Men’s Health Urbanathlon 2011 is this Sunday!

Ready or not, like it  or not, the Men’s Health Urbanathlon is going to take place this Sunday (20th Feb 2011) at the Marina Bay area. The start and end points are at the Nicoll Highway MRT Station and gosh… the whole route is around 14km with nine obstacles to clear along the way. Hopefully I get into Top 10 and walk away some prizes. The first prize is really awesome; especially the pair of tickets to Nepal… *drooling saliva…

The nine obstacles are:

OBSTACLE 1: WALL STREET
by Redken For Men
Scale up and down a 2.6m high container.
Your task:

1. Get up and over the container with the help of 1.1m high step boards that will be provided on both sides of the container.
2. If you are unsuccessful in your first attempt, you are required to make another attempt at the RETRY queue. If you fail in your re-attempt, 5 minutes will be added to your final timing as a penalty, and you will be allowed to continue on with the course.

OBSTACLE 2: QUANTUM LEAP
by Biotherm Homme
Leap across 10 rows of road barricades.
Your task:

1. Get up and over 10 one-metre high barricades.
2. Both feet MUST touch the ground between each barricade.

OBSTACLE 3: BRAWL & CRAWL
by 3M Futuro
Leopard crawl for 10m in a zig-zag path.
Your task:

1. Leopard crawl on your elbows and knees through the obstacle.
2. Sand bags will be placed in your way to slow you down and make your journey even more challenging.

OBSTACLE 4: CORPORATE LADDER
by Sloan's
Ascend and descend long flights of steps and slopes.
Your task:

1. At the base of Fort Canning Park, you will ascend a steep flight of 190 steps and overcome a series of slopes.
2. If you encounter participants in the right lane (aka the "fast lane") who are moving at a slower pace, please call out, "On your right." All participants are required to move to the left when they hear this.

OBSTACLE 5: FRAME WORKS
by Polar
Dodge and climb your way through a scaffolding structure.

Your task:

1. Dodge, duck, slide, climb, crawl and manoeuvre your way around metal bars and wooden planks.

OBSTACLE 6: MONKEY BUSINESS
by Nautica Watches
Swing across a 5m long monkey bar.
Your task:

1. You must traverse the monkey bars and get to the other end of the obstacle without letting your feet touch the ground.
2. You must use each of the 12 rungs as you make your way to the other side. You are not allowed to skip any rungs.
3. If you are unsuccessful in your first attempt, you are required to make another attempt at the RETRY queue. If you fail in your re-attempt, 5 minutes will be added to your final timing as a penalty, and you will be allowed to continue on with the course.

OBSTACLE 7: THE NETWORK
by Davidoff Champion
Climb up and down a 3.2m high 3-ton truck using a rope web.
Your task:

1. Get on all fours to climb up the rope web.
2. When you get to the top of the truck, turn around and descend the rope web on the other side feet first.
3. Avoid getting your limbs trapped in the net as it will slow down your progress.

OBSTACLE 8: TYRED OUT
by Subaru
Run through a row of double-layered tyres without stepping on them or skipping any.
Your task:

1. Run a row of tyres “stutter-step” style, touching the ground inside of each consecutive tyre.
2. You are free to select any row of tyres you desire in each stutter-step section. A “row” is defined as two tyres wide by eight tyres long.
3. You are NOT permitted to skip a tyre or run on top of the tyres.
4. Failure to adhere to these rules will require that you re-attempt this obstacle again.

OBSTACLE 9: DOWN &DIRTY
by adidas
Conquer a large mud pit at the end point and finish your race in a blaze of glory!
Your task:

1. Leopard crawl under a net through a 10m long mudpit.

Source: http://urbanathlon2011.menshealth.com.sg/index.php?page=obstacles

This is HOME!

For each video that is downloaded, $1 will be donated to the Community Chest. Do your part and click that “Download Now” button! Go to http://www.thisishome.sg/mv.php

100 PLUS PASSION RUN [21st May 2011]

The goodies bag looks pretty good:

Each participant (except participants of the 500m PAssion Kids Dash) will receive a goodie bag worth more than $150:

• Heart Rate Monitor watch worth up to $69
• An exclusive Running Tee
• Finisher T-Shirt (for 25km participants only)
• An exclusive gift worth $49.90
• Free PAssion EZ-Link Card Membership for 5 years*
• Finisher Medal (for competitive runners only)
• Finisher Magnetic Certificate (for competitive runners only)
• Timing Device (for competitive runners only)
• Lucky Draw ticket

  *: Free PAssion EZ-Link Card Membership is applicable only to participants who are non-PAssion EZ-Link Card holders.

