So I Missed Boston by A Minute, What Else Can I Qualify For?

New NYC Marathon guidelines have emerged for guaranteed entries. This may make it easier or harder for applicants. In the past, internationals had a perceived better chance to earn a slot; those previously denied three times were guaranteed to be fourth-time lucky. The BQ for Boston Marathon has been reduced by five minutes across the board for the 2013 edition.

Ironman (M-Dot) races will raise the favour for those who have completed 12 M-Dot Ironman races in the annual lottery. The emphasis is on the M-Dot logo/WTC-sanctioned Ironman triathlons. Sorry, your Challenge Series and Enduroman Ironman-distance triathlons do not count. Many have speculated that WTC is attempting to preserve the sanctity and stability of the M-Dot brand. With many M-Dot races sold out days to hours in advance, we can conclude that Ironman is alive and well, and the Kona Dream is still the Holy Grail dream many neophytes and seasoned long-distance triathletes seek.

Will the madness end?

This morning, I partnered Hui Koon for The North Face (TNF) 100 Duo: each of us ran 50K over rugged terrain and road. I struggled after my 10K as the mid-morning heat began to take its toll on my physical fitness. I learnt from ultra-marathoners to walk up the slopes, and to run down the reverse side. The stifling heat, muddy portions of trail, and loose rocks made for a challenging race. My race attire was my Panache cycling top (no abrasion even though I wore my portable water-pack), triathlon tights, Avia Avi-Stolz trail shoes, and two pairs of socks (including Injinji as my innermost pair).


I took a wrong turn-off at the 37.5K-mark as the signpost indicated more of a leftward slant; I was among four others who realised that we veered off-course. We warned a few others running our way after we retraced our steps. I ran an additional mile (1.6K) with downtime spent reading a map and finding our bearings. I also assisted two cases of cramped runners by offering them squirts of ‘Stop Cramp’ (they sprayed the natural oils under their tongue), which seemed to work. I reckon I will not be doing another trail run any time in the future, as I prefer to do road marathons. Hui Koon did well and registered a 6:14 while I crossed the line in 6:51.

I have the Newton 30K Run in a fortnight’s time, and judging by my recovery time and current situation, I may skip this race altogether. I elect to do a better marathon in Singapore on 4 December (same day as Ironman Western Australia), and assess my chances of a personal best and even a BQ. So, rest, recuperation and lots of interval training sessions will be the menu for me, after my superbly long run today.
Photo-credit: Freddy Yeoh

Updates on Running Strategies: The North Face 100 Duo

I have been studying hard the running traits of our top professional triathletes, as well as local runners. My criteria for emulating proper form are economy of moves, fluidity of action, and being injury-fee.


These are my recent lessons on running, and modifications I have made to enhance my running ability on road:


1)    Run in minimalist shoes: the flatter the better. Worn-out shoes are fine as long as your shoe-soles are intact and not peeling apart.
2)    Land on your mid-sole, not so much on forefoot (it strains the toes, and may cause fractures).
3)    Keep your feet close to the ground at all times.
4)    Expand your chest by keeping your arms to your sides; expand your diaphragm. Stand tall.
5)    Vary your runs with tempo that range from easy to moderate to race-pace.
6)    Include one long run a week (at least 21K).
7)    Race at least once every fortnight, or do a time-trial of 5K, 10K or 21K.
8)    Include water-run (in 1-metre high water), barefoot with high-cadence or intervals – push with arms as if sprinting to get more upper-body resistance.
9)    Run intuitively – without a stopwatch – to assess your race-pace and optimal pace.
10) Run without 10K without hydration (done before hand), and hydrate regularly at aid-stations with distances above 10K.

It is back to the drawing board for me for my next Boston Qualifier (BQ) of 3:24:00: nothing extreme, merely some refinements. I believe I am on-track for a BQ in Singapore, where it is, probably, the least expected. I have learnt to respect the heat and humidity of the country, and I train by the beachside where most triathlons and long-distance races occur. My key races for the next few months will include:


TNF 100 Duo (50K); Newton 30K Run; Singapore Marathon; Singapore Biathlon; Duathlon; Ironman New Zealand 2012.


