my own race...

I always look forward to weekends but I have never been so glad that this past week was over. It has been a while since work has been this crazy. Gone are the days when I was able to go out for a tea break in the afternoon. Now, my movements outside of the office was limited to just lunch time. Honestly, I get quite stressed out at the office these days. But thankfully, I have been able to deal with stress well and to leave all that stress behind when I leave the office. I am amazed that I can actually do that now. I have become totally heartless about work these days. Yes, I vent sometimes to one of my colleagues and over a few drinks with my friends after work but other than that, I hardly think about it. There is more to life than just work - I have other things to think about ... like my running.

On Saturday morning, despite the lack of sleep this past week, I woke up at 5am with my goal to run 20km for the first time since I started running (or jogging sometimes) eight months ago. Geared up with my Nike Fit Dry running outfit, my fuel belt and my iPod, complete with a play list containing heart-pumping music to get me going, I was eager to run the distance. I set off at 5.35am. We have not seen the sun on the island for days now but the condition yesterday was perfect for my first 20km run - it was a very cool morning. I was not even worried if it was going to rain. If it had been hot, I wouldn't mind it at all - it would have been more of a challenge. As usual, the first 15 minutes were daunting but once I broke my first sweat, I was in a trance and I ran and ran. The next thing I know, I was nearing the end of my route.

I completed the route in 2 hours and 30 minutes. Not bad I thought, considering that when I ran 17km previously, I completed the route in 2 hours and 15 minutes. After a cold shower, a hearty breakfast and watched some tele, I took an hour's nap to catch up on the sleep I've lost this past week. By the time lunchtime was over, I was full of energy and spent the entire afternoon doing things that I have neglected this last couple of weeks. And today, after a good night's sleep, I feel really good. I love this feeling - I think I am addicted to it!

365 days later....

This week marks my first year in this job. I could not believe that I lasted a year in this place, what with the ups and downs… well, mostly downs, considering the frustrations I face here almost at a regular basis. That is why I could not believe that I lasted this long. Shows you that I have persevered and my tolerance level has gone up. Thank you to the years of experience working with the most prestigious MNCs and the less than perfect organisations. The two extremes have helped me a lot.

What surprises me this morning (after that ovation points I received last month) was when I received an automated e-mail signed off by the Senior VP in the States, thanking me for the year of service. Now, that's a first! In all my working life, I have never received this sort acknowledgement for your anniversary with the company after just a year. Normally, you would get an acknowledgement after 3 or 5 years and longer. I know it is only an automated e-mail but the words lay out in there, makes you feel like you belong and that you have contributed so much (even though you know the opposite is true):

"Today, you achieved a great accomplishment in your career - 1 year of dedicated service to this company.

Your performance throughout the last year has been instrumental to accomplishing our vision of becoming the service provider for the enterprises worldwide.

I appreciate your contribution to our business and I am proud of your dedication and hard work. You may print a certificate by clicking Years of Service Certificate. Thank you for your service."

It is funny that the word career was used. I have a thing about that word when it comes down to my job - it not anywhere near my work life vocabulary. I read those words and thought that they were so fake. Yet, I feel appreciated knowing that this organisation takes effort to do this to every employee even though they don’t even know who you are. So, I accepted this e-mail with a little bit of pride - just a teeny weeny bit, ok? Also, I think it is time to have a chat with the boss to see if there is a possibility of, you know, $$ increase.

I was at the pantry this morning when a colleague walked in. Somehow we got to talking about how long we’ve been here and found that we joined in the same month. So we decided to celebrate – we are going for a nice lunch tomorrow and I am sure there will be some moments of us bitching about this place. Ha ha. Oh well, that is what work life is about. There is always something negative to say about your organization. When you go on a day with your job without a single complain, now that would be a day when I sit frozen in the office.

something about this song...

This is song about infidelity. It reminded me of another song about infidelity - Atlantic Starr's Secret Lovers. Ok, so despite the theme of the song, something about this song that makes me want to listen to it over and over again. This is a song that you would put in your playlist of slow tunes for the late night, winding down with a glass of wine and stare out the window. Hhhhmmm...

i ran - the stats...

