不见不散

29 MARCH WE GOT OUR CHINA VISAS. PHEW! I should not think it would be a problem to get them but I was not 100% sure how the Chinese Government view giving 2 year multiple entry visas to Malaysian travelers. In the end there was and is nothing to worry about. It's all system go. The visas cost RM296 for 2 people. So in 2013 we do not require new visas.

We pop into nearby KLCC to have a cuupa and some local Malay kuih at La Cucur Express plus my favorite Auntie Anne's pretzels. I love their pretrzels with Parmesan cheese or cinnamon sugar. We make tracks for Petaling St Culture Street 茨厂街文化街 where SM's friends are students of chinese calligraphy and ink painting at this little joint up on a shop lot. They have decided to slow down in life now that their kids are older and they want to live their lives. So every Thursday a group of them "不见不散" in pursuing something they like doing and then spend a couple of hours having a leisurely lunch at a 茨厂街 lane way and drink cups of Hainanese coffee.

SM and her friends talk shop whilst I stroll to nearby Central Market and Petaling St to have a look see. I must say I am disappointed because these are really just touristy and stalls selling mass manufactured handy craft and nick knacks. Nothing that interests me besides the weather is humid.

 

We spend sometime with SM's parents and have a great home-cooked dinner with them.

Nice day out with the fly boys

27 MARCH WE CATCH A  LRT AND MONORAIL RIDE TO Bukit Bintang and this is the first time I am in a monorail ride. I am surprised how big it is and how many people it can hold. Basically it is stuffy and is full of passengers traveling to the happening area of KL. But it is very convenient for us and stress free to be able to use this mode of transport. Miraz is going to meet me at the Pavilion at noon to catch up. He is my fellow instructor at Bintulu and he is completing his twin engine IR training at Subang airport so he can apply to AA for an airline pilot position. 

We meet there and I take him to Jalan Alor for 黄酒鸡 lunch.

I also manage to change some TWD and HK$.

I tee up with Mitch and Jonathan Khoo for an afternoon coffee at Starbucks Tropicana Mall with me and Miraz. Both Mitch and Khoo are Snr. FO's with AA. Basically we talk pilot stuff and our lives; Mitch is happy with the income he is drawing now but not with AA. He bought a corner two story house at Sg Buloh last year and did it up nicely to his liking. He also just bought his dream car 2 weeks' ago so he seems to be reasonably happy at this stage of his life. 

Khoo on the other hand, is aiming very hard to emigrate to Wanaka, NZ in order to live out his dream life there. He is lucky his mom owns a restaurant there and has a farm just 20 minutes out and he can't wait to be there. He is an outdoorsy person and prefers such lifestyle rather than getting stuck in an airline pilot job. I am very happy for Khoo that he has just done his medical check and police check and he should be on his way to becoming a PR.

And he is leaving tomorrow night to Wanaka to spend 2 weeks holiday there and to see the Warbirds Over Wanaka 2012 airshow.

We also get to see his unit up above the Tropicana Mall. The location is fantastic and his unit, though small, is very cosy and comfortable. I like it for its location and convenience to retail, entertainment amenities.

Later on I treat them to a Malay/Nyona dinner at Mum's Place in Damansara Perdana. This is Mitch's and my favorite restaurant. We order food without needing the menu: cinjaruk chicken, four angle beans, foo yoong omelet, and chilly petai fish. 

The fly boys in front of Mum's Place

We adjourn to a local pub around the area and have Hoegaarden beer by the pint. RM68 for 3 pints which we share in 4 large mugs. I am not a beer drinker but I do enjoy its taste. It is low in alcohol I am sure because we soon order another 3 pints. And the pilots talk shop again about their flying and their experience.....

10.30pm I am back to Bayu, tired but enjoyed the boys' company and time..... We share a common interest and passion for aviation. The common bond is strong and interesting and I believe we benefit from listening to each other.

Home ..... Home???

25 MARCH WE LAND IN LCCT at 4pm with the pilots skirting the impending thunderstorms amidst some local turbulence on long final. As soon as we enter the passenger arrival hall from the parked aircraft the sky opens up. Thunders and lightning. Welcome to steamy KL and welcome to the rain, every afternoon at 4pm; on the dot ..... (and we are not even wet).

