Week 11: Hmmm… I Give Up BBalling

Went to Bball in Hougang. It was a shock on two fronts: my first brush with a zone-turned-to-man defence (I usually play either-or, not this hybridised version) and my knee gave out.

Carlos Boozer in the post (from Yahoo! Sports)

It didn’t collapse. But it creaked, cracked and felt like I was dragging a dead leg around during the whole game.

That sucks.

Looking at it, my biggest problem is balance and explosive power. I think I’ll start a series of pylometric exercises during my running day, and conduct balancing exercises for the rest of the time.

My will be done…. in week 12.5 or 13.

Bone Dry Days: 50 (since 12 Feb)
Bet Days: 48/60 (since 14 Feb)

Achievements

Front Day: Completed. Ready for 20kg.

Back Day:  Boleh.

Running Day:  Somewhat faster than I thought I’d be.

Goals

Dates: 4-6 Apr

• +1 to Push Up Routines (24 X Standard; 22 X Inclined Push Ups)
• +1 to Single Arm Inverted Rows (8 X)
• +1 to Pull Ups (7 X)
• +1.5kg to weights (20 kg)

Training Routines

Dates: 31 Mar – 3 Apr 

Front Day

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Squats
2. 5 X Reverse Lunge with Shoulder Presses
3. 10 X Arnold Presses
4. Isometric Sumo Squats (30 sec)

Unweighted

1. 23 X Standard; 21 X Inclined Push Ups

Back Day

4 sets 

1. 6X Lizard Crawl
2. 10 X Straight-leg Deadlifts
3. 10 X 2-armed Dumbell Snatch 

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Shrugs + hold for 10 counts on last rep

Unweighted (4 sets)

1. 21 X Inclined Push Ups  
2. 6 X Pull Ups
3. 7 X Single-arm Inverted Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep 
4. Isometric holds (10 sec)

Runs

1. 5kg runs (1.25 km)
   Timing: 10:54; Total: 1.25 km; Speed: 6.88 km/h; Ave rest: 0 sec
2. 2.5 km
   Timing: 20:0; Total: 2.5 km; Speed: 7.5 km/h; Ave rest: 0 sec
3. 2 min of Skipping Rope

Nightly

3 sets

1. Planks: side & front & back (30 sec)
2. Stretches

KIV

1. 15 X Single Leg Calf Raises (+10 Double Leg Calf Raises)
2. 10 X Single-leg Deadlifts  (18.5kg)
3. 10 X Inclined Inverted Rows
4. 10 X Back Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep
5. Slope Runs (2x 0.38 km)

Week 10.5: Diary

My brain’s shot to hell from staying up at the wake. This is probably as much as you’d get from me now.

Bone Dry Days: 47 (since 12 Feb)
Bet Days: 45/60 (since 14 Feb)

Achievements

Front Day: Did it, but it wasn’t easy. My weak points are my arms and quite possibly upper back. How to put it all together?

Back Day: Didn’t do inverted rows because it’s blocked up by furniture. Did the 5kg run over 1.25km instead. It’s great bicep isometric exercises. I think I’ll include it in my Back days.

Running Day:  Did not run. Staying up late attending to funeral matters made me too zonked to do any running.

Goals

Dates: 1-3 Apr

• +1 to Push Up Routines (23 X Standard; 21 X Inclined Push Ups)
• +2 to Slope Runs 

Training Routines

Dates: 28-30 Mar

Front Day

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Squats
2. 5 X Reverse Lunge with Shoulder Presses
3. 10 X Arnold Presses
4. Isometric Sumo Squats (30 sec)

Unweighted

1. 22 X Standard; 20 X Inclined Push Ups

Back Day

4 sets 

1. 6X Lizard Crawl
2. 10 X Straight-leg Deadlifts
3. 10 X 2-armed Dumbell Snatch 

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Shrugs + hold for 10 counts on last rep
2. 10 X Back Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep

Unweighted (4 sets)

1. 20 X Inclined Push Ups  
2. 6 X Pull Ups
3. Isometric holds (10 sec)

