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Merry Christmas!

Shaun
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0
Merry Christmas!
Sonic Santa

Ho Ho Ho, it is the time of the year to be joyful and merry. It’s the period of festive goodies, Christmas trees, presents and rain deers, it’s all about the spirit of giving and sharing, not to mention Christmas dinners with your friends or family.

Yes, it’s time of the year again which just gives you that warm fuzzy feeling despite all the downs this year- a rather “throw it aside way” to escape the torrent year with this period of festivities.

After all, it’s the season to be jolly.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Got my Phiten Rakuwa x30 and x45 at a bargain!

Shaun
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9
Got my Phiten Rakuwa x30 and x45 at a bargain!
phiten necklace bargain!

Its time of the year again and Christmas is around the corner. Thank god I’ve managed to get all those gifts, chocolate and greeting cards sent already, so I can very much relax for the week towards Christmas and manage a blog entry here as well, man it had been ages!

Some of my little indulges I made before Christmas will have to be this revolutionary sports bands a few of my track mates recommended me to use. Based on what they claim, it genuinely help in the aiding of muscle recovery and blood circulation to injured areas through a titanium ion resonance theory which originated from Japan. So what other better way than to pamper myself than to get few myself to try out. Lol, even if all those health benefits claims are bullshit, after all these necklaces look damn freaking sleek by themselves as a fashion accessory.

These bands are cool man, it’s like a must have for any runner out there. The thing is that though Phiten have their branches here in Singapore, namely their boutiques in Changi General Hospital, Marina Square as well as Taka, the price of these babies is a major turn off for me, about $60 to $70 each for the high end X30 to X45 ranges. I’ve got my Rakuwa X30 Red checkered (a rather rare colour) as well as the limited X45 black necklace ordered through a store on Ebay (thanks for the tip Elrick!) at only half the price you can get them in Singapore including shipping! One week later it was delivered straight to my door step! Whoa! It’s the real deal, made in Japan and shipped from Hong Kong (that’s a hint for ya).

Man! I know buying books off Amazon is cheap, but these at half price woot!

2 days to the 2008 Singapore Marathon! Marathon tips galore

Shaun
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4
2 days to the 2008 Singapore Marathon! Marathon tips galore
SCM 07 Prerace

It’s time of the year again- running season with the Singapore Marathon this coming Sunday. I won’t be running this year’s race, so I won’t be able to do much of a pep and review of the race. Nevertheless, here are some notables for this year’s race as well as some tips I have in pacing.

Looks like this year’s race will be rather interesting as well. For starter’s this year’s event is the largest to date. Singapore’s Muhammad Shad Feroz will be running tied as Kenya’s Henry Wanyoike’s running guide in this year’s race, as Joseph Kibunja is down with injuries. I remembered seeing them as they pass me on the return journey after marina bay on the esplanade bridge in last year’s race, in their relative speed, they were like almost literally sprinting throughout their half marathon. You can really see the bond, trust and soul in their run- and I guess that is what the race is all about.

Tips in pacing
The pacers to look out for this year will be the official Team Adidas pacers (in light blue Adidas wear) as well as Team Fatbird (in Nike dark blue running attire). Trifam is not the officially pacing this guess I believe. Remember, if you are sticking to pacers, try not to run in front of the pacing group and keep your pace constant (i.e don’t speed up or slow suddenly), this will be beneficial to all the runners within the group. If you have the capacity to jump a notch up in the pacing group (say from 5.30hrs to 5.00 and so on), break free from the group and run at a constant pace till you meet the other pacing group in front, then stick with them. Once you are accustomed, then go on for the 4.30 or 4.00 using the pacing groups as “slingshots”. Do note and make you have the capacity to do so before attempting the next bar as doing so will burn you out earlier in the marathon compared to sticking to a group.

Waterpoint tips
Stand Chart races are known for their excellent race management, not to mention waterpoints as well. A 100 plus umbrella at a waterpoint do really mean that there is 100 plus dispensed there and they are usually located at the front and end of the waterpoint, unless stated “water only”, so do make full use of the length of the waterpoints and take a cup near the end, where the crowd is usually thinner or even, non-existent. this will help in clearing the congestion, particularly from the 30km mark onwards, where many runners will start to “hit the wall”.

Also, take sips and watch for spills- a wet shoe accelerates abrasion in your shoe- it’s like asking for foot-full of blisters within 5km, so take precautions not to spill your drinks, particularly watching where you throw your cup as well, do you not want a cup full of 100 plus being splashed onto you as you are overtaking near the bins right?

Some other tips

  • Deep heat is good, but don’t go for every opportunity there is. It more of a mental placebo after multiple applications as it won’t be effective then.
  • Do not open and gobble up your power gel the moment you get your hands on one, only to have to deal with a sticky mouth and hands for the almost a few kilometers before the next water point. Instead grab one and only down it once you see a water point or those signs indicating one coming up.
  • The dusk time is a popular time where “ninjas” will run into the bushes for business, especially round the popular marina bay area, despite portable potty stationed at water points (which usually have at least 3-4 people queuing at any given time). Instead, time your toilet urges properly, clear yourself before the start of the race at home (not at the event toilets) and time a break in between at toilets along the route (e.g petrol kiosks, etc), avoiding popular areas like the East Coast toilet unless you really need to. From experience unless you have a bad bowel urge, a pre-race toilet break will usually see you toilet-free even until the end of the marathon- you will sweat everything out and your urine will be dark and minimal post-race, which is completely normal.
  • For clothing abrasions, Vaseline is far better than anything, including plasters. Look for the medical points and the staff there will be more than willing to supply you with some.
  • You can take passive and active means to counter blisters. Besides taping up your blister prone areas before the race, if you feet is prone to blistering (or if you know it will after a certain distance). Tear off some spare duct tape (aka black tape) and row say a good 20cm of it into a small row and stow it say, in your running pocket or a running pouch. Make an impromptu pit stop (or when there is no medical point nearby) and wrap your toes up mid-race if need be, it’s a real life saver.

For those running your first marathon, it will be an eye opener for you, and a personal record in the making as well, remember- finishing it no matter what timing you have it what that matters.

Take care and have a great race come Sunday!

