Study day 2 was more focused, but yet little was achieved due to other constraints. Lessons lasted quite long, and I was too distracted to study properly inbetween. I overheard my friends discussing the simulation results, and realised my results were wrong. Upon checking it was a dumb mistake in which I assumed that I had already corrected my initial error before simulation. So I had to rerun both runs in the com lab simultaneously, lasting 5 hours. Yeah, through some miraculous means which remains a mystery till today, Yihui took only like 4 mins to simulate her own program. Pure genius lor. I have nothing to say.

All in all I read through the first 3 chapters and 3125 and have many more to go. Damn, I was supposed to finish it today!!!

On other news the replacement wheelset recommended to me costs $400!!!! Mavic Cosmos, the LOWEST end stock Mavic wheelset. A brief history of my wheelsets: I crashed out the stock Mavic CXP22 rims, bought and used to failure the Shimano R500 ($175), now nearing the end life of my 2nd hand Alexrims DA16 ($110). Other bike runs on Soul S3.0 ($350) and still going strong.

Yeah, but Mavix rims are reknowned for their quality. And I agree with my experience with the CXP22 rims. They seemed... solid. But not too sure if that can warrant the close to 2X pricing.

I've learnt more lessons on risk assesment today:
Safety critical component: Stem / frame / brake / rim / fork failure
Potentially safety critical component: Spoke / seat post / rim clear failure, tire puncture, lights fail
Run-to-failure component: Cracks / brakepad / cleat wear and tear
Non-critical component: Handlebar tape / saddle skin / bottle cage /speedometer failure

Today was supposed to be the official commencement of studying for me. The study room was full of people, all consistently mugging till i left at around 10pm.

I had planned to study CN3125 today, but didn't actually have a REAL plan. So i ended up looking at the past year papers first, then trying to figure out what to do from then on. I did like one exam question, and tried another. In between I was basically just familiarising myself with the textbook. Then I got bored and skipped to another set of lecture notes, which I read through slowly and aimlessly.

Alright, the truth was that I was distracted trying to settle more details of my cycling trip. Besides the 100% "you're crazy" feedback from my friends, I've been told my 2nd hand trashy wheelset's in bad condition. Well, I could simply just transfer my S3.0 over but then again I have to search for a new one anyway. And the bigger problem is the inavailability of the Topeak Master Blaster frame pump. Think I want to try and borrow...

The rack and bag are available, though slightly pricey. Arm warmers and leg warmers checked too. Initial costs estimates have put my equipment costs at the top of the lists, around $350 already! This is before the inclusion of a new wheelset! Although I can argue that this actually falls beyond the scope of the road trip.

And my family has been talking about the need for a new camera. I think the Pentax W30 sounds great for tough weather conditions.

Lodging fees amount to around $250 or less for the 6 days, based on the hotel lists I found at the towns I'm pit stopping at. Yes, I will be pampered by a hotel bed every night. Fuel another $120 i think.

Anyway well I think I just have to admit that I'm crazy lah, as can be seen from the fact that like minded people can mostly be found at www.crazyguyonabike.com. Most people do it in pairs, a few in 3s, and very very few solo. But yes, there ARE solo blogs of people cycling farther than thailand.

But yeah, we're all crazy bah.

13 days to exams. And in case you were wondering, blood donations are pretty common place in Singapore...