Runs

1. 5kg runs (1.25 km)
   Timing: 10:54; Total: 1.25 km; Speed: 6.88 km/h; Ave rest: 0 sec
2. 2.5 km + Slope Runs (2x 0.38 km)
   Timing: 0:0; Total: 2.5 km; Speed: ?.?? km/h; Ave rest: 0 sec
3. 2 min of Skipping Rope

Nightly

3 sets

1. Planks: side & front & back (30 sec)
2. Stretches

KIV

1. 15 X Single Leg Calf Raises (+10 Double Leg Calf Raises)
2. 10 X Single-leg Deadlifts  (18.5kg)
3. 10 X Inclined Inverted Rows;  6 X Single-arm Inverted Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep

Week 10: A Death in The Family

Strange how a death can bring together so many people in so short a time.

My grandfather died just yesterday from old age.

We knew that he was going soon, so we recalled everyone who back to Singapore. My brother came back from half a world away, a cousin from Taiwan, and an uncle from Phuket.

They all arrived within two days. An astonishing feat considering that they would usually hem and haw at coming home (yes, Singapore is home no matter what folks say). Not many of us have visited or looked after my grandfather much before his death.

Now he’s gone. Whoosh. In three month of almost continuous slumber. There were many red, teary eyes and my mother went slightly insane at his death (that’s because she looked after him in his geriatric years). For once, it felt like a family, united in a common purpose – but it took a death to bring us together.

Bone Dry Days: 44 (since 12 Feb)
Bet Days: 42/60 (since 14 Feb)

Achievements

Didn’t manage to revert to Week 9: Training Routines because of my grandfather’s death and funeral. Instead I’ve carried on with my Army Days routine as much as I could.

Front Day: Completed.

Back Day:  Completed. Except for Pull Ups.

Running Day:  Not done.

Goals

Dates: 29-31 Mar

Revert to Week 9: Training Routines.

Training Routines

Dates: 25-27 Mar

Front Day

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Squats
2. 10 X Shoulder Presses

Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. Isometric Sumo Squats (30 sec)

Unweighted

1. 21 X Standard; 19x X Inclined Push Ups

Back Day

4 sets 

1. 10 X Straight-leg Deadlifts
2. 10 X 2-armed Dumbell Snatch 

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Shrugs + hold for 10 counts on last rep
2. 10 X Back Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep

Unweighted (4 sets)

1. 10 X Inclined Inverted Rows;  6 X Single-arm Inverted Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep
2. 19 X Inclined Push Ups  
3. 3+6 X Pull Ups

Runs

1. 2.5 km + 5kg runs (2 X)
   Timing: 0:0; Total: 2.5 km; Speed: 0.0 km/h; Ave rest: 0 sec
2. 2 min of Skipping Rope

Nightly

3 sets

1. Planks: side & front & back (30 sec)
2. Stretches

KIV

1. 15 X Single Leg Calf Raises (+10 Double Leg Calf Raises)
2. Slope Running (4x 0.38 km)
3. 10 X Single-leg Deadlifts  (18.5kg)
4. 5 X Reverse Lunge with Shoulder Presses
5. Isometric Lunges (30 sec)

Obituary: Grandfather

He died relatively quick, after 1 month of sleeping in the hospital. That’s a lot better than my grandmother.

Week 9.5: Scaled Down

The problem with reservist – life gets disrupted.

The good thing about it – I meet more folks.

The really really bad thing – I can’t blog or exercise properly.

That’s why I’ve scaled down my exercise regimen during the week. In fact, I doubt that I can do more than the bare minimum (or even blog about).

Regardless, onwards!

Bone Dry Days: 39 (since 12 Feb)
Bet Days: 37/60 (since 14 Feb)

Achievements

Front Day:   Completed.

Back Day:  Completed.

Running Day:  Not done.

Goals

Dates: 25-27 Mar

Revert to Week 9: Training Routine as it’s over the weekend. 

