Day Trip

Lovely sunset, cool sea breeze and good nasi lemak in Kampong Senibong, Perma Jaya, JB, Malaysia, overlooking Singapore's Sembawang Shipyard:

The Great Eastern (GE) 5km Fun Run

Made it just in time for the GE 5km Fun Run on Sunday, 26 October upon my return from APNN Land. I was extremely non-motivated and had very little energy for this run. I felt breathless shortly after I started & stopped like 3 times --- not to mention, the constant nose-running & sniffing. I was so tempted to give up & walk all the way, but I knew I can't ... so I dragged myself along.

Surprisingly, here's the results of my past 5km runs:
* 2007 SHAPE 5km Run - 47mins+
* 2008 SHAPE 5km Run - 44mins+
* 2008 GE 5km Fun Run - 42mins+

Compared to my friends, these are definitely not fantastic results - in fact, somewhat pathetic to some.

But for someone like me who LOATHED (yes, it's not only hate) running all 30+ years of my life, it's a miracle to even see me running. In fact, I decided to start running for the sake of the exercise & not for competing against anyone or breaking any records. So, having slight improvements for each run meant the world to me!

I'm an extremely slow runner & I like to take things slow & steady to adjust my body accordingly. So friends, do bear with me! ;P

Alright, now the next challenge is StanChart 10km Run. Gosh, I must be out of my mind to have even entertained that thought and eventually signed up for it ... :-S. M, it's all your fault! ;P

Return from APNN Land

I'm finally back from Sri Lanka on Saturday, 25 October. Of course, not without being elbowed on my waist more than 5 times on the plane, by this innocently looking extremely dark APNN who seemed unaware that there's such thing called the personal space. "Sorry, sorry" was what I got when I stared at him with my not-very-small eyes. It doesn't help that my colleagues laughed themselves silly, when they realised I'm surrounded by APNNs, while they each had an empty seat beside them. Haiz, it's my destiny as they kept reminding me.

The horror of it all is that my boss kept saying that the next country he may be sending me is either India or Nigeria. Gosh, from dark (Jakarta) to darker (Sri Lanka) to darkest (India/Nigeria) ... is this really my destiny or plain bad luck? You know what, I'll choose Nigeria anytime if given a choice. Think I better head down to some temple to pray soon ... :S

Back in APNN Land

It's been a while now since 2004/2005 when I first layed my feet onto Sri Lanka aka APNN Land's soil.

Things seemed to be the same when I left them in 2005 --- same dark-skinned people, same low-rise buildings & less-than-cleaned streets, same generous honking & the horrifc driving conditions --- nothing much has changed except perhaps the company/people I'm with. The only consolation here is the ever-smiling, forever helpful, friendly, mild-tempered, shy & relatively odourless Sri Lankan people --- a far cry from their distant relatives up north in India.

Visited the famous Beach Wadiya for dinner today - a seafood restaurant between a railway track and the beach. The food tasted much better and so much more palatable this time round than the last time I had it in 2004 --- the crab cakes & prawns & lobsters were good. It's probably because I was food poisoned then on my first trip to Sri Lanka in 2004 & everything tasted bad. Tomorrow, a challenge of having local Indian food was proposed. I guess I have to brave it and give it a shot ... briyani, as I was told, shouldn't be that bad. Oh well, wish me luck! ;)

Inspiration & Motivation ...

A friend, let's call her P, recently shared her blog address with me & I've been reading her entries. Though not extremely closed to each other, I've always admired P's wisdom, efficiency & energy level in her work ethics and attitude. She is a brave and extremely resilient lady. Her drive and love for work is incredibly respectable and her ability to take all things in life in good stride made her even more attractive. I've learnt a lot from her --- in work as well as in life. Reading her blog has inspired & motivated me to continue to blog about the little things happening in my humble life. Blogging is therapeutic & gives me a chance to self-reflect & think hard about certain issues in life. I will try to blog more ... Thanks, P!

My Own Birthday Present

The birthday present I got for myself this year is finally here with me! :)

Tadah! ............ The Nike+ Sportband for tracking the distance & time I jog & how much calories burnt. Next, is to get the casing for the sensor from Apple Epicentre to secure it onto my shoe laces.



Well, now that I own it ... the question is when to put it to use ... ;P