I completed my first full marathon on the 6th dec 2009.
My training regime? It all started out by doing frequent 5-8km runs around my neighborhood to build up the necessary stamina and basic muscle endurance. I had to make sure that my knees are properly conditioned over time to withstand the long distances ahead. I did this from late August( that was the time i signed up for the run ) to late September. On a few occasions, i joined my colleagues to do trail runs in Macritchie reservoir to spice up the training.
Outcome: Knees didnt hurt as much...By the last run of this regime my knees went back to its former glory in Army days!
I had to move away from my comfort zone of 8km runs. By early October i did about 4-5 times of 10km runs. All these while, i still joined my wife to run short distances of 3-6km around the neighborhood. Only towards the last week of October i started stretching my distances to about 12km. Did this twice before the end of October. It was also during this phase of my training that i realised how big my thighs were.. i had abrasions on my inner thighs and bled quite badly from nipple abrasions.
And so it was time for me to shop for nipple tapes and tights. I got myself this 3M adhesive transparent band aid that is water resistant. Very good and never failed me since then. Slipped onto my new Reebok black tights one morning and found no more abrasions on my groin area after the run. Shiok.
November came so sudden; i had to run at least beyond 15km to test out my knees and ankles. I spent some time to read up about replenishing electrolytes and body salt/ fluids. Bought a few packs of energy gel bars and slipped it into my tights' rear pockets / arm pouch for consumption during training. Because these gels had to be ingested with water, i had to carry my own 750ml Adidas bottle every time i ran. I remembered getting used to the 12-15km transition by first week of November and decided that it was time to push on the distance to a half marathon. That meant more power gel bars and mixing 100 plus with water to my Adidas bottle to increase electrolytes content.
By the end of November, i clocked 3 half marathons and roughly figured out my thresholds for joint pains. All these while i never had cramps.
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Night before the run :3 sticks of bananas and lots of food that's sweet and high in carbo. Turned in around 11pm( i should have slept earlier !!!)
On the day itself : Woke up around 330am ... forced an energy bar( akin to a muesli bar ) and a mug of cereal into my stomach and drank lots of water before heading to take the coach from woodlands mrt to Esplanade. Plan was to release all my pee just before the run commences. I got myself a can of 100plus, with the intention of popping the can and dump its contents into my mouth JUST BEFORE the flag off. What WASN'T in the plan was the load of shit that i had to clear off my bowels just before the run.
First 10km
**********
Didnt feel the need to hydrate. Kept running ... felt that time inched by the minutes. I thought i needed less than 1 hour to clock 10km but at the 10km mark i realised that i took 1hr and 10min. OK, time to stop for a power gel makan and hydration. My ankles started to feel pain as expected, and i began pushing on to the next 11km.
11km-21km
*********
Every 2km mark came unusually long for me. Though i still don't feel the lethargy and fatigue, i somewhat lost my time sense. It all didnt seem right as compared to the distance-timing feel that i acquired during my 2mth plus of training. I was afraid that i couldnt do it smoothly since i was rather thrown off by my actual feel during the run itself. This 11km stretch started from Fort road all the way till somewhere beyond the Changi Sea sport area. It felt very very long and dreadful(i mean, at the end of this stretch i would only be at the half way mark ). I kept finding a few distinctive ladies as my pacers( it was easier to pace myself with girls because there werent much relative to the number of guys at the pace i was running ). By the time i saw the 21st Km mark, i didnt feel good at all. I thought my legs were almost reaching its threshold and i thought its finally time to stop and walk for awhile. I stopped by the side, drank like a mad horse and started doing more intensive stretching to my limbs... Took out my socks to massage my toes and started rotating my ankles.
After eating my 2nd packet of energy gel(one packet per 10km for me)i began to feel so much better , to the extent that my confidence slowly slipped back into me. I bumped into David from my reservist unit and we chatted about how dreadful the run was.
It was less than a minute that David decided to stop for some stretching because he was quite fearful of cramps along the way....I picked up my pace and left him behind, reminding myself not to push my muscles too hard. I never experienced cramps during my training( after all i didn't hit anything beyond 23km back then ) and had almost forgotten how deadly it could be if i should over strain my muscles
21km-30km
*********
Pain finally set in... This leg of the run saw me stopping the most for drinks and lots of stretching to the calves and thighs. Kept reminding myself not to fall pray of extreme contractions and slowed my pace even more to endure the whole thing. Soon i started talking myself into enduring the pain and persevere to Ford Road...I was longing to see that 30km mark banner at the end of it.
The only distasteful encounter during this journey was the energy gel collection. Everyone could only have ONE packet of gel!!!!Cheapskate! I was actually hoping to eat 2 more packets on the 30th and 36th Km mark to replenish my body. Come to think of it, i should have taken one packet, slip it into my tights' rear pocket and run back for another one back then. Tmd.
30km-40km
*********
It must have been the trick of the mind. I felt this boost in my pace after clearing the 30th km banner. It was 3hrs and 45min on my Timex wrist watch and i thought i could clear this whole shit below 5 hours... I bumped into my ATC colleague and told him that i need to 'finish my last 10km in burst mode'... HOW WRONG I WAS!!!!! In fact, this was the longest 10km i've ever ran in my life. I started to stop at EVERY DRINK STATION and never fail to walk for about 1-2min before pushing off.. somewhat it became a trend that i kept running till i see the next drink station. At least i didn't walk unnecessarily. When i reached the 37th Km mark banner near the old kallang gas work junction, i busted 4hours and 30min. Reality set in and i knew i couldn't finish it below 5. I muttered to myself that it was never my intention to put timing as part of my first marathon experience. With that i trudged on...
Final 1km
*********
All of a sudden i was in 2.4km running mode. I was in large strides along the Padang all the way till the finishing line. My timex wrist watch said 5hrs and 21min. Damn that's like close to an hour to finish that 37th to 42nd km distance!!!!
Finally, my cramps came subtly, and was gone by the time i rested on the grass patch by the war memorial.
At that point in time,I looked at my finisher shirt and marvelled for one fact: I had no knee pains and almost did this run with zero cramps!
It was my very first marathon, and i knew it wont be the last. I enjoyed this whole process of discovering how the mind is indeed stronger than the body.
11/20/09
Do you like ants?
Of late, i noticed the presence of small ants everytime i try to sweep my house. Most of the time i would find a few roaming on the floor surrounding the sofa. Must be the new indoor money plant, i thought. But on closer inspection, i don't see any ant nest nor any dead moths/ flies lying by the corner of the living room.
Among the pile of dust that i swept up this morning, i saw at least 5-6 ants scurrying for their lives. I swept the whole pile up into the dust pan and emptied it into the bin. As i continue to sweep, some of these ants managed their way up to the handles of the dust pan, and that's when i feel the itch from crawling ants on my forearms.
Because of this daily phenomenon, i have developed a new hobby: Ant squeezing.
