Summer is here!

I couldn't confirm this until today. We had great weather on Friday and yesterday. I thought, well, let's wait for the third day to confirm this. Yes, summer is finally here. The temperature has soared to 28 deg C with the highest recorded at 30 so far. But 28 deg C here is different from Malaysia's because of the humidity.

Today is also the London Triathlon , and I think it's just perfect for that with this weather. Taking part in a triathlon here is more expensive than I thought. First of all, it is compulsory to wear a wetsuit to participate and this means extra cost. For prospective participants like me who doesn't have a wetsuit or left most of his stuff in his home country, there is a starter kit. The cheapest one would set me off £695 (RM4900). That's reasonable considering that the kit includes a road bike, a pair of Asics running shoes and a wetsuit. But as a student here, that's still too much for me. Like any other major races in London, this triathlon goes through a balloting system which means that you have to be chosen to be able to participate even if you could afford the entry fee of £74. I don't think I will complain anymore with RM60 (£8.50) entry fee in Malaysia, even if that's 1-to-1 comparison.

After having a "chocolate cake gathering" at a friend's place, I took off to Jesus Green Swimming Pool resenting the fact that I couldn't participate in the London Triathlon. The weather was also perfect for that! To my surprise, the pool was inundated with people and I had to wait for half an hour for the crowd to thin off. Before that, someone in the gathering was asking me, "Wouldn't it be crowded today?"

"Nope. Because the pool is big enough to cope with large crowds. Besides, it's more like a serious pool than for people to have fun", I answered confidently.

Looks like the weather has beaten me to that. Nevertheless I swam 1800m in a crowded condition and managed to avoid all swimmers in my direction. Triathletes will attest that one of the greatest challenges in the swimming event is to avoid the hundreds of swimmers around you and managing space to overtake others. Jesus Green seemed easy. First of all, the water was clear! Maybe swimming in a crowded condition is a good way to practice for a real triathlon race.

I just hope the weather stays like this for the entire month. Or at least a week if that's too much to ask for. I can now do more hard core training for my next triathlon race! People like Raymond who's reading this, be very afraid......I will beat your time soon!