The official results are in!
For the Passion Run which I have participated last Sunday, that is.

I finished at 303rd place out of 608 other runners in the Women's Open Category.

I reached the 5km mark in 34 minutes and 43 seconds.

I crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 11 minutes and 54 seconds.

In my last competitive race, I crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 28 minutes and 44 seconds. I have made an improvement of 17 minutes and 10 seconds from 7 months ago.

Still, I am an average runner but hey, at least I crossed the finish line in good shape. Here's to better results in my next competitive race!

i ran...

Early this morning, I ran my first competitive run of 2007 - the Saucony 100 Plus Passion Run 2007 at East Coast. This is also my first competitive run since participating in the 10k run during the Standard Chartered Marathon in December last year. And man, the heat was on...literally!

The sun was shining and the weather was beautiful at the beach this morning. However, yours truly seems to be vampire-like when it comes down to running. I am so used to running at dawn and be done before the temperature heats up. So, the sun and the heat was not something I am used to when running this morning, where the start time was at 8am (my usual running hour is 5.30am). I was a little unprepared in facing the run in the sun and was at some point, became dehydrated.

It was a minor setback. I gave my best and wanted to finish this run without stopping to walk (I stopped to walk quite a bit last December). I also gave myself a target to finish this race in an hour. So, I finished the run without stopping but based on my watch, I finished the run in 1 hour and 12 minutes. It was about 17 minutes faster than the 10k run in 2006, but we will have also to wait for the official result from my running chip for my actual finishing time. I am a little disappointed that I did not finish the run in an hour. Well, I guess I am an average runner, who just began running regularly 8 months ago. An improvement in time of 17 minutes from my previous competitive run is a good accomplishment for a novice runner. A seasoned runner can finish this 10k run in 40 minutes or less, which impresses me much! I still have a long way to go and also, taking my age into consideration.

All in all, it was a good run. Competitive runs like this give myself something to look forward to. It is also a good way to prevent me from giving up my regular running - my dose of cardiovascular exercise. I got myself a nice tan after the run and later, I rewarded myself with a healthy toasted Subway sandwich and two cookies - oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip - washed down with an extra cold barley drink. I am still determined to finish my next competitive run in an hour. Whether I achieved it or not, it will be another story. Lets see.

Happy Birthday, Liz!

the bitch switch is on - part 2 of infinity...

I hate it when the bitch switch is on and today is one of those days again. I began picking over the menial things.

Today, I got really fed up (although I was not showing it) when my colleagues decided to go somewhere nearby the office for a Subway sandwich. It was after 12pm and getting seats at this teeny weeny food court place was impossible, what this place being in the heart of the financial district. I have originally suggested going to this mega food court 5 to 7 minutes away, which we ended up going anyway since we couldn't get a table for 4 at the original lunch spot that was chosen.

Then, at this mega food court, after ordering my sandwich at Subway, I requested for it to be toasted. And they said that they could not toast my sandwich. They stated the reason but I know that even if I made a big deal out of it, my sandwich will not be toasted. I was hungry, I had to walk from one place to another for my sandwich and now, my sandwich was not going to be hot. I was upset, very upset that I was having a hot meal.

I could not believe that I am getting upset over all the small stuffs. I blame it all on the hormones. So there!

rock on!!

It is not often that you buy a CD album and enjoy all the songs in it that you listen to it over and over again. When that happens, that album will become one of your favourite albums of all time. The songs will sing in your head even when you are not listening to it and you will remember and talk about it 10, 20 years from now. An impact has been made. There wasn't an album released last year, which has this sort of impact on me. I found one this year. It is Daughtry - a band led by Chris Daughtry from American Idol fame.