Owing to the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix  we are in dire straits of a cab at the airport. I buy the premier cab fare and we head for my KFC meal at the terminal to kill some time and to have our dinner. Hopefully we will get a cab in due course. I must say the chicken rice is great; really great. A bit fattening but yummy.

Finally, on asian soil and after our first meal, and hopping in our cab, we are in Bayu later on, still reeling from the humidity. No point complaining, we roll with the punches. Life's good and let's have fun.....

10.30pm ZZZZZZZ

26 MARCH WE WAKE UP at ..... 4am; that's 7am Melbourne. The old body clock works like old charm! By 6.30am we are in KL, going for brekie of roti canai, and nasi lemak; washing them down with Nescafe. So far so good. 

9am At the Chinese Consular office we file our application for a 2-year multiple entry visa, and are promised that we will get them on Thursday, in time for our journey to Taiwan on Sunday. Beautiful. The system is working like a well-oiled machine. Across the road by 11am we have settled some other matters at the bank. Another 5km down Jalan Ampang we have cleared another hurdle at SM's insurance company ..... This has been a fantastic day and it's not even 1pm.

We meet Captain Mitch for lunch at his favorite Sri Petaling driving range restaurant and enjoy fried garlic chicken, clay pot tofu and stir fried sweet potato leaves with fermented tofu. Always good food, always great prices at this restaurant. We have a long yarn about life at AA, his life, our lives, other people's lives.   

We go to the Mines Mall and buy some essential supplies, have a look at some stuff, and have our dinner nearby of "I LUV HOKKIEN MEE". Big fat juicy hokkien mee with black soy sauce + pork lard. Just the right taste and texture. Welcome to the culinary world of suburbia KL. I pat my tummy and I know my strict regime of brisk walk and careful food intake is officially, history ..... Tomorrow's another day.

BAD NEWS and getting smarter

Pink butterfly deleted her account accidentally and as a result her diary is gone. So sad......

In another world.....

I was doing my on-line research last night and chanced upon the possibility that one can fly direct from Taipei to Kinmen (Jinmen) which is an island off Xiamen in Fujian Province, using Mandarin Airlines; and then catch a ferry from Kinmen to enter mainland China (Xiamen).  Many Taiwanese do that since 2008 and apparently it is also allowed for foreigners to do it this way.

I never thought about this route and had already booked TPE-HK and then on to Meizhou and Xiamen by coach/ train. I am dumb founded by this "discovery" and kick myself why I was in the "old world" thinking. This is a shorter route and costs less time and money.

Today I decide to cancel my China Airlines TPE-HK tickets and incur a small penalty loss of TWD1400 (A$45) and I am also prepared to take a loss on the coach tickets I already bought for the HK to Meizhou route of HK$210 (A$25). Instead I am going to rebook Taipei to Xiamen direct using China Airlines. I decide not to go via Kinmen just in case foreigners are somehow not allowed to enter Xiamen from there and then I am stuck in "no man's land". From Xiamen I can trace my route to Meizhou via Dabu or Yongding ( a distance of some 300km to 400 km depending on which way I take) so I can visit the UNESCO world heritage Hakka Fujian Tulou 土楼 sites there. It will be an event by itself.... immersing in one of the great Hakka culture and architectural past.

HAKKA TULOU - YONGDING, FUJIAN, CHINA

现存最古老的土楼——龙安寨。

 

最令人震撼的土楼群——初溪土楼群。

经典土楼最多的土楼群——洪坑土楼群。

最壮观的土楼群——南溪土楼群。

最具侨乡特色的土楼群——中川土楼群。

规模最大的圆楼——承启楼。

楼梯最多、最奇特的土楼——集庆楼。

最像布达拉宫的土楼——奎聚楼。

品位最高的五凤楼——福裕楼。

最富丽堂皇的圆楼——振成楼。

最具书香气的土楼——衍香楼。

最秀丽的土楼——振福楼。

现存年代最久的五凤楼——裕隆楼。

占地面积最大的土楼——永隆昌楼。

最高的土楼——福盛楼。

最大气的土楼——遗经楼。

防御功能最突出的土楼——五实楼。

最富传奇色彩的土楼——环极楼。

直径最大的圆楼——福盛楼。

最华美精致的土楼——永康楼。

最像仙境的土楼群——岩太土楼群。

围数最多的方形楼——绳庆楼。

This new route of travel also makes more sense now because I do not have to land in HK, travel north east to Meizhou, then south east to Xiamen and double back west from Xiamen to HK. I can now land in Xiamen, travel north west to Meizhou and then south west to HK in one shorter, "unified" direction.

