XSeed Combined Camp ‘09

The camp was an invigorating rest for us, a great break following the end of examinations. The first event was windtunnelling, an exhilarating feel of freedom floating in the air and good practice for those of us interested in skydiving. Then, we did Horseriding at a highland ranch run by a group of professionals from Europe. We rode on a mountain trail breathing in the crisp, cool air, led by friendly instructors. Its was a pleasant and peaceful experience especially for first time riders.  Finally, our paintball grounds had many interesting features:  small hillocks, a tunnel to flank the opposing team, barrel obstacles, and strategic sniping spots. Between activities, we enjoyed shopping at Berjaya Times and having a self-planned cookout.  Overall, it was a fulfilling experience where we get to try out different activities!

XSeed Team

Biking welfare

True to a biking event, even the welfare gathering saw SMUXies turning up decked in skintight jerseys and rigid soled biking shoes. Close to 20 loyal spinning-happy people huddled round a long table laden with a plethora of yummies waiting to be dipped into the steamboat. There was the traditional table of mahjong (led by none other than chief mahjong man Wei Bin), vicious table tennis matches, poker table dealings amidst girly giggles and cheery chatter.

The night peaked in true Mt Faber fashion when 6 seemingly unfamiliar faces popped in. They turned out to be our seniors. Seniors all the way from the first batch of SMUX biking. Seniors all the way from the Class of 2006. It was most heart-warming to find out that all 4 Biking Team Managers there ever was; was present in the room that night. We spent an amazing hour being introduced to one another, 5 generations of the SMUX family catching up and getting to know one another. The awe-inspiring passion of the seniors definitely left a lasting impression on each and every one of us, and hopefully our zest for the team and the sport would be as enduring.

By Lin FengRu

Ride of silence ‘09

An estimated 500 riders turned up at the Merlion, near the Fullerton for the Ride of Silence 2009. All sorts of bicycles could be seen making up the crowd, from sleek carbon road racing machines, to cute foldable bikes, to garish neon fixed gear whips. While it took some time before the SMUX biking team contingent was dispatched, we were immersed in the mood of the impromptu crowd, tempered by patience and consideration for others as befitting that of the silent theme of the mass ride. Many had simply turned up on the spot and signed up there and then for the ride.

It was amazing to see riders of all stripes and ages riding together in a pack strung out along Singapore roads to commemorate the safety of cyclists on the roads. While it was an initial nightmare trying to organize a pack of strangers to ride together with any semblance of discipline, it turned out to be a non-issue. The ride turned out to be slow and controlled enough such that no riders were left behind or forced to ride dangerously. To me this reinforces the message that riding a bicycle on the roads should be (is) safe. By riding safely, we can get to ride again another day.

By Su JunJie

Kukup 2009

Many Kukup-ers would totally understand when I said that none of my friends deem a 200km ride by bike as normal.

Well, their negative response did discourage me a little before leaving my house at 1am on Saturday, a day when you would not want to get out of bed before the sunrise, especially when the drizzling rain cooled the whole atmosphere.

My energy and enthusiasm started to pump in upon seeing 50 other “crazy soul mates” at the optical shop excitedly moving up the bikes to the lorry to go to Kranji.

The feeling of sitting on the lorry flashing through the roads in the middle of the night was just simply awesome. The cool breeze swirled my hair and flattered my skin.

Starting to cycle from Kranji MRT, I began to worry about the sun heat as well as the enticingly challenging and seemingly endless roads that I had to cycle through the next day.

Initially, it was exciting. The drizzling, to me, was like a special treat; honestly, I would rather choose the rain over the scorching sun. I kept counts of how far we cycled every time we stopped for a short break. But slowly, when we cycled upslope, I started to feel the strain and my legs just refused to pedal. It was so disheartening to see myself further and further away from the rest of the group while pedaling uphill…

I had little mental and physical strength to continue. But cycling is never about fighting the tiredness alone; it’s about having company to motivate one another, to multiply up whatever little energy left in our “fuel tank”. Having in mind that my GLs would be waiting for me in front, my teammates behind who kept on cheering “jiayou, a little bit more”, I knew I could overcome it by just keeping keeping on.