I enjoyed Chris's performances in American Idol - I am not really a follower of the show but after seeing him sing in the earlier rounds, I had to watch his performance every week. He didn't win the coveted title but he has won hearts of rock fans all over, including myself. I had listened to his first single, "It’s not over" and thought it was a great song. LET, my drinking buddy, heard the song for the first time when we were in Krabi, Thailand earlier this year and fell in love with it. She went out to buy the album straightaway and started raving about it when I saw her again. She lent me the CD and now, I am hooked!

I have been listening to ALL the songs almost everyday since the last few weeks. It is indeed a very good album, a great rock album. I am not a hard-core rock fan but once in a while when an album like this comes along, it brings out the rocker chick in me. I don't know how to explain it but what is it about rock music that makes you want to head bang, do your air-guitar act and pretend to sing like a rocker with your imaginary microphone stand and leaning forward with it??

Chris Daughtry has a fantastic voice and all the tracks from this album are awesome - very catchy! Some of the fast tracks have kept me company during my morning jogs and they made me want to run faster - I think the strumming of the lead guitar in most of the trakcs just gets my adrenalin rushing. I hope that the band will come up with more great rock albums in the years to come and not disappear in obscurity after this kick-ass album. Daughtry, you rock!!

what have i done?

Eleven months since I moved on to this new job... I repeat, a job and not a career like most people like to think they have. The first three months I have done nothing but complained. Then, the complaints stopped as I decided to direct that energy somewhere else, somewhere positive. I began doing my job as I was hired to do. I admit that there have been frustrations along the way - annoying co-workers, the ass-holes that lurks out of nowhere, demanding clients, blur like sotong boss (that's the Singapore way of saying that someone is a bone-head), unbelievable processes, etc.. oh, I can just go on. However, despite all that, I mainly just vent for a few minutes with some colleagues here and as soon as I left the office, it is off my head. As far as I am concerned, I have been doing a decent job, if not stellar.

Then, this morning, I was surprised to receive an e-mail of commendation. I almost fell off my chair as I read the words penned out for my commendation:

"Congratulations! You have been awarded with the XXXXX Recognition Program. This has been awarded to you for the following reason:

Tuesday's Child dedication, hard work and perseverance have helped bring success to the XXXXXXXX Asia program. Often stepping outside her normal role to mend pre-sales processes or fulfill one of the many needs of our very demanding client, Tuesday's Child continues to be someone the entire team can count on to get the job done! Tuesday's Child has helped make the overall XXXXXXX program a very positive and rewarding experience and we appreciate her contribution and excellent work."

I am still scratching my head wondering what I have done to deserve this. When did I step out of my normal role to mend processes? When did I fulfil the many needs of our client? I didn't even realize that I have contributed in making it all positive and rewarding experience. I have been awarded commendations like these before in my previous job but I expected it because I know my performance was outstanding then… aherm - the ego has landed! But this one, it is very much a surprise.

Oh well, I guess I have to learn how to accept this with grace, which I often have problems with. Perhaps, in my eyes, what I thought was part of my job or my responsibility as a team member, has a different but positive impression by others.

What a nice way to end the week, where at one point, I was getting all lazy and unmotivated. The commendation comes with some monetary value …. A small one though but hey, at least it is better than nothing. I am all motivated now and on a Friday too, where we normally just sit back, relax and do minimal work. But today, I am going to give one percent more of the 50% that I normally put in. ;-) My ego is ready to soar again.

ella..ella..eh..eh..eh..

I am sure that most of us have come across a song which when we first listened to it, we were not too keen on it. However, after a few listens, the song becomes awfully catchy and it keeps playing in your head and you are either humming to it or sing the chorus over and over again all day long. I can't name some of those songs which have made me that way in the past but in the past few days there is this one particular song that have got me singing the lines over and over again and the lines don't even make any sense.

The song which I am talking about is Rihanna's Umbrella, which is currently on the Number 1 spot in both the UK & US charts. When I first heard it, I wasn't too impressed with it. What is the deal with the bit where she went "ella… ella.. eh.. eh.. eh.."? I spoke too soon. For the past few days, I have been going around with that tune in my head and sometimes, I started going "ella… ella.. eh.. eh.. eh..", unaware that I was doing it out loud.

