Ebay, getting items across the horizon

Fancy getting items you can't locate at your local stores? Want to get something cheaper than what it seems to be in the market? Or, do you want to get rid of items that is too new/valuable to discard?

Look no further, eBay is the place to go.

Set up in the 90s, this online bidding platform had millions of transaction going on daily. Just take a look at the menu bar of the website. They have books, collectables, coins, computers, clothes, shoes, electronics, entertainment, soft toys, health and beauty, jewellery, watches, mobile phones, pet supplies, sports, toys, hobbies and even real estate!

Wow. If you have not tried purchasing anything from ebay, i must say you are losing out on an extremely exciting online shopping center. If you want to look for an item quickly, just type some key words in the search bar. For eg, you want to find a casio watch, just type "casio watch" and the website will return many results for casio watches. You can rank them according to the price, from lowest to highest, item end time or by the condition: used or new.

You can select the format of the search, such as buy it now or auction. If you want to narrow it down to just the local market, you may also select "Singapore only." This is useful if you do not currently own a credit card. If you have a credit card, i would suggest that you sign up for payment under paypal. Just like any other credit card transaction, paypal is a middleman who helps you to make payment under your credit card. It is a safe platform to pay your overseas vendor.

When you use paypal for payment, you have the right to open a transaction dispute if your items failed to reach you. Paypal might even offer a full refund if their investigation shows the seller indeed had not delivered or parcel gets lost in transition.

So, you might see that some auction end time could be in the midnite where everyone is sleeping, so how can we bid? Do we give our best amount and go to sleep hoping we will win the bid? Well, i used to do that, having lost many of the bids along the way. Until i found this website call gixen. Gixen is another agent who helps ebayers bid on their behalf anytime. All you need to do is to log in through your normal ebay ID and password, upon entering the page, you need to key in the "Item number" and also your maximum bid amount. Then, go to sleep and wake up to check if you are the lucky winner.

The advantage of using gixen is they will only bid during the last 5 seconds of the transaction, hence the chance of other bidders overtake you along the way. However, if you max is lower than the rest, you will still lose. Having said that, do take note that some other bidders might also be using this to snip the items, so all the best!

I started out using ebay because i wanted to get rare disney items which is not found anywhere in Singapore. Yes, i love Dumbo the elephant, but i cant find many of his items in Sg, maybe its because he is not so popular here. It seemed that Mickey and the rest and everywhere, so poor Dumbo elephant have no place here. After getting many Dumbo items online, i started to get other items which i always wanted as a kid, such as my mini empire series of collectables.

Warning, eBay is a highly addictive online shopping center. It is as effective as smoking, many had spent thousands or maybe more each month on online shopping. If you feel you have to stop, stop immediately. Or call the Quit-shopping hotline.

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Poulèt

We had dinner with bf's ex-colleagues at Poulèt amazing french roast chicken,
at their Bugis+ outlet.

Their other outlets:

I've actually been here a few times and sad to say i'm not an adventurer to venture to try other dishes. Always end up eating pretty much the same thing every time I patronise at Poulèt.

Here's what the four of us ordered..

1. Poulèt Menu

2. Sautè Wild Mushroom Soup

3. Poulèt Roti - Signature Roasted Chicken (Half) 

4. Mash Potato (creamy)

5. Braise de  Poulèt

6. Smith Chicken and Egg Mayo Sandwich 

7. Caramelised Granny Smith Apple in Puffy Tart

8. Panna Cotta 

(Taste like soy beancurd more than to eating Panna Cotta)

Overall the food was good, nice ambiance, great place to meet up for dinner with friends. 

Price is quite reasonable.

thfadingmemories.blogspot.sg

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The Marmalade Pantry

We had met up with a friend at ION Orchard on the weekend, we wanted to go to TWG, but both outlets (level 1 & 2) had a very long queue. So I suggested why not head to level 3 and see if The Marmalade Pantry had a queue. The queue surprisingly wasn't too long but we had to wait, I reckon that it was worth it. 

I had patronised at this restaurant before but that was quite long ago. I've tried their cupcakes before, actually had wanted to order one but at the last minute changed my mind as I spotted something I wanted to try - French Toast with caramelised pear and vanilla bean ice cream.