With the TNF 100 Duo this Saturday, I intend to pace myself steadily with no pressure on myself, since I am unfamiliar with the course. Also, I am not fully trained for trail or cross-country terrain. I intend to walk up steep and slippery slopes, and jog done carefully. My tactical approach is to recover lost ground on the flats and roads. I will determine if I can get close to an even split time with a moderated first 25K. If I can get sub-6 hour timing, it will be a major achievement for me. I have run almost every evening this week, so my legs are primed for some hardcore off-road action.

Drawing Inspirations From Films, But Check the Authenticity

I just finished watching 'The Social Network' on DVD - awesome Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) screenplay. This mega-site we share over 207 countries, is worth $25 billion. I was intrigued by the motivations behind the construction of this highly developed social media network. I like the sub-text of 'You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.'

I steered away from the film for some time until I was doing deeper research into social media, and crowd sourcing. Having read many reviews about The Accidental Billionaires, I decided to wait it out. The book by Ben Mezrich only interviewed the litigious co-founder, Eduardo Saverin, but not Mark Zuckerberg (he refused to be interviewed). The new book, The Facebook Effect seems to show more promise and another perspective to the founders of this social phenomenon. David Kirkpatrick (Senior Technology Writer at Fortune magazine) had complete co-operation and access to Zuckerberg; however, this version may suffer from its late entry after the book and the successful film.

This was a video produced and edited by our swim buddy, Dennis Quek. It is a summary of our day with the SAFRA Swim For Hope, held last Sunday. This tribe from Triathlon Family Singapore has been swimming every Monday, and on alternate Saturdays at the lagoon. It was a fun-filled day swimming laps that count towards charity. Our team swam in excess of 2,700 laps.

Evidence counts as proof of occurrence of an event. Word of mouth has some weight, yet anecdotal evidence is still subjective. Never confuse personal observation as fact. If it is an established fact, there will be published evidence of its existence. It is important to have enough breadth of knowledge before purporting to be an expert. One-sided perspectives are biased, so we need to possess a balanced approach to our opinions. If we have the ‘what’ but not the ‘why’, your stance would be weak and pointless.

How Are You Really Connected Beyond Social Media 2.0?

A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige. ~ Wikipedia

Let’s keep in touch! I’ll call you. Facebook me! How often do we seriously keep in touch with our network of relationships?

Maintaining our relationships (at last count) can be a complex task that consumes much of our waking hours. However, if you want to sustain your personal and professional relationships, then you will need to decide on a system of managing and, subsequently, leading these people-orientated connections. As I have reiterated, we need to go beyond management and into the realm of leading in every relationship.

Lead, or be led. Be led, and misled.

We have a myriad of choices for connection, however we may be confused by which tools/applications are more useful and relevant for us. Too many apps on your iPhone may not be smart if some of these serve no primary function except to grace your glossy screen on your ‘mobile entertainment and communication system’. We may ‘communicate’ but do we actually engage in actual conversations, between our noses rather than between the screens.

Social psychology has led us to study human conversations, which have seemingly shifted from personal conversations to personalised communication. We possess personal computing and the like, and now it has shifted (I would not dare say evolved or progressed) to another platform. Observe the number of zombie-like behaviors in public transport, bereft of eye contact and basic politeness. The useful feature of personal communication is that people tend to slow their walking pace, becoming human obstacles during peak-hour, human traffic. We may be, unconsciously, voyeuristic in studying what people do, or even (if we are ever so lucky) be unaware of being stalked by others. Social media is definitely not for the paranoid and purposefully private, but great for the exhibitionist – if you catch my drift.

