The City is Alive

金曜日, 8月 01, 0020

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Okay! Time to blog! Manzy has been very patient while waiting for my new entry and so I shall keep her waiting for a longer time? Yes? XD

Anyhow, let's start with something that has sparked my interest, courtesy of Manzy. All you have to do is:

Get a blank A4 paper and a pen. Read the following instructions carefully and see how many questions you can score correctly in exactly 2 minutes. Are you ready? Take a deep breath, stretch your arms, and BEGIN!

1. Read everything before you do anything.

2. Proceed carefully and cautiously.

3. Put your name in the upper-right hand corner of the paper.

4. Circle the your first name.

5. Draw five small squares in the upper left hand corner of the paper.

6. Put an X in each square.

7. Put a circle around each square.

8. Sign your name in the lower right hand corner.

9. After your name write your date of birth.

10. Put a circle around the answer to Question 9.

11. Put an X in the lower left hand corner of this page.

12. Draw a triangle around the X you put down.

13. On the reverse side of this paper multiply 704 by 1850.

14. Draw a rectangle around the answer to Question 13.

15. When you get to this point in the text, snap the fingers of your left hand.

16. If you think you have followed the directions up to this point, write "I have" in the middle of the paper.

17. On the reverse side of this paper add 8950 and 9850.

18. Put a circle around your answer. Put a square around the circle.

19. Shut your eyes just for a few seconds, then proceed to line 20.

20. Now you have finished reading carefully, you are to do Question 11 only.

(Time passes by... 2 minutes are up!)

So, how many of you manage to do the right question? (Excluding those who have already read Manzy's blog and those who have done this before)

I would most probably do what other people would have done i.e. scribble down the answers frantically and ignoring the very first instruction. It is part of human nature to do things as quickly as possible especially when they are under pressure but sometimes remaining calm and collected has its own benefits too. This is where you can prevent a panic attack in case of an emergency for e.g. during a car accident. If you witness such an event and you can see that the driver has fainted inside his car, what would you do first? The best option is to ~~run away and pretend nothing has happened~~ call the ambulance, police and fire brigade. Most likely if you were to contact one of them, you don't have to contact the others as they will be informed automatically. However, what is the number to call in such a situation? Do you even know the number? Or do you only know the numbers of your ~~scandals~~friends and family? And what would you do if you don't have your mobile phone with you and you are involved in the accident? Can you recite the contact number of your parents, next of kin, etc without checking your phone? Make an effort to memorize those important numbers and stop relying on technology you lazy bummers!

991 for ambulance
993 for police
995 for fire brigade
2226111 for Pizza Hut delivery

Today is the 1st day of August and that means I have 9 more days to train before the marathon day comes. I have to start eating healthily and avoid putting on unnecessary weight or else I will have a tough time running uphill during the race. At the same time I have to be careful not to lose excessive weight otherwise I will have no energy to run as well. My lowest weight was 68kg and currently I am weigh at about 74kg. I would like to shed off 2kg before the run and although it seems impossible but I will give it a try. To ensure that I adhere to the rules of eating, I shall post my food diary for everyone to read so chide me ruthlessly if you feel that I have ebbed away from the program (mmm... Pringles... Indon mee goreng x3 packets... KitKat chunky... Manzy's calves with garlic sauce...).

Breakfast

1 cup of Kellogg's Crispix with 1 cup of low fat milk.
1 scoop of protein powder blended with 1 cup of low fat milk and 3 tablespoons of raw oats.
A huge cup of black tea.

Lunch

1 scoop of protein powder blended with 1 cup of low fat milk and 3 tablespoons of raw oats.
1 slice of wholemeal bread, lightly spread with 1 teaspoon of peanut butter.

Dinner

2 packets of Indo Food mi goreng.
2 slices of luncheon meat.
1 Chinese vegetable spring roll.

Bedtime Snacks

2 slices of wholemeal breads spread with 1 tablespoon of jam.
1 cup of Milo (4 teaspoons with 500ml of hot water).

Most likely I will need to add in healthy snacks in between meals but at the moment I am too broke to buy anymore expensive food! I guess I will just have to eat sensibly and avoid tidbits (will save a lot of money too) at all cost. It's hard to resist but I know I can do it if I summon my willpower with all my might. Dinner time is going to be a challenge as my mother usually buy food from the restaurant. I will have to ask her to get me vegetarian meals instead of noodles.

Anyway I am off to do a little research on what to eat before running a half marathon. It is important to get the nutrition correct otherwise I will never be able to achieve the goal of the year. I managed to complete a trial run of 17km last Sunday in 1 hour and 50 minutes so it is looking although I should be more aware that past performance is never an indication for the future. Anything can go wrong and the best that I can do is to focus and attempt to finish the distance under 2.5 hours. I am feeling psyched now! Look out for more tips on healthy eating when I am done with my research. Till then, have a great weekend!

Update
I have added to the above on what I have eaten for today. I ran for 10km this evening and completed the distance in 1 hour 7 minutes and 48 seconds. Not bad for a start but far from becoming a professional runner. I think veterans can do the whole 10km in just half the time. I have tried the energy gel half way through the run and it boosted my energy by some percentage. Then again I could be wrong and maybe it was all psychological. Anyhow I have to carbo-load as according to the websites of marathon training and I have to be careful not too ingest too much unwanted fatty food. Manzy is right about healthy food, it's expensive and yet we are expected to pay for it. I guess in a way only those who can afford will lead a helathier lifestyle. Unfair but that's the way it is! Similarly healthcare system can be viewed in the same way. The rich will have access to highest standard of medical services while the poor will just watch his health deterioriate till he dies. Indeed an unsettling reality to accept!
8:38 午前 By Burt