Be back later ...

Going away ....
Be back soon ...

Birthday Run

Started my birthday with a morning run.

It was early and I was worried the park connector would be deserted. Boy was I wrong. Many people were up and about taking their morning stroll.

13km 1hrs 28mins.

A great way to start the day/year ....

Thanks!

Actually wasn't expecting any get-together for my birthday, since I haven't really been in touch with any of the friends except over msn. So was quite surprised when TL organised a dinner to meet up.

To make things simple for everyone (since I thought most of the gang are from HSP), I suggested Taiwan Porridge at Kovan. Its been too long since I last had a meal there. I have so many fond memories of that place, the many times the gang ended our runs with a warm dinner there, or just to meet up for some warm, comfort porridge followed by soya bean curd at the Rochor franchise stall nearby. Those were very very happy times which always bring that little warmth back to my heart each time I think about them :)

The gang of us (Teelee, Taz, Bala, Fred, Noodle, Angel) then headed to this nice cosy hideout called Grapevine nearby for more jiaks and all. The place is really nice!! Its an open air cafe (that sells booze). It was very airy with ceiling fans that kept the air well circulated and cool (very eco!). The place weren't choked with people so it was pretty quite and was a very nice place to chill and chat.

We ordered some snacks and dessert to share and just whiled away the evening chatting about anything. It was nice catching up with the gang of them after soooo long. Most whom I have not met in MONTHS but at least contacted over msn occassionally ...

These kind folks also got me a very sweet birthday gift - a tin of cookies from The Cookie Museum. Again I've read about it recently but yet to give these cookies a try. Thanks to Angel for going to get that !! She chose the rose scented cookies and they tasted very light and not too sinful. TL & Taz said it had a hint of the bandung taste (haha) .... ok ma, bandung is rose drink mah rite ?

It was really nice to meet up with the gang again, I'm really happy to see them after such a long absence. Really appreciate Teelee for organising this (THANKS!!!!) and to the gang who turned up.

Photos will be put up once I received them .... in the meantime, some very nice photos here on the cookies

SLOWER

Hmmm ... not sure why but today's run turned out much much slower.

No excuses really ... Weather conditions were favourable. The sun wasn't out in full force, and it was cooling for the entire run, there weren't any traffic stops, so I'm baffled as to why the time clocked is 12 mins longer than the previous run.

Ah well ... heck.

20km, 2hrs 20mins.
Wah ... nice numbers..

Angel

An angel got me this from The Patissier to cheer me up. Pardon the blurry image but that's the best I could do with my useless mobile phone camera. Really tempted to get myself a better phone with better camera features! Ok, but I digress...

I've read about The Patissier long ago but never really got around to trying it. It was a pleasant surprise to receive this little package in the middle of a work day and when I'm feeling most depressed ...

And this Cocoa Napolean was REALLY GOOD! After trying this, I know I'm spoilt as it would be really hard to eat just any other cake from from now on .. :P

This nice little gesture really helped cheer me up ... at least it helped me survive the rest of the day hee

Harry's Bar

Was suppose to go for a swim but just really didn't want to go and weather was just tooooo cold. Last minute arranged to have lunch with friend. Weather has been pretty bad whole week, it was so cold in the office I even had to wear my jacket to meet him for lunch. He was wondering why I was so formally dressed haha

I wasn't in the best of moods and wanted some place to chill, so finally settled for Harry's Bar. Lunch partner had the beef pie which looked quite nice, too bad I don't take beef so couldn't try it. The pastry crust wasn't to his liking, but loads of meat he said. I ordered the sinful chicken burger, recommended by the wait staff. Burger was yummy, but the shoestring fries were a huge disappointment. Friend ordered a beer to go with his lunch, argh ... I was sooooo tempted to do the same but thought the better of it. Better stick to water during office hours. :P

I had this for dessert all by myself. Chocolate cake with ice cream.
As usual friend couldn't match my hearty gluttony appetite :P
It was alright. In all, food was nondescript, but I was just glad to have some company to save me from my own grumpiness. It was a nice place to chill as we got a seat away from the crowd so it was quite peaceful.

