city2surf

when there's a will, there's a way

After living in Sydney for almost 10 years, I finally became one of the 80,000 citysurfers this year. 

Running has never been on my tick-off list, what more a 14 km run.

When our company decided to sponsor the run this year, I thought if I don't do it now, I don't know when's the next time I'd come this close to being part of this event.

I signed up without hesitation, and thought I'll worry about the training later. Lol.

Everything has to start somewhere else it will never happen isn't it?

While most people at work were already 'secretly' training during lunch, I was falling behind.

Blame it on winter. Haha.

It involves a lot of mental and psychological strengths to just get myself to change into sports attire and go for a run.  

Since it requires so much 'mental and psychological' efforts from my side, it makes more sense if I'm doing it for a cause than to be training and running blindly.

Perhaps, I'll be more disciplined with the training if it's for a cause? Hehe.

I decided to raise fund for CanTeen - to help teenagers who have been affected by cancer in one way or another. 

Thanks to my fellow supporters, I managed to raise $612.25 on the night before the run!

It did make a difference.

On the day of the run, I arrived 15 mins before the start time. 

Had to use the toilet before the run.

With an event of 80,000 participants, I was 'surprised and not surprised' by the fact that the queue for the toilet was less than 10 mins, there was no queue-cutting scene, there was sufficient toilet paper and water in the portable toilet unit, and it didn't stink as I thought it would.

I was 'surprised' because the organiser and 80,000 participants managed and behaved well above expectations.

'Not surprised' because this is what you can expect from the people here.

The crowd was at a standstill before the start.

At 9.05 am, it started moving slowly towards the starting line. 

Along the way leading to the starting line, there were jumpers and sweaters laying around on the ground.

I thought what's wrong with these people.

Did they all forget their jumpers?

Did they leave their jumpers behind and were gonna come back to pick them up after the race?

It's not one or two, it was more than 20!

Up to a point, there were a couple of huge plastic bags filled with clothing.

Massive task for the lost-and-found crew - I thought. Lol.

After moving slowly with the crowd for at least 15 mins, there's finally enough room for people to start jogging. 

But it was still pretty tight. You could easily trip on someone's long legs from behind.

The crowd dispersed after about 1 km into the run.
That's when I started noticing people in costumes.
There were superheroes, frogs, bees, bunnies, people who dress like old grannies, people in tutu dress, etc.
They were having so much fun dancing and jumping around with music blasting in the background.

Wonderwomen!

Couldn't help but to stop and take photos of these Wonderwomen. 

Couple in mix-match stoking and a daddy taking his toddler for a fun-stroll.

This guy in football jersey, with handbag and umbrella. 

Apart from cool and funny people, there were also weird people.
Like this guy with handbag and umbrella.
Looks like he's on his way to get some groceries.

Nova FM cheer zone

There were live bands and music stations scattered throughout the 14 km.
People blasting music from the balcony of their home.
Kids setting up mini fundraising stalls outside of their homes - selling cupcakes, energy drinks, and bottled water.
People helping to spray water on runners, from a hose outside of their home.
People from around the neighbourhood bring their kids to be part of the supporting-crowd.
People having BBQ in the lawn of their house with beers while cheering on the runners.

one of the last photos taken before finishing the run - reluctantly

14 km was over in a blink of an eye. 

I wished it was longer. Haha.

my 1st ever medal from running.

My target was to complete the 14 km in under 2 hours.
Clocked in at 1 hr 48 mins - including 118 mins of running, time spent taking photos, grabbing and gulping litres of drinks, applying sunblock (4 times), distributing sunblock, etc etc.
Most of my colleagues did it within 90 mins.

I later found out that it's common for people to donate their unwanted clothing at the starting line.
The jumpers on the road were 'act of charity'. Not that people were forgetful. Haha.
My colleague donated a bag of clothing too.

These are some of the thoughtful plans/services provided:

Free public transport for the day for all City2surf participants to ease traffic congestion.

Free sunblock and vaseline at the emergency booths throughout the run.

Sufficient toilets - cleaned and replenished frequently.

Gear drop service which transports participants' belongings to the finish village.

All you need to carry with you are mobile phone, an ATM card, and house key.

Don't even need earphones for music as there were music and live bands in the background throughout the run.

Something they should improve on is to come up with ways to minimise the number of cups used.

If each participant used 10 cups, there'll be 800,000 paper cups disposed in one event. 

Feel like crying for the earth. :(

Nevertheless, kudos and many thanks to the organisers, sponsors, volunteers, supporters, and relevant authorities for the success of this event.

City2surf is not just a mini-marathon. 

