16 | March | 2008 | Otterman speaks...

Sat Mar 14

20:34:24 – setting up phone for the 160km ride tomorrow. – http://tweet.sg
23:23:22 – NTU Bike Rally 2009: Preparations http://is.gd/nkZ8

Sun 15 Mar

04:34:29 – Looking for my knee guard. KX should be cycling down already, better look alive!
05:25:13 – waiting for KX. No knee guard at cold storage. Will head down through Orchard Road, Nicoll Highway then ECP. – http://tweet.sg
07:10:17 – off we go! – http://tweet.sg
08:08:15 – Ecp 23.4kmh, 37min, 14km, labrador 22.1, 1.23, 30.79. Bananas are good breakfast! Lots of unsteady cyclists though. Good thing we are hea
08:39:40 – started a tradition-newbies buy kopi. Labrador kopi shops gone so west coast mc’s. Route marshals freaked when we detoured so we said t …
09:08:16 – finally we head off! Typical zendog break. Lots of cyclists with the blue event t-shirts greet us when we rejoin – http://tweet.sg
09:55:56 – reached NTU.chatted with slow riders along the way. Scorching sun. 21.3kmh, 2:25, 51.54km. – http://tweet.sg
11:10:54 – KRANJI Reservoir, 21.0, 3:14, 67.93km. Heat taking its toll, lots of riders by wayside due to cramps – http://tweet.sg
12:07:05 – my gear wheel fell apart. Riding a rented bike, first one we pulled off the truck. NOW its a challenge! Fit all wrong and i am last rider
15:02:29 – no low gear on the substitute bike and then came hills in Mandai and Yio Chu Kang! Rains poured, kept on but now freezing in Serangoon Stadium
17:06:53 – ride abandoned. Brought my injured bike home. – http://tweet.sg
17:32:05 – @gracechua NTU Bike Rally – saw the blue jerserys? They said, “serious Cyclist,” heh-heh
17:33:19 – @john_larkin gear, yeah that sucked but I discovered the joys of riding a rented bike. Oh I meant agony!
17:34:44 – @acroamatic yeah we were drenched, which I enjoyed but later visibility poor so abandoned ride. Eventually too late to continue.
17:35:52 – @john_larkin thought of you and Kevin when climbing Mandai hills from last year when twitter did SMS a +65 no
17:38:19 – @Singeo ‘Twas a challenge and I relished it! Definitely made the ride interesting!
17:39:13 – @john_larkin yeah DEFINITELY!
19:15:52 – Bike rack falls off Lekowala’s car on AYE returning the two ladies. Bikes escape mangling, no one hurt, phew! Lekowala disposed the rack.

Mon Mar 16

23:00:26 – Bike problem yest – screws loosened on rear derailer, tension pulley dropped off, couldn’t find on road [for my bike savvy kakis who asked]

Dropped in at the Blood Centre on Friday morning to donate blood. I’m giving whole blood these days so I go down once every three months. My bout of the flu delayed this donation, my 95th, for a month.

So well clear of the flu bug, I snatched some time between lesson prep, form submissions, a tutorial and student consultation to see some old friends.

I’ve been visiting almost every three months for more than a decade so there usually is at least one nurse I know from way back, an sure enough one was around. She chatted with me about the mangroves of course, and had even seen the recent episode on Arts Central.

I used to be back from all sorts of places in the old days with travel stories. That regular regional travel actually had me on monthly plasma donations for several years since my red blood cells might have been host to some dormant but exotic bug! I now lead a tame urban life, so its back to whole blood donation.

Sadly the pamphlets still say that only 1.5% of Singapore residents are donating regularly. I think about half the population are eligible donors. If the figure doubles to 3%, our stocks will be in a comfortable condition. Right now, for example, stocks of ‘A’ and ‘O’ blood are low.

A lot of my friends are sadly unable due to a long stay in the UK (mad cow), various health reasons, are too light or are anaemic!

If you have questions about donating, see HSA’s site on Blood Donation.

In other news on blood donation, in the US,

“Takes all Types is providing social media (including Facebook) applications to allow people to sign up as blood donors and receive alerts by phone, text, e-mail, Facebook, fax, whenever blood is needed in their local area.”