Offer by University College London

Shaun
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4
Offer by University College London

Got an email from UCL (University College London) telling me that I’ve been awarded an unconditional offer to do my BA and Masters of Engineering next year. Strangely with my application last September, I didn’t expect an offer to come too soon, as I thought it will only be announced next year around January. They were however, the first the acknowledged my application, followed by Cambridge then Imperial. It turns out that they are the first this time again with the offer!

Things are getting exciting, lets see what Cambridge and Imperial for me. And oh yea, been busy writing a new article for the site the past week, it will be ready soon, I apologize for my long absence from blogging over the last week as well.

Street news, runners rejoice! The official Nike village has opened at Wisma, taking the place of Top Shop.

Sitex is on now in Singapore, but based from what I heard, it’s not too appealing either.

Taking a Break

Shaun
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2
Taking a Break
Kacang Puteh Man at Catay

Just as how carefree the kacang puteh man sold me snacks at the Catay previously, makes me wonder that sometimes, the best things in life are the simple little things- Simple little things which we often go unnoticed in our endless wants.

And it’s not just the snack mind you, it’s like a catalyst to a familiar realisation of thoughts- sometimes you just have to appreciate the simple things of life, given the mist of all the hustle sand bustles in this highly materialistic world, particularly here. It pays to reflect on your actions and recuperate what you’ve done for the year. After all, the year end is drawing near.

If you’ve been following my blog, this year was a plenty for me and I think it’s the most I’ve done and accomplished so far in a long time. However, this year end period is particularly a crucial one, a life changing one together with lots of university admission work determining what I will doing for the next 4 years or so. That includes whether will I be able to do my Masters and secure a place in good universities abroad.

I will be taking in very much fewer freelance jobs this year end, furthermore given the fact that I will be abroad at most of the time it will be rather difficult to do freelancing either. Maybe it’s time to take a break and relax, or maybe take up Yoga, well despite, that is being banned across the causeway as well.

Nike Lunarlite Flywire Racer+ Review – Verdict

Shaun
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2
Nike Lunarlite Flywire Racer+ Review – Verdict
Nike Lunar Racer/Trainer

After more runs with my “marathon capable” Nike Lunar racer, here is the 2nd installment to my review of this fantastic pair of running shoes. I can’t deny that my following runs after my first with this pair were quite abrasively painful, particularly given my gait change to this new shoe, so I needed a longer resting time and rotating between shoes for the skin abrasions on the side of the big toe and the last toe to heal before giving the shoes another fair go.

I brought the shoes out for more short-middle distance long runs to test the cushioning, together with some track 400m speedwork to test the responsiveness and feedback.

With each passing run, I am glad to say that the shoe is more accustomed to fit my foot now and I am starting to see the potential of this pair of racers. Considering me myself being a long time Nike skeptic for their running shoes, this racer had quite a formidable task to proof itself worthy into my running arsenal mainly dominated by Asics, Mizuno and New Balance shoes for most of my active running period.

I will be breaking down my thoughts for this pair of shoes over few following areas. Though the shoe is not perfect, it’s combination of many performance factors coupled with it’s weight advantages which makes it really impressive for it’s class. Looks like we have a winner here.

Mid sole
The mid sole is shaped like an accordion, and acts like one too- returning energy after each running stride. It is also blessed with a rather broad waffle base which acts like a piston to push off the foot on each strike. Though this really made the mid sole stick out, that didn’t not bother me much at all. The shoes have a bouncy feel when you are jumping around stationary, almost too cushiony. The shoe still maintains this light bounciness on light jog, however, it turned firm and responsive when you start to pick up speed. Just like a performance car on sports mode, you can simply just feel the shoe stiffen up in response when running in them, and that really give me some good support and protection to your legs as a whole and a good stable and a responsive take-off when you are up for it. It’s amazing for a sole so minimal.

Upper
The body of the shoe is wrapped in a modified synthetic rubber compound we know as Nike Free, allowing for an anatomical fit over a gradual break in. This fit also allows the muscles in the foot to gain strength by providing less constriction, it will be advised to gradually break into the shoe rather than immediately running long distances as to prevent muscle cramps and other discomforts. This material also gives the shoe a rather waterproof amphibious feel typical in those worn by tri-athletes let be steeple chase runners themselves. Ventilation is adequate with a breathable mesh construction and my feet was relatively dry after a 10km run in plain cotton non-neoprene socks. There is quite a lack of internal padding inside the shoe- mostly made of the synthetic rubber, which do not look will expand very easily. I am wary whether this material will be able to expand over time, but my bet is, if you were to get this pair of racers, it’s wise to get 1/2 size wider than your usual sizing.

Nike lunar racer test run- Equipment check!

Road Performance
I can say, having ran with other lightweight racers before, this shoe is a serious competitor to other trainers in it’s class and surpasses them in terms of weight and cushioning.

Effective Cushioning
Time and again, running on urban surfaces in parks and around my park connector felt very comfortable in the racers, the Lunarlite foam material absorbed the landing of my feet rather well. I am impressed with its ability to absorb the impacts and shocks from the hard surfaces very well without sacrificing responsiveness as well. It’s so good, I can even tell the difference between park and traffic tarmac to the new or worn concrete pavements without looking at it! Moreover, Nike sports research lab studies claims that Lunarlite Foam spreads pressure loads across the whole foot, thus reducing impact on bones. I was able to verify with less leg fatigue after my runs on a fixed/known elapsed distance as verified on google earth on or my Polar RS400sd, which really makes it very tempting for me to run more than what I usually do.

However just like a all cushioning foam (like the Asics equivalent of lunarlite, Duomax, Mizuno’s Wave foam as well as the “energy returning” Adizeros) there is always is always a material threshold where the shoe will start to lose it’s cushioning effectiveness- where you have to rotate in another shoe for the other to recover it’s “springiness”. I’ve not ran a respectable distance to find out about this threshold (as a runner’s weight also plays a big role in this). But knowing that Jeanette Wang, the winner of sundown 84km used the lunar’s throughout her race, it’s safe to assume that cushioning will remain effective for most of the distances we can humanly run at a single go.