I am watching The Social Network (screenplay brilliantly written by West Wing co-writer, Aaron Sorkin), which is essentially the story about the co-founders of Facebook and their tumultuous relationships. Facebook has become a global social phenomenon. In one startling scene where Mark Zuckerberg is checking news on Bosnia, a young female lawyer exclaims: ‘There are no roads in Bosnia, but there is Facebook?’ Tributes poured in from the tribes of Apple users, when it was announced that Steve Jobs passed away. That summarises the impact of social media on us.

If one online medium or portal does not meet your needs, discard it. There are too many applications that may not serve our long-term needs. Instead of managing a stable of such relatively under-utilised resources, restrict your attention to them. Be conservative, and conserve your energies and enthusiasm for the mundane. If you connect with your tribe on one medium actively, then stay steadfast and true to one that delivers the most return on your investment. There is not clout in being cloudy in your thinking. Cloud computing will only channel you towards your confusion.

Now, back to where we were earlier: How do you purposefully connect with others? How do you enhance and value each connection?

Conversations With An Elite Runner: Nathan Carlson

Nate Carlson is a physical therapist with the U.S. Armed Forces. He is also one of their elite runners, traveling internationally as well as within his country to race. He won the Maui Half-Marathon last month, and did the Singapore Bay Run 2011 in about 1:09 – where we connected, through Dave Low (Top in CEO Challenge at the Aviva Singapore Ironman 70.3, and Kona finisher); Dave was our first interviewee when we started this blog. Nate is very well liked within his community, and I thought it would be a treat to tap on his expertise. By the way, 1 mile is equivalent to 1.609 kilometres. If you have any questions about running, please forward them to this blog. Enjoy!

How can a physical therapist assist sportspeople, specifically?

A physical therapist can do running form analysis to break down specific flaws in a sportsperson’s form to give suggestions on how to correct these flaws to improve running efficiency and economy with the ultimate goal of running injury and pain-free. If a runner can train injury-free, then they can improve their physical fitness level over a longer period of time. As training intensity is increased, this will translate into better race times in the long run. 

Additionally, a physical therapist is an expert in body mechanics and training program progression. They can prescribe a program consisting of exercises and alternative workouts that can help rehabilitate a sportsperson and prevent future injuries. 

A physical therapist can diagnose specific physical limitations, weather it is muscle tightness, muscle weakness/imbalances, spinal misalignments, or joint impairments that may need extra attention to facilitate recovery and prevent injury. Every physical therapist has their strength and weaknesses. Some may even specialize in working with sportspeople in general.

How many years have you been practicing? 

I’ve been practicing Physical Therapy for over three-and-a-half years. 

How do you apply your knowledge on PT to your own training? 

Specifically – in injury prevention. I do this through proper recovery, knowledge, and application of correct strength training methods; and proper training volume progression. I never increase my running mileage more than 15% week when my training volume is high. I take at least one rest day every week. I apply my knowledge of running mechanics to adjust my form to improve efficiency and decrease injury risk.  

How is training for the 10K and 21K different? 

The 10K requires a greater emphasis on shorter and fast speed workouts, so include track workouts and faster tempo runs at or just under goal race pace.10k does not require a huge mileage base and your long runs do not need to be greater than 12 miles. For me 21K requires at least 55-70 miles/week, with long runs in excess of 14 miles, plus with longer tempo runs of 30-40 minutes at or just under goal race pace. The distance tempo runs and mileage will get your lungs aerobically conditioned but you still need to make sure you have some faster hill repeats, track intervals (800m and under at 5k race pace) to get your legs conditioned to handle a hard pace or surges under your average race pace.

Which is your favorite format: 10K or 21K? Why? 

I enjoy the 21K because I feel like I can relax more and get in a rhythm.

Do you run marathons? Which was your favorite?

Have not run a full marathon yet. However, I may jump into the Honolulu Marathon this December. I’m more of a speed guy.

What was your best 10K time? How did you accomplish that?

Ha, ha. I actually ran at 31:45 split at the 10K mark during the Army 10-Miler on 9 October 2011. I did this off of 21K training (as above). Other than that, I have not run a fast 10K because I have not entered one where there was competition and I was fit.