It encourages people to run for a cause.
It brings people together - runners, families, supporters, volunteers, party-goers.
It turns the otherwise busy and congested streets into a party zone.

It makes an ordinary Sunday healthy and meaningful.

I got home with a medal, jelly legs, sore muscles, blisters under my feet, and blood stain on my sock.

The S Health app shows 31,746 steps, 26.04 km, and 1265 kcal burnt.

Was expecting sunburn but I wasn't even tanned. The free woolies sunblock at the emergency booths work wonders!

I kinda understood now, the true purpose of marathon.

Not much for the medal and social media attention.

It's more about the satisfaction and sense of achievement at the end of the run.

The feeling of completing an impossible task. 

Of breaking and pushing through the limits.

at a random gallery

friends you can be silly with

We stumbled across this gallery while on our way to Central Park. 

From outside the glass door,

Me: What's this about? Oh no, the 6th guy has a broken penis!

L: Omg...eww....

Me: Let's go in and have a look.

L: Ok.

After a close look,

Me: Ok. It's not just the 6th guy, they all seem to have broken penis for some reasons. Lol!
L: Haha.

After a closer look,

Me: Oh no, actually they broke their own penis. What the hell...
L: Huh?!
Me: See the 2nd guy...he's holding the broken part. It seems like it fits just right.
L: ..........

L: Eh, nola. The 6th guy's is not broken, it's just short. Haha.
Me: Not broken? Hahaha. Oh ya...how come so short? Ok. Only the 2nd one is broken.

We were too carried away by the 'short' stuff and forgot to behave.
We also spoke at very audible volume. Woops...

Luckily, it was almost closing time so there weren't many people around.

If the statues were real, the guys must be real sad and embarrassed. Lol.

always bring id

only the photo id matters on a night out (for girls)

everything else is not important

Just days after I mentioned that I haven't been on site since February, I received email at 11.17pm asking me to go on site. Kinda jinxed myself this time. 

Site work right before the start of a long weekend and a night out. 

Tell me about right timing. Gahhhhhhhhh.

Knowing that it's gonna be rainy, I had to dress 'properly' for the weather. 

So I put on my site pants and shirt in the morning. 

Such UNGLAMOROUS outfit.

For the first time I doubted my decision of becoming an engineer - because 'gorgeous' and 'site engineer' don't come in parallel. Hahaha.

Engineer's outfit is shabby, ugly, waterproof, and comes in only 3 colours: navy, florescent yellow, and florescent orange. 

Mine are already in ladies' cutting and I still look like a rapper in baggy clothes. 

The footwear is black, heavy, bulky, and hard as anything. Even double-socks won't help in comforting my poor feet.

The hat is ugly too!

The only thing that looks 'cool' is perhaps the protective sunglasses. At least one thing. Hehe.

Because I can't stand looking so unglamorous, I decided to heck the weather and change into my skinny pants and smart-looking shirt - for site. 

Sacrifices are required in order to look good. Lol.

View like this is the cause for my love-hate relationship with this profession.
There are always two sides to everything isn't it?

The weather was kind for most of the day. 

It only rained after 85% of the work was completed. 

Thankfully I didn't come in full-on engineer gears, I'd be so depressed looking ugly for nothing. Lol.

Bad news is we have to return to complete the remaining 15%. Bummer.

Got back to the office, washed and changed, then went to the city.

Only realised at 9pm that I left my photo ID in the site bag, in the office. 

And the office swipe card has gone travelling in the housemate's car for the weekend. 

Great.

From the unexpected site work to how the swipe card got carried away for the weekend, it's telling me that I should stay sober over the weekends. Lol.

Unless I carry my passport around but I'm not that desperate yet.

I transferred 2 credit cards, 2 debit cards, and 2 medical cards from the site bag. But not the ID. 

Like seriously? 

Could of leave all the money cards behind and still be able to get (free) drinks with just an ID.

No ID = no drinks.

Went home and started the weekend with toilet-cleaning. Lol.

The rest of the weekend went like any ordinary weekend. 

Spent 200 bucks eating out (even without alcohol), unbelievable. 

As usual, the first question you get at work on the morning after a weekend is How was your weekend?

My reply was Great. And sober. 

Haha. Lesson learnt. 

weekend in a flash

random as can be

Saturday

Woke up thinking what should I do today?
What's after yumcha with Ching?
Decided to check out 'What's happening in Sydney?'
So there was an Etsy market in Chippendale.
Christmas' coming, all the headache shoppings...maybe I should go for a browse at the market.

