Running Woes

Singapore Marathon's this weekend...sigh and I'm missing it. I remember it was just a year ago that I completed my first marathon there. Now it's only but a glimmer..a past glory. Will I ever be able to run a marathon again? There's the KL International Marathon (KLIM) next February. If I want to make it for KLIM I need to start training this week. I need to start clocking in a distance of 10km. Physically I haven't been tip top, not been getting enough rest and tiring out easily. I seriously need to start a proper diet and training regime, even if I'm not entering the KLIM.This is going to be tough in view of Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year. Usually this is the time of the year to write off any diet that you may think of. Oh woe to me! What am I going to do?

Must start my 10km this Saturday..hopefully weather permits.

Today's exercise diary:
40 min walk/run on treadmill
Leg press
Barbell squat
alternate lunges
shoulder press with squats
Crunches
Double crunch
Reverse crunch
Bridge

My abs never felt so worked out in a long time..

A Friendship Poem

I unearthed a letter which a very dear friend of mine sent 23 years ago. What a delight it was to send letters and cards to each other back then. These days, it's so impersonal with emails and ecards. And what's most frustrating is receiving one-liners in reply to your long emails. Of course, with technology we receive our replies faster but it takes away the excitement of waiting for your mail. In addition to that, it is precisely because of receiving emails faster that we tend to get impersonal in our mails. We always think,"I've no time to reply now, I'll reply later when I have the time". The truth is, we NEVER find that time to write the mail. As for snail mails, we know that it would take forever to reach the recipient, hence we always maximise our contents..also to make our stamp's worth.

Anyway, in the letter which I unearthed, there was a poem on the stationery which she used. Here is what it said:

Down friendship's trail I wander very frequently
And somehow you are always there walking close to me
How comforting it is to know the friend whom I so treasure
Is walking hand in hand with me and bringing endless pleasure
And though we do not say a word we're happy folks we two
How wonderful it is to walk down friendship's trail with you.

I know the poem sounds really archaic. Read in today's context it means something else. Just like how words such as "gay" and "queer" have a totally different meaning now. But this letter was written in the 80s...therefore the meaning behind it is preserved and extremely beautiful, what more coming from this dear old friend of mine.

My 80's Heartthrob

Your 80s Heartthrob Is

Jason Bateman

Who's Your 80's Heartthrob?

Hey you girls who grew up in the 80's gotta do this!!! Mien, Tina you just have to do this! Brings memories flooding back. According to the quiz my 80's heartthrob is Jason Bateman!!!! Well he wasn't my favourite but I thought he was pretty cute, the boy next door kind of guy. There were other guys tops on my list then:

1. John Taylor (Duran Duran)
2. Larry Mullen Jr (U2)
3. Michael J Fox
4. Roger Taylor (Duran Duran)
5. C. Thomas Howell (ohh this was wayyy back when I was 12...)
6. Sting

My Celebrity Style Twin

Your Celebrity Style Twin is Kirsten Dunst

More hippie chic than hippie chick.

Who's Your Celebrity Style Twin?

After doing the blogthings quiz which was pasted on ET's blog, I found out that my celebrity style twin is Kirsten Dunst!!!No way!! I find her most annoying in Spiderman.

1-2 Juice

I'm hooked on Juiceworks juice. ML first introduced this juice stall to me last week. The place is actually owned by Lisa's cousin. After yesterday's indulgence at La bodega (All Day breakfast) it was time to load myself up with juice instead. I had the Berrylicious Power smoothie today, which is a blend of bananas, raspberries, Strawberries, blackberries and low fat frozen yoghurt. The next thing I would like to try is "Slimmers' Paradise" which is a blend of apple, celery, cucumber and guava. Sounds absolutely refreshing! I love juices with celery or cucumber. Speaking of which, Kim Gary serves pretty good bittergourd juice.

Anyway, you can find Juiceworks stations at 1-Utama, The Curve and Mid Valley.

Today's exercise diary:
25 min walk on treadmill
15 min on ellyptical machine
push ups
bench press
upright row
reverse crunches

Three Tenors *cough cough*

Yikes!!! I spotted the SAME Three Tenors cd (with the cough coughing) in a cd shop in Bangsar Village!! Horrifying!