Do you drink on your 10K races? How often do you drink in the 21K?

I don’t drink during a 10K. I may drink 3-4 times during a 21K depending upon the level of heat and humidity. Usually at 6 miles, 9-10 miles, and 11. I usually take a gel pack 40 mintes before the race and at around the10-mile mark.

What do you enjoy most about running?

Using the God-given gift to inspire others and honor God with my efforts. Running is my most relaxing time of the day where I can let go of the cares of the day and think or not think at all. Most of the time I talk to Jesus and pray for my friends and family. When I run, I feel God’s pleasure and feel alive! When I was a young child, I watched the movie “Chariots of Fire” and it inspired me to run with a fire in my heart and run not just for myself but to impact those around me with my gift!

Which kinds of cross-training do you do?

Swimming, cycling, and surfing. Light resistance training and core training with movements specific to the sport I’m competing in.

Common injuries you encounter with your running patients?

Overuse injuries from increasing training volume to quickly or changing to minimalist shoes without a slow progression.

Choice of shoes: minimalist, racers, or normal trainers?

I use minimalist or lightweight racers for all my training. However, I advise people to not change if they are not having any injuries. Minimalistic or racing shoes with little to no heel raise, cause increased load on the Achilles tendon and can lead to tendonitis, arch strain, and calf pain. If you are going to transition to minimalistic shoes, gradually progress over a 2-3 month period.

Do you train solo or in groups? Reason?

Currently, I train solo because I don’t have anybody around that trains at my intensity level. But, I prefer group training at least 2-3 times a week because it keeps you accountable on your hard days or easy days. Group training will push you beyond the levels that you thought possible on your hard days and then make sure that you train easy on your easy days. The key is to been in a group with a few people that are at the same level as you or just slightly faster. If you are training over your head, then you will get injured. If you are training with people below your ability, then you will not improve.

Favorite race-courses?

Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom 10-Miler; Maui Half-Marathon and Marathon course; North Shore Sprint Triathlon (Oahu, HI), Anheuser Busch Williamsburg, VA Half-Marathon at William & Mary College; Ford Island Bridge 10K, Hawaii.  My original passion is Track and Field, and my favorite tracks to compete at are: The Armory Indoor Track facility in New York, Hayward Field at University of Oregon, The Mt. SAC Relay’s in California, and The University of Washington indoor track. 

Aloha Days in Kona in October: The Ironman World Championships

Since it has been a day after the exciting World Triathlon Championships in Kona, Hawaii I decided to write about the energy of the Big Island. What attracts 25,000 spectators to line the streets and 5,000 volunteers to help out in what can be described as the ‘Toughest Day On Earth’?

In September, I met the elite runners of the US Armed Forces who were here for the Singapore Bay Run/Army Half-Marathon. I found out, intuitively, that denizens of Hawaii tend to have a glow about them. Perhaps, it is the magic of the Big Island that engulfs them, as intensely as the strong winds and stifling heat of the historically, luxuriant, volcanic island. The mystique of the island revived the popular television series ‘Hawaii Five-O’ and was the location for ‘Lost’. 6-time Ironman champion, Mark Allen was a convert to the ‘spiritual homeland of Ironman triathlon’ and works with a modern-day Shaman on a mind-body renewal retreat/workshop each year. Peter Reid used to live for weeks in Spartan conditions, training and winning his championship Ironman titles.

We interviewed Wilson Low late last year. Since he graduated from Australia with a degree in journalism, he has been busy with online reviews, active in coaching adventure-racing endurance athletes, and racing. I asked him about his experience competing with 1,800 other elite age-groupers a few years ago. Even as a wordsmith, he had difficulty describing it.

