The Usual

Been increasing my weekend mileage by 1km for the past 3 weeks. Consulted The Gifted about the distance I should run this Sun. Should I up by 1km, stay or decrease?

His assessment : Stick to 15km this week.

My aim is simple. Easy run and not to get injured. So I readily agreed with his assessment.

Same route but kinda crowded, not very enjoyable at some stretch. The sun was out in full force today and it was hot! Was dehydrated by the 10th km and was staring enviously at those who had bottle of water in hand. I was hallucinating imagining snatching the bottle from some of those that I passed :P Note to self, MUST run with water the next time. Dun be lazy, KJ.

Really struggled in the last stretch. 15 km 1hr 48mins

Didn't expect to get a tan as I started early ... but the hardworking sun ... arghhhh ... now I've added another tan line on my thighs ... *faint*

Swim & Spin

Decided to make my trip back to the office more worthwhile by going to the gym too.

Started my swim at close to 10am. I had the pool all to myself and as the sun wasn't out, I truly truly enjoyed the swim. Cool & calm water, it was therapeutic ... I felt so at peace. Should do this more often.

And I'm growing to like this RPM instructress more. My second time in her class and she is already taking the place of my fav instructress. Ok, she doesn't push as hard as some of the other classes, but I like her ready smile, her easy banter and the way she conducts the class. Nice.

The Daily Scoop

It was an impromptu decision to head there for dessert after a simple dinner.

We were surprised to be able to find a parking lot, got to the place and it was packed!!! As I walked into the little shop space, the stench (yes, I mean stench :P) of durian hit me. Eeeeks, apparently they were selling durian ice cream.

We were lucky to have a couple vacate one of the tables as we were able to order to go. So decided to try their waffle instead.

It was a long wait of about 20 mins for the waffle ... and when it came it looked pretty nondescript. Very thin piece of waffle, sprinkled with powdery sugar. It tasted alright though, definitely better than the Haagen Daz that we tried previously. Ordered the Simply Chocolate, Banana Fantasy and Butterscotchpecan. We didn't like the Banana Fantasy. The other 2 was yummilicious. Of the several ice cream cafes, I have to say I enjoy this one .

Walked around the place a bit. Brought back happy memories as that was the place I had my birthday celebrations two years back. Still warmed my heart when I reminisced .....

Run

7.4km 50 mins

Weather is cool, pace is a little slower ... feeling just a litttttttle tired today but I insist not to let thatem mar my run ...

Swim today is just as laborious .... was counting the minute as I swam. And the weather was really HOT today .... my gym mate commented I'm indeed chao da now .... oops ...

WR 11!

Brought an ex-colleague, a novice leisure runner to buy his running shoes.

And I spotted the Mizuno Wave Rider 11. Its such a beauty!! I wannnnnnnnn! :P

Esplanade

Same route as last Tues just that I did a small loop into Esplanade and back when I hit the barricade to where the NDP stadium would be.

Wanted to run to Singapore Flyer but it was out of the way with all the construction that was on-going. Perhaps another time.

approx less than 11km 1hr 14mins

My Sundown

Its been a while since I run in the evening. I'm more accustomed to getting the exercise out of the way early in the mrn ...
However, the weather didn't allow me to run this mrn., it started raining since 5+ this mrn.
I saw the lightning from my bedroom window at 5+, lighting up the reddish hue in the sky and by 6 it was pouring. The rain didn't abate til past noon ...

Finally laced up and started the run at half past 5 in the evening. Same route, loops along the park connector stretch. It was too crowded for comfort and expended a lot of time and energy just avoiding cyclists, unleashed dogs (argh), children etc.

It was a very cooling and relaxing run. I didn't pant most of the way though I'm going at the usual pace (thanks to the weather!). Prior to the run I was worried about the stretch back as I was imagining it to be dark and deserted with dubious characters lurking behind the bushes (imagine pairs of blinking eyes in the dark hehe), but thankfully the worries were all unfounded as it was still bright as day and the place was thronged with people.

