Month: May 2009

Adidas Sundown Marathon 2009

Post author By Wei Jie
Post date 31 May 2009

Gun Time 5:29:05. Not very impressive but not bad for a first-timer either. If I calculated correctly, the Net Time should be 5:26:03.

Running at night is quite different from running in the day. It is much quieter at night, and at some instances, it may be quite boring, as everything is shrouded in darkness. Also, it is much cooler at night, especially when running along the coastline (String of Lights) and enjoying the land breeze.

The route was divided into four sections:

String of Lights

This is the longest stretch of the entire route at 21 kilometres. Seemingly identical white lamps formed a never-ending line. Starting from Nicoll Drive, I started running at a comfortable pace, so that I would not be drained out for the entire route. The next stretch was a straight route, and the only attraction was watching a few planes land at Changi International Airport. The air was very humid, and we had to compete with the plants for oxygen. After running south for an hour or so, there was a turn towards East Coast Park. Part of the route was the same for the Saucony-100Plus Passion Run last Sunday, and at night, it is just a different view. Lights from boats out at sea formed a static pattern. However, it is really interesting to find that East Coast Park is also full of life at night. There were groups of people cycling, camping, playing card games and barbequing. Water was made available at regular 2- to 3-kilometre intervals. This part of the route ended after crossing an overhead bridge across the East Coast Parkway.

Heartland Twist

This route had three overhead bridges to scale. Running along the Park Connector next to the drain, we saw landmarks such as Kembangan MRT Station. At the 26-kilometre mark, my right leg started to ache, so I decided to take a short rest on the bench. However, I soon realised that it was not a very good idea, as the muscles began contracting within seconds, resulting in unbearable cramps. The next two kilometres was along a jogging trail in a residential estate. Energy gels of different flavours were supplied there.

Waterfront Trail

The first part of the trail required us to run on a sandy trail halfway around Bedok Reservoir. I had to stop twice along the way as the strain on my right ankle was getting worse. At the 30-kilometre mark, there was an aid station, with a supply of bananas. There was also Deep Heat cream to relieve the pain on the thighs. Realising that I should not stop moving my legs (otherwise there will be cramps), from that point on, I adopted a walk-run strategy, alternating between the two every 300 to 400 metres. My pace decreased to an average of 9 minutes per kilometre. There was also a suspension bridge which was oscillating while other runners zoomed past me.

Homerun

The last 7 kilometres was a painful one. After spotting the 5:30 pacer, David, I decided to follow him to the endpoint. Running and walking along Loyang Avenue, I tried to follow David’s pacing. This section also included a 300 metre upward slope, which was not as bad as I had expected. After seeing Changi Village Hotel, I was convinced that I was very near the endpoint. I kept pushing myself, determined to clear the 5 hour 30 minute mark. After a short sprint towards Nicoll Drive, I made a U-turn to the Finish Point. Pacers do make a big difference!

After collecting the finisher medal and T-shirt, David also advised me to walk around for a few minutes before sitting down. The design for the finisher T-shirt was very attractive! Also at the marathon was Dr Adrian Loo and we managed to talk to each other for a while.

Volunteers and other supporters cheered on along the way, and this had motivated me to continue running (and not walking so much). I have learnt that it is really important to keep a comfortable pace at the start so that there is sufficient energy to complete the entire marathon. A tip from the 5:00 pacer Sri, when the cramp about to take effect, do some quick stretching and continue running, otherwise it would be very hard to start running again. Also, the unlimited supply of water at the 21 aid stations was very thirst-quenching.

Singapore

Opening of the Circle Line

Post author By Wei Jie
Post date 28 May 2009

Although I did not catch the first train in the morning at 5.37 am since it is so early, I did catch a ride on the train this afternoon straight after school from Marymount Station to Bishan Interchange, then off to Paya Lebar. Well, it is not very crowded at that time, there were about thirty passengers on the platform, where more than half of the passengers who boarded from Marymount Station at that time were students from my school.

