Knackered

yupz...tis wk..work has been creeping steadily up my neck...
Ctry coverage has increased w e reorg bt i'm mighty glad Tokyo's still mine..
Bt me n gabs figured tt life revolves ard more than jus work...so come friday, decked in denim, we snuck off during lunchie, she to e gym n me off to e pool for a quick dip..
Glorious weather, did 14 extremely relaxing laps, soaking up e sun was a real stress buster...
Back to work, munched on biscuit n coffee whilst I bulldozed my way thr....
Had e most wonderful bdae when i was 21, my worst at 22 n i had tot 23 wud be a relatively peaceful event..
bt given e triple whammy tt's gg to hit me straight after my bdae in Nov, colleagues jested tt i'll hafta camp in e fezz over nite..
I grimaced...bt i'll hang in there...i still much prefer working to studying, wkends r at least totally mine...

Watched 2 totally uninspiring movies during e wk..

The Cave: Caught it with Jimmy, an absolute yawn n i cud nt fault him on tis since i was e one who made e ultimate choice since our original choice The Red Shoes was at a too late screening.

Be With Me: Watched it with ss, was hyped up abt tis, cuz of all e rave reviews..but sad to say, i was sorely disappted..
It nvr made me forget tt i was watching a movie..

Conclusion: Marathon's still e best!


Come wkend....
Hit Fitness First Sat, Body Pump with a most cute instructor Julian who enjoys singing out loud with e tunes.... but ouch, those dips were nasty...

Sun was spent at Cali, with Wen, for my last freebie sesh there, body combat, body balance n wad was supposed to be Body Pump after tt became a non option cuz e ever clumsy n accident prone me pulled my arm muscle..
Missed my usual evening long runs again, soon, it may become a rarity, boo hoo... can't be helped sometimes, i'm jus too pooped after my gym classes to go for a run, hopefully, once my body gets conditioned, i'll be better able to handle workout cum long runs consecutively..
Bt me n Wen hv plans to go run at Botanic to train for Standchart after our gym sesh , though i agree it'll be weird to run thr e crowded streets of Orchard in singlet n shorts...
well, we'll see...training beckons...
bt i do miss running, perhaps, i shud drag my lazy arse out for an early morn run tml...sure way to fend off any possible Monday blusies..
My workplace is almost all done up, Standchart poster on my right, schedule of Fitness First exercise classes above my head, marathon articles pasted on e panel, i'm just missing the movie poster of Marathon, sigggh....which i dun think i'll ever be able to lay my hands on..

Mum looked at me, wincing in pain as i rolled myself pathetically off e bed, shook her head n wondered aloud.." wad in e world r gers up to nw...in my time, gers ain't supposed to be tt active..."
i think my social life will be suffering soon, sigh...somehw it's hard to strike a balance.
I wish i cud too...
bt hehz, Body combat tml nite, bring it on!

All psyched up...

Tis has been a mixed wk...work is starting to kick in n i've realise tt e grapevine's reallie a helluva power at my workplace, gossip spreads faster than it takes u to say e word 'gossip' itself.
I am amazed..

Highlights of e wk:
Watching Marathon with Jimmy..
Tis is a simple, touching show tt had me dropping tears several times n other times had me guffawing till i was short of breath..
I saw Jimmy wiping his face once too, jus tt he was too macho to admit he cried too..
I guess, tis movie appealed to me cuz it's to do with sthg so close to my heart too...running...
Cho son, tt's his name...
He was at his best when he was running.
When he was running, he wasn't autistic animore, he was normal, e same as everyone else...
Tt's why running a marathon in sub-three was his greatest goal n his biggest achievement..
I love tis movie so much, it'll be great runspiration for e coming Standchart!

Speaking of which, i've been reallie slack tis entire wk.
I ran 40 mins at 5am on Tues.
Wed, i ran in e gym @ e workplace during lunch with Gab: 5km in 26 mins
Then, today, i did a pathetic 3.2km short run at e California..

I din do a single long run!

But highlight 2 of e wk was hitting California with Wen today..
Went for e body pump class n it was a real toughie...