It is also a known fact the lunarlite foam can get rather unstable after being immersed in water. Though, the tough outer shell does a good job in protecting against causal puddles and splashes, it pays to keep out of running in the rain water (which you logically shouldn’t), deep puddles or mud floods during cross-country runs (particular in macritchie itself) to prolong your shoe’s active lifespan.

A shot of the Nike lunar racer by the canal

Outsole
The outsole is clad in the trademark lime green which is non-marking. The thing which strikes me quite a bit is the minimal yet strategic placement of carbon rubber outer sole pads only on the high wear areas of the shoe, makes you wonder of the desperate measures Nike is taking to cut weight here. The outsole seemed sturdy as post run checks yielded no noticeable wear.

How these outsole lugs are afixed dawns the question of durability, as the pads themselves, though essential are relatively thin and in no time I can see the black rubber wearing off and exposing the outsole itself, which can lead to traction problems. After clocking in about 100km with this pair of shoes so far, I am glad to report that the outsole cushion is still not fading and the footstep is just still as quiet and efficient as ever. My bet is that unless you really drag your feet, the shoes can still be able to hit and effective lifespan mileage of at least 500km, or even let be 800km. I will not recommend this shoe for wear down training or LSD as that is not a job for a racer, but rather for short runs and competitions, to even a timed casual 2.4km run for your IPPT where it will really serve you well.

Construction and Durability
I always like simple shoes and I particularly like the simple design of the racer. It is being built with as little parts and no fancy plastics “spoilers” here and there which can only come off after a while of running, painting “function over form” after all a running shoe have to perform, with the looks aside!

I took the shoe out for a speed training run, doing some speed work and timed dashes. The shoes perform really well on the track and the weight added to the and I was able to sustain my speed over a considerable longer period on my 400m rounds. Though timings are not drastically reduced, I could do more timed runs in a given window without feeling too beat up.

Speed work

After repeated speed work, I can firmly say that that shoe can be said to be durable for the job but not recommended to be your primary training shoe- unless you want to put it on a premature self-destruction course. These shoes are not cheap. For wear down training, I will recommend a heavier, more structured shoe as few biomechanically efficient runners who can train in such a minimal, lightweight shoe and reap benefits from it, unless in races themselves. Though such a light shoe is very ideal on paper in most cases, I will not recommend it as a full fledged training shoe, unless if you are the few who can take on the shoes and still produce the results in your races.

Feedback
Got quite alot of feedback from many runners of the heel tab area being too high, often resulting in a heels and Achilles having been cut by the upper tongue resulting in redness, skin abrasion and blisters. Though this can be easily remedied by proper protective socks around the ankles or sticking blister pads, seems that there are too many complaints in this area to render it much of a runner’s fault but rather a possible design flaw.

I personally do not encounter this problem myself, but I think I can owe it to wearing well padded socks that protected my Achilles from the shoe.

That is all folks for the review!

Final thoughts
This shoe is like a gem on it’s own and will truly shine in short to medium competitive runs, whether it’s the function you are looking for this shoe is also quite a head turner as well.

There are 2 main shoes in the Lunar line at the moment, the LunarTrainer+ and LunaRacer+, from what I know, the racer is actually the softer and slightly more stable shoe, but the trainer is more substantial and will last longer (though I have not tested this claim yet). Overall, if you are looking for a pair of lightweight racers in your competitive runs or where the need for the weight advantage and cushioning will be effective, you can’t go wrong with the lunars. Nike press releases stated that the Racers will be available in 12 different colours of the Q1 season of 2009, maybe that is something to look forward too with the opening of Nike village at Orchard Wisma soon as well.

I am glad to say that Nike had definitely hit the jackpot this time. It simply just brings the “spring” back in running again and you will be rest assured that I will be hungry for more. The Luna racer gets my recommendations as a runner’s must have for this season.

Nike Lunarlite Racer+

Advantages

  • Extremely light weight (~160g)
  • Simple design with few parts
  • Sports band Pod slot + adequate space for 3rd party foot pods
  • Very responsive cushioning
  • Very flexible
  • Adequate ventilation
  • Relatively lesser running fatigue than other racers
  • Water repelling body
  • Easy to clean
  • Great for short races or speedwork

Disadvantages

  • Toebox not well suited for wide feet
  • Limited upper expansion (Get 1/2 size larger)
  • Questionable outsole durability
  • Not ideal for wear training
  • Lunar foam unstable in water
  • Suited mainly for neutral runners
  • Known heel rubbing problem

Lowdown
A combination of technology and function makes this an excellent “marathon capable” lightweight racer suited for anyone of all ages who simply desire one of the best in responsiveness and cushioning available on the market today.

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Nike Lunarlite Flywire Racer+ Review- First Impressions

Shaun
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8
Nike Lunarlite Flywire Racer+ Review- First Impressions
Nike Lunar Racer/Trainer

I’ve got a new pair of Nike Lunar racers and promised to write a review of it. So here goes, the first part with my first impressions.

A view of the Nike lunar racer sole

The first thing you can do is to pick up this pair of shoes and wonder what the? It weighs too light to feel real, it feels even lighter when worn. Just like a new subject of scrutiny in front of a panel, there are many perspective one can view the Lunar racer from. A conservative may call it “bombastic”, “shouty” or “bold” while accountants and economist can may remark that Nike had taken out all the equipment and jacked up the price. Either way, you can’t deny that the shoe is simply stunning at first glance, and that is not just the full story yet.

Flywire explained
So being an engineer myself, let take alook at it from an engineering point of view. The shoe is very solid built, yet very flexible. Employing Flywire technology in the shoe’s upper, one can simply go “Mmmm this looks just like a suspension bridge”. True enough the shoes does indeed works like cables on a suspension bridge, providing precisely engineered support for the foot. Just like the bare necessity of cables strung on a bridge, the Flywire filaments, made of a strong fibre called Vectram are placed only where support is required, anchoring the sole of the shoe to the lace hoops and a secondary Flywire for the runner’s heel area. This minimalist design does what a fully padded shoe is able to do, without the extra materials, allowing a great shedding of materials, which in turn equals reduction of overall weight.

