Wednesday, August 01, 2007
it's hard
Taming my taste buds is something I am trying to do. I have a tendency to go for food with strong tastes; it’s a real challenge trying to tone down on it.
Attempts to lose weight continue to seem infertile. I am so tempted to resort to unorthodox means but I know it does me no good. Somehow I never can accept the way I look – flabby arms, bulging tummy, thunder legs.. there’s always something to find flaw in. Oh please let me lose a good 5kgs and I’ll be thankful!
Dearie, tony and I will be racing in the coming ace adventure. We’ve only got 1 goal for this race..and we all know what! Haha. Haven’t done adventure races for a long while..it’s good to get into the action again.
Desaru training isn’t looking too good. I might give it a pass than to go there and merely do it for the sake of doing. I want to go to do it at the best I can, not just go through the motion.
Am I being too hard on myself already? Hmm.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
how to build a kingdom
"Exercise is King. Nutrition is Queen. Put them together and you've got a kingdom." - Jack La Lanne
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
vrooom vrooooooom!!
want to pass my bike test too..slowly pick it up and complete it..like mum says..got to finish off what i started..cannot leave things half way..
life's jam packed..work's jam packed..training will soon be jam packed too.
Friday, May 25, 2007
TGIF
In all the busy-ness of working 7 days a week, with occasional getaways with superboy for runs and races, I actually find myself half smiling in my sleep.
I find myself doing useful work – reports that tell a tale of how a company has been faring. I’ve got hardly time to type my blog at work, unlike my previous jobs that gave me much more flexibility and leeway. I find my time is used productively, as I can walk out of office feeling satisfied with the tasks I have managed to complete for the day.
Being esteemed for the work I do, I am given an opportunity to prove I can do something worth the mention. Unlike rjc which only saw me qualified to fold brochures and saw little of what my background and education can contribute as well.
In all, I’m thankful for God opening each and every door, for every station has to be linked with a track between them.
And where ever I go, I know I have my loved ones with me – superboy, mummy, christin and other friends who keep me going on.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
have a good day
work has been a challenge on its own. with deadlines to meet and a whole lot new things to learn..i've got to be constantly on my toes. the downside of work is that my eye sight is deteriorating as i've got to stare at the monitors for long hours a day. astigmatism seems to be crawling right back in again. lazy eyes..does it mean i've got to get my glasses on again. sigh.
driving has been fun so far. there's alot of polish up before the actual tp test itself.. i do certainly hope i clear it once and for all.
training has taken a bad seat in my life for now. working out is more for the sake of keeping fats off than for performance at any race. not many race goals for now..just the simple "completion".
my eyes are going blurry now. need to look away. work is starting soon in 15mins.
i hope u have a good day too.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
picking life's pieces
exchange rates, financial statements.. i'm back to accounting again. the cycle's coming to its full round. i took a part of my life to go explore..now it's back to pursue whatever i last left off.
i haven't felt such mental fatigue in a while. as i pored through the 3 years' of accounts i'm suppose to regenerate its financial reports.. it drained me mentally. 2nd day at work and things are still going pretty smooth. i want to make this job work out. and i will refuse to give up easily.
my skin has been giving me alot of problems. itching badly. i hope it goes off soon. it's agonising.
haven't been training as much as i hope i can.
time to pick up my driving lessons next week. must arrange for it tomorrow.
picking pieces up.
Friday, April 13, 2007
work hit a bottom following the decision to leap for a no-pay leave starting monday. but i'm thankful God opened 2 interviews next tuesday. both at tuas, which i'm ok with. let's hope both will go ok.
the flat hunt collided into the murky end when the sums worked out to be a great hefty bit of cash upfront. we really don't have that much on our hands, but both of us are willing to give all we've got. this decision is a huge one..i was even reduced to tears coz i realized how i've foolishly spent my money on things that won't build my future. i learnt my lesson to always save, save, save.
