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Tuesday, June 12, 2007 - 23:54 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

Escape From Reservistdise

I've been overly relaxing these couple of days, though there's so much that could be done. Let's see: Update blog software, check. Webgame development? Hmmm. Getting a leg up on UROP? Um. Maintaining six Kingdom of Loathing accounts, each with more than twenty ascensions? check. Writing a full script to truly automate gameplay? Soon, soon. (Ah, that reminds me of the old days of fifty Dragon Court accounts) Raising AdventureQuest character to level 100? Almost there.

The things I do not to be bored.

There were a few topics I had planned to blog more comprehensively on, but those will have to wait a little more.

Some of the guys are back on reservist this week, from which I escaped due to my disruption and late ORD. Sadly, that also means that I may not get posted back to the same unit. Dang. Though the NS days were not the most effective use of time, they were still enjoyable - just that the long nights really added up. The reservist-negative check with the NS Portal did show that I've got to do my first post-ORD IPPT by the end of this year. Ouch. Dug out the old weights and started ineffectually pumping iron.

As an aside, I'd like to comment here on the tendency for people to reject any suggestions that they are putting in effort - I mean, if everyone were to be believed, then examinations are seriously underprepared for; I can't remember anyone affirming that he/she mugged really hard for any significant test. Probably it's partly modesty, and partly to avoid any backlash (both by others and subconsciously by the self) if the results turn out badly (and if they turn out good, well, it would only be expected, right?)

I dunno, but I instinctively feel a slight distaste for those who smile and go "Oh, we're taking it easy", then once in the privacy of their room burn the midnight, early morning and dawn oils, although of course they have every right to do so. My character flaw, then.

Thus, in order to be slightly less of a hypocrite, I hereby declare my intention to get into fitter shape both for the IPPT money, and so that when I'm aged and wrinkly I can look back and say, "Hey, I once looked half-decent!". So, I did a preliminary examination of my current physical state. Which turned out rather sad. Nope, no photos.

Now, weight. Up to about exactly 70kg after being at 65 to 67 for as long as I can remember. Bad. Especially since the additional five pounds probably isn't muscle. Just a note, extra kilos aren't necessarily bad - for example, Paul Scholes is just 1.7m tall but has a playing weight of around 73kg, giving him a slightly overweight BMI of 25.3, and he's certainly no slouch on the pitch. Let's check mine - 23.1. Okay, I haven't totally let myself go.

IPPT event-by-event analysis: Don't think the standing broad jump (need 2.34m for a B) can really be trained for, ditto the shuttle run (need 10.3s), but anyway those have never been problematic in general for most people.

Sit-ups (need 37 for B) - likely achievable by gritting teeth and grinding it out even with no prior training, from experience. This though reminded me that I'd like to be able to see my abs properly, at least once in this lifetime. Quick research on the net reveals that seeing one's abs is mostly dependant on one's body fat percentage; The last time I had it checked in the Army, it was 10-15% if I recall rightly, though now it's probably closing twenty. Ulp. Ok, suck in tummy a bit, turn about for good lighting... I think I can see the outlines of a six-pack with some imagination! Woohoo!

And as for how to actually remove tummy fat, it seems agreed that spot training (i.e. doing sit-ups like a madman) won't help much, and that the keys are 1. Diet and 2. Exercise. Diet: No sugary stuff, blah blah, chicken's on the menu, though. Five or six smaller meals. Slightly inconvenient. Exercise: Aerobic cardio, a few times weekly, half to an hour each time (less than that apparently doesn't work), pump iron, same schedule. Results in a matter of months. Blah.

Chin-ups (need 10 for B). Had a peak max of 15 or 16 back in my dragonboating days, so proven possible. *Eyes rusty bar over doorframe* *Ugh ugh ugh ugh* *pant pant*. Five, barely. Not too bad after more than a year of not touching that bar, I guess. Time to tag something interesting onto the exercise programme: "无三不过门", inspired by 武松's "无三不过望". Simply put, pay three (good) chin-ups to enter my room. One-way only, though. I'll update when I tear my first muscle.

2.4km Run (need 9:45 for Gold, 11:00 for B, 11:40 for C and Silver). This is the trickiest station, since I've never run a 9:45, not even when i was clocking 5min/km for 12 km runs twice a week at my running peak in the first year of NS. Best effort was in the region of 10:15. There seems to be nothing for this but to run a lot, which is exactly what I don't really enjoy if I have better things to do (which was not always the case in the Army, thus more enthusiasm for long distance runs then). Note to self: Check if the elliptical trainer in the balcony can be lugged in front of the TV.

Goal: Not to abandon ship at least till the end of the holidays.

What else? Oh yes, I managed to catch some of the French Open finals between Federer and Nadal on Sunday night, which Nadal won quite convincingly. Got reminded that world-class athletes are only human, after all; Federer had his fair share of horrible slices, and both started nervously despite one having won the last three Grand Slams and the other having won the last two French Opens.

Perhaps this is why the Prince of Tennis manga didn't grip me, since the teenage protagonist could already confidently hit the top of a drink can at the other end of the court at the beginning of the series. Oh, supposedly some players trained by aiming at a handkerchief, but i gather it's hardly a high-percentage thing. Far superior in realism - and more attractive to me - would be Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue, who has done some stupendous commercials for Shiseido too. There's a free webmanga by him called Buzzer Beater in much the same style as Slam Dunk, so take a look if you haven't :P



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