2 days back, i was sitting in an office completing an accident report for my car in woodlands road. For some strange reasons, there were small ants roaming around the desks as well. So i conveniently squeezed them and started flicking their dead bodies around... for a good 10 seconds i started killing 2-3 fleeing ants on the table, only to realise that the lady sitting opposite my desk has been watching my massacre with a very queer look. I quickly switched my attention back to the papers, subconsciously finding myself fighting hard NOT to care about the ants which were still alive and kicking....
That's how good i am killing ants. Cos my house seems very sweet.
Among the pile of dust that i swept up this morning, i saw at least 5-6 ants scurrying for their lives. I swept the whole pile up into the dust pan and emptied it into the bin. As i continue to sweep, some of these ants managed their way up to the handles of the dust pan, and that's when i feel the itch from crawling ants on my forearms.
Because of this daily phenomenon, i have developed a new hobby: Ant squeezing.
2 days back, i was sitting in an office completing an accident report for my car in woodlands road. For some strange reasons, there were small ants roaming around the desks as well. So i conveniently squeezed them and started flicking their dead bodies around... for a good 10 seconds i started killing 2-3 fleeing ants on the table, only to realise that the lady sitting opposite my desk has been watching my massacre with a very queer look. I quickly switched my attention back to the papers, subconsciously finding myself fighting hard NOT to care about the ants which were still alive and kicking....
That's how good i am killing ants. Cos my house seems very sweet.
11/19/09
Good suit and good time.
November came fast and furious.
I am finally baptised into the Catholic Family. Having followed my wife to church since 2006, my motivation to be there evolved; Initially only wanted to get to know about my wife's belief, my focus turned to wanting to know more about my purpose in life...
I took a bold step to attend RCIA for almost the whole of 2009. I must say that the lesson was done well, to an extent that it triggered me to find out more about the Faith. 3 weeks before my baptism, one of the RCIA facilitators requested me to be one of the lectors for the Baptism mass. Gosh!!! Of course i cannot resist such an honourable request. For those who know me, i have stage fright by nature. What's more i never had the experience to stand near the altar during mass. But thank God, my reading was audible and sounded confident. Many of my RCIA mates came up to me and pat my shoulder for affirmation after my reading was done.
Just 3 days after my baptism, i went down to assist my colleague Tommy for his wedding. To be frank, i like being involved in wedding activities, seeing how fun things can be during the gate crashing session. Thank goodness, the band of sisters were very merciful and kind( if only mine was as nice as them one year back hahahaha ). It was my first time helping out as a brother( guys of my age dont get married so soon )and it was refreshing to see the whole ritual from tea ceremony to getting ready at the hotel. Certainly brings back fond memories of rushing around, looking for people to settle guest seating in panic mode, ensuring things were done right at the right time. I was very fortunate this time round to be involved as the Mandarin Emcee( if only my sec and JC chinese teachers were around; they would have been very proud of me!!! ). Being in my 650SGD suit certainly adds confidence in me. Truly enjoyed myself when i was tasked to back up Tommy's singing as a stage guitarist( peanut playing skills but heck, i was thrilled to play for him ! )
Coming up next for the rest of Nov and Dec : House blessing, standard chartered Marathon( that means waking up early to train during my off days ).
Good suit, good time. Thank God.
I am finally baptised into the Catholic Family. Having followed my wife to church since 2006, my motivation to be there evolved; Initially only wanted to get to know about my wife's belief, my focus turned to wanting to know more about my purpose in life...
I took a bold step to attend RCIA for almost the whole of 2009. I must say that the lesson was done well, to an extent that it triggered me to find out more about the Faith. 3 weeks before my baptism, one of the RCIA facilitators requested me to be one of the lectors for the Baptism mass. Gosh!!! Of course i cannot resist such an honourable request. For those who know me, i have stage fright by nature. What's more i never had the experience to stand near the altar during mass. But thank God, my reading was audible and sounded confident. Many of my RCIA mates came up to me and pat my shoulder for affirmation after my reading was done.
Just 3 days after my baptism, i went down to assist my colleague Tommy for his wedding. To be frank, i like being involved in wedding activities, seeing how fun things can be during the gate crashing session. Thank goodness, the band of sisters were very merciful and kind( if only mine was as nice as them one year back hahahaha ). It was my first time helping out as a brother( guys of my age dont get married so soon )and it was refreshing to see the whole ritual from tea ceremony to getting ready at the hotel. Certainly brings back fond memories of rushing around, looking for people to settle guest seating in panic mode, ensuring things were done right at the right time. I was very fortunate this time round to be involved as the Mandarin Emcee( if only my sec and JC chinese teachers were around; they would have been very proud of me!!! ). Being in my 650SGD suit certainly adds confidence in me. Truly enjoyed myself when i was tasked to back up Tommy's singing as a stage guitarist( peanut playing skills but heck, i was thrilled to play for him ! )
Coming up next for the rest of Nov and Dec : House blessing, standard chartered Marathon( that means waking up early to train during my off days ).
Good suit, good time. Thank God.
10/31/09
SUIT yourself!!!!
When i was in the midst of preparing my wedding celebration in May 2008, it never occurred to me that i need to tailor my own suit for my big day....
I bet most couples out there want to look their best on their big day. However, 2008 was a very critical year( i was doing my Air Traffic Control training and i only earned PEANUTs back then.... ); Knowing that my wedding package includes the use of their suits was really a God sent; I wont want to spend time and effort just to hunt, try out, ponder and worry about my own suit. At the back of my mind, this ' suit ' issue got chuck behind. I got through the wedding ceremony happily and forgot about this woe( at least, for the past 10 good months of my married life. )
When i was arrowed to be the Emcee for my colleague's wedding one month back, i knew that it was just a matter of time before i have to hunt for it.
What an irony , i thought. I am obliged to make a suit ( for someone else's wedding now hahahahaha ).
I chanced upon this PERSONALITY MENSHOP tailoring boutique yesterday.... as i was served by the shop owner, i realised that i have no single idea how i wanted my suit to be done. In the end my wife and i sat down and browsed through magazines featuring classic and latest designs of suits. Took us almost an hour and a half before i finally chose something comfortable.
I parted 650 bucks for my suit. I hope not to be disappointed by the worksmanship.
I bet most couples out there want to look their best on their big day. However, 2008 was a very critical year( i was doing my Air Traffic Control training and i only earned PEANUTs back then.... ); Knowing that my wedding package includes the use of their suits was really a God sent; I wont want to spend time and effort just to hunt, try out, ponder and worry about my own suit. At the back of my mind, this ' suit ' issue got chuck behind. I got through the wedding ceremony happily and forgot about this woe( at least, for the past 10 good months of my married life. )
When i was arrowed to be the Emcee for my colleague's wedding one month back, i knew that it was just a matter of time before i have to hunt for it.
What an irony , i thought. I am obliged to make a suit ( for someone else's wedding now hahahahaha ).
