Wednesday, July 27, 2005

No internet connection for the past 2 weeks!!!

My internet connection was down for the past 2 weeks after I blogged on the 14th. I could not get online on the 15th and since then, I only managed to get a friend to help me check out what's wrong with it last night! And my hard disk was the one that was giving me problems... with some scratches on it and it being unable to read all the info anymore! Time to get a new one! This was a 2nd hand one that cost me $50 and lasted me for the past 9months... Not that bad. I learnt a lesson not to get 2nd hand products for computer stuff the next time!

At around 940pm, I received a surprise call from my friends who are in Australia now! They are going through their orientation now and yet to start the academic year yet. 4 of them staying in a mansion at only A$100 per week! That's a bargain! We spoke through the speaker phone on Clare's hp so that all of them can hear me. Oh sheesh... I miss them! How I wish I could be there with them! It's an experience of a lifetime! Probably I might just fly over to Australia next year for a short holiday because they are there! Although Australia is not on my list of places-to-go. :P

Heard this song while running just now... Love the sensuality of the song that just seems to calm me down and heave a hugh sigh after a hard day...

"Here I Am" --- Bryan Adams
Here I am - this is me
There's no where else on earth I'd rather be
Here I am - it's just me and you
And tonight we make our dreams come true

It's a new world - it's a new start
It's alive with the beating of young hearts
It's a new day - it's a new plan
I've been waiting for you

Here I am Here we are - we've just begun
And after all this time - our time has come
Ya here we are - still goin' strong
Right here in the place where we belong

Chorus X1

Here I am - this is me
There's no where else on earth I'd rather be
Here I am - it's just me and you
And tonight we make our dreams come true

Chorus X2

Here I am - next to you
And suddenly the world is all brand new
Here I am - where I'm gonna stay
Now there's nothin standin in our way
Here I am - this is me


"Do not squander time, that is the stuff life is made of."

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Found this on a website of quotes and I love it. This goes out to all my dearest friends and to myself as well...

May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand. May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism. Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone. May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace. May a kind word, a reassuring touch, and a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them. Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending.

Teach love to those who hate, and let that love embrace you as you go out into the world. May the teachings of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them. Remember, those whose lives you have touched and whose have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more important than the form.

May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future. May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgment of your accomplishments. May you always feel loved.

-Unknown

Why must it rain?!

Wah...The time now is 7.20pm in the evening. Even if I do log online in the evenings, I would not be online so early normally. But, but, but, after I have changed and took the lift down to my void deck, only then did I realize it started to drizzle!! When I was on the way home from Outram, it was raining in that area and the areas to the west got progressively dry, but not without the dark clouds. :( I decided to come up since the sky looked rather dark and I was worried that the rain would get heavier. It did. Sigh. Hence, I logged online to check my emails and hoped that the rain would just be a heavy shower that would pass soon. I?m still in my run clothing now. Sigh. The sky is really dark now and the sky just refused to give me face. It seems like there goes my run! Somehow, there should be indoor stadiums eh? So that runners can go running if the weather should turn nasty. Sigh. Don?t even think of going to a gym. I hate running on a treadmill and would rather miss my run than behave like a hamster. :p

There goes my run for today. Darn. My precious training for the upcoming duathlon... ARGH. I have to miss my swim tomorrow then in order to go for my run? When I?m in the mood for my runs, it just had to rain and ruin everything. Sigh.

I was on this particular website which has a list of all the blogs of local runners. And it was set up by a local runner, Sukaimi, whom I have mentioned before in my previous blogs. With plenty of links to many events both locally and in M?sia. The Terry Fox Run is due to happen on the 18th Sep on Sentosa. Terry Fox is one great inspirational icon to me in my life and I?m certainly taking part in that run. There?s going to be another run event organized by NUS to celebrate its centennial years also on that day! I was happily looking through the website and checking out the route when I realized the run would fall on the same day as Terry Fox Run! :( Argh! I love the route that the NUS run is going to be held along as it is around Bt Timah area, beginning at Coronation Plaza, and would pass by my alma mater. SIGHZ. I will have to pick a run between these 2 and forgo the other. Damn disappointing man.