‘It is too easy to get lost in the hype of the Race Exposition, or the throng of the visor-Oakley-compression-clad crowds. It is a feel-good atmosphere where everyone sizes you up without a word being said. You feel small and unimportant, but you also feel that you have a point to prove to yourself, if not your friends, family, and fellow athletes back home - that you deserve to have that shot on the World Championship course. Everyone looks SUPER FIT; no one breaststrokes during swim practice off the pier; perfunctory 'hellos' inevitably drift to the topic of where/how/what position/race timing you achieved for qualification. Every visitor that week, it seems, worked their arse off to qualify to be there, and is not afraid to share the story of their Ironman journey with you - so you do the same.’

He added, ‘In spite of that, I feel that my Ironman journey was an introspective one; one that was purely focused on delivering the best I could give of myself on race day. I certainly made lots of friends and acquaintances during the trip, but as part of the itinerary of the tour group (I traveled with Tri-Travel, the Australian-based company for M-Dot athletes), there were times when I just had to break away and execute my own program.

‘No one expects you to know them or acknowledge them, least of all, the professional athletes. You know that everyone who is there is there on a mission - to race the biggest and most important race of their triathlon season, if not career. I rode behind a tapering Chris McCormack one day on Ali'i Drive on the way to get some snacks at the ABS Store, and did not even bat an eyelid.

‘The best focus is being unemotional during the race. I saved the gushing and adoration for post-race, where I managed to get Craig ‘Crowie’ Alexander at the finish-line to autograph a visor; I also ambushed Chrissie (Wellington) after midnight on Ali'i to autograph my Cervelo P2C (she was riding the same frame then). More photo opportunities the next day at the Oakley truck with Chrissie and Crowie again. During the race, I posted my PB timing for the Iron-distance, and really appreciated the fact that I could stay aware to achieve that.’

Ng Yong Feng was there as a spectator about two years ago. He was staying near the transition area, so was limited in his travel outside. He described his experience as: ‘The energy there was high! I will re-visit Kona again, just to view the race and take photographs. There were many awesome moments!’

There you have it. Two perspectives as to why we may consider visiting Kona, Hawaii in October each year.

Swim For Hope Charity Weekend

Today was the Swim For Hope Charity event. Our Monday Tri-Swim Group pledged, collectively, to complete 2,900 laps. Our group initiated this as an interim training event, and also to do our bit and bid for charity. It was also strategised that we would recover some errant and missing swimmers over the weeks.

After watching online the first two hours and last two hours (before the male winner crossed the finish-line) of the Ironman championships in Kona, I was still sleepy and anticipated a challenging 50-lap swim. It was an exciting although relatively windless day in Kona, and Craig ‘Crowie’Alexander and Chrissy Wellington won their third and fourth Ironman triathlon world championship titles, respectively. The salient points were that Crowie broke the world record (previously held by Luc Van Lierde) by 12 seconds, and Chrissy accomplished her task after a bike fall barely a week ago. Their runner-up counterparts – Pete ‘PJ’ Jacobs and last year’s winner Mirinda ‘Rinny’ Carfrae – gave the eventual (and bookies' favourites) winners a run for their money, which is a whopping US$110,000 each for the champion’s purse. Singaporeans Choo Ling Er and Alvin Lee both successfully completed their foray to Kona in enviable times.

Back to our Sunday swimming soiree: About 30 swimmers showed up for the 10.30am flag-off. Clifford Lee (who eventually swam 110 laps of the Olympic-distance pool at SAFRA Tampines) was the first to break the water with the first wave of swimmers. The intention of the event was a fund-raiser for our Paralympians (who did a swim demonstration for us at midday, during our scheduled rest period) to have resources to participate in overseas events. I greeted Adam 'One-Armed Runner' - an accomplished endurance athlete - who is stoked as ever with charity events. 

Each swimmer swam one lap (50m) and switched to the lane on our left, and swam back. Volunteers would wrap two red rubberbands around our wrist; 10 red bands equaled one yellow band, which we exchanged for at a both. Each exchange gave us one coupon, upon which we wrote our contact details and entitled us to a lucky draw, and documented our swim. Many of the older swimmers were reminded of our secondary school days where we participated in the Pesta Sukan Swim, where 30 laps completed earned us the exact number of bands (with soft coloured tags) that was exchanged for a certificate of completion. Who would know decades later that we would do similarly for charity! Today's event raised S$20,000.

