I have been feeling rather lost and directionless these past few weeks.
I am a very “groovy” person, as in, I function best when I am moving along in a greased groove. I have very high inertia, which means that once something derails me from my movement along the groove, I stop moving. And it takes major effort to get me going again.
The illness of the few weeks past was a major derailing factor. I have not managed to get into groove again since then, be it training, diet, work or personal life. I feel in limbo and cannot get the energy up to put things in place. It doesn’t help that I am having major resistance to work due to various issues that I have been whining about in my last few posts.
At the same time, I am also feeling anti-social and totally “hermity”. I don’t feel like to talking to anyone; I just want to be left alone. I am sure the anti-social feeling is tied somewhat to my feeling out of groove.
Tomorrow is the day I have planned to snap out of it all, and get back to normal. It sounds unrealistic, but having a fixed day to get into groove kind of works, most of the time. So I only have the rest of this afternoon to continue my in-limbo existence, which is not so bad actually, if I didn’t need to make a living and lose some weight.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
FRUGALITY AND ME
We discussed getting me a mortgage this morning, me and Dad.
The conclusion was that if I wanted to join the ranks of property owners in Singapore, I would have to give up all the other parts of my life, and assume Scrooge’s existence for the next ten years, and I may just be able to scrap by and own my own condominium apartment. If an en-bloc sale happens in the meantime, that’s a bonus, but another financial crisis might just see me screwed.
Just five years ago, it wouldn’t have seemed like too much hardship. But I have gotten too used to the good life these few years. The Good Life sneaks up on one insidiously. Sitting down to pare down my budget to see if there was any chance I could manage a property investment, I only just realise how used to high living I have been. Stuff that I would have once considered dispensable, suddenly threatened to affect my quality of life so majorly that I feel myself hesitating in cutting the strings.
Investment or not, I have come to the conclusion that it was time I got myself used to frugality again. Stuff like no more shopping (yeah, I’ve said this like about a hundred times), no more cabbing, no more restaurant meals every other day, I can still handle. I can give up the pampering stuff like facials, massages etc. However, the biggest bulk of my expenditure now goes to keeping up with my fitness regime….and it is a pain in the neck to decide how to pare that down. Give up the exclusive strength training and train by myself, or give up the Muay Thai lessons? Cutting out either one of these or both would give an instant boost in my savings.
Why the difficulty? Because I have invested more than money in my whole fitness regime. It represents the source of my self confidence, it gives variety to my otherwise monotonous life and it is a major source of socializing for me outside work. It plays a major role in defining who I am at this point in time.
With some creative accounting skills, and hopefully a lot of discipline on my part, I managed to keep both in my budgeting. But I am thinking it is time to wean myself from one or both, unless this August brings good news on salary increment front.
We will see how successful I am in two weeks time. It is an easy thing to budget when one is fully rested on a Sunday afternoon. Having to wake up at 5.30 am on a weekday morning after only 5 hours of sleep, and realizing that spending $16 on a cab ride will mean 30 minutes more of sleep time, is another challenge.
The conclusion was that if I wanted to join the ranks of property owners in Singapore, I would have to give up all the other parts of my life, and assume Scrooge’s existence for the next ten years, and I may just be able to scrap by and own my own condominium apartment. If an en-bloc sale happens in the meantime, that’s a bonus, but another financial crisis might just see me screwed.
Just five years ago, it wouldn’t have seemed like too much hardship. But I have gotten too used to the good life these few years. The Good Life sneaks up on one insidiously. Sitting down to pare down my budget to see if there was any chance I could manage a property investment, I only just realise how used to high living I have been. Stuff that I would have once considered dispensable, suddenly threatened to affect my quality of life so majorly that I feel myself hesitating in cutting the strings.
Investment or not, I have come to the conclusion that it was time I got myself used to frugality again. Stuff like no more shopping (yeah, I’ve said this like about a hundred times), no more cabbing, no more restaurant meals every other day, I can still handle. I can give up the pampering stuff like facials, massages etc. However, the biggest bulk of my expenditure now goes to keeping up with my fitness regime….and it is a pain in the neck to decide how to pare that down. Give up the exclusive strength training and train by myself, or give up the Muay Thai lessons? Cutting out either one of these or both would give an instant boost in my savings.
Why the difficulty? Because I have invested more than money in my whole fitness regime. It represents the source of my self confidence, it gives variety to my otherwise monotonous life and it is a major source of socializing for me outside work. It plays a major role in defining who I am at this point in time.
