Overslept this morning. By the time I woke up, after disabling my phone alarm twice, it was already 7:15am. Was struggling on whether to get out for the run as it might get too hot, was still two minds about it while I wash up. Should I just rest today and run tomorrow instead ?
Finally decided to just heck it, and head out for a run. Just do what I can today. "At most cut short the run and continue tomorrow" I thought.
Today's route : to Frankel Ave. Yes, I wanted to run to somewhere new, and to check out Frankel Ave. Not knowing how to get there, I asked Teelee for help. The cool dude promptly sent me the map to get there. Thanks Teelee ! I managed to print out the map last nite before leaving the office, not decided whether to try out the route today.
With map in hand, I started my run at 10 mins to 8. The weather is still cooling, thanks to the shower last evening that I think continued to the wee hours of this morning. I walked to the main road and just started my run when I saw this big pack of cyclists riding past. With my music on, I thought I heard someone amidst the pack of cyclists shouted "KJ!". I turned around and thought I caught a glimpse of Cokie. Wow! He sure has fantastic eyesight! Too bad I wasn't expecting to see anyone and guessed was too stoned to react. Didn't manage to wave nor acknowledge him before he whizzed past me. :P
I enjoy exploring new routes. I attribute this to my need for new experiences, and one who dislike routine. Hence I always have to find new routes to run, just so that I will be motivated to put on my running gear to head out for a run. But then, this could also mean that I'm not motivated nor disciplined, and need external factors (like new routes, new gear) to keep me going. Unlike some others who can train on the same terrain, same route week after week. These are people who I think are very disciplined, motivated and focused. Aw well, everyone is built differently I guess *shrug*
Anyway, the route was easy enough even for a DR like me. One problem I found in running a new route is also that I couldn't maintain a constant pace. I would be too pre-occupied trying to be sure I know where I was going, absorbing the new sights and carrying on, that I noticed a very irregular pace. My pace was all wrong and I was panting too soon into the run. I kept checking my watch and realised I was not even 20 mins into the run but I felt beat.
The route wasn't pleasant. Basically pounding the pavement, with lots of disruptions waiting at the traffic lights, and also breathing in the carbon monoxide from the rather heavy traffic. I reached Frankel Ave 1hr 20 mins into the run. It was a very very slow run and I was quite disappointed that I took so long for a less than 10km run.
With frequent walk breaks, more frequent that usual, and irregular run/walk sequences, I managed to cover 16km in 2 hours. I wonder how I'm going to handle even half marathon in this condition. Darn. The route I took today .. My worries about the hot weather was unfounded coz it was a very cool morning today. The sun wasn't out and it didn't feel hot at all. I'm blessed.
I walked to cool down and found this newly built (it looks new to me) park connector in the middle of this quiet residential area (of terrace houses) that opened up to Simei MRT.
I did my stretching before finding a place to refuel before heading home.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Back!
After a week of rest, I'm back in the gym and after some initial struggle, I'm happy to say I'm doing much better today!
Went for a very quick swim this morning. Was very apprehensive. "Can I swim ? ", "Am I going to struggle and really feel lousy about it ?"
When I hit the water, I just did a slow swim and thankfully i got into the groove and just took it slow and easy.
Decided not to practise freestyle as that will just cause my confidence to plummet so I just spent 30mins swimming my breast-stroke without any long breaks.
This is such a stark contrast to the past 2 to 3 weeks where I was pausing after each lap!
The spin was good. Instructor change again. Seems like the instructors keep switching their sessions. I was actually quite disappointed to see the ang mo instructor in front of the class this morning, coz I don't really like his style. But he surprises me today by being quite good. He was motivating, and was dishing out tips on how to ride better. Making us visualise the course that we were doing so that we could better appreciate the spin, and how hard to spin etc.
Quite fun! *thumbs up*
Went for a very quick swim this morning. Was very apprehensive. "Can I swim ? ", "Am I going to struggle and really feel lousy about it ?"
When I hit the water, I just did a slow swim and thankfully i got into the groove and just took it slow and easy.
Decided not to practise freestyle as that will just cause my confidence to plummet so I just spent 30mins swimming my breast-stroke without any long breaks.
This is such a stark contrast to the past 2 to 3 weeks where I was pausing after each lap!
The spin was good. Instructor change again. Seems like the instructors keep switching their sessions. I was actually quite disappointed to see the ang mo instructor in front of the class this morning, coz I don't really like his style. But he surprises me today by being quite good. He was motivating, and was dishing out tips on how to ride better. Making us visualise the course that we were doing so that we could better appreciate the spin, and how hard to spin etc.
Quite fun! *thumbs up*
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Idea Liao!
Saturday, June 23, 2007
GSS @ Kovan
I went to Kovan with sis and the 2 kids just now .... we did some browsing at POPULAR bookstore ... first time I took the time to browse all those cook books .... wow, very interesting lor. Almost felt like buying a few of the books to try out some of those healthy dishes and sinful cookies :P
Had a very hearty lunch. Seldom take lor beehoon mee and so decided to give it a try. I asked for the small serving and was shocked when my bowl of lor beehoon mee came and it was this HUGE bowl! "I ordered SMALL leh" I told the guy who served me my lor beehoon mee. "Yeah. This is small" *bak chiew popped out and dropped into the googey lor beehoon mee* $2.50 for such a HUGE serving and mind you, it was also piled with ingredients! The stall sure isn't stingy with their liao! They had 2 reasonably sized chunks fried fish, few small fried wanton, many slices of the ngoh hiang. Wah! The lor was quite bland, not very nice but ok la, still very edible in my opinion. And it left me utterly STUFFED :P
Yup, someone once commented that I always say I need rest and I'm tired, but my stomach never needs the break -__-" good observation! :P
Inspired by the cook books, I wanted to buy some vegetables to cook for dinner tonight. So we headed to the Cold Storage and was just browsing the shelves when my sis and niece alerted me to their surprising find. The store was selling lots of the cereals at a HUGE discount. What was previously going at between $7-$12 was offered at below $4!! This is super lelong lor! We were so excited we threw a few boxes into the trolley. The expiry dates were either in Jul or Aug. But sis said such stuff can keep one lah, can eat. Yup, I'm actually still eating some cereals that were way past the expiry. :P
Cereals healthy or not ? Well, I figured even if I dun snack on these I would be snacking on biscuits. So well, I suppose cereals are the lesser of the 2 evils ba? hahahaha ...
Had a very hearty lunch. Seldom take lor beehoon mee and so decided to give it a try. I asked for the small serving and was shocked when my bowl of lor beehoon mee came and it was this HUGE bowl! "I ordered SMALL leh" I told the guy who served me my lor beehoon mee. "Yeah. This is small" *bak chiew popped out and dropped into the googey lor beehoon mee* $2.50 for such a HUGE serving and mind you, it was also piled with ingredients! The stall sure isn't stingy with their liao! They had 2 reasonably sized chunks fried fish, few small fried wanton, many slices of the ngoh hiang. Wah! The lor was quite bland, not very nice but ok la, still very edible in my opinion. And it left me utterly STUFFED :PYup, someone once commented that I always say I need rest and I'm tired, but my stomach never needs the break -__-" good observation! :P
Inspired by the cook books, I wanted to buy some vegetables to cook for dinner tonight. So we headed to the Cold Storage and was just browsing the shelves when my sis and niece alerted me to their surprising find. The store was selling lots of the cereals at a HUGE discount. What was previously going at between $7-$12 was offered at below $4!! This is super lelong lor! We were so excited we threw a few boxes into the trolley. The expiry dates were either in Jul or Aug. But sis said such stuff can keep one lah, can eat. Yup, I'm actually still eating some cereals that were way past the expiry. :P Cereals healthy or not ? Well, I figured even if I dun snack on these I would be snacking on biscuits. So well, I suppose cereals are the lesser of the 2 evils ba? hahahaha ...