I chanced upon this PERSONALITY MENSHOP tailoring boutique yesterday.... as i was served by the shop owner, i realised that i have no single idea how i wanted my suit to be done. In the end my wife and i sat down and browsed through magazines featuring classic and latest designs of suits. Took us almost an hour and a half before i finally chose something comfortable.
I parted 650 bucks for my suit. I hope not to be disappointed by the worksmanship.
10/2/09
September's gone.
Yeah....September was gone... without a post from me...
Was i really that busy?
I signed up for standard chartered run 2009... doing the 42km distance. It is going to be my first ever marathon. Previously the longest distance i ever ran was 21km( army days.. 2002 ). That was quite a bad experience.
I remembered perpetually overtaking people during the first 15km of my run. Then at the 15th km mark, i realised i need to pee badly. I sneaked in sweat among the bushes and let go of my bladder. The sudden lost of body heat resulted in a 20-25min lower limb cramp. It was my worst feel for a run like this.
The table was hence turned from the 15th km mark all the way till the end of the run. I saw people running ahead of me. Jason Ho( my camp mate in 20sa )nudged me from behind when he discovered me walking. In his very low and mellow tone, " Hey speng, come on man, dun walk... even ladies are over taking you now..."
Now that my morale hit all time low, things got worst...i kena nipple abrasions from wearing loose cotton singlet and developed toe cramps as i inched my way towards the finishing line.
I only hope to finish this coming 42km run in good shape.
I have been dutifully running in Macritchie Reservior at least once every 2weeks, apart from my normal 6-7km run( once every 2 days ). Running trail is definitely an agenda i look forward to. The longest distance i've clocked so far was around 12km there. Another 64 days to the actual run, and i must beef up my mileage in 2 weeks time. Need to start running at least 10km to replace my 6-7km regime.
A few weeks back, i had a good mini chat with PH( this slalom enthusiast cum pro i got to know since late 2006 )... realized how badly i want to slalom again but i guess i could no longer join the younger ones for their frequent Friday night sessions that easily. Just practicing my skills alone can prove to be a challenge....
Seems like life still feels packed for a married 28 year old, except its packed with different agenda now. At hand i have 4 weddings to attend..one on the 4th Oct, another on the 18th Nov( was asked to be the MC cum wedding singer for that one gosh!!! ), 4th December( for my slalom mate benjamin ) and 27th December.
In a few weeks time i would be going for my Cathecument Retreat, a final rite before going into the Catholic Faith. Since the beginning of this year, i have been faithfully attending Thursday night RCIA lessons to know more about my wife's Faith. What i have to do now, is to think of a Christian name and choose my God Father... would THOMAS be a good name?
Was i really that busy?
I signed up for standard chartered run 2009... doing the 42km distance. It is going to be my first ever marathon. Previously the longest distance i ever ran was 21km( army days.. 2002 ). That was quite a bad experience.
I remembered perpetually overtaking people during the first 15km of my run. Then at the 15th km mark, i realised i need to pee badly. I sneaked in sweat among the bushes and let go of my bladder. The sudden lost of body heat resulted in a 20-25min lower limb cramp. It was my worst feel for a run like this.
The table was hence turned from the 15th km mark all the way till the end of the run. I saw people running ahead of me. Jason Ho( my camp mate in 20sa )nudged me from behind when he discovered me walking. In his very low and mellow tone, " Hey speng, come on man, dun walk... even ladies are over taking you now..."
Now that my morale hit all time low, things got worst...i kena nipple abrasions from wearing loose cotton singlet and developed toe cramps as i inched my way towards the finishing line.
I only hope to finish this coming 42km run in good shape.
I have been dutifully running in Macritchie Reservior at least once every 2weeks, apart from my normal 6-7km run( once every 2 days ). Running trail is definitely an agenda i look forward to. The longest distance i've clocked so far was around 12km there. Another 64 days to the actual run, and i must beef up my mileage in 2 weeks time. Need to start running at least 10km to replace my 6-7km regime.
A few weeks back, i had a good mini chat with PH( this slalom enthusiast cum pro i got to know since late 2006 )... realized how badly i want to slalom again but i guess i could no longer join the younger ones for their frequent Friday night sessions that easily. Just practicing my skills alone can prove to be a challenge....
Seems like life still feels packed for a married 28 year old, except its packed with different agenda now. At hand i have 4 weddings to attend..one on the 4th Oct, another on the 18th Nov( was asked to be the MC cum wedding singer for that one gosh!!! ), 4th December( for my slalom mate benjamin ) and 27th December.
In a few weeks time i would be going for my Cathecument Retreat, a final rite before going into the Catholic Faith. Since the beginning of this year, i have been faithfully attending Thursday night RCIA lessons to know more about my wife's Faith. What i have to do now, is to think of a Christian name and choose my God Father... would THOMAS be a good name?
8/5/09
Random entry of a boring man
Guessed this one is really random...
I am playful by nature. When i was young, i remembered sneaking into my parents' room one afternoon( my mom was asleep that time ), searching for some paper to throw down from my 13th storey home in Geylang Bahru. I cant recall exactly the damage done, but i think i released a quarter of a rim of blank printing paper( piece by piece ), just to see it swing left and right as it suffers the effect of gravity.
I have this deep fascination about mobile cranes... It often reminded me of giraffes with overwhelming strength. Whenever one crane pulls up at the carpark beneath my house, i would easily spend about 20-30min just to see the crane operations 'action front'(an artillery lingo). I could imagine myself controlling one of these big things back then.
When i was in Primary 4, video games were a hit, followed by brick games. I wasnt exactly a fan of the latter though. My aunts couldnt brush me off from my persistent want to get a game console and finally gave in. We finally had a new addition into the family - 'Good BOY'( i cant remember how many bits the ram were but its lower than SEGA ). I got drawn into Good BOY and soon found myself playing more and more games.... until Street Fighter was released in summer of 92. My request came again and this time, it saw an upgrade from Good BOY( by then it was starting to get cranky from all the hours of playing contra and super mario )to SUPER FAMICOM . I got sucked into the game and even bought sticker albums featuring the characters explaining their profile in terms of background and skill sets...
In 1993, my friend introduced me to bowling. It was after PSLE and i could recall my very first visit to a bowling alley( SUPER BOWL in hougang central ). To be frank, up to today, bowling and me just couldnt click and i suck big time on this game. But being in the alley that faithful day exposed me to video game arcade. It was then i realised how skilful other players can be, doing combos on joysticks. There were so many variations of Street Fighter, so much so that i started visiting more of these places....
I guessed this is me. Never academically inclined, never created for the engineering world, but am glad to find myself doing what i do now - Air Traffic Control. Somehow i think my childhood attributes and my past times have some influence over this job that i chose.
I am playful by nature. When i was young, i remembered sneaking into my parents' room one afternoon( my mom was asleep that time ), searching for some paper to throw down from my 13th storey home in Geylang Bahru. I cant recall exactly the damage done, but i think i released a quarter of a rim of blank printing paper( piece by piece ), just to see it swing left and right as it suffers the effect of gravity.
