IPhone!!!

TWO long years ... that's how long it has been. I have wanted to change my phone like for the longest time and finally the wait is over!!! I didn't realise it had been so long until I searched back my blog and found this. Time really waits for no man.

Anyway, I rushed down right after work to wait in line for my new playmate for the next 21 months at least.

And now, I'm a proud & happy owner of this ...

Also, I've "defected" from M1 to Singtel. Been with M1 for over 10 years now and I just think they do not value their long-time customers. And I do not see M1 leading the other telcos anytime soon and with Singtel's firm stand in this market, I think I should put my money with Singtel. The last straw was that I was told by the M1 customer service (1627) that they have no corporate plan for their data line. The service staff showed no interest in retaining me as their customer even though I mentioned that I am keen to terminate my subscription with them. In short, it was just a very unpleasant experience. So long M1.

The process for switching to Singtel was smooth except for one minor administrative problem regarding my Singnet line and I was asked to make a $800 deposit! I was disgusted and told the staff that I expected a waiver if not I would walk out immediately. Thankfully everything was sorted out in my favour, thanks to the staff, and I got my iPhone.

With my iflexi Value, my 16GB iPhone 3Gs costs $248. With a $100 for new subscription and a $60 trade-in for my HTC touch, I only paid $88 for my new companion plus less than $40 for my red leather iphone case. Nice.

Pig's Trotters

And so my ankle is still swollen. Not sure whether it was made worse when I asked my Dad to massage it on Sun night. Sigh.

Despite the mild pain, I resumed my exercise routines since ytd. By today I tot I better go consult another sinseh.

The sinseh saw my swollen ankle and exclaimed "wah!". There was little treatment done and he just pasted one ko yo on my ankle. He said to leave it on for 24 hours .... but the ko yo is proving too "potent" as i could feel it burning into my skin now.

Will likely be removing it soon else I couldn't sleep.

Sigh ... really hate this period.

Slow Mo

So I'm back to work today.

After 2 days of MC, I think my brain sorta shut down, and I felt like its another torturous Monday. So Monday blues is inevitable ..... argh!

Ankle is feeling much better, but I still did not dare to risk it by walking my usual pace. Somehow it still bothered me enough to make me walk very slowly .... I felt like some preggie lady taking every step oh-so-slowly. Really not used to the pace, but I kept reminding myself not to hurt my ankle anymore than I already had.

Decided to not risk it by starting my spin class, but didn't wan to just lay off completely after 2 days. My attempt at swimming failed miserably and I had to stop after a mere 3 mins coz the ankle felt awkward with each kick and I could feel so strain on the loose ankle. My shortest swim EVER. Didn't feel good. Guess I just have to rest for a couple more days. I hope I can be back in action by next Monday latest.

Pray hard.

Doc vs. Sinseh

And so I woke up in the middle of the night with some mild pain, so I decided to ice the ankle.

When I again woke up at 6am, I concluded that I'm injured. The ankle looked swollen and obviously I couldn't walk without limping.

So made the necessary smses and emails to inform The Boss and fellow colleagues about my absence at work.

First stop was to visit the GP to ensure there are no serious injuries (i'm quite worried about the cracking sound when I twisted the ankle), or whether I need an X-Ray. Doc made me do some simple tests like stand on my left foot (I can handle balance), tip-toe and also stand onboth feet (I find that difficult as I will tend to lean completely on my right). Since I was able to do the above without serious pain, the GP surmised that there shouldn't be any bone fractures. He recounted his own experience (which sounded similar to mine, just that he ended up with a minor surgery! *shiver*), advised me to rest and that i should feel better in the next few days, failing which, I will need to go for an X-Ray. He dispensed some painkillers and cream for the ankle and sent me home.

Next stop was to the sinseh. I actually do not have any trusted ones but decided to give the one at Chinatown another try since I was thinking of heading back to office after the visit. This clinic was run by a family with the entire family (parents and son) being sinsehs. I was treated by the mother in the last visit and I wasn't impressed at all. Her bandage was so shabby a colleague commented that it was so badly done she thought I bandaged it myself. -____-"

Today I was lucky, the mom was painting the grills and hence the father was the one who treated me. He compared both my feet, observed both legs and concluded that my left foot's bone alignment was out. Wah, sounded serious. He said that the mis-alignment had caused some issues up to my knee and all the way up to my waist and back. Due to that, I was over-compensating with my right leg and hence my right leg also need to be treated. I have to say the whole treatment took less than 5 mins, and it was only the last 10 secs that hurt the most. Thankfully my mom was around to keep me company.

I guess my mom was impressed enough to let him treat her ailments too. He fixed her left arm today, but said to me that my mom has too many issues and will take time to fix one at a time. Anyway, i will have to go back tomorrow to treat my right leg. Let's hope I'm feeling better tomorrow. In fact I can walk a bit better now ...

Wishing myself and my mom speedy recoveries!

AGAIN?!?!?!?!?!

Just as I'm happy about my run, and on my way home..... I had to slip from the last step of the stairs, fell down and sprained my left ankle. The SAME ankle which I'm still trying to recover from!!! ARGH!!!! When I fell I could hear the cracking sound of something in my ankle. #*$U#@($#@

I wasn't able to get up for a while, both from the pain and the shock.

The first thing that crossed my mind was "SHIT!!! Again?!?!?!?" and the next was "F**K! I was just about to get back to my running routine!!!!! Now this?!?!?!?!? I can't run again?!?!?!?!?!??!"

Am really really really frustrated. Can't express the irritation and frustration I am feeling right now. Think the pain is slowing building up .... sigh ....

