Slacker and cyclist

Apologies for the silence from this end. The last month has been a busy one at work, which means that life hasn't been too exciting. Lovely? Yes. Happy? Yes. Exciting? No, not so much. =)

But I'm okay with that, actually. My routines have mostly settled in, I'm cooking more, seeing friends more, and feeling more like I live here and less like I'm just visiting. It's been a really nice thing.

For those who are interested, we played our first basketball game last weekend. The final score was 23 to 111. Guess which side I was on? (Hint: Not the good one.) Still, it was fun, we got a good sense of our needs as a team, and I didn't break anything. Good times!

Most exciting for me is that I'm finally beginning to break into the non-spandex cycling scene here. Hurrah! Last weekend was Singapore's first-ever (as far as we know) Skirt Ride, delightfully titled "Billow on a Bike". Andrea and Matt (the organizers) did a great job of planning the route, getting the word out, and putting together a delightful day. The weather was perfect, the company lovely, and the route itself was beautiful and a good mix of environments - from the Park Connector Network to the Boat Quay to the F1 track. Lovely!

Of course, it didn't start out so well for me...

We met here:

I got there a bit early, and set about trying to strap my bag more securely to my rack. At which point my bike fell over. At which point I realized I had a flat tire. And no tools (silly Caitlin!).

Thankfully, other cyclists were more prepared with tools and a spare tube, so my flat was soon set to right.

Thanks, guys!

And off we went!

Performance on the bridge...

which we watched for a bit

Cycling on the F1 track

The joke is that the Crane is the national bird of Singapore...

After a lovely cycle, we stopped for coffee...

or in my case, iced tea

and a chat and rest.

And then a leisurely ride home after a wonderful day. Thanks to the organizers and the other participants! Good, good time.

In other news, the rainy season has begun.

Before the storm

During the storm

After the storm