Limerick

I woke up to the view of rolling hills
All afresh on my Slumberland
Peaceful and quiet, it was brill,
I felt like I had the whole world in my hand.

(yet another silly limerick..inspired by my first sleep on my Slumberland)

Independent Woman

I'm extremely satisfied with my Slumberland purchase. The mattress arrived today and I've already tested it with a morning nap. Extremely comfortable! I've never owned a queen size bed all to myself before, previously I shared one with my sister and when she moved out I had a single bed. I have to train myself to sleep right in the middle because I am so used to sleeping on one side!

Had a nice peaceful quiet morning..started the day with a lovely morning walk at Bukit Kiara. It rained and our usual Saturday morning run was cancelled but somehow Jules managed to drag me for a walk. We had a nostalgic conversation along the say, thinking of yesteryears. It was a good thing the rain stopped but just as we were almost finishing, the rain began again. Spotted Lilian Too horseriding. I shan't describe it or else I'd sound rude.

After breakfast with the gym gang, I headed to my new place to await the mattress delivery. Made my cup of Starbucks French Roast coffee. As I had my coffee and read my book, I couldn't help but feel so blessed to have a place of my own. I never dreamed that I would one day have my own place. I am reminded of the bridge of "Independent Woman" by Destiny's Child:

The shoes on my feet
I've got it
The clothes I'm wearin
I've got it
The rock I'm rockin
I've got it
'Cause I depend on me
If I wanted
The watch you're wearin
I'll buy it
The house I live in
I've got it
The car I'm drivin
I've bought it
I depend on me (I depend on me)

Well that's only partially true. While I did save hard to buy all my belongings, I didn't and don't totally depend on me. God really made it possible for me and I thank Him for that. I also thank my parents, who although did not have any say in the purchase of my place, helped me in their own ways.

Jit Happens Again

Watched Jit and his alter ego Renee Choi share his/their anecdotes. This is the third time I've seen his comedy show. The first 2 times I'd seen it was really long ago so that was good because I wouldn't have remembered any jokes if they were repeated. Although it wasn't entirely funny nevertheless the laughs were good for my soul, as I was extremely tired today and had a slight headache. My eyes feel like they are popping out of the socket, needless to say huge eyebags to go with it.

Thanks ET for inviting me to the show. I needed the laughs.

Bird in A Cage

Watched Chicken Little last night. It was a bit too kiddy for my liking. Anyway I was kind of brain dead so I guess it's ok. Didn't sleep well last night..woke up in between a few times. Managed to run 6.6km today though but I was very tired.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bird in the cage has been set free
It flies around in joy and glee
Let it explore the wonders
Though there can be dangers

For when its wings are broken
Though it has flown far away
Pick it up in your hands
And nurse it every day

What is a bird if it cannot fly
What is a bird if it has no freedom
Let it go by and by
And search this kingdom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's exercise diary:
6.6km outdoor run (tired and sluggish)

Yesterday's exercise diary:
40 min on ellyptical machine
Squats
alternate lunges
Sumo squats
Stiff legged deadlift
Double crunch
Bridge

Psalm 23:1-2

Tuhan ialah gembalaku;
aku tidak kekurangan apa-apa.
Dia membaringkan aku di padang
rumput yang hijau
dan membimbing aku
ke air yang tenang.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday Mien! Your present's coming up! :)

3M

3M is for music, movies and mattress.

Music
Last week I happened to be browsing in Tower Records and came across a 3 cd set:" The Most Beautiful operas" and decided to treat myself to it. As I turned on the first piece which was from "Madame Butterfly" I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. I heard someone coughing and wheezing!! I set it on rewind andlistened to it carefully, and sure enough! There WAS someone coughing. It sounded like like a pirated cd,just as when you buy pirated vcd's you can see heads bobbing across the screen, this time I heard coughs and sneezes.I took it back to the shop and exchanged it for "Hilary Hahn plays Bach" (violin) and "Christmas with the Three Tenors" and paid the difference. The Hilary Hahn album turned out to be brilliant, as (1) Bach is my favourite classical composer (2) I love Bach on violin (3) Hilary did justice to the songs. THEN I decided to play the Three Tenors Christmas cd...and guess what.......I heard coughs and sneezes again!!! I was getting really fed up, as I was surprised that such a huge music store would have such low quality products on their shelves. I noticed that both the Opera and Three Tenors cds were made in Australia. I eventually took it back and exchanged it for Orff's Carmina Burana. If you're buying any cd's made in Australia, I suggest you check it carefully as it could be pirated.