Indeed, Flywire technology gained instant notoriety on the track scene during the Osaka 2007 World Track & Field Championships, where team USA middle distance runners, both medaled with Zoom Victory Spike. Thanks to this innovation, track spikes with Flywire now easily come in the under 100g category, a weight never before achieved by Nike without compromising durability, integrity or support. This racer is no different either.

The Nike lunarlite racer+ shoes
Overview of the Nike lunarlite racer+
The flywire construction on the inner side of the shoe
Bare necessities- Flywire construction on the inner side
The Lunarlite cushioning foam base and sole
Lunarlite cushioning foam base and sole

Applying the innovation to distance running was the next natural choice, giving birth to the lunar racer. This Lunar racer weighs in at about 160g per shoe for a US size 10, nearly 4 about 100g lighter than my current racer and I can say in it’s league, one of the lightest racer footwear available on the market today. If Nike is not breaking aiding the breaking of Olympics records, it’s engineering records they are breaking here as well.

Lunarlite, we’ve got cushioning!
Lightweight and very responsive are two qualities which usually never go on the same sentence. The same however, can be said for the Lunar Racer with respect to cushioning. This is largely attributed to the Lunarlite foam ported for footwear use which has it’s roots from NASA’s space shuttles.

Lunarlite foam distributes the pressure patterns and spreads pressure loads more evenly across the foot to help protect it from pain, injury and reducing impact on bones. Moreover Lunarlite foam’s “pillow-like” softness was claimed to reduce energy in the midsole, requiring lesser energy to take successive strides and allows the conservation of energy from pounding making runner’s feel less beat up- all important for distance events.

The left sole features a slot for Nike+ sports band
Left sole features a Nike+ sensor pocket for Nike+ sports band
In the belly of the beast
In the belly of the beast
Stretching for the test run
Time for a trail run!

The Lunarlite foam is said to be the next biggest achievement Nike had made since Bill Bowerman’s invention of the original Waffle sole, also know as the revolutionary “Moon Shoe” (which in turn gave birth to the “Waffle Racer”) in 1974. Designed by Nike’s Kevin Hoffer, this new cushioning system is a successor worthy to the waffle, yet faithful to it’s roots with a rather similar planetary naming convention to it’s older sibling.

Initial run impressions
So with all the hype lets, the real test is of course taking the shoe out into the wild for a short preliminary 10km run and see whether it lives up to it’s name. Though, yes, I can hear you say that this is a racer, not a trainer, but since the racer and trainer spot the same sole piece, only with a different upper, it’s a good way to test and gauge the effective cushioning it offers for longer runs.

The front mesh of the Lunar Racer

My initial runs were rather enjoyable. Ventilation was sufficient and my feet didn’t stink nor sweaty even after the run with cotton socks. However, past the 7km mark, I can feel increasing soreness on the sides my big toe and my small toe. There are noticeable skin abrasions and soreness on these areas on my toes upon inspection after the run. I can give it that the shoes are not burnt in yet and gait changes for the new shoe. It will take sometime before I can come to a conclusion for the small toebox size.

My feet spots a normal (medium) arch with mild to neutral pronation. The shoe itself corrects the pronation so you can ensure even landing of your feet for optimal wearing and support. If your feet is really on the wide size, I will recommend getting half a size larger than your standard foot size. For now, knowing my threshold my in this setup, my guess is that if I were to take this out for a long run, from experiences, I believe my feet will start blistering past the 25km mark. But after all, yes this is a racer, so the optimal employment for this shoe will be short to middle distances, where the shoe can really shine without the frills.

Running over a varying degree of terrain such as concrete, tarmac and gravel. The shoe do take off quite alot of the pounding of my feet. Cushioning is good and relatively good and responsive, particularly the midsole. There is no fancy mix of sole parts here, just continuous piece of lunarlite foam from tip to heel, which is simply good in term of durability and I am glad Nike is pulling in this direction- from my experience with older Nike shoes, fancy sole parts always tend to tear off prematurely which severely impacts a shoe’s lifespan.

I am impressed that I do not fatigue as early as I expected to do on this pair of shoes. I will be also be very interested to find out how much mileage the shoe can take before the cushioning effectiveness starts to drop. Though I think it won’t hold (or fair enough to compare it) to my Mizuno Wave Creation 8, the Lunar racer does provide very good cushioning for a shoe in it’s class and weight category.

I will be putting the shoes for more test runs, particularly speed work tests round a track where I think this shoe will truly shine. That to, having to break in the shoe and eliminate all the other variables before putting a firm recommendation on the shoe. Stay tuned for the second part of this review.

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Ending the Formula 1 2008 season

Shaun
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0
Ending the Formula 1 2008 season
F1 Lewis Champion Brazil 2008

When Felipe Massa crossed the finishing line last Sunday, he was the 2008 world champion for a moment, till Lewis came and took it from him 38.9 seconds later.

For the Brazilian, it was a picture perfect finish, maintaining pole from start to finish, it was something Massa could do given the support from his fellow countryman in Brazil, but nothing can change the fact that the world title belonged to Lewis.

All what it needs to make Lewis and McLaren’s day was finishing the bare minimum fifth to win the world championship, ending the season with 98 driver points, 1 point ahead of Massa’s 97, it a complete reversal of the position for the world title one year ago. Kimi Räikkönen finished with 75 points putting the 2 Scuderia Ferrari drivers within the top 3 drivers for this season behind the Briton, with Ferrari themselves at 172 points in the constructors ahead of McLaren-Mercedes’s 151 points.

Sometime, you need not have a perfect finish everytime to see the bigger picture, and win the world champion, it just repaints the saying “losing the battle to win the war”.

Lewis finally did it, etching his name into the record books as the sport’s youngest ever world champion by claiming the fifth place he required to seal the crown, although it came in hugely dramatic circumstances with a pass on Toyota’s Timo Glock at the final corner, which was a typical “do or die” situation and I would say the main decider for the driver’s title this year.

Things are up and coming for the 23 year old Briton, with plenty of playing field and grunt ahead of him, even Michael Schumacher recently commented that he might one day go on winning more than his record of 7 world championships, there is just so much ahead of Lewis.

My university interview today! It went well!

Shaun
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5
My university interview today! It went well!