Grabbed coffee on the way to the market

SYDNEY made Etsy

card makers 

baby diaper pants, head accessories

customised pillows

some kind of pillow case or bag or whatever

porcelain maybe? sorry, not good with artsy materials

jewellery and blablabla...

Pretty much an upscale of Glebe Market.
It was a quick browse.
There were TOO MANY people.
Overcrowded.
The items were pricey if not overpriced.
Not complaining, cos that's how they sustain themselves.
Didn't have time to stop and fall in love with anything because of the ever-moving crowd.

Headed back north to Macquarie Centre for some Christmas shopping.
Spotted a girl in furry home slippers on the train station escalator.
Did she forget to change shoes on her way out?
Is this some kind of latest fashion which I'm not aware of?
The socks were weird enough, and then plus the shoes.....far out...haha.
Let's assume she's here for shoe-shopping.

Spotted a lovely white cake. Must take a photo of it cos it's too beautiful. 

Danger of not having a specific Christmas shopping list beforehand - bought a couple of books for 'anyone'.
No idea who to give to.
Decided to go home and read them, if they're no good I'll return them tomorrow.

Few important points to note:

#1 

#2

So far so good.

As usual, fell asleep with the book in my hands. Lol.

Sunday

Brunch date with Mega, Charlie, and Vv.

Brought the books with me so I can read them on the train (and return them today if they suck).

Finished reading the first book from yesterday. 

Not my kind of book.

Couldn't think of anyone to give it too. 

Started on the second book.

A very good one I'd say.

I have the urge to give this to everyone on my Christmas list. Haha.

Random pages:

#1

#2

 Sorry for the bad quality phone camera and those freaking permanent grey spots which just won't go away.

Xmas tree in Central Station
and a boy whose mum's took soooooooo long to take a shot,
he could pose there for an hour.

UTS building

Spotted a quirky car while waiting for a table at the cafe.

moooochaaaaaaa

coffee-fix for the addicts

uekkk. too much food 

After brunch...
Randomly ended up in Kinokuniya.

Found a bright corner and started reading my own book.

#3

Decided that this is THE BOOK for this season.
Went to the shop to return the first book, and bought two more of the second book.
Walked too much.
Decided to rest on the benches for a bit while I figure out where's next.

Chilling at the bench with the senior citizens, aunties, uncles, and bloody smokers,
while enjoying the music from buskers.

Smokers should all smoke in a room, smell their own smoke, and kill each others lungs.

Winterbourne busking at Pitt Street Mall

Made up my mind for a cup of Boost.
Wanted to try their new Black Label series but damn....$9 for an original Boost?
You're so kidding me!
Wonder if they did a market survey on these prices. Ridiculous.
Plus all of the choices have pineapple in them. zzZZzz. Forget about it.

Headed to the station for home.
Got out of the station, bus was coming in 11mins.
Decided to run to Coles on the next street to grab some Connoisseur ice-creams.
Got a couple of tubs.
Ran back to the bus-stop - 2mins till the bus comes.
It only came 12mins later - M54 you're never ever ever punctual!
Poor Connoisseurs melted under the 26deg sun...
Finally home - 5pm.

Recorded 75,000 steps for the week on my pedometer.
Should aim for 100,000 next. 

tranquil moment

 external factors are just perceptions

Tried so hard to fall asleep at an awkward hour of 5.30pm, for the sake of tonight's site work.
I'm so not an afternoon nap person. Bahhhhh~

When I'm almost entering my dreamland, the flatmate came home with her bf and there went all the yelling, knocking, banging, tv... She obviously didn't think that I'd be home.

Omgoshhhhhh!!!

Gave up! Let's just be a zombie tonight.

On the side note...

I stumbled upon the St John's Anglican Church while wandering alone in Glebe today. Not sure what brought me into the church, maybe my heart wanted my mind to shut down for a bit. Haha.

No doubt, it is one of the places to be if you're after some tranquil moments. 

Even if the old benches stink,

Even if there was rock band playing right outside,

The mind was able to ignore the stinky air and loud band, completely shut itself down  - just what I needed.

You showed me that external factors are just perceptions.

Thank you, Church.

while it lasts

while it lasts, never wait till tomorrow, we never know when is the last

Every year, at the start of Spring and Autumn, I'll take short breaks from work to walk up and down the Pacific Highway and Miller St at North Sydney. Branching out of these main roads are quiet little streets with overgrown trees.

What makes the walk special are the signature purple jacaranda in Spring and the orange maple leaves in Autumn. They only last for less than a week before the flowers wilt or the leaves fall - which reminds us that nothing lasts forever. Even if tomorrow comes, things may not be the same as yesterday. Hence, while it lasts, never wait till tomorrow.