Wondering whether I shld go see a GP now, or just sleep. I am so tired .... don't even have the energy to go ice my ankle. Wonder whether the salonpas plaster I put on, which has that icy cool feeling can be a good substitute ?

Damn. And now I'm down AGAIN. Pissed.

I Feel Good!

I finally managed to wake up early today for a run!!!!!!

For some reason I was really beat last nite and fell asleep real early, guess that's why I was able to wake up slightly earlier. I had some mild aching muscles which would have easily swayed my resolve to run, but thankfully the inability to snooze made me decide to hit the road.

Surprisingly the run today isn't bad. I was able to keep to a rather consistent pace and didn't feel winded like I have felt for the past couple of months whenever I run. I actually felt good. Tired, but good.

Finished the run (still shorter than the usual distances I covered) without much stopping like before. Though its still a good 4 - 5km shorter than before, but I'm happy for the run.

Think should be about 9km. Just hope I can keep up with this routine.

Jia you KJ!

Trying ... trying ....

I spent the last 2 weeks doing very short runs on the treadmill, just to get myself accustomed to running again. Sure running on treadmill is nothing like running on the road, but it beats not doing anything at all.

Got to work today, so I planned to do another run to office. In the past that was such an easy thing to do, but now I had to muster enough courage & determination just to get up and run that distance.

How I motivate myself to wake up to run? By adding one new song in my ipod, wanting that song to accompany me along the way. When I got down to stretching, I realised that song wasn't sync to my ipd! ()#*$(@* Had to rush back home to sync it.

After the super heavy downpour the evening before, the weather seemed to be still a bit cloudy. I overheard a couple telling an elderly couple that it seemed to be drizzling. I groaned internally and hoped the weather would hold for my run.

The same route, just cut short, and without all the added distance and loops (since I could hardly cover the shortest distance to ofc!). I was able to hold out slightly better than the last run to ofc, guess the treadmill runs.

As I got to Fullerton, I saw a mother-and-daughter pair with their race bibs, prolly walking to the starting of the GE run. So glad I was almost done with the run coz the sky was darkening by then.

Stopped at Lau Pa Sat for a 100+ rest as I was feeling really tired by then. Finished the run in about 1hr 10mins, covering at max 9km. My left ankle, which prolly still did not recover fully from the sprain, starting acting up after my run. Note to self, I really ought to go see another sinseh to have it fixed.

A long way to go to cover the distance I used to cover. sigh. Long road ahead. But I'll try, and keep on trying. Wish me luck!

Running Nowhere

Did 15 mins as warm-up before my spin this mrn.

Experimented with slight incline just to have a feel of it.

During lunch time, I decided to try another treadmill run. I kept the speed constant for most part of the run, but staggered the incline. Only managed to go up to 4% max. That's like pathetic isn't it ?

Only managed 40 mins, about 7km.

And now my right leg hurts.

*shake head*

Think I will feel the ache tomorrow. Hopeless!

15 mins

The same thing played out almost every morning. Alarm will ring at 5am, and I will just go back to sleep.

I think I used up all my self-discipline and motivation last year. I wonder why I was able to so diligently run every tues and thurs morning then. So ashamed of myself now.

Anyway, was a bit early so decided to run a little on the treadmill, just to see how I feel, and whether my ankle still hurts from the sprain.

Gosh, it felt like time stood still right from the very beginning of my run. 1 minute seemed to crawl by, I felt like everything was in slow mo. I noticed something about my running gait though. Something I didn't used to take much notice. My left foot sort of tilts a little awkwardly each time i lift up and land. Not sure whether it was due to my ankle sprain, but it sure looked different from my landing on my right. This prolly explains why I always have injuries on my left foot.

It seemed like forever to run that 15mins. 2.4km. *shake head* .... Heaven help me.

Run KJ Run!!!

I really need to start running again .... everyday just cannot get myself to run ....
argh! how ?

Randoms

In the past 2 over years that I've been blogging, I don't recall ever going without a posting for more than 2 weeks. I've "out-done" myself by not updating this for the past 2 months. Shame on me.

Was surprised to see this image staring at me on my blog.

Anyway, the last run I did was over 2 weeks ago when I did a run to office on a Sunday mrn (27 Sep)! It was hardly 10km and took me 1.5hours with LOTS of walk breaks. And I suffered in the next 2 days with muscle ache. Felt damn demoralised. Somehow I lost the drive in running this year, and that explains for my lack of blogging. I felt bad, but just couldn't get my act together. Wonder what will spur me back into my running regime. But until then, I'm just letting my shoes turn to mold in the shoe rack. Shame on me x2. If you have any good ideas to get me back to my running, pls drop me a message.

Work-wise, been dreadful. Pressurising and frustrating. People pushing to get things done when things are not certain. So they can take months to get back to you (despite constant reminders that) but expect immediate response from you. Boss will say one thing but do another. I'm just telling myself each day I'm working to pay the bills, just so that I can survive each day. How long can such a mindset last ? I do not know, but it has been keeping me here for the past few years. And this also explains why I dread Mondays, anxiously count down to Fridays and gets depressed by Sunday night. Loser you said ? Errr ... I share that sentiments. Guess the last straw came last Fri when I totally lost it and raised my voice at THE BOSS. Though I think he totally deserves it, but I guess that is just career suicide. Ok, so I don't have much of a career anyway. Just feeling damn sian about the whole situation.

Sometimes think life can be cruel. Took me years to get over something, to be temporarily replaced by some semblance of a normal life, with an iota of happiness, only to have it take away, and replaced by the same old familiar unhappiness that haunts me. Sounds illogical ? But that's exactly how I feel right now. Angry at myself for allowing the ole enemies to find me again. I should be stronger than this.