The latest update on March 15 is that the refund from China Airlines has been processed. CAL are amazingly efficient and no fuss. I am so glad I chose them for the TPE-HK flight. I can now go ahead and rebook us on CAL for TPE/Xiamen. I am also happy that after one whole day of research I have now booked our hotels for Taipei and Taichung. Yes!

I am also keen on a 4-day train holiday covering Alisan, Kaohsiung, and Hualien 豪華環島遊．阿里山+高雄+花蓮 豐富4天(中部出發) with departure from Taichung and ending our journey in Taipei in time for us to catch our flight to Xiamen the next day. I trust the recommendations from The Man In Seat Sixty One and will use eztravel.com.tw for this special train journey. Quite frankly, wherever possible, I would prefer to use trains and coaches for domestic travels. And in Taiwan and China this is very much possible and the journeys can be enjoyable.

Tree Pruning

I engage Total Tree Care to prune our gum tree and silky oak tree because they have overgrown to an extent they may pose risks to our house and our neighbor's yard. A few weeks ago one of the dead branches came crashing down as a result of a freak storm and it was blowing gale force wind then. 

The trees are probably about 40 years old now and are still healthy. They have provided us shade over the years ....

Silky Oak

 Gum Tree

 New profile

The tree people are really professional, courteous and they know their stuff.

10,000 steps a day - PART 6 (Review Summary)

Weekly Average Day data:

                         Steps    Distance (Km)    Kcal    Fat (g)

Wk of 13/2       7409     5.1                    174.7   10.5

Wk of 20/2       8948     6.2                    208.1   12.5

Wk of 27/2       8597     6.0                    220.3   10.7

Wk of 5/3         8569     5.9                    226.6   13.7

Wk of 12/3       6090     4.2                    177.4   11.1

Wk of 19/3       8698     6.0                    224.6   13.3

Wk of 26/3      11783    8.2                    333.0    18.7

Wk of 2/4        20426   14.2                   579.1    32.7

Wk of 9/4        17504   12.2                   492.9    27.7

Wk of 16/4      16179   11.3                   442.7   24.9                                     

Wk of 23/4      7344     5.1                    174.1    9.6 Wk of 30/4      9217      6.4                    234.9   13

ＨＯＮＧ ＫＯＮＧ ＴＯ ＭＥＩＺＨＯＵ ＰＲＥＰ

AFTER MANY HOURS OF RESEARCH on the internet on transportation to China I finally am able to say "Phew, I got it". I stumbled upon this coach company which offers daily coach transport to Meizhou/Mei Xian. GDHK is also the coach company that my dad used when he went to Meizhou some 8 years ago but unfortunately he hasn't been able to recollect the company's name until I found out.

 

GDHK contact info:

Address: Room 3108-3112 31^ST Flr, Hong Kong Plaza, 188 Connaught Road West, Hong Kong
Telephone:(852) 2559 8348
Fax:(852) 2540 0389
Email:gdhk@gdhkmtc.cn

粤港汽车运输联营有限公司  
电话: （852） 2559 8348 传真: （852） 2540 0389

地址: 香港干诺道西188号香港商业中心31楼3108-12室

Unfortunately GDHK does not offer on-line booking of coach tickets and so I called the company in Hong Kong (852- 2559 8348) to enquire about it. The call center lady referred me to ring their HK ticketing agent (China Travel Service Hong Kong) which offers on-line ticket purchasing. I felt I was chasing after a glimpse of light when I heard this info and so I rang CTSHK customer service hotline on 852-2998 7888 in order to make things happen.

Life is so difficult without the internet and on-line trades.

The long and short of it is that yes I can purchase the coach tickets on-line (Hurray!!!) but I will need to register as an on-line member with CTSHK and then everything will be sweet as. I was also able to obtain some other pertinent info which will help me to make my mind up as to where I will stay in HK before tracking on to Meizhou. Oh one more thing. The CTSHK English website does not show the route for HK-Meizhou or other Chinese city routes they operate into except Guangzhou . It's one of my misgivings about the site because I have to navigate the Chinese version of the site in order to view and to purchase their HK-China coach tickets! This is testing my Chinese to my limits. 

