Saturday, August 22, 2009

Zurich, Switerland (7th-11th July '09)

The 13hrs flight finally touched down in Zurich Airport. Our adventure of a lifetime begins! Honestly, by that time, I was looking forward more to the travelling post-Ironman compared to the Ironman. I had dedicated weeks of training for this event even through my examinations, and up until 2 weeks before we departed Singapore, I was feeling the effects of over-training...I knew completing the Ironman was no longer a problem, it was the timing and the feel good factor after the race that took centre stage now...

When we exited the arrival gates, we were greeted by Michelle's uncle and aunt. Uncle Paul and Aunt Pauline (not her real name, but I thought it sounds cool as she does not have an English name) were real gems! We were treated to the highest level of hospitality that made us thank them so much until they got pissed (not literally). =] Uncle Paul's cooking was the ultimate killer concept, and we enjoyed every single meal we had at their restaurant, Chang Cheng Chinese Restaurant.

 
Mellingen, where Chang Cheng Chinese Restaurant is located =]


After lunch, we got down to business and started setting up the stealth weapons. With the help of Lemin, we managed to settle things pretty quickly. By evening, Jason, Melvin and I were on our bicycles ready for the first test on the roads. Jiajie decided to give it a miss as he wanted to rest. The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, my arrector pili muscles contracted. The weather was so cool that I really doubted my ability to race through it. We got onto our bikes and took a spin around the town of Mellingen.


Setting up my Radon


As promised, friends... =]
 
Cycling around Switzerland was a joy. You are greeted with postcard scenery everywhere you turn! It sometimes take the pain away from the climb you are undergoing. After about 20mins, I decided to head back as my hands and ears were almost numb from the cold. As I was turning into the restaurant, I mis-judged the curb (I suspect it is due to the cold making my brain freeze) and fell from my bike. Thankfully, I was not seriously hurt and my bike was ok. I was really frustrated, but the weather remained my top concern.
 


Day 2 in Mellingen
 
The following days, we toured the city of Zurich and Mellingen. Everything was done by walking, and by the end of everyday, my legs were super tired. We made a trip down to the race site to check it out and to collect our race packs. As we were among the first few to collect our packs, we chatted up the race referees and tried to gather as much information about the course and weather forecast as possible.
 

A friendly race referee and us

Nicolas joined us the next day from Munich, Germany. The 5 of us then made our way to lake Zurich for our wetsuit swim. As I took off my shirt, the cold wind immediately hit me and I was shivering like crazy even after I had my wetsuit on. As I plunged into the lake, icy cold water entered my wetsuit and for a moment send shockwaves through my body. I swam to generate heat through my body and slowly got used to the water.


Nicolas joining us from Munich, Germany
  
Wetsuit swim at Zurichsee
 

Zurich is a very beautiful city. I find it the perfect city where everything is prim and proper, orderly and clean. We frequently visited the Apple store for free internet usage and MacDonalds for free toilets as toilets in Zurich can cost up to S$2 per entry!

 
A typical street in Zurich

Travelling to Zurich from Mellingen costs around S$30 per return ticket! Therefore, we normally spend the day in Zurich, returning to Mellingen at night for dinner, wine and ice-cream =]

 
Zurich Main station
  
We also spent our days before the Ironman doing a slow 20min run around the town of Mellingen which took us along the river, through farms and stables. It was really a very pretty and peaceful experience. Life is really pretty serene in Mellingen. Also, we did another short bike ride as Nicolas and Jiajie needed to test out their bikes. The weather was now getting better each day. It was starting to feel more and more like how summer should feel =]

Friday, August 21, 2009

Singapore (6th July '09)

Family members and close friends stood around the departure gate, grouped into their cliques waiting for the 6 to finish their baggage check in.

"Would they be able to adapt to the weather in Zurich, Switzerland?"
"Would they complete the Ironman?"
"Was the training they did in Singapore sufficient to tide them through?"

These were perhaps some of the thoughts in the minds of family members and close friends...They being there that late night seemed like an extra boost of support that was channelled into the Ironman days later. There were expectations to be fulfilled; we cannot let them down.

I remembered I was particularly touched that day when so many arrived to send us off with their well wishes. Stated beautifully by Wei Lynn who was there, "friendship requires effort". Yong Sheng, who had to report to camp at 8am that morning, also said that he being there in spite of that shows sincerity. Lastly, my Medicine friends who were in the midst of running the Medicine Freshman Orietation Camp came down too! This really set me thinking about the number of times that I have put in effort to maintain friendships; there were not many...It seemed that I had taken these friendships for granted, thinking that they will remain as they are with time. This is something that I wish to improve on. =]

Thank you all who came to make the sent off such a memorable one! I cannot thank you enough for the love you all have showered upon us!

Friday, August 14, 2009

It brought tears to my eyes...



This alone is enough motivation for me to start training for my next Ironman...The post on Zurich and the Ironman will be up really really soon =]

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The whole cycle repeats itself once more..

...but this time, there shall be change.

I just got back a few hours ago from Jogjakarta, Indonesia. After returning from London Heathrow on the 8th of August, I found myself back at Changi airport the next morning for my flight to Indonesia! Talk about hardcore travelling... =] That's a whooping 5 flights in 36 days!

I am now tossed right back into the thick of things as the semester kicks off yet again. However, I am determined to break the cycle... There is much to be improved, much to be learnt and done; proving this, I am now going through the webcasts of 8 lectures that I missed while in Indonesia.

In the following days, I will update my Ironman and the Eurotrip experiences on this space so that the memories will be with me when I look back.. Ok, back to the lectures.. =]