Ah well, life could be worse. In the meantime, I just pray for situation to improve somewhat, and to let me recover soon. Healing is part of the journey, but I just wish that my healing is shorter than the actual process of enjoying life.

While logic tells me to :-
1) Have a positive attitude
2) Embrace each day as its my last
3) Smile and the world smiles with you
4) Aiya, it could have been worse
Its really difficult to perk myself up.

So while logic will take a while to work its effects (if at all), I'm wondering whether a touch of feng shui will help (hahaha, kidding lah).
But I did remodel my room a bit yesterday as I find my current bed position unconducive to my sleep. Hope that the new position will help me somewhat, if not feng shui, then at least psychologically.

SBR 2009

As could be seen by the lack of updates in this blog, it suffice to say that I ... Have .... NOT ... been ... running. So i was naturally two minds about turning up for the run today. I have been struggling with the decision for the past week, and the stress got to me on Fri night when I kept dreaming about the run. How I overslept etc.

By last night I knew I had to make a decision and glad I decided to just go for it. Even if it meant suffering the journey, it is still an experience to be had.

I wasn't able to get to sleep and managed about 3 hours of sleep in all. Got ready, chatted with mom before leaving to catch a cab to Padang. There were so many empty cabs plying my area at 4+!

I wouldn't go into details about the event but some bouquets and brickbats. Shall start with the negatives first.
1) Do they have to play the same music each year ??? The music really SUX. It doesn't get us into the mood at all
2) DJ absolutely CMI. Can't the army find someone better to psych up the crowd? We were like just standing around with nothing much to do and before we knew it, the run had started.
3) No proper signage to show the bag deposit. Ok, maybe I'm blind but i wasn't sure where the bag deposit was and had to ask around. And I wasn't the only one.

And now the good ...
1) Traffic control seemed better ? It was smooth and at no point do i need to stop at the traffic lights or felt that my life is in danger
2) army staff manning the water points are very efficient. There is sufficient water and isotonic drinks. Only problem was that the heat spray ran out way too quickly. So Taz only managed to get a bit of it ... luckily it lasted him for the run.
3) the way the bag deposit was handled put me at ease and I had faith that my barang wouldn't be lost, nor would it be drenched if there were a sudden downpour. And the boys manning the bag deposit counters were very efficient too. I was particularly impressed when the boy told me "ur bag in on the way" before I could open my mouth to ask for my baggage! *thumbs up*

Would like to say a very big THANK YOU to Taz for running with me!!! I wouldn't have enjoyed the run half as much if not for his company and his discipline to run-walk. I didn't suffer as much due to the run-walk !

We crossed the finishing line together, after waiting before the finishing line for 10+s for the clock to strike 2:49. Ok, though my timing has increased through the years but I'm just happy that I finished the run. I'm proud of myself. The timing is secondary. :)

MR in MR

Finally managed to join the mafias for a Mafia Run in MacRitchie.

Today I joined teelee (and his army friend), Taz, Fennel and the Mafia star - Kelley in the run. Teelee and his friend went for a fast 1 lap I guess as part of their AHM training.

Fennel was able to join us for this slow run because she hadn't been running the past weeks due to the dreaded flu (having said that, she still run faster than us :P Oh well).

My plan was to cover 1 loop since I hadn't been running, and I didn't want to cause any injury.

I was keeping pace with Kelly most of the first lap, but while she trotted up the slopes, I chose to walk up since the terrain is just so unfamiliar for me, what with the rocks, and uneven ground with bricks etc. I really marvel at all the guys (mainly the young boys) who flew past me. How come they are not afraid of tumbling??? -__-"

Anyway, Taz joined us much later as he was waiting for a friend who overslept and flew him aeroplane .... but he managed to catch up with us towards the mid-point in the first loop.

After the first loop, I felt ok enough and decided to join them for their second round. Managed to keep pace with Teelee a bit as he did his recovery run SLOWLY ... but I still fell behind after a while ... as I walked up those slopes. Kelly was slow but STEADY! I really salute her for being able to run in her army boots and pants (and mind you, she had a can of milo in her pants which she carried along for the 20km).

It was a good run, with great company and laughter ..... and Kelly finally managed to convince Fennel to join the mafia gang.
wahahahahaha ....

I was the last to return in 2hr 59mins :P

Til the next run, I'm pigging out and getting fatter :P

Tues Run

After over 2 weeks of non-running due to physical ailments (chronic headaches, body chills etc), I finally pulled myself together for a run on Tues mrn. After 2+ weeks and 3+ weeks of non-swimming, I can tell I'm growing into this obese auntie .... it had to stop with some action!!

Told myself i'll just go slow and if need be, stop / walk / take a cab !

The weather didn't seem unusual as I headed out but it started to drizzle as I got to River Valley and it was pouring by the time I hit Boat Quay! Not to be beaten, I just trotted on with water quickly soaking my shoes and all the squishing inside my rain-sodden socks did make the run a lil uncomfortable. But the rain pelting on my skin, the cool air really felt great and I decided to carry on and run to Esplanade, something I hadn't been able to achieve in the past couple of months.

My timing is really getting slower and SLOWER. For the same distance, I'm taking over 8 mins longer. *sighz*

Anyway, was a good run. Think i managed about 9+ to 10km in 1 hr 18mins.

Am I slow, or am I slow ? :P

Feisty Princess

Over the weekend my mom was telling me about a 4-yr-old Sg girl who is diagnosed with cancer and many Singaporeans have step forward with donations to help her.

I soon forgot about this until I received this email from sis just a while ago.