And so I found out there is a daily 7.10am coach and a 12.30pm coach that leave from the BP International Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, for Meizhou.. The fare is only HK$90 per pax each way. The coach ride takes about 3.5 hours and so I think I will catch the 12.30pm bus and that will give me a free and lazy morning in HK and we will arrive the Meizhou city in good time to check in to our hotel before dinner time.

PICK UP POINT IN HK:

柯士甸地址: 柯士甸道8号童军中心地下跨境巴士总站
电话: 852-23177900

BP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL and Hong Kong Scout Centre 8 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

ARRIVAL POINTS AT MEIZHOU:

华侨大厦地址: 梅县江边路12号
电话: 0753-2192005

12 Jiang Bian Lu, Mei Jiang Qu, Meizhou, Guangdong, China

梅州公共汽车客运站地址: 梅县梅石路2号
电话: 0753-2222137

2 Mei Jiang Da Dao, Mei Jiang Qu, Meizhou, Guangdong, China

With this info I got today I am so much more relaxed now because I can plan ahead my HK itinerary and know exactly when I will get into Meizhou because I will have CONFIRMED coach tickets. This is so awesome.

10,000 steps a day - PART 5 (Review)

The 2nd week pedometer results are in, as follows:

wk of 20 Feb 2012           
               
                     Steps    Distance (Km)    Kcal    Fat (g)
Day1            13349   9.3                     344     21.6
Day2            7628     5.3                     74       3.9
Day3            10238   7.1                     261     15.9
Day4            4062     2.8                     164     10.7
Day5            5465     3.8                     86       4.1
Day6            14766   10.3                   388     23.7
Day7            7129     4.9                     140     7.5
Total 1 wk    62637   43.5                   1457   87.4
               
No of days   7           7                        7         7
               
Avg day       8948     6.2                      208.1  12.5

The results look fairly similar to my first week's performance. Mainly because the number of days when I have my bush walks this week is the same as last week's. So I am still not up to 10,000 steps a day yet but it's ok because it's looking like I am improving and I am working on the goal.

That is the main thing...............

Auction

The advertisement for the auction:

Exceptional value 4 bedroom family home.

Ready to refurbish to your own taste and decor this elevated BV property on a coveted corner allotment provides exceptional family accommodation in this hugely popular locale with Burwood Highway tram only minutes walk with primary and secondary schools, parkland and your choice of local supermarket and major retail shopping nearby.

Accommodation comprises entry, large elevated living/dining room with full width verandah and sweeping views across the suburb, kitchen with adjoining meals, four bedrooms - main with semi-ensuite bathroom, further family bathroom and generous double car garage plus paved entertainment area with pergola.

• General Features
• Property Type: House
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 2
• Land Size:653 m² (approx)

• Outdoor Features
• Garage Spaces:2

Danny's property at 14 Consort Avenue which is just behind my home is up for auction today.

The attendance is very encouraging. I think approximately 20 groups of people have come to see the auction. Unfortunately there are only 2 bidders and the final bid is only $552,000. The property is passed in but it is sold later to the final bidder at a slightly higher price of $555,000. I think the property's sell price is about 10-15% below the market price when the market was at its peak some 2 years ago. In addition the buyer will have to spend maybe $80k on a new kitchen, 2 new baths and new floor carpets. So in reality the property would have been sold with new renovations at $630k +. And 2 years ago, it would have been sold at maybe between $700k and $730k.

From realestate.com.au Melbourne auction results for week ending 12 February 2012 were:-

57.4% Clearance rate

249 Reported auctions

Sold prior to auction:	28	Passed in:	102
Sold at auction:	113	Withdrawn:	4
Sold after auction:	2

The auction result is really appalling and today i is definitely a buyers' market!

Jack's new home

We go to my nephew Jack's new home he bought for an inspection before its settlement next week.

The new home is off Mountain Highway in Knox. Jack is very excited, of course. It reminds me of the first property I bought way back in 1993 in Singapore. It was a 5 room ＨＤＢ flat I co-owned with my eldest brother. We did some renovations, mainly brother wanted to put in a new terrazzo floor and a few other things. I remember the floor turned out to be very dark in color and did not look like a terrazzo floor.

Anyway Jack is happy with this unit which has 2 bed rooms, a large living area, a functional kitchen, an ensuite, a laundry room, one garage and one car park space and a reasonable rear patio. For the price he paid I would say it's a good first home for him. 