With some creative accounting skills, and hopefully a lot of discipline on my part, I managed to keep both in my budgeting. But I am thinking it is time to wean myself from one or both, unless this August brings good news on salary increment front.
We will see how successful I am in two weeks time. It is an easy thing to budget when one is fully rested on a Sunday afternoon. Having to wake up at 5.30 am on a weekday morning after only 5 hours of sleep, and realizing that spending $16 on a cab ride will mean 30 minutes more of sleep time, is another challenge.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
MY CHILDISH LOVE
I found the cutest, most whimsical little story blogs that I have seen in some time, through another friend’s blog recommendation. Here it is: My Milk Toof, created by Inhae. The blog chronicles the adventures of two little milk teeth, Ickle and Lardee, and is simply too sweet for words.
This reminds me some of my best loved children’s stories. I love classic children’s stories. I read them when I am tired of romance and intrigue, of twisting plots and unexpected happenings. I read them when I need a break from the jadedness and cynicism of adult life, when I feel like I need a breath of fresh air. Somehow, children’s stories of today don’t do it for me, there is too much of the adult world in the popular ones, too much pop culture. Some others are just plain bad writing.
I love the Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince. In fact, I have not met anyone who isn’t moved by it to some extent, whether they really understand the underlying themes or messages in the story. The writing itself is just so powerful, somewhat haunting and somewhat sad. I seldom read the book, for all that I love it so much, because it inevitably makes me feel tearful and sad the rest of the day.
Another book that reminds me of The Little Prince, but is far more cheerful and uplifting, is A.A Milne’s Winnie-The-Pooh. Bet there are any number of people who still does not know that Winnie-the-Pooh and his gang is not a Disney creation, but that of a doting father who has a son who loves bedtime stories and has a roomful of toys. I did not know myself until SB very kindly urged me to read the book. The writing is very whimsical, and peppered with asides from the author to his son, which makes it all the sweeter. It gives me a real cozy and warm feeling reading it, like snuggling up close to the fireplace with a loved one in winter. It reminds me of The Little Prince because it reads so fresh and simple.
Another one of my all time favourites is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and illustrated by Jules Feiffer. Engaging storyline aside, I love how the author has managed to work in pills of complex philosophical ideas coated with the beauty, flexibility and sheer confusion of the English language into the story. Word play has never been manipulated so skillfully as in The Phantom Tollbooth, and philosophical ideas have never been presented so simply. This has to be a staple for anyone who loves the English language. Readers will also definitely get the “Why did I never think of it that way?” moments throughout the whole story.
Before Harry Potter, there was Narnia. Mary Poppins was my choice of nanny, not Fran Drescher. I grew up on Louisa May Alcott (Little Women Series), Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables Series), Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Secret Garden, A Little Princess), Laura Ingalls Wilder (The Little House Series), Edith Nesbit (The Railway Children, Five Children and It etc). Heidi, Black Beauty, What Katy Did, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island…..And Roald Dahl….who can forget Roald Dahl?
Some of the greatest and most enduring children stories also have great illustrators behind them. In fact I would venture to say that The Little Prince would not have been half so impactful, if not for the masterful strokes of Saint Exupery. For indeed, we would never know what a sheep should look like, or how a boa constrictor could swallow a whole elephant, without seeing it in pictorial form. And how can we picture the sheer evilness of The Witches without Quentin Blake’s whimsical pen? I dare say Winnie-the-Pooh would never have become a Disney favourite if not for Ernest Shepard’s talented scribblings.
Back to the story of the two milk teef (yes, the creator spelled the word like this…). It has all the makings of an enduring children’s storybook if someone ever decides to make a book out of it. It is good to know that there are people in the world who have not lost that freshness of vision.
This reminds me some of my best loved children’s stories. I love classic children’s stories. I read them when I am tired of romance and intrigue, of twisting plots and unexpected happenings. I read them when I need a break from the jadedness and cynicism of adult life, when I feel like I need a breath of fresh air. Somehow, children’s stories of today don’t do it for me, there is too much of the adult world in the popular ones, too much pop culture. Some others are just plain bad writing.
I love the Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince. In fact, I have not met anyone who isn’t moved by it to some extent, whether they really understand the underlying themes or messages in the story. The writing itself is just so powerful, somewhat haunting and somewhat sad. I seldom read the book, for all that I love it so much, because it inevitably makes me feel tearful and sad the rest of the day.