Mentioned to J and he was sceptical. I know that he was trying to be careful, that though we ought to show compassion, we must not be frivolous in our donations. Especially when I only learn about it from a blog post! Ok, granted. So I googled and true enough found this article from The Electric New Paper.

Whilst I whined, bitched and grumbled ever so often about the little nuances in my life, there are much bigger (dare i say of a meterological scale compared to mine) challenges that people are facing. Now with the economic crisis, with rising unemployment, lowering pay while increasing costs and the struggle and pain that Cynthia & little Charmaine face, we sure are a lucky lot.

So if you are reading this and are convinced that that blog entry isn't a hoax, you can make a donation. They will email you with the details of the bank account to transfer $$ to.

Virgin MR run

Again didn't run on Thur mrn. Really slacking and lack motivation.

Got to know of one crazy fellow, K, who was going to bike for 2 hours before hitting MR for a 15km run. Actually there seemed to be tons of such siao people around ...

Anyhow, I think my lack of motivation sorta clouded my judgement and capability to think rationally made me invited myself for the run. Since I thought after a 2 hour bike prior, I guess I should be able to keep to his pace ??

Got to MR 10 mins before 7am and the folks were already getting ready at the carpark, mounting their bikes on the cars etc.

I had ran certain stretches of MR many many years back and thereafter had only ran past MR so this is almost like a virgin run of the MR loop. I was really unprepared and not used to the terrain as the pack happily trotted off and soon they were beyond sight, while I tried to follow K's pace.

After the water break at the ranger, there was a long relaxing stroll before we started again. This funny bunch is really something. Whilst they talked about slacking and bargaining for a shorter distance, they readily picked-up pace when K "commanded" them to proceed. -___-"

For me, once I stopped, its hard for me to kick-start the engine again lor ....

Anyway, had no choice but to struggle behind ... trying my best to catch up with K while the front pack was way out of sight.

I really hate running up slopes and MR seemed to have an endless number of such slopes (ok ok, to most runners, I think they would be wondering "what slopes?". As K would say, "these are just speed bumps" -___-")

Interesting to know that there was this stretch that can lead us to Bukit Timah, near the King Albert complex. Cool, I can try that route and run home from there when I'm more conditioned.

A reprieve came towards the 2nd half of the run when I was greeted with proper trails and even roads (Yay!) and that's when I felt more confident and happy and was able to run at a more decent pace. Was really happy to see another familiar face along the way with T escorting Ke in her run in army pants and boots. -____-" There are indeed seriously crazy people around!

The final stretch was basically running alone as K steadily ran up each "speed bump" while I just struggled to keep my balance and walked up each miserable slope.

Not sure how long I ran in total since there were many long walk and rest breaks but nevertheless it was a good experience. As what The Gifted had mentioned when I first consulted him on whether I should join in the run, MR is challenging and would be a good experience. Damn right it is! I had a good fun, nice running (behind) this pack of cheerful and friendly runners, and I'm sure suffering from the aftermath of this run *kah sng*.

I can only salute all these runners who treat MR like their playground, running loops ever so often, and some ultra-marathoners who had did over 5 loops in a few hours! I can hardly survive 1 loop!

HSP Revisited

As the motivation to run wanes .... I SOS-ed The Gifted for help.

"Run with me ... need motivation"

The ever-accomodating soul agreed and as a bonus, got T to join in. T promptly mapped out a route and thus hatched my first ever LSD after such a long (2 years?) absence from group LSD.

The original plan to run to the beach was aborted as T mentioned about possibly meeting wild dogs along the stretch ("unlike u boys, auntie can't out-run wild dogs!!!!", I exclaimed in fright). And since I had been away from the neighbourhood for a long while, I was excited to see what I have been missing in the 1+ years I was away.

So we started off from Buangkok towards Ponggol where I got to see the new hockey stadium + swimming pool. Place has developed a lot! The once sleepy (almost ulu) area has now a 24hour Mac, a pretty big 7-11 right outside the pool (there are 5 pools of varying purposes - olympic pool, sheltered pool, jacuzzi pool, kids pool and a slide pool). Should be fun! Can't wait to visit the pool soon (probably on a weekday as I reckoned weekends will be thronged with si gin na kids).

As we started early, the weather was cool and nice. We met several lone runners and PACKS of cyclists riding along the ponggol stretch. It felt good to be out running and seeing lots of others doing what they enjoy on an early Sat mrn.

The run was relaxing (thanks for keeping the pace slow so that I could keep up!!) and entertaining as I was treated to constant blabber on mafia wars (I'm still struggling with that!!) and the on-going developments in Ponggol. I didn't know there is even a Sengkang forum!!! Wow!!! Someone even found his future neighbours (in the same level!) from the forum. *faint*

Not sure how long we ran, am still waiting for one of the kind souls to plot the route but I reckon we should have covered minimally 17km in 2hours 10 mins. A very good run, though I was really shagged towards the last few km. And The Gifted is still running on Sun! *double faint*

Well, I don't call him that for nothing ;)

Thanks so much again for the wonderful tour of HSP (Hougang-Sengkang-Ponggol). Not running alone sure HELPS a lot!!! Major!

Can't wait for the next HSP run!

*thumbs up*

Give Up

I think until I get back my motivation in running, I shall stop blogging about my runs since its so stale to repeat the same story over and over :P

Til better times ....

Suntan

Suppose to be another LSD.  Body is rested (after 2 days of non-activity) but the mind is weak.

Ran a bit and felt sian and tired.  Enough said.  I ran walked and gave up after my first water break at the petrol kiosk.  Barely covered 6km in 45mins of run walk.

Geez.  I feel like hanging up my shoes for good.