15.2 km 1 hr 46mins.
Actually it would be slightly longer, but towards the end one pretty unfit looking guy whom I bypassed wanted to overtake me, so I decided to kick up dust and well ... didn't see him thereafter. Yeah, cheap thrill haha ...

Glad that I didn't let the weather thwart my weekend run.

Usual Run

I didn't know my family was so amused with my running to work -__-" Though a short distance, they couldn't comprehend that I would do that ... They were joking and laughing among themselves (yeah, at my expense) last nite all about my this little "activity" ...
Think this is something not appreciated by people who dun jog .... so needless to say, I keep this little practice of mine under wraps in the office ..

Anyway, just another usual run this morning.



Varied the route slightly towards the end ... to skip the Maxwell area which I'm getting sick of ...

Total distance should be close to 7km, 48mins.

Swim

Very lucky today. Rushed out for a quick swim slightly before lunch hour ... the sun was hidden, and it was a very cooling and peaceful swim. After like 20mins the pool was close to empty.

I managed to organise my thoughts about work while swimming and planned out what I had to follow-up with. Too many arrows, too little (if at all) direction, but all have to be delivered somehow. Haiz ...

Anyway, realised it was raining only after i left the gym. Wow, I'm lucky not to be caught in the rain when swimming!!!

Relaxing swim. I felt better right after *thumbs up*

SG River!!!

Varied the route slightly towards the end and managed to run along SG River .... wah ..... its been soooo long since I last ran there. But it was really quiet this mrn, didn't see any runners up and about ... hmmmm

Another relaxed run .... I like this route so much better

10km 1hr 11mins

Loops

Decided to do just do loops along the park connector stretch.
Spare me the need to think of where to run, to stop at traffic junctions and all the crap.

Total distance : 14.4km 1hr 44mins

Weather was very kind today ... ok granted I started early, but at least I didn't really have to suffer under the heat ... time to start running with water bottle in hand again (eeks, hate that) coz I was getting really dehydrated ...

With the recent news report about heat exhaustion, I sure dun want to be a victim! :P

Health Screening

My first ever health screening ... on Fri the 13th ... -__-"

Didn't know what to expect ... was just told to expect a long wait ...

So decided to take one day leave so that I don't have to worry about rushing back to work.

I didn't know it encompass so many different types of tests.! Apart from the usual blood & urine tests, there was also the ultrasound to check on all the key organs (pancreas, kidney, liver etc.). While conducting the ultrasound, the Sr Radiologist asked me "In your previous ultrasound did the doctor tell you about anything critical that he find?". At this all alarm bells started ringing, I said No and asked her what did she find ? Something serious?!?! She immediately said no, she was just asking to confirm.

I can only say .... WTF?!!?!?! Come on, as a doctor she should be sensitive in the qns that she asked so as not to cause any undue alarm to her patient. I mean, if I hadn't probed further, I would be going home with a heavy mind and wondering what could be seriously wrong with me.

The other ultrasound require me to have a full bladder. And I mean FULL bladder. I was told to drink 5 cups of water which I dutifully followed, after which the same doc told me nicely "Oh, you are still a long way away. At least an hour ... " -_____-" I was right to have taken leave ... so I waited around, filling myself with tea (which she advised would help) and also many more cups of water until I felt like puking. In the meantime I had my eyes checked. Not just the usual checking of color blindness and eyesight check, but also some other tests to check my retina (flashing each eye at 10 mins apart with this strong flash of light blinding me momentarily). There was also one test that puffed wind into my eye at intervals. It was extremely uncomfortable.