Another book that reminds me of The Little Prince, but is far more cheerful and uplifting, is A.A Milne’s Winnie-The-Pooh. Bet there are any number of people who still does not know that Winnie-the-Pooh and his gang is not a Disney creation, but that of a doting father who has a son who loves bedtime stories and has a roomful of toys. I did not know myself until SB very kindly urged me to read the book. The writing is very whimsical, and peppered with asides from the author to his son, which makes it all the sweeter. It gives me a real cozy and warm feeling reading it, like snuggling up close to the fireplace with a loved one in winter. It reminds me of The Little Prince because it reads so fresh and simple.
Another one of my all time favourites is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and illustrated by Jules Feiffer. Engaging storyline aside, I love how the author has managed to work in pills of complex philosophical ideas coated with the beauty, flexibility and sheer confusion of the English language into the story. Word play has never been manipulated so skillfully as in The Phantom Tollbooth, and philosophical ideas have never been presented so simply. This has to be a staple for anyone who loves the English language. Readers will also definitely get the “Why did I never think of it that way?” moments throughout the whole story.
Before Harry Potter, there was Narnia. Mary Poppins was my choice of nanny, not Fran Drescher. I grew up on Louisa May Alcott (Little Women Series), Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables Series), Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Secret Garden, A Little Princess), Laura Ingalls Wilder (The Little House Series), Edith Nesbit (The Railway Children, Five Children and It etc). Heidi, Black Beauty, What Katy Did, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island…..And Roald Dahl….who can forget Roald Dahl?
Some of the greatest and most enduring children stories also have great illustrators behind them. In fact I would venture to say that The Little Prince would not have been half so impactful, if not for the masterful strokes of Saint Exupery. For indeed, we would never know what a sheep should look like, or how a boa constrictor could swallow a whole elephant, without seeing it in pictorial form. And how can we picture the sheer evilness of The Witches without Quentin Blake’s whimsical pen? I dare say Winnie-the-Pooh would never have become a Disney favourite if not for Ernest Shepard’s talented scribblings.
Back to the story of the two milk teef (yes, the creator spelled the word like this…). It has all the makings of an enduring children’s storybook if someone ever decides to make a book out of it. It is good to know that there are people in the world who have not lost that freshness of vision.
MY WORLD OF TWO WEEKS PAST
I am finally finished with this latest bout of flu, and have rejoined the normal world. I have probably paid up my sleep debt for the past few years in the one week plus of sleeping. One thing I definitely do not miss though is not being able to smell and taste my food.
The olfactory and gustatory senses play such a subtle role in our lives that we hardly notice them when they are there, but are definitely missed when they decide to go MIA. Just before I had my flu, I was just pontificating on which of my five senses I would choose to give up if I had to lose one, and taste and smell were definitely in the running. However, I now firmly believe that the loss of taste to a confessed foodie is an unimaginable torture. It is not just the loss of taste, it is also the fact that you know that fantastic taste is just there, and you just cannot reach it. It drives me crazier than eating just tasteless, bland stuff.
Despite the occasional loss of taste, I have managed to pack back some weight due to missing training and poor eating. Some people lose weight during their illness, I am one of those who puts it on. Surprisingly enough, I have had people commenting to me that I look like I lost weight, but the scale and the fit of my clothes definitely tell me otherwise. Well, it is not like I have never had to climb back up the wagon before.
We had an MCR session last week, and I went despite a slight hesitancy in passing on my flu virus to the rest. I really hope no one caught the flu from me. The session was really uneventful in terms of play. We were all so rusty that we even had to re-familiarise ourselves with basic game play, like where to break the wall, draw tiles etc. We definitely had to consult the “almanac” quite frequently for points count. I also had to get re-acquainted with the playing style that was comfortable for me, and not what I thought should be the way to play. Upon reflection, I think I did badly for the first game because I was thinking too much, and trying to manipulate the tiles too hard that I lost sight of the big picture. The second game was much better and easier, because I just relaxed and went with my own instinctive play. I did notice though, that I am more comfortable to keep my hands concealed for a longer period of time, rather than chowing every tile that comes my way. A sign of progress, I think.
However, I think I have to revise my objective to participate in the next international competition, because I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough at this rate. I’ll just be happy to able to go and watch the play, get to know and enjoy the company of other MCR enthusiasts.