I remembered arriving at RJC in the afternoon for my Cambridge interview, wanting to get there early with time to relax, I took a bus and alighted somewhere around upper Thomson where I took a very short cab trip to RJC itself. The cab driver actually told me that the venue is a short walk away, but he drove me there anyway, so the fare was essentially just surcharge haha.

When it was my turn, the interviewer will actually come out and invite you in, very warm and welcoming indeed which lightened the anxiety- well, a little. In the interview, he told me that I came from a rather interesting background, I was the first person who came from a non-Junior College background which was rather refreshing. So he asked me about what we do in Polytechnic, what we do learn (as polytechnics are essentially considered an institute of higher learning), etc then he asked me about the awards I’ve got.

Then he went on asking me about the Motion simulator which I built in Polytechnic for my final year project, which I wrote about in my personal statement. So I explained it to him how it works together with a sketch and details of it’s axis of motion and the various components which made it tick. So that was pretty much the icebreaker which kept me rather comfortable in the dimly incandescent lamp lit room.

Then next was the question part. As I understand that many students will still be taking the interviews and tests over the coming months, and in the interest of the Director of Studies (DoS) and other candidates, I will not post the exact questions my interviewer asked, only a general picture of what to expect.

There were a series of maths questions which he wrote on a piece of paper, each with increasing difficulty. The first ones were done without a hitch. If you did C3 or C4 maths, let be Mathematics and Further Mathematics at ‘A’ levels in Singapore, you should not have much of a problem getting through the question at all. I had some problems with the last one, but the last question is of course usually planned the hardest where the interviewer will come in and help you out with it. So he kinda nudged me in the right direction at times when I strayed off and eventually we got the solution!

Then came the very general engineering questions where anything under the sun could be asked. I like this part of the interview as it actually allows you to expand on the question from almost any aspects and build on it using the theories you know (or at some points, maybe an educated guess will help!). Then it can just lead to anything else which in-turn leads to you explaining another question/theory. For this part, I can say that you can’t “learn” the thought process, it’s more like testing your raw unlearnt knowledge and your ability to apply what you know in very strange unfamiliar situations. Thereafter, we also talked about my Defence science scholarship on how it will sponsor my whole academia in Cambridge.

My interviewer really made me feel that Cambridge is the right place for me. I was really enjoying myself in the interview and just before you know it, opps we are out of time.

My interviewer opened up for questions. As defence Research & Development will be part of my chosen carrier path, I asked him about the undergrad research opportunities we can take as a student, as well as the Engineering competitions in Cambridge we can participate and contribute to the the university as a student, like the Eco-challenge Solar Race held in Australia next year (which Cambridge will be participating in as well) and the Formula Student, very interesting indeed.

Due to time constraints, I only asked these 2, though I also wanted to ask find out more of the Stimulus project/program I read on the internet which allows undergrads to help out students in need and promote the interest in learning, just like what I did teaching students in Medan Indonesia before.

Initially being the only Polytechnic student in the Singapore race for Cambridge, I thought that I will lose out to the bulk of the ‘A’ level students who are applying for their places in Cambridge as well- considering that they are all still very fresh in their ‘A’ level syllabus with the examinations currently on. But I guess the test the interview will give will tax you far than anything you can learn (or regurgitate) from the textbook, which I feel is very fair indeed.

With the anticipated interviews finally over. It is more than 1 hour after my interview and I am still all jumpy from the adrenaline, maybe I should expend that all out with a 10km run later, at the same time test out my new Nike Luna Racers!

Recap of the Singapore Cambridge TSA, more nerve wracking to come

Shaun
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12
Recap of the Singapore Cambridge TSA, more nerve wracking to come
TSA at HCJC 2008

Just came back from the Thinking skills assessment test at Hwa Chong JC. Just as anticipative as I was to receive the news of the test and the interview about 2 weeks ago, I can’t help but realize that the days do come by very fast and in no time, I am actually done with my TSA and my Cambridge interview only a few numbered days ago. The only thing on my mind these days is to focus on the interviews and stuff, so mind me if I am particularly disconnected these days.

The TSA is a 90 minute long test with 50 MCQs consisting of an even 25-25 mix of problem solving questions and critical thinking questions. Having done the sample papers on their website, its worthy to note that for Singapore applications (and though not shown on the TSA website), we have an additional 30 minute essay component on top of the already mental 1 and a half hour TSA itself- typical and rather similar to that of the Oxford TSA in comparison. My practice attempts were satisfactory, scoring about 70% ish and completing one of the sample 3 essays in half and hour. It was not until the post-revision with the answers that I see the bigger picture- I tend to fair better in problem solving questions, and there is a trend that I tend to get 2 out of the 7 types of critical thinking questions wrong or skipped simply because I just take too much time to get them done.

If I could do away with those questions I do badly in statistically (which in the sample, takes up about 5 of the questions in the test), I could actually put more time into those questions I could potentially score better in. So my strategy was to finish the first 20 questions I can answer straightway in the first 30 minutes, that leaves me 2 remaining blocks of 30 minutes to handle 15 questions each where the more time consuming critical thinking questions can be tackled. So that kinda helped, as there are no rules in place in the order of the questions you can do, though it is recommended to tackle the paper sequentially for the best mix of critical and problem solving questions. But ultimately, it is the final score out of 50 which still counts at the end, so that makes it pretty much said.

Some questions were a no-brainer and you can get the answer within seconds, some on the other hand requires little bit more time- like taking ages to answer a simple but irritatingly long manual multiplication/division question (no calculators are allowed) or watching not to let your mind run all over the place when thinking of assumptions. For critical thinking questions, reading the question after the excerpt helps as it allows you to determine what type of thinking question it is, saving you the need to re-read again.

I managed to answer about 40/50 questions. Surprisingly no one I see in the 300 odd strength hall managed to finish the paper on time at all. But I was confident that for every answer I put down in ink there was a 70% chance of it being correct (a balance between the slow but “in the bag” tactic or the “try and hit all you can” tactic), for me it was definitely not the latter. So that gives a rough estimate of a 60% score including the 0.2 probability of my other randomly filled answers being correct.