I also had to endure my most dreaded test on body fat analysis, height, weight etc. Eeeks, really don't need a machine to analyse how fat I am! Anyway, the machine recorded that I am 3cm taller than before (yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doctors should hook me up and test me since when was the last time a person my age can still be growing vertically??). Haha, likely the machine was inaccurate ? (we tested twice though) or the nurses who took my height in the past all suffer from the same parallax error when they recorded my height readings. Ah well, anyway, doesn't matter lah. In normal situations I would strive to be above avg in whatever I do BUT not when it comes to my weight... So anyway its scientifically stated that I have to lose weight (not that I dun already know :P). I am dreading to see my body fat results ... am sure the readings are going to hit the roof hehe

There were also 2 tests on the heart. One being the ECG which the person explained is to test my heart at rest, and the other, the treadmill test, was to test the person while exercising (ok i'm not sure whether I heard correctly coz I wasn't really listening and couldn't bother to double-confirm what the nurse was muttering). I would have much preferred if they had told us to bring our own attire and shoes. They were proud to present to us their fitness gear which was .... pathetic to say the least. The shoes were extremely uncomfortable, hard and inflexible but well, just got to contend with whatever they have. I didn't think I would have any problems here ... it started with a very easy walk on the treadmill and at every 3 mins interval ( I think ) the treadmill will increase pace and incline. The nurse would also take my blood pressure at those intervals. It was alright until the last stretch when I had to run at that incline. Not very used to it and felt v unfit lor ...

The last station was the consultation with the doctor. Nothing exciting there ... just the usual examination. And an affirmation once again that my blood pressure is on the low side, but nothing to worry about.

I was there for a good 3.5 to 4 hours. Now shall just wait for the results and see what kind of follow-up needed. Hopefully nothing serious ba ... :)

Thur Run

As in life. There are good days in running, so as there are bad. I have had my fair share of bad.
Today, surprisingly, isn't one of them.

Felt pretty good and was able to go at a relatively faster pace.


6.82km 46mins.

Escape ...

This was the surrounding of where I had lunch today ....










Was feeling blue and when lunch hour came around, I just couldn't psych my body for a swim nor spin ... A quick msn to friend to arrange a last minute lunch....

He is one of those who doesn't ask me to suggest eating places each time we go out, which I truly appreciate because I hate it when everyone just leaves the thinking and organising to me ... anyway, without disclosing where we were headed he drove us to Botanic Gardens (and not knowing BG is my fav place!) I'm so glad for this little escape (I needed it today!) and fren was commenting how boring a person I am when I told him I luv BG and like to take walks in the garden alone. Anyway, it was a simple meal at The Les Amis Cafe. Food wasn't good but the tranquility of the place, being away from CBD, and being surrounded by the lush greenery all but made up for it. Just being there makes me feel more settled.

I felt much better ...

Another Route ...

Finally allowed myself to change the route ..... also wanted to up my mileage a bit

To cater to the new route, and possibly DR losing her way :P, woke up 30mins earlier to run. Even the bus stop was empty ... was a lil scary. Guess the school holidays mean not many people need to wake up that early to head to school ...

Anyway, it was a nice relaxing run ...



Again mapmyrun seem to overestimate the distance. I guess I should have covered about 9km while mapmyrun indicated close to 11km. -__-"
Anyway, I trust myself more.

9km 1hr 10mins.

Good start to Tues.

Cross the mark

Tues - 8.5km 1hr
Thurs - 6km 42mins
Sun - 13.2km 1hr33mins

I finally crossed the 10km mark .... good.

Binge & Booze Nites!

Been happily busy bingeing & boozing this week .... My tummy is protesting .... and not to mention my ever widening girth :P

Anyway, this was the humungous ice cream & brownie from Hard Rock Cafe. Two scoopes of ice cream on top of a warm and not-too-rich brownie in this big plastic cup. The plastic cup made it feel quite kiddy / cheapo but I have to say the brownie is delicious! That coldness of the ice cream followed by the warm sensation when you bite into the thin crust of the brownie ..... Heaven ... :)
Ok, the food was passable. The fish & chips looked average. Definitely not worth the $22.50. I much preferred Dan Ryan's. The booze ? Uhm ... forgettable.
I can't even recall the last time I was @HRC. Perhaps over 10 years ago. Why HRC ? Well, I didn't get to visit the HRC @ Bangkok so decided to head there after work on one of the week nites for some yak with friend.

