chance to finish off the race! Go Angela!! Go!!!

Its tough enough riding the 1 foot wide trail in the day. Seriously, I don’t know how Angela did it in the darkness (and overtake other guys too!). Brave effort, Angela!

DirtAdidtion took 2nd place, behind the invincible Team Hammer. Hehehe.. not a bad outcome for a bunch of wacky weekend warriors. That’s us holding on to the loot!

posted in Exercise | 9 Comments

Doggy Daycare - Part quatre

November 12, 2007

Doggy Daycare update for Jandrew.

5:30am

Ling is picking me up at 6:45am to go to the race, so it was an early start for Rosco and I.

Morning walk pee pee poo poo, cleaned his pan and pen, played catch, tug and tricks

Ling is here, gave him food and milk

3:30pm

Am in the middle of my 11 hour race, called home to check on Rosco. Apparently my dad took him out for a walk! What a ShoCKER! (my dad isn’t the dog walking sort! awwww)

Thought this video was really cute! It’s of Rosco sprinting around the Garden with Wayne!

8:30pm

I’m done with the race! Went home and saw Rosco for the last time before Janice and Andrew came by to pick him up

He pee pee-ed on his blanket though, so my mum washed it.

Bye bye Rosco!

posted in Friends | 7 Comments

Happy Birthday to me! - 8 Nov

November 10, 2007

Besides dinner, i spent most of my time at home. The AM was spent doing Rosco things, by lunch I was starving for some hot home cooked food. My mum volunteered to cook Xiao Long Bao, on the condition we helped her out.

By 2pm, my sister and i were covered with flour from all the rolling and folding.

Note: this was our first try.
They look pretty bad! The juices all escaped, the skin was too thick, the xiao long baos got stuck to the linen. But trust me, it tasted quite good! At least they were edible.


My mum made a secret cake for me too! Secret because she wouldn’t tell us what its made of. After that, it was a short game of MahJong before i had to get ready for dinner.

Wayne made reservations 2 weeks ago, and tried his very best to keep it a secret. And me being me, I love guessing him out! He ignored my attempts, but apparently I got it on the second try!

We went to Mortons steakhouse for some juicy steaks (duh!)

I must say, Mortons really went out of the way to personalise for the occasion. My menu was personalised, I had a picture taken, plus a free slice of cheesecake with a candle on top! I had party sprinkles on my table (probably also a cue for the staff to sing Happy Birthday). By the way… there were 6 other people celebrating their birthdays on that day, so it was kind of funny seeing them going table to table.

So all in all… I’ve had a fantastic birthday dinner, and Wayne was such a sweet heart. I’ve past the quarter century mark, and now its all downhill from here.

posted in Family, Friends, Love | 15 Comments

Doggy Daycare - Part trois

November 10, 2007

Doggy Daycare update for Jandrew!

7:30am

It rained and rained and rained last night. Luckily the skies opened up for awhile in the morning so I could take Rosco out for a poo poo pee pee trip

Sorry Janice, Rosco chewed through your rope ball toy….hahhahaha I’d rather that than something else in the house! He’s got really sharp teeth!

Oops, looks like one poo in the morning wasn’t enough…second poo in the garden!

As usual, he stayed on the patio while my dad and I ate breakfast. I think he has warmed up to me, he follows me wherever I go, like my shadow!

2:00pm

Rosco went for another walk, lots of games, and cuddles.

He also thinks he can fly… check out the action shot as he ran towards me!

6:05pm

I’m tired from running around the house…. and so is rosco! *pant pant pant*

posted in Friends | 3 Comments

Doggy Daycare - Part duex

November 9, 2007

Public holiday is over, and so is my birthday. So back to work for me! But thank goodness it’s a friday, just one day of work!

Here is the Doggy Daycare update for Jandrew!

6:30am

Woke up early this morning to take Rosco for a walk. We walked all the way to the other park at Mt. Sinai and back.

He spent alot of time sniffing trees, grass, dustbins, cars, flowers and insects. He was alert and aware of all the sounds
around him, barks, cars, doors, crickets, frogs and the newspaper man.

Cleaned up his pan, and bowls, filled with milk, then water and food.

I let Rosco out in the garden, but he chose to stay on the patio while me and my dad ate breakfast

After brekkie, we spent a good time playing catch and running around in the back garden.

*update 3:00pm

Called my mum for an update, he’s having a afternoon snooze after his run around the garden with my mum.

*update 8:54pm

When I came back, we went for the poo poo pee pee walk. He got a bit scared of all the dogs barking in the neighbourhood. Whenever we pass a house with a dog, he goes into double time!

When we came back, it was a game of fetch, and tug-of-war

Rosco got a shower, seeing that he has been out on the grass and stuff, didn’t want him bringing home “friends”! i.e. ticks!!

He didn’t finish this morning’s food, so I added a bit of puppy milk to entice him. Chomp chomp chomp, all gone!

I think he’s feeling lethargic after the shower, must have been the cold water. Time for ME to have a shower now!

*update 10:15pm

Wayne came over for a bit of playtime. And Rosco is now starting to wind down

Good Night!

posted in Friends | 4 Comments

Doggy Day Care - Part Un

November 8, 2007

Janice & Andrew are away for the weekend, so Rosco is over at

“Gray’s Doggy Daycare”!

