Pooped!

Sunday's here so fast...
e mth of May leading to e BIG event is friggin tiring...
Me n Pam hv been buried under tons of work n reaching out every few secs for our stash of tidbits to bulldoze our way thr e stress n deadlines..
Hehz, I went to e supermart jus to get my fresh supplies of snackos...Aussie bities r awesome...Aileen's munching on tis huge slab of choc at work, e rate tis goes, all of us gonna morph into Monz sized piggies!

My snack stash!




Training bud made me tis scrummalicous sandwich to make up for e peanut butter, brie cheese, banana n tomato blooper last wk.
It was a simple yet elegant smoked salmon n scrambled egg sandwich, washed down with teh peng.
I savoured every bite n relish, it was gd!
Tokkin of which, sthg scary happened yest.
Had tis rule to run a 10km everytime I was scheduled for a tummy busting buffet.
Yest was gg to hit Raku (at Greenwood Ave) for e dinner buffet so made a runnin date with training bud for a run.
Hit e hot, dusty rds to run to Bukit Batok nature park bt the noon sun coupled with e dusty rds n stray dogs had me decide to hop onto a bus...jus so we cud reach e park n run within it inside.
Moments ltr, i told him, I feel nauseous...
2 min ltr, I cud feel darkness enveloping me frm all angles...turned round to e window n grasped e railing tightly.
Tried to tell him I was gg to black out soon bt cud nt speak n jus held his hand tightly...
I cud feel my vision dimming, my world gg to collapse upon me...
Heard him anxiously commenting on my pale lips..
n at tt moment, i tot of all e cases of joggers who jus lost consciousness n departed e world soonafter.
I felt reallie reallie scared at tt pt n helpless too, i din wan to black out n nvr wake uo again.
Told myself to breath deep, relax n try to prevent myself frm losing consciousness no matter wad.
Managed to stagger off e bus after i felt my vision comin back, slumped on e floor n gulped down water...
Tis wud be my 5th case of blacking out...all triggered by running.
The 1st one was when I was jus 12, coming in first among e gers for my 1.6km, I was ecstatic, tt was I was ecstatic b4 I collapsed onto e field...
Blame it on me being anaemic.
Bt guess I realised e impt of being healthy n i guess cherishing every moment of my life nw.

Moving on to happier stuff, haha, I ate lotsa Jappy food the past 2 wks...
Had ramen at Miharu Sapporo, tis authentically Japanese ramen frm Sapporo at Gallery Hotel.
Highly recommended by my Jap rep n food critics bt I guess we're more used to e Tokyo ramen n Sapporo ramen came across as too oily n the noodle strands a bit thicker n harder than I liked plus e chasen was a bit too tough for my liking too.
Ate at Ramen Ramen last fri n it was gd! Catering to Sporean tastes, e broth was nt cooked with lard n e chasen was succulent, juicy n tender!
Sakuraya Sushi at Ginza Plaza came highly recommended by Jap expats bt I found it onli okie, e ambience certainly din enhance the enjoyment.
The best was of cuz Raku! This modish Jap restaurant tucked away in the exclusive haute cuisine area of Greenwood Ave where Shiro, arguably e best Jap restaurant in Spore is located at, came highly recommended by my colleagues, bosses as well as the food critics penning Dout section of The Business Times.Went for the dinner buffet priced at 59+++...It was a farewell treat for ZM who'll be jetting back to Perth in 10 days time for his training n will onli be back 9 mths ltr..
Nt cheap bt it was worth every cent, service was impeccable n with both quantity n quality, Raku's a tough act to beat.
N the gorgeous manageress reallie cool to look at too.
Took lotsa pics bt nt with me nw, shall upload more
ltr..