Trains nowadays are changing in many ways. The front and rear carriages have each a huge window to allow passengers, especially curious children, to look into the tunnel as the train moves from station to station. Interesting, but this requires a redesign of the emergency exit doors at the ends of the train. Also known as ‘detrainment doors’, the ends of the newer trains are designed like jaws, with the top and bottom jaws springing open in the event of an emergency, where a three-section ramp is released for evacuation.

Next time, if you are meeting someone on the train, the task of you locating them (or them locating you) will be much easier. The seats in each of the three carriages have been colour coded to allow passengers to identify the section of the train they are on. The colours are green, maroon and blue (at the centre of the train).

Kim Chuan Depot, measuring 160 metres wide and 27 metres high, is the world’s largest underground train depot. With a floor area of 11 hectares, it can store up to 77 three-car trains. To save space, the land above the depot can be used for future development of up to nine storeys high. This depot also houses the tallest underground warehouse storage system in Singapore, which retrieves spare parts within four minutes. Is there a chance for me to take a look into the depot with my own eyes?

Next up is the lovely set of stamps right here in front of me. Finally, a circle shaped stamp by SingPost in more than ten years! On the 1st Local stamp, the Circle Line system is placed on the Singapore map. Also featured on the stamps is a new Circle Line station in the underground system (80 cents), the Circle Line train ($1.10), and the Circle Line Operation Control Centre situated in Kim Chuan Depot ($2). A complete set of stamps issue comes with a relatively hefty price tag of $4.16.

Singapore

Circle Line Opens Tomorrow

Post author By Wei Jie
Post date 27 May 2009

The highly anticipated Circle Line (CCL) Stage 3 will officially open to the public tomorrow morning, Thursday, 28 May 2009. This is the latest addition to the rail network in Singapore. The Circle Line is a fully automated underground train system passing through estates such as Bishan, Serangoon, Paya Lebar and Holland Village. When fully opened, it will be the world’s longest fully automated line at 33.3 kilometres. The Bartley-Marymount section of the Circle Line has a length of 5.7 kilometres, and it takes only eight minutes to travel from end to end. This section of the Circle Line allows passengers to transfer to the North South Line at Bishan Interchange, and to the North East Line at Serangoon Interchange.

The Circle Line is a medium capacity line with only three cars instead of the usual six. Perhaps, another likely reason could be the lack of space to built MRT stations which can accommodate six-car trains, especially since the route runs through high density areas in the heartlands and in the city. In fact, one of the stations, CC4 Promenade, will be Singapore’s first station with stacked side platforms, i.e. platforms are one on top of the other, where trains run directly above the other in opposite directions. Since the southern terminus of the future Bukit Timah Line will perhaps be shifted to this station after the collapse of Nicoll Highway, there is a need to conserve the limited space. The stacked platform is something which I am looking forward to!

If you would like to be the first in everything, the first train leaves Marymount MRT station at 5.37 am. Limited to the first 931 passengers only! However, I don’t think that there will be so many people anyway. During peak hours, the train will arrive every three minutes or so. During off-peak periods, the frequency is 6 to 8 minutes. The first train from other stations are as follows:

Mondays to Saturdays

	Bartley	Serangoon	Lorong Chuan	Bishan	Marymount
Towards Marymount	0553 / 0004	0556 / 0017	0558 / 0019	0600 / 0021
Towards Bartley		0544 / 0029	0542 / 0027	0540 / 0025	0537 / 0022

Sundays and Public Holidays

	Bartley	Serangoon	Lorong Chuan	Bishan	Marymount
Towards Marymount	0613 / 0004	0616 / 0017	0618 / 0019	0620 / 0021
Towards Bartley		0611 / 0029	0609 / 0027	0607 / 0025	0604 / 0022

To celebrate the opening of the Circle Line, SMRT will be having ten-hour parties on 30 May and 31 May at Bishan Interchange. This is one of the interchanges between the Circle Line and the North South Line, both operated by SMRT, with the other being Dhoby Ghaut Interchange. That is probably one reason why the party is not to be held at Serangoon Interchange. Well, it is more likely that Bishan is more vibrant at the moment with Junction 8 Shopping Centre, while Nex is still under construction at Serangoon.