3 days and counting
I'm still resting .... no run at all today. boo hoo
I went for a bodypump class on Thur morning after 2 days of rest and alas! I woke up with aches and pains on my legs and buttocks and arms on Fri! So back to rest and no activities since Thurs. Til now my legs are still in pain. I'm not sure why. Its not that I loaded up on the weights for pump and its not that I'm new to pump. So I'm really baffled why just 2 days of rest could do so much difference to my body such that I feel the ache all over.
The pain is worst each time I move from a stationary position. Ouch! Almost limping sometimes!! This is so not right :( Hope this is just DOMS and hope I recover from it real soon!!
I was only glad it wasn't anything serious when I dash for the bus just now and realised I could still run without pain *WHEW* :P Not sure how long I still need to rest to get back to my usual can-exercise state.
Til then ... the slack / rest continues ... Ok, I'll consider this as RECOVERY :P
I went for a bodypump class on Thur morning after 2 days of rest and alas! I woke up with aches and pains on my legs and buttocks and arms on Fri! So back to rest and no activities since Thurs. Til now my legs are still in pain. I'm not sure why. Its not that I loaded up on the weights for pump and its not that I'm new to pump. So I'm really baffled why just 2 days of rest could do so much difference to my body such that I feel the ache all over.
The pain is worst each time I move from a stationary position. Ouch! Almost limping sometimes!! This is so not right :( Hope this is just DOMS and hope I recover from it real soon!!
I was only glad it wasn't anything serious when I dash for the bus just now and realised I could still run without pain *WHEW* :P Not sure how long I still need to rest to get back to my usual can-exercise state.
Til then ... the slack / rest continues ... Ok, I'll consider this as RECOVERY :P
Friday, June 22, 2007
Rare Times
This is one of the many rare times my boss leaves before me!
And its a freaking Fri ....
Why am I still stuck at work ?
Mood: Dark
Face: Black
Outlook: Bleak
And its a freaking Fri ....
Why am I still stuck at work ?
Mood: Dark
Face: Black
Outlook: Bleak
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Perpetual Lethargy
That's how I'm feeling of late.
Went for a swim on Monday morning and engine just COULDN'T start. I struggled for 10 mins, psychoed myself for another 20. The number of laps covered is the lowest, lower than my baseline. I stopped after an hour with more rests than swim.
So ... I stopped all physical activities from then on. In some other people's words/minds, that would mean SLACK. But I couldn't care less anymore. Yup, I'm slacking.
Its funny how I have to "force" myself to SLACK because I get guilty. Guilty of being a slacker, of not just going to the gym and working it out. Not so much to lose weight (I've long since given up haha), but just for not even trying tokeep myself fit? Thoughts like the following kept swimming in my lil head:
But interestingly, the guilt didn't last for long. By the 2nd day, I no longer feel as guilty and I no longer struggle with the dilemma of whether to hit the gym (hmmm, habits don't need 21 days to form afterall haha ... at least not bad habits. That prolly need just 24 hours :P). In fact, I felt liberated. Suddenly I realise I might have been invisibly chained to the gym, and breaking this chain makes me feel a little more free ? and a little more in control. Yes, I suddenly felt that I have lost control in deciding whether I want to go gym or not. It felt like I am forced/obligated to go ?
Its amazing how taking one step back can help in reviewing your perspectives. Yup, think I'm crazy liao.
And today, I went back to the gym. And my legs felt wobbly and weak ... my whole body does. Not good. Nevermind, I shall continue toslack rest then. To liberation and beyond!
Sorethroat now ..... too much junk food. Hope I don't fall sick over the weekend. *cross fingers*
Went for a swim on Monday morning and engine just COULDN'T start. I struggled for 10 mins, psychoed myself for another 20. The number of laps covered is the lowest, lower than my baseline. I stopped after an hour with more rests than swim.
So ... I stopped all physical activities from then on. In some other people's words/minds, that would mean SLACK. But I couldn't care less anymore. Yup, I'm slacking.
Its funny how I have to "force" myself to SLACK because I get guilty. Guilty of being a slacker, of not just going to the gym and working it out. Not so much to lose weight (I've long since given up haha), but just for not even trying tokeep myself fit? Thoughts like the following kept swimming in my lil head:
- You will lose the momentum and wun hit the gym anymore
- You will get too comfy slacking & nuahing
- Once engine stop, hard to start again. Takes loads more effort. Might as well just hit the gym and continue with the flow
- Eat like a hog and yet don't even try to lose one calorie ??
- You will lose whatever fitness you have built up. Got to start all over again!
But interestingly, the guilt didn't last for long. By the 2nd day, I no longer feel as guilty and I no longer struggle with the dilemma of whether to hit the gym (hmmm, habits don't need 21 days to form afterall haha ... at least not bad habits. That prolly need just 24 hours :P). In fact, I felt liberated. Suddenly I realise I might have been invisibly chained to the gym, and breaking this chain makes me feel a little more free ? and a little more in control. Yes, I suddenly felt that I have lost control in deciding whether I want to go gym or not. It felt like I am forced/obligated to go ?
Its amazing how taking one step back can help in reviewing your perspectives. Yup, think I'm crazy liao.
And today, I went back to the gym. And my legs felt wobbly and weak ... my whole body does. Not good. Nevermind, I shall continue to
Sorethroat now ..... too much junk food. Hope I don't fall sick over the weekend. *cross fingers*
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Werner's Oven
Ended my Sunday out with a surprise find - Werner's Oven at Siglap. Initially wanted to have some ice cream at Gelare but I happened to see this signage and excitedly asked to check out. I had got to know about this place when watching TV Mobile on my way to work and had wanted to check it out. Well, unfortunately didn't have a chance to. This is a place that serves German fare. Since I was with someone who was suffering from lack of appetite -_-", so I just ordered a pumpkin soup and one of their German specials of pork sausage with potato salad and saukernaut (sp?).
The pumpkin soup ($5.80) was nice. The sausage was a tad too salty for me. Ok, maybe this is how it should be, just that I'm not very into salty stuff. I'm not really into sausages too actually (which lead me to wonder why I was in there in the first place -DUH! :P). The saukernaut & salad was nice though. But for the price of like $18.50 for that dish, I feel that its FREAKIN ex! Daylight robbery lor. Anyway, paid for the experience. At least I finally get to try out this place. Thanks for the company! :)
Memory Lane CKT
I haven't had such yummy char kuay teow in a longgggg time! Almost forgot about this version of CKT coz its now always those super black, dry types of CKT.So when I was first told to go for some yummy CKT in Marine Parade, I wasn't all that excited. Ok lor, CKT doesn't really have that effect on me I thought.
When the plate of CKT came and I tasted some. Wah!!! Memories of the good old CKT that I was used to when I was a little gal came coming back to me. Hey! This is the type of CKT I'm familiar with. I like!