Participants of the 500m PAssion Kids Dash will receive a goodie bag worth more than $150:

• An exclusive Running Tee
• An exclusive PAssion gift worth $29.90
• Finisher Medal (for competitive runners only)
• Finisher Magnetic Certificate (for competitive runners only)
• Timing Device (for competitive runners only)
• Lucky Draw ticket

RUN 350 [17th April 2011]

10km run around CBD! Register by 13th Feb to enjoy the Early Bird price!

Source:http://www.run350.sg/runinformation.html

Whose idea was it to come up with the Singapore Pledge?

I was reading this book today and was surprised by a lot of things that happened in the past. One of them was the Singapore Pledge.

William Cheng was a Principal Assistant Secretary of Administration, Ministry of Education. He came  up with the idea of a pledge to “inculcate national consciousness and patriotism in schools” in October 1965. The timing was sensitive as Singapore separated from the Federation of Malaya barely two months and people from different races were not comfortable with one another.

From Page 195, there are 2 letters: one from Mr Ong Pang Boon (Minister for Education) to Mr S Rajaratnam (Minister for Foreign Affairs) dated 2nd February 1966 and the other one was from Mr S Rajaratnam to Mr Ong Pang Boon dated 18th February 1966.

The first letter had 2 versions of the pledge:

Source:http://www.nhb.gov.sg/NAS/1stcab/700YrBook/700Chap13p.htm

(1) “I pledge (reaffirm) my allegiance (loyalty) to the Flag of Singapore, and to the country for which it stands: one sovereign nation of many freedom-loving people of one heart, one mind and one spirit, dedicated to a just and equal society.”

(2) “I proudly and wholeheartedly pledge my loyalty to our Flag of Singapore and to the honour and independence of our Republic whose banner it is. We come from different races, religions and cultures, but we are now united in mind and heart as one nation, and one people, dedicated to build by democratic means a more just and equal society.”

The second letter was Mr S Rajaratnam’s version of the Pledge:

Source:http://www.nhb.gov.sg/NAS/1stcab/700YrBook/700Chap13p.htm

“We, as citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves to forget differences of race, language and religion and become one united people; to build a democratic society where justice and equality will prevail and where we will seek happiness and progress by helping one another.”

And after rounds of revision by various officials, the pledge eventually became the one that we are familiar with:

 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Singapore_National_Pledge_at_the_National_Museum,_Singapore_-_20100720.jpg

The Pledge was translated into Chinese, Tamil and Malay and introduced to schools in August 1966. Interestingly, as mentioned in the book, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew “suggested that the words in “regardless of” should be replaced by “whatever the”.” But we know too well whether the suggestion was implemented or not.

Source:http://www.nhb.gov.sg/NAS/1stcab/700YrBook/700Chap13p.htm

Another interesting thing to note is the action that we do when we say the Pledge. According to the book, it was then First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong who “selected the pose of standing at attention with the right fist over the heart on 11 March 1988.”

This is so interesting to me that I wanted to share with everybody and hopefully when we recite the Pledge in the future, we can think of our founding fathers and their reasons for coming up with it.

YEP Community Service Marathon 2011

Are you dying to serve but have no idea where to start?

No worries, the Youth Expedition Project (YEP) is here to save you! There are lots of activities and opportunities lined up in the month of March.

Here are some dates to take note of:

26th February                 FLAG OFF @ ITE College East

1st to  31st March          VOLUNTEERING ACTIVITIES*

26th & 27th March          CSM Fair @ Youth Park (NYC Somerset)

*For more details on the volunteering activities, http://yep.nyc.sg/sites/default/files/CSM%20VWO%20Calendar.pdf

No more hesitation so sign up NOW, https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDdMbzMxTTczcWlBX2hVMmZtdDh4b0E6MQ

I found Number Four!

Go to http://www.facebook.com/disneystudiosSG?v=app_187522197938470 and try to find Number Four!!! 10 sets of premiums to be won!!! “

Catch I Am Number Four Movie starting from 24^th February 2011 and join the official Disney Studios SingaporeFacebook & Twitter page!”

Legs & Paddles 2011 [5th June 2011]

Long time no join this event, so might be going for it this year. Simply kayak 6km and run 6km as an individual or do it with another 3 buddies in a team.

Unlimited round-trip economy class tickets from Hong Kong to any destination?

Cathay Pacific is inviting everybody from all over this planet to take part in this promotion – 80 days. Simply create a video or write an article to sell yourself and convince them that you should be selected and you might walk away with the tickets. Good luck!