The news is all about Michael Jackson’s passing. And Facebook is awashed with RIP MJ statuses. Am I the only one who doesn’t give a damn? How come no one said anything about during the Air France disaster? Even the news is more focused on the investigative efforts than the casualties. I feel way worse when I think about those people who never even had a fighting chance.
Oh, by the way, I gave in and bought “The Sims 3”, after reading some of the reviews. I am not by any means a hardcore Sims fan, though I have played Sims 1 and 2 with some of the expansion packs. After Sims 2, it felt too routine, and I was tired of the go toilet/take shower/eat/woo-hoo cycle that I stopped playing. I didn’t like to leave it to the AI (free will mode) in Sims 1 and 2 to do what they wanted with my Sims, because it seems that all the AI could do was to mess things up, and I didn’t like messes, or cleaning them up. I happen to be one of those “perfectionist” players, and my Sims always have the good traits, are good looking, do everything they should to keep their moods up…..and generally have extremely boring lives. The main reason why I decided to try Sims 3 out again, was the rather favourable reviews on the AI if the sims were left on their own. So far, so good, I’m rather enjoying it, and I think this is going to be a keeper. Except for one thing. Who the hell eats GOLDFISH sushi? Makes me think of those live goldfish swallowing feats…..gag reflex operating.
I am feeling generally lethargic and the thought of going back to work tomorrow sucks. I am still on “holiday” mood, and it is going to take some push to get the engine revving again. I wonder if those people who always say they will continue working even if they had enough money to stop and retire, really mean what they say? I, for one, will totally be happy to stop working if I have the means. There are just so many things to do in life, if I only had the financial means to do them. How can anyone feel that they will become bored and directionless if they didn’t have to work?
The olfactory and gustatory senses play such a subtle role in our lives that we hardly notice them when they are there, but are definitely missed when they decide to go MIA. Just before I had my flu, I was just pontificating on which of my five senses I would choose to give up if I had to lose one, and taste and smell were definitely in the running. However, I now firmly believe that the loss of taste to a confessed foodie is an unimaginable torture. It is not just the loss of taste, it is also the fact that you know that fantastic taste is just there, and you just cannot reach it. It drives me crazier than eating just tasteless, bland stuff.
Despite the occasional loss of taste, I have managed to pack back some weight due to missing training and poor eating. Some people lose weight during their illness, I am one of those who puts it on. Surprisingly enough, I have had people commenting to me that I look like I lost weight, but the scale and the fit of my clothes definitely tell me otherwise. Well, it is not like I have never had to climb back up the wagon before.
We had an MCR session last week, and I went despite a slight hesitancy in passing on my flu virus to the rest. I really hope no one caught the flu from me. The session was really uneventful in terms of play. We were all so rusty that we even had to re-familiarise ourselves with basic game play, like where to break the wall, draw tiles etc. We definitely had to consult the “almanac” quite frequently for points count. I also had to get re-acquainted with the playing style that was comfortable for me, and not what I thought should be the way to play. Upon reflection, I think I did badly for the first game because I was thinking too much, and trying to manipulate the tiles too hard that I lost sight of the big picture. The second game was much better and easier, because I just relaxed and went with my own instinctive play. I did notice though, that I am more comfortable to keep my hands concealed for a longer period of time, rather than chowing every tile that comes my way. A sign of progress, I think.
However, I think I have to revise my objective to participate in the next international competition, because I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough at this rate. I’ll just be happy to able to go and watch the play, get to know and enjoy the company of other MCR enthusiasts.
The news is all about Michael Jackson’s passing. And Facebook is awashed with RIP MJ statuses. Am I the only one who doesn’t give a damn? How come no one said anything about during the Air France disaster? Even the news is more focused on the investigative efforts than the casualties. I feel way worse when I think about those people who never even had a fighting chance.
Oh, by the way, I gave in and bought “The Sims 3”, after reading some of the reviews. I am not by any means a hardcore Sims fan, though I have played Sims 1 and 2 with some of the expansion packs. After Sims 2, it felt too routine, and I was tired of the go toilet/take shower/eat/woo-hoo cycle that I stopped playing. I didn’t like to leave it to the AI (free will mode) in Sims 1 and 2 to do what they wanted with my Sims, because it seems that all the AI could do was to mess things up, and I didn’t like messes, or cleaning them up. I happen to be one of those “perfectionist” players, and my Sims always have the good traits, are good looking, do everything they should to keep their moods up…..and generally have extremely boring lives. The main reason why I decided to try Sims 3 out again, was the rather favourable reviews on the AI if the sims were left on their own. So far, so good, I’m rather enjoying it, and I think this is going to be a keeper. Except for one thing. Who the hell eats GOLDFISH sushi? Makes me think of those live goldfish swallowing feats…..gag reflex operating.