Recently had a chat with some friends who started talking about lunches and how they dislike spending too much or meeting certain friends as one meal with them would actually be many times of what they would have spent on a normal lunch. I felt ashamed upon hearing this conversation as I definitely overspend on my meals. Ok, I'll prolly grow old poor and eating bread crumbs ... I know I have to be more thrifty, but sometimes I really just couldn't care less. Strike a balance, strike a balance ...

Routine Run

Another 7km, 50mins.

Tues Run

11+km 1hr 20mins

Shin hurts a little towards the end .... no good.

Just a few more runs before my long break .... pls hold up.

Almost There ...

19.8km.... That's the max I think I will go for now ....

Started early at 6:30am today as I really couldn't bear to run under the hot sun ... my chao da skin needs a break :P

Same route. Running in the early mrn and breathing in the fresh mrn air is extremely rejuvenating.

Slow and tiring run but definitely less taxing than running under the hot sun.

2hrs 8mins.

Time to chill ...

Thur Jiaks

Another last minute arrangement for lunch. This time, I was brought to Santaro Japanese Restaurant in Amara HotelFor lunch, I seldom eat out, and never in the mood to seek out yummy lunch places, so didn't even know where are the good eating places near work place *faint*.

Anyway, apparently this is a restaurant that even MM Lee had visited!!! Yes, saw the photo in the restaurant.

Food was EXCELLENT! Very scrumptious. For a lunch, pretty extravagant. Get to try all kinds of food. Cod fish, sashimi, sushi, tempura and a very nice yam. Yumz!

It was meant to be my treat, but ...... :(

Nevermind, I'll be faster next time.

GREAT lunch, nice company. What a nice way to count down to the weekend :D

Oh .... and my friend called me "oink oink" -_________-" This isn't good :P
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Passed by the coffeeshop near my place and thought I saw this stall Uno Beef House. Uno used to be (not sure about now) a western food stall that was very famous in the Toa Payoh Lor 5 area. My sis used to love the food there until she moved out of the area. Anyway, read about it shortly after in some food. Knocked off late and friend suggested to settle our dinner there since I briefly mentioned about it last night.

Food turned out to be pretty good! (Ok, I went with no expectation) I thought the fish & chips is decent enough. The deep fried batter was thin and the fish was fresh. No thick batter with soggy fish flesh. The chicken cutlet was tasty too. The fries were good enough for coffee shop stall fries. Not those thin soggy over fried kinds.

I'll definitely be going back :)

OOB Run

Alarm rang and I just thought "Do I have to run today??" Thankfully I don't get to entertain such thoughts as often now as running has now become somewhat a habit.

I guessed I have been physically and mentally rather tired, so it really showed in the run. The run was laborious, really Out Of Breath!! and I was toying with the idea to cut short the run but thankfully I struggled and managed to complete the intended distance.

Even the upbeat music didn't help much :P

50mins , should be about 7km (i hope).

In Hot Waters

Wed swim was cut short. Weather was way too hot. I was also feeling way too dis-oriented (for some unknown reasons), and the water was way toooo warm for comfort (think they didn't turn off the heater). It was one of the most uncomfortable swim ever, that I struggled through-out. When my gym mate asked whether I'm done, I just said Yes and got out of the pool. Its almost like being in hot water. Eeeeks! Really didn't enjoy the swim one bit.
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In a span of less than 24hours, I have 3 comments about how dark (ok, they were polite to use "tan") I looked.

Time to slap on the sunblock.

Tues Run

I think I'm one of the rare people who run with soothing music. Think Earl Klugh. haha. Ok, not all the time

New, more upbeat music to keep me company in my early mrn run today. Really helped to keep me going especially at some stretches.

1hr 20mins, 12+km I suppose ?

Legs still holding up. Good.

Hot Hot HOT!!!

That's the only thing that's running thru my head in the entire run today. This piggie was pratically being toasted, baked, fried, roasted alive !!!