I have this deep fascination about mobile cranes... It often reminded me of giraffes with overwhelming strength. Whenever one crane pulls up at the carpark beneath my house, i would easily spend about 20-30min just to see the crane operations 'action front'(an artillery lingo). I could imagine myself controlling one of these big things back then.
When i was in Primary 4, video games were a hit, followed by brick games. I wasnt exactly a fan of the latter though. My aunts couldnt brush me off from my persistent want to get a game console and finally gave in. We finally had a new addition into the family - 'Good BOY'( i cant remember how many bits the ram were but its lower than SEGA ). I got drawn into Good BOY and soon found myself playing more and more games.... until Street Fighter was released in summer of 92. My request came again and this time, it saw an upgrade from Good BOY( by then it was starting to get cranky from all the hours of playing contra and super mario )to SUPER FAMICOM . I got sucked into the game and even bought sticker albums featuring the characters explaining their profile in terms of background and skill sets...
In 1993, my friend introduced me to bowling. It was after PSLE and i could recall my very first visit to a bowling alley( SUPER BOWL in hougang central ). To be frank, up to today, bowling and me just couldnt click and i suck big time on this game. But being in the alley that faithful day exposed me to video game arcade. It was then i realised how skilful other players can be, doing combos on joysticks. There were so many variations of Street Fighter, so much so that i started visiting more of these places....
I guessed this is me. Never academically inclined, never created for the engineering world, but am glad to find myself doing what i do now - Air Traffic Control. Somehow i think my childhood attributes and my past times have some influence over this job that i chose.
7/26/09
The cow for the calculator
I have once heard of this very interesting story about this man( it IS A TRUE STORY and i know this guy )named SAMY( not his real name though )
Samy was born in a rural village in India. Like most village boys, he attends lessons in a village school. One day, Samy's teacher told his parents that Samy was a very smart student and that they should enrol him to a bigger city school where his potentials could be better realized.
Samy eventually studied in a city school.He was a very hardworking student and excelled academically, just as his ex teacher from village school predicted. During one of his math modules, calculators were a requirement. Samy had no calculator and wrote to his parents, hoping that his parents would provide him one. This request in Singapore context could be easily brushed off with a "OK, son i will give you the money for it, go buy it tomorrow" or something like that. But Samy's parents were poor and they couldnt afford a calculator at all. However,Samy's father was determined to see his son through his education at all cost....
The very next day, Samy's father sold one cow( his father had 2 cows under his name )for cash.
Decades later, Samy is now holding a senior position in his company, all thanks to this fatherly act of sacrifice and Samy's teacher who said the right thing at the moment in time.
Probably this is one real episode to remind all teachers out there that words spoken at the appropriate moment could change lives.
Samy was born in a rural village in India. Like most village boys, he attends lessons in a village school. One day, Samy's teacher told his parents that Samy was a very smart student and that they should enrol him to a bigger city school where his potentials could be better realized.
Samy eventually studied in a city school.He was a very hardworking student and excelled academically, just as his ex teacher from village school predicted. During one of his math modules, calculators were a requirement. Samy had no calculator and wrote to his parents, hoping that his parents would provide him one. This request in Singapore context could be easily brushed off with a "OK, son i will give you the money for it, go buy it tomorrow" or something like that. But Samy's parents were poor and they couldnt afford a calculator at all. However,Samy's father was determined to see his son through his education at all cost....
The very next day, Samy's father sold one cow( his father had 2 cows under his name )for cash.
Decades later, Samy is now holding a senior position in his company, all thanks to this fatherly act of sacrifice and Samy's teacher who said the right thing at the moment in time.
Probably this is one real episode to remind all teachers out there that words spoken at the appropriate moment could change lives.
7/7/09
Irritated by a cockroach
I was doing control work during my noon shift today when i was disturbed by a cockroach...
Not only was it a disgusting sight, it made deliberate attempts to distract me and made me feel sick and frustrated. I cant confront the insect and have decided to appear nonchalant to its perpetual sneak attacks.
I cant understand why some living beings have to behave like that. Simply no EQ and i hate such beings for trying to make others inferior and low.
Not only was it a disgusting sight, it made deliberate attempts to distract me and made me feel sick and frustrated. I cant confront the insect and have decided to appear nonchalant to its perpetual sneak attacks.
I cant understand why some living beings have to behave like that. Simply no EQ and i hate such beings for trying to make others inferior and low.
6/28/09
St Paul the Musical
My wife's cousin in law jio-ed us for an evening of musical in NUS UCC( University Cultural Centre ) last Friday. I had nothing on and conveniently agreed to the invite to watch Paul the musical with my wife.
I had heard about the Parish of St Mary promoting this play during Sunday Masses but i never thought of getting the tickets back then. On my way down to UCC that evening i thought that i would get more acquainted with the biblical aspect of the play. Simple as that.
I never realized that i was about to get more than what i expected out of this musical..
While waiting for my wife's cousins to turn up with our tickets, i bumped into Nadia, a girl whom i worked with as an assistant teacher in Julia Gabriel back in 2006. Alright, the world is small; its been close to 3 years since i met anyone from JG.
Nadia: Hey PING( my nick in JG ) how come you are here?
Me: Erm... nothing to do, and since i managed to get the tickets on a subsidized rate, might as well just...
Nadia: Hey you know? Pix is acting in the musical???
Me: Huh...?
Nadia: He's playing as Paul...
That's how our short 1minute catch up went. I ended up feeling so silly and embarassed. Pix was also my fellow colleague in JG. We worked together quite closely , me as the assistant teacher mainly involved in music playing while Pix was the teacher doing most of the educating. Having partnered Pix for more than a semester in the school, i found him to be a very articulating person, with a very keen interest in drama and arts.
I quickly flipped through the programme booklet( it was on sale for 5 bucks...i didnt buy it initially; one of the Friars Fr John Wong gave his to us ) and was so surprised to see that familiar boyish image appearing as the main cast of the musical.
After the first segment of the musical, my wife and i decided to shift to a higher spot from our current position to have a better view of the stage. Towards the end of the final segment of the show, i was stunned to see my JC principal; Stunned because she actually came up to me and wore a smile, trying her best to remember my name
SML: Erm Chiam Peng is it?
Me: Siang Ping Siang Ping...Long time no see Ma'am ... i'm surprised that you could still remember me!!!!
SML: I remembered giving you a 2nd chance
She meant to say that she offered me a 2nd chance to do my A levels again back in 2000. That's like 9 years ago...
I must have been a very talk-about character back in my school back then... aiyoh =X
I had heard about the Parish of St Mary promoting this play during Sunday Masses but i never thought of getting the tickets back then. On my way down to UCC that evening i thought that i would get more acquainted with the biblical aspect of the play. Simple as that.
I never realized that i was about to get more than what i expected out of this musical..