Went to Sentosa, my fave stretch of e beach, Tanjong Beach n sipped an apple Martini at KM8 to chill out after eating Ramen Ramen..
Been some time since I last saw e bright stars in the dark skies.
It felt gd....felt in sync with nature n at peace with e world, esp after e hectic work wk...
As usual, i dunch hv enuff time for myself, bleah!!
gg to meet Wen after gym sesh ltr, am much lookin forward to it, nt seen e dear ger for ages!
Tokkin of which, I miss e 2A'ers , Na n Soph lots too....
Realise I can't go for e Shape run afterall, i gotta be at e airport tt Sun, phooey...
Bt I can make it for the Milk run on 2 July which is coincidentally e same day as e Osim triathlon which training bud is takin part in, ha, he has promised to come run with me in the Milk Run straight after his Osim tri if his knackered legs can make it.
I seriously doubt it, i wun wanna piggyback him all e way back!

Shall end off here with a pic of a reallie cute Japanese baby....I cud't resist snapping her shot in Tokyo..
Ain't she e sweetest...Awwwww...

A nutcase

So it's lunch now..
n i jus ate a sandwhich prep by training buddy n which was frankly quite inedible..
Wholemeal peanut butter sandwich with banana, Brie cheese n tomatoes...
Ucks.
He jus doesn't get it rite.
Whoever adds cheese n tomatoes to pb banana sandwich.
Jus hope i dun get e runs ltr.
Sports Day at 1600 hrs, decided to go for a nice, tranquil run b4 hitting gym for bodypump tis evening.
I wish i cud jus go back to May 2005.
Sighh....

A Fortuneteller's Words....

Had my first fortune telling at e funeral, e fortune teller for some strange reason was being procured there by my Aunt.
Enthusiastic Mum dragged me over, she gave me a ominous look over her half moon spects.
Here goes the conversation:

Fortune-teller: She has the Confucius element in her. She can study and will absorb well. She should not just rest contented and should continue to pursue her studies.

An excited Mum: Yes! Yes, I've always felt so myself. Throws me a reproachful look.

Me: slides down in my seat (I was certainly nt lookin forward to more studies)

Fortune-teller: *Gives me a severe look* It's your own life. U should not just follow the herd and give up your ambitions. It's in you to study more so u should make the best out of your life.

Mum: Eagerly broaches e next topic...Wad about her marital chances?

Fortune-teller: Looks hard into my face, gives a satisfying nod.
She will choose people, not the other way round.

Mum: Evidently veri pleased and positively beaming.. Really? She'll choose from a lot ah?

Fortune-teller: Yes, you can just ask her, She'll tell u herself. No worries about that at all. But she's not the type to want to settle down early, too many choices and can't seem to decide what she wants.

Me: So when will i get married?

Fortune-teller: *Shakes her head disapprovingly* You have no cause to worry abt tt at all, u should care more for your future. Think for your career.

Me: gives an inward "Bleah!" Looks ard n manages to slink away nw tt Mum has decided to move on frm me to asking the fortune teller for premonitions of her future.

That spelled e end of the first ever fortune telling session I had.
Interesting.

Fallen Leaves..

Jus finished reading the autobiography of Adeline Yen-Mah who wrote down her life story in Chinese Cinderella n Fallen Leaves... Of an unwanted Chinese daughter born into an influential and wealthy family in Shanghai, of hw she grew up hungering for her family's love n acceptance bt nvr received it under the emotional abuse of her Eurasian stepmother n e cold neglect of her busy tycoon father..
She later pursued medical studies in London n became a physician in the States bt nvr gave up hoping for love n attention frm her family..

It's been some time since i sat down seriously for a gd read n tis story touched me lots...the historical elements romanticizes the entire story, accentuated by e fact tt i jus gt back frm Shanghai n had gone to where Adeline used to live in Shanghai, the French Concession area...
In all, it was a gd read n whilst I was reading it, it transported me back to that era, when Shanghai was a bustling commercial area to the chaos experienced during the tumultous Cultural Revolution rite to being one of e main financial centres in e East againt today.