I am feeling generally lethargic and the thought of going back to work tomorrow sucks. I am still on “holiday” mood, and it is going to take some push to get the engine revving again. I wonder if those people who always say they will continue working even if they had enough money to stop and retire, really mean what they say? I, for one, will totally be happy to stop working if I have the means. There are just so many things to do in life, if I only had the financial means to do them. How can anyone feel that they will become bored and directionless if they didn’t have to work?
Friday, 19 June 2009
CASH, PLEASE!
I got my new mobile phone last weekend, since the old one was hanging by a thread. This is only the second mobile phone that I actually paid for in my entire life, since all my others were hand-me-downs from Dad. That’s the good thing about having a mobile phone geek for a father, since he is always after the latest models, and the rest of us less particular mortals get stuck with his leftovers. However, this time round, he lost his phone just days after he indicated an interest in a new phone, so I had to get a new one for myself.
I went to a Singtel distributor instead of the Hello! shop, since I wasn’t too interested in the massive queues. However, at this distributor, I was requested to pay cash for my new phone, because of the high cost of doing business for the distributor in using either NETS or credit card payment. I was just a little put off, because I had to go some ways to an ATM and get the cash, and if I had been in a hurry, this shop would have lost the sales. Just how many people carry hundreds of dollars with them on a whim? And carrying about 10 credit cards with me, and not being able to make use of them in such a situation makes me feel downright stupid.
There was an article in the papers recently regarding Singapore’s drive to going cashless, and comparing Singapore to countries like US, and some Scandinavian countries. The main point of the article was the lack of a single streamlined and integrated cashless system in Singapore that would do the job effectively and efficiently. We now have NETS and EZ-link in addition to the usual round of credit cards, but there are obvious gaps and overlaps in the various systems. The conclusion was that Singapore would have a long way to go before we will be able to catch up in terms of going cashless.
After the experience with the mobile phone distributor, I have to agree with the article. In addition, the final system should be such that it does not significantly add to the cost of doing business for retailers, who may in turn pass the cost on to the end user. If it is indeed the government’s drive towards a cashless society, then they should also ensure that a monopolistic (or oligopolistic) kind of situation does not arise, and allow the service providers to arbitrarily adjust their costs, as we have seen from the NETS saga here. (I could also name a few other monopolistic public service companies with frequently protested price hikes, but I think we all know which ones these are). Otherwise, we may all just end up with a white elephant on our hands.
By the way, my new phone is a Samsung Ultratouch. I chose it because…..I like the red edgings. Engineer I may be, but I’m still a girl at heart. Why pay so much for something that doesn’t lift your spirits every time you look at it?
I went to a Singtel distributor instead of the Hello! shop, since I wasn’t too interested in the massive queues. However, at this distributor, I was requested to pay cash for my new phone, because of the high cost of doing business for the distributor in using either NETS or credit card payment. I was just a little put off, because I had to go some ways to an ATM and get the cash, and if I had been in a hurry, this shop would have lost the sales. Just how many people carry hundreds of dollars with them on a whim? And carrying about 10 credit cards with me, and not being able to make use of them in such a situation makes me feel downright stupid.
There was an article in the papers recently regarding Singapore’s drive to going cashless, and comparing Singapore to countries like US, and some Scandinavian countries. The main point of the article was the lack of a single streamlined and integrated cashless system in Singapore that would do the job effectively and efficiently. We now have NETS and EZ-link in addition to the usual round of credit cards, but there are obvious gaps and overlaps in the various systems. The conclusion was that Singapore would have a long way to go before we will be able to catch up in terms of going cashless.
After the experience with the mobile phone distributor, I have to agree with the article. In addition, the final system should be such that it does not significantly add to the cost of doing business for retailers, who may in turn pass the cost on to the end user. If it is indeed the government’s drive towards a cashless society, then they should also ensure that a monopolistic (or oligopolistic) kind of situation does not arise, and allow the service providers to arbitrarily adjust their costs, as we have seen from the NETS saga here. (I could also name a few other monopolistic public service companies with frequently protested price hikes, but I think we all know which ones these are). Otherwise, we may all just end up with a white elephant on our hands.