:)
ECP Run
After a super heavy breakfast, I was blogging when someone mentioned about going to run in ECP. It was 11am, the weather was weird in that it was super windy and yet the sun was out where I was. I was very tempted to take up the offer to run coz its not everyday that people jio-ed me to run at ECP, somemore in such good weather.
My better sense of NOT running on consecutive days went out the window and I gamely agreed to meet up in 30mins.
We got to ECP fort road at past 12noon. Weather seemed to be holding up and had no threatening signs of rain. The game plan is for us to run at my snail pace for the first 5km, before said someone-who-didn't-want-to-be-named -__-" continue on while I u-turn back to the starting point. So I would cover 10km while he cover a much longer distance. Sounds good to me.
My left leg was feeling tired and there was slight pain in the first 20mins of the run. Both of us somehow were not in form and had to slow down considerably. We took a break at the 38mins mark, idea was to get some water at the nearby toilet. But I was TOTALLY, UTTERLY disgusted with the toilet that I dashed out in a heartbeat. It was just unbearable. Even now thinking about it made me want to puke ... yucks!!!
Past the East Coast Lagoon Food Centre and a lil more, we bade our adious while he proceeded on and I u-turned back to the starting point. The wonderful weather, with the strong sea breeze really make the run, though ardous, seem so much more worth it.
I finished the run in a long 1hrs 20mins++. Total distance should be 10km. Wow, super long lor ... but nonetheless a good way to relax on a Sunday.
Ok, now I really need to rest those kahs. NO more running for now.
My better sense of NOT running on consecutive days went out the window and I gamely agreed to meet up in 30mins.
We got to ECP fort road at past 12noon. Weather seemed to be holding up and had no threatening signs of rain. The game plan is for us to run at my snail pace for the first 5km, before said someone-who-didn't-want-to-be-named -__-" continue on while I u-turn back to the starting point. So I would cover 10km while he cover a much longer distance. Sounds good to me.
My left leg was feeling tired and there was slight pain in the first 20mins of the run. Both of us somehow were not in form and had to slow down considerably. We took a break at the 38mins mark, idea was to get some water at the nearby toilet. But I was TOTALLY, UTTERLY disgusted with the toilet that I dashed out in a heartbeat. It was just unbearable. Even now thinking about it made me want to puke ... yucks!!!
Past the East Coast Lagoon Food Centre and a lil more, we bade our adious while he proceeded on and I u-turned back to the starting point. The wonderful weather, with the strong sea breeze really make the run, though ardous, seem so much more worth it.
I finished the run in a long 1hrs 20mins++. Total distance should be 10km. Wow, super long lor ... but nonetheless a good way to relax on a Sunday.
Ok, now I really need to rest those kahs. NO more running for now.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
OldBones Advance Birthday Celebration
Our dear friend Roentgen would be celebrating turning another year wiser come this week. A few of us gathered to have a simple meal on Sat evening to celebrate this joyous day in advance.
Its also a GREAT time to meet up with the rest like Teelee, Charmane, Loti, Angel and JT whom I haven't seen in a while. We had our dinner at this rather disappointing restaurant in Greenwood Ave called Peperoni Pizzeria. The pizzas are very thin crust and so wouldn't fill one with the dough. The pizzas were alright but didn't do much to fill our hungry stomachs (at least not mine :P) and we had to order a second round of pizza. Teelee also ordered an extra pasta for us to share and that turned out to be very much like a thicker version of mee pok that we Singaporeans are used to. We also ordered some finger food to try and fill our stomachs. One of those items - fish fingers - turned out to be extremely salty. The chips (nachos) & salsa that we next ordered also turned out lousy. The chips were peppered with too much salt and the salsa - nondescript and cold.
The only saving grace was the slice of tiramisu (given on the house) which they served up after our dinner, upon my request that we were celebrating a friend's birthday. The tiramisu was yummy.
We had a fun time yakking, doodling with the crayons and laughing. It is wonderful how the simplicity of an activity can also bring so much joy. Just serves to remind us that we can be happy even living simply :) Angel can draw pretty well ... well done gal. Teelee wasn't bad himself ... hidden talents :)
Our original intent was to stay at the bar to enjoy the after-dinner drinks but considering that we didn't quite enjoy the food, we decided to head elsewhere.
Loti suggested the LiquidKitchen opposite Beauty World and thanks to Roentgen & Teelee who ferried us all there. Kops also joined us after his dinner. We again had a good time chatting and drinking.
Hope the birthday-boy-to-be enjoyed himself. And hope the rest also had a great night out and enjoyed the evening.
Thanks for the wonderful company everyone ! :)
Its also a GREAT time to meet up with the rest like Teelee, Charmane, Loti, Angel and JT whom I haven't seen in a while. We had our dinner at this rather disappointing restaurant in Greenwood Ave called Peperoni Pizzeria. The pizzas are very thin crust and so wouldn't fill one with the dough. The pizzas were alright but didn't do much to fill our hungry stomachs (at least not mine :P) and we had to order a second round of pizza. Teelee also ordered an extra pasta for us to share and that turned out to be very much like a thicker version of mee pok that we Singaporeans are used to. We also ordered some finger food to try and fill our stomachs. One of those items - fish fingers - turned out to be extremely salty. The chips (nachos) & salsa that we next ordered also turned out lousy. The chips were peppered with too much salt and the salsa - nondescript and cold.
The only saving grace was the slice of tiramisu (given on the house) which they served up after our dinner, upon my request that we were celebrating a friend's birthday. The tiramisu was yummy.
We had a fun time yakking, doodling with the crayons and laughing. It is wonderful how the simplicity of an activity can also bring so much joy. Just serves to remind us that we can be happy even living simply :) Angel can draw pretty well ... well done gal. Teelee wasn't bad himself ... hidden talents :)
Our original intent was to stay at the bar to enjoy the after-dinner drinks but considering that we didn't quite enjoy the food, we decided to head elsewhere.
Loti suggested the LiquidKitchen opposite Beauty World and thanks to Roentgen & Teelee who ferried us all there. Kops also joined us after his dinner. We again had a good time chatting and drinking.
Hope the birthday-boy-to-be enjoyed himself. And hope the rest also had a great night out and enjoyed the evening.
Thanks for the wonderful company everyone ! :)
Run of Dunnos
Not sure why, but I've been feeling more and more lethargic as the days pass. Been feeling this way for the past couple of weeks and it doesn't seem to be letting up .... so have been slowing down considerably and not pushing during my workouts.
I wasn't even prepared to run on Sat morning. Thought to just sleep in and nuah for the weekend and forget about trying to run.
Well, we never get what we asked for do we ? Bio-clock woke me up at 6+ and not one to go back to sleep after waking up, decided to not waste the morning tossing and turning in bed and try to head out for a run.
This is a run of Dunnos for the simple reason that ...
Hence, at the junction of Yio Chu Kang and Lentor Ave, I turned right towards Lentor Ave. This stretch turns out to be quite nice to run, as there are no traffic lights. Its just one way straight ahead and one can basically just run without any need to think. My motivation came when I saw a park ahead after about 2-3km. Yipppeee! Turned out I arrived at Lower Seletar Reservoir Park and there was the LSRP Fishing Jetty. The weather was nice at that time of the day, the waters still and there were a couple of men fishing at the jetty, which was small and nothing like the one at Labrador Park. But it still is a treat for me :) I took my walk break at the jetty, stretching and taking a good look around the surrounding before proceeding on. There were already a bunch of kayakers gathered in the park ready to start their day kayaking and further down as I ran, there were still others standing by the side of the reservoir fishing. The park was small and short and it took me a few minutes to run out of the park and back on the road.