One way ticket to HK for $99?

Until tomorrow, Jetstar is having a promotion for flights going to Hong Kong and return airfare could cost only $250! Very very tempting… ^^

The Rabbit is almost here!

In less than 24 hours, Chinese all over the world will welcome the animal next in line after Mr Tiger, ie the Rabbit!! You didn’t see wrongly, the animal in the image above is a cat which the Japanese (and now a lot of Chinese) deem to be good at attracting wealth. Do you see the fish as well? The pronunciation of fish in Chinese is similar to surpluses, when used in the greetings -  年年有余 – it simply means year after year with surpluses (be it wealth or health or whatever that is good)!

兔年行大运，好运旺旺来！

身体健健康，财源滚滚来！

HUAT AH!!!!!

I feel good!

Last Friday was the last day of ICT; easily one of the best moments of my life. 19 days was neither short nor long but it was definitely torturing. I had to dedicate my time, strength and effort totally to SAF.

I received this token thingy which was given to those who the top felt deserved to be rewarded for their effort. Do I deserve it? I am not sure as I was only doing what I was supposed to do. The only reason why I got it could be because I was at the right place at the right time. It also just proved that some jobs allow a person to perform even when he is doing the same of job as others.

Come to think of it, my 2nd ICT was not that bad. We got smarter and know how to play around with the system. We are doing our parts for Singapore and protecting our family and friends. Somebody got to do the job. Suddenly, I am looking forward to the next ICT (5 more to go... haiz... ^^).

Xavier Ong Live – Kind of entertaining…

Who is Xavier Ong? Remember the kid who tweeted his O Level question paper? If not, the read this article from Straits Times, here.

Some how he is having a live web session at http://www.clicknetwork.tv/watch.aspx?c=5&p=29&v=460 now till 10pm ( I think…). Anyway, it is kind of entertaining to hear his replies… but honestly, I do hope that most of our youths are not like him…

Deal or no Deal?

With a population of 5.077 million people, Singapore has at least 4 websites that have plenty of deals to offer. The deals ranged from outdoor activities (Forest Adventure) to dining (Fatboy’s The Burger Bar) to overseas travel (1-day CNY JB tour). Anything that you can think of, you can try to find them somewhere some how.

Seriously, these websites never failed to surprise me with their deals and hopefully with more competition, they will dish out even better deals!!! The following websites are arranged according to my personal preferences, that is, the good deals they offered so far:

http://www.bigdeal.sg/

http://www.deal.com.sg/

http://superdeals.insing.com/

http://www.groupon.sg/

4 Must-Dos in Camp (if you need to do ICT)!!

(1) Shop at the Emart!!!! You get credits every 2 years and all you have to do is to flash your 11B or NRIC and wala… you can walk away with running shoes, tshirts, lots of socks and even towels!!!! I bet the Great SAF Emart Sales can sometimes be better than the Great Singapore Sales.

(2) Look out for the Mess. That will be the place for you to hang out, chill out and play pool or table soccer. Sometimes, movies will be screened at the Mess and it can be so fun that you will not want to leave. But then, look out for the Mess boy. Nope he is not a messy person, just that he is in charge of the Mess. Well, in a way, he has to ensure that the Mess is not in a mess.

(3) Canteen is the place to go at least twice a day. In the morning, go there for breakfast. Maybe before lunch, go there for tea break. Then, around 3pm, it is tea break again!!! It is highly recommended for everybody to go there whenever possible.

The above 3 Must-Dos are definitely highly recommended by me and it is definitely possible to squeeze time out from the training everyday.

(4) Eat at the cookhouse!! You might never know that the nearest cookhouse in your camp could be one of the best cookhouses in SAF. And surprise surprise surprise… that is what you get each day, you never know what is for breakfast and lunch and dinner! Prawn Mee, Nasi Briyani, Laksa, Chicken Cutlet… like it or not, be prepare to be surprised.

Video Game Awards 2010!

I just viewed the Video Games Awards 2010 from Animax! The overall visual effects of the awards is pretty awesome – the lightings + the computer graphics = ultra super duper 3D!!!!

Red Dead Redemption won the “Game of the Year” but to me, Call of Duty: Black Ops is the best game for 2010.

My Chemical Romance also performed at the awards and they simply rocked the house. I would love to attend the awards one of these days.

MM Lee’s new book! To be launched on 21 Jan 2011.

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_623808.html

Based on the 16 interviews MM Lee gave from December 2008 to October 2009, this book will covers his views on many issues. Maybe he will mention about the SGD$1 coin and explain why it is shaped like a bagua.