Movies
By tomorrow I would have been to the cinema 4 times in 8 days. Last WednesdayI went to watch "Corpse Bride", then on Sunday I went to watch "Goblet of Fire". Yesterday night I took my nephew to watch "Goblet of Fire" (again...twice in a row) and tomorrow I'll be bringing him to watch "Chicken Little". What a bum I am, going to the cinema so often! I personally enjoyed "Goblet of Fire" although a number of parts from the book were snipped off. Enough said, I know many of you haven't watched it.

Mattress
I finally bought my mattress today!! Hurrah!! They'll be delivering it this weekend. I think the lady in the shop was rather amused, as I was testing all the mattresses, trying out different sleeping positions, hopping from one mattress to another. I shortlisted my choice to between a King Koil(American) and a Slumberland(British). I eventually settled with the Slumberland Orthopedic mattress not because it is British but because it has a 15 year warranty and it was only slightly more expensive than the King Koil. Comfort wise, both are comparable.

Oh! Uncle Wong managed to get some discount for the sofa for me. Now I need to choose the colours. I am getting excited again! Hopefully I can get it before Christmas. Seems like things are slowly falling into place. Also bought myself a pretty little mirror for my bathroom.

Ran 6.6km (outdoor) today. It was a good run. I need to regain my stamina after battling my throat infection for nearly a month. My plantar fascitis also seems to have eased off. My feet are less stiff in the morning. Need to start my running log again.

Monday's exercise diary:
3km run on treadmill
10 min on ellyptical machine
Bench press
Dumbell flye
bicep curl
tricep kickback
Double crunch
Back extension

Water babies

Rained this morning. Plans for running thwarted again. Decided to go to the gym..did 8km run on the treadmill. Thanks to old songs like Baby Dont Forget My Number (Milli Vanilli),Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper), Summer of '69 (Bryan Adams) and many more which motivated me to continue running as it can be boring running on the treadmill. Felt good, didn't feel overstrained. Rewarded myself to a lovely pan mee breakfast at the coffee shop behind Hock Lee's. Went home, showered; then brought my nephew and niece to the swimming pool at my condo. Claire looked so adorable in her pink swimsuit donning a "Winnie the Pooh" shades. The kids had great fun in the baby pool. My knees were killing me though as I had to squat all the time in that shallow pool. Claire has this cool float in the shape of a convertible and she looked so cute "driving' her convertible. Happiness is seeing the smile on the kids' faces. :)

Today's exercise diary:
8km run on treadmill
paddling in baby pool (45 mins)

in the dark

Arrived at the gym on Friday morning with no lights! Everybody was working out in total darkness save for the lights from the machines. Apparently the electricity tripped so they turned off all the lights. Thank goodness it was restored in 10 minutes. I can't imagine working out in the dark like a doctor I know..

Friday's exercise diary:
45 min on ellyptical machine
Bicep curl
Tricep kickback
shoulder press
upright row
crunches
bridge

Bath time

Check out those ears!

Watched Corpse Bride last night (finally). Not bad but I got a bit tired at the end. Even my nephew enjoyed it. ET got along well with him. I think ET's really good with kids. So if you need someone to babysit kids, you know whom to call.............:D

Today's exercise diary:
6.6km outdoor run (struggled)

Yesterday's exercise diary:
45 min on ellyptical machine
Push ups
shoulder press with squat
dumbell row
straight legged crunch
back extension

Busy Bee

I'm pooped. Tired. Flat out. Been up since 6.30am this morning with no rest. Started the day with a 6.6km outdoor run..took it slow as I've just recovered from the nasty throat infection which I had been battling for 4 weeks. Felt really good, didn't struggle at all and didn't feel like throwing up after the run. After that had breakfast at good ol' Pelita. They make very good toast. Rushed home to shower, then was out again shopping for mattress. Alas, didn't find anything and Cavenzi at Taman Megah was shut. Or rather they opened later. Shucks. Instead of wasting anymore time I decided to go to Ikea for my curtain accessories. Also bought an ice cube tray with heart shapes.

