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BUT SO WHAT IF I SIMPLY SHOOT?
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Ever thought of how far, or how long you can walk in a single journey? Inspired by Forrest Gump, I decided to find that out. Planned to walk non-stop from USM to the jetty, take a ferry to the mainland, take a ferry back to the island, and walk back to USM. And set a record for "the longest journey on foot over land and sea for no apparent reason". Wanted to be able to say "been there, done that."
Now that it's done, a journey like this has to be captured in writing. So it won't be forgotten in the sands of time...
2:45am. Prepared myself for the journey. Put on my PowerBar t-shirt for inspiration, Reebok shorts for comfort, Mojave sunshades for style, Nike shoes for performance, and a pair of brandless, white socks. I packed 2 Powerbars, 4 Powergels, 2 Proteinplus bars, a full 1.5-liter bottle of Aiga Reverse Osmosis water, loaded them into my PowerBar Karrimor bag, strapped it on, and off I went. (Anybody who wants a walking advert can think of calling me. I'd do it for no reason at all)
The journey was timed from the moment I stepped out from the USM gate. Important to keep hydrated every 30 minutes. With top-notch performance enhancers in my bag, I had nothing to fear.
It's quite an experience to be walking in the streets in the wee hours of the morning, when everyone else is in dreamland. There is a sense of peace and serenity in silence, when the hustle and bustle of life is absent. You can hear your own thoughts very clearly as you walk on. And you also feel very productive at this unearthly hour of the day, because you are actually getting somewhere, while the world sleeps.
Reached the Jetty at 5:45am. It was very much faster than I expected. Mum said the journey would take at least 5 hours. Balderdash. I reached in 2 hours, 3 minutes. It was a bit too early, and the ferry didn't arrive yet. The ferry starts operating at 6am.
Made a miscalculation. Hoped to catch the sunrise at the ferry ride. But the sun was still sleeping then.
Felt a little dizzy after the ferry ride. Thought that my glucose level was running low. A packet of Powergel down the gutter, and I'm back to full throttle.
Stopped at Island Glades for breakfast. Continued the journey back to USM right after. My legs started to ache. Finally completed the journey in 5 hours, 28 minutes.
Casualty count, zero. Injury count, a blistered fourth toe on the left foot. Studying the cause of the blister, I realized that the structure of my foot is to blame. My 4th toe is actually "attached" to the 3rd toe. The frequent abrasion must've caused the blister.
The art of putting one foot in front of another can really get you places. The amazing thing is, time really flies when you're concentrating on doing just that. What is impossible? If God permits, impossibility is only a state of mind.
But you know what. I set out to achieve a "longest journey on foot over land and sea for no apparent reason." In the end, that was exactly what I got. A journey with no apparent reason. It was meaningless.
Anyway, it's just for the hey of it. Will raise the stakes in my next attempt during the next holidays. Will start from my house next time, and calculate the arrival time with better precision.
That's it for the feat of the day. It's back to school on Monday. Sigh.
Now that it's done, a journey like this has to be captured in writing. So it won't be forgotten in the sands of time...
2:45am. Prepared myself for the journey. Put on my PowerBar t-shirt for inspiration, Reebok shorts for comfort, Mojave sunshades for style, Nike shoes for performance, and a pair of brandless, white socks. I packed 2 Powerbars, 4 Powergels, 2 Proteinplus bars, a full 1.5-liter bottle of Aiga Reverse Osmosis water, loaded them into my PowerBar Karrimor bag, strapped it on, and off I went. (Anybody who wants a walking advert can think of calling me. I'd do it for no reason at all)
The journey was timed from the moment I stepped out from the USM gate. Important to keep hydrated every 30 minutes. With top-notch performance enhancers in my bag, I had nothing to fear.
It's quite an experience to be walking in the streets in the wee hours of the morning, when everyone else is in dreamland. There is a sense of peace and serenity in silence, when the hustle and bustle of life is absent. You can hear your own thoughts very clearly as you walk on. And you also feel very productive at this unearthly hour of the day, because you are actually getting somewhere, while the world sleeps.
Reached the Jetty at 5:45am. It was very much faster than I expected. Mum said the journey would take at least 5 hours. Balderdash. I reached in 2 hours, 3 minutes. It was a bit too early, and the ferry didn't arrive yet. The ferry starts operating at 6am.
Made a miscalculation. Hoped to catch the sunrise at the ferry ride. But the sun was still sleeping then.
Felt a little dizzy after the ferry ride. Thought that my glucose level was running low. A packet of Powergel down the gutter, and I'm back to full throttle.
Stopped at Island Glades for breakfast. Continued the journey back to USM right after. My legs started to ache. Finally completed the journey in 5 hours, 28 minutes.
Casualty count, zero. Injury count, a blistered fourth toe on the left foot. Studying the cause of the blister, I realized that the structure of my foot is to blame. My 4th toe is actually "attached" to the 3rd toe. The frequent abrasion must've caused the blister.
The art of putting one foot in front of another can really get you places. The amazing thing is, time really flies when you're concentrating on doing just that. What is impossible? If God permits, impossibility is only a state of mind.
But you know what. I set out to achieve a "longest journey on foot over land and sea for no apparent reason." In the end, that was exactly what I got. A journey with no apparent reason. It was meaningless.
Anyway, it's just for the hey of it. Will raise the stakes in my next attempt during the next holidays. Will start from my house next time, and calculate the arrival time with better precision.
That's it for the feat of the day. It's back to school on Monday. Sigh.
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