Despite the ridiculous 70 hours storm at the start of the week, these beautiful leaves survived though many have fallen. I was here just in time to catch a glimpse of that orange canopy. I bet after the hailstorm this afternoon and more rain tomorrow, the canopy would have given way by coming Monday.

This would be my last Autumn spent in North Sydney - for now. Never had I thought that these trees are one of the things I'd miss out of working in North Sydney. Thanks for the wonderful 5 years and a bit.

autumn comes with autumn leaves
orange the shade of the autumn leaves
dull little streets are what we perceive
the beauty it holds you won't believe
quietly admiring this nature's gift
this will be my fifth
I shall be making a shift
as winter comes and autumn leaves

me time

Everyone needs some me-time every now and then to refresh the 'self' which was lost amidst the busy life schedule.

It's one of those Sundays when I wake up and feel like I need to do something for myself, on my own, and at my own pace.

I'm truly grateful to be living in the eastern side of Sydney where most famous and impressive cafe's are within 30 mins of travel by public transport and about 20 mins by car.

One of my favourites is the Bourke Street Bakery.

Large mocha $4.50 and the infamous Ginger brulee tart $5.

Yeah, a relaxing Sunday morning for under $10, just 15 mins from where I live.

Something I learned today from the book, "...patience is something you do, not something you have or don't have."

The next time you lose your cool, have a thought about it.
It's not about whether you have or don't have Patience, it's a matter of whether or not you want to be patient.

You haven't lived well nor have you grown much (in every aspect except physically), if every occurrence around you is able to trigger the emotional bit of your mind and heart.

Be in peace with yourself and others. Always.

Whitsundays - Part 1

Sometimes we need some random impromptu decisions to land us somewhere we barely thought of visiting. 

HAPPY BELATED OZ-DAY!

So, I went on a 4D3N getaway to the Whitsundays over the Australia Day long weekend.

Exploring Australia is always EXPENSIVE; from getting there, to the accommodation, the entrance fees, activities, and food. On a tight budget, it would still add up to at least $700 for a 4D3N trip. It's only gonna get more expensive if it coincides with a long weekend. Due to all the flying and transits, 3D2N won't be sufficient for an interstate holiday. And 4D3N would mean 2 x Annual leaves (AL) + Sat Sun with cheaper flights, hotel, etc. OR 1 x AL + Public hols + Sat Sun with more expensive costs. Either way makes no difference - something has to be compromised.

I opted for the '1 x AL' as leaves are more scarce.

When Tiger Airways was having its sales last May 2014, I thought I might check out some flights and go somewhere I've never heard of or never planned on visiting in Australia.

I've come across people who last visited Melbourne 10 years ago, who have never been to the Gold Coast, or only visited NSW for business purposes, etc. This is how rarely people in Australia travel around Australia. I thought I should start visiting the beautiful places on this massive piece of desert, bit by bit before it backlogs and eventually never gets fulfilled.

Getting there
Direct Sydney - Whitsunday (Proserpine) route is only serviced by Tiger Airways (Tue, Thu, Sat). Approximately 190 aud return on Light Fare (no checked baggage). 10 kg (max 2 pieces of hand-carry baggage) is allowed on board the 2 hours flight.

Alternatively, you can also fly with other airlines to Proserpine or Hamilton Island Airport with stopover at Brisbane, Melbourne, or Adelaide - not quite time efficient nor economical.

Where exactly are the Whitsunday Islands? 
It's located at the central coast of Queensland, some 900 km to the North of Brisbane. I have absolutely no idea about Whitsunday until 7 months after buying the tickets, when I had to plan for the trip that I started checking out this place on the internet. Lol. As impromptu as it was.

There are the Whitehaven Beach, Great Barrier Reef (GBR) adventures, and sailing trips.

Seasickness
The thing that started freaking me out was the seasickness. On the internet, most people talked about having seasick during the trip and whatsoever. I thought well, it's too late to back out, come what may! I went to the chemist and got myself a pack of Kwells and those motion sickness wristbands. It says on the pack that Kwells may cause drowsiness but I didn't get that effect at all.

However, the sea was surprisingly calm - just a little choppy at times but that's more like bumpy than sway-ey so it was okay. No biggy. Maybe the wristbands worked really hard to keep me straight? I guess if you're doing the island hopping (Whitsunday Island, Long Island, Hamilton Island, Daydream Island), the islands are pretty much 'hidden' from big waves anyway. I can't be sure with the GBR though, as it's way out in the deep sea.