even as my morale plunged coz i really wish i had more to offer and i wish i had not spent so much time in social work which enriched my life but not my pockets, i told myself there's no point dwelling in the past. as i leaned my head upon his shoulders, i knew i must pick myself up. change that negate feeling into strength that'll propel me to find a job that'll earn me more, build my career..progress..invest and study..for these will be what will develop my life.
yes, i do feel poor when i know i might be emptying all i have into a home. but i know there's no point dwelling on the state, fold my arms and do nothing about it. i must break out of this state, and the only way to do it is to work harder and save more. poor people don't have to always remain poor, if they know how to empower themselves to move out of the vicious cycle.
superboy & fighter.. both with such great spirit..how can we not live up to the names we choose to call ourselves by. i love the word fighter..coz it has the never-say-die attitude in it. this is one life situation that such attitude must arise. my attitude will determine my altitude, motivational speakers often say.
the day was on a roller coaster today. with the up of knowing today's my last day and mr c.a. who seemed quite helpeful to get it to come to past. down when he almost blew his top coz i was trying to clarify that i should only be returning half the net pay not the gross. up again when i gotten a call from one other company in tuas for interview on tues.. up again when i finished my cip data entry. and up again when i gotten an interview with safra. however, it dipped just 1min ago when i received an email that 1 out of the 3 interviews has been cancelled coz the position has been filled up. that's fine. still got 2 to be hopeful of. may God open the right door to the right job.
Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.
Leon J. Suenes
Thursday, April 12, 2007
tricia goes around the money which makes the world go round
sneaked out at 2pm to the arcade at raffles place to get my eyebrows trimmed. i came back 15mins late. 315 i set foot into the office. prior to that i received 2 mystery calls from a 6416XXXX number which i decided not to pick up as i was in the mrt. it's too similar to my office num 6419 XXXX. gulps. it's totally alright to use my lunch break to run errands..just that knowing i was going to be 15mins late..that brought apprehension in me to pick up the phone. anyway i'm already back in the office now..so pfft.. -dumps it a side-
the whole flat thing drowned my spirit in a pail of water. somehow it led me to think what have i been doing for the past 5 years of work. i hate myself for deviating out to do social work.. i desperately must get back to finance now.. everything is just quantified in monetary terms..and i need the vitamin M badly. =(
as i saw the panes on the mrt doors reflect tricia, i somehow do think i got a nice physique of one who probably can try passing off as a physical trainer. it led me to think if i could make something of it.. but i guess the process required of me is to do my bec and ft courses.
was pondering a little of how to make a catering business work.
whatever can make money, i want to try.
or perhaps i should take up another job at 7-11 coz the clinic job didn't quite work out. =(
indeed..money makes the world go round.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
going no-pay
i was totally left out of the isle programme today..which i didn't bother to ask why. on the brighter side, it's not all a bad thing i'm excluded.. at least i won't have to do another camp for thursday and friday.
a few things on my to-do-list as i go on no-pay leave starting next monday
1. interview at tuas
2. hair cut with patrick
3. get my eyebrows trimmed
4. shopping with my mum
5. catch up on sleep/rest
6. continue to send out lots of applications
7. confirm itinerary for hanoi
friday is coming so close, so close!! =)
Monday, April 09, 2007
my days at rjc are numbered!
had a really satisfying dinner with superboy and meow yesterday at thomson. we had: fish hor fun. fish in sweet & sour sauce, spicy potato leaves, ha kows, siew mais..yum yum!!
that was what i call a PROPER meal! after the 12 1/2hrs race in selangor..
totally enjoyed the eco-xtreme race...though it did get really trying at the 20km bike up fraser's hill and the 4hrs up and down trek to the 2 summits. the rafting was fun, the mountain biking portion was great!..abseiling down the 60m bridge was the best i've yet done for all my races..and to top that off..tyrolean traverse across the unpicturesque water fall at gunung chilling..beautiful!! nomad never fails to bring to us good races =)
have been sending out lots of resumes for the past 3 weeks. so far only 1 company has responded but i'm finding difficulties to go down for interview as it's almost impossible to take leave from rj side. sigh. i hope my no-pay leave request goes through, that'll release me to be able to go for interviews starting next week.
