the putty in my left hand

small, indistinct, shapeless, and pink!

but the best thing to work with at this point in time. 

baby steps

today, i finally managed to cut my fingernails.

daily therapy from that piece of pink silly putty strengthened my left thumb and fingers.

don't laugh at such a seemingly simple and mundane task.

it's progress. i'm happy.

next task: make a complete 'thumbs up' sign with my left thumb.

about the flag...

who wouldn't want the heathier alternative?

i refer to this article which says that the health ministry is going to launch a programme to get hawkers to use heathier ingredients in their cooking.

i may be ignorant, but i didn't know that we could ask for healthier alternatives when ordering our food at hawker centers. i mean, i knew i had the right to request for extra chilli or requesting not to have pork liver or cockles. but asking for low saturated fat?

how many hawkers would even bat an eyelid to your requests for special 'heathier' alternative ingredients?

just look at our type of 'singapore' food: laksa, chicken rice, char kway teow.

would switching to low-fat saturated oils make a difference? in taste or in authenticity?

also, doesn't it boil down to cost of ingredients? i've heard of hawkers buying very cheap low-grade cooking oils and ingredients, just so their profit margins are bigger.

'cheaper' ingredients and 'heathier' ingredients don't seem to complement each other in terms of hawker economics.

so what if i want my 'heathier' char kway teow? will the hawker accede to my request? at what expense (if any)?

then let's look at the first paragraph of the article:

"Half of all Singaporeans will likely benefit from eating healthier hawker fare, if it's prepared using low-fat saturated oils and condensed milk. "

i'm sure the consumer would welcome the heathier choice. but would the hawker be prepared?

how is the health ministry tacking this? there's no use in encouraging singaporeans to eat healthy when the costs of ingredients remains high.

my only link to getting me back to singapore

i bought this RoadID several months back because i was sick of carrying my IC around during training and during races. i bought it also as a statement to tell others that it was important to carry a form of ID around, whether swimming, cycling, running, hiking, or even going for a holiday. other than attaching it to my wrist on days of training and racing, the RoadID would be velcroed on my crumpler bag when i go to work or bring it outdoors.

engraved on the RoadID are my name, NRIC, nationality, parents' phone numbers, blood group, drug allergies (NKDA - no known drug allergies), and my mantra - Luke 1:37 (For nothing is impossible with God)

i chose yellow because it replicates the Livestrong band, which is also a motivating symbol that nothing is impossible.

last sunday at port dickson and seremban, the effectiveness of the RoadID came into full use.

my crash during the port dickson tri left me with nothing except my trisuit, polar hrm, one cycling glove, and my RoadID. i didn't even have my eyeglasses or footwear with me. no passport, no mobile phone. nothing else.

and no one could converse in english, except the doctors. and my behasa melayu was limited.

my left arm suffered compound fractures with a puncture wound. i was conscious but losing some blood.

my RoadID was the only form of identification that i kept pointing out to medical staff that i was singaporean. the details on it were exactly the ones i needed them to know. i made sure i didn't lose sight of my vital RoadID even when they took it out to copy the information.

my RoadID also reminded me to keep focused on God and to rely on Him to get me out of the situation safely.

imagine if i was unconscious.

my RoadID just motivated the rest of the gang to get theirs soonest possible. i think the store in US must be processing a bulk order from singapore now. :) 

published? frontcover?

i received this edition of sportmag in the mail yesterday. me? in the frontcover? heehee.... 

Justice League Superheroes: Iron Maiden meets Ironmunn

Pau came to visit me this morning with Albert and Andy Smallcircle. Pau had similar injuries sustained 2 weeks before mine at the Singapore OSIM Triathlon.

she broke her right arm but she's a leftie, while i'm a rightie who broke the left arm.

she gave me lots of valuable advise. at least i know what is expected in time to come.

we'll take on the challenges ahead with our iron fists! 

mobility 101: accepting the fact; appreciating the mundane

it's the 2nd day since i got home from the hospital.

it's no joke figuring how to do the chores with just one hand and relearning the use of the other. on the one hand, i can do the job, but on the other hand i can't.... yeah, the pun was intended. :)

it's a whole new discovery - the pain, patience, and consequent accomplishments through sweat, blood and tears. literally. every single baby step is accomplishment, and that means progress towards recovery.

i have no idea how long recuperation will take, but i believe - to a certain extent - it's up to the individual's determination, patience, and threshold for pain.

no pain, no gain.

today, i managed to wrap my left arm with clingwrap so i could shower without getting my wounds wet.

i also managed to hang the laundry out to dry, and it took thrice the normal time taken plus lots of perspiration.

i tried to clip my right-hand fingernails with my left hand, but i don't have enough strength to press on the nailclippers. i couldn't even handle simple lever mechanisms. i've decided to reject help from mom to cut my nails. just because i want to cut them myself as i built strength in my left digits. that would be a milestone, however mundane it seems.

i'm still typing with one hand. not too bad.

