Going off.

Hi baby,

I decided to do an update on the off-chance that you'd check tonight.

I'm through customs, and waiting to board the plane - as usual, they're running slightly behind, as they always seem to do with budget airlines.

Thanks for coming down with me to the airport even though you were pooped beyond words - you didn't say it, but I could see it in your eyes.

I thought it was particularly cute how you wanted to say you'd miss me, and that you're worried about me going off on my own, but didn't quite want to say it out loud - and direct. Instead, it came out in random lines like "maybe you'll miss your flight".

Truth be told, I like it when you worry sometimes, because you so often maintain a neutral disposition. I suspect that's why I poke you sometimes - you know, just to elicit a reaction, of the emotional variety of course.

Anyway, I am worried about cabbing around on my own there given our bad experiences of getting conned and blackmailed - really, it's such a lawless place! But I'm going to be brave about it, and use it as "training".

After all, if I can't survive cabbing around Bangkok, how am I going to survive our future back-packing plans right !

It's 9,59pm, and they've finally announced that we can board.

I'm going to log off now.

Will text you when I land. And call you when I make it in one piece to the hotel.

Love you.

Sweet dreams.

*pecks you on the forehead*

Reporting live from C3 (Cookie Central Command).

I've been checking my Facebook page quite obsessively the past couple of days, and I can't decide if I like being part of this hyper-connected clique, or not.

On the one hand, it feels nice to be in touch and reconnecting with friends I haven't spoken to in awhile. But on the other, it feels just a little tedious to keep up with conversations when they're happening all over the place, and you have to check on multiple fronts. Plus I'm not a seasoned user, so I find it hard to keep up with the buttons.

Just looking through the pages of friends and relllies I haven't seen in awhile, I'm amazed at just how differently (though not entirely bad) all of us have turned out. It's surreal when you think about it really. But I guess we've all grown up.

Tomorrow's my 2nd half marathon, and I'm really excited. The only part I'm not looking forward to, is waking up before the crack of dawn, and figuring out the best way to get there. My place is part of the race route, so it's going to take lots of artful dodging to figure out a route to the start point.

Buying tickets online

I went onto the GV website this afternoon to buy tickets for GI Joe. Alas, I got stuck twice at the screen that tells you not to "close or refresh the page".

I haven't bought tickets from GV in a long time - Cathay and Film Garde being my usual haunts these days - but I remember a time when their sites were THE benchmark in cinema sites. Just when did they get so horrid.

Anyway, because I was alone at lunch, and had some time on my hands, I decided to go down to Plaza Sing to get the tickets in person instead - can't remember the last time I did that.

Oh wait I do. Last year, when my sister bought me GV Grand ticket vouchers for my birthday - you should never buy anyone tickets that they cannot use online. I kept it till the day of expiry and ended up having to sit in the first row, watching Australia (a very long movie) from a terribly uncomfortable angle (neck almost at 180degrees).

You know, I have this belief in the Just World theory, and so I always tell myself that good things come to those who wait. I also believe in karma, and abiding by the rules. And unicorns. And advertisements. So I'm probably a nut job.

But like I was saying, there I was, standing in line, thinking to myself what a refreshing change this is. I waited for about 15minutes before it was my turn. I bounced up to the lady and told her that I'd like 2 tickets.

She looked at me and said "5th row from the back".

"urm, ok", I responded meekly.

I paid up, with no inkling how many rows from the front, 5th row from the back was. Took my tickets and went back to the office.

I then went to the site again to see where exactly my seat was in the cinema - and turns out, there were actually more seats nearer the back, but 5th row from the back wasn't too bad, so I guess that was fine, even though it wasn't my preferred.

To save a $1 for the agony of not knowing where your place in the cinema is, is truly not worth the trade off.

You would think (or so I thought), that you'd get better options turning up in person, as opposed to making a purchase online, no ? I mean, I actually WAITED in line. Does that not warrant anything in this just world ?

But whatever.

Never again.

I'm slowly learning it isn't such a just world after all. And that I should take advantage of the little things, where I can. Accidentally got charged less at a store for an item ? Just take it. You won't get rewarded for pointing out the error. These 'accidents' in your favour is the world's way of rewarding you, so enjoy it.