I ran along Yishun Ave 1 and would have wanted to carry on straight to the Orchid Country Club (which is where I thought I would be headed based on the signage shown) if not for the fact that I was 1hr into the run and need to replenish my fluids. The road ahead seemed ulu and big trucks were parked along both sides of the road. Not a very enticing stretch. Hence I decided to again turn Ave 4 where civilization beckons and I trotted on in search for mineral water. I passed Yishun Ring Road and realized I was back where I ran 2 weeks back when I went to the Sembawang hot springs and was surprised I got myself to Yishun. I passed the Yishun Park and finally found the same kpt where I stopped for water the other time. I gulped down the ice-cold water and felt recharged to proceed with my “adventure”.
Being the DR that I am, I just ran wondering whether I would be able to find my way to the hot springs (haha). Well, in short, I didn’t. Ended up (in retrospect after checking the streetdirectory), I realized I just did a big loop around Yishun & Sembawang. I hit Sembawang Road and ran past Khatib camp, past those horticultural farms or whatever (again, a very nice stretch to run since it was quite cooling) but got to a point where there weren’t pavements and I had to endanger my little life by running by the side of the road, in the same direction as the traffic.
I reached Nee Soon camp and found myself along the stretch where I ran my last LSD last year – my LSD to the Zoo. I ended my run at the nearby kopitiam to buy the much needed water. People were feasting on their dim sum and stuff. Initially I thought to refuel at the kopitiam too, but wasn’t feeling hungry at all right after the run, so decided to just walk and drink to cool down. I walk for a good 20-30mins before taking the public transport (bus … and then taxi :P) to get me home.
Interesting run.
Estimate distance : 16km (should be longer considering I covered some short distance in the park etc.)
Total time taken : 2hrs
I wasn't even prepared to run on Sat morning. Thought to just sleep in and nuah for the weekend and forget about trying to run.
Well, we never get what we asked for do we ? Bio-clock woke me up at 6+ and not one to go back to sleep after waking up, decided to not waste the morning tossing and turning in bed and try to head out for a run.
This is a run of Dunnos for the simple reason that ...
- I didn't know I was gonna run
- I dunno where to run to
- I dunno how long (time & distance) I will run
- I dunno whether I CAN run (since I'm feeling so tired)
Hence, at the junction of Yio Chu Kang and Lentor Ave, I turned right towards Lentor Ave. This stretch turns out to be quite nice to run, as there are no traffic lights. Its just one way straight ahead and one can basically just run without any need to think. My motivation came when I saw a park ahead after about 2-3km. Yipppeee! Turned out I arrived at Lower Seletar Reservoir Park and there was the LSRP Fishing Jetty. The weather was nice at that time of the day, the waters still and there were a couple of men fishing at the jetty, which was small and nothing like the one at Labrador Park. But it still is a treat for me :) I took my walk break at the jetty, stretching and taking a good look around the surrounding before proceeding on. There were already a bunch of kayakers gathered in the park ready to start their day kayaking and further down as I ran, there were still others standing by the side of the reservoir fishing. The park was small and short and it took me a few minutes to run out of the park and back on the road.
I ran along Yishun Ave 1 and would have wanted to carry on straight to the Orchid Country Club (which is where I thought I would be headed based on the signage shown) if not for the fact that I was 1hr into the run and need to replenish my fluids. The road ahead seemed ulu and big trucks were parked along both sides of the road. Not a very enticing stretch. Hence I decided to again turn Ave 4 where civilization beckons and I trotted on in search for mineral water. I passed Yishun Ring Road and realized I was back where I ran 2 weeks back when I went to the Sembawang hot springs and was surprised I got myself to Yishun. I passed the Yishun Park and finally found the same kpt where I stopped for water the other time. I gulped down the ice-cold water and felt recharged to proceed with my “adventure”.
Being the DR that I am, I just ran wondering whether I would be able to find my way to the hot springs (haha). Well, in short, I didn’t. Ended up (in retrospect after checking the streetdirectory), I realized I just did a big loop around Yishun & Sembawang. I hit Sembawang Road and ran past Khatib camp, past those horticultural farms or whatever (again, a very nice stretch to run since it was quite cooling) but got to a point where there weren’t pavements and I had to endanger my little life by running by the side of the road, in the same direction as the traffic.
I reached Nee Soon camp and found myself along the stretch where I ran my last LSD last year – my LSD to the Zoo. I ended my run at the nearby kopitiam to buy the much needed water. People were feasting on their dim sum and stuff. Initially I thought to refuel at the kopitiam too, but wasn’t feeling hungry at all right after the run, so decided to just walk and drink to cool down. I walk for a good 20-30mins before taking the public transport (bus … and then taxi :P) to get me home.
Interesting run.
Estimate distance : 16km (should be longer considering I covered some short distance in the park etc.)
Total time taken : 2hrs
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Singapore Bay Run 2007
I haven't run this kind of distance for about 9 months and counting ... No confidence to run this run alone ... so was mulling over whether to register. I sure don't want to end up dreading the run for the whole 21km ... that would be a bummer ... I want to enjoy the experience, to say at the end of the 21km that it was a good run ... with that big happy smile on my face ...
The dilemma ended when good pal offered to run the distance with me ... I couldn't believe my good fortune! THANKS to this very kind soul who took pity on me enough to not mind running with me *BOW*
So .... I'm happy to announce that I've registered for this event!! :D
See you all there on 26 Aug! *crossing fingers*
The dilemma ended when good pal offered to run the distance with me ... I couldn't believe my good fortune! THANKS to this very kind soul who took pity on me enough to not mind running with me *BOW*
So .... I'm happy to announce that I've registered for this event!! :D
See you all there on 26 Aug! *crossing fingers*
Monday, June 11, 2007
Alone
My family left early this morning to Genting ... leaving me behind !!!
*WAILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL*
Now that they are away, I feel so family-sick! I oso wan to go !!!!! :P
*WAILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL*
Now that they are away, I feel so family-sick! I oso wan to go !!!!! :P
6/6 Under Water
Today, I experienced how it feels when a bespectacled person sees clearly for the first time .....
I just bought a new pair of goggles after my last pair decided to call it quits last fri nite ... the entire suction rubber surrounding my left goggle came off ... thankfully only after my swim. If not, can't imagine how arrrghhhhh I would feel
Anyway, didn't know goggles are now so freakin expensive. The TYR ones at WOS all cost in the upwards of $30 ... so I went to Sportslink and found this Zoggs brand goggles from Australia. They have the Performance grade goggles that costs like over $30. I found this "Active Fitness" that costs $19.90. Ok, it has "maxiumum UV protection", "anti-fog" and some other fancy stuff like one piece sillicon dunno what and good suction etc. Decided to just buy the cheaper version since I'm no good swimmer anyway.
