Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Memories


I'm sure the memories we, baby boomers (1946 to 1964), have of our childhood are so different from the millenials.  The millenials are made up of those belonging to Generation X (1965 to 1979) and to Generation Y (1980 to 1994). The years vary slightly with different studies but millenials are, generally speaking, the children of baby boomers.  Our son and his fiance are Generation Y babies! 

Stephen probably has many memories of dirt roads because he lived in a "kampung". The rain was his toy and the nearby cemetery was his playground.  He said there was a cow farm nearby and that was a favourite place to pass his time.  

On my side, I remember browsing through rubber estates and running around bare-footed. I can reminisce about chasing butterflies, catching tadpoles and playing outside until the sun went down. 

Yet memories aren't always made from some old dirt road!  Sometimes they are made in a concrete jungle while cycling, between midnight to three am, around Singapore's famous Orchard Road when all is quiet.  

Not me, of course!  

Stephen and the kids (when Jared and GG were here for a holiday) went out a few nights to cycle while I manned the fort (translate that to staying at home). 

They explored Singapore by night and this remains the highlight of their cycling adventure, at least, until the next episode when they plan to cruise along the East Coast!

Here's a video of that ride earlier this year, courtesy of GG. What a steady hand she has!!!  


This almost made me wish I was with them.  Maybe next time.  

Stephen bought us matching tee-shirts in an effort to entice me.  I think we all look great!  


Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Dear God

image picked from FB


I hardly ever feel down these days.  Maybe I've already used up my quota of feeling lousy.  Now isn't that a nice thought!

I did have days when I really felt so awful that I didn't know what to do or how to carry on.  Yet, as I was living those difficult days, I didn't stop hoping that one day I'd move pass it all.

And here I am!  Passed all those dark times and always feeling on top of the world.  It helps to have a mate who provides a place of peace and love.


Our new craze is cycling and it has provided us with a new avenue to channel our energies out in the open space.  It is like food for the soul and we're not even looking at the benefits yet!

image picked from FB
I started with 6 km.  Then improved by doing 8 km then 10 km and yesterday we managed 12 km.  Of course, Stephen is able to do 20 km or more, without me.  But he's slowing down so I can build up my stamina.  

Somewhere in the bible (1 Cor 13:4), it says, "Love is patient, love is kind".  It's true.  

Always mindful that Jesus is the centre of our lives!


Friday, February 14, 2014

Project Runway



What a lovely Valentine's Evening!!!    It's not the run-of-mill kind of date but it's still a date when  I am with Stephen.

Today we did 10.25 km. The duration included a stopover at the coffee shop for a drink and quick chit chat before coming home.  All in, I'd say we did very well.  

I started cycling recently and was still wobbly because it has been years since I did any regular cycling. Stephen used to tease me that I'd need a runway because I was so nervous when we went through narrow paths and, especially, when there are pedestrians along the way.  

THEN he discovered the perfect area for me.  It's less than a kilometre from home and then it's a stretch of road without cars and way off the beaten track.  It's a lovely thing to be able to build up my confidence riding up and down and feeling the breeze.

We had tried different routes but I was still shaky until now.  

I cannot help but feel that sometimes even our silliest dream can be fulfilled by just a whisper to the One up above. 


Thursday, January 30, 2014

Bicycles again...


So yesterday, we went and bought a new bicycle for me.  I'm taking it as my Chinese New Year present.

But before we did that, we had gone for a second round just to see if I really wanted to take this form of exercise further. For this, we took a longer ride than the first and I felt much better this time.  I wasn't as wobbly and I was steadier. 

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Sharing my three routes for my own easy reference.  I want to come back later in the future to see how much I've improved since these dates!

 Round 1 (23 January 2013 ~ night) approx 6 km

Round 2 (28 January 2014 ~ night) approx 8 km

Round 3 (30 January 2014) approx 5 km


This morning, we cycled to Lorong 8 to have breakfast and then went to the Hub.  We also stopped at the Stadium for a bit before splitting up.  Stephen went to get groceries while I decided to get home on my own.

The fact that Stephen said it was okay for me to ride back on my own gave me the slight boost of confidence that I needed.

I'll share a picture of my new bicycle soon.  Stay tuned ...

Monday, January 27, 2014

On the subject of bicycles



Well, I don't know if this is 100% true for me because, at this moment, I cannot say that the bicycle is my favourite. The library, without a doubt, ranks high on my list of favourites.

Now that I have my own bicycle, it seems that I do like the speed.  Of course, I'm not cycling as fast as I want to but I definitely can cover more ground with a bicycle.

Stephen and I used to go to Pasir Ris, rent the bicycles and cycle around.  It was something we enjoyed doing whenever we had the time to go there.  It seemed only logical that he would eventually buy one. Then he bought a second one for Jared but now it's mine. Negotiations are ongoing for another 'nicer' bicycle for me.

Recently I followed him for an initiation night ride around our area. We covered about 6 km going from point A to point B and then back.  We cycled and walked some parts of the way. I wouldn't have been able to do this track without the bicycle.


I hope that I will be able to go further.  When alone or with Jared, Stephen can do about 20 km or more. It'll be awhile before I can match him for distance and stamina. Okay, saying 'match him' is being a bit ambitious. Perhaps 'catch up with him" would be closer to accurate. But he's a great inspiration for me to push myself and I can't think of a better coach than him.

One day, I am going to cycle to the library, on my own.  That perfect day is just around the corner.