When I got to work, I learnt that my nephew had done something to the computer in the midst of installing his games. I did virus and spyware scans, it seemed to be clear of them but I had trouble getting the keyboard to work properly. Tried changing settings in Control Panel but it didnt work either. The guy at the computer shop across couldn't figure it out either. So I went to Mid Valley, where the computer was purcahsed from to get it fixed. Found out that it was some setting under "Accessibility Options" which caused the keyboard to have delayed response. Cheh! Spent my time rushing under the hot sun for a silly problem like that. My nephew owes me big time - popcorn and a movie ticket.

Came back, shopped for some frames with a supplier and carried on with work. After work had to rush off to my new place to check it out. I had some peace and quiet though...I rested and read "The Horse and His Boy" for a bit before heading home.

I'm chilling out with a warm cup of honey lemon tea. Nice :)

Today's exercise diary:
6.6km outdoor run

My Weekend

I've finally regained my voice. Hurrah! It has been unnerving to sit through choir practice and not being able to sing. Although I mentally run the tunes through my head during the practice, it's quite hard to remember your parts unless you sing it aloud. And yes, I managed to hit the notes this time. Bactidol really does wonders for your throat when you have a throat infection.

Just started my gym regime again. Physically I haven't been tip top in the last 3 weeks although I still continued to exercise. I hope to be able to start my marathon training soon. Singapore Marathon will be in 3 week's time and I guess it's no go for me this year. Hopefully I'll be able to run the KL International. The most difficult part is maintaining your discipline through Christmas, New Year and Chinese New year. One has a tendency to overeat with the easy availability of cookies and junk food.

Had a quiet weekend with a some good gal pals. Enjoyed the peace and quiet in my new place. I'm really so thankful to God for blessing me with a place of my own although there's nothing really splendid about it.

Today's exercise:
10 min walk on treadmill
3.8km run on treadmill
Push ups
Dumbell row
shoulder press
double crunches
Bridge

Candid Canine

"I'm Skippy the kangaroo..."















"Be afraid...be very afraid...
ROWWWRR"

Sleeping Pups

Aren't they just adorable...

Home Alone...Not

Hurrah! My family has come back. The Ah sum lifestyle just wasn't me. I was so pooped having to work longer hours plus doing the household chores. Skipped gym yesterday and could only muster a walk today when it's my usual running day. But my ah sum-dom for this week isn't over yet. Have to go and clean my new place. Today I have to take Razor and Caramel to the vet's.

Looking forward to next week.

The Wardrobe

I've just completed reading "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis. I was probably about 12 the last time I read this book. Honestly I didn't remember much of the story though i thoroughly enjoyed it the first time I read it. Nevertheless I still enjoyed it this time, though I can't imagine what the movie would be like with the talking animals bit.

After reading the book it invoked my imagination a bit. I do wish I have an enchanted wardrobe which could just transport me to another world...a world where I can escape the crazy routine of life, exercise forever and not get tired, eat a lot and not get fat, be on permanent vacation, read and not forget, shop without spending, oh and of course; have skin that never sags....It would also be a world where animals could talk (just like in Narnia). I'd like to know what's on Razor and Caramel's minds. Razor's cataract is quite bad, so I am curious about what he sees or how well he sees. It would be nice if he could tell me. He's rather old, about 95 dog years so I wish he could tell me how he feels.

I'm not sure about being a queen in another world. I think I would be happy being a peasant girl.Well maybe not peasant...maybe cottage girl. In a nice little English cottage with daisies blooming in my garden. Baking strawberry pies. And then having them with Earl Grey tea.

I'm not much for Turkish Delight though. Oh!! But I wouldn't mind being in a chocolate factory like that in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!! Imagine swimming in chocolate and gulping down warm choclate with every stroke... (And of course not getting fat no matter how much chocolate you eat..)

Rats. I'm out of the wardrobe.

Win Sum, Lose Sum

My Ah Sum status has been confirmed. Today I managed to slag off a supplier (in Cantonese) for being rude on the phone. Those who know me would be aware that I can't speak Cantonese for peanuts. Or the little that I speak sounds totally strange..like those gwai lohs you see in Hong Kong Cantonese series.

