6 Dec, 2011
The official results of the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2011 were released and i completed my third full marathon in 4 hrs 21mins. I’ve missed my primary target of a sub-4hrs race, but looking on the bright side, and as a consolation, I’m glad to have bettered my PB and slashed it by 24mins.
Barring any injuries, a sub-4hrs finish will definitely be my target next year. I will have to work even harder to achieve this target.
Congrats to all runners who had finished the race, see you next year! Let’s get the party started!
5 Dec, 2011
In the early morning of 4th December, twenty thousand runners turned up at Orchard Road for the start of the full marathon of Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2011. At 5am, we were flagged off, each and every runner has a reason to run.
This year’s full marathon race route was very similar to last year, except for some minor changes along the route. The initial 5km was not a pleasant run at all, what with the throngs of runners squeezing into some narrow roads and literally running into tight corners inside the CDB area. Another sore point besides that was at the half and full-marathon merging point, which got lots of complains last year for the “human-wall”, which impeded running, was the same as last year. It was disappointing that there was no improvement made there.
This being my third full marathon run, I was much better prepared than the first two, and I went with a target in mind – to better my marathon personal best. Now let me share with you some pictures of the carnival at the end-point.
That was me posing with my hard-earned finisher tee at the “Run For A Reason” wall.
29 Nov, 2011
You may recall from my last post that one of the top tips when traveling with children is to plan fun and engaging activities to occupy them. The third day of our Bali vacation saw us rising early to get a quick breakfast before catching a shuttle bus for an hour-long journey to the Bali Safari and Marine Park.
Combining Balinese cultural ambience with African Savannah, Bali Safari and Marine Park is home to hundreds of amazing animals representing more than 50 species, including some rare and endangered species. The park, which features the Sumatran elephants, Sumatran tigers, white tigers, leopards, komodo dragons and cheetahs, is officially designated as a wildlife conservation park, dedicated towards preserving endangered species through education and research programs coordinating with other zoological institutions around the world.
Hopped onto the safari bus and went for a 30-minute safari tour where some animals came right up to us, even the lions and tigers!
After the close encounter with the wild, we wrapped up the hot day by cooling off the heat in the waterpark.
28 Nov, 2011
One of the most important aspect to consider when travelling with children is to plan activities that cater to their needs. That became the focal point of our planning for our family vacation in Bali.
As a result, we catered for, and spent an entire day at a water park called WaterBom Bali. With 22 exciting water slides that slice through 3.8 hectares of landscaped tropical parks providing hours of fun and entertainment for the young and the young at heart! It is the perfect water themed park for the whole family!
A rather non-descript entrance opens up to a world of exciting and fun-filled water activities set amid a lush tropical garden.
There are 22 exciting rides that cater to different thrill-level. Very popular rides that have long queue are “Climax”, “Boomerang”, and “Superbowl”.
If thrilling rides and slides are not your cup of tea, you can choose to while your afternoon away in the lazy river, constructed and decorated to make visitors feel like we are meandering through an amazonian river!
For wholesome family fun, WaterBom Bali is a very good attraction to spend a fun-filled day.
27 Nov, 2011
When the year-end school holidays come around, it’s time for us to take a family vacation. For the last couple of years, the year-end family vacation was taken after my run in the Singapore Marathon. But this year, I decided to take the vacation a week before the grueling 42.195km run.
Totally unaware that Bangkok would eventually be inundated by the great flood, booking of air tickets to Bangkok, Thailand, was done in early September. As the situation got worse in late October-early November, a “window” was opened to change our travel destination. Bali was a no-brainer and our eventual choice. We have never been to Bali, so we were looking forward to this trip.
The island of Bali consists of too many exciting spots for us to explore with just 4 days in Bali (23 – 26 Nov). For this trip, we stayed in Kuta region, an area famous for its long sandy beach and great surf. The tropical weather made sure we had a scorching time during our stay.