SBR - 160809

So, I can't believe how quickly time has ticked by.

The Safra Bay Run is this Sunday - flagoff time, 0530 hours at Esplanade Drive.

Did you know, all this time when I was reading about it, I was under the impression that Sheares Bridge (the Sheares Bridge Run is what this used to be called) was the bridge just after the Suntec portion of the Nicholl highway. I drive down that stretch often enough to feel comfortable running it, so it didn't occur to me to check the race route till a couple of days ago.

And holy crap !

Turns out, Sheares Bridge as I know it, isn't actually the bridge on Nicholl highway. It's the ECP ! It starts at Esplanade drive, which means a steep climb up the bridge. *gulps*

I've mostly run on flat ground so I'm wondering just how much of me the upward climb is going to take.

On the bright side, at least I know now so I don't get a rude shock on the day. Besides, it's the first leg of the run so maybe it won't be so bad.

This is going to be my second half marathon, and I'm aiming to beat the time that I clocked for the Stanchart Marathon last year.

And as a 'seasoned' (yes, 1 half marathon and a 10km maketh a 'seasoned' runner in my books - what can I say, I live by standards different to the rest of the world) runner, this is what I know now.

1. Don't try to take public transport there - it's too god damn early. Even the trains aren't running.

2. Get there early so you have time to figure out where the hell the elusive bag deposit is located - and also so you don't realise too late that you have no idea where the actual start point is, and are still plodding across mud (running season always seems to coincide with the rainy season, so the ground is almost always muddy) when the gun goes.

3. A water belt is very handy - for girls, bring a man, so he can strap it on. Me, I just don't like being bogged down by things when I run so said man comes in useful for offloading stuff to. Thirsty, just hold out your hand and he hands you one of the little tumblers from his waterbelt. Sick of your ishuffle, just take it out and hand it over to the man to store in the little empty pocket of his waterbelt (earphones too, so you don't have them flying about your person, sticking to your chest or swatting your face as you bounce along). Need a little sugar boost ? Swat him on the arm and expect him to understand that you want to be fed the little gummy candies in his pocket.

4. Bring a change of clothes and flip-flops to change into post-run, so you can lounge in relative comfort in the blazing heat, whilst above-mentioned man runs around trying to get you a bottle of 100plus from one of the confusingly laid out tents.

5. Take your race bib out of the bag BEFORE depositing it. And after you take it out, hold on to it, and remember that you're holding on to it. I have a tendency to hold on to things, and then forget that I'm holding on to them so I let go without even realising it, till it's too late. Last year, I had to retrace my steps after going into a mini-hissy fit just before the run.

6. You know how I said don't attempt to take public transport there, well, turns out, you shouldn't attempt to drive there either unless you want to be first, stuck in a jam, and second, circling the area looking for parking - a close-to-impossible feat. Plus, who has the energy to drive home after the excruciating run anyway. The best way to get to a run is to badger a parent (or friend) into sending you there, and of course, pick you up after too.

7. Pee at home before the run because you don't want to end up waiting 20minutes for a gross porta-loo whilst trying to navigate tens of thousands of people who are making their way to the start line. Even worse if the urge comes mid-run and you're standing there, watching time tick by whilst runners throng on by.


Those are my 7 tips.

I was just looking through some old Facebook photos I got tagged on, and I think I've aged a lot in the past couple of years.

Growing up, or should I say growing old, is a scary process both physically, and mentally. Your skin starts to sag, your brain starts to slow down.

And then one day you catch yourself wondering, if you've made it anywhere in life..at all ?

That question haunts me almost daily. Twice, on a bad day.

Is this how it's meant to start out ? Slow cruising in the first few years, and then big giant leaps ahead before you hit a plateau sometime in your mid 40s ? Because at the rate I'm going, I'm not sure it feels like I'm going anywhere at all.

Often I wonder, how is it that people are able to afford the things they can.

What is it that they do for a living ? And how did they get there ?

How hard do they slog, and do they really love their jobs/lives ?

Each time I drive home, I go past rows of shiny new houses with mercs, bimmers, audis and even a few lambos parked proudly out front.

Then I think of myself, and my job, and I know, I'll never be able to afford a house here if I keep doing what I'm doing.