And ... I ... finally ... tried ... Botak Jones! Ha! Yep. Its almost embarrassing that I've yet to try this famous joint! Well, I was surprised when my never-into-western-food-especially-burgers friend suggested dinner @ Botak Jones. Ok he tossed several other jiak suggestions with Mac being one of them. I sweared I almost punched him about the Mac thing. Mac?!?! That's like the last thing I would ever eat. Pls, I'm not a kid. Frankly, even my niece & nephew aren't interested in the golden arch.

Anyway I digressed. The place was crowded but thankfully the queue wasn't (guess the novelty had worn off after so long). You queue to place your order and pay up when the food is served. I was told that it would be an estimated 20 to 30 mins wait but the food didn't took half that long to arrive.

Between us we had a caesar salad (didn't like it. Too unhealthy looking with the overly generous sprinkle of the cheese and thus too salty), pork italian sausage (I'm not big on sausage so I can't comment but the sausage is HUGE - again too salty for me) and the thai chicken burger (which is what I had. Its yummy).
Perhaps I went with no expectation after reading many reviews about it being over-rated. Anyway, for a simple meal I thought the burger was alright. The fries were commendable! Definitely chunky, freshly deep fried. Yumz!

And oh, I still enjoy the easy relaxing feel at Wala's.

How do I

... stop some silly thoughts from clouding my mind ?

I desperately need to get something out of my head .... I know its stupid, I know I'm imagining things ... and I need to stop this noise, and haul myself out of the abyss before it is too late ...

shit

Trip to Bangkok

The trip was decided over a weekend. Friend would be there on conference and I decided to tag along. I just wanted to get away and after the logistics (of checking airfares online, getting boss' nod for a 3 day leave) managed to confirm the trip in early May.

I just spent the morning writing down my trip experiences. I truly enjoyed myself and thought I should better pen down my thoughts and experiences before memory fades.

Anyway, just managed to pick up a few tricks on GIMP, enough for me to come up with this photo collage of my Bangkok trip.


I went without much expectation, essentially I just wanted to rest and relax and go with the flow. My colleague gave me this wise advice: To just do what I want, don't need to think about what I want to do, where to go etc. Just rest and don't think about anything. So for the past few days, I lived by that advice and it helped me to relax. I told myself not to try and cover as many places as I need to, basically it is just to slow down and let myself recover.

It worked. And I'm glad for that piece of wisdom.

Spent some time sight-seeing, loads of time walking aimlessly and hours at the massage. Thankfully our accomodation was 5 star for most part of the trip so the experience was even better. Premium lodging, concierge service. Awwww, what else could I ask for?

BKK truly is a land of smiles. Ok, at least most people I met was kind. Perhaps because I was a tourist and the service staff were all trained to be polite. Even the taxi drivers that I met, mostly on my first day, were very polite. No matter how bitchy I was (due to the sweltering heat), they remained smiley and polite.

I also did several things that I told myself to avoid before I head there. I responded to strangers, told them where I came from, chatted with them, took the tuk-tuk alone, visited some tourist traps (haha) and basically let some locals attempt to rip me off :P

I even got to know a kind lady at the BTS (their public train system very much like our MRT) who chatted with me while she brought me to the station I wanted to go to (thankfully she was on her way there too). Turned out she is a practising lawyer who had a 25 year old son, and only got her law degree couple of years back. The reason why she took up law ? To help others and not for the monetary gains. Oh, and that was just her second job. She is also the owner of a jewellery shop in the mall right across from the hotel I was putting up at.

Summary of my trip ? some sight-seeing, loads of street/mall shopping, three consecutive days of massage, two nights of booze, good easy relax company.
I realised that no matter how I enjoyed time alone, I truly enjoyed the simple relaxing company in this trip. Probably because we are quite alike and hence it made travelling that much easier. To more such trips (hopefully). :)

Back

Just touched down 3 hours ago.

I had a great trip. Very enjoyable. Very relaxing. Very happy.

Now I'm back! .... to reality :P