8, 9, 10 and . . . easy. . .

2 weekends of adrenaline rush! First it was my second marathon for the Sundown two Saturdays ago. Although I completed the run, wasn't quite satisfied with my timing. I only manage to shave 4 minutes off my previous marathon. It's not a huge difference for me, though in the words of Madonna, I will be able to use that 4 minutes to save the world.

Then it was a rowing weekend at Putrajaya last week . It was Kiyah's first ever overseas stint and it was really a eye opener for all of us. The organiser have done a marvellous job of organising its first ever International Dragon Boat Festival. Our local races pales in comparison to them. In terms of the water quality, launching point, viewing gallery. . . it was all good. Every team, both local and foreign, were given a tentage each. Back here. . . teams will have to spend a bomb if they want a tent of their own, and for penniless teams like us, we will have to make do with a little corner spot under a tree.

The race site itself was like a carnival, with rows of stalls selling various merchandise. There were even "Meals on Wheels", from KFC to Kebabs. Back in Bedok Reservoir, we will have to make do with an auntie selling curry puffs and pre-packed typical fried noodles.

Although we couldn't go beyond the Heats, we were just glad to be there. We could have gone further, if we were not being grouped with powerhouse teams. In fact our time was better than those 2nd placed teams in other heats. Oh well. guess we were just not lucky enough, or perhaps didn't row hard enough? Most of us were panting mad after 2.20 min, at the end of the 500m course.

The experience is invaluable, and I had no regrets using up my 3 days of leave and roughing the 5 hours journey (or rather sleeping) in Tick Hong's Legacy.