Doesn't it look yum! Sweet and savoury combined..

My boyfriend had the Eggs Benedict and I had a small bite out of it.. Sad to say, I didn't like it as I know of better places for it like Tosh Restaurant on Beach Road, Hatched at Holland Village and Boomerang at Robertson Quay. Our friend had the Pork and Fennel Seed Sausage Lasagna with mushrooms and parmesan.

Unfortunately to my regret I had not snapped a photo of their food.

We ordered some Black Teas to go along with our food, I think I had ordered the wrong tea (Earl Grey Himalayas) as I didn't quite fancy it. But had a taste of our friend's tea (Malty Breakfast Tea) and I liked it. My tea had this taste to it that I quite disliked but bf liked it, so in a way it was good.

Check out their Food Menu

Check out their Brunch Menu 

(Weekends & PH Only)

Check out their Drinks Menu

thfadingmemories.blogspot.com

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Hit and Run - The irresponsible coward driver

An accident happened along Kovan road on 6 June 2013 around 6pm. A white car just knocked down a bike and the poor old man in his 60's or 70's was lying on the floor, hands bleeding. Her immediate instinct was to dash to the middle of the road to help him up at the same time there were 2 other good Samaritans who help to direct the traffic away. As everything happened in a sudden, all 3 of them did not caught any glimpse of the car model nor the most important thing, the car plate number.

For illustration purpose only, this is not the crime scene.

Nicole was standing at the side of the road and by the time she noticed the accident, the driver had sped off in a split second. The exact location of the accident is somewhere near the bus stop right outside the Kovan MRT station, approaching the cross junction.

So what actually happened? According to Nicole, it was raining when the accident happened, then she saw the white car hit the poor motorist and his motorcycle skid. We are unsure whether the driver did signalled before changing from the center to left lane though.

Upon the help from Nicole and the 2 passerby, the injured uncle told the trio that he dont want to go to the hospital. (The admin team deduced that it could possibly be due to the medical bills and time wasting for the uncle.) Seeing that the uncle refusing to call for an ambulance, the 2 guys helped to shift his motor bike to the side of the road while Nicole helped the uncle to the curb. It was indeed a very heart warming scene to witness, knowing there are still nice samaritans around in this part of the world.

Thankfully for the uncle, he seemed to be ok but his hands were bleeding. However, if not for his rain coat, his arms would also have been injured too. The uncle did not said much throughout but were seen trying to clean off the blood from his hands like a man. (流血不流淚)

Nicole and the 2 guys kept asking if the uncle need any additional help but the uncle just smiled at them and thanked them for their help. So, did anyone seen the hit and run accident that happened on the 6 June around 6pm at Kovan MRT cross junction? If you happened to see the car plate number of the driver, please report this incident to the police after you had bought your 4D number.

We were glad to hear that the uncle is ok, suffered only minor injury. However, on another day, this could possibly not be the case. To the hit and run driver, if you are reading this, i hope you come forward to us and clarify your side of the story too. People like you dont fit to drive, your conscious is probably darkened too.

The old uncle could possibly be someone's grandpa, papa and/or someone's husband. If anything happened to him, i am sure many hearts will be broken. Yes, they might forgive you, but can you forgive yourself? Yes, there isnt any major reports on the national papers or news, but that doesnt mean you are living a scot free life.

To my dear readers, please remind your friends and family members to be careful while driving, riding or even walking on the road. You only have 1 life, live life to the fullest. Also let others live life to the fullest too. For the majority of the drivers in Singapore, you guys are great. Do continue to look out for motorist and pedestrians. Especially on a rainy day and check your blind spots.

Lastly, good job to Nicole and the 2 helpful samaritans. You guys showed that we are still a helpful nation, not some cold blooded money making society. Thumbs up to you! God bless you and continue to shine in your little way.

Extracted from Nicole Lou.

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When someone asking you for direction, open your wits

Extracted from Melody Lim

I met this young Malay boy, about 12(?), who asked me to direct him to blk 170 after I alighted from bus 911, 3 stops after the interchange, near Marsilling Sec. 

Not being familiar with the surroundings myself, I told him I couldn't help him as i didn't stay in Woodlands, but after looking around, the bus stop was located at Blk 150(i think?) and to the right was blk 140 and blk 170 was rather visible on the left end. 