mum and superboy have been really supportive in my career move back to finance.. even as i decided to take a leap to go on no-pay leave earlier than my last day.
update at 3:22pm. mel came over and told me my no-pay leave has been approved by the vp. she'll help me settle it. it's really such a burden off me as i've been vexed over the whole matter of whether they'll release me that soon. i guess they do find me a waste of their resources and time, might as well boot me away since i asked for it. but it's good..coz i can finally arrange for the interview at tuas. =)
all of rcel is out for recce at ubin except me. i'm pretty contented in the office doing data entry. at least i know i can go off at 6pm sharp and go for my badminton class at 8pm with no qualms. let's just hope given my last day being friday, i'll be spared from the camp this thurs and fri.
my aim is just to finish the whole box of cip records by friday. i think there is no need for me to attempt to jut my head into what the rest of them are doing, just for the sake of knowing what's going on..and in the process, i get myself into more unnecessary work.
wrapping the day soon..finish a few more entries..then it's badminton time! yay!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
the essence of life
1. i lose having time outside working hours to do my own things. basically 1st day of camp ends at night. and 2nd day of camp ends around 5pm. latest we've gone to is 11pm for 1st day, 730pm for 2nd day. with that kind of load for 4 out of 5 working days, my energy doesn't get replenished at all.
2. my energy is sapped- both mentally and physically. i've got little energy and drive to train much these days. no wonder none others in rcel are into adventure racing nor any form of endurance sports. i guess they are like me- no energy left.
3. efforts don't always go appreciated, nor is all the work always effective. some classes feel they are already bonded and don't need a short 1.5days camp at all. if they themselves don't see a need, then why do it in the first place? i've yet to see a counsellor going to a client and telling him/her..u need counselling, please come to me now.
the entire feeling is like standing on a piece of thin ice floating in the sea. i can't run from it, i can't choose to jump off from it. filled with dread and reluctance i am made to stand on it till i see land which i can land my feet on.
deep in me, i would like to leap off, plunge into the freezing water if i have to..at least i free myself from the no-choice situation. translate that into my present situation, means i would request to leave mid-month instead of month end. but is that possible? i'm really not too sure though.
i read of the rich and beautiful in urban today and i am filled with a bad concoction of envy and jealousy. i'm envious how some can have such a luxurious life with the world circling around them..jealous how they have so much money to possess whatever they desire, splurging 10k just to dress up for a ball..while i don't even have 10k in my posb savings account. these are just the rich, beautiful and lucky ones existing in the world who probably won't know much of what it means to have the banks tax $2 admin charges on your bank account.
all i'm hoping is to get a decent job..get a decent pay..have time to train for races i enjoy.. spend quality time with my loved ones.. smile everyday and know everything will be ok.
so much things these days come with a price tag on them these days..quantified in monetary terms. i actually do want to dress up more.. get a nice hair colour and hairdo..wear pretty frocks.. enjoy spa.. have facials..but those are luxuries not in my means. i can probably just look from afar and rant.. "i don't think those are for me."
in all the bleakness, living simple isn't all that a bad thing. i'm happy with a small flat. happy just huddle around with superboy in front of the tv, eating dinner. happy just working weekends at running lab with interesting colleagues. at the heart of it all, we all just want love. to love and be loved in return. that's the essence of life. =)
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
greyish days at rjc
4 more camps up ahead and 3 of them with no venues. overheard a possibility of ending up at ubin. uh-oh..i've got badminton class on one of the camps.. how am i going to get back ashore, go for class then rush back to camp? i sense a impending disapproval of me going for class again. work is work is work is work, and there is NO compromise to that. i hate camps coz it saps my energy and ruins all own life outside working hours. i have things i want to learn and develop in..
map says we get from pt a to pt b via road c, and that's the way we MUST go. no to road d even if it's faster..NO to road e even if it's flatter. road c it is, road c it must be. such inflexibility affects me tremendously because as my mum requested me to take some off time to spend with her, i could only say i can't. reason is because i'm told i must put in all the hours required of the camp..9am to 11pm..9 am to 6/7pm the next day..and for all that there is no privilege of time off or rest. i think i won't want to voice and ask for me too, in case i'm seen as a trouble maker trying to find flexibility in her system which is rigidly structured as such.