Glad there were no ambiguous questions as I encountered in the sample paper, which actually kept me rather worried and the implications of raising it to the examiner if I were to encounter on in-test. One instance was one a sample question asking for the rental fee to rent a bike for few hours, though the correct answer is just a simple summation of the product of 2 multiplications, I got it wrong as I added the refundable deposit fee into my chosen answer as we know, bike rentals in Singapore irregardless of hourly or full day rental all require a ($50) deposit or equivalent, so it pays to know abit of the assumptions. Knowing the conversion of some imperial units helps as well.

The single short essay was abit of an achilles heel for me, with 30 minutes to choose your question, get all your points, arguments and counter-arguments out and pen them down literally leaves you no time to even breathe. The writing task gives candidates an opportunity communicate effectively in writing, organising ideas and presenting them clearly and concisely. There will be a choice of three essay questions, on general subjects related to your course of study that do not require any specialised knowledge. So what you get is essentially a universal question sheet for all the subjects offered, and you are to answer one of the 3 in your section. Answering a question not related to your course if of course asking for a disaster. I wrote about 1 page and a half, more than what I expected, so technically I was just rushing to get my content out in a continuous scribble as the clocks menancingly (and mercilessly) tick away each precious minute in front of the crowd.

I never had time to fully read or edit what I’ve written, but I was glad I managed to put forward all my required points together with a fully structured 4 paragraphed essay comprising of an intro, 2 points and a complete conclusion respectively. Given that, I can’t accurately gauge how well I do for this part, neither I can conclude from the allocated time say that it will it have a third of the overall weightage as compared to the 50 MCQs.

Whether the TSA is used in the consideration of Cambridge applications is still largely a tale of its own. There had been myths of the TSA still under evaluation on whether it will form a reliable and predictable statistical gauge for ‘A’ level leavers being offered conditional offer based on expected grades. Whether that holds or not, I guess it’s for the admissions to know and for us to find out come January.

I guess my chance to either get or break my chance in entering Cambridge will depend on the last crucial one-to-one 30 minute interview next week wish me luck!

My motion simulator final year project in SP- revisited

Shaun
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6
My motion simulator final year project in SP- revisited

Bringing out the engineer in you
I believe The Radical motion simulator project was a subject of interest for my of my juniors in the Singapore Polytechnic doing their FYP now. It been about 5 months since I graduated from SP as a Mechanical engineering student in Singapore polytechnic (SP), but that didn’t stop the fair bit of feedback I constantly get from my visitors, representatives from other educational institutions as well as commercial enquires from the public.

Furthermore, this project sparked interest of quite a few students researching to major in the Engineering field, and I am glad to be a mentor to this handful of prospective students considering engineering as a major (it is an interesting and fun field). It just make my day to share and light up these individual interests in the field of Engineering- making it hip and trendy to as opposed what people think of it (Engineering is not a boring field juniors!).

Personally, I never thought it to take so far off to be considered a case study by itself. This project was mainly kept secrecy at the request of my project supervisor while in development, so I never had a chance to share my experiences of the project which may prove invaluable to anyone out there looking to learn more about the project, especially for final year project students not to mention the story behind my project and the team behind it. However, since now it was featured to the public, papers and on TV during the Singapore Polytechnic Spinnovex Senior’s final year project earlier in February in this year, hey it’s no longer a secret anyone.

The simulator was featured just last month as a highlight in the Singapore Science center’s “Formula 1 Science of speed exhibition” so you might catch it there in action if you were there. So without further ago, finally got the time to actually sit down and write an entry about my final year project which was really the pride and joy for my team, the polytechnic and myself.

Radical Simulator in Class
The finished simulator
Close up of the cockpit
Cockpit area and screen
Our booth in Spinnovex
Our display booth on the Feb 08 exhibition day

The radical project
This simulator was created with my team of 3 over a period of 14 weeks from scratch to finish (including testing, so technically we had like 12 weeks to build with 2 weeks to test). So without further ado, I will introduce my team members who put through the whole project thick and thin, the project will be never near what it was it it weren’t for them and their efforts.

Team Radical Members (previously known as Team Radicurl)

Khowming

Lee Khowming
My course and classmate in my diploma in Engineering course. He has a technical education background in secondary school, which makes him a rather good fabricator when it comes to putting up pieces of the simulator together. On top of this engineering diploma, he is a diploma plus student who took a minor in computer programming, so that helped alot in lightening the software programming load (including the endless code debugging) where I could delegate my time to design refinement and the directional plans for the team. He is very loyal & focused to the team’s need & extremely hard- working- a very positive force to be reckoned, though sometimes you have to help point the force in the right direction at times.

Danson

Danson Han
Danson Han is the electrical guy in the team, having built and raced a mini solar car himself in this general elective modules, this guy is just one electronics guru- He can solder and fix up any electric problems as fast as a gun-slinging sheriff.

He is very much responsible of most of the electrical and lighting systems. This car crazy and racing fanatic is also our chief game analyzer and test driver who feels very much at home in school given the need to test the platform with lots of PC racing, flight and computer simulation games. This feedback were invaluable in the development and refinement of the project itself. After all, what’s better than coming to school everyday and having your job playing games everyday right?

Shaun Chng
Well I no picture needed here! My role was very much the driving force and chief engineer of the project. I was the team leader and mainly responsible of the design, concept, putting together all the design requirements and feedback from my lecturer and team on Pro-engineer CAD. I was also the one responsible for all the multimedia content as well as ensuring quality, it was a fairly hectic job which I strangely enjoyed doing. As I was fairly more experienced with designing and inventing contraptions, I have my side role there as a mentor for my teammates and teaching new things out of the book as well free-rein delegation and guiding them on their tasks if they needed any help, I picked out many new skills in soldering as well as metal work myself.

It’s a whole team effort working hand in hand and learning from each other. It’s this closely linked bond of teamwork and knowing the strengths and weakness of each of which really made this team go.

How it stated out- A car/boat you want? why not everything?
The project started out from a list of current industry need and school projects. One of the items was a force displacement motion simulator. We were allocated that as we initially highlighted to our supervisor that we wanted to build a twin seater amphibious electric Eco-racer, something like cross between a boat and a car with electric regenerative abilities- a clean energy vehicle, but we can only stick to the industry projects and that was the closest one we could see in relation to.