So, it wasn't a run today but more like a mrn walk to get some sun.  wahahaha

Thur Run

I woke up at 5 and thought it was raining when I looked out the window.  The sky had a reddish hue and the wind was blowing.  But I wasn't sure whether I was dreaming and in my groggy state, I washed up, got changed and got out of the house.

True enough it was drizzling but since I had made the effort to get ready, I decided to heck it and just run.

The cool weather (with occassional strong wind!!) helped the run.  I didn't feel as dehydrated and managed to finish the run, though short, rather comfortably.

Shld be about 10km in 1hr 13 mins.  Very slow I know.  But at least I ran lah .... my consolation haha

Yet Another Lousy Run ...

Woke up this mrn and felt so much like skipping work. Felt like I was coming down with something, and I really just didn't feel like running.

So I guess the drive wasn't there. As I neared the 7-11 store near to Liang Court, I just decided I was thirsty enough and thus stopped to get myself a drink. Thereafter it was just slower ... and slower ... with many walk breaks.

Took me about 1hr 15mins to cover probably 10km.

Geez ....

I'm really slacking

Failed Mission

Celebrating my eldest niece's upcoming birthday at sis' place today. They are having a party ... So plan was to run to sis place.

Started early at about 6:45am and didn't feel anything amiss.

Alas, not long into the run I felt winded and in less than 20 mins, I had to walk. *shake head*

Legs were tired and I was struggling even before I got to MacRitchie.

Lousy lousy run. I walked most of the way after my water break at Long House and after another 30 mins of stroll, I gave up near Teachers' Estate and took a cab to sis place. Haha ....

Failed mission. And again the top of my left foot starts to hurt. Aiyo.... been eating lots more, growing horizontally exponentially and yet I'm working out LESS.

Thur Run

Woke up at 4+ and couldn't get back to bed.  Decided to start early since I wanted to get something done in the ofc.   I'm so early that I actually saw a patrol car stopped in front of me and questioned a guy who was holding something in a plastic bag.  And I was this early that the usual coffeeshop that I passed by in Queenstown, which normally would already have its share of early risers having their breakfast, was still getting ready unloading food supplies to get ready for their business.

Anyway, it was a better run.  Able to cover about 12+km, 1hr 26mins i think

Tues Run

Still about 5 mins slower than before and was struggling towards the last part of the run.

But all in all glad I ran.

Nothing much.  About 10km 1hrs 14mins.

LSD

Got to work on Sat so ran to work as part of LSD, knowing that if I don't do that, I would surely not run on Sun.

There was lots of mental struggle between continuing my sleep and running to work.  Thankfully the sheer logic of running to work wins. 

While puffing away at the early stages of the run, I came to realise that I had forgotten the objective of my runs.  I shouldn't beat myself up, nor whine about my runs.  Looking back to the period when I was injured and couldn't even run 1km, i had told myself then that it doesn't matter how short/slow I run, as long as i CAN still run.  That's the objective and I somehow lost sight of that objective recently.

Realising this again, I was more relaxed and just run or stop whenever I feel like it.   

Ran to Labrador Park again .... the sky was beautiful.   One slight glitch in the run.  I planned to buy water at the vending machine at the park but alas, it somehow just couldn't accept $2 notes when it was suppose to.  After much trying, I gave up.  I was dreading the run out because the next kiosk would be a distance away.  I decided to try my luck at the city beach resort and finally managed to get some change.  100+ never tasted THIS good.

Managed to get to office in 2.5 hours.  Strange that the distance clocked is a mere 15km.  Really don't think I'm THAT slow.  I'll still think I clock about 20km minimum.

Love Story meets Viva la Vida

Beautiful.  Am waiting for the mp3.  *thumbs up*

Thank you, grandpa. *muacks*

Thur Run

Today's run is slightly better.  

Still slower than before .... but consolation was I managed to run a longer distance

Took me 1hrs 25mins to cover about 12km.

I still have some way to go.

My input ... is wayyyyyy above my output.    I'm fated to be fat. hahahaha

LOUSY RUN

Quite disheartened to write.  Three words sum up the run this mrn.

Breathless.  Slow.  Disappointing.

One of the worst runs ever.  Felt chuan right from the very beginning.  And possibly due to the insufficient water intake the day before, I was extremely dehydrated and this marks the 2nd time in my weekday run that I had to get water at the 7-11.

Cut short the run, much shorter than usual.  Think was about 9km for 1hrs 12mins.  Really disheartening.

Really hope I can regain my fitness soon.  Will I or is this really part and parcel of aging?  I've been told long ago that one will feel the physical decline at the age of 30.  I admit I didn't feel much of that when I cross the big 3-0.  However, I'm feeling it now ... maybe its the difference between the physical age and the bio age.  To console myself I prolly just cross the bio age of 30 not so long ago.

haha ... 

Hope I regained some level of fitness soon.

 

Thur Run

Another run .... the top of my left foot hurts since my LSD on Sun.
It gets better but the pain will return during my run ... now its still hurting.

Did my usual Tues route except that I cut short the distance as I was feeling really tired and foot hurts when I hit Fullerton. So didn't manage to go to Esplanade. Anyway I was running late as I overslept.

It started to rain when I got to Fullerton and got progressively heavier. But sure was nice and cooling to run in the rain.

My timing is really lousy .... I've slowed down by almost 10 mins :(

Sigh. Today shld cover just 9.5km. 1hr 13mins.

Ok lah hor, better than slacking.

Tues Run

Wow ..... I haven't had the aching muscles, ache while I walk, sleep and get up from a sitting position feeling for the LONGEST time!
And I felt it since Mon ... following my Sun LSD ... after a 3 weeks break -____-"

But having said that, it was a good pain. Am glad to have run!

