IPPT - Test of endurance only?

IPPT... a fitness 5 stations (before that was 6) test made compulsory since pri sch for healthy & medically able bodied males to be taken at least once annually until when they aged around 34years old in singapore. (Thats when reservist days for guys usually end nowadays, just dunno if we guys still need to go for IPPT after that. Haha) For females, dun ask me cos I am a male. =)

While Shuttle run and Sit ups are my best 2 performing stations, i had mixed results in Standing broad jump, Pull ups and 2.4km Run.

What's difficult in Standing broad jump? Isn't it standing broadly and then jump far? Well, there are techniques to jump far as some of my friends have told me, but I believe ultimately improving leg muscles can help alot. So far I notice whenever I have been cycling regularly before IPPT, I can jump better with much ease. (I can jump anywhere from 210cm - 235cm) Hmmm... Jumping over 215cm can be tricky at times as i often retake my IPPT partly because of this simple station. *Damned it, got to fine tuned my techniques... =X

I wonder if I try to reach for the sky, will
I be able to jump further?

Then comes pull ups - test of strength and muscular endurance in my upper body. I can only manage at best 8 pull ups count at one go when i am fitter during my NS rather than now. For now, i think at best a borderline 6, therefore I should go train my upper arm power soon if not i confirm will fail... Somemore, gym cost about $2.50 per trip. Nowadays, cannot afford it (Its not as if 1 gym session will guaranteed you a pass in IPPT), have to think of other creative ways then...

Running has by far been quite ok for me if i do run/cycle regularly from now till my IPPT date. (Maybe it will be one of the days during last week of Jan if i managed to book a day, else it will be held at a "much difficult to run" track during 1st week of Feb when i go for my reservist!) Best timing so far in my life is only 10:30mins, which is also attained during my NS period. =( Shall currently aim to run better than 11:40mins if i am gonna get at least a bronze award hopefully...

Ok, there isn't much motivation for me to excercise these few days due to massive spring cleaning operation. But I can still find motivation somehow, though I feel its more productive if i do train with a friend. Maybe I shall start cycling again to find my excercising momentum, or maybe I shall devise some unique healthy excercising plan... At any costs, I have decided on doing different excercises to really motivate myself to excercise various parts of muscles, else impending IPPT failure awaits me...

One of the better sunrise shots taken few years back by my friend... Hope my future will be brighter soon... Within 1 - 2 years, I suppose...

P/s: Sorry for lack of relevant photos for this post. (That shows how busy or rather slack I am in training, but I will be sure to increase training soon to keep fit in time for tough challenges ahead...) Who take pics of IPPT stations anyway... =P

KittyLab 35th anniversary - An unique experience for me

Okay dokie, to start the new year on a bright note, i think everyone wants to read about something refreshing and adorable rather than something that is scary and nothing special right? So without typing a whole lot of irrelevant nonsense to welcome the start of a brand new year, I shall straight away start off with an amazing experience of mine in late yr 2009. (I know its yr2010 now, but its only Jan 3 to have any conclusive awesome experience in a new year yet ya? =P)

So anyway, why would a young guy like me be @ KittyLab Expo instead of @ IT fair on 27Nov09 for? Good question right? Well not that I am free enough to go there (need to have a break in midst of exam prep stress!) and also not because I 100% like Hello Kitty okay! (Jus curious to know whether is there Dear Daniel also or not, but sadly only got other friends of Hello Kitty) Hmmm, maybe got Dear Daniel hiding somewhere but i just cannot locate it. Okay anyway, that's not the main reason but it is still a sub reason. =X

Who is cuter? Definitely not me for sure =P

The main reason is actually my friend got an extra booked ticket with no taker for it. Since every other friend seems to be either uninterested about the exhibition to go with 2 young friendly ladies or busy on that day itself, i am invited to go at the expense of $42+-(includes online booking fee) which i am willing to go and see for myself why would Hello Kitty come visit Singapore when there are better locations to visit elsewhere. Merchandise are cute but a little overpriced for most students, popular products are sold too fast(understocked somemore) and unpopular products are aplenty just outside the KittyLab exhibition!!! (A survey beforehand on what local kitty fans do prefer buying will likely help boost sales.)

Thats not really important to some people I believe. Move on... ... My experience is still unique despite any of the above shortcomings. =) Firstly, the three of us happily explore the KittyLab exhibition admiring all the small bitsy wonders of it. But REALLY, the intro story plot at the beginning is just too brief and could be made alot more mysterious to make all Kitty fans squealed in more delight. (I am not a Kitty fan as yet, I only find that Kitty and friends are interesting sanrio characters though)

Where is the story plot???

All the stations for our adventure inside actually do test whether any of us are observant, fast in reacting, how well we performed various tasks, etc... (Don't ask me how i know, it is just what I feel as to a certain extent, it is logical enough to derive at the eventual personality of the kitty in gold-printed Kitty ID card that each paid visitor really do deserve.) Other than that, the mini locations around the kitty tower do look stunningly cute and a little too real not to imagine how living in such a dream place would turn out to be. (But its only a few steps from location to location)

After a supposedly fast completion of all tasks & exploration (50mins compared to the limit of under 35mins or so to attain a good citizens badge), proceeding to the KittyLab customs to check out is also surprisingly unique. Its basically handing over the KTA reader at the counter which we used it to record our choice of kitty costume progress at the various stations as we complete the tasks with curiosity!!! It is also then that i found out that i did not achieved my "maybe too ambitious" target of getting a kittyLab good citizen badge. I do get a nice Kitty ID card as a consolation though. (I am not that depressed over not receiving a good citizen as it does not really matters! Seriously, its the experience that counts!!)

Am I a Kitty in disguise? heheh

Overall, my simple verdict would be that it is an exhibition worth to visit once because you don't really experience such cutesy thrills locally often. Not that it is really value for ticket price though(nothing much to explore), which is a little disappointing indeed... =)

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***Food for thought Qn: How would you feel if you went through the above same amusing adventure in place of me?

(Don't say you will never go for such exhibition as if you are a person not curious enough to experience something unique =O )