The build process
Planning took a rather long time, a 360 degree rotating simulator was a rather cool idea to start off- minus the possibly of simulator-induced brain trauma. The 360 simulator was something my team including myself were very excited about. But there were many restrictions our project supervisor had in place for us- especially the ones on the compact size and weight he wanted, which was puzzling as that actually added to the project complexity and cost, which we had only a mere $6000 SGD in total. Later do we know the true meaning in the later of our project what our supervisor actually meant.

Some of the part drawings done
Some of the engineering drawings
Some of the assembly Engineering Drawings done
One of the many assembly drawings
Radical Prototype
Our rapid prototype model

Trade-offs
So after almost a hundred hours on the drawing board, Pro-engineer CAD, material selection, finite element (stress) analysis, rapid model prototyping and 5 major design revisions later, we settled for a 4 degree of motion cockpit mounted on 2 axis with an intermediate coupling superstructure holding the top and base together. This will give it 50 degrees of rotational freedom for both the pitch and roll axis.

Frame Creation Stage

We used pneumatics for mechanical actuation in place of the favorable electric linear actuators due to cost and time constraints (our calculated force requirement will require a shipment of electrical actuators from Germany taking 8 weeks), so we settled for large 63mm dia coupled to Festo pneumatic 5/3 middle closed maxi valves who had their stock in their Singapore warehouse.

How it works
Ok since you know it runs on pneumatics (air power, the same stuff which opens and closed bus doors), everything which goes on was rather straight forward, and there was no turning back. With our planned an prototype model in place to confirm all the dimension and a serious lack of time, all the mounting points and component housing were all welded and pre-made to fit the dimension specifications of the cylinders and required components even before they were delivered. Then as everything made, it’s just putting them all together like a giant plastic model piece. The dual PC setup (ethernet-networked), the 24 volt, 12 volt power supply units, as well as the central relays and power distribution unit to run peripherals such as the monitors, speakers, lighting and cooling systems. Since many of the items are custom made to fit, we saw ourselves spending quite alot of time in the workshop fabricating custom mounts and brackets to get everything all in securely in place given the forces they may encounter on a moving simulator.

You can view more on how it works, in the promotional multimedia video I’ve created for the project below:

Murphy we have a problem!
There was a brief dark moment 3 weeks before the deadline during testing where a stray current shorted the whole simulator, that caused quite a major overhaul to find the source of the short, which was later traced to a burnt IC chip in our custom built USB-pneumatic control board for the valves. The incident taught us not only much on Murphy law, but also on effective cable management (which we overlooked) and catering for troubleshooting as well.

A shot showing the CPU area and cooling fans

Homerun
It’s simply great pleasure having to see all your conceptualizations, drawings and work come up to life day after day. Each day is simply just a challenge of it’s own as the deadline draws near. Simply just seeing your project rise from the nada to something which makes people go “wow” at the end of the day simply makes it all worth it- and man we were finished, on time as well! We made few minor touch-ups and refinements on top of the usual testing just before the exhibition. We even sourced a budget but authentic blue Sparco seat to finish it all up, that included an air- compressor which we loaned within campus. Thereafter was the planning phase for the exhibition booth management, so that included the creation of promotional items such as brochures, our team video, posters, setting and planning up of booth, etc. So there was always work to do. The big day finally came!

Spinnovex Exhibition!
The simulator was actually kept small and compact so that it can still be used in the confines of the exhibition area. Later do we fully understand the space requirement. The exhibition was the thing we had been looking forward to even before we started the project, the dream of showcasing out pride and joy. The exhibition was an eye opener, yet a very tense moment for me and my team given any new problems we could possibility face in the heat of the exhibition given the last shorting incident.

The crowds at our booth!
The endless crowds
We get university reps in for a drive
University visitors
The crowds just keep coming the whole day
Crowds love us

Moreover, it was also the first time which our simulator prototype underwent a stress test- 3 continuous days of operation for the public with riders always getting in and out (with at any one time a long queue) which was really test of the simulator built and design. Prepared for anything, we were ready with spare parts and always on standby for any problems, which unexpectedly, do occur- There was once where our compressor had condensation problems and some minor electrical problems, but we always got them all repaired on the spot with minimal downtime (most 10 minutes). The event tent power supply was rather quirky as well, as they were running on off-site diesel generators rather than the mains, so the occasional blackouts and unsteady current for all the projects at the main exhibition tent took quite an electrical beating as well. Glad ours went through without a hitch.

We’ve got some trade visitors on exhibition day, some from Japanese universities as well as some from New Zealand. It interesting to note that few university professors who came to the exhibition were surprised at the size and complexity of the project, also considering the 14 week timeline and tight budget to get it all built from scratch. Many were commenting that this project even exceed what some university students do even on their Final year project (and we were only diploma students).

Actual life video at Spinnovex

Project judging
The project judging lasted the 3 whole days of the exhibition, where judges will pop by randomly at planned random times during the day in the public and industry visitors to ask questions and a demonstration of the project. They can catch you at anytime, even during lunch. Luckily our simulator was always up and running without much downtime, so that didn’t hinder us much one bit. The press was around as well and interviewed few of the project groups as well. I was even featured in the Channel News Asia’s “Emerging Asia” programme for the project as well!

Award ceremony Gold!

At the end of the judging round the bronze and silver awards were given out, the awards signify the tele-ed votes from all the judges over the whole exhibition duration and is award to the best project showcase. To our amazement my project came in the Gold category!

What I learned from this build
This project simply just sets a new milestone in my contribution to the polytechnic and this new engineering design course which many jokingly say “I helped build”. This engineering design course when I studied on my last year of specialization was still a rather new course, which never really saw the light with a disappointing intake my engineering design, but it was through my recommendations (e.g use of software, multimedia etc) and contributions to this new course which propelled it beyond it’s infant stages to what it is brimming with enrollment today.

I can’t deny the project is not perfect- the were few areas that were no built the way we wanted, some LEDs in the lighting system blew, the rear surround speaker don’t sit straight, even the boarding steps and wires were duct-taped instead of drilled or cable tied, but it is what that works effectively which matter. The project really made me overcome the perfectionist in me.