While waiting for my wife's cousins to turn up with our tickets, i bumped into Nadia, a girl whom i worked with as an assistant teacher in Julia Gabriel back in 2006. Alright, the world is small; its been close to 3 years since i met anyone from JG.
Nadia: Hey PING( my nick in JG ) how come you are here?
Me: Erm... nothing to do, and since i managed to get the tickets on a subsidized rate, might as well just...
Nadia: Hey you know? Pix is acting in the musical???
Me: Huh...?
Nadia: He's playing as Paul...
That's how our short 1minute catch up went. I ended up feeling so silly and embarassed. Pix was also my fellow colleague in JG. We worked together quite closely , me as the assistant teacher mainly involved in music playing while Pix was the teacher doing most of the educating. Having partnered Pix for more than a semester in the school, i found him to be a very articulating person, with a very keen interest in drama and arts.
I quickly flipped through the programme booklet( it was on sale for 5 bucks...i didnt buy it initially; one of the Friars Fr John Wong gave his to us ) and was so surprised to see that familiar boyish image appearing as the main cast of the musical.
After the first segment of the musical, my wife and i decided to shift to a higher spot from our current position to have a better view of the stage. Towards the end of the final segment of the show, i was stunned to see my JC principal; Stunned because she actually came up to me and wore a smile, trying her best to remember my name
SML: Erm Chiam Peng is it?
Me: Siang Ping Siang Ping...Long time no see Ma'am ... i'm surprised that you could still remember me!!!!
SML: I remembered giving you a 2nd chance
She meant to say that she offered me a 2nd chance to do my A levels again back in 2000. That's like 9 years ago...
I must have been a very talk-about character back in my school back then... aiyoh =X
6/17/09
Asteroid-ed
I was happily cruising on CTE towards SLE ( was on lane 1 ) in my new car.
It was a very sunny afternoon. Comfortably seated in air conditioned enviroment, my sight set out to the red hyundai getz that was easily more than 6 car lengths ahead of me. I was complemented by my aunts who were making their maiden ride in my car towards my uncle's. I was probably in a 'stoning' mode, trying hard not to participate in my aunts' small talks and gossips about their work life.
All of a sudden, a pebble like objected appeared out of nowhere, dashing towards my windscreen. Before i could make out what it really was, it left my windscreen with a snapping sound.
I guessed i was really 'lucky' that noon, to earn a 2mm kiss mark on the lower portion of the windscreen of my LESS THAN A MONTH OLD CAR( and i guessed it would burn a hole in my pocket as well ).
Have to make a trip down to the service center for this. Oh well....
It was a very sunny afternoon. Comfortably seated in air conditioned enviroment, my sight set out to the red hyundai getz that was easily more than 6 car lengths ahead of me. I was complemented by my aunts who were making their maiden ride in my car towards my uncle's. I was probably in a 'stoning' mode, trying hard not to participate in my aunts' small talks and gossips about their work life.
All of a sudden, a pebble like objected appeared out of nowhere, dashing towards my windscreen. Before i could make out what it really was, it left my windscreen with a snapping sound.
I guessed i was really 'lucky' that noon, to earn a 2mm kiss mark on the lower portion of the windscreen of my LESS THAN A MONTH OLD CAR( and i guessed it would burn a hole in my pocket as well ).
Have to make a trip down to the service center for this. Oh well....
6/14/09
A long 12 day stretch after
I cant wait to share my Europe Honeymoon photos. Really.
Sometimes there are happenings in your life that you wished didnt happen. Such was the case for my wife and i. As soon as we touched down Singapore, we set a goal to vet through the photos we took from the trip and have the nicer ones developed for everyone to envy.
Grandma-in-law( PO PO ) was diagnosed with lung cancer somewhere in mid May and her condition was rather bleak. I remembered on the day when we finally reached home and sunk into bed, she called my wife and mentioned something really out of this world. It was then i realised that she was mildy senile and wasnt the PO PO i used to know.... PO PO came into my life the moment my wife and i got together in 1999. While i am not a relative of PO PO by blood, i could easily tell that my wife shares a very unique relationship with her, one that is more than just a grandma-granddaughter bond. Every time when i send my wife( gf back then )home, PO PO would find all opportunity to ask about me, my health, my studies and how my dad is doing. Though i never knew how to speak Hakkah, it never stopped her from wanting to know more about me. This was still the case even when i finally married my wife in December 2008.
The Sunday that followed, my wife visited PO PO. I guessed my wife must be really worried and at the back of my mind, i sensed that she feared for the worst. I wasnt around because of my shift. Again, PO PO started asking things that didnt exist. That late evening when my wife finally had the chance to share encounter with me, i became petrified.
My wife made it a point to go down the following Tuesday to stay over at her Mum's( PO PO stays there too ). I dutifully had the clothings packed for my wife and i planned to fetch her there after work. I remembered it was around 535pm that i left my house, already starving since my early lunch, thinking what i wanted to eat. The moment i reached my wife's work place, i called her and ask about plans for dinner. She sounded rather jittery on the line but somehow i didnt think much.
A few minutes later, i saw my wife walking out of her office lobby, signing to me that PO PO passed on...Immediately my mind was in a blank and i only knew that we must rush home.
The next 4 days that followed was the longest in my life. We sat through Grandma's wake and bade farewell to her on the last day in Mandai Crematorium. Something i will never forget was that faithful night when my wife and i stayed up for the night to watch over the wake. The stories that my wife shared was something that made me realised how dearly she missed PO PO.
Today, we ( my wife and i, plus her parents, uncles, aunts and cousins ) said our last prayers to Grandma as her urn was carefully placed in the niche in St Francis of Assisi. I felt a sense of relief that this 4 long day of sadness and dreadfulness finally came to an end.
Rest in peace PO PO. May you be happy with all the Saints and Angels in Heaven. We love you.
Sometimes there are happenings in your life that you wished didnt happen. Such was the case for my wife and i. As soon as we touched down Singapore, we set a goal to vet through the photos we took from the trip and have the nicer ones developed for everyone to envy.
Grandma-in-law( PO PO ) was diagnosed with lung cancer somewhere in mid May and her condition was rather bleak. I remembered on the day when we finally reached home and sunk into bed, she called my wife and mentioned something really out of this world. It was then i realised that she was mildy senile and wasnt the PO PO i used to know.... PO PO came into my life the moment my wife and i got together in 1999. While i am not a relative of PO PO by blood, i could easily tell that my wife shares a very unique relationship with her, one that is more than just a grandma-granddaughter bond. Every time when i send my wife( gf back then )home, PO PO would find all opportunity to ask about me, my health, my studies and how my dad is doing. Though i never knew how to speak Hakkah, it never stopped her from wanting to know more about me. This was still the case even when i finally married my wife in December 2008.
The Sunday that followed, my wife visited PO PO. I guessed my wife must be really worried and at the back of my mind, i sensed that she feared for the worst. I wasnt around because of my shift. Again, PO PO started asking things that didnt exist. That late evening when my wife finally had the chance to share encounter with me, i became petrified.