I pointed out the direction to him and told him to walk straight down. AND THATS WHEN HE STARTED TO GET CREEPY. He kept telling me to bring him there, and even after countless times I refused, and started walking away in the opp direction, he still kept pleading with me and following me. 

Let me be clear that the block he wanted to get to was clearly visible in the distance, yet he still pretended he couldn't see, and followed me. His eyes was shifting all over the place and he looks visibly nervous, and suspicious.

I finally shouted at him to stop following me or i'd call the police, and that was when he walked away without looking back.

My friend told me after that there have been reports of kidnaping and gang raping going on recently, and I just wanted to give a heads up to you guys staying in the North.

Please be careful and not follow or lead someone blindly!!!

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Mcdonald - Fairy Tales Edition - 3rd Kitty, Little Red Ridding Hood

Hello Kitty Meow continues.

Life in Singapore can be very stressful. Even when collecting Hello Meows, it is often view as a competition (fastest hand first) rather than a collection out of mere interest.

Human complicates matter, very often in many areas. In some situations, it is clearly inevitable while at many other times it flashes a big question. So in the latest happening, there was big hoohaaaa on Mcdonald that broke viral particularly on McDelivery. The sequential happening goes like this:

- Mcdonald sell kitty 

- We queue, eat and buy, return home/office happily ever after

- Collectors of the Witch have to go through McDelivery

But:

- Apparently, stock ran out at some outlets and McDelivery was not coping well with the incoming traffic.

- Latecomers were crying-out-loud and blaming every single peanut out of Mc

Food for thought:

- If you badly want the toys but doesn't strategise like many who sacrifice to eat Mc in the middle of the night over a soccer match, or place an advance order 3 days before, then you clearly don't have a stand in your argument. Not that I did anyway, my journey on collections has always been a breeze. I'm just saying eating Mc and toys-hunting should not be so stressful as it should be enjoyable and light-hearted. Would it be worthwhile to upset your mood over this while bombarding tons of unhappiness on Mc FB page?

My say:

- Let's be gracious. You really don't need to eat a McGracious to be reminded.

- If you're a PIN (pain-in-the-neck), justfiy your unhapiness sensibly (not like you get half a burger or half-eaten hashbrown) before directing your complain(s).

- Do not be a mad bull and charge at the red icon (Mc). You have the ability to think well.
- With 3 more Meows to go, delighters who are not keen on the toys, be patience with the hike in McDelivery.

- Enjoy, have fun, and be a happier eater/collector.

From a friend:

I came up with a story on this Hoddy Kitty.

She escaped from the big bad wolf then came to mcdonalds and buy burger. She saw people buying kitties and end up, she want to pretend as a Hello Kitty too to avoid the wolf. So the wolf saw, ehh no human, decided to let kitty goes but now kitty is captured by McDonalds staff because of her cuteness so the story lives on.



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Learning Bahasa Melayu - Lesson 2, Number (Nombor)

Bahasa Melayu is a beautiful and colourful language - lesson 2 kicks start on picking up numbers. Read on for a short-cut to remembering:

Nombor (Number)

0 – kosong

1 – satu

2- dua

3 – tiga        

4 – empat

5- lima

6 – E3nam

7 – tujuh

8 – lapan

9 – Sembilan

10 – Sepuluh  

note: 

- When writing 10, the '1' is auto transcripted into 'se' instead of 'satu'. Hence, 10 is se-puluh, meaning 1-0.

- puluh defines the '0' behind the first letter hence 20 means dua puluh.