At times when all encouraging words seemed to have little effect, I reminded myself of this beloved teammate, small in size but exceedingly full of mental power and abundant with determination, Jingmin. Knowing how to ride not so long, she never fails to challenge herself to achieve what we might think as “mission impossible”.

When we were at the prata place, 37 km away from Kukup, never in my life had I declined to try delicious prata, because I just wanted sleep more than anything. Once we reached, I almost fell dead on my bed after my shower and lunch was just like quick bite so that I could get back to my dream land.

In spite of how sleepy I was, after lunch, it was immensely hard to resist the heart-to- heart talk that my roommates and our guests of honor, some uninvited guests (haha joking) were having in my room. I guess that is the trademark of SMUX events, we challenge ourselves and we share the experience as one family afterwards.

The night spent at Kukup was memorable too. Dinner was great. If anyone had not eaten the stingray that day, you really ought to really go back to Kukup next year. Oh also, if you want to go walk-walk around the neighborhood area to get the juicy and mouth-watering mango ice blend, you do it before 9 pm. It’s a small town and people rest early after all.

Talking about food, there is also the “cannot-be-missed” chendol on the way back to Singapore. The trip back was of a slower pace and going down the steep slope was so shiok!!! It was more dangerous, more safety caution needs to be taken, but definitely adventurous too.

Finishing Kukup was like conquering another limit that I hadn’t imagined before. Besides the personal sense of accomplishment, Kukup also gives me many meaningful lessons; about how to look out for safety concerns for one another, like the GLs and the seniors always did, about how to care for your whole team’s welfare, to boil water for the team to make sure everyone is hydrated, etc. At the same time, no one should be alone at any point of time, for any reason, so sounding out for your team to wait for you is a simple and effective solution.

I remember once Junyi said that Kukup is his favourite ride. Admittedly, I never enjoyed biking as much as I did at this trip. When I came back alive with my tan and my cheery face, my friends, being inspired, changed their opinion thinking that maybe they should try it one day too!

By Emily Pham

Biking Admin IC

TOUR DE SINGAPORE (TDS)

Feb’ 09

TDS was a fulfilling night ride that took place during the midterm break in February 2009. 120-odd participants began their journey at East Coast Park through the heart of the city to the West and back to the East of Singapore again.

Like what the theme suggests, the aim of this ride was to bring participants on a tour of Singapore, and to explore the different areas in Singapore through biking. The various food stops along the way were specially designed to introduce the different delicacies in Singapore to the participants. Some of the places visited were Macritchie Reservoir, Bishan Park, Thomson Prata House, and Simpang Bedok. The whole planning process was a hectic one, as the organizing committee had to run through the route many times over, conducting recces, planning the games, and also ensuring that safety was in no way compromised both during the recces and the actual event day.

During the event, it was a grueling yet fun 70 kilometres for the participants as they biked through the night together. New friendships were forged and existing friendships were further strengthened. Participants gained not just the sense of achievement of being able to complete 70 kilometres, especially for new road bikers, but also the bonding and company of their friends.

Being part of the organizing committee for TDS has been an awesome and refreshing experience. The days leading up to the event might have been hectic, but to see both SMUX members and new participants enjoy the ride thoroughly was in itself, the most rewarding of all. This was indeed the greatest takeaway for all the members of the organizing committee.

By Tong Ling

TDS Admin IC

Summer Expedition 1 : 8KM ECP Food and Paddle

Happening on the 14 June!

Expect a nice relaxing expedition plus a great lunch at the ECP food center! ;D

Interested Parties fill up this form!

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cmlDcUlxb1NVZ0ctbm5jMEpPLWpxeVE6MA..