My wife made it a point to go down the following Tuesday to stay over at her Mum's( PO PO stays there too ). I dutifully had the clothings packed for my wife and i planned to fetch her there after work. I remembered it was around 535pm that i left my house, already starving since my early lunch, thinking what i wanted to eat. The moment i reached my wife's work place, i called her and ask about plans for dinner. She sounded rather jittery on the line but somehow i didnt think much.
A few minutes later, i saw my wife walking out of her office lobby, signing to me that PO PO passed on...Immediately my mind was in a blank and i only knew that we must rush home.
The next 4 days that followed was the longest in my life. We sat through Grandma's wake and bade farewell to her on the last day in Mandai Crematorium. Something i will never forget was that faithful night when my wife and i stayed up for the night to watch over the wake. The stories that my wife shared was something that made me realised how dearly she missed PO PO.
Today, we ( my wife and i, plus her parents, uncles, aunts and cousins ) said our last prayers to Grandma as her urn was carefully placed in the niche in St Francis of Assisi. I felt a sense of relief that this 4 long day of sadness and dreadfulness finally came to an end.
Rest in peace PO PO. May you be happy with all the Saints and Angels in Heaven. We love you.
5/11/09
4/24/09
Its yesterday once more....
I went to meet the best financial planner in the world today. I hurrayed the moment i got into the bus; for a good 12min or so i was spared from the sizzling ambient heat of the summer( hmmm i thought there's no seasons in singapore ). At that juncture i suddenly realised that the world's getting so much hotter these days. I never recount days of complaining about the searing temperature nor feel sick about sweating my guts out; Well i did grumbled back then, but certainly its not as bad as now... After settling some financial planning updates and reviewing more policies from the best financial planner, i headed home in the same fashion
Something is different this time round ; seeing the familiar stretch from Causeway point to my parents' place going by.. all these seem to hit a raw nerve in me. I havent been moving around the woodlands estate as much as i used to when i was on my skates in late 06
Those days were simply marvelous. I was so crazy into freestyle slalom that i initiated meet ups with fellow freestyle skaters( many of them are now doing it competitively ), filling every corner of our neighbourhood with laughter, exchanging pointers and stories that one would tell in a campfire. I played slalom so frequently i realised that i was getting better and better. To add on to that, people were eagerly learning tricks from me... Well it feels very good to be so involved into the sport...
... Until now. I hold a full time job, having an estate legally under my name ( erm, its actually a long term borrowing from HDB to be frank ) and happily married to a gal i so fondly love since the days in 1999. Life now is really a challenge, having to fight with the dusts at home, doing laundry,cleaning up the toilet, trying to cook dinner ( i think i'm getting into the hang of preparing meals for myself )and clearing up the dishes in the kitchen sink. Everytime i finished a particular household chore,I would kowtowed to my mum from the bottom of my heart, having to endure what i am going through now, six fold( my dad, my 3 brothers, my sister and me).
It is no longer easy to say that i am balancing it well. Maybe i havent been able to do it at all.. I had minor taskings awaiting for me to accomplish, many of them are house related....
In the midst of procrastination this evening, i rushed out for a quick slalom session after preparing fish and chips for my wife ( its Friday so no meat related food for meals!). I must say that i could no longer train( i would like to think of it as training, as you would know why soon )as hard as i did last time. Today's slalom session was barely an hour and a quarter maybe. As i tried to maneuver around the cones, those nostalgic moments at Blk 711 hardcourt from 6pm to 10pm overwhelmed me...There were times after my ATC trainee days when i headed there with my skates to look for some personal space of my own. Not only did i gain solitude, i managed to keep in mind the moves i want to learn so as to build up my trick ability profile. More tricks means more fun, and more tricks will last you longer into the sport...
Today was a very cold start... It made me realise that the past few months of slalom sessions were random and aimless; I was there for the sake of being there. No doubt that i was slaloming with pros from the team, i could no longer connect to the transitions and had difficulty performing stunts i once thought was bread and butter.
I left the court feeling this sense of austerity. As i wheezed through the veins of the neighborhood, penetrating void decks and doing tight corners around concrete bends, this particular song from The Carpenters filled my head.
Its Yesterday Once More
Something is different this time round ; seeing the familiar stretch from Causeway point to my parents' place going by.. all these seem to hit a raw nerve in me. I havent been moving around the woodlands estate as much as i used to when i was on my skates in late 06
Those days were simply marvelous. I was so crazy into freestyle slalom that i initiated meet ups with fellow freestyle skaters( many of them are now doing it competitively ), filling every corner of our neighbourhood with laughter, exchanging pointers and stories that one would tell in a campfire. I played slalom so frequently i realised that i was getting better and better. To add on to that, people were eagerly learning tricks from me... Well it feels very good to be so involved into the sport...
... Until now. I hold a full time job, having an estate legally under my name ( erm, its actually a long term borrowing from HDB to be frank ) and happily married to a gal i so fondly love since the days in 1999. Life now is really a challenge, having to fight with the dusts at home, doing laundry,cleaning up the toilet, trying to cook dinner ( i think i'm getting into the hang of preparing meals for myself )and clearing up the dishes in the kitchen sink. Everytime i finished a particular household chore,I would kowtowed to my mum from the bottom of my heart, having to endure what i am going through now, six fold( my dad, my 3 brothers, my sister and me).
It is no longer easy to say that i am balancing it well. Maybe i havent been able to do it at all.. I had minor taskings awaiting for me to accomplish, many of them are house related....
In the midst of procrastination this evening, i rushed out for a quick slalom session after preparing fish and chips for my wife ( its Friday so no meat related food for meals!). I must say that i could no longer train( i would like to think of it as training, as you would know why soon )as hard as i did last time. Today's slalom session was barely an hour and a quarter maybe. As i tried to maneuver around the cones, those nostalgic moments at Blk 711 hardcourt from 6pm to 10pm overwhelmed me...There were times after my ATC trainee days when i headed there with my skates to look for some personal space of my own. Not only did i gain solitude, i managed to keep in mind the moves i want to learn so as to build up my trick ability profile. More tricks means more fun, and more tricks will last you longer into the sport...
Today was a very cold start... It made me realise that the past few months of slalom sessions were random and aimless; I was there for the sake of being there. No doubt that i was slaloming with pros from the team, i could no longer connect to the transitions and had difficulty performing stunts i once thought was bread and butter.
I left the court feeling this sense of austerity. As i wheezed through the veins of the neighborhood, penetrating void decks and doing tight corners around concrete bends, this particular song from The Carpenters filled my head.
Its Yesterday Once More
4/14/09
A tiring stretch
Past few days of my work life was tiring. It was almost a 6-day stretch of waking up early( and clocking around 6 hours of sleep everyday ). I used to be able to take such kind of life but of late i guessed i hadnt been working out my body. I am a staunch believer of a balanced work-and-play person. If i realised i hadnt been skating/running/climbing for sometime, my mind would automatically switch into a lethargic mode.