There is no renovations required for the unit. It's only 8 years old. Maybe some carpet steam clean. Next week I will help him paint his unit. Nothing beats a new coat of paint to make the unit feel like a new home.......

10,000 Steps A Day - PART 4 (The lull sets in)

I need to be serious about this business of working up a sweat and keeping the old heart pumping, daily! It's getting very difficult these few days because of the hot weather. Yesterday we had 35C, today's 38C and tomorrow is forecast to be 34C with a late afternoon cool change.

And I hate hot weather. 

It has been so hot the heat so intense there is no incentive to do anything productive..... I get lethargic and like a lizard put out in the sun to dry.

But I need to get back in the game to be effective and to be successful..... and I will. Some days they are easier than others. You just cannot beat it. c'est la vie; like they say ................................

10,000 steps a day - PART 3 (The Right Diet)

Today I take my mom to see her nutritionist at the St Vincent's. At the weighing in she takes mom's weight. I jump on the electronic scale out of curiosity and Bam! I am surprised.

I am excited to read on the scale that I weigh now, 79.1 kg. I don't know when I last weighed below 80kg. It must have been like 25 years ago! Even with the amount of hill climbing I was doing at Bintulu after I spent 5 months doing thrice weekly regimes I found I only lost 6 kgs from a high of 86kg. Back in late January 2010 I was on the dot 80kg. That was already no mean feat for an old guy..... and now? I am a little overwhelmed....

Not only have I lost some weight I actually feel great. I must say my goal on this 10,000 steps-a-day journey is not to lose weight as much as I actually want to increase my fitness and my overall state of health. I really, really do feel good about the regime I am putting in daily, weekly. And the sense of achievement is driving me forward on this journey of 10,000 steps a day.

Back to my weight. From my discussion with the nutritionist my ideal weight should be a range of between 75kg to 80kg。 And weight is only one of the considerations and I should pay a lot of focus and attentions on fitness and exercise.  Back to the basics for me!

She also advocates the following healthy eating diet :

Whole Grain and High Fiber Foods - at least 4-6 serves daily. One serve is
- 1 slice of bread (wholemeal/seeded/multi-grain)
- or 1/2 cup of cooked rice/pasta
- or 1/2 cup of cereal (high fiber/oat/wheat bix)

Fruit - 2 serves daily. One serve is
- 1 banana/orange/apple/pear
- or 2 mandarins/plums/peaches

Non starchy vegetables - 5 serves daily. One serve is
- 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables
- or 1 cup of salad vegetable

Starchy vegetables - eat 1 serve most days.
- 1 small piece of sweet potato/ small potato
- or 1/2 cup of corn kernels

Legumes - eat 2 serves every week. One serve is
- 1/2 cup of kidney beans/ chick peas/ lentils (high in carb)

Dairy Foods - 2 to 3 serves daily. One serve is
- 200g yogurt
- or 250ml milk
- or 2 slices of cheese

Meat, chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes - 1 to 2 serves daily. One serve is the palm of your hand.

Oily fish - 3 serves weekly including fresh salmon, mackerel, herring, tinned salmon and sardines

I AM VERY SURE I DO NOT meet these strict criteria of types and serves of the right kinds of foods that is why I take vitamin supplement．I believe I definitely need to eat more fruits and veges. And I have not even touched on the foods that I should not be eating so much of i.e. those high in fat, high in sugar, and low in fiber!!!
  

10,000 steps a day - PART 2 (Review)

Just for myself I have kept data for my 10,000 steps a day personal challenge. Initially I aim at doing 4,000 steps of daily bush walk. Including other daily routine activities I think 10,000 steps a day is a good challenge for me if I can do this consistently over the short term (i.e. Feb to June). Of course I will falter and stumble along the way and may not reach my goal but I don't care ...... it's a Goal that is it.

Week of 13 Feb 2012

                    Steps    Distance (Km)    Kcal    Fat (g)
Day1            2535    1.2                     32       1.6   (no ex, northcote duties)   
Day2            7467    5.2                     214     13.1 (bellbird dell) 
Day3            9378    6.5                     144     7.5   (no ex, busy home duties)   
Day4            5906    4.1                     67       3.5   (no ex, rained)   
Day5            13091  9.1                     346     21.8 (bellbird dell)   
Day6            8581    6.0                     252     15.7 (bellbird dell) 
Day7            4906    3.4                    168      10.2 (bellbird dell)
Total 1 wk    51864  35.5                  1223    73.4
               
No of days   7          7                        7          7
               
Avg day       7409    5.1                    174.7    10.5

First observation is I did not reach my goal. Never mind...... I shall try again....