Cardiovascular fitness, i guess i'm still at a decent level bt muscles wise, i'm a flabby slob...
Bt hehz, I'm now a proud member of Fitness First!
Went to the George Street Outlet on Mon n e view frm e pool was spectacular bt i din much like e fitness consultant..
so I went to another one who was a certified PT too n much more eye candy to behold n i signed up @ e rdshow on Sat..
Set me back quite a lot of moolah n will cont to do so each mth given tt its wad they call an "exclusive" club..
Tis C, Club membership will hv me cutting out other C's, namely Clubbing n Chilling out...
I hope i wun neglect my runs too much, though...was seriously aching after e body pump class to go for my usual evening long run, i think i'll do a stairclimbing sesh ltr to make up for e guilt..
hehz, cuz I ordered a Lana choco cake for Mum to try n naturally, tt found its way to my tummy nt to mention all e mooncakes...

I'm gg to try out all kinds of classes at Fitness First!
Body pump, Body combat, Body balance, spinning classes, power yoga n of cuz their cardio n wt machines as well as e magnificent pool!
No wonder they say working out is better than sex..
hehz, makes sense..

I think so too!!

You Belong in New York City
You're an energetic, ambitious woman.
And only NYC is fast enough for you.
Maybe you'll set yourself up with a killer career
Or simply take in all the city has to offer

Pooped!

Went for e Sheares Bridge run oso known as Army half marathon today...
Had a hard time dragging myself out of bed n was mumbling to myself why i even bothered to pay to put myself thr this torture...
bt gd thing, after i've washed up, i was raring to go, esp with e cool morn weather..
Haz, it felt almost surreal to walk thr Citylink in e morn, with throngs of like-minded runner enthusiasts..
N the view was splendid...as thousands of runners congregate there, stretching, chattering whilst waiting for e race to start, i was in a mighty gd mood n though i was alone, i din feel alone at all!

1-2km: Weaving in n out e crowds of runners, it was totally fun to run thr e heart of e financial district...

2-4km: On e highway....sun is out! Bummer, forgot to apply my SPF 40 sunscreen..
Pant pant...where's e water point??? I'm parched, dehydrated!!
Oops, of cuz they dun hv water pts on e highway

4-6km: Yaaay! Off the highway, my water point, my water point!
Sheesh, cold, refreshing water but why gif me so much ice, nt enuff water!
Sun's reallie scorching...

6-9km: Hang in there, hang in there.....dun walk!
At tis pt, sthg maluating almost happened, I stressed, ALMOST...
Ran across e third bridge of e run n ran past National Stadium...then saw a whole horde of bare-torsoed army guys sprinting up e steps of the National Stadium n most of e runners were looking at them with interest.
So was I n i was so engrossed in looking at them tt i nearly collided into an orange cone, i was jus 1 inch away frm it.
Thank Gawd!! else i'll nvr live it down, those bunch of OCS guys behind me wud def think tt i was so engrossed in checking out hunks gg topless tt i bumped into e rd block..

9-10 km: Sigh....i walked! Once...less than a min but still, i vowed nt to walk for this entire stretch of e race...
Veri few female runners ard me, all guys n the few female runners overtook me whilst i was walking..
Humph....tt din go down well with me, so i started jogging again..

10-12km: Hardest stretch, i wud say...
Bt i hung in there n finally, sprinted towards e finish line...was i glad!

This race is so much more enjoyable than e New Balance one, no irritating bag, no tortuous sandleg, no steep slopes...spectacular view...

My legs din feel like they belong to me after tt, tt's always e ultimate sign tt i've exerted them to e max pt....
N haz e host was tokking abt this being a whole testeterone thingy, trust me, it reallie is..
So many guys ard...bt the entire place was immersed in this carnivalesque mood so it felt great
i enjoyed it tons cuz i had a gd run, heez...but i'm slightly sunburnt, i think...
was supposed to meet best chum today to chill out at the National Lib plus go for our much needed hair cut bt I totally flopped on bed after my bath n had to postpone it again..