Nombor belasan – Teens numbers

* numbers in teen category will end with 'belas' hence something-belas (pronounce as 'blast')                    

11 – sebelas (recall from the above note: there is no satu-belas as replaced by 'se' hence se-belas)

12 – dua belas

13 – tiga belas

14 – empat belas

15 – lima belas

16 – enam belas

17 – tujuh belas

18 – lapan belas

19 – Sembilan belas

20 – dua puluh

To count 3 syllabus of numbers, refer to the following: (e.g. satu-puluh-lima)

21 – Dua puluh sata

22 – Dua puluh dua

23 – Dua puluh tiga

24 – dua puluh empat

25 – dua puluh lima

26 – dua puluh enam

27 – dua puluh tujuh

28 – dua puluh lapan

29 – dua puluh Sembilan

30 – Tiga puluh

The Tens (just add 'puluh' behind the first digit of tens)

10 - sepuluh

20 - duapuluh

30 - tigapuluh

40 - empatpuluh

50 - limapuluh

60 - empatpuluh

70 - tujuhpuluh

80 - lapanpuluh

90 - sembilanpuluh

Nombor Besar – Big numbers

10 - se puluh

100 - se ratus

1000 - se ribu

10,000 - se puluh ribu

100,000 - se ratus ribu

1,000,000 - se juta

Practice:

What is 3,689,745?

Do a breakdown:

Tiga juta, 3,000,000 +

Enam ratus, 600 and Lapan puluh sembilan ribu, 89,000 = 689,000 +

Tujuh ratus 700 and empat puluh lima 45 = 745

hence, 3,000,000 + 689,000 + 745 = 3,689,745

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Drama mama EPL 12/13 (Part 3)

For the 1st and 2nd part of this series, we have discussed on the pros and cons of the top and mid table teams. Today, we will be sharing on the strugglers of the EPL, and unfortunately for 3 of them, it means they will start their new season in the Champions League Championship (A lower tier league than the EPL).

	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Man Utd	38	28	5	5	43	89
Man City	38	23	9	6	32	78
Chelsea	38	22	9	7	36	75
Arsenal	38	21	10	7	35	73
Tottenham	38	21	9	8	20	72
Everton	38	16	15	7	15	63
Liverpool	38	16	13	9	28	61
West Brom	38	14	7	17	-4	49
Swansea	38	11	13	14	-4	46
West Ham	38	12	10	16	-8	46
Norwich	38	10	14	14	-17	44
Fulham	38	11	10	17	-10	43
Stoke	38	9	15	14	-11	42
Southampton	38	9	14	15	-11	41
Aston Villa	38	10	11	17	-22	41
Newcastle	38	11	8	19	-23	41
Sunderland	38	9	12	17	-13	39
Wigan	38	9	9	20	-26	36
Reading	38	6	10	22	-30	28
QPR	38	4	13	21	-30	25

14) Southampton - Southampton started their season brightly. Although they were rooted to the bottom of the league early in the season, they have shown plenty of fighting spirit. Many of their games were lost only in the dying minutes of the game. That includes a defeat against the eventual winners, Man Utd.

Some history for Southampton, they were always the EPL strugglers back in the 90s. However, they were never down, until their Legendary striker, Matt Le Tissier decided to hang up his boots. So they finally came back to the EPL, i hope they do stay for awhile longer, with their nickname Saints, it should be quite interested to see if they can continue staying in the EPL like how they did during Le Tissier's time.

Looking at their team, 2 players stood out for me, 1 of them is Nathaniel Clyne the full back anf the other Gaston Ramirez. Both of these players are playing in a team smaller than their ability. Clyne got the potential to represent England some day. Already got his 1st EPL goal and 3 assists in the process, this kid got potential to be the next Glen Johnson. Ramirez on the other hand, snub his Uruguary team mate Luis Suarez and Liverpool to join Southampton. It did caught many people by surprised. So did he chose a better team? Well, league position wise no. But in terms of potential of playing regular football, maybe Saints is a better team to be in. This looks like a stepping stone to his better future though.

I dont expect them to do much better in the following season though. Saints got to get their act together if they hope to stay in the EPL for another season. Poor defence had caused them dearly.


15) Aston Villa - The Villian fans had been a poor group in recent years. They had been suffering with their team for all these years. Gone were the days where they were fighting for Europe.

Looking at the team line up, there are some good players worth mentioning though. Christian Benteke, Marc Albrighton, Charles N Zogbia, Ciaran Clark  and Andreas Weimann. These players looks like a good bunch of players who can change a game. Moreover, their head coach is Paul Lambert, the man who brought Norwich City back to the EPL and flying high.