What happened was that I asked her if her company could deliver the goods within a certain time. She then replied (in Cantonese of course but this is the English translation ) :"If you want to be petty and discuss time then you can come and collect it yourself" . Imagine that sentence translated into Cantonese - how rude it would sound, as Cantonese can sound pretty coarse. Anyway I told her (in Cantonese) that that was not the way to answer a customer, and if she had explained it nicely I would have understood. But instead it made me very angry. It would make ANY customer angry. The only thing I was pleased at was that I managed to tell her off in Cantonese! I sms'ed my little triumph to HL (fellow non Canto talker) and she very cleverly replied:

"the ah sum emerging even more strongly!"

Ah Sum in the making

While Fatboy has been experiencing life as a tai tai, I have been experiencing life as an Ah Sum. Yea I'm rather spoilt living with parents, having to do minimal housework only. Parents are away for a couple of days, so I am becoming an Ah Sum. It's good training I guess, just before I move out. I have to wake up extra early to let the dogs out, feed them, clean up after them because it would be too late by the time I come back from the gym. Razor's been naughty and piddling all over the floor so I also have to mop the floor. Bathed Caramel too.I'm also very proud that I actually remembered Mom's garden! She would be pleased to know that I remembered to water her plants without her asking. Then of course did the usual housework of laundry.

I am getting domesticated. It's time to do something about it because men like Fatboy, Cheese and ML all put me to shame!

Today's exercise diary:
4.4km outdoor run

Oldie

My cousin reminded me of this old song which I used to listen to when I was young:

Carpenters - Goodbye To Love Lyrics

I'll say goodbye to love
No one ever cared if I should live or die
Time and time again the chance for love
has passed me by
And all I know of love
is how to live without it
I just can't seem to find it.
So I've made my mind up I must live
my life alone
And though it's not the easy way
I guess I've always known
I'd say goodbye to love.
There are no tomorrows for this heart of mine
Surely time will lose these bitter memories
And I'll find that there is someone to believe in
And to live for something I could live for.
All the years of useless search
Have finally reached an end
Loneliness and empty days will be my
only friend
From this day love is forgotten
I'll go on as best I can.
What lies in the future
is a mystery to us all
No one can predict the wheel of fortune
as it falls
There may come a time when I will see that
I've been wrong
But for now this is my song.
And it's goodbye to love
I'll say goodbye to love.
( 1972 )

How sad..

Doggie treats

Bought some doggie snacks for Razor and Caramel. As Razor is aging and starting to lose his teeth, I bought him Pedigree Ringo (beef flavour) which is soft and chewy. As for Caramel, I got him Pedigree Tasty bones (milk biscuits). The milk biscuits looked pretty crunchy and smelled good...so I decided to try it! They taste like a bland version of Marie biscuits (harder version also) This is not the first time I've tried dog biscuits. I've tried another biscuit bone as well. On the back of the packaging it actually said "Safe if accidently consumed by children". Speaking of eating dog biscuits, I do remember the time when I brought some dog biscuits to school (when I was in Form 1) because Mien wanted to feed the stray pup outside her house. Some friends and even our English teacher were fascinated by the rounded brown kibbles, and they asked what it was. We told them it was preserved plum and offered them some. They ATE the "plum" thinking it was rather tasteless. Much to their horror they found out it was dog food..

KK here I come

Need to get serious about training again. Not been watching my diet and eating like crazy. Ellen's booked our trip to Kota Kinabalu in end March. I was already tired after climbing Cameron Valley (which is a slight incline) ..how am I going to survive KK? Maybe I'll start by climbing the 19 floors in my condo....

Today's exercise diary:
4 km run on treadmill(only 300 calories)
Push up on fitball
Bench press
Dumbell row
Shoulder press
Abs crunch

Today's food diary:
Breakfast: Toast and coffee (Evonne treated me to free coffee! How nice!)

Shopping List

Need to get down to buying:

1. Mattress
2. Dish drainer
3. Dish cleaners
4. Tile cleaners
5. Birthday gift for an old friend
6. Microwave oven
7. Sofa set
8. Extra stools
9. Book shelves

Christmas is also around the corner...