back on wheels

i haven't biked for almost a year. this morning, dearie and i got up at 5am and went out for a ride.

my legs felt much like 2 anvils..and climbing upslope was particularly challenging. it was pretty disheartening to realise how much bike fitness and handling skills i've lost.

if time permits, i would love to bike at least once a week to cross train between run training.

the feeling of the wind blowing against my face still feels great..like it always has.

with all the twisting in and out of the cleats, the top of my left foot is hurting again. icing it now as i type this entry.. hope to do a short 45mins run later this evening to complete the given workout for the week. =)

only 4 of us turned up for mr run yesterday..but i'm glad we did. the weather was marvelous.. and chatting along with isabel made time pass fast. we completed whatever was required, albeit going pretty slow. at the end of the run, we kind of concluded we still prefer running mr in the morning because it leaves us more time to do other things for the rest of the day.

the future of runfanatics seems a little uncertain.. and i'm a little worried how i can hold things together. starting something is always, it's the sustaining that's a challenge. i'm not sure how and where..but i was discussing with isabel that i hope we can gather a couple more committed runners to join the team. perhaps some working adults will be good to have..because in a way, age does affect maturity; maturity to commit and stay with it.

i'll try my best to do whatever i can. dearie told me this yesterday as i whined about it, "baby, don't worry. i'll definitely support you." thank you dearie. i know i can always count on you. well, even if no one turns up for training, that's fine. because we will still run anyway..right? =)

piano in black

When I was in primary school, I took the school bus that ferried me from my home to school. Every morning without fail, after picking peasant-class tricia from her 3-room hillview hdb estate, it will then trudge through high-class estates along bt timah road. The bus went deep into the estates where all the gigantic houses are located. Those were mammoth-sized compared to our humble 3 room flat.

Vivid in my memory after 2 decades is this majestic black grand piano placed right at the front living hall of a house. The house had full length glass windows which allowed people to marvel at the furnishings. The piano stood with grandeur at the entrance, a centerpiece that cannot be missed by any visitors of the house. The cold white marble floor contrasted starkly to the timbre piano’s black.

The presence of the piano awed me and I have secretly resolved that one day, if I own a place huge enough to house a grand piano, I would place it in exactly that manner too. (the photo on the left which I found on gettyimages looks pretty much like what I saw in the house)

This little dream dwindled away over the years as I stopped piano classes and playing in the church band. recently,Dearie sparked my interest to play the piano again. now that I am playing again.. this dream of owning a grand piano..placing it in my home as a centerpiece is once again rekindled.

Ahh and yes, piano ,in any colour other than black, is a mistake. To tricia, pianos should all exist in BLACK, because no other colour brings out the grandeur of a piano better. =)

all in a chord

In this year, I took on a new responsibility of captain to the team I train with, Team Runfanatics.

We started with a blast in May 08 and we made it through together till now. some can no longer be with us due to other commitments, nonetheless, we did have additions to the team too.

Upon taking on the role, I now understand better the difficulties our managers face. It’s a challenge to gather a group of people, especially when all are from varied backgrounds. Unlike in school, everyone adheres to a similar school curriculum. In the team, some are working while some are studying..some have kids, some are singletons. As much as all are passionate for running, but every individual’s degree of passion differs from another.

it’s good we did some groundwork; to find out individual’s level of commitment and goals for the year. by knowing where everyone stands, I managed to sift out a core group of roughly 7 people out of the team of 20+.

Weekly training now stands about 5-6 people. I have started a little spreadsheet that keeps a full name list of the team and attendance sheet with remarks on the training and weather. Personally feel it’ll be helpful to keep a log of what we did. I’m not trying to keep tab of who comes and who doesn’t..but more for the purpose of observing if there is a trend in attendance vs performance. In addition, it also helps us find out who we can gather to form groups to join races.

I hope those who opt to be in will continue to stay in..while those who are out at the moment, may one day want to opt in.

Work has been a bit of a drag these days. Despite making through 2008 into the new year, it has not lifted my morale significantly. i am just counting my days down. First milestone was the change of year – that I endured through. Next in line would be my 2 years’ mark in the company – another 3.5months to go. after which, I reckon it’ll be the completion of my studies, optimistically by 1^st week of dec – 8 months after.

I ought to be thankful I still have a job and getting paid for my time. count my blessings, not my worries!

And yes! My piano has been tuned! Thank you mr lim for coming by yesterday. now it sounds better..and I’ve been practicing the entertainer tune a little a day. hope I can play it properly for dearie soon. Subsequently, I’ll refresh on some easy sonatas before getting into chopin again. I should get into playing form in a year or so, cross my fingers =P

life's a balance

Why does good time seem to speed pass in the twinkle of an eye?

Dearie and I spent 4 delightful days together, away from work and just doing things we enjoy.

Highlights of this much needed break were:

1. dearie engaged movers to shift my piano over to our home! =D

2. we played piano together and dearie mastered almost half of the piece “the entertainer”

3. we revised through some music theory. Hope I didn’t confuse dearie =P

4. we brought my acoustic guitar over and got it tuned up

5. dearie composed a song.. played the guitar and sang along. It only has 2 verses at present..i’m waiting for the chorus!

6. we ran macritchie twice. Once on Friday..which I suffered badly due to the foot injury.. the 2^nd time was on Sunday with our team. It was a blast..coz I really enjoyed running with Isabel. We discussed on how we will pace each other for the ultra at year end..we’ll need to strategise and work with coach so that we stand a better chance to win this year.

7. saw the doctor on my foot injury. It was a long 1.5hours of wait..and a simple procedure of pricking 4 needles into both my foot.. yet it enabled me to run 14km on the next day. =)

8. we had nice garlic-ky meals together. Both of us love garlic and I cooked a few meals with nice fresh garlic mixed with ma’s home made chilli.. woooohoo.. heavenly! Running out of ma’s chilli soon.. we’ll have to stock up with 2 bottles when we return home for cny!

9. we went shoes shopping. Had wanted to get a normal running shoes..but both of us ended with trail shoes. I think it’s perfect for the cross country runs we’ll be doing. =)

10. dearie picked for me a nice pink flowery dress for Cny. Now I must ensure I stay slim to fit into it!

I lied in bed wishing the 4 days didn’t have to pass so swiftly. Nonetheless, I understand there is a time for everything. As I sit at my work station now, I need to work to survive. My consolation for the day is my supervisor is on medical leave. At least I won’t have to deal with her breathing down my neck on a blue-y Monday morning.

Looking on the brighter side of things, we’re merely 3 weeks away from cny. It’ll be another round of feasting and fun with the family!

In a way or another, I lived through the patchy 2008. weathering through the many bouts of wanting to quit, I am still at this job. dearie taught me to set my sight afar; to look at my priorities and not let little fusses distract me. I secretly still hope my supervisor dissipates into thin air many a times.. but projecting far, I want to hold on till I complete my studies. Those words spoken by the finance director of FX still ring in my ears sometimes. And whenever I get really frustrated, dearie always help me put things in perspective..and of course, curse my supervisor for me when things are unjustified.

There are many things aside from work worth looking forward too. snuggling with dearie.. training with the team.. swimming in the pool.. playing the piano.. working towards a goal in a race.. studying hard to achieve good results.. spending time with my beloved family..

Life’s an act of balancing – balancing things we like and dislike is one.