Villa almost got the drop if not for their last minute good form in the EPL. The above mentioned players would be thinking if they wishes to stick by their beloved team or move on to a better prospect future. Benteke and Weimann had already been linked to bigger teams and it looks set that they will lose Benteke. Scorer of 19 goals, Benteke is what every manager wants on their team.

Lambert will need to reorganise his team in the following season if they wishes to move up the EPL table.

16) Newcastle - Back in the 90s, Newcastle United holds one of the best attack in the EPL, deadly finishing from the strikers such as Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer, led the team to be in the top half of every season. Since then, Newcastle's ride in the EPL had been a roller coaster one. Last season's 6th place from the table, shocked many fans around the world. The likes of Demba Ba and Demba Papiss Cisse are deadly. However, it seems like the duo cannot play together.

When Cisse scores, Ba did not. When Ba scores, Cisse would not. So is there a mismatch? After the sale of Ba to Chelsea after Ba's clause was triggered, Cisse did not seem to score more. In fact, the departed Ba scored more than Cisse. Only managed 8 goals in the Premier League, Cisse had indeed let the fans down.

However, Newcastle still held on to Ben Arfa and Cabaye. They looks like the reason why Newcastle will continue playing in the EPL next season. But enough will be enough, the Board need to invest in a better lot of players in order to challenge for the next season. Money earned from Andy Carroll sale had not been used to purchase a world class striker. If they dont buck up, it wont be surprising to see Newcastle returning to the Championship just like how they did a few seasons ago.

17) Sunderland - The appointment of Paolo Di Canio seems to be a good one. Who could have forgotten about the push on Paul Alcock (referee who sent Di Canio off)? Di Canio is a villian for sure, he done what nobody expected him to do. But the Sunderland under him seems to have a slight improvement, as the black cats refused to take relegation in their books.

Looking at the team sheet, only Steven Fletcher seems to stand out from the rest. But that's not enough for sure. Yes Sunderland is an united team, not having any star player or any kind, but if Sunderland wants to avoid the same fate as Reading and Wigan, they need a massive change.

18) Wigan - The Latics are down. Finally. They had been playing at the Top flight for quite a number of seasons now. The departed Roberto Martinez would not be apologetic about the way he managed the team.

So what went wrong for Wigan? Nothing very much actually, they did much of the stuff correctly, they even won a cup! All i can say is tough luck, their inconsistancy cost them their place in the EPL next season.

So will they return ? Yes, maybe. If they can keep Callum McManaman.

19) Reading - When i was watching how Reading played in the Premier League, i cant help to think, man, this team will definitely be relegated come end of season. No big names, no good manager, no money, no great attacking football, no ambition.

The dream for EPL is over Reading. In fact they did worst than their last stay in the EPL. Please, dont ever come back if this is your style of playing. Stay in the Championship.

20) QPR - The only thing QPR did right is to keep their name as Queens Park Rangers. They got a nice name i would say. Tony Fernandez, i am sorry but the bunch of players you recruited in are a waste of money.

So who caused QPR to be relegated? Every QPR fan will agree with me, Mark Hughes. He bought supposingly good players like Julio Cesar, Robert Green, Bosingwa, M bia, Samba , Park and Remy. Also loan a few others in, but the combination is a failure. His tactic is just simply not good enough.

Come his successor, Harry Redknapp. He had helped Portsmouth escaped relegated some time ago. He had helped Spurs reached CL for the 1st time. He was once touted as the next England Manager. But his magical touch cannot save QPR in their relegation.

Many players will start handling in their transfer request, with players such as Bosingwa laughing in the tunnel on their final game of the season following their relegation, one must be thinking, man this team got some problem?

QPR would find it difficult to return to the EPL with the tempo of the Championship extremely difficult now. It will be a matter of time before some bigger team approach Redknapp and leave QPR in the dead.

That's all for the 3 parts review of the Drama Mama EPL season as the curtain comes to a close.

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Learning Bahasa Malayu - Lesson 1, Vowel, Vokal and Colour, Warna

Growing up in an environment with Chinese that speaks Malay better than English, I goes on a quest to pick up Bahasa Malayu out of keen interest and sheer curiosity. For a start, I think it is important to understand the pronounciation on the vowels as it will help you to remember better as we progress.