Training Routines

Dates: 21-23 Mar

Front Day

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Squats with Arnold Presses

Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. Isometric Sumo Squats (30 sec)

Unweighted

1. 20 X Standard; 18 X Inclined Push Ups

Back Day

4 sets 

1. 10 X Straight-leg Deadlifts
2. 10 X 2-armed Dumbell Snatch 

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Shrugs + hold for 10 counts on last rep
2. 10 X Back Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep

Unweighted (4 sets)

1. 10 X Inclined Inverted Rows;  6 X Single-arm Inverted Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep
2. 18 X Inclined Push Ups  
3. 3+6 X Pull Ups

Runs

1. 2.5 km + 5kg runs (2 X)
   Timing: 0:0; Total: 2.5 km; Speed: 0.0 km/h; Ave rest: 0 sec
2. 2 min of Skipping Rope

Nightly

3 sets

1. Planks: side & front & back (30 sec)
2. Stretches

KIV

1. 15 X Single Leg Calf Raises (+10 Double Leg Calf Raises)
2. Slope Running (4x 0.38 km)
3. 10 X Single-leg Deadlifts  (18.5kg)
4. 5 X Reverse Lunge with Shoulder Presses
5. Isometric Lunges (30 sec)

Week 9: Back to the Army

It’s back to the army for the next two weeks.

Surprisingly it’s not as bad as I thought it’d be. After all, it’s just the army and camping out in the open . But that just means that I’ve to bring my work to camp to do. Most of which are just blog posts and a covering letter for interviews. 

Bone Dry Days: 35 (since 12 Feb)
Bet Days: 33/60 (since 14 Feb)

Achievements

Front Day: Combined squats with Arnold presses to get a full body workout. Also I wanted to try it out to save time on sessions for next week. Doubled my isometric weights to see if I can take it (yes I can). I’m still breaking up my workouts over the day and exercising bit by bit. 

Back Day: Pain and soreness in the back of knee again. I’m sticking to double leg workouts and stopping lunges for now.

Running Day:  Slow!

Goals

Dates: 21-22 Mar

It entirely revolves around double lower-limbed exercises. Keeping the weights as is until I’m comfortable with it. Need to work harder on core and hamstrings.

Training Routines

Dates: 17-19 Mar

Front Day

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Squats with Arnold Presses
2. 5 X Reverse Lunge with Shoulder Presses

Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. Isometric Lunges (30 sec)
2. Isometric Sumo Squats (30 sec)

Unweighted

1. 20 X Standard; 18 X Inclined Push Ups

Back Day

4 sets 

1. 10 X Straight-leg Deadlifts
2. 10 X 2-armed Dumbell Snatch 

Exercises (3 Sets)
Weight: 18.5 kg/side

1. 10 X Shrugs + hold for 10 counts on last rep
2. 10 X Back Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep

Unweighted (4 sets)

1. 10 X Inclined Inverted Rows;  6 X Single-arm Inverted Rows + hold for 10 counts on last rep
2. 18 X Inclined Push Ups  
3. 3+6 X Pull Ups

Runs

1. 2.5 km + 5kg runs (2 X)
   Timing: 20:29; Total: 2.5 km; Speed: 7.32 km/h; Ave rest: 0 sec
2. 2 min of Skipping Rope

Nightly

3 sets

1. Planks: side & front & back (30 sec)
2. Stretches

KIV

1. 15 X Single Leg Calf Raises (+10 Double Leg Calf Raises)
2. Slope Running (4x 0.38 km)
3. 10 X Single-leg Deadlifts  (18.5kg)

We Can, Singapore

Every so often, we bash Singapore and Singaporeans with incredible amounts of vitriol. Just read the comments in The Online Citizen.

From wn.com

I’m guilty of that as well.

But every so often, I come across posts that talk about the good things in Singapore. Most of it is written by expats – I can see your eyes roll up already –, but there are truths in them and I’m struck by how we take it all for granted.

Here’s an example:

- 3$ lunches that don't include hotdogs

- dragonboating OUTSIDE all year round

- perma-tan

- affordable massages

- taxi uncle talks

- "can" and "cannot"

- "hmmm...it's a long weekend, where should I fly to? The beach, the jungle, a cool Asian city..."

Yes, this little red dot (and sometimes her leaders) could do things better, but let’s not can ourselves, can?

Source: Things I will miss about Singapore when I move back to Canada