This project also taught me few rather new thing sin life, is that you can lose the battle to win the war. Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices in light for the good. Minor things like staying in school from 8am to 9pm every day, even coming back during public holidays and weekends just to get the project finished are just part and parcel in the darkest weeks of our project. Though our project is nothing within international standards, I am glad that we produced an engineering creation built within our own steam and ingenuity- and that is what we were proud to accomplish at the end of the day.

It simply just made the engineer in me and it will always be my passion. I am glad my project will be a continued source of motivational for anyone looking to study in the engineering field.

New Balance Real Run 2008 Runners Post-race Comments

Shaun
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12
New Balance Real Run 2008 Runners Post-race Comments

As the hot scorching sun dawns upon all runners in the early morning of Sunday, it simply just paints deja-vu of the race last year at the Changi Exhibition center. Was that a Mirage? I can say that is is almost like an exact duplicate of last year’s race, which I gave a rating of 8.5/10 for a highly satisfying race.

Terrain
The thing different for this year’s race is that the start and end line actually technically at the same point, but the place is open to an extent, allowing runners to join the race rather easily. The starting part of the race is new, going along side the chalets and open straight tarmac area before actually hitting the open trail, which is essential just an open field with a track around it. The relief is generally all flat throughout, except for some minor gradient visible on the runway straights, all other parts of the course are perfectly flat also considering the fact that almost the whole area was actually built on reclaimed land.

Race start.
The starting trail is still very much easy to run on, it’s so open and clear, offering views of the east coastal area. But the run there seemed much longer than what I expected it to be, maybe it could be the lack of shade which made it felt longer. Though the terrain there is nothing to what we can expect in a Macritchie trail, at least the shades in Macritche made it less of a torturing experience. Just as every trail run (just like the expected one at this year’s AHM), sand and rocky surface is an area simply asking for injuries and possible sprains so it pays to watch your stepping on uneven ground or as and when you are overtaking people as well. Good thing it was sunny though, so the trail remained exceptionally firm and solid, if it rains, then it will be likely to be a revisit of the Bedok “mud run” in the 2006 wave run where everything including shoes, shorts, shirts will be muddy or splattered.

Open top trail and road
And just when you thought that after 4km of the trail part, the thought continuing the race back into the main road run (aka the mirage area) is just a whole new experience with the sun again. This waterpoint is a favorite for many and glad they have lots of cool 100 plus ready on flow throughout the race. Possibly anticipating the possible heat problems faced by runners, there were also adequate number of first aid tents and marshals lined up along the route to cheer runners on, even in the heat. The marshals did quite a good job in motivating runner who simply just come and go, at the expense of themselves standing under the scorching sun throughout the whole period under the run. Commendable indeed.

Upon reaching Changi coast road, this is where the 15km runners go left, while the 10km runners to right, either way, runners will find themselves in the changi beach park area with the route heading to the beach. A main concern for this part of the race was the questioning of many runners have on the flag off times of 7.30am for the 10km & 7.45am for the 15km respectively, where the 15km runners merging with the 10km runners at Changi coast road will add to some considerable traffic. Though I personally didn’t see much change in traffic, it’s sometime worth rasing, particular for the slower 10km runners who suddenly become overwhelmed by all the front 15km runners.

The beach part is actually very much the same as it was last year, with a short nice shady road (well that is not exactly a trail as opposed to what it was last year) before hitting the rather short stretch of sand. For this part, there are 2 choices to go fast on the sand- stay at either ends of the width of the sand part- you just need to run near the sea coastal line where sand damp but firm sand resides or the upper part of the beach where with some rather inviting flat sandy areas on the bank tops. You have to watch out for uneven ground and tree roots sticking from the bank as these plant roots on the upper parts of the beach actually holds the soil firm, allowing it to the bear of weigh of runners without crumpling or sinking, that is provided if can get through the barriers on some areas of the course. The sand area is thankfully shaded by a large extent.

Home run
Here is now or never, the run end with the turn back into the exhibition center taxiway road with a short perimeter run along the coast before catching the finishing line in the distance. I remembered seeing quite a few student marshals all burnt out from their marshaling, man, the race must be hard on them! After crossing the line, the only thing on my mind was a cool drink and that very enjoyable air-con in the event area which I really enjoyed cooling down in last year.

The running route as follows:

  • 10km – 4km Trail + 0.6km Sand + 5.4km Taxiway / Road
  • 15km – 4km Trail + 0.6km Sand + 10.4km Taxiway / Road

Post-race management
The post race was excellent, air-conditioning was turned on all round which was a real welcome to runners looking to cool off after the hot race- coupled with a cool drink, doing cool downs in the big open areas of the exhibition center is something to look forward to after the race. There were lots of outdoor shelters and 100-plus umbrellas for those who wanted to acclimatise for awhile after finishing before entering the air-conditioned environment.

Amazingly, there was no queue at the baggage collection and you can get your bag within minutes. You will be sure to catch the crowd if you leave on the peak period immediately after the race. Transport organization was rather good. love the adequate car park spaces, shuttle service to the remote area as well- The organizers have plenty to stick to their guns after last year’s successful transport management, so with that we see the same favorite free shuttle service out of the area as well to pasir-ris bus interchange as well a the morning paid shuttle service from 8 MRT stations all round Singapore. Though crowds are inevitable, the open large areas of the exhibition center gave runners lots of post race breathing space as well as much needed areas to relax. The best recommendation to beat the queues before and after the race is to arrive early and leave late, given that you will not experience much jam when arriving and leaving.

Other interesting points of note:

  • Was there gold at the startline? Runners were sprinting from the startline! (Or were their feet on fire?)
  • There were few student marshals who laid flat on the side of the road near the Changi coast road area, they are fine they are just overwhelmed by the heat, though many runners thought they were casualties!

Overall
From many feedback I’ve got, it seems the Home team did it again with a good race twice on the same venue this year again. The Realrun team never disappoint with this year’s run. There are of course areas beyond the organiser’s control such as weather, but at least it didn’t rain! Good race! I will recommend next year’s year to all.

Results:

Click on your category below for a full listing of runners within the specified category sorted by Net time (You can use Ctrl-f to find your Bib number or name as stated in your registration).

For Home team race results and a full listing of categories available here.

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