It's a lovely Saturday n i'm stuill lazing at hm...a rarity nowadays n which i treasure lots.
Reminds me of schooltimes...can't believe we're already reaching e latter half of 2006.
2006's no longer a new year.
I'm already 24, okie, strictly speakin, i still hv half a yr more to go bt I always used to hv tis notion tt women after 30 are over e hill.
Perhaps, it's timely these notions of mine change...n with gd reason too, esp given tt i myself will turn 30 in just a few yrs time.
Saw my cousin at e wake, my other cousins commented tt i look like her.
Bt i cud see nothing similar btw us, be it looks or personality.
She's such a beautiful, gracious and gentle woman...the perfect epitome of womanliness...n she's reaching 40 soon..with 4 kids in tow..
N i do agree nw tt women over 30 r infinitely more charming in every way, less conscious of themselves, with a self assured confidence tt ain't too in e face or intimidating bt simply alluring...
but, haha...of cuz, the above category applies more to those who're happily settled down with a doting hubby, i observe tt it seems to elude those who still remain in spinsterhood.

Tokkin of which, i discovered tt a woman's fertility period is at its best btw e ages of 20-26...which means i'll hv passed my fertility prime in just yrs time.
n I'm still languishing in singledom..okie, nt exactly languishing but more considerations need to be taken if i plan to hv any offsprings of my own.
Cuz my little nephew, Ashton, aged 4 mths is such a tiny gem of an angel tt it tugged at my heartstrings n turned me towards weaving maternal fancies..
so, I've taken e first baby steps...
I've tot of the names, hee hee!
Raphael and Emma...
Given such advanced planning, I'm sure I'll make a gd Mummy.

More Tokyo pics..

Up on Mt Fuji...




e sweet goodness of sweet potatoes..my comfort food!





Sakura..




Leaving our onsen resort at Mt Fuji..





Awaiting to tuck in!

updates...

It's 6 am on a fri morn n i'm feeling quite grouchy cuz I can't locate my gym attire...
Guess tt means I gotta wear the Fitness First attire for my pump n combat lessons ltr, bleah..
Gran passed away last Fri, rushed down to her wake after receiving sista's call at 430 pm just when i was still busy trying to meet my deadline.
Wad followed after tt was a tiring 5 day funeral affair..
Bt she lived to a ripe old age n i'm sure she went peacefully..

I actually lost my hp b4 i went for my hols, straight after I ran my arse off at East Coast, I left it at Han's cafe, bleah!
So pals out there, kindly drop me an sms, telling me who u r with ur no? wud appreciate it lots...

I'm still slavishly trying to meet my deadlines, May is reallie Labour Day month...in a literal sense.
I've jotted down all e upcoming races on my workspace whiteboard n heez, the latter half of e yr is packed full with runs!
The list goes..

Shape mag women-only run-10km (17 July)
Milk run-10km (July)
New Balance New Run -10km(August)
Sheares Bridge Run-21 km (Sep)
Terry Fox run -10km (Sep)
Great Eastern women only run -10km (Oct)
2nd Link run -21km (Nov?)
Standchart marathon -42km (Dec)

Right nw, tryin to run 3 times a wk, following e prog created by tis former Olympic marathoner...in which he advocates runnin just 3 times a wk to enable e muscles sufficient time to recover...
Bleah, i onli hv time for 3 runs a wk anyway.
1 speed, 1 tempo n 1 endurance run..

It's TGIF, yaaaay!!
n today, effectively half day in e office onli cuz will hv a lunch meeting after tt so better work harder at clearing my workload b4 e wkend comes along.
On an entirely different note, hehz, i'm gg to start compiling a list of the best Japanese restaurants to go for sushi, sashimi, yakiniku, teppanyaki, tempura etc.
Gt tons of tips frm my Jap rep plus my personal experiences with all e official meals there..
Had an official lunch at Keyaki, Pan Pacific on wed, it sadly fell short of my expectations, esp e sashimi.
The sashimi at Sun w Moon, a lower end restaurant as compared to Keyaki was so much better.
yupz, all tis eating makes a half marthie absolutely necessary tis wkend.
*Fingers crossed*