Think I will be buying this book on Friday.

SAFRA Mahjong Challenge 2011

HUAT AH!!!! Go for this Challenge if you think you are MJ King or Queen!!! Huat AH!!!

Source: https://online.safra.sg/safraonline/events/eve_detail.asp?id=12618

Venue : SAFRA Jurong, Evergreen Room

Date/Time :
13th of Feb 2011   9:00 AM – 6:00PM

General Information :
Seeking all mahjong lovers! Join us at our SAFRA Jurong Mahjong Challenge 2011. Attractive vouchers and trophies for grabs. Hurry and sign up now at www.safra.sg/jurong!

Terms & Conditions :
a.Submission of this registration form is not proof of acceptance. Registration will be confirmed in writing. NO telephone booking will be accepted.
b.Please note that registrations close 1week before activity day. As the activity is subject to minimum number of participants, members will be informed 7 days before activity day if the activity is confirmed.
c.All payments are to be made prior to the event. Payments are non-refundable unless in the event of the activities being cancelled by SAFRA.
Refund shall be determined on case-to-case basis. SAFRA shall deduct a nominal fee of 10% (Members) and 15% (Guests) as administrative cost for refund cases.
d.The Management reserves full rights to cancel or change details of event without prior notice.
e.The Management will not be liable for any mishap or injury, or any loss or damage by any participant during or as a result of the event.
f.Kindly be informed that all fees are inclusive of 7% GST.

Contact Person/No. :
CHAN AILING
Contact : 66864303 Fax: 66864313 Email: cailing@safra.sg

Closing Date for Registration : 13th of Feb 2011

KOOPON!!! Discounts, discounts and more discounts!!!

Noticed this machine at Tampines One!!!

Registration is easy: just SMS <koopon XXX> to 81816664. Replace XXX with your own unique code and you shall receive a confirmation message a few seconds later. Otherwise, you can register yourself at their website.

Once registration is done, you can print out coupons from the machine. I got myself “Free Medium Upsize” with any Carl’s Jr combo meal (T&C applies)!! ^^

Bunny is here to celebrate Chinese New Year!! Huat Ah!

That is not a cat. That is a rabbit!!!!

Kind of surprised to see a rabbit running around my neighbourhood. Since CNY is approaching and it is going to the year of the Rabbit, I hope its special appearance is an indication of many good things to come.

I gave it some lettuce and water. Hopefully this rabbit can find its way home or have a new owner to bring it back home.   ^^

my paper Executive Look 2011

You think you have the look and charisma? Consider this challenge then, the prizes are really good!!! Good luck!!!

Download my Ovi Store App!!

“what you see is what you get” is available at Nokia Ovi Store!! Download it now!!!

SAFRA Dragonboat is recruiting!!

REQUIREMENT: Guys should have completed Nation Service and girls should be above 18 years old

Date: 23 January 2011 (Sunday)
Venue: Kallang Water Sports Centre, 10 Stadium Lane Singapore 397774
Time: 9.30 – 12.00pm
Kallang water sports centre: http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_travel/travel/travel.php?travel_id=4472&travel_site=51113

Attire: Singlet/ T-shirt and Shorts

Footware: Sandals, Aqua shoe, Slippers

What to bring: Water bottle, sun block lotion (advisable), sunglass, cap, toiletries, towel, a set of fresh clothings (be ready to get WET!!)…. and your Fighting spirit!

Paddles and lifevest will be provided.

*Note: No orientation/ recruitment fees will be collected and we do not collect club funds from our paddlers. Do RSVP to me by 18 Jan 2011, Tuesday if you will be joining us in the orientation. Your promt reply will be greatly appreciated. (If you are unable to join us on 23 Jan and is still keen in joining us, do drop me a mail for other arrangement.)Do feel free to contact us at committee@safradragons.org or reply to me if you have further enquiries.

Thank you and see you real soon!!

Paddles up!!!

Try Carl’s Jr Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich and ‘ALOHA’!

Are you up for the Giant Yankee Burger Challenge?

A Special Golden Village and Ben & Jerry’s deal

What do you normally buy to eat when you go to the movies? Popcorn? Nachos? Soft drinks?

Well, from now till 10th Jan 2011 (or when the stocks run out), for just $12, you can get a Large Popcorn, Large Soft drink, 1 B&J’s mini tub and a B&J’s mug!!!

Only at Golden Village!

Twinkle twinkle little stars…

I am a frequent user of Google Map but seriously, I only know about Google Sky recently. Users can star gaze in the comfort of their houses. Cool huh…