From my week 1's data which I think is interesting because no matter what daily activities one is doing one can actually be quite comforted to know that it's not too difficult to clock at least 3,000 to 5,000 steps and lose some fat.

This I hope give us incentives to get into some kind of activity other than exercise IF WE CANNOT afford the time or are lazy, such as:

- Shopping in a mall (quite intensive walking but slow paced therefore low fat burn)
- Lunch time office walks for 10 minutes
- Take a public transport and walk some distance to your destination
- Walk around the neighborhood for 10 minutes 3 times a week
- Play a game of golf
- Park your car one block from your destination and walk


NOTE ＴＯ SELF: On Day 1, 3 and 4 I did not manage to do my bush walk and so I clocked low number of steps and low fat burn. But on days I bush walked the calorie burn and fat burn were considerably higher. So the pedometer distinguishes hard, consistent activities and works out higher numbers in Kcal and fat burns.


The large calorie, kilogram calorie (Kcal), dietary calorie, or food calorie approximates the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 °C. This is exactly 1,000 small calories or about 4.2 kilojoules. It is also called the nutritionist's calorie.
                                                                              
One final thought to self. I am surprised I walked an average of 5km a day!

  

One More Time

I was going through some old photos and came across one of these blurry, faded ones that speaks to me. It was me sitting in a glider  in Benalla Airport (YBLA).

It was '83 or '84, would have been in the autumn or winter time.

The glider was fibre glass tandem 2-seater and the instructor would sit at the back. The aircraft had dual controls, of course, a stick for pitch and roll controls, rudder pedals, basic instruments and I am guessing artificial horizon, directional gyro, airspeed indicator, VSI, altimeter and a basic compass. No slip indicator instrument but just a yaw string. One can just see the string right in front of me, kind of where my left hand is, in the picture.

No flaps on this aircraft just air brakes. We were air towed to about 4000 ft and we would release the plane from the tow tug and bank left while the tug broke right. There we would try to find thermals to climb higher and it was not always successful. I remember the instructor took every chance he got doing some rolls and eventually I learnt from him to do a loop. Wow.

I remember it was so, so quiet up in the aircraft because there was no engine noise. One time the instructor said, "Hey look. Rainbow!". And there it was, a rainbow, up where we were flying, all quiet, only some wind noise, he and I; looking at this rainbow over our shoulders. It was one time that I felt like it was neat. Just point the stick and the glider would fly to where I pointed. Like it was part of my body.

I clocked about 5.5 hours dual on it over 2 or 3 days. I did the flying with some of my aeronautical engineering class mates but I was not good enough to go solo. From memory there was one natural pilot amongst the group and he actually did go solo in that time. 

This has got to be one of my favorite photos in that it shows a young me some 30 years ago doing a course that I liked but every one said was crazy. The gliding we did was also the first time ever that I piloted an aircraft.

Warren Buffet famous quotes

I got this jpg pic from someone. Although there are English and grammatical mistakes but essentially the message is sound. A good reminder for me.....

I especially like the quote " Never test the depth of the river with both feet". This is applicable in so many life circumstances and not just in investments. 

I often am faced with my rivers. The rivers come in many forms. A decision is often needed to cross the river or not. 

- Should I wait?

- Should I do it now?

- Should I give it all that I have?

- Should I leave a back door in case the river is fast flowing or deep?

I take it that I should be wise to find out more by tipping a toe into my rivers?

10,000 steps a day - PART 1 (The Goal)

On 13 Feb I got my pedometer from Pedometers Australia. I want a pedometer to measure our bush walking data such as number of steps, distance, calories burn and fat burn. I am surprised that when I use the pedometer yesterday just doing routine things (not including my daily bush walking) I clocked 2523 steps!

The short term goal is to walk at least 10,000 steps a day and then over time build it up to 15,000 steps a day. I believe this is not a problem for me during our long intensive bush walks because we can quite easily clock up 4,000 to 5,000 steps but it will be impossible to reach 10,000 steps if we are not doing hard, intensive walks.

Here are some data from Walking With Attitude that I find interesting and easy to use as guides for my daily walks.