In case u are interested to find out more about the Terry Fox run, or more about Terry Fox, please visit the website: http://www.terryfoxsingapore.org/ to find out more about this amazing young man who refused to bow down to cancer and totally inspires me with his determination.

And also the website of Sukaimi, the Lonely Runner where u can find the link to the SGRUNNERS and hence all the events listed! It?s really a great job done!
http://www.thelonelyrunner.blogspot.com/

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Of work and audit: Some things are simply overdone and they are totally unnecessary at all! Sigh. The auditing lady who dropped by my room today was accompanied by so many HODs that every question she asked was answered by the HOD! When would it ever be our turn man! It?s also good, in case we gave the wrong answer and kena black-listed!

I enjoyed the work in the afternoon, for the doctor was someone who?s sensitive towards the patient and also a very empathetic doc. He?s friendly towards the staff and also bothered to teach and explain some of the steps he took. As compared to the morning doc who?s infamous in the radiology circle for his rudeness, obnoxiousness and insensitivity to patients and staff alike, it?s simply heaven and hell! :p

The weekend is here soon. Another gathering to look forward to, this time with my judo pals. It?s been a long time. Finally.


The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.
---Ferdinand Foch

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again. Chinese inscription cited by Thoreau in Walden

It has been quite sometime ever since I updated my blog. Been rather busy lately and also pretty lazy to type out my thoughts for there's too much and I dunno how to rearrange them. I will try to write down some of my stronger feelings I'm having lately...

Today is my rest day and hence, I could spend more time in front of the computer. Rest day, as in no training day. Well, went running on Mon(11th July) and swimming last night(12th July). These kind of 'trainings' or simply 'work-outs' are simply part and parcel of my life nowadays. When I do miss one that I have planned in advance, I get very uneasy and will attempt to make it up as soon as possible. In fact, lack of exercises will cause my entire back to stiffen up and be prone to muscle spasms. This problem actually dates back to a long, long time ago during the Judo days. Sigh. It does continue to haunt me whenever I exert too much during a run or did not warm up enough. That's where the swimming comes in. It does help to relax my trunk muscles.

I would normally go for my longer run (>1hour) on Sundays but met up with my clique on Sunday which was kind of like a farewell cum bday celebrations for the 4 Cancerians who were present. Hence, I did my run only on Monday. It was a very pleasant run, just when I needed it to get things off my chest and simply run. It rained at 515pm, according to my Mum in my area and I got home after work at 545pm. Perfect timing. The weather was great, cooling, a bit humid as I got to 'Green Haven' but the surroundings simply captivated me. The mist that lay above the greenery after the rain was so alluring, absorbing me into a total trance that seems to focus my mind on the run and the beautiful environs. I could only hear my own breathing, my own footsteps, the insects, the occasional wind and the water flowing in the canal.

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I was, and still am, bothered by issues plaguing my family. The issues occupied my whole mind on both Monday and Tueday actually, until I talked to a good friend who popped by my place on a surprise visit last night. I also started to get a grip of myself and am prepared to face reality as the truth will soon surface. I'm at the moment imagining the worst to happen and as such, this will prepare me for the upcoming things that's to happen. I know I have my best buddies beside me to support me when I need a helping hand. The few who know of what's truly happening in this dysfunctional family of mine. And also the other very good friends I have who have been through so much with me during our growing-up days.

Big changes are going to happen in my life, but I refuse to let these changes overwhelm me. Although they did on the past few days. It had been unbearable coming to terms with these issues and there are only more to come. But right now, I'm more or less mentally prepared to take on these challenges which are here to test my mental/psychological strength after 5 years. I know I still need to get on with life and it's a life I'm living!!! I do not want to be overcome with all these issues that I have to be concerned with in the upcoming days soon. Therefore, I'm not thinking about them and am living each day out as fulfilling as possible. When the day is here, then I will face it.