Vowels, Vokal
A – Ah

E – 2 ways to pronounce; (e, er) as in (the, air)

I – (beauty, e)

O – O

U – woo1

So, Apa (what?) is pronounce as Ah-pah instead of the local slang Ah-per.

Colour, Warna
Red - Merah (remember as Bukti Merah)
Pink - Merah Jumbu
Blue - Biru
Yellow - Kunning
Purple - Ugu (pronounce as Ng Gu)
Black - Hitam (remember the desert, bubu hitam)
White - Putih
Green - Hijau
Grey - Kelabu
Brown - Choklat (same pronounciation)

Very soon, Anda boleh cakapt bahasa melayu.

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Exclusive! Must READ for everyone. Protect your Singpass!! Potential scammer spotted at Bukit Panjang

Hi Everyone

Today, we will be reporting on a serious matter, something different from our normal hippy news and updates.

We have received a report from one of our friend, that she suspects there is a scammer going around the region of Bukit Panjang area trying to con old folks of their SingPass.

There is this Chinese lady with short and slightly curled hair, in her 40s who went over to my friend's block in the evening, knocking from door to door, checking if the residents had upgraded their Medishield. She did not introduce herself as any government agency such as the CPF Board. In fact, she did not even introduce at all!

My friend's mum said that the lady told her about the recent Medishield upgrade for any Singaporeans above the age of 60 and check with her whether she had done it. 

After which, this suspect told my auntie she could help her upgrade her Medishield by simply passing the lady her Singpass password. Auntie reacted well by replying to the suspect that she normally pass all these to her eldest daughter. After knowing the auntie is not an easy prey, this suspect left shortly. She went on door to door trying to "help" other older residents to upgrade their Medishield.

Yes, there had been news where there is indeed some changes about premium for Medishield, but if this lady were to help on behalf of an organisation, shouldnt her at least introduce herself? Moreover, CPFBoard had mailed out letters to more than 2million of its members, informing the change in the premium, it came in a small brochure, appearing in 4 different languages.

We have since checked with CPFBoard and were informed that they did not send any representative going around telling people to upgrade their plan. For information, the changes are auto, you do not need to do anything. Deduction will be made through your Medisave account. 

On top of that, the government will be giving rebates for the senior citizens in lieu of the increase in MediShield plans. This amount will also be credited to the member's CPF Medisave account.

Singpass is a private and personal thing. Please beware of any random person who asked for your Singpass and claimed that they wants to help you.

So what can a Singpass do for you?

1) It gives you the access to all government agencies, authentication the website that you are the person represented by the NRIC number

2) For males, it can help you book or cancel your RT/IPT/IPPT

3) It will show you how much money in your CPF Ordinary Account. Special Account, Medisave and Retirement account (if applicable).

4) It grants you the access to view your CPF transaction

5) It grants you the access to view your monthly CPF Contribution from your employer

6) It can be used to apply for CPF Education Scheme and allowing someone to use your Singpass, will ultimately allow the person to endorse the use of your CPF savings for the unknown student's Education fees at a Approved Educational Institution. 

7) It can be used to view your CPF Investment too

8) It can be used to check your income tax statement

9) Much much more it can do.

Lastly, if you feel your Singpass had been accidentally revealed to a 3rd party, you may proceed to change your Singpass immediately. If you know of someone who might be a victim of such scam, we encourage you to report the con person to the police. If you had forgotten your Singpass, you may request for a new one via the Singpass website at www.Singpass.gov.sg. Alternatively, you may also proceed to any community center and request for a new password. The new password will be mailed to your address as maintained with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

We hope this post had been fruitful to you and your family.

Be safe, be sure, be informed.

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Sundown - Show your true colours, what does it meant for me if their true colours are so ugly?

Sundown Marathon 2013, so what does it meant for me? Being a repeated particpant for this event, i would like share my awful experience with the sundown marathon to you.

I joined the 21km run this year, same distance as the previous year. Filled with excitement, i made my way to the event. The set up was normal, seems like a good event happening. However, my impression changed when we embarked on our run.



1) One pacer for the 2:30 mark, went and took some water in the 1st hydration stop. Instead of throwing the empty cup at the empty space in front, this "role model" went and throw his half filled water cup on my right leg. I have seen him scolding some others for blocking his way too. Well what is he doing? I know he is the pacer, hence would need to lead the other runners, but don't he have common sense? Nobody wants to start the run with isotonic drinks on your body.