I guess this is one of those songs which can be rather catchy and starts growing on you. Some of you may beg to differ but please don't mind me if I start going "ella.. ella.. eh.. eh.. eh.." in the next couple of weeks until another song supersede it in my head.

Here is the "ella.. ella.. eh.. eh.. eh.." video:

the bitch switch is on - part 1 of infinity...

As a woman, I am entitled to bitch, whenever I want, wherever I want. It is my right since I don't seem to have much control over the hormonal activities in me.

So, what is the deal with some of these old women with their outrageously bright coloured hair? I saw a few this morning with their mahogony, red, fushia and what have you hair colour! The 70's punk era called and they want their hair back! Are you tired of your black hair and you want something different? This is not like clothes where if you have too many black, you can add some splashes of colour. For the love of God, this is your hair! Good woman, grow up! What were you thinking? Obviously you did not! Outrageous hair colouring must be banned to people who are above 25.

man, i feel like a woman...

I have always tried to be independent when I was growing up, which drove my mother crazy. I don't know what it is but I do not like to have to rely on other people, unless I have absolutely no choice and usually, I make sure that the no-choice bit is not an option. Also, in recent years, I have found myself becoming more of a feminist. There are certain things that most women can't and won't do without a man's help like moving furniture or connecting the cables of a new DVD player to the tele, replacing the huge bottle at the water dispenser when it ran out or change the light bulb on the ceiling.

Being the feminist that I am, I get very determined to do all these without any assistance from the stronger sex (hell, I am strong too, mind you!) The hard disk on my PC went kaput; I'll buy a new one and replace it myself. I'd move my own furniture when needed and assemble one of those self-assembly furniture when I bought one. Hell, I'll try to figure out everything on my own.

Having grown up in Asia, where women are generally not treated equal - it may not be so obvious here in Singapore or other parts of Asia but such gender bias do exist around these parts of the world. Come on, I am sure other Asian women agree that generally the men here can be quite chauvinist. Do you ever see them let you board the train first? Or open the heavy door at the entrance to the shopping malls for you? Give you compliments when you are looking your best? I think most of you female readers would say the answer is 'No'. And it suits me just fine. I can open my own door. I can board the train after you, no problem (I just need to shove you if the train is full and you are not moving further into the train car). I don't need compliments from men too because Asian men (or Asians in general) are very not eloquent when it comes down giving compliments and who needs to hear a bad compliment? A simple "You look very nice today" would come out from their mouths as "Why you dress so nice today?" I keep telling myself that it was just direct translation from what they are used to speaking in their dialects and translating it to English just sounded like it was a crime to dress up nicely that day. I can dwell on that but I'll save that for another blog post since this could be a whole other topic on its own.

Back to the point about being independent…… I have been told I can be too independent and that is the sort of thing that drive men away. It seems like being a woman, I need to learn to let the man help me sometimes. It seems like a man likes their women to be dependent on them, a little less smarter, not to be too strong minded, etc. In other words, be a bit of bimbo. Frankly speaking, I cannot see myself being that way. If I do, then it would not be me. It is out of character for yours truly.

However, the other day, I decided to put the bimbotic act to the test. I was in the pantry at work to get some water. Unfortunately, the bottle at the water dispenser was empty. To replace the empty bottle wasn't hard cause the new water dispenser doesn't require the bottle to be lifted, you simply has slide the bottle to the tube and voila! I was about to slide the bottle to the dispenser when this 'hunk' of a man walked in and saw me trying to replace the bottle. I knew at the back of my head that he was going to offer to help and I told myself that I was going to let him. He did offer and I gladly accept. He was a visitor and has never seen a dispenser of this sort before. He asked for directions on how to replace it. In my head, I was saying "Man, I could have replace the bottle in less than 10 seconds but now, I have to explain and it will take a good minute!" However, I explained it to him with a smile on my face and we had a quick conversation before he left with a glass filled with water.