With sore muscles, I didn't dare to tax my legs too much so did a shorter and more comfy run on Tues.
Gosh, my pace was so damn slow that I slowed down by about 5 to 10 mins.

Took me about 1hr 14mins to cover 10km!!! *slap forehead*

Happy Mother's Day!

This post is dedicated to my mom.  The one most important person in my life.

Thanks for being the best mom I could ever ask for.  

For always giving your children the best

For always putting us above yourself

For always taking good care of us

For always worrying about us (although I sincerly wish you can quit worrying, Mom!)

For always forgiving us, no matter our mistakes

For always being there for us

For always believing in us

Thank you Mom. *hugz*

Re-starting ....

I HAVE BEEN SLACKING BIG BIG TIME.

Not sure why but I suddenly lost all motivation to swim / run.

Everyday I would set my alarm at 5am but I would just shut it off and head back to bed.  The thought of running just didn't appeal to me somehow.

A week became two and by the third week I was worried about my lack of activity (ok, I do still go to the gym but it definitely isn't enough).

I got fatter and even my Mom commented.  

Been whining to The Gifted about my lack of motivation and I pleaded with him to help me get back into my running.  Bless his kind heart and soul, he readily agreed to run with me just to help me out (though his pace and mine are drastically different!!!)

It was suppose to be a Sat mrn run.  We will both head out from our respective homes and meet at Tanjong Pagar where we will head back to Hougang.  Alas, we were greeted with thunder and heavy downpour on Sat mrn and hence I happily snucked back into bed.

Sunday.  Thunder was heard right from 2+am and I was groaning.  I really needed to re-start my running.  By 6am The Gifted msg that it was pouring where he was, while there wasn't any rain at my side, just continuous rumbling from the sky.  I decided to head out first and meet The Gifted along the way.....

After 3 weeks, my legs, though fresh, took a while to warm up. Although it was the usual route, I seemed to take a long time to cover the usual distance, and my strides were heavy and many times my soles scratched the gravel, at one time I almost tripped and fell on the uneven pavement! Something I never had problems with for the past 1 year!  

Anyway, we finally met up at Boon Keng, and we slowly (THANKS so much for slowing down so much to accomodate auntie!!!) trotted back to Hougang.

If not for the company, I think I would have a lot more difficulty covering the whole distance.  The weather today was cool and kind too, so that helped a lot.  It started to pour shortly after 2 hrs 45mins on the road.  My legs were complaining of the lethargy and decided not to push myself too much.

Very happy to finally get to run with The Gifted again after so many years.
Thanks for the help!
*bow*

Total distance about 23km. 2hrs 45mins.

Run to Buangkok

Woke up late !  By usual standards, I wouldn't have did the LSD.  However, I have already planned in advance to go to sis place, so grit my teeth and started the run at 8am.

I wasn't sure I could last the run as the weather would be hot, so was ready to give up halfway and take the cab the rest of the way.   Kept to a slow pace and with msy sunglasses to keep out the glare, I was glad I managed to last the whole distance.

This time, I decided to stick to familiar ground and hence the DR did not lose her way hehe.

Finished the run in <21km>

Thur Run

Managed to run my "Tues" route.

Slowing down again ..... too 2 mins slower for the first 1 hour.

However, overall run is still about 12+Km 1hr 24 mins.

Good run.

Tues Run

I'm such a slacker lately ... and nowadays i have developed this habit of oversleeping!!! Argh!!!! Ok in a way its a good sign since I had some sleeping probs previously.  At least now I can sleep a bit more, catch up for lost time wahaha

Anyway, so I overslept again on Tues and so could only manage a short run.

Did the shorter & easier Thurs route.  Had to cut short the route so that I could be in time at the gym.

Total distance should be about 9+km.  Sadly the run was slower than usual and it took me about 1hrs 5mins to finish.

Let's hope I dun oversleep tmr! 

Recent Runs

Been really really SLACKING the past weeks.  No regular runs, not as much motivation to go for my runs, and got bitten real hard by the lazy bug.  This is really bad.  

Tues Runs 31 Mar - usual run. 

Then SLACKED the entire week .... NO RUNS!

Tues Runs 7 Apr - usual run.  Slightly slower than usual.  But just glad that I broke the lazy spell for the week and headed out for a run.

Good Fri Run - Finally an LSD after the few weeks of siesta!  FIRST time that I forgot even my watch!  So I had no idea how long it took me to run this half marathon.  Map showed 20km coz the initial 1 km was covered on the canal track.  Not sure what construction they are doing on the park connector.  They closed off half the park connector since several weeks back.  Hope I see some improvements after whatever road works are done.

Geez ..... I'm facing some unprecedented laziness and fitness drop. Not sure why for the past weeks I have been feeling lousy at spin. I can't perform, can't spin, and get winded very easily. That's making me lose interest and motivation in spinning. And my discipline to run left me too. This is bad .... I better reclaim control, self discipline soon before this gets out of control ...

I. AM. FAT.

Hong Kong

It was a last minute decision to head to HK for a short trip for R&R.

Had a very wonderful trip ... only flaw was that it was toooo short.

But very happy to meet up with a very old friend, someone whom I have not seen in years.  He doesn't seem to have aged.  Still look the same .... only I've seen that he has somehow mellowed.  Not so stubborn, and more diplomatic.  More forgiving of others' opinions.

Had a fantastic time and a great way to relax ...... before another busy busy week at work starting tomorrow.

Some pics to remember the good times by ..... 

Till the next trip ! 