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Several close friends are leaving abroad to study in Australia, namely my friends from NYP who are leaving to obtain a degree for their respective field of studies. Have been burning my past 2 weekends meeting up with friends and do last-minute catching up. As I'm typing this, a friend is on her way to Australia with her mum. I would be going down to the airport next Wed to send off another 2 friends.

Time flies. 3 years. And I have been at work for the 6th week already. Enjoying it till now. Guess I'm a very optimistic person who can adapt very well to my environment. Not so in the past. I hated changes. So much. Do not particularly fancy it now though. But my growing-up days had see me through so many traumatic changes that I have become a very adaptable person now. Flexible as well. That's a good thing, ain't it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sought solitude in my runs and swims. They helped me distress as well. I love the solitude that keeps me calm, composed and in a healthy mental state of mind.

I remember I used to take note very closely of how much time I would spend at each workout, especially during the runs. That was before I discovered 'Green Haven' and before I did long-distance running. The therapeutic effects of long-dist running soon overtook all other aspects and I no longer check my watch to make sue I?m back at home at a certain time. That's really silly. My runs are supposed to relax me and I really enjoy everyone of it now.

It's surprising to hear this coming from a girl who hated running in the past and was forced to join the TAF Club in her Sec 1 days due to her 'Borderline overweight' status of 120%. Haha. In fact, I weigh the same now as I was back in Sec 1 when I was 13. I'm 22 now. Amazing!
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3rd July: Milk Run. Must be the only run where I see so many kids!!! I did not see any familiar faces, of those who usually take part in such events. They must be at the OSIM Triathlon in East Coast. Anyway, it was a rather fun afternoon which I spent with a good buddy, L. It was her 1st such event and although she did stop several times during the run, I would love to see her taking part in more such events! I?m sure she will grow to love it, like me, and I'm also very sure that she can do very much better than what she did at the Milk Run!

We have agreed to sign up with another buddy, LM, for a duathlon in JB which is to be held at the end of the month! L and I would run 10km each, while LM would bike 60km!!! Siong! She can surely make it! I even managed to borrow a racing bike from a friend who's willing to part with it over the weekend to lend us. Can't wait for the race to come! I will update more about it!

By the way, we went down to Zion Road Hawker Centre for dinner after the run and boy, was the food good! It was my very 1st time there. After the sumptuous dinner, we made our way to Tiong Bahru MRT by walking there! Came down to Choa Chu Kang Lot 1 cuz my dear friend wanted to use the OSIM i-Squeeze chairs to massage her calves at the roadshow here. Haha. She got her wish!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tomorrow is the day the big audit team comes to our department. I will have to cut short here and go down to studying some notes right now! I would not want to be the one who cannot answer the questions posed by them!


If you're going through hell, keep going.
---Winston Churchill


3rd July: Milk Run! Posted by Picasa


So many kids! Posted by Picasa


Zion Road Hawker Centre Posted by Picasa


Zion Road Hawker Centre Posted by Picasa


Just in case some of you are wondering about the 'Green Haven' that I mentioned in my blog, it is a stretch of canal that connects CCK to Bt Batok. I always jog here. Posted by Picasa


This is the road that leads to Jurong and then Boon Lay Posted by Picasa


This road leads to Jurong and onwards to Boon Lay. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, July 07, 2005


Later in the evening, met up with my clique back from school! What a day! Posted by Picasa


2nd July: the 1st gathering with this bunch of classmates after we left school Posted by Picasa


19th June: When a friend & I actually hiked thru 3 reservoirs on a Sunday morning! From MacRitchie to Lower Pierce to Upper Pierce Posted by Picasa


Upper Pierce Reservoir Posted by Picasa


Lower Pierce Reservoir Posted by Picasa