We, essentially, found our own private lanes electing to swim in lanes with fewer breast-strokers. Many of use found mild frustration swimming behind breast-strokers, which meant uncomfortable touching of other people’s feet. We learnt to switch lanes, and find our space and complete our commitment. We also found our graciousness to share space and accommodate those who reached fatigue, or were experiencing their first long-distance swim.

My supportive team-mates encouraged me to do another 10 laps over my 50 laps. I did do another 500m and completed 3K in what can be described as a fun, frothy, fruitful and friendly day; the Angry Birds head-gear were kind of suspect. There were no fruit during lunch, except chicken rice and Jo Lene's cheese-cake (which was polished off gratefully without preamble). Thanks everyone for making this a charitable day, and day of charity! Big shout out to Richard Leong and Dennis Quek (for his many underwater shots) for capturing the valuable pictorial moments.

Leadership Lessons: When was the last time you got into the deep end? How do you respond to a call for assistance? How far are you willing to stretch yourself physically, mentally and with your values? How often do you connect with the values of care, consideration, generosity of spirit, and a sense of community?

Photo-credit: Dennis Quek & Richard Leong

Stuffed Toys & Bird Caps: Leow Jo Lene

Angry Birds Models: Andy Foo & Jo Lene

Tomorrow: The Kona Experience for Spectator and Competitor

Shadowing The Moves: Real Steel

One-line review: A futuristic version of Over The Top meets Rocky VI meets Short Circuit.

Charlie (Hugh Jackman) is a down-and-out, ex-professional boxer who almost made it to the big time – having lasted the rounds with the second-best boxer in the world. Now a robot-boxer owner, he participates in unsanctioned tournaments with mechanical monsters that slug their way in strongly reinforced rings. When his ex-girlfriend dies, he is united with his 11-year-old son Max (Dakota Goyo). Being irresponsible, he decides to ‘sell’ his paternal rights over to his sister-in-law, on condition that he cares for his son for two months while his son’s wealthy future, foster parents go on vacation.

What follows is their struggle to reconcile their bloodline differences, with their love for boxing. His son finds a sparring robot, Atom during a near-death accident in a decommissioned robot junkyard; he restores it to operational readiness. Atom is a sparing robot (which can take massive blows to its body) and shadow boxer, and obeys every minute movement that his operator makes. With his father’s girlfriend, Bailley’s (Evangeline Lilly from television series, Lost) help, he restores and reprograms Atom into a reputable boxer. In the final fight against the reigning fighting robot champion (Zeus), Atom and Charlie will be tested – man and machine – for proof of their worth.

Australian, Hugh Jackman proves again why he is a rugged action-star, playing characters as diverse as Wolverine to a cattle wrangler (in Australia) to computer hacker (Swordfish). Real Steel is based on a 1956 story written by Richard Matheson. The film used animatronics and motion-capture technology for the combating robots. The final fight scene is the icing on the cake for this 127-minute story, with the muscular Jackman shadow boxing along with his mechanical counterpart.

Overall, I found the film to be fun and feel good with enough action, humour and a decent storyline. I give it a 3.5/5 rating.

Running Away in Macintoshes

The weekend beckons. My students announced it with their dress-down gear today, signaling to me early this morning that it was TGIF. Aware of this acronym, I converted it into the anagram ‘GIFT’. Some well-intentioned posters remind us, incessantly, on Facebook about the innocuous cliché that the ‘present’ moment is a ‘gift’. After the landslide of tributes in the last 24 hours for Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs I am mindful of ‘being in the moment’ and appreciating my presence, as well that of others.