Tried out the goggles this morning. Wow, I was sooo impressed when I put on the goggles! It was sooo clear and the suction is really good ! Not once do I need to adjust to release the air that seeped into my goggles. It took a while to get used to the vision under water in those goggles but after that it was just plain sailing. Indeed the anti-fog works (at least for the first try!). Wow, so. ... this means I've been like living with such a lousy pair of goggles for the past 6 months and not knowing what I'm missing :P So now u know why i said i felt like a bespectacled someone seeing clearly for the first time
Ok, one little grouse is I think the suction was tooo good that it left 2 very obvious marks around my eyes .... me looks like a panda even after my shower O_O
I just bought a new pair of goggles after my last pair decided to call it quits last fri nite ... the entire suction rubber surrounding my left goggle came off ... thankfully only after my swim. If not, can't imagine how arrrghhhhh I would feel
Anyway, didn't know goggles are now so freakin expensive. The TYR ones at WOS all cost in the upwards of $30 ... so I went to Sportslink and found this Zoggs brand goggles from Australia. They have the Performance grade goggles that costs like over $30. I found this "Active Fitness" that costs $19.90. Ok, it has "maxiumum UV protection", "anti-fog" and some other fancy stuff like one piece sillicon dunno what and good suction etc. Decided to just buy the cheaper version since I'm no good swimmer anyway.
Tried out the goggles this morning. Wow, I was sooo impressed when I put on the goggles! It was sooo clear and the suction is really good ! Not once do I need to adjust to release the air that seeped into my goggles. It took a while to get used to the vision under water in those goggles but after that it was just plain sailing. Indeed the anti-fog works (at least for the first try!). Wow, so. ... this means I've been like living with such a lousy pair of goggles for the past 6 months and not knowing what I'm missing :P So now u know why i said i felt like a bespectacled someone seeing clearly for the first time
Ok, one little grouse is I think the suction was tooo good that it left 2 very obvious marks around my eyes .... me looks like a panda even after my shower O_O
Sunday, June 10, 2007
I did it! \(^_^)/
Learnt from my bro-in-law that there would be a blood donation drive in Kovan on Sat. So decided to give it another go.
The drive was conducted in the community centre in Kovan and when I got there, I was relieved to see that it wasn't packed. In fact, it was too quiet ... the number of staff far outweighs the donors. There were only like two donors on the bed and one person filling up the form.
I filled up the form and immediately went to the counter to register. No queue (yay!). However, I guessed the system wasn't able to do any verification remotely and hence I sat there like a good 15 mins while the counter staff stared at the screen (dunno do what) before she opened her mouth and asked me whether I could recall when was my last donation. Of course I couldn't remember and so she made a phone call to the main office (i suppose HSA) to verify my details and get my last donation date. -____-" Thankfully there wasn't a crowd if not this process would become a very serious bottleneck.
Once my details are verified, the rest went past in a breeze. Next station was to have my medical screening by the doc. This time, I came well prepared. I had bought a bottle of mineral water at the drinks stall before heading to the CC (even ate pig kidney the night before!! haha) and drank some water before my medical screening. I was staring at the measurements as it declined but thankfully the doc just said a "ok! normal!" and cleared me for donation! I was so relieved and fearing that he might think I might be unwell and yet wanted to donate, I hastily explained that I was rejected the week before for my low bp. He told me that the next time that happened, I just need to run around the premises to get my bp up and ask for a retest. Hahaha ... well, apparently this low bp thing is very common lor for him to dish out such tips
Next station, check for my iron level or something. Again everything was ok and I proceeded finally to donate blood. The staff gingerly gave me one A4 piece of paper on iron-rich food. She explained that my iron level is marginally low and I have to increase my iron intake if not i risk not being able to donate blood in future. She told me that recent studies they did showed that donors with iron deficiency who continue to donate blood may affect their own health and so in future donors with iron below 12.5 would be turned away. Mine was 12.5 so I was at "risk". Hence, this time, I did not decline their iron pills and reminded myself to increase my iron intake. However, til now, I still haven't taken the pills :P The pills must be taken 30mins before food, and I can never remember to do that :P
I felt fine after the donation and had my lunch right after. Only felt a sudden queasiness where my senses sort of shut down momentarily while I was walking but that lasted like a minute before everything cleared.
Next donation, 1 Sep... (^-*)
Til then, more iron rich food for me.
I search on iron deficiency and found an article that said long distance runners might be at risk of low iron levels. I'm definitely no long distance runners. So for those of you out there hitting i dunno, 50+km a week mileage, you might also want to take note and increase your iron intake. Pig kidneys more often! :P
The drive was conducted in the community centre in Kovan and when I got there, I was relieved to see that it wasn't packed. In fact, it was too quiet ... the number of staff far outweighs the donors. There were only like two donors on the bed and one person filling up the form.
I filled up the form and immediately went to the counter to register. No queue (yay!). However, I guessed the system wasn't able to do any verification remotely and hence I sat there like a good 15 mins while the counter staff stared at the screen (dunno do what) before she opened her mouth and asked me whether I could recall when was my last donation. Of course I couldn't remember and so she made a phone call to the main office (i suppose HSA) to verify my details and get my last donation date. -____-" Thankfully there wasn't a crowd if not this process would become a very serious bottleneck.
Once my details are verified, the rest went past in a breeze. Next station was to have my medical screening by the doc. This time, I came well prepared. I had bought a bottle of mineral water at the drinks stall before heading to the CC (even ate pig kidney the night before!! haha) and drank some water before my medical screening. I was staring at the measurements as it declined but thankfully the doc just said a "ok! normal!" and cleared me for donation! I was so relieved and fearing that he might think I might be unwell and yet wanted to donate, I hastily explained that I was rejected the week before for my low bp. He told me that the next time that happened, I just need to run around the premises to get my bp up and ask for a retest. Hahaha ... well, apparently this low bp thing is very common lor for him to dish out such tips
Next station, check for my iron level or something. Again everything was ok and I proceeded finally to donate blood. The staff gingerly gave me one A4 piece of paper on iron-rich food. She explained that my iron level is marginally low and I have to increase my iron intake if not i risk not being able to donate blood in future. She told me that recent studies they did showed that donors with iron deficiency who continue to donate blood may affect their own health and so in future donors with iron below 12.5 would be turned away. Mine was 12.5 so I was at "risk". Hence, this time, I did not decline their iron pills and reminded myself to increase my iron intake. However, til now, I still haven't taken the pills :P The pills must be taken 30mins before food, and I can never remember to do that :P
I felt fine after the donation and had my lunch right after. Only felt a sudden queasiness where my senses sort of shut down momentarily while I was walking but that lasted like a minute before everything cleared.
Next donation, 1 Sep... (^-*)
Til then, more iron rich food for me.
I search on iron deficiency and found an article that said long distance runners might be at risk of low iron levels. I'm definitely no long distance runners. So for those of you out there hitting i dunno, 50+km a week mileage, you might also want to take note and increase your iron intake. Pig kidneys more often! :P
Run to Loyang
Feeling very tired, i was really worried about whether I could run on Sat. If not for the pre-arrangement to run with Taz, I'm sure I would have sit out the long run on Sat.
The aim for Taz's training this year isn't for any races nor for speed work. His aim is to build up his stamina for long distances with load, in preparation for his very siong reservist come Nov. Hence, water bag now serves as an accompaniment to his LSDs. To add load to his run. What this means is, he has to slow down his pace, in order to run the same long distance. And this is great news to me because he will be able to accommodate my snail pace!! Yooo Hoooooo!!!!