mom also got me some therapy putty to squeeze. it's like squeezing playdoh and constantly molding it with your hands and fingers. not easy when you're trying to regain strength. sometimes there's pain, and then i'll stop.

slowly but surely. i'll get there.

it's as if i'm only at the starting line-up of an OD triathlon. but there's a finishing line.

i'll get there.

thank you all!, from the bottom of the one-arm munndit's heart

dear all,

it's been a long journey getting my arm fixed and it's gonna be a long road to recovery. despite the hassle and pain, i am determined to get this over and done with. it's no joke trying to accomplish even the most mundane of chores - stretching a rubberband, showering, holding a fork, etc. yes, i can type but it's not easy to do punctuation too.

anyway, it's also very tiring to type long letters coz i have to prop my left arm at 90 degrees so there's no swelling.

my scars are ugly. i am frankenmunn. but they serve as a reminder for many things.

thanks to all who have sent their wishes and goodwill.

thanks to everyone who helped me and my barang home safely. it's great to come home for treatment. that's why i kept smiling.

thanks to all who came over for a visit. your presence brightened up my day.

i would like to reassure all that the ironmunn experience is not one to be taken lightly. i broke the mid section of the ulna and radial bones, and shattered my wristbones. there are enough metal pieces in me to set airport security alarms off. on the bright side, you can stick notes and fridge magnets on my left arm. my left arm is heavier than some of your bikes. dig that. i'm home recovering now.

bionicmunn? let's rest first. i intend to 'ctrl', 'alt', 'del' myself. reset myself.

what do i mean?

'ctrl': regain control of my mobility in my left hand.
'alt': alternate forms of exercise - pilates and lots of therapy.
'del': delete the past and look forward. whether i get back to tri, i will leave that to the willingness of my body.

for now, i might see you on the starting line of 10km stanchart. i'll restart my journey from there.

again.

cheers!

Munn down! Munn down!

i just got back from the national university hospital after spending 4 days there. broke my left forearm in 3 places - mid ulna, mid radial, and smashed my wrist bones during the port dickson tri. now undergoing therapy to regain mobility of the left hand.

will write more.

it isn't easy typing with one hand... but nothing is possible....

and everything is possible with God.

Be careful now. You wouldn't want to be caught flying the State Flag for an extra day, would you?

This is another thing about Singapore I just don't understand.

Here's a report stating that rules would be relaxed for flying the national flag.

Until most recently, the national flag could only be displayed at residences in the month of August, which happens to be the month for national day celebrations.

"Some" Singaporeans have expressed that they wish to fly the flag earlier in July. So the Ministry of Information, Communication, and the Arts (MICA) is allowing residents to do so, albeit on a TRIAL BASIS.

What the heck should the basis for this trial be? Why must everything be 'on a trial basis'?

It just goes to show something about some of our decision/policy makers:

1. They are so uniquely Singaporean kiasu,
2. They don't trust Singaporeans that the flag can be flown appropriately in the month of July (or for a slightly extended period),
3. They don't trust themselves in making the policy - they don't think a simple extension of flag-flying would work!

Just let the flag be displayed and be flown without all these barriers and 'trial periods'.

Let Singaporeans be proud of their flag! Let's go back to the meaning of our national flag and celebrate our unity and brotherhood as Singaporeans!

Up Your Sir's Ass

I know, I know I'm sounding crude here. Sorry. I apologise.

My entry is based on this media report: Singapore can achieve superior service standards in 2 years. The statement was said by this American service guru called Ron Kaufman, who is also the author of 'Up Your Service'.

First of all, what the heck is a 'service guru'? Does coming from America make a person a 'guru' of sorts? So he knows alot about service? Does he know about different cultural types of 'service'? How about cross-cultural service, for example how an Asian might treat a gwai-loh?

And what is that sweeping statement all about? Define 'superior service standards'. It's not like your regular 'superior shark fin soup', mind you!

I don't think it takes a guru to rate anyone's service standards. If it's bad, it's bad. If it's worth the commendation, then service will be rewarded. And so he claims that Singapore can achieve superior service standards in 2 years.

Someone please take note of this for the Joke of the Week.

Also, the report mentioned a fine example of service quality in Lim Ah Buay, who visits patients even after they are discharged! You know why she got mentioned? Because she keeps asking people if they have drank enough!

"Lim Ah Buay?"
"Lim liao" or "Ah Buay Lim"

Okay... so that was a classic FOS moment. I just had to let it out.

Another thing irks me. Some civil servants actually have to go to the Up Your Service College to be certified.

If we're going to be Japanese standard in service, then it's gonna take more than 2 years. Trust me, coz I'm also a service guru. Really.

I'm back!

Alright folks!

I'm back! Actually I was 'released' about 2 weeks ago but I didn't have the time to update. Rest assured, I have many things to write about and I promise to insert my thoughts as we go along.

I'm gonna talk about the 3G Army transformation and how it has got a positive impact on me.

I'll also talk about some World Cup stuff.

Then there'll always be the transportation / trafficky stuff I'll bitch about as usual.

Stay tuned.