In the midst of all these tiring days, i made some small achievements. Got 2 bedside tables from ikea and had some advancement in preparing dinner( KUDOS to my wife who was patient enough to tolerate my ignorance in preparing meals ). Simple achievements of an easily contented person.
This morning i put on my asics kayano 15 and went running. Wasnt glad to see a lapse of one min( didnt run for a week i think ) as compared to my best timings clocked from a 4 round jog in my neighbourhood. I wanted so much to crouch onto the floor upon reaching my finishing point but my ego kept me standing. My whole body was punishing me hard today- A result of not keeping up to my runnig schedule..
But who cares, wearing the new shoe certainly adds to the kicks!
Shall be running again on friday morning. This time i must at least maintain today's timing; most importantly i must be able to maintain this timing with ease as compared to today.
Will be heading down to wan's wedding ceremony this sat noon . That means i had to change my sat noon duties into a morning one; End result - Have to report for work on friday noon, coming back at 1150pm or so, sleep for 6hours and then head out to work on sat.
Another tiring stretch to come!!!!!
In the midst of all these tiring days, i made some small achievements. Got 2 bedside tables from ikea and had some advancement in preparing dinner( KUDOS to my wife who was patient enough to tolerate my ignorance in preparing meals ). Simple achievements of an easily contented person.
This morning i put on my asics kayano 15 and went running. Wasnt glad to see a lapse of one min( didnt run for a week i think ) as compared to my best timings clocked from a 4 round jog in my neighbourhood. I wanted so much to crouch onto the floor upon reaching my finishing point but my ego kept me standing. My whole body was punishing me hard today- A result of not keeping up to my runnig schedule..
But who cares, wearing the new shoe certainly adds to the kicks!
Shall be running again on friday morning. This time i must at least maintain today's timing; most importantly i must be able to maintain this timing with ease as compared to today.
Will be heading down to wan's wedding ceremony this sat noon . That means i had to change my sat noon duties into a morning one; End result - Have to report for work on friday noon, coming back at 1150pm or so, sleep for 6hours and then head out to work on sat.
Another tiring stretch to come!!!!!
4/1/09
sick at home
I was able to write the previous blog entry because i was sick stricken at home, down with throat infection. It left me shivering with cold under the effects of high fever 2 nights back. Thank goodness my temperature subsided and i head down to attend army seminar yesterday.
I planned for a run this morning, thinking that i could have recovered 90% from my ailment 3 days back. Last night i felt this coughy sensation down my throat; It was then i realized that my throat problems have evolved from a sore one to a coughy one. I started lying on the bed before 1130pm, and i last remembered the hand phone clock showing 1215am. I was tossing around the bed, clearing my throat from the irritations within for almost 1/2 an hour before i finally turned in.....
This morning 's feel was anything but fantastic. I wasn't tired but somewhat the cough made me want to sink deeper into slumber.... I no longer felt that i was on form to run( damn i had postpone my running plans for almost 5 days or maybe longer...)
One and a half weeks ago, grizzly bear asked if i wanted to get new running shoes( he must have seen my worn-and-torn asics GT shoe during the christmas makan last year )... He boasted about asics new kayano 15 shoe . Told me that he could get it at a hefty discount.
I've tried that shoe, and now awaiting it to arrive. Cant wait to put it on so that i can have proper training for my IPPT and stand chart marathon 2009!!!!
I planned for a run this morning, thinking that i could have recovered 90% from my ailment 3 days back. Last night i felt this coughy sensation down my throat; It was then i realized that my throat problems have evolved from a sore one to a coughy one. I started lying on the bed before 1130pm, and i last remembered the hand phone clock showing 1215am. I was tossing around the bed, clearing my throat from the irritations within for almost 1/2 an hour before i finally turned in.....
This morning 's feel was anything but fantastic. I wasn't tired but somewhat the cough made me want to sink deeper into slumber.... I no longer felt that i was on form to run( damn i had postpone my running plans for almost 5 days or maybe longer...)
One and a half weeks ago, grizzly bear asked if i wanted to get new running shoes( he must have seen my worn-and-torn asics GT shoe during the christmas makan last year )... He boasted about asics new kayano 15 shoe . Told me that he could get it at a hefty discount.
I've tried that shoe, and now awaiting it to arrive. Cant wait to put it on so that i can have proper training for my IPPT and stand chart marathon 2009!!!!
3/30/09
Happy birthday Siang Ping
This month has been a real pleasant one... received alot of wellwishes during my birthday, on sms and on facebook. Never has such kind of greetings been so important, especially after my married life..
Looking back a year ago, my birthday wish/ resolution was met : A house, a stable career and a wonderful wife!
Baby plans wont hit our TO-DO list for the year 2009. It's already filled with our honey moon trip in mid may. The month of February was spent on securing air ticket for Paris. From now till May, its all about reading up for our honey moon trip. The plan is to hit Paris and roam the streets for 3 days, travel via rail eastwards to bern( capital of switzerland), spend about 6 days in total in central switzerland, thereafter crossing the borders via rail again to milan(italy). The last 6 days will be spent touring iconic places, including venice, florence and finally rome. I cant wait to utilise my newly acquired 18mm-200mm Canon EF lenses( courtesy of my wife hee hee ) and snap down all the iconic places of interest!!!!!
We were also quite busy with car hunting early this month. From the day i started training for my ATC job in Changi village( surviving on peanut pay as a trainee ), i vowed to get my hands on my OWN CAR the moment i receive my lump sum payment from passing the ATC assessment checks. Travelling to changi village via public transport has an impact on my every day life. Lost quite alot of quality sleep time. If you have no idea what i'm talking, see THIS
Hence, my wife and i spent some time checking out cars. The car budgeting was planned in such a manner that we could still afford a car, and YET enjoy our current life dining out and enjoy shopping / go for holidays and such..
1. My ideal car at present was actually a small SUV. Small=less expensive and SUV= sporty and young. That's my initial demands in a car. Then i realised how impractical it would be after sitting in a terios / rush. The interior wasnt roomy as compared to my dad's nissan latio
2. We straightaway thought of jazz/ fit. It has impressive roomy interiors for a 1.3L, complimented with soothing features on the dashboard and boasts a modern exterior for any hatchback in the market. The response on the brakes and accelerator was much better compared to my dad's nissan latio. The only factor ( both my wife and i debated over this for awhile ) was the cost. Super steep for a 1.3L hatch back.
3. So we lowered our expectations and went to check out vios. I must say that this is a car that's quite value for money. But during test driving i notice the rev to be quite noisy and frankly, the cabin spacing was anything but impressive. All along since the day i saw vios running on the road, i thought the exterior was quite unsightly.
Then, my dear friend Xiao Ming smsed me one fine day to try out this car from Kia. I had no idea about the profile of this car he was mentioning. I was surprised that he actually bought it ON THE VERY DAY HE TEST DROVE it ( i supposed it was his only test drive). 3 weeks later, another friend Patrix told me that he bought the car also ( he followed xiao ming to test drive it ).
