Singularity on the Plane

For this month, it means that I will change my running specification. Here’s the changelog:

• Start time changed to 15:30 (previously 16:00)
• Running time changed to 25 minutes (previously 20 minutes)
• Time for each warming up and cooling down sequence changed to 50 seconds (previously 40 seconds)

For the last month, I felt that 20 minutes of running isn’t painful anymore. Therefore I felt that it was time to push my limit again. I changed the start time to be earlier so that I wouldn’t need to rush for Maghrib prayer.

My plan is to increase the running time to 30 minutes after one or two months. After that I don’t think I will increase the time anymore. However I will try to run faster and faster within that 30 minutes period.

All talk, but actually I’ve been absent in running for three periods. I was because I had a little bit of cold. Next Tuesday should be the first 25 minutes running period in my history.

About go, this month I ended up being 16k on KGS. Here’s the history:

last day of September 2005: 19k
last day of October 2005: 18k
last day of November 2005: 18k?
last day of December 2005: 17k
last day of January 2005: 17k?
last day of February 2005: 16k

Objectively, it is clear that my go skills are improving, albeit at a sluggish rate. However I really don’t feel like I’m being better. Well, maybe that’s called gradual improvement. I improve little by little, so subtle that I don’t feel the improvement. Constrast this to leveling up in RPG games where the improvement is discreet: every level up increases stats visible and bring new skills on the table. Probably I can really see my improvement by looking at my old games (too see how worse I really was). I’ll do it some time in the future.

I’ve finished my second drill of goproblems.com difficulty 41-50. I’m now on the third drill. Frustratingly, I still make mistakes! Sometimes I even made mistake on a problem that I previously solved correctly. Guess that the patterns haven’t internalized so I couldn’t solve it by heart. I believe that I’ll master those problems though. A clear cut evidence is that I can recognize the squeeze tesuji instantly now, eventhough I was bedazzled for the first few times of my encounter.

Can’t surrender now… Need to keep on going and reach 15k!

My Japanese study is quite neglected because I’m prioritizing on my go right now. Well, at least those Mnemosyne drills are holding me back from complete oblivion.