Dun think she'll miss me much anyway, since we jus went clubbing at New Asia Bar fri nite..
N tok abt tt nite.....it's a total nightmare, so glad i had my 2a'ers with me...
Believe it, i will nvr ever go out with someone who hv polar oposite wavelengths with me, even if i feel bad or obligated...
That was such a MAJOR mistake...i think i bruised his veri inflated n delicate lawyer's ego..
I was a total witch bt i jus cud nt help it.
N to think i sacrificed my evening run....totally nt worth it.
I hope he doesn't read tis man, he may veri well sue me, hahaha...

The splendid view



n Woots! Another 2A'er getting married!!
Shan's ROMing end tis yr n same as Blind,she's gg to hold her wedding dinner next yr...
hee hee, me oredi starting to think of their Hen party....male stripper no? haha

The blissful couple...Congrats, Ger!! Her husband-to-be happens to be my fave 2a fren-in-law too, hee hee, reallie glad tt she has found her happiness in him..


Nt forgetting our 2A's Golden Couple! Jj n XC..


n the 30-mth old couple....


n yeah....i was e onli single among 3 couples...haz..


but i guess i've realised sthg...
The one to settle down with for life....the guy who will accompany u for life..
That guy needs to be nice.
Yupz...forget all e frills n stuff, i think i like my guy to be simple, earnest, frank n nice..
Just nice.
Yupz, tt's it...

To sum up e past wk...
Mon: Played a veri intensive bt fun badminton sesh at Sports Day n ended up with aching butt, thighs n arms..for e next few days

Tues: Early morn run

Wed: Ate lunch at Liquid with colleagues

Thurs: Went to Safra to sign up for Sheares n struck up a conversation with a fellow runner who goes for the Sheare Bridge run every yr, cool!

Fri: New Asia Bar with 2A'ers n a cockroach n heez, finally gt rid of e cockroach

Sat: 10km run in e gym, gym workout, 1 km superduper short evening run(din wanan strain my legs) n 2km brisk walk with sista

Sun: The Race

Signed up for e standchart half marthie at their rdshow n gt a free pedometer (onli for women, hee hee) n oso gt them to gif me a poster!
It's huge! n i'm gg to paste it at my workstation for a major dose of runspiration...
Less than 3 mths to go, i reallie wonder hw i'm gg to make the full 21km tt fday, actually..oh well, there may be a solution.
I gt free tix for the Korean Film Fest n initially wasn't tt keen upon gg but i scanned thr e list of films featured n this one literally jumped out at me...

Marathon(Click here)
haha, yeah, it's e opening film n gt rave reviews n was a hot seller in Korea
It's abt an autistic boy who loves running marathons and eventually this passion for running helped him overcome his obstacle..

It sounded great n so close to my heart too..nt tt i'm autistic, far frm it bt it's abt running n marathons...
Shud be catching it with Jimmy, tt's if tis mugger can tear himself away frm his bks even during e hols..

We'll see, n woots! tml me n Pam meeting e fitness consultant at the new
Fitness First outlet at George Street, i'm dying to see the heated swimming pool n e spectacular view..
Here's to a gd wk ahead!
Cats r back so mice can't run wild animore, I'll be a gd, domestic pet mouse!

Sheares Bridge Run?

It's called The Most Scenic Run in Town..

I think tt gt me hooked....bummer...
n though registration for 21 km has ended, sheesh, they gif medals for those who complete e half marthie n certs too...
they hv 12km run!
I'm seriously enticed, esp when i rem hw beautiful e run was when i took part way back in my sec sch yrs... n i lurve their army green T-shirt too!
Closing date is tis Sat, mebbi i'll sign up for both e Standchart n 12km mini marathon tog on tt day.
Heez, figured it wud be gd training for Standchart half marthie....
bt supposed to hit e National Lib with best chum tis Sun for coffee n a gd gab sesh..
No worries, i guess we can meet ltr...
bt i'll be gg alone if i do sign up....oh well, i usually run alone anyway

Hmmm...e race bug has bitten me, i see..

Okie, till then!