After the uncomfortably hot run last Sunday, I told myself to consider starting the run earlier at 6am this Sunday. However, was out the whole Sat til too late and didn't want to wake up early.

Started the run at 8am, with water, ipod and sunglasses.

Though I didn't allow myself to toy with the idea of giving up, the sun was a major hindrance. At one point I felt my skin burning from the penetrating glare of Mr Sunny. Argh.

I was struggling so much and was sooooo glad when I found some guy to chase pace in the last 2km. Helped me to keep to a more consistent and slightly faster than oh-i'm-so-going-to-walk pace.

17km 2hr 1+mins.

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Whole body had been aching since the Body Pump session on Thurs though. Been out of action in Body Pump for months due to the injured wrist. Felt the effects on Fri when the body was aching. Quads ache and could feel it each time i tried to get up from the chair. Legs groaned each time i walked up/down the flight of stairs. Need to get back to the body pump routine if I can.
To wrist: pls hold up, dun let me down. :P
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Time to rest those piggie legs. Good that the legs feel good today, no sng-ness.

Suburbia

Arranged to meet up with a friend for dinner. He suggested Sentosa as he was in a messed up state and needed quiet time. Anyway, found Suburbia. First got acquainted with this place when I went to Spa Botanica late last year.

I totally agree that Suburbia was a place with exclusive tranquility. There was hardly any patrons on that Fri nite. The menu was quite miserable, nothing much really to choose from but the food was surprisingly good. We were both very impressed with the Tiramisu. We both agreed its one of the better ones that we had tasted. Its a must try in our opinion.

Its a very good place to chill. You can just sit by the couch and have a glass of red wine. Only drawback is Suburbia is sited along the road and so you don't really have a good view. But considering its so quiet, its a good place to rest & have some peace if that's what you need.

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I remind myself that I cannot be affected by decisions made by others for themselves. I could only put forth my point (almost like making a pitch), but I cannot expect to succeed. And if he/she so decides on something, in which in my opinion is to the detriment of his/her own health, that its the MOST STUPID decision, that its TOTALLY senseless, irrational, almost irresponsible. I could only bite my tongue, keep quiet and respect his/her decision.
Its afterall his/her life. As someone advised "You cannot be responsible for his/her life". Damn right I can't.
I can only wish him the best.

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Run!

I know I have to rest so that my legs can recover. But I have to say I feel so inadequate without the routine runs. Somehow something seemed to be missing.

After a lousy and frustrating Wednesday, I got to bed telling myself I have to run the following day. Just so that I can be with myself, totally plugged in and engrossed in my music, and just run.

The mild pain on my right shin lasted for about 2km before it went away. I was mindful not to hurt myself and thus was contemplating on where to run, what distance to cover etc. Anyway, changed my route somewhat and avoided certain segments that were at an incline. Ran passed Clarke Quay, and realised that I'm often there when others were not (I rather avoid the crowded, noisy areas filled with smoke and all). Actually it wasn't pleasant running past these pubs and such even in the early mrn as the cigarette smoke lingered in the air .... definitely not a refreshing stretch to pass :P

Total distance should be about 11km, 1hrs20mins.

I felt alright. Good.

Rest

After much deliberation, and consulting with The Gifted ....
and waking up in the middle of the night feeling a slight nagging pain on my right shin, which I'm still feeling now ...
decided to lay off for today.
Shall rest and see how it goes ....

Objective : To be injury-free!!!

Rest ?

Feeling the strain today .... could feel a slight pain on my left leg (outer shin & calf) even when I swim. Definitely not a good sign because I seldom feel such discomfort. I even had to stop to stretch. And when I checked my lap times just now, it was definitely much slower than my last swim.

Time to rest & recover ? Should I even run tmr ?

hmmmm .... tough ...

But oh, weather is really all messed up .... I got into the pool with the sun shinning brightly and 20mins into the swim, the sky was all dark & gloomy. At least I need not worry about getting any darker ... Almost felt like I was swimming in the early evening ...

Sun Run

My runs are getting very routine and I find it a challenge just to come up with a title each time. *yawn*
So from now I'll just use the same title <day of week> Run. haha ....