2) There was this "crew" on his bicycle, doing an illegal U-turn at one of the road, which hits me in the process. I shouted at him for knocking me, which he merely apologised. Not wanting to waste further time with him, i continued with my run. Totally unprofessional, i believe this crew should be one of the temp worker without any common sense. I was running on the right side of the road and anyone with common sense would know you need to wait for a clear road to do any U-turn. I do not remember seeing anyone fainting along the way, hence there is no need for him to do this turn immediately. He could have waited.

3) Hydration point is a joke. At some of the stations, runners would need to wait for the drinks to be refilled. Only to be disappointed as the crews were taking their own sweet time. Hey, this is supposed to be a race, not picnic right? Moreover, i have heard from some participants that there were not enough isotonic drinks to come along? Is this a marathon? Moreover, i didnt see any station giving out bananas this time round, the last i checked, the brochure given to us stated there should be bananas given out towards 1 of the last checkpoints? A mistake?

 4) Useless medical teams. My brother got a bad cramp at the end of the 16km mark, hence he needed a "deep heat rub" badly, he tried to get them from the stationed ambulance. To his surprised, he was told that there is no such thing as deep heat at the end of the race, only at the begining? Hence he did his own stretching and limped his way back to the finishing line. So whats the point of having medics who just sits inside their rovers smiling to participants?

5) Energy level of the helpers - Unlike last year, the helpers' didnt show enough enthusiasm. The only time i heard loud cheering is the begining of our walk in to the line up and the end of the race. In between we can only see teens standing in the middle of our runs. Well, less some of them who actually clapped and 1 or 2 shouting out for us to go on.

If Sundown were to make it bigger the next year, the above points needs to be addressed.


Ok, besides the above negative points about the run, i must say the weather is really nice to run. Unlike the previous year where it rained, i am happy running in a dry cool weather. The good thing i liked about Sundown is also the cool weather, unlike other runs where it normally commence in the morning where the sun is up.

So after running for a long period of time, I got really excited when i saw the below poster.



Yeah, after the that, it was a horrible 1 km run, with cramps in both my legs, i've got the will power but no physical ability to complete the race with a bang. However, with all my might and all my remaining strength, i managed to crawl through to the finishing line. I bet the photo taken isnt very glam though. Teeth biting finish is what i saw.

So will i take part in another 21km run? Maybe standard chartered? Army Half Marathon? Ok, before that, time to heal my tired legs.



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Mitigating Risk of Cancer from food intake; know your top 4

The 4 most cancer causing food

1) Hydrogenated oils are commonly used to preserve processed consumption products. When taken excessively, it leads to a risk of deliberating diseases.

Healthier choice:

Some manufacturers would use palm oil, look for the indicated ingredients.

2) Soft drink, an alternative to mineral water, is widely accessible which makes it so unnoticed that resides as the main factor for causing obesity and leading to other chronic diseases. The main sources of its detrimental effect are its colouring, sugar and food chemicals. 

Healthier choice: 

Get yourself a nice while slightly more expensive water bottle such as Nalgene or Tuperware to motivate your healthy drinking habit.

3) Processed meat is a convenient food source in our daily reach. Some of the products include sausages, ham, bacon and the like. The main harm derives in the chemical preservatives to maintain its upkeep of freshness and appeal which risk cancer.

Healthier Choice:

Be sure to select your choices free from nitrates and preferably from grass-fed sources.

4) Conventional fruits is a lesser known attributive for cancer. With a common belief eating healthy by getting fruits from our neighbourhood retail, it is less so. Unless it is organic, we are in fact consuming pesticide-infected/sprayed products and they could be a significant connection for cancer. By the World Organisation Study, it is found that as high as 98% of fruits are labbelled 'dirty/contaminated'. 

My Say

Next time on occassions like a house warming, be sure to increase your budget on organic products and start picking up simple recipe to spend some time processing food on your own. Eating healthier and knowing the significance of the ingredient sources can change your lives for the better.

In case you're struggling with the kitchen, do visit noobcook for healthy eating yet simple to prepare meals.

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