"There's no such thing as bad weather only weak minds"

So Wen is signing up for quartz Stand Chart !
okie,she gt me motivated again...me gg to sign up for half marthie at tis Sat's rdshow, cuz gt freebies!! hee hee...

Did 10km jus nw, was no breeze though..
1-4 km: Boring......wet, gloomy day, slippery rd..
5-7km: Finally gt into running momentum
7-8km: Prime
8-9km: Arrrghhh...i'm bored!! can it end soon??
9-10km: my swollen shin is rearing its painful head again...Woots! I've finished e run!

Yeah, figured had to do 10k to compensate for e zillion calories consumed @ Hanabi...
Okie, i've another goal in mind, Standchart half marthie,here i come!
Bt sigh...left with exactly 90 days to e BIG day, Dec 04 2005
I gotta be able to do at least 16k by then else i am so gg to be dead, minced meat.
Wish me luck!

Go!

It's a lazy Sunday morn...
Gt up at 9 plus, had brekkie then did my usual domestic chores of vacumming n mopping e floor..
Was supposed to hit e gym with sista bt in e end, both of us decided to jus go for a jog/walk in e evening...
I've rested my legs for 1 wk, nw's e time to start running again.
Made tt resolution to lay off running for a while last Sunday bt on Monday, i hit e gym n automatically went on e Monz, had to stop after jus 1.2km, it jus hurt too much..

Thurs n Fri were course days, super super boring....
e onli highlight was tt we had lunch at IKEA, my top fave place, been so so long since i went Ikea...
e cheesecake still taste totally whammy, no, make tt a double whammy! Light vanilla flavoured cheese filling with a thick, biscuit crust, it was totally worth e calories!
Yest, went to Hanabi, e highly recommenede Jap restaurant at King's Arcade for Jap buffet, bdae treat for dear Wen...whom i've nt seen since our KL trip tog..
Since she works European hrs, it's jus incredibly difficult to meet up with her n we had great fun stuffing our faces n then wincing with pain at our bloated bellies as we rolled our way out, hahaha...
Plans for a drinking sesh were totally out, cudn't imagine adding alcohol to our sashimi-sushi-maki-chawamushi filled tummies, it may veri well explode!








Verdict: It's gd!
Sashimi was fresh n the food came pretty quickly though we had to request for our hot green tea which had nt come even though we were oredi halfway thr our face-stuffing feast.

Tried their Spider, e softshell crab handroll, their spicy salmon skin maki, miso soup, chawamushi, fried chicken pieces, pregnant fish, octopus, yellowtail n salmon sashimi, yam salad, Jap curry rice, udon, prawn n veggies tempura...lots lots

There was jus so much to try, so many items on e menu tt we were simply spoilt for choices...
bt with e exception of e jap chicken curry rice n e pregnant fish, everything else tasted gd!
Wud def recommend it! esp to cy who simply swoons over salmon sashimi, hiakzzz...
Nice, zen-like ambience too, with pics of gigantic koi on e walls, which i initially mistook to be giant-sized chameleons, hehz..

Anyway, i went Ikea n blew over 100 bucks, buying stuff, some of which i need n some n some of which i din reallie need, hiakzz...
Bt bought some stuff to vamp up my workspace...


Tried to position them in an aesthetically pleasing way to make it a visual delight...
Bought a cool, black mug, a black-skinned pen holder, another totally cool steel pen holder, candle light holders n a bag of potpourri to fill those candle holders n haha, a dark wood mirror!
Yeah, I'm still as narcissitic as ever, figured my compact mirror ain't big enuff for me to indulge in my narcissitic excesses so i bought tt mirror for my work station.
I love it totally!
n gg to cut out pics from Shape n Runners' World mag to stick all over my cabinet n walls to serve as runspiration n great motivational kick-ass purposes...
Wen mentioned tt she may wanna join e 10km leg for Standchart...
i think i may still join e half marthie for Standchart cuz at least i noe there wun be any sandleg n i'll be smarter nt to bring along a bag tis round.
The times for NBRR r out, 1 hr 18 mins...dinnoe noe wad to make of this timing n nt much significance actually cuz i din even run at all, was either walking or jogging....
The 10km run i did for e Sheares Bridge run a few yrs back was much much more enjoyable.
I ran e full 10k n sprinting towards e finishing line with e river as a spectacular backdrop was fantastic.
The Sheares Bridge run or army half marathon's coming up soon, Sept 11...2 frens cum runners enthusiasts taking part.
Haz, it's rather interesting, i guess cuz both hv been training for it, both timings r pretty close, their best timings for 10k range from 41 to 43 mins, i think.
Wun be gg for this run bt hope both of them do their unit proud n achieve their targetted timing!