We met up at 7am outside Hougang Ave 4 and Taz led me past Ave 3 towards Tampines. Our first few km was punctuated by way too many traffic light stops and disrupted our run/walk sequences. Once we passed Ave 3 where we covered a small part of last year's Mizuno wave run route (near the airbase), the number of traffic light junctions reduced and our run got better. We turned right into Tampines road where Taz mentioned it wasn't around until recent years. The stretch was very nice to run with the trees along both sides of the road touching at their crowns and providing natural shade to the road underneath. It was a beautiful sight to behold the rays of light shining through. The only drawback of running there was that there wasn't any pavement so we had to run at the side of the road. Quite dangerous I have to say but since it was early on a weekend morning, the traffic was light and didn't posed too much of a problem for us.
That stretch of road opened up to a junction where to the left of it led us to this wafer fab factory called Siltronic. Taz started telling me about wafer fabs and the big players in SG. It was interesting listening more about this industry since I know nothing about it. Thanks Taz for sharing all the stories throughout the run! Through his interaction with his friends and ex/colleagues in this industry, he picked up a lot of the news and knowledge about the industry. That's a positive trait I found ... his ability to talk to people and through that gathered & gained lots ...
Ok, back to running. Once we past Siltronic, which was like in the middle of nowhere, we jogged for about another 1km before we hit the main roads of Tampines and saw IKEA. Reminded me that I have yet to visit the new IKEA!! Aiyo *slap forehead* ... very sua ku leh ... But when will I get to go ? Dunno leh since I have no need for any new furniture I don't have any real need to go there .... someday ba ...
We reached Pasir Ris Drive 1 about 1hr+ into the run and stopped over for a short bio and water break before we trotted on to Pasir Ris Park. Running along the pavement outside the park until we hit the sea sports club which was this very dark red building. We turned to run inside the park, admiring the morning sea and the kelongs perched in the middle. It was lovely running an enjoying the sight of the sunlight bouncing off the dancing of the sea. Awww ... good way to start a Sat morning. I was sooo glad then that I didn't skip the run!!! :)
I haven't been to Pasir Ris Park in a while, and saw some changes such as a new glass cafe which should be quite nice to chillout in in the day .. and we both noticed that the Fisherman's Village seemed much smaller than before. Perhaps many of the stores couldn't survive the lacklustre business and had folded.
By the time we left the park, we were already 1hr 40+mins into the run and both of us were feeling tired. However, based on Taz's measurement from the map, we had only covered like 10+km. Both of us were baffled by the short distance that we had covered in that long duration and the lethargy that had set in, but we continued our journey and step by step prodded on til we reached Loyang point. That was about 2hrs 10mins.
Based on Taz's map, total distance covered 17km. It should be about 15.5km for me.
We took our time to cool down and stretch at Loyang point before washing up and changed. We were amazed to see that the seemingly sleepy Loyang point actually housed two food courts (one being koufu), two supermarts (sheng siong and shop & save), one cafe, two bakeries and many more small little shops. We had our breakfast at the lesser known food court which was also quite big before we took the bus back home.
It was a very good run! The pace was good for me just that I hope I didn't slow down the Tazmanian devil too much :P Thanks Taz for accompanying me for the run, and bringing me to Pasir Ris Park & Loyang!!! *bow until head touches the floor* Not forgetting that he even brought me a towel to wash up and to allow me to put my t-shirt in his bag. Added more load to his bag! Xie Xie di di!!!
The aim for Taz's training this year isn't for any races nor for speed work. His aim is to build up his stamina for long distances with load, in preparation for his very siong reservist come Nov. Hence, water bag now serves as an accompaniment to his LSDs. To add load to his run. What this means is, he has to slow down his pace, in order to run the same long distance. And this is great news to me because he will be able to accommodate my snail pace!! Yooo Hoooooo!!!!
We met up at 7am outside Hougang Ave 4 and Taz led me past Ave 3 towards Tampines. Our first few km was punctuated by way too many traffic light stops and disrupted our run/walk sequences. Once we passed Ave 3 where we covered a small part of last year's Mizuno wave run route (near the airbase), the number of traffic light junctions reduced and our run got better. We turned right into Tampines road where Taz mentioned it wasn't around until recent years. The stretch was very nice to run with the trees along both sides of the road touching at their crowns and providing natural shade to the road underneath. It was a beautiful sight to behold the rays of light shining through. The only drawback of running there was that there wasn't any pavement so we had to run at the side of the road. Quite dangerous I have to say but since it was early on a weekend morning, the traffic was light and didn't posed too much of a problem for us.
That stretch of road opened up to a junction where to the left of it led us to this wafer fab factory called Siltronic. Taz started telling me about wafer fabs and the big players in SG. It was interesting listening more about this industry since I know nothing about it. Thanks Taz for sharing all the stories throughout the run! Through his interaction with his friends and ex/colleagues in this industry, he picked up a lot of the news and knowledge about the industry. That's a positive trait I found ... his ability to talk to people and through that gathered & gained lots ...
Ok, back to running. Once we past Siltronic, which was like in the middle of nowhere, we jogged for about another 1km before we hit the main roads of Tampines and saw IKEA. Reminded me that I have yet to visit the new IKEA!! Aiyo *slap forehead* ... very sua ku leh ... But when will I get to go ? Dunno leh since I have no need for any new furniture I don't have any real need to go there .... someday ba ...
We reached Pasir Ris Drive 1 about 1hr+ into the run and stopped over for a short bio and water break before we trotted on to Pasir Ris Park. Running along the pavement outside the park until we hit the sea sports club which was this very dark red building. We turned to run inside the park, admiring the morning sea and the kelongs perched in the middle. It was lovely running an enjoying the sight of the sunlight bouncing off the dancing of the sea. Awww ... good way to start a Sat morning. I was sooo glad then that I didn't skip the run!!! :)
I haven't been to Pasir Ris Park in a while, and saw some changes such as a new glass cafe which should be quite nice to chillout in in the day .. and we both noticed that the Fisherman's Village seemed much smaller than before. Perhaps many of the stores couldn't survive the lacklustre business and had folded.
By the time we left the park, we were already 1hr 40+mins into the run and both of us were feeling tired. However, based on Taz's measurement from the map, we had only covered like 10+km. Both of us were baffled by the short distance that we had covered in that long duration and the lethargy that had set in, but we continued our journey and step by step prodded on til we reached Loyang point. That was about 2hrs 10mins.
Based on Taz's map, total distance covered 17km. It should be about 15.5km for me.
We took our time to cool down and stretch at Loyang point before washing up and changed. We were amazed to see that the seemingly sleepy Loyang point actually housed two food courts (one being koufu), two supermarts (sheng siong and shop & save), one cafe, two bakeries and many more small little shops. We had our breakfast at the lesser known food court which was also quite big before we took the bus back home.
It was a very good run! The pace was good for me just that I hope I didn't slow down the Tazmanian devil too much :P Thanks Taz for accompanying me for the run, and bringing me to Pasir Ris Park & Loyang!!! *bow until head touches the floor* Not forgetting that he even brought me a towel to wash up and to allow me to put my t-shirt in his bag. Added more load to his bag! Xie Xie di di!!!