This got me curious, and i read up about this car. Went test driving twice on it and finally settled on sliver kia cerato forte 1.6SX .
There are a thousand and one things i wanna achieve right now. I promised my wife to take her on a crash course on SINGAPORE HIGHWAY code( she passed in late 2004 but she seldom drove ). Cant wait for May to come so that i can fufil and materialise my honeymoon plans. I am also waiting for my car to arrive in late june ( had to wait due to overwhelming responses ).
Thank you folks for your well wishes...i will continue to live my life to the fullest!!!!
Looking back a year ago, my birthday wish/ resolution was met : A house, a stable career and a wonderful wife!
Baby plans wont hit our TO-DO list for the year 2009. It's already filled with our honey moon trip in mid may. The month of February was spent on securing air ticket for Paris. From now till May, its all about reading up for our honey moon trip. The plan is to hit Paris and roam the streets for 3 days, travel via rail eastwards to bern( capital of switzerland), spend about 6 days in total in central switzerland, thereafter crossing the borders via rail again to milan(italy). The last 6 days will be spent touring iconic places, including venice, florence and finally rome. I cant wait to utilise my newly acquired 18mm-200mm Canon EF lenses( courtesy of my wife hee hee ) and snap down all the iconic places of interest!!!!!
We were also quite busy with car hunting early this month. From the day i started training for my ATC job in Changi village( surviving on peanut pay as a trainee ), i vowed to get my hands on my OWN CAR the moment i receive my lump sum payment from passing the ATC assessment checks. Travelling to changi village via public transport has an impact on my every day life. Lost quite alot of quality sleep time. If you have no idea what i'm talking, see THIS
Hence, my wife and i spent some time checking out cars. The car budgeting was planned in such a manner that we could still afford a car, and YET enjoy our current life dining out and enjoy shopping / go for holidays and such..
1. My ideal car at present was actually a small SUV. Small=less expensive and SUV= sporty and young. That's my initial demands in a car. Then i realised how impractical it would be after sitting in a terios / rush. The interior wasnt roomy as compared to my dad's nissan latio
2. We straightaway thought of jazz/ fit. It has impressive roomy interiors for a 1.3L, complimented with soothing features on the dashboard and boasts a modern exterior for any hatchback in the market. The response on the brakes and accelerator was much better compared to my dad's nissan latio. The only factor ( both my wife and i debated over this for awhile ) was the cost. Super steep for a 1.3L hatch back.
3. So we lowered our expectations and went to check out vios. I must say that this is a car that's quite value for money. But during test driving i notice the rev to be quite noisy and frankly, the cabin spacing was anything but impressive. All along since the day i saw vios running on the road, i thought the exterior was quite unsightly.
Then, my dear friend Xiao Ming smsed me one fine day to try out this car from Kia. I had no idea about the profile of this car he was mentioning. I was surprised that he actually bought it ON THE VERY DAY HE TEST DROVE it ( i supposed it was his only test drive). 3 weeks later, another friend Patrix told me that he bought the car also ( he followed xiao ming to test drive it ).
This got me curious, and i read up about this car. Went test driving twice on it and finally settled on sliver kia cerato forte 1.6SX .
There are a thousand and one things i wanna achieve right now. I promised my wife to take her on a crash course on SINGAPORE HIGHWAY code( she passed in late 2004 but she seldom drove ). Cant wait for May to come so that i can fufil and materialise my honeymoon plans. I am also waiting for my car to arrive in late june ( had to wait due to overwhelming responses ).
Thank you folks for your well wishes...i will continue to live my life to the fullest!!!!
3/17/09
No water in my own house
I came to realise how inconvenient it is WITHOUT WATER AT HOME....
I got this notification pasted on the lift lobby mentioning about some upgrading works on the water pipings situated on the roof access DUE TODAY 17TH MARCH a few days back....
My usual routines of a 8am run, followed by some basic housework cleaning the floor and sunning the laundry were all ruined. Because the piping works will commence at 9am, all the way till 5pm, i run the risk of being stranded at home, sweaty.
What's worsd, is that the HDB contractors warned residents of dirty water discharging from the water piping works, and REMINDED the folks staying at the top floor to shut their windows and avoid hanging laundry .
So that means i will not only be stranded in stinkiness but also suffer the heat....
End result: I bathed with a pail that i dutifully filled up at 8am, and couldnt wash my plates from my breakfast makan. My plans to rest at home was screwed and i sought refuge at my aunt's place, giving tuition...
What a tired day...
Siang Ping,
Signing off in the radar centre, working on noon shift.
I got this notification pasted on the lift lobby mentioning about some upgrading works on the water pipings situated on the roof access DUE TODAY 17TH MARCH a few days back....
My usual routines of a 8am run, followed by some basic housework cleaning the floor and sunning the laundry were all ruined. Because the piping works will commence at 9am, all the way till 5pm, i run the risk of being stranded at home, sweaty.
What's worsd, is that the HDB contractors warned residents of dirty water discharging from the water piping works, and REMINDED the folks staying at the top floor to shut their windows and avoid hanging laundry .
So that means i will not only be stranded in stinkiness but also suffer the heat....
End result: I bathed with a pail that i dutifully filled up at 8am, and couldnt wash my plates from my breakfast makan. My plans to rest at home was screwed and i sought refuge at my aunt's place, giving tuition...
What a tired day...
Siang Ping,
Signing off in the radar centre, working on noon shift.
1/15/09
updating in progress....
Hello everyone!!!! Happy new year to you all!
I am in the midst of updating my blog( there has been really a big back log for this)... here's some quick preview to my family action plan for 2009( some already in progress )
1. Continue on my housing touch ups. Prolly this will include my basin, bathroom fixtures and moving all my belongings from my parents' to my own house
2. Travel to western/ central Europe for my honeymoon. I think this is something my wife has been really reminding me for the past few nights at home . hahahaha....
3. Purchase a car ( most probably after my honeymoon trip ). Need to re-evaluate my finances from my post honey moon trip in order to execute my plans.. heh.
Well, of course i will still continue to pursue my hobbies that never fail to excite me in life. Will commit time to them!
An Advanced Chinese New year to all of you!
I am in the midst of updating my blog( there has been really a big back log for this)... here's some quick preview to my family action plan for 2009( some already in progress )
1. Continue on my housing touch ups. Prolly this will include my basin, bathroom fixtures and moving all my belongings from my parents' to my own house
2. Travel to western/ central Europe for my honeymoon. I think this is something my wife has been really reminding me for the past few nights at home . hahahaha....
3. Purchase a car ( most probably after my honeymoon trip ). Need to re-evaluate my finances from my post honey moon trip in order to execute my plans.. heh.
Well, of course i will still continue to pursue my hobbies that never fail to excite me in life. Will commit time to them!
An Advanced Chinese New year to all of you!
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