I found a pretty good Pet care template on Microsoft Word which Janice could fill out. It had place holders for everything from dietary requirements to Emergency contact numbers. Janice really thought of everything when she wrote that list, it’s a thorough two pager with everything I need to know.

Janice is missing him already. Since she has wireless at where she is, I thought I’d update this entry throughout the day for her.

7:00am

Woke up, and Rosco just stirred as well. He got a bit excited to see me, he pee-ed a bit on his blanket.

We went for a walk in the neighbourhood. Pee-ed, Poo-ed. Good boy! He got a wipe down and was treated with his puppy milk. Filled his bowls with food and water.

He wasn’t that interested in the food, so we played catching around the living room and tug-of-war.

*update 10:00am

Washed his pee pee blanket and put it out to dry.

Rosco loved the garden and decided to do laps around the house! For a dog with such short legs, he is freakin fast!!!!!!

I think the running tired him out, he’s taking a nap now

*update 5:30pm

My sister came over for lunch and to celebrate my birthday, extra love from another Gray!

*update 10:30pm

I just got back from dinner with Wayne. About the same time Mumsy and Daddy-O came back from a walk with Rosco. Wayne stayed on to play with the lil fella till it was bed time. Zzzzz…. night night rosco

posted in Friends | 9 Comments

Adidas keeping me warm

November 7, 2007

Remember I spoke about a jacket I was lusting over awhile back? I didn’t get the exact one, but this is close to it. For those cold winters days, you can wrap yourself up in this white coat with fur trim.

Come spring or next autumn, you can lose the sleeves by just unzipping the sleeves away! How cool is that! Multi-seasonal coats! love it… absolutely love it.

I love the gold detail on white, and the fur trim that goes with it. Now I’ve got to plan a holiday around the new coat I have.

posted in Fashion | 8 Comments

Crap & Annoying

November 2, 2007

I’m just hoping lunch will perk me up. It’s been a crap and annoying morning. And now…I’m just sleepy!?! I just want my bed… now! Beam me up scotty!

posted in Work | 7 Comments

Love Meme

November 1, 2007

Ok, I’m jumping on the bandwagon here.

Got it from ickle, debbstar, newfangled.
This should be fun!

1. Who eats more?
We take turns.

2. Who said “I love you” first?
He claims that i did (i had to use a lifeline and call him to verify)….he remembers when too. I was studying for my exam and he brought food over to my Perth apartment for me and Jem. Apparently before he left, i said i loved him.

3. Who is the morning person?
Grumpaloffagus doesn’t do mornings.

4. Who sings better?
I don’t like singing out aloud to people, so i guess Wayne.

5. Who’s older?
Wayne is a cradle snatcher!

6. Who’s smarter?
I like to think i am, but he’s definitely more hard working, driven and motivated. But he has the street smarts, and i don’t!

7. Whose temper is worse?
I’m short tempered, but Wayne has a nuclear bomb temper, keeps quiet absorbing it all, then kaboom!

8. Who does the laundry?
Grumpaloffagus doesn’t do laundry.

9. Who does the dishes?
I cook, he cleans. He cooks, i clean.

10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Grumpaloffagus.

11. Whose feet are bigger?
Grumpaloffagus.

12. Whose hair is longer?
Mine of course. But i know Wayne wants Peter Petrilli’s hair.

13. Who’s better with the computer?
i know what is 192.168.1.1, DNS, WEP, ASCII, HEX. Do you Wayne?

14. Do you have pets?
Not anymore. But Wayne’s doggles are like my doggles. I love them just as much.

15. Who pays the bills?
No bills to pay. We don’t live together.

16. Who cooks dinner?
When we DO cook, it’s usually me. But Wayne likes the frying, so i let him do that. He likes being the pseudo chef!

17. Who drives when you are together?
Both.

18. Who pays when you go out to dinner?
Fastest Fingers Wallets First!

19. Who’s the most stubborn?
Hmmmmm me?

20. Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?
I think we give in alot, so its not always who’s right or wrong, but more like problem solving, or finding a compromise.

21. Whose family do you see more?
His? But the excuse is always because i want to see the doggles! Plus, my sister doesn’t stay at home any more.

22. Who named your pet?
His dogs were named by his Dad, Shakespearean names: Portia & Cassius

23. Who kissed who first?
Ok this one i know its him!

24. Who asked who out?
Of course he asked me out! I wouldn’t have it any other way. But i must tell you how it went. I knew he had a girlfriend back in Singapore, so one day when he asked me if i wanted to go out for dinner, the first thing i said was, “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”. Talk about a slap in the face! HAhahaha… but his argument was, “it’s just dinner! Can’t friends have dinner?”

26. Who’s more sensitive?
Hello! I am a woman!!

27. Who’s taller?
He is by 1cm. But with his hair gelled up, it would be 3cm.

28. Who has more friends?
I have more acquaintances, but he has more close friends.

29. Who has more siblings?
Same same.

30. Who wears the pants in the relationship?
Oh gosh, do i have to repeat this? I wear the pants, he wears the pantIES!

posted in Meme | 11 Comments