Friday, June 08, 2007
Fluffy
What a beautiful day today. The sky is such a chirpy blue. The clouds, white and fluffy ... The sun is out in full force. In the morning as I was looking out the window, it just looks like a spectacular day.
We should all be out enjoying the sun, instead of being cooped up at work!!! 6 more hours!
We should all be out enjoying the sun, instead of being cooped up at work!!! 6 more hours!
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Happy Birthday
One friend sent me an mp3 and highly recommended me this movie. I was just shop hopping in Kovan when I went into this music/movies shop. I was amused when I found out they also had movie rentals and this movie title caught my eye. Remembering my friend's recommendation, I immediately rented the VCD.
Turned out to be a very nice movie. I like it. Very simple storyline but played by a good cast. A sad ending as warned by my friend, who refused to tell me the ending when he first told me about the movie. The movie is very taiwan made, in the way it was directed and filmed ... reminded me very much of this Kokoru website that I used to visit many moons ago which I have already totally forgotten about until watching this movie. At one point watching such flash movies seem to be very popular, but now it had fallen behind the times hehe .. (i think lah, at least i dun watch them now?)
After watching the show, the song my friend sent (which was like the movie theme song) was even more meaningful and more touching. Thanks Jik for recommending me this movie, sending me the song & lyrics!!! :)
The lyrics to the song below
有多少爱可以重来
常常责怪自己当初不应该
常常后悔没有把你留下来
为什么明明相爱
到最后 还是要分开
是否我们总是徘徊在心门之外
谁知道又和你 相遇在人海
命运如此安排 总叫人无奈
这些年过得不好不坏
只是好象少了一个人存在
而我渐渐明白 你仍然是我不变的关怀
有多少爱 可以重来
有多少人 愿意等待
当懂得珍惜以后回来 却不知那份爱 会不会还在
有多少爱 可以重来
有多少人 值得等待
当爱情已经桑田沧海
是否还有勇气去爱Low BP ???
After a short swim at the gym which btw wasn't relaxing at all. The pool was crowded with jokers out for a tan and crowding at the side of the pool instead of swimming. There were these 2 buggers who were tanning at the side of the pool and kicking in the water, perpendicular to the side of length of the pool!!! That made almost 2 invisible lanes of the pool inaccessible! WTF! I was really tempted to go over to these 2 very gay men to tell them to pls scram.
I headed next to HSA for my usual blood donation. I have been due for donation since 5 May but every weekend, I would book an appointment to go for my donation but I always never got around to doing it. So I finally managed to go down, and this time, without an appointment! That is just how life is huh ? Sometimes you can plan for it and things don't materialise and just when you stop planning, things fall shwee2 into place :P
Anyway, I expected a long wait since without an appointment would mean no priority queueing. I filled up the usual forms and waited like for 20-30mins for the counter staff to call me to verify my IC etc. Another 20 odd mins before my name was finally called to have the doc see me.
She asked the usual questions and started taking my blood pressure. "Hmmm ... your blood pressure is low" she said. She recorded "81/50" (can't remember the diastolic reading). "Let's measure you again" she strapped the other blood pressure band around my arm. "82/51"
"I'm sorry, your blood pressure is too low. I'm afraid you can't donate blood and I think you better rest today"
The doctor explained that for one to donate blood, the blood pressure must be at least 100/60 (i think). Win liao lor! Wasted an hour and now can't donate! Aiyo, and I can't imagine what those outside might think of me when I walked out of the doc's office and left!!!!!! They must be thinking I have some disease or *gasp* HIV+!!!! *faint* cham lah! :P
Low blood pressure isn't new to me as I have been told that my bp is low most of the times I went for my blood donation. But this is the first time I have been turned down!! *CRY*
I kept wondering what could have contributed to my low blood pressure and thought could it be the lack of food (coz I was hungry by then since my only meal was at 9+ and it was already close to 4 then). However, now that I just googled on "low blood pressure", seemed like food isn't the issue for low bp. But interestingly, one site claimed that
Considering that this should be a reliable source ... I should be happy with what it said ? :P
But yet another site states that
Ah ? Then how ?
Anyway, I don't think any of those factors that contribute to low bp apply to me ... so think there is nothing really I need to be worried about. I do have the usual giddy spells or reeling sensation but it isn't something life-threatening la ...
Anyway, better luck next time. Shall try next weekend !
I headed next to HSA for my usual blood donation. I have been due for donation since 5 May but every weekend, I would book an appointment to go for my donation but I always never got around to doing it. So I finally managed to go down, and this time, without an appointment! That is just how life is huh ? Sometimes you can plan for it and things don't materialise and just when you stop planning, things fall shwee2 into place :P
Anyway, I expected a long wait since without an appointment would mean no priority queueing. I filled up the usual forms and waited like for 20-30mins for the counter staff to call me to verify my IC etc. Another 20 odd mins before my name was finally called to have the doc see me.
She asked the usual questions and started taking my blood pressure. "Hmmm ... your blood pressure is low" she said. She recorded "81/50" (can't remember the diastolic reading). "Let's measure you again" she strapped the other blood pressure band around my arm. "82/51"
"I'm sorry, your blood pressure is too low. I'm afraid you can't donate blood and I think you better rest today"
The doctor explained that for one to donate blood, the blood pressure must be at least 100/60 (i think). Win liao lor! Wasted an hour and now can't donate! Aiyo, and I can't imagine what those outside might think of me when I walked out of the doc's office and left!!!!!! They must be thinking I have some disease or *gasp* HIV+!!!! *faint* cham lah! :P
Low blood pressure isn't new to me as I have been told that my bp is low most of the times I went for my blood donation. But this is the first time I have been turned down!! *CRY*
I kept wondering what could have contributed to my low blood pressure and thought could it be the lack of food (coz I was hungry by then since my only meal was at 9+ and it was already close to 4 then). However, now that I just googled on "low blood pressure", seemed like food isn't the issue for low bp. But interestingly, one site claimed that
"Athletes and people who exercise regularly tend to have lower blood pressure than do people who aren't as fit."
Considering that this should be a reliable source ... I should be happy with what it said ? :P
But yet another site states that
"Incidence - Mostly short persons are found to have lower BP than taller persons. Also, sedentary obese patients suffer more commonly from low BP than active lean persons. Women have higher incidence of low BP than men. Also, some family members tend to have low BP without any symptoms. It may be normal for them."
Ah ? Then how ?
Anyway, I don't think any of those factors that contribute to low bp apply to me ... so think there is nothing really I need to be worried about. I do have the usual giddy spells or reeling sensation but it isn't something life-threatening la ...
Anyway, better luck next time. Shall try next weekend !
Book Cafe
I first heard about this place many months back from Loti when we were into checking out new places. Somehow never got around to going there (and of course many other places) ...
Yesterday, was on my way to the gym for a short swim when my good friend told me about his recent visit to the Book Cafe. That got me interested and upon hearing about his experience, I changed my plans and decided to check out the Book Cafe instead. Haha ... gym can wait I thought. Hey! Its the weekends and I really ought to try new things when the opportunity hits rather than sticking to routines ... that definitely would make the weekend more enjoyable and memorable :)
The place was really not accessible by public transport and you will need to walk a considerable distance in. The location of the place speaks a lot of the clientele it is trying to attract - those $$ who drive lor -_-" The cafe wasn't crowded when I reached and it operates like any other KPJs - order at the counter. Flipping through their A4 size menu, I have to say they sure have a huge array of menu items to choose from - all 6 pages (i think)! Since I just had brunch, I ordered a lemongrass ginger tea and found myself a less conspicuous area of the cafe. The cafe is longish, with one end of the cafe half partitioned off by ceiling to floor curtains. This end had 3 big couches but sadly were already occupied by families with small kids when I got there -_-" I contemplated for quite a while before deciding to sit just beside them at this single table. Which though it was close to where the "action" was what with crying / fighting kids but it was still comfortably "hidden". I like to stay inconspicuous.