I had a mixed feeling about my experiment. Having a man helping me to do something which I could have done myself made me feel so incapable. On the other hand, I may have boosted his ego a bit and had a little chat with him, which was pleasant. I’d like to get experimenting again soon and perhaps this time in an environment outside of work. It will not come naturally for me but I think I will give it a try. Grins!

withdrawal mode...

I am in a total football withdrawal mode. Two Saturdays ago saw the final match of the English football season. The Spanish & Italian football season only ended over the weekend but it was wierd that there are no 'live' matches on Saturday and Sunday nights. I guess this is the life cycle that a football fan goes through each year during this time and worse, this will be the longest that we will go through without 'live' football matches considering there will be no major tournament in June i.e. either the World Cup or the European Championship. Oh well... We will be 'alive' again when August comes

Not only do I not have any 'live' football matches to look forward to on weekends, my friends changed plans this past weekend that throws my schedule out of whack. My Saturday mornings especially has to follow a certain routine- I alternate my Saturday mornings between a 10km jog followed by a 20km of cycling and a long distance run (generally aiming to reach 20km at some point). This routine will not be followed if it rains before I could start jogging but that rarely happens. Afternoons will be spent either taking a nap or meet up with friends. The evenings will be spent watching football.

This past Saturday however, not only was I suffering from football withdrawal but this was the first time that I did not wake up at my regular Saturday morning time. I did not go for my jog and my usual alternate cycling session was changed to Sunday afternoon to accomodate a friend's schedule. I don't know what it was but it just felt wierd. I know that it is good to live a litte and be spontaneous and not to follow a plan to the letter but when it comes down to my exercise, I just like to do all of that in the mornings and get it over and done with. Once the morning routine is not followed, my whole day is ruined - I don't feel energetic. I get a little moody (not too much like before. More like the energy has been sucked out of me). I lost my focus.... oh, you get my drift. Sunday mornings would be a sleep-in day and Sunday afternoons are spend not doing too much strenous stuffs considering that Monday is a workday. I like to spend Sunday afternoons drinking coffee with friends, a spot of shopping or just stay home and do some cleaning up.

Don't get me wrong. I did have a good weekend but not keeping up with my usual morning weekend routines bothered me. Now, it bothers me that this bothered me. I am supposed to be easy-going but now I have just become so anal. I don't know what it is - can't explain it. The worse part is I am so determined to get back into my normal weekend routine this coming week. Oh god! What have become of me? Pathetic!

no time for losers...

...cause we are the champions! Manchester United that is - The English Premier League Champion. This after Arsenal held Chelsea to a one all draw yesterday - Thank you Mr Wenger. So, the trophy is going back up north after 3 seasons of dominance by London clubs, with two matches left to be played before the end of the season. As a loyal Man U supporter, it is such a thrill to see your club win the league again after 3 years of a close fight to regain the title.

Apart from the FA Cup final on 19 May 2007, the next two matches will not be too much of an agony since the title has already been won by Man U. However, I expect them to be still as entertaining, what with the so-called showdown with Chelsea on Wednesday.

After 19 May, I will be in withdrawal.

the hunt for the red razr...

I am not one of those people who would pay big money i.e. not more than $500 for a desirable needs (oxymoron that last two words) like MP3 player, PDA, mobile phones, good sound systems, DVD players, etc. Well, maybe except for the tele I bought last year – that was almost a thousand dollars but that is like a few years of investment. Ha. Ha. For gadgets, I’d pay a decent figure and would normally wait for the 3rd or 4th generation model to be released before I’d buy a particular gadget. That, or I would wait for Mister D’s to grow tired of the gadgets that he has and buy it off him or borrow it for a trial before I decide if I want to own one. However, since Mister D and family are in Dubai, those “offers” don’t come in handy these days.