By the way, my new phone is a Samsung Ultratouch. I chose it because…..I like the red edgings. Engineer I may be, but I’m still a girl at heart. Why pay so much for something that doesn’t lift your spirits every time you look at it?
SICK
I had the whole of this week off, from work, from training, from life in general, due to a nasty flu virus. This is the first time ever in my life that I needed an entire week to recover from flu. Either the flu bugs are getting stronger or I’m getting older and weaker, either way, it sucks.
A whole week off sounds great, but when I only manage to sleep, eat, sleep and get even more tired, it sure does not rate as the best week of my life. At least I managed to make up the sleep debt accumulated for the last few years, but somehow all the sleep only made me more tired and needing more sleep. And there is this underlying panic when I think about the work that must have accumulated in my absence, and all the fire-fighting I would have to do when I return. It never pays to take unplanned absences.
And well, being sick is the best excuse in the world to deviate from a diet plan. I tried my best, but the carbs sneaked in somehow, and I’m a little to weary to care. So I’m guessing the scale will not be showing friendly numbers when I get back. I’m just a little irritated by all this cha-cha-cha I’m doing with respect to fat loss, one step forward, two steps back. But I’ll start panicking only when my new clothes start to show signs of strain.
By the way, I finally received my income tax statement, and nearly fainted at the amount of tax that I need to pay – to the call of several thousand dollars. Somehow, I didn’t feel that I received so much income last year. I wish that the government could somehow deduct the tax immediately before giving me my salary, bonus and sundry other stuff, so that I don’t have to go through this lump sum deduction. It feels so much more painful somehow. Like I have been given a piece of pie, then as I take a bite, someone comes along and dig away all the filling.
One thing for sure, I’m going to make a list of items that makes use of my tax money, and make sure I get the maximum use out of these facilities.
A whole week off sounds great, but when I only manage to sleep, eat, sleep and get even more tired, it sure does not rate as the best week of my life. At least I managed to make up the sleep debt accumulated for the last few years, but somehow all the sleep only made me more tired and needing more sleep. And there is this underlying panic when I think about the work that must have accumulated in my absence, and all the fire-fighting I would have to do when I return. It never pays to take unplanned absences.
And well, being sick is the best excuse in the world to deviate from a diet plan. I tried my best, but the carbs sneaked in somehow, and I’m a little to weary to care. So I’m guessing the scale will not be showing friendly numbers when I get back. I’m just a little irritated by all this cha-cha-cha I’m doing with respect to fat loss, one step forward, two steps back. But I’ll start panicking only when my new clothes start to show signs of strain.
By the way, I finally received my income tax statement, and nearly fainted at the amount of tax that I need to pay – to the call of several thousand dollars. Somehow, I didn’t feel that I received so much income last year. I wish that the government could somehow deduct the tax immediately before giving me my salary, bonus and sundry other stuff, so that I don’t have to go through this lump sum deduction. It feels so much more painful somehow. Like I have been given a piece of pie, then as I take a bite, someone comes along and dig away all the filling.
One thing for sure, I’m going to make a list of items that makes use of my tax money, and make sure I get the maximum use out of these facilities.
Sunday, 14 June 2009
OF TRAINING AND AFTERNOON TEA BUFFET AND DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
As one can see from the mish mash in the title, I am getting sick of titling everything “Training Updates - XXXXX” and yet not in a creative enough mood to think of anything more interesting.
I had a relatively good week of training. In particular, I had a great training day during the week itself. The day didn’t start out so good. In actual fact, I felt like I was coming down with a serious flu halfway through the week. I spent the day sleeping and resting and by that evening, I felt fully rested and energetic. By the time I reached the gym, I could feel the power coursing through my limbs, and felt the incredible urge to pull heavy. I thought Popeye probably felt like this every time he got some spinach. I felt so good that I told Coach E that I could do anything that night and probably get some PRs. And I did – back squats at 55 kg. I really do believe I could have done 57.5 kg or maybe even 60 kg if I was in a mind to do so, but decided to be prudent and hone my form on 55 kg. Chin ups was great – finally able to get my chin above the bar and managed controlled lowering for up to 3 sets.