Was deliberating whether to join a fitness club n was oscillating btw Cali Fitness n Fitness First, more swayed towards Fitness First nw, cuz i feel tt u reallie ged wad u pay for though Cali's closing hrs r later n Wen's a member of Cali too.
Bt it's quite true tt e membership prices r pwetty steep, e most ex of all, i think...bt by George, the new outlet at George Street (haha, punned) is totally awesome!

How do u beat tt view??
Splendid view of Boat Quay n Esplanade plus e heated swimming pool they hv...It's truly alluring..
Bt e location poses a big prob plus i gotta rein in my expenditure if i were to commit myself to this membership n the Paragon one is much more accessible, actually...
oh well, may be meeting up with e fitness consultant next wk...
bt i think i love my runs along e canal too much, a fitness club membership is gonna gnaw a huge chunk of my evening runs away...
n i met the bigwig figure of Mediacorp at a canal again last wk...
He was perched on a ridiculously small bike again, with his little son n i was flopped on e bench, looking at e stars as e 2 of them stood in front of me, yakking away..
It was onli when i gt up for stretching tt i realised who he was...
Half wanted to ask him y it's so hard to ged into Mediacorp for fresh grads...Sheesh..
Perhaps, there'll be other chances...

This is turning into a real lengthy post...
Decided to revamp my study table n change it from a uni student's cluttered space filled with files, notes n bks to a working adult's tiny vanity corner...




n hehz, i've finally gotten my apple-spices scented DKNY's Be Delicious, thanks to Pammie who gt it at 25% off at DFS Galleria...figured i wun be gg to e airport too soon ye i cudn't wait to lay my hands on this new fragrance.


I seldom fall in love with fragrances n my last love affair with a parfum was with Hugo Boss's Woman which e 1st bf gt it as a V day pressie for me...
Been quite a few yrs down e rd n finally, there's another fragrance which has me totally head over heels in love with it...

N i've added Wanda (my proudly named new witch's hat!) to my sleeping buddies...along with Nachos which had until nw been accorded e veri special priviledge of being e onli cuddly allowed on my bed.
I dun like soft toys, they're normally onli useful for propping up my leg in e all too common occurence of a leg injury.
Nachos is special, of cuz...
n nw there's Wanda...
Hope they ged acquainted pretty well soon n tt all will be cosy n comfy..

My 2 bedroom companions...


I dread to go to work on Mon n open my dreaded email inbox, no work on thurs n fri will jus mean a hefty workload n massive amt of work to be cleared.
Bt hey! i jus rem, Sports Day is tml, woots!
i'm gg to play badminton this time n then do a gym sesh, hee hee, okie, knowing tt there's Sports Day tml will hopefully dispel all possible Mon bluesie for me tml..
Perenakan food with e 2A'ers on Tuesday to welcome Serene back frm
UK (though she'll be returning pretty soon) n Manhattan Seafood Mkt with H on Fri...
I hope i hv time for my regular runs man, a storm's brewing nw, hope it will hv subsided by evening time, mising my run will jus make me all lethargic n grouchy...
Wanted to bake a Lemon Frosted Cake tis wkend bt Mum din wanna help! Boo Hoo...oh well, will save tt till next wk or e wk after next, I miss baking, hehz...
The Cake on My Mind..Such a pwetty, refreshing treat!



Alrite, such a grandmama story....splash splash time, a nice noon snoozie, tellie time n then a nice, relaxing evening run.
Chow!