How to Sync all your Calendars - Part 2 - Facebook & Tripit calendars

In my last post, I explained details of the following:

·         Set up a common calendar

·         Linked it to my Android phone

·         Linked it to Shyamala’s phone (iPhone)

·         Have a common calendar on our PC at home 

 In order to have a complete all-in-one calendar linked to our phones and the PC at home, I had to include events from facebook and travel itineraries from tripit.

Automatically include our travel itineraries including flights and hotel bookings

Tripit is a really handy website to organise travel plans into an itinerary. This is especially useful if you are a DIY traveller like me who organises and purchases your own flight/hotel/tour bookings from various sites. Once you receive the confirmation and receipts from a travel site, you simply need to email that to plans@tripit.com and Tripit is smart enough to pick up all the information from the email and build your itinerary.

Tripit has its own iPhone/Android app. However, I was determined to add these schedules to my calendar. Tripit has the details for this on this link - http://www.tripit.com/uhp/calendarInfo

• Get your iCal feed .
• Copy the URL.
• Open a new browser window and go to Google Calendar. Click on the dropdown button (or the "Add" link in the old Google Calendar version) in the "Other Calendars" section on the left-hand side.
• Choose "Add by URL".

• On the pop-up, paste the URL in the selected text field.
• Click "Add Calendar" to finish.

Once setup, the travel itineraries show up on Google Calendar:

Automatically include Facebook events

Last step was to make sure my facebook events are included in the calendar.

• ·         Go to Facebook events
• ·         Click on drop down menu next to the “Create event” button and select “Export Events..” 

 

• ·         Copy the URL

• Go to Google Calendar and add the above link following the similar steps to the above tripit-Google calendar addition. Once done, your facebook events show up on your calendar:

Once done, your facebook events will be displayed on your Google calendar (and your mobiles via Google Calendar)

Google is smart enough to colour code various calendar - In my case, Facebook events are highlighted in Orange and Tripit in Green.
I am still not happy with all facebook events including declined facebook events showing up. I'm in the process of checking how this can be fixed.
 Unfortunately, the facebook and Tripit events dont flow through to the Windows Live Calendar widget on my desktop (explained in my previous post). The reason for this is the Google iCal output does not share the events from external calendars. In order to fix this, the iCal URLs need to be added directly to the Windows Live Calendar widget as per my previous post. Any suggestions to improve these techniques will be great! Enjoy! :-)

How to Sync all your Calendars - Part 1 - Google, iPhone, Android and Desktop calendars

Lately, I have been on a mission to set up a common calendar for Shyamala and I to share and to integrate our personal calendars, Facebook calendars and travel itineraries so it’s all in one common calendar . With some research and Googling, I’ve managed to do the following:

·         One common calendar

·         Link it to my Android phone

·         Link it to Shyamala’s iPhone (clearly I have a better phone than Shyamala :) )

·         Have a common calendar on our PC at home

·         Automatically include our travel itineraries including flights and hotel bookings

·         Automatically include Facebook events

Not sure if this means I’ll manage my time better, but it certainly does help with it and with planning our schedule. Now for the details:

One common calendar

I needed a fairly straight forward calendar with good integration with phones and other apps. The choice was fairly obviously. I signed up for a Google Calendar account. This was a fairly straight forward process.

Syncing with the Android Phone

Android users are in luck. The setting up of a Google account/calendar is quite straight forward. If your Google calendar account is the same as the gmail account you used when you set up your phone, all of your calendars will automatically sync with the phone. In my case, the gmail account I use on my phone is different to the common calendar I set up recently.  So I had to add the new calendar.

To make life easier, I’ve also added two of the below HTC calendar widgets: 

Syncing with the iPhone

Unfortunately, this is a little more complicated than Android! (Another reason to use Android :) )

Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, click Add Account and create a new Microsoft Exchange Account -- not the Gmail option (yes!!! Weird!). Leaving the 'Domain' field blank, enter your Google account details in 'Username' and 'Password,' tap 'Next,' and add m.google.com as the 'Server' field on the following screen. Next, you'll be prompted for the services you'd like to sync. If this is your first time setting up mail, contacts or your calendar, go ahead and select all three.

If you are using multiple calendars open Safari to choose which Google Calendars you require. Use your account details to log in to m.google.com/sync on your phone, and select the device you're using. Tap the button next to each calendar you want on your phone, and press 'Save' once you're satisfied. Wait a few seconds, boot up the iOS Calendar app, and your Google calendars, now fully editable, will download from the Web.

If you are assuming multiple iPhones or iPads, you just need to follow the above steps on all of it. You can customize your sync settings on each device.

Have a common calendar on our PC at home

I wanted the calendar to be setup on our laptop at home. Ideally, I was looking for a desktop ‘widget’ that will load at startup on my Windows7 laptop and display the calendar... that is exactly what I found here (Not sure what Microsoft was thinking when they removed Windows Calendar from Windows7!!)

This Windows Live Calendar Gadget allows syncing from Windows Live, Google Calendar or any other calendar (including Facebook and tripit – more details below). It also allows you to sync more than one calendar! – Just what I needed.

1. Go to Google calendar > settings > Calendar tab and select the Calendar you wish to sync:

2. Under ‘Private address’, click ICAL and copy the URL:

3. Go to the Windows Live Calendar Gadget > options and paste the URL.

You can choose various the sync interval, reminder options and pick one of the three skins currently available:

Once it is setup, it sits really nicely on the desktop:

I hope this helps someone..
I've also linked my facebook events and travel itineraries (via tripit) to the above calendar (and the phones). I'll explain how I did that in the next blog.

Singapore Marathon 2011 - CAN!