Anyway, I have been using a Nokia 6101 since September 2005. It was a flip phone – something I wasn’t too keen on before. But now, I am hooked. Since earlier this year, I have been looking out for a good deal on another phone. I was not a big fan of Motorola until the Razr V3 came out in the market. It was expensive when it was first released. I hung on to my good old Nokia. Early last year, I bought a used Motorola Razr V3 from a friend for a mere $50 – he had paid $1200 for it (including accessories). Ouch! It was the 1st generation Razr but I thought it was a small price to pay to see if I can get used to a Motorola phone, after all these years using Nokia (apart for a couple of years where I switched to a Siemens). My verdict – not a bad phone after all. The manoeuvring with the interface was not as difficult as I have heard from first time Motorola phone users.

So, in early April, I saw a good deal with my mobile provider – a Motorola V3 Red. Only $68 when I extend my contract. It was a small matter with the extension since I have been loyal to them since 2000. It is quite a bargain. Since it is a (red) product, I am also helping to eliminate Aids in Africa. I am not sure how much of my $68 will go to that cause but nonetheless, it is a small part to play… a very small, teeny weeny part. I doubt that Aids can be eliminated totally but at least something is being done about controlling the disease but that is another story.

I finally started using the phone this week – three weeks after I actually bought it. It took me a while to get the contact list sorted but I managed to sync my contact list from my Microsoft Outlook to my new V3. I have customised my ring tunes too. I have extracted tunes from some of my favourite songs to be my ring tunes. I have the likes of Kylie’s Love at First Sight (Remix), Mya’s My Love is Like… Wo (Remix), JT’s My Love and Nelly Furtado’s Promiscuous as my ring tunes. Okay, I know, it is a bit teeny bopper-ish but it beats having those dull ring tunes which came with the phone. A few people at work has complimented my ring tunes when they heard Mya’s My Love is Like .. Wo. They thought it was not too noisy and really cool. Hey, this phone is meant to be cool and so, it will be.

You may wonder why would I want to buy a Motorola V3 Red when I already have that 1st generation V3? Well, that one is being used for work – I was only given a corporate SIM card but not a corporate phone. Besides, the other V3 is in Silver – very serious looking phone. While this Red one appears much cooler. It will be my companion for the next couple of years. I have not thought about what my next phone will be. I just make full use of Red for now.

a letter to arsene...

Dear Mr Wenger,

As you may already know, last night, the goddamn AC Milan slashed Manchester United's hopes of a treble this season. Their tactics of closing down on the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney and Carrick didn’t make the game any exciting. Their counter attack, however, has left our defence in a bit of a shame. United's performance was less than stellar but statistics has shown that United has never done well on Italian soil. But I think you don't need me to tell you details on this - you've played Italian oppositions before and I must sure you must agree that they don’t really play exciting football.

Anyway, since United could not go for a treble, the least we, the fans, would want is to end the season with at least a treble over Chelsea i.e. beat them next Wed, 9 May, win the Premiership & beat them again during the FA Cup final on 19 May. Please do us a favour and whip Chelsea's butt this weekend. I am very sure that Arsenal would like to get maximum points out that game against the Blues. Besides, I think there is a need to let "The Special One" know that he is not so special anymore and that his touch is no longer turning everything into gold.

Mr Wenger, I know you will not let us the football fans down and provide us with at least an exciting match (if there be drama on the pitch, that would be a plus) against the Blues this Sunday and end this season with a high for all of us!

Your ardent admirer,
(Apart from my constant admiration for Sir Alex & the players at Man U, that is)
Tuesday's Child

PS : I just love it when you speak English with your French accent. I certainly enjoy your comments during the post-match interviews. Winks!

not my day – part II...

I have this really old personal digital assistant (PDA) – A Palm Pilot – it is like 6 years old. I know, such a dinosaur but it serves my purpose – well, more like did served. I have stored a lot of information in there – contacts, schedules for the past 6 years or so, birthdays, notes and even e-mails.

However, since I started this new job, I was not making use of the PDA that much. My current role is far different from what I have done in the past that the usage of the PDA has gone to almost zero. My activities are at a minimal that I can remember everything without having to note it down.