Weather
I honestly don't think January is the best season to visit Whitsundays. I just found out that the highest rainfall occurs in January, with temperature easily shoots above 30 degrees, humidity level above 70%, and thunderstorms almost everyday. Everyone knows Queensland is prone to flooding and you don't want that to happen because the roads will be closed and you can't access the airport. Don't expect to get lucky all the time so please do a thorough research on the crazy weather before booking.

Overall, it was extremely HOT - I felt like my Havaianas were reaching its melting point as it started burning my feet and causing blister, sunblock is mandatory and adding to the high humidity, my body was as sticky as glue. I couldn't cross my legs as skin-to-skin contact makes everything sweaty and wet. The rain and thunderstorms have been very very kind as they only visited during the evenings and cleared before sunrise. Too lucky!

Enough of talking...

Sydney

Nearing Whitsundays - blue sky, blue sea, blue air

Green undeveloped land as we descend

to be continued...

Jaywalk

Not all policeman is scary. 

I was walking with a mate from George St to Elizabeth St on Martin Place.
Before arriving at Pitt St, my mate saw a policeman standing across the street. "Ohh look at that, a police, they really bumped up the security around here, huh?"

When we arrived at Pitt St, the pedestrian light was red.
We waited for a second before the thought of jaywalking pops up.
It is quite usual for people to jaywalk on Pitt and Castlereagh at Martin Place reason being the streets are not vehicle-busy after all.
I looked to the left. No vehicle. To the right, no traffic. To the front. Policeman.

Me: Hmm.
Mate: ...
Me: Should we jaywalk right in front of a police?
Mate: I don't know man. Should we? There's no car, really.

Before long, more pedestrians arrived and were also waiting for the lights. Some of them tourists.
So the tourists started crossing - obviously not knowing that they could get a good 90dollars fine for that.
Then a few locals did. But they did it with watchful eyes on the policeman. He was at ease, leaning against the traffic post.

We decided to follow the crowd, also with watchful eyes on the poor police. If anything were to happen, we would be the first to get caught as we were nearest to the police.

All of a sudden, the police realised the number of eyes who were 'watching' him.
He started smiling to himself.

Police (looking at all the fearful pedestrians): Why???? I'm not here to give out tickets. I'm just here waiting to get a lift. 

We LOL-ed.

Perhaps the authority should turn the green man on by default and only change it to red when there's vehicle approaching. Most of the time, the people who programme traffic light timers are not the frequent pedestrians there themselves.

15 secs spent waiting for the green man, while there's no vehicle passing through is like a great 15 mins wasted. They should start reviewing how the lights work to increase efficiency across the city.

Time waits for no man.

15.12.2014 Sydney Siege

Life's full of surprises. Anything can happen in the next second.

15.12.2014 Monday.

I did not go in to the office on this day, only to have read the news about the siege slightly before noon. It left me with a mixed feeling. Martin Place is where I pass by most if not some of the days on my way to and from work. Would I be one of the hostages if I were at Martin Place this morning? What are the hostages going through right now? What's in the terrorist's mind? When and how would this end? 

I felt a tinge of comfort when messages came from people across the state, asking if I am fine. It means a lot to know that I've crossed their mind in times like this. Thanks Jessey, AN and RK. :)

The siege ended with 3 casualties including 1 terrorist.

17.12.2014 Wednesday.

On my way to work, flowers for the siege victims started piling up at Martin Place. People were seen carrying bouquet of flowers into the area. 11 hours later, on my way back from work, the amount of flowers doubled up. 

The usual hustle bustle at Martin Place during peak hours has transformed into a rather slow, calm, and peaceful scene - except for a sad cause. People were usually seen fiddling with their phone, looking down on their gadget, talking on the phone or the mate beside them, jaywalking, and dreading the long walk from George to Elizabeth - vice versa. Today, their pace has slowed down, there was no talking, no laughing, no honking, no knocking into another person because 0ne was looking at his phone, no sound of those business shoes 'klik-klok-ing' on the tiles... 

I felt quiet, silent, calm, and...sad. The place was scented with smell of fresh flowers. It felt like everyone was at the 'present moment', all having the same feeling, all mourning for the loss of the innocent lives. 

23.12.2014 Tuesday
The flowers were removed due to impending bad weather for the coming days.

17.12.2014 7:44 AM - Flowers piling up at Martin Place

17.12.2014 6:01 PM - Amount of flowers doubled up

19.12.2014 - More flowers

23.12.2014 Flowers removed by volunteers

Notice on the removal of the flowers

People come and go.
Flowers grow and wither.
What's left is the life lesson for us to not take people around us for granted. Hatred leads us nowhere, be kind whenever possible.