With the preparation and training I’ve had in the lead up to this marathon, I almost felt like I shouldn’t have been there at the start line on the Singapore Marathon 2011 on 4^th December, but having crossed the marathon finish line thrice, it was going to take a lot for me to turn down the opportunity to miss this wonderful experience.

Timeline of event leading upto this was:

Jan to Jun 11 – I had the best (half) year of running. I was constantly seeing sub 5min pace on my garmin. I was very much on track for a sub 4:15 Sydney Marathon & eventually to run one sub 4hr marathon in my life!

Jun 11 – Was offered a role in Singapore. Decided to accept it and move to Singapore with Shyamala.

First week of work in Jun – Got a corporate ‘invitation’ to run the Singapore marathon 2011. Shift + Deleted it and assumed I would never receive such junk mails anymore.

July-August – Learned some basics of living in Singapore. I now know:

*It is normal to look like you came from the Sauna after a 5 minute walk to the station

*At some point, you need to start pushing into the busy train if you ever wanted to get home on time.

* The STOP sign and pedestrian crossing are more of an optional sign for the drivers - If you request them to stop and if they can be bothered, they’ll stop

* CAN is the national phrase. It indicates “it can be done”

* Pack of tissues on an empty table in a busy food court means that the table is reserved by someone. Substitutes for pack of tissues are – umbrellas, wallets and hand bags!

Late August – Got a ‘reminder’ for the Singapore Marathon registration. Couldn’t resist it this time – I decided to sign up for it and ‘forget about it’.

August – October – Very stringent carb-loading regiment has already commenced thanks to East coast fresh seafood, Lau pa sat satays and little India curries of Singapore. Every now and then, a few runs were also done, along with (a more frequent and structured) muay thai training.

Early November – GAME FACE ON! I have a marathon to run in about 5 weeks. Plan was simple, I continue my muay thai training 2-3 times a week and fit in a long run in the weekends. This worked well for the first two weeks.

Third week, November – This was supposed to be my longest run weekend. Instead I was at Koh Lanta, Thailand with Shyamala. That was the beginning of my tapering. There was no running there at all.. not even to get to the room (we had golf buggies for it) or to walk to the seafood restaurant on the beach (why walk when we have our own scooter!). Only interval training that was done was the naps between the meals, pool, beach, bars and snorkeling :)

4^th Dec - “While Singapore is sleeping…”

The race start was at 5am. I got there around 4.40am hoping to get to the “sub 6 hours” starter group. My goal time was 5:15 with a dream time of 5 hours. A sub 6 hour starter group and/or the pacers were nowhere to be seen. I was confident that as the race progresses I would either catch the pacers and they’d catch me. (Lesson learnt – Plan to get to the start atleast an hour earlier. Singapore marathon has about 10 times more runners than Sydney runners – approx. 20000+ runners)

The start and the first few KMs were fairly uneventful with runners everywhere, very active water stations and active bands. The stand out was the enthusiastic families and supporters at that time of the day and the magnificent sights of Singapore’s China town, the esplanade, marina bay sands and Singapore flyer. We continued our run on the F1 race circuit and headed out towards the East Coast Park.

East Coast park is about 1.5 KMs from our house. It’s my training ground and known territory for me. This “popular beach” is a lot different to what most would expect – it takes a few months to get used to the sights of large containers ships few hundred meters off the beach and the lights from some island in Indonesia. I really surprised myself as I ran to the half-way turnaround point and continued running all the way down east coast.

“Respect the Distance”

The trick to run all 42.2kms in a marathon is simple – You need to do your long runs! There really are no short-cuts. Short runs, cross-training, weights training, muay thai, soccer, reading books, watching marathon videos on youtube, talking about running a marathon on facebook, may help you get to about the 28-33km point if you are reasonably prepared but ‘the wall’ will get to you at some point if you’d skipped the long runs. This time, I was one of many who had not done enough long runs in the lead up. By the 30^th KM, I’d well and truly hit the wall. The sun was out and the heat was unbearable. There were no KM markers, there were no pacers in and my garmin wasn’t getting good satellite signals!! I had no idea where I was on the course.

With some running and a lot of walking and almost feel like passing out, I finally got to Padang to cross the finish line of my 4^th Marathon. As always, Shyamala was there to receive me. Being there for almost an hour longer (thanks to her husband being over-enthusiastic about his goal time) might not have been much fun, but she certainly did not show it as she continued cheering me on as I ran towards the finish line.

I don’t usually don’t bother joining the post-race bandwagon of people complaining about the race. This marathon had a lot of complaints and most of them did not bother me. I wasn’t concerned about not having the right finisher t-shirt size (luckily I had my size this time!) or not getting a printed certificate or the recovery area being muddy! I almost don’t even mind the long gaps between the water stations in the final 10kms or them being really muddy and was a DIY station! But not having KM markers or properly organized pacers on an iconic race like the Singapore marathon is ridiculous. The heat may still have got to me – But I would have definitely tried my best to keep up with a pacer and/or keep a steady pace as I ran past KM markers to achieve a faster time.

It was interesting to note that my PB at Sydney marathon 2010 (4:34) still had me at the back of the pack with only 18% behind me.This marathon had a whopping 59% runners still behind me - despite the slower time of 5:54. I wonder how much of that relates to the sweltering Singapore heat.

That was my 4^th marathon done ! :) I’ve now done at least one marathon a year, since my first marathon in 2009.

A sub 4:15 (and eventually a sub 4hr marathon) is still on my bucket list.. but as my priority have temporarily changed, I don’t planning on waiting for the “perfect buildup” before lining up for the next marathon or half marathon. I hope to continue racing for fun. If work, studies, Singapore and the sights and beaches of Asia don’t get in the way at some point, I hope to train harder to achieve a much faster time :-)