SingPost will be releasing its fifth issue of the year on the Circle Line. The stamps are designed by SMRT, presenting a ‘miniature exhibition’ of the Circle Line system. From the press release by SMRT earlier today, “SMRT Circle Line First Day Cover is also exclusively available for sale at Bishan Circle Line Interchange Station after 28 May, together with stamps and presentation packs.” Wait, why are the first day covers still available after 28 May? Shouldn’t it be sold only on the day itself? Scrolling down, it reads “Availability: SMRT Bishan Circle Line Interchange Station from 28 to 31 May and at all post offices and the Singapore Philatelic Bureau from 28 May”. Well, first day covers are not first day covers any more.

Last weekend, I was among the thousands of people eager to go into the Circle Line stations. Well, it was not the first time the interior leaked to the public. On 4 April, three stations: Bishan, Lorong Chuan and Bartley were opened to the public during the Singapore Civil Defence Force Shelther Open House.

Running

Saucony 100Plus Passion Run 2009

Post author By Wei Jie
Post date 24 May 2009

The Singapore Passion Run 2009 was held this morning at East Coast Park. This is the third time the event is hosted in Singapore. Realising that I had little time left for breakfast, I grabbed a powerbar and ate it on the way there. After I arrived, I followed other runners who were in red on a long walk towards the starting point which was over 1 km away. I was on the wave which started at 0735. This was my second 15 km run.

The first 3 km was covered at a comfortable pace, and the wind was blowing from behind me. After that, at 3.-something km, I saw a toilet and decided to use, and this had ate up a few minutes of my time, but that was better than running with a pain in the stomach for the rest of the journey. Up to the 7 km mark, I was running at a much slower pace as the sweltering heat became more intense. At the 5 km sign, the time on my phone was 0806, which meant that I had to speed up, as I have taken 31 minutes for the first third of the distance.

Next up, at 0826, is a junction where the 10 km and 15 km runners split up. From this point on, I ran at a constant pace all the way to the finish line without stopping, except for the thirst-quenching drinks, of course. The additional 5 km stretch of road had some undulating terrain, and I took close to 30 minutes on this stretch. The U-turn was estimated to be at the 10.3 km mark.

From the 12 km sign to the 13 km sign, the distance covered seemed way much shorter than a kilometre, probably 300 to 400 metres short. I took me some time see another mileage sign after the ’13 km’ sign. When the 10 km and 15 km runners merged back onto the same track, it was 0854. It took me around 14 minutes for the last more-than-2 km stretch, whilst spotting this sign around the probable 14 km mark at 0904, warning runners that the endpoint is still another 10.4 km (or 15 km) ahead.

The collection of goodie bags was seamlessly quick, compared to a ten minute queue at the inaugural Suburban Run on 15 March. My overall timing for this 15 km run was around 1 hour 33 minutes, approximately 9.67 km per hour, which was quite good, considering that had not been training as much recently.

For this run, I find that the volunteers there are really hyped up and they kept cheering everyone on, and pushed me ahead. Water points at this run were adequate, and had an unlimited supply of 100Plus and mineral water. At the end of the race, I gulped down two cans of 100Plus.

Stamps

Aerogramme

Post author By Wei Jie
Post date 21 May 2009

It is really cheap to send an aerogramme overseas. At only a rate of fifty cents, you can get your very own aerogramme at most Singapore Post outlets. This postage paid envelope-cum-writing paper comes in four different designs, each with a different scene of Singapore. An aerogramme is designed to be as light as possible, and the sender writes at the back before folding and sealing it up, and dropping it at one of the over 800 post boxes in Singapore. However, it appears that aerogrammes can get damaged easily during transit since it is made of lightweight material. The address of the sender is written on the reverse.

One would write the message inside, and is limited in terms of space. Furthermore, inserts are not allowed in aerogrammes, otherwise it may be sent via surface mail which takes weeks to arrive at its destination.

Singapore

The New Integrated MRT and LRT System Map

Post author By Wei Jie
Post date 16 May 2009
1 Comment on The New Integrated MRT and LRT System Map

With two new MRT stations in the west of Singapore opening on the last day of February earlier this year, we have been speculating that TransitLink would be printing new System Maps to be distributed to commuters at the Passenger Service Centres who request for them, either because they are lost somewhere in the network of train stations or because they are collecting them. Since January this year, we have been collecting these System Maps from MRT stations all over the island, to note if there is any new System Map available.