The cafe, contrary to the name, didn't really have loads of books. Ok, I was imagining a place with shelves of the latest bestsellers or the classics :P ... but no. There were 2 shelves filled with magazines like Time, Cleo, Style, Peak etc. I only saw some books behind those couches which weren't very accessible to me since the families were there. A squint of my eyes caught titles like "Gone With The Wind" *yawn* ... not exactly my type of read. I settled for ...haha, The Straits Times & Time magazine.
Amidst the chatter from the family beside me, which I was within earshot and I could hear every word they say ... I was still surprisingly able to enjoy myself. The music they played was soothing and the place cosy ... it would have been best if I could plonk myself down in one of those plushy couches ... I did have a chance actually when one of the families left leaving the welcoming couch calling out to me ... but I wasn't sure whether it was right to sit there since I was alone. Such golden opportunities of course didn't stay available for long, and the couch was soon claimed by a couple. Needless to say, my butt stayed glued to the hard wooden seat :P
The place got too cosy and I was starting to battle the Z monster about an hour on ... so decided to leave while I was still awake. Thankfully I found many taxis plying the roads just right outside the cafe and quickly hopped into one to get me to the gym. It was a good choice. CBD is just such a short distance away and I paid all of $4 to get me to where I wanted to go, without breaking a sweat. Sweet!
Nice experience. If you have time, and a good book to read, might be a good place to hide out ... but don't try their lemongrass ginger tea drinkie ... half the time I have to remind myself I was drinking lemongrass ginger tea and not plain water ... and it costs me $7.20! -_-" I felt totally ripped off ...
Yesterday, was on my way to the gym for a short swim when my good friend told me about his recent visit to the Book Cafe. That got me interested and upon hearing about his experience, I changed my plans and decided to check out the Book Cafe instead. Haha ... gym can wait I thought. Hey! Its the weekends and I really ought to try new things when the opportunity hits rather than sticking to routines ... that definitely would make the weekend more enjoyable and memorable :)
The place was really not accessible by public transport and you will need to walk a considerable distance in. The location of the place speaks a lot of the clientele it is trying to attract - those $$ who drive lor -_-" The cafe wasn't crowded when I reached and it operates like any other KPJs - order at the counter. Flipping through their A4 size menu, I have to say they sure have a huge array of menu items to choose from - all 6 pages (i think)! Since I just had brunch, I ordered a lemongrass ginger tea and found myself a less conspicuous area of the cafe. The cafe is longish, with one end of the cafe half partitioned off by ceiling to floor curtains. This end had 3 big couches but sadly were already occupied by families with small kids when I got there -_-" I contemplated for quite a while before deciding to sit just beside them at this single table. Which though it was close to where the "action" was what with crying / fighting kids but it was still comfortably "hidden". I like to stay inconspicuous.
The cafe, contrary to the name, didn't really have loads of books. Ok, I was imagining a place with shelves of the latest bestsellers or the classics :P ... but no. There were 2 shelves filled with magazines like Time, Cleo, Style, Peak etc. I only saw some books behind those couches which weren't very accessible to me since the families were there. A squint of my eyes caught titles like "Gone With The Wind" *yawn* ... not exactly my type of read. I settled for ...haha, The Straits Times & Time magazine.
Amidst the chatter from the family beside me, which I was within earshot and I could hear every word they say ... I was still surprisingly able to enjoy myself. The music they played was soothing and the place cosy ... it would have been best if I could plonk myself down in one of those plushy couches ... I did have a chance actually when one of the families left leaving the welcoming couch calling out to me ... but I wasn't sure whether it was right to sit there since I was alone. Such golden opportunities of course didn't stay available for long, and the couch was soon claimed by a couple. Needless to say, my butt stayed glued to the hard wooden seat :P
The place got too cosy and I was starting to battle the Z monster about an hour on ... so decided to leave while I was still awake. Thankfully I found many taxis plying the roads just right outside the cafe and quickly hopped into one to get me to the gym. It was a good choice. CBD is just such a short distance away and I paid all of $4 to get me to where I wanted to go, without breaking a sweat. Sweet!
Nice experience. If you have time, and a good book to read, might be a good place to hide out ... but don't try their lemongrass ginger tea drinkie ... half the time I have to remind myself I was drinking lemongrass ginger tea and not plain water ... and it costs me $7.20! -_-" I felt totally ripped off ...
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Sentosa - Labrador Park
Wow time truly flies. The last time I ran this route was with Roentgen during last year's Terry Fox Run.
Just checked my blog and that was a good 8+ months ago!!!! Can't believe it really ...
Anyway, did a similar route this morning. Some changes to Sentosa - the colorful monorail is now up and running and a big part of Sentosa is now under construction for the IR called Resorts World. Frankly I feel the word "World" is a misnomer here. Sentosa can be hardly labelled a "World" size lor ... think Disney World ... this Resorts World seem more like Resorts Park :P
Run was slow and steady and hence it was very relaxing and enjoyable. The weather refreshing and beautiful. I can't reiterate enough how I enjoy the early mornings when the sun is just about peeping out from under the cloaks of the cloud ... its always the best time of the day for me. Remind myself to take time over one of the weekends to go catch a sunrise ... sunrise run anyone ? :P
Hmmm .. plotted the run and it was a mere 10km ... but can't be leh since it seemed longer and I ran like 1hr 40+mins I think. Doesn't seem right. But nonetheless, a good run. I enjoyed it!
Here is the map .
..
Just checked my blog and that was a good 8+ months ago!!!! Can't believe it really ...
Anyway, did a similar route this morning. Some changes to Sentosa - the colorful monorail is now up and running and a big part of Sentosa is now under construction for the IR called Resorts World. Frankly I feel the word "World" is a misnomer here. Sentosa can be hardly labelled a "World" size lor ... think Disney World ... this Resorts World seem more like Resorts Park :P
Run was slow and steady and hence it was very relaxing and enjoyable. The weather refreshing and beautiful. I can't reiterate enough how I enjoy the early mornings when the sun is just about peeping out from under the cloaks of the cloud ... its always the best time of the day for me. Remind myself to take time over one of the weekends to go catch a sunrise ... sunrise run anyone ? :P
Hmmm .. plotted the run and it was a mere 10km ... but can't be leh since it seemed longer and I ran like 1hr 40+mins I think. Doesn't seem right. But nonetheless, a good run. I enjoyed it!
Here is the map .
..
Friday, June 01, 2007
Achin
Body showing signs of fatigue ... feeling tired the past few days .... My "performance" at the gym also suffers and I'm feeling breathless & tired at spin much earlier even though the effort I expended is lesser ..
Think its time I let my body rest. To sleep more, rest more and recover ....
Think its time I let my body rest. To sleep more, rest more and recover ....
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