Pre-Flight Run

Did a quick run on Wed before my flight to my next holiday destination.

Was trying to decide how long and where to run and as I overslept, I didn't have time to spare.  Ran to Farrer Road, Bukit Timah and back.

13.4km 1hr 20mins

Mon Run

I've been realllly slacking and so decided to get my act together to go for a run on a Mon mrn.

The slack did do me some good as the run was much easier and I felt good.

Did the usual Tues route but ran further up instead of u-turning at the Singapore Flyer. Turned to Nicoll Highway and headed back from Suntec.

Not sure the distance and no time to plot. Should be about 14+km. 1hr 30mins.

I need another run soon .... Lousy work day on Mon ....

Super Slack!

My last run was on the 17 Mar!!!!

It was a pretty good run. The usual Tues route.  

About 12+km, 1hr 20+mins.

After that its been downhill all the way.

Felt very out of shape for spins.  Simply STRUGGLED for every sesh and it was so evident my instructress picked me up and kept calling my name to "Turn up!!", "Come on!", "Just a bit more!", "Don't slow down!!".

That continued for Thurs & Fri.

And Thurs it rained.

Wed it rained too so skipped the swim coz the waters would be extremely cold.  Fri overslept.  Geeezzzz ... I'm getting super slack!!!

And not to forget I've been LSD-less for the past 2 weeks and I wouldn't be doing my LSD this coming weekend too.  Sat was feeling way too tired to run.  Sat was nursing this mild headache that got worse and by Sun mrn I was just feeling too heavy-headed to run.

Wah ..... I hope I get out of this rut reallll sooon ....

*cross fingers*

Great Run!

Didn't sleep well last night and was nursing a headache.

So when the time came to run, I was already half awake. Laced up and felt better with the headache when I started running. This is definitely better than any pain killer!

Wanted to run my blues away and hence ran at a faster pace. Not that I was lightning speed (in my dreams maybe) but I shaved off 5+mins from my usual run. Not bad for an auntie like me!

Felt good with the run today, and managed to run a slightly longer distance.

Running sure helped to chase the blues away *momentarily*

About 11+ to 12km , 1 hr 11mins.

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up. 

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house. 

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine. 

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It! 

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.) 

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake. 

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all.. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . that will bring on a 'whatever'). 

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F-- YOU! 

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning t! his is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3. 

* Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology. 

* Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, cause they know it's true!!! 

 

Good Run!

Had a surprisingly good run today. After several weeks of running without ipod, i'm finally back with one. Tried out the ipod chromatic, but using a pair of JVC running earphones. The sound quality is mediocre, but well, better than nothing. Probably should just stick back to the ipod earphones.

Did the usual Tues route, and didn't have the breathless feeling that I've had in the past few runs. Whew.
Managed to cover the usual Tues distance, and even able to power thru the last leg at a faster pace.

12+km, 1hr 23mins.

If only every run could be this good.

LSD

After 3 weeks of non-LSD, I was a lil apprehensive about the run this mrn.  Not sure whether i could find the motivation and sufficient energy to run.

Decided to run the usual route, but in the reverse route to inject some newness.  I realised I always cut short the distance towards the return leg because of the dreaded boring Bukit Timah stretch.  So thought I would get that out of the way first.

Turned out to be a good route.  The Bukit Timah stretch was good to run in the early mrn where its still cool, and by the time i reached the return leg at Botanical Gardens, when the sun was shining brightly, I had the shades from the trees to protect me from the harsh sunlight.

Did about 22km 2hrs 35mins.

And I was really happy to meet up with two of the SGRunners today near to BG!!! What a pleasant surprise.  The gals were out for the Women's Day run while one chivarlous gentleman was strolling beside them, holding a bag which contained the lady's barang.  How nice!!!

We took a picture before going in opposite directions.

Ok, very shagged.  Going to sleep.

Thurs Run

Been very busy.  No time to update blog.

Anyway, did the usual run on Thurs.  However, since I didn't manage to cover the intended distance on Tues, I made up for the distance by covering a longer distance on Thurs.

Ran to the Flyer, did a loop before heading back.

Should be about 13km for 1hr 25mins.

Kept to a good routine this week.  6 spins, 3 runs (total 40+km), 3.5 swims.

Will I be able to keep to this routine ? Haha , nah, I doubt so. :P

Updates

I'm back!

Was away on a short trip to Bali from 20-25Feb.  No time to blog about it yet ...

Then was again away for my department retreat from 27Feb-1 Mar. With the bleak economy, we had to contend with a retreat in Singapore.  Anyway, as much as I hated the thought of going to these retreats, I had to say I enjoyed the place and the company of some of the colleagues.  A good chance to interact with some of them, and to get to know them better.

:)

____________________________________

Ok, been SLACKING.  Nuff said.

Only managed 2 miserable runs in the past 2 weeks.

Last Thur, was the usual run to office taking the Tues route.  Was a pretty good run.

Today did another run.  But outcome is vastly different.  I felt tired and had to stop to walk .... it got so bad I just dreaded the rest of the distance and hence cut short the route.

Did at max 11km today.  1hr 13 mins.

Hope the next run will be better.  *cross fingers*

Atypical Run

I think I'm seeing a pattern.  Each time I'm going away, my body somehow will subconsciously shut down which effectively affects my form.

Run today is bad to say the least.  I was so winded that I had to stop several times to walk.  And for the first time, I had to stop to buy myself a drink at the 7-11 coz I just felt so dehydrated.  

Though I managed to finally run the usual Tues distance, but it was about 5 mins slower than usual.  