But then I think of monkeypants. And I know, that a comfy abode is all we need. Bananas optional.

Pushing 30 now.

Better catch up on my twenty winks so I'm rested to continue climbing this very very steep corporate ladder tomorrow.

Night !

Happy Birthday Baby !

Tomorrow, my niece Kaelynn turns 1, and we're celebrating with a family dinner at Tetsuya. She'll probably be gorging her face with a tumbler full of porridge the way she normally does, followed by a container of banana puffs.

It's no easy feat maintaining her weight in the top 97th percentile of her age group after all, one has to work hard at stuffing one's face all the time. And I know from personal experience (the stuffing, not the 97th percentile - that status has strangely eluded me thus far) that that's tough. Your mouth gets all achy from the chewing.

But then again, she is eating porridge and a myriad of other melt-in-your-mouth type foods because she's not really able to use her pea-sized teeth yet, so I guess it doesn't ache all that much.

What I really want to say though is, you've grown so quickly baby Kaelynn and are turning into such a pretty little bub. I love how your dimples show when you smile, and the way you're learning to do little things like wave, clap and touch your little grubby finger to my nose - sure, it's still very hit and miss with you at this point, with the wave, clap and touching of the nose, you only seem to respond to it one out of every ten times - but still, I'm really loving watching you learn and grow.

Happy birthday baby !

And just for you, I'm going to eat all the things that you can't eat yet tomorrow at dinner.

He tickles me so.

So today I met the boyfriend at the lift landing to go for lunch and he said "hey baby guess what!" (bouncing, like the little MSN icon on macs do when you get a new message).

"What ?", I asked.

"We have a new colleague! You know, that girl, used to work on KrisFlyer, her, that girl!"

And there I was, looking at him strange because this is coming from him - him who worked on KrisFlyer for more than two years. Between the two of us, if you had to ask either of us about the people who worked on KrisFlyer, you would ask him.

"Which girl ? L, Y ? Who ?"

"You know, you know her !"

Still looking at him strange. "No, I don't believe I do."

"Yes yes you do, you do !", like a bunny on steroids.

Recognition dawning on me, as I recall this girl, let's call her R, who he used to mention working with before I joined the agency.

Now let me just say, he wasn't the best of friends with her but they were alright. They worked together. And he mentioned her in conversations occasionally. He even went for her farewell dinner, I saw pictures on Facebook ! And all this time, whenever he mentions her, he always calls her by her name - R. So it would only be natural for me to assume that he knows her name, no ?

But he did the strangest thing.

He turned to me as I said "do you mean R?", and responded "oh, is that her name ??".

So I looked at him strange again. "Yes", I responded slowly. "I believe that would be her name, as told to me by you."

"No, no, but I don't know her name, I'm not sure what her name is" he insists, at which point he picks up the phone to call one of our ex-colleagues, F. He rambles on with her for a bit, asking if her name was indeed R.

And all this time, I was just walking alongside him thinking "What !?".

Like seriously.

I don't know this girl. Never met her before. I know of her through you. You talk about her once in awhile. Have pictures with her on Facebook, and then you decide that though you always refer to her as R, you're not really sure what her name is ?

He boggles me, he really does.

The night before, we dropped by Cold Storage after dinner so I could browse - I love supermarkets. We wandered over to the section selling face products because he wanted to get a face wash.

He stood there dallying for awhile, wondering out loud why the hell there were at least 3 different variations of face wash from one brand alone - "What is the difference between gel, foam and this exfoliating thing?".

So I explained to him what each did, whilst he stood there looking increasingly confused with a bottle in each hand.

After a bit, I picked up a bottle of Men's Biore wash and said "how about this?"

He responded in all seriousness, "oh no, I can't get that. Do you know, they do animal testing ? They skin rabbits to test on them" and then he goes back to peering at the bottles he had in his hands.

At that point I just felt like squishing him. I mean it doesn't even occur to me to think of things like that consciously - and if you knew us, you'd definitely have me pegged as the more environmental conscious of the two of us.

It was just a tiny moment, but it's precisely tiny random moments like that that tug at my heart strings.

My man really, he's just a wee boy at heart.