I am writing this post on my 2-year-old iMac – a clever investment from a computer fair. I am a heavy user since I have written dozens of training manual, two novels, countless business proposals, thousands of e-mails, and 2.5 years worth of blogging on it. I have fond memories of my adventures - loaded as photographs and videos - in this workstation, and I continue to receive them when friends enthusiastically ‘tag’ me; this was a recent one of me sprinting to the finish-line (and taken by volunteers of the Yellow Ribbon Project Run, held a fortnight ago).

The weather has been quirky, opting to rain heavily in the evening. It has been five days since I rode my bike, and almost a week since I ran. My mild, but annoying, condition of plantar fasciitis has just about cleared. Having collected my race-pack with running partner for The North Face (TNF) 100 Duo, I am strongly reminded of my date-with-fate the following Saturday morning at 7.00am. I will be running 50K worth of rugged terrain, over relatively unfamiliar and mostly uncomfortable terrain. I am not versatile on trail, and the closest I have been to a dusty or muddy trail was my 5K Time Trial with MR25 in August. I have not used my Camel-Pak water-pouch for almost a year, and I am concerned about potential abrasions. My right rotator cuff is playing up, and I hope that it would be stable enough for the pounding I will subject my body and feet to. I have my work cut out for me.

My strategy for the 50K trail run is simple, however not easy. I intend to do daily runs from now till Thursday, over varying terrain for about 10-12K per session. I will be using my Camel-Pak, studying which are the potential pressure-points and abrasion-prone areas on my body. I am likely to race in my tri-gear as they are my workhorse clothes when I race, and I like to treat each race as a race-day simulation. I hope to hold 8-9K per hour on the hills and trails, and about 10K on the flats. Conservative will be my approach, and conversational would be my pace. I will fuel up at 30-minute intervals, with a variety of sweeteners (mainly maltodextrin-based gels and bars). More importantly, as a team-partner I will stick with Hui Koon for as long as I can. My motivation would be a Subway foot-long sandwich with the ‘works’.

I will be swimming this Sunday at a charity, and hope to complete a steady 50 laps (2.5K). Time to rest up and do a 21K tomorrow morning, rain or shine. Have a very good weekend, all!

Remembrances & Ruminations

Emperor: ‘The Samurai is not a man now. He is an idea. Tell me how he died.’

Algren: ‘I will tell you how he lived.’

- THE LAST SAMURAI

Today was a day of sadness: Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios’ CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs passed away (1955-2011). The digital media mogul behind the infinite success of the iPod, iPad, iMac and iPhone and the book ‘The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs’ inspired netizens to watch his YouTube broadcast of his speech to graduates at Stanford University’s 114th Commencement. His first bout of cancer and his relative mortality, inspired him to draw from some of his most pivotal points in his life:

‘Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.’

The social media was abuzz with announcements, and then tributes poured in for the iconic entrepreneur and founder of Apple. People have been affected and influenced by Jobs; he left behind him a legacy that is larger than his life.

This week, I attended my business partner’s mother’s funeral. After we paid our last respects to her, we adjourned to the sitting area for conversation. We caught up with old friends and acquaintances, and met new ones. When you embrace death as a natural part of life, it becomes a significant stage of our lives, too. Birth, life, and death – the cycle spins for all within the Universe.

Why is it some concerned mourners ask the morbid question: ‘How did they die?’ What is this fascination for dying? I was never comfortable with the process of dying, however I am familiar and aligned with the grieving process associated with loss of a loved one: denial, anger, acceptance and commitment.

I will be writing a tribute for a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) Singapore Ring 115 - Pei Seh Leong. I solicited thoughts from his son, Jeremy and our members so as to paint a complete montage of a magician we lost – we call him a Broken Wand – for he will never again wave his magic wand (an allegorical symbol of a magical entertainer). It is my pleasure to help craft his obituary for I am honoured to speak well of him with others.

Remember our dead! Celebrate our living.

Credit: Winston Koh, for being acute curator of Steve Jobs’ speech.

Photo-credit of Mr Pei Seh Leong: Jeremy Pei.