The weekday bout probably tired me out for the Saturday lifting, so I found myself making single lifts of 60 kgs and not being able to do anymore. But I wasn’t too concerned.
Muay Thai has become kind of a roulette wheel experience. I never know whether I am going to have a good session or be wiped out halfway. I can’t even pinpoint, much less control the factors which affect each session. So I guess I can only hope for the best until I graduate from bootcamp and put an end to Saturday heavy lifting and concentrate on Muay Thai. Anyway, I managed to survive this week quite well.
My planned derailment from my diet finally arrived on Saturday afternoon – a glorious afternoon of gourmet delights at Chihuly Lounge, Ritz Carlton. The Chihuly Lounge afternoon teas have always been one of my favourite treats, and the chocolate and nuts theme for the month of April to June was definitely not to be missed. I was not disappointed.
The savoury canapés deserve their own honorable mention. I kept going back for the Wagyu beef sandwich, crab wrap, crab salad, and the asparagus wrapped in beef. The last was a combination of taste and textures that was simply heavenly. I never realised asparagus tasted so good.
While I had meant to gun mostly for the desserts, I could only endure so much sweetness and richness before I had to take a break. I took a little of most of the chocolate stuff, and avoided the peanut butter items, which was too rich for my liking. But the crowning glory of the day was all those scoops of dark chocolate ice cream – best I ever tasted. If logistics didn’t intervene, I would probably have smuggled a whole tubful home to enjoy at leisure.
I go back onto my strict(er) diet regime today. Breaks like yesterday’s afternoon tea makes it all worthwhile….for if I didn’t make the effort to maintain a certain level of diet cleanliness normally, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy yesterday’s spread without any guilt.
And I also believe, however blasphemous it may seem to people of certain persuasions, that if God really made the world, the best thing he did was when he uttered, “Let there be chocolate...and ice cream.”
I had a relatively good week of training. In particular, I had a great training day during the week itself. The day didn’t start out so good. In actual fact, I felt like I was coming down with a serious flu halfway through the week. I spent the day sleeping and resting and by that evening, I felt fully rested and energetic. By the time I reached the gym, I could feel the power coursing through my limbs, and felt the incredible urge to pull heavy. I thought Popeye probably felt like this every time he got some spinach. I felt so good that I told Coach E that I could do anything that night and probably get some PRs. And I did – back squats at 55 kg. I really do believe I could have done 57.5 kg or maybe even 60 kg if I was in a mind to do so, but decided to be prudent and hone my form on 55 kg. Chin ups was great – finally able to get my chin above the bar and managed controlled lowering for up to 3 sets.
The weekday bout probably tired me out for the Saturday lifting, so I found myself making single lifts of 60 kgs and not being able to do anymore. But I wasn’t too concerned.
Muay Thai has become kind of a roulette wheel experience. I never know whether I am going to have a good session or be wiped out halfway. I can’t even pinpoint, much less control the factors which affect each session. So I guess I can only hope for the best until I graduate from bootcamp and put an end to Saturday heavy lifting and concentrate on Muay Thai. Anyway, I managed to survive this week quite well.
My planned derailment from my diet finally arrived on Saturday afternoon – a glorious afternoon of gourmet delights at Chihuly Lounge, Ritz Carlton. The Chihuly Lounge afternoon teas have always been one of my favourite treats, and the chocolate and nuts theme for the month of April to June was definitely not to be missed. I was not disappointed.
The savoury canapés deserve their own honorable mention. I kept going back for the Wagyu beef sandwich, crab wrap, crab salad, and the asparagus wrapped in beef. The last was a combination of taste and textures that was simply heavenly. I never realised asparagus tasted so good.
While I had meant to gun mostly for the desserts, I could only endure so much sweetness and richness before I had to take a break. I took a little of most of the chocolate stuff, and avoided the peanut butter items, which was too rich for my liking. But the crowning glory of the day was all those scoops of dark chocolate ice cream – best I ever tasted. If logistics didn’t intervene, I would probably have smuggled a whole tubful home to enjoy at leisure.
I go back onto my strict(er) diet regime today. Breaks like yesterday’s afternoon tea makes it all worthwhile….for if I didn’t make the effort to maintain a certain level of diet cleanliness normally, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy yesterday’s spread without any guilt.
And I also believe, however blasphemous it may seem to people of certain persuasions, that if God really made the world, the best thing he did was when he uttered, “Let there be chocolate...and ice cream.”
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