A couple of months ago, the battery went flat. Being such a procrastinator that I am sometimes, I hold off charging the battery until last night – when I finally decided that I am going to sync those data onto my computer at home. I placed it on the cradle to be charged. As soon as it was charging, I was prompted to set the date and time and some other settings. Once I have done that, I was appalled to find out that a bunch of my applications installed on the PDA and my data was all gone – the e-mail application to check my pop mail, my French-English dictionary, my contacts, my schedules, my e-mails, my games application – EVERYTHING was gone! I was very upset, still is. I didn’t realize that the data would be gone without the power. The data on my computer or notebook would still be there after I turn off the computer. How is this different? I know there is a reason for this but I am just too upset to figure out. I am kicking myself now for not charging the PDA sooner.

As with other situations, I will have to just get over this. I have spent a couple of hours today, updating contacts on my computer with the information I have on my Outlook and my mobile phone. This time, I am not taking any chances and have the data regularly synced between my computer and my mobile phone. Installing any new applications on the PDA would be useless now because I don’t think the operating system on the PDA is even compatible or supported anymore. No, I am not getting a new PDA. I think I will settle for my mobile phone to keep all my contacts information. I can survive without checking my e-mails or playing games or look up for a meaning of a French word. All that will have to wait till I get in front of a computer to have them checked out, played or looked up.

not my day – part I

Woke up this morning before the alarm went off at 5am. The sky seemed clear and quickly, I started to gear up for my run. See, I am all eager because it has been almost two weeks since I did my regular run after that 14.5km run I did two Saturdays ago. It didn’t help that much that in the last week or so, it has been pouring in the mornings, which has hindered me from doing any of my scheduled runs. My body was longing for a good workout and sweat!

After three kilometers into my running, the wind started blowing so strongly. After four kilometers, I could feel droplets of rain on my face. I persevered. Into my five kilometers, it began to pour. I continued to run, hoping that the rain would subside but no, it didn’t. I had to stop after five kilometers and head for shelter. Off all the days, I had to put on a white t-shirt instead of black. I was soaking wet by the time I head for a shelter since I have been running in the rain (it has been a while since I felt the rain on my face that way and frankly, it felt nice). Thank God, it was still early (and the fact that it was a public holiday), there were not many people who saw me all soaking wet. Otherwise, it would be like a wet t-shirt competition, with all eyes on me – I hate the thought of that. My hair, even though tied up, was in a total mess by the time I got home.

I had to wait for a while at the shelter but I was utterly uncomfortable. There I was staring out into the rain and thought about how nice it would be to snuggle in my bed. Instead, there I was, at least 3 kilometers away from home, staring out in the open where the rain had wet the roads. As the rain began to turn into drizzle, I quickly made my way back home and was still soaking wet.

Despite the fact that I managed to run for about 8 kilometers, it didn’t feel like a good workout either. It really upsets me but I keep telling myself that at least I manage to get some running done. I wish the weather would look-up in the next week. Isn’t it supposed to be a non-rainy season at this time of the year? What’s going on? Freaky weather these last couple of weeks - as far as Singaporeans like me are concerned.

silence of the romans...

I thought of so many titles for this post today:

Demolition of Roma
The Roman's defense blown apart
The Annihilation of the Romans
The Romans Subdued

Oh, I could go on but the fact remains that Manchester United has slaughtered Roma 7-1 at the Theatre of Dreams in the Champions League second leg quarter-Finals. It was probably a nightmare for Roma. Man U went through the semi-final with an aggregate score of 8-3 with what truly be their finest performance on a European night this season or ever!

When Man U lost their last two matches (against Roma last Wed and Portsmouth in the League on Saturday), critics was quick to say that Man U’s season may be over and that they could be in jeopardy of not advancing in the champion’s league or even winning the title. As a Man U supporter, I have to admit that it made me pretty nervous. It was like 1999 all over again where every match I have followed was a nail-biting moment. But after seeing the team performed earlier this morning and some of them are not even the first choice players, you know that Man U really want to bring the silverwares back to Old Trafford. The game was simply exhilarating!