Same route, just a longer route.

17km 2hr 2mins.

I forced myself to run with water so it took a little getting used to, especially the first few km with the heavy bottle got to me somewhat. But the water sure provided the much needed reprieve as the sun was really hot and the occassional sips were a God-sent. At least I need not suffer from "hallucinations" about grabbing people's water hehe

I regretted not running with my glasses as it was really hot and sunny. Thankfully the last 2 km was well shaded and cool and gave me the strength to finish the run.

Its been a while since I feel the sng-ness in my kahs after a run. Must stretch more.

Now its time to chill and kiao kah :P

Major Pig-Out!

Today is a day of major pig out. Lunch was hosted by vendors for a project appreciation / thank you lunch at Nobel House. Company was great as it was with my very fun group of now ex-users. Great to have a chance to catch up with them and just share many laughs over a good meal. Meal was sinful and we all felt extremely stuffed. One interesting dish was the beetroot (+pineapple+lime+dunno what juice) that was served in testtubes and chilled over a big bowl of crushed ice. Everyone was wowed by the presentation of this dish but was at the same time a little hesitant to try. This was supposed to be an appetiser but was served as the third dish. While we wondered out loud why it wasn't served first, the wait staff explained that some of us might not be able to stomach the acidity if we were to take it on an empty stomach. Secondly, the drink would aid in cleansing the system of the oily food that we had just imbibed.

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A very last minute dinner was arranged with friend when we both thought we should not need to work late tonight. He brought me to the Brotzeit German Beer Bar & Restaurant in Vivocity as he wanted to have pork knuckles *faint*. The place was quite alright, noisy but still ok to hold a decent convo without having to hurt our lungs. Again stuffed ourselves with loads of sinful food *shake head* and we each had a 1L beer !!!!!! It was like this humungous mug filled to the brim with dark beer. OMG. I was only 1/5 into it and I felt giddy :P So much for drinking. And I think I have trained him sufficiently that now he could stomach dessert after a heavy meal :P

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Shucks, all this pig-out. I should be ashamed :P

Timex

Worked til late last nite and I was really really drained. When the alarm rang this mrn I was asking myself whether I have to run ..... it was that familiar feeling of dread that I hate ....

Nonetheless I pulled myself together and headed out for my short run.

I felt much better after the run. Distance should be less than 7km, 50mins.

And I finally decided to use the new Timex watch. I've been wanting to get a watch that records laps after T told me about it last year, but I never got around to getting myself one until a friend, while on a business trip in the States sms-ed me and asked whether I would want a Timex watch, with 150 laps. So yes, I bought one at $45 but never got around to using it until today when I'm feeling blue enough to want to use something new to spur myself to run (yeah, good excuse).
Anyway, will check with The Gifted more on how to make full use of my Timex since he has been using one for the longest time.

Running in the Rain

What woke me this mrn wasn't the alarm but the roar of thunder.

I was contemplating whether to run since the sky threatened to pour. Shortly after washing up, it started to drizzle and I thought there goes my mrn run.

Somehow it continued to drizzle on and off and after much deliberation, I decided to just heck it more out of frustration by the odd weather, and the fact that I dread having to wake up early again tomorrow to try and run (and also coz I couldn't really tell whether it was still raining as it was pitch dark)

The rain got progressively heavier as I ran and by the time I got to River Valley, I think those people I passed at the bus stops must be thinking I'm crazy to be running in the rain. Actually I myself thought I must be nuts ! But what can I do ? I'm in the middle of the run, I'm drenched anyhow, why not proceed ? Then to quit the run ?

Passed a fellow female lone ang mo runner along the way and I guessed both of us could assimilate with our plight and we smiled and waved a greeting as we passed each other :P

Apart from the wet shoes (when I not once, but twice, stepped into a big puddle of water), it was actually a very nice run. The rain cooled the weather and I could run better.

Same distance as last week, about the same timing. I estimate 10+km, 1hr 14mins.

Good run. I'm so glad I ran, and I'm so glad I can sleep in a little later tomorrow *thumbs up* :P