** 120 steps in 1 minute.

** 5,000 steps in 45 minutes

** 10,000 steps in 1.5 hours/90 minutes

Some ideas to increase steps are:

1. Bring the shopping bags in one bag at a time - 8 minutes/960 steps.

2. Do laps around the house waiting for the kettle to boil - 3 minutes/360 steps.

3. Empty the dish washer 2 items at a time - 5 minutes/600 steps.

4. Before getting in the car you must walk around it 3 times - 1 minutes/120 steps.

5. Find 10 minutes at lunch time to go for a quick stroll - 10 minutes/1200 steps.

6. Return your empty shopping trolley to the supermarket from the car park - 6 minutes/720 steps.

LOSE WEIGHT AND FEEL GREAT

STEP GOAL 15,000 STEPS A DAY - to achieve permanent weight loss I need to walk 5000+ steps a day (equivalent to 45 minutes) at a higher intensity for 5 days a week. If I am measuring all day steps then my long term goal (very long term, like a year!!!) will be to build up to 15,000 steps a day! But in the short term (Fe to June2012） I should aim for 10,000 steps a day。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

YES. I will try.

OMRON HJ203 WALKING STYLE POCKET PEDOMETER utilises the highly accurate 2D Smart sensor technology (accelerometer). Which means no more clicking sounds! The Omron HJ203 pocket pedometer can be worn around the neck, in a pocket or even placed in a bag.

Garry Schyman - PRAAN

"Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money." - Native American Proverb

This song by Garry Schyman has been used in the Matt Harding - where the hell is Matt? dancing videos. I enjoy the tune a lot. It's so soothing and warm; evoking some tender emotions inside.

Praan Lyrics 

Bhulbona ar shohojete
Shei praan e mon uthbe mete
Mrittu majhe dhaka ache
je ontohin praan

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
Shei shurete jagbo ami
(Repeat 3X)

Shei jhor jeno shoi anonde
Chittobinar taare
Shotto-shundu dosh digonto
Nachao je jhonkare!

Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
Shei shurete jagbo ami
(Repeat 3X)

Ingles:
"Stream of Life"

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth
and of death, in ebb and in flow.

也許只是一個生活中的體驗,轉個念,結局便大不同 (Turning Point)

這一生誰是我的燈塔， 而我又是誰的燈塔呢？

Eyes of a Child - Lane Wallace

I'll run my hands gently

Over the wing of a small airplane

And say to him,

This plane can teach you more things

And give you more gifts

Than I ever could.

It won't get you 

A better job,

A faster car,

Or a bigger house.

But if you treat it with respect

And keep your eyes open,

It may remind you of some

Things you used to know ...

That life is in the moment,

Joy matters more than money,

The world is a beautiful place,

And that dreams really,

Truly are possible.

And then,

Because airplanes speak

In a language beyond words,

I'll take him up in the 

Evening summer sky

And let the airplane

Show him what I mean.

(poem by Lane Wallace)

IT'S NOT EASY .....

I WANT TO DOCUMENT MY MOM'S RECOVERY from her heart attack on 29 April 2011 and a subsequent triple bypass operation. Pictures are taken when she is transferred to the Cardiac Ward after ICU care.

For 3 days after the operation the doctors keep her on sedatives. Slowly they reduce the drugs and on the 3rd day she opens her eyes for the first time. She is very pale and very weak and very much in pain. Naturally she is struggling and not being aware of her surroundings.

The pain is so great she wants to give up. "Doctor, I wan to give up".

Somehow she finds the will to carry on, bit by bit, day by day, step by step.

Some things she says touch those around her. The moment she is awaken she is able to recognize me but could not speak because she is very weak. She could not see anything for days because of the multitudes of drugs that are injected into her body to keep her going.

She very slowly begins, over days, to acknowledge people and to regain some strengths.

The road to some sort of a full recovery for her will be slow and long. We wish her courage and good cheers.

Most of all, we are all just so glad she is still here with us.

5 May - Mom is pale and in much pain

5 May

5 May  - no appetite, very much emptied out

May 6 - feeling much better

7 May - smiling and able to talk a bit more but still easily tire

7 May

8 May - Happy Mother's Day

8 May - smiling a bit more, feeling happier

8 May - eating a little more

20 May St V Rehab... feeling much better

Mom is well enough to make a donation to St V Foundation