The only thing I dread about holidays is the disruption to the daily exercise routine.  I'm so going to lose whatever fitness I've built up.   The thing is, one gets comfortable with the slacking that sometimes it is hard to get back the momentum.  That's what I dread :P

Alright ... total distance about 12+km 1hr 30mins.

Hope for a better run soon!

*cross fingers*

Crap Run

Woke up late and decided to dump my stuff in the gym before heading out for a run.

My body just wasn't co-operating today right from the very first step.  I felt tired, breathless and totally out of form.

By the time I got to South Buona Vista I was feeling too winded.  After 30 mins of struggle, I decided to call it quits and walked back towards NUS.  Spent a lot of time walking.  The air is stuffy and still today, it still looked quite hazy.  The dust particles in the air probably hasn't cleared.

Anyway, a very lousy run today.  As good as not running.  Think I cover at max 6km, but all the walking and all took me over an hour.

Nevermind, till the next run.

No LSDs for the next 2 weekends ... ho ho ho... I'm so in trouble for my next LSD *shake head*

And so I decided to make up for it with a swim ... got to the pool and realised that there was going to be a class starting in 10 mins!  Typically the pool would be closed during classes.  I asked the instructress whether the pool would be closed, she kindly suggested I can keep to the side of the pool.  So I started swimming, but as there was another lady who came before me, the side lane got a little too crowded for both of us.  10 mins later I decided to call it quits.  So ... lousy start to my Sun.  Heaven's will ba ... to slack, eat, get fatter!

hahaha

ok, time to continue readin ... 

Happy Valentines Day!

I'm so glad that V-Day falls on a weekend this year!  So I'm happily hiding out at home, not having to be out (at work) and having to "suffer" seeing everyone all lovey dovey, receiving flowers etc.  Haha ... nope, not jealous, just a little embarrassed :P

Anyway, I'm happy for this day to wish all my friends and family a Happy Valentines Day!

Thanks for the wonderful friendship, the care, concern, love, humour, fun, jokes, runs shared .... Life would be black & white without you all :)

May all of you enjoy this day with your loved ones.  And for those like me who are single, enjoy this day too and say a word of Thanks to the wonderful people around you :)

Thur Run

5 hours of sleep.  Am sooo glad I managed to wake up for the run.

Didn't realise it rained until Mom told me so.  Indeed the ground was wet.

Since I skipped the Tues route, I had to cover that distance today.

Not a bad run.  Weather was cool and helped in the run. But realised that I cannot be lazy and not tape my left feet with the bunion problem coz my left toe will start to hurt.  Thankfully the pain didn't last for the entire run.

Enjoyed the run.  It helped to wake me up.  About 12+km, 1 hr 25 mins.

iPod-less Run

Overslept due to another sleepless nite.  Woke up at close to 3 and couldn't get back to sleep til 4+ so naturally I couldn't drag myself outta bed when the alarm went off at 5.

When I finally jolted awake, it was 10 mins to 6.  I had only that few minutes to decide whether to run a short one, or to postpone til tomorrow.  Finally decided to head out for a short run.

Did the usual thur route, without an excess distance.  Should cover about 9+km.  1hr 3mins.

Relaxing run.

And I'm glad I'm gradually getting used to my cumulus.  Yay!

Oh ... and why I said ipod-less ? Coz my earphones have been acting strange for a while. It had to be plugged in a certain way for the sound to be heard and sometimes the sound got distorted. By Sunday during the Sundown LSD, one side of the ear phone case had decided to detach itself from the insides. Time to change a new pair or buy a new ipod. Whichever is more economical ... (yeah, coz i think the earphones aren't that cheap either)

Sundown LSD

I finally managed a run in the evening! 

The pig woke up from a nap (which took place right after lunch!!!).  Woke up and did some reading and mind was constantly bugging me about heading out for a short run.  To feel less guilty about the lack of LSD this mrn.  Whatever resolve to run dissolved when I received an sms telling me that it looked like it was gonna rain.  What convenient excuse right ?? Anyway, after much internal struggle, the guilt won and I quickly changed and decided a short run just along the canal / park connector near my place.

Towards the second stretch of the park connector, a father-daughter ang-mo pair overtook me.  I didn't think much of it since that's the norm anyway, but I later easily overtook them again coz they must have slowed down.  That seemed to trigger some competitive streak in the pair coz at the return leg, they tried to overtake me again but to no avail.  As I slowly trotted on, suddenly that daughter started to pick up pace to overtake me.  Judging from her running, I knew I could easily increase my pace a little just to maintain that lead.  I thought that was the last of it when few minutes later, she again pranced right beside me and started to take the lead.  Since this auntie had managed to overtake her the past few times, there isn't a reason why I can't continue to do so.  So again I picked up speed and easily left her behind.  That was the last I saw that lad ... haha .... yes I know.  Not only am I a bitch, but I'm such a bully.  Ok, to put things in perspective, that lanky kid is almost as tall (if not taller than i am) and prolly in her early teens.  But guess I just didn't want an ang mo to win me (haha yes, that racism is rearing its ugly head again :P)

So anyway, 6.6+km later,  I decided I was well enough to do a longer loop.  So decided not to head back to cover the remaining 2km, but to continue towards Ngee Ann.

Rest of the distance shown in map below.

Since I started the run only at 10mins past 6, light was fading fast by the time I got to Bukit Timah.  There was also a slight drizzle but it helped cool the weather down.

The stretch along Evans Road and Cluny Road was quite deserted.  Thankfully for the cars that whizzed past, I didn't felt so alone in the dark.  Kinda nerve wrecking to run that stretch at nite, alone.  

 

Total distance about 20km.  1hr 20mins.  Damn getting slower.  But nonetheless, am happy for the run.  Yay!