The interrupted sleep and forgoing my run this morning (I had to sleep after the watching the match, else I will be all cranky at work) was totally worth it! I could not believe my eyes when Man U was scoring goals like it was a shooting practice. I thought I was dreaming. The goals were coming from all over the park. You can barely blink because you just might miss a goal being scored. The score line is truly unbelievable: Man U 7 – Roman 1. I still could not get over it. I have to watch the repeat telecast tonight to be sure.

With six games left in the Premiership, I think Man U is back to their winning ways. Those losses at Rome and Fratton Park are setbacks. Although I am not looking forward to the end of the season but I am looking forward to watching all the remaining matches that Man U will be playing, even if I will be biting my nails each time.

rejuvenation...

Long days at work and tight deadlines have left me and LET (a former colleague, now drinking buddy) mentally incapacitated… well so to speak. We were just tired of our daily routine. Long holidays were not an option at the moment. Hence, we decided that a few days away from work and not do much during that few days would do us good. So to Krabi in South Thailand we went - LET has never been there and I have never been to any other parts of Thailand except Bangkok – we might as well check it out.

Time didn’t seem to be moving at all while we were there, which is the way we wanted it. The most important objective was to get out of bed later than our usual routine, which was met. We spent one of those days island hopping, where the sun was shining, blue skies, white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. A day out in the sun was followed by a day of pampering – we treated ourselves with a 3-hour spa after spending the entire morning by the pool: enjoying the sun again, some light reading, napping, some splashing in the pool and sipping cocktails. The day went by so slowly, which we didn’t mind it. Which would you rather have? A day that goes on so slowly at work doing something you don’t quite enjoy or a day that goes on so slowly while you sip cocktails by the pool or the beach? I rest my case.

In the evenings, good conversations were had over a nice dinner. A getaway is not complete without intoxication of oneself with some alcohol – well, not so much but still, a few rounds in a day was in order.

Back in Singapore with a fabulous tan (I had a bit of a burn on my back but nice tan nevertheless) and all energized. We don’t think we are ready to get back to work but hey, we have 2 working days to go before the weekend. No complaints there.

As usual, I am crap at uploading my photos - they will come later. However, this photo here was taken by yours truly on Bamboo Island - one of the stops during our day out island hopping. The little girl in the photo is Sonia, whose family was on the same island hopping group with us.

never gonna give you up...

On Sunday, I redeveloped my schoolgirl crush on Rick Astley.

I have always love Rick Astley after I heard his first number 1 UK hit, Never Gonna Give You Up in 1987. In the early 90’s, he went missing and I have always wondered what happened to him. He had a couple of albums, which he produced himself but it did not do as well as the albums he did with Stock, Aitken & Waterman.

Being a loyal fan, I would listen to his music every once in a while. On Sunday, I went on You Tube to look for his ‘Take Me To Your Heart’ video. At the end of the video, You Tube listed some recommendations of related videos. One of them caught my eye – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up 2006 (Live). I didn’t hesitate and clicked on that link to watch the video.

I think this was the first time that I’ve seen Rick singing ‘live’ and the first time I’ve seen him in the new millennium. Oh my god! My Ruddy Big Pig still looks good. He turned 41 years old on 6 Feb but he still maintains that boyish good looks (ok, I know some of my girl friends would beg to differ on the good looks bit but I don’t care – beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder). I cannot remember how many times I have watched this video last night. This live version of the song is simply awesome and Rick takes my breath away! This morning, I quickly converted the video on MP3 and I have been listening to it on my iPod all the way to work and back home.

In the video, there is a surprise towards the end of the song – something I did not expect which made this video simply memorable. It seems like he still has a legion of fans, who seems to have enjoyed his performance. I know I did. I am still in awe when I watch Rick in this video (sneaked in a few moments to watch it at work today). When I listened to the MP3, it put a smile on my face. Twenty years on, I am in love with Rick Astley all over again – I just cannot explain this feeling I have about him. Hugh Grant has always been my number one but after seeing how good Rick looks like now, I think Hugh will have to take a back seat for a while.

Hhhhmmm…never gonna give you up, Rick.. NEVER!