Joo Koon and Pioneer MRT stations, which opened its doors to the public on 28 February, first appeared in the ‘new’ System Map as a sticker. As of our knowledge, it appears that this ‘sticker’ version of the System Map can only be obtained from the North-South Line Passenger Service Centre at Outram Park MRT station. It is not available from the North-East Line Passenger Service Centre as of 3 May. While stocks last!

Today, I have finally seen the new System Map, updated with the two new MRT stations in the west, as well as the five Circle Line MRT stations which will be opening in less than two weeks’ time. On 16 April 2009, it was announced on the media that the new line will commence operational service on 28 May, two days ahead of 30 May when first announced on 12 February. It would have been possible that this System Map was printed sometime between 12 February and 16 April, since it reflects the old date of commencement. Grab yours now at Ang Mo Kio MRT Station like I did.

For those living in Sengkang or Punggol, the future LRT stations have been now taken out of the System Map. It appears that it would not open any time soon. So, will there be another reprint of the System Map any time soon?

Singapore

Henderson Waves

Post author By Wei Jie
Post date 10 May 2009

Part of the Southern Ridges trail, the Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge at 36 metres above Henderson Road, connecting Mount Faber Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park. In the evenings, the bridge magically transforms into a colourful and brightly lit structure, glowing attractively under the stars.

The pedestrian bridge is nearly 300 metres in length, and will take approximately five to ten minutes for a leisurely walk across. This pedestrian bridge is characterised by its unique structure which resemble waves. Within the curved steel ribs are shelters with seats. There is a diverse variety of plants on the pathways leading up to the Henderson Waves. In the quiet early morning, birds and insects can be spotted.

Collectibles

Get Your Very Own ERP

Post author By Wei Jie
Post date 7 May 2009

You can now have your very own Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantry at home! To be more exact, it is a miniature version of the gantry. As the ERP gantry has become a unique landmark on the streets of Singapore, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has specially transformed the ubiquitous ERP gantries into mini-souvenirs.

These include an ERP gantry digital table clock, a mug and a set of coasters. The mug is the one which interests me the most. When it is filled with warm water, the words ‘In Operation’ will become visible on the gantries. From the article, an LTA spokesperson says, ‘Many foreign visitors had always bring a souvenir which could represent Singapore back home, and a design inspired by the ERP will serve this purpose.’

Now, if you are wondering where to get these souvenirs, it can be obtained from the Land Transport Gallery at 1 Hampshire Road. However, these souvenirs do not come cheap. The digital clock costs $20, and the mug and set of coasters would each set you back by $10. However, you can do your part for charity as proceedings from the sale will be donated to the LTA Cares Fund, which provides transport subsidies for the poor and disabled.

This article appeared in Lianhe Zaobao on 6 May 2009.

Stamps

Flora & Fauna Definitives

Post author By Wei Jie
Post date 6 May 2009

Today, Singapore Post Limited released a new stamp issue on two flowering plants – the Pigeon Orchid and the Blue Pea Vine. This is to add variation to the 2007 Definitive stamps featuring various plants and animals.

The Pigeon Orchid (Dendrobium crumenatum) is a member of the family Orchidaceae. This orchid produces white, fragrant flowers with a yellow tinted throat. From the side, the orchid is resembles a flying pigeon, and hence, it is also commonly known as the Pigeon Orchid. This epiphytic plant, is common in Singapore and Malaysia, growing naturally on trees. It is a widely cultivated ornamental and landscape plant.

The Blue Pea Vine (Clitoria ternatea), also commonly known as the Butterfly Pea, is a vine native to tropical and equatorial Asia. A perennial climber with a woody base, it can climb tall grasses and crops, grows well in moist neutral soil and requires little care. It has been used as a leguminous mulch within elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) to improve the grass protein levels. Now it is widely grown as an ornamental plant. The flowers are harvested and are a traditional source of a blue food colour.