another reason for my departure is the salary which i feel is pathetic. moving back to finance which i can better put my qualifications to use than be literally trampled on coz i don't fit into their mould of how a training facilitator should be. moreover, i don't need their sympathy to TAKE ME IN. those words suck. i'm not a wandering stray that needs a shelter over my head. i want to redeem my esteem n walk away with my head held high.
been terribly left out in alot of work related things since i tendered. i'm trying to not let it affect me..because i didn't choose to be left out..i'm just left out coz i'm soon going to leave. so i guess the rest felt there's no need to involve me too much. oh well..
dw constantly reminds me "the thing is..you are leaving soon." that's really a good thought to focus on, when the lights dim so much it's uncomfortable to be in.
interview at queensway turned out pleasantly nice with doctor wang. wondering what'll be the outcome. would i get it?
i don't know where it will eventually lead me to, but i only want to utilise all the time i have in my hands to earn more. there's alot ahead which requires the cash and i'm lacking much in vitamin M. (m for money)
i know i can survive. i am a gal who can work her way thru to survive. having grown up with little, i can live with little.
sometimes i really want to break down and cry..but what would crying help? at the end of it, i would still have to decide where i want to venture to.. i would have to still stand up and continue in the journey.
1 more day to go before i head to kkb for race. no camps. good thing. i'll probably spend tomorrow doing data entry. a whole box full. got to get it going.
working evenings from 630pm to 9pm at rln for the next 2 days. make up a little for the week ends i'll be missing.
will be making some small tokens for a few nice people i've met at rjc. despite all the unhappiness..there r these handful of nice teachers and colleagues i can truly smile at with no qualms. that's some consolation, isn't it?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
silver lining around every dark cloud
singapore bi: i think according to the clock i did a 1:51 thereabouts. i thought i did the 10km at a miserably slow speed.. but i kept telling myself i don't want to cheong and leave myself all depleted, jeopardizing the longer run next day. so i just kept to my small little strides at a slow pace. even bernard who was there supporting, asked," why so slow?"
kl marathon: our hotel was situated in the heart of chinatown. got my hands on a few nice bags and card holder. i was trying my best to do a sub-5 but the terrain was comparatively tougher than scsm. kl's route is full of hills..and the last 10km brought us through a long uphill which was part of the 30km pacesetters route. the only thing i could tell myself to do is to keep running and NOT STOP. came in at the time of 5:01 which is 14mins slower than scsm. felt the fatigue kick in much much earlier around the 8km mark, compared to the 15km mark for scsm. water was plentiful with 100plus and water stations.. starting early at 430am was a bonus as well. route was well thought out..at least we didn't have to run to and fro the same place..it was around the outskirts of kl city and then into the heart of the city..back around then back in.. my 1st time doing this route..and next year when i'm back, i promise to be more prepared for it. and of course, doing the bi the day before and then a marathon was a bad idea..haha..no more of that next year! =P
and yes.. MOS SAVED THE DAY!! without MOS, i couldn't have kept running. after 20km mark, it was MOS music that kept my legs going. i just let the pounding of the music fill me entirely..and i told myself i just want to keep moving my legs to the music. i promise this time i'll get myself MOS CDs..to think the 1st ones i ripped were from aaron.. MOS is TRICIA's SOLUTION To MARATHON AGONY!
work is now of fuzzy grey and it's doesn't seem to be making much sense to me. there are things i know i must do and those are in clear light..however, those which are expected of me..and those others perceive of me, that's in the fuzz.
like christin said," if i gives me so much inner conflict, then seriously consider about it." yes, it is causing much inner conflict. and yes, i am seriously considering how helpful it is to me.
meanwhile, in all haziness of things, my consolation is knowing God, superboy and christin will always be by me. mummy is there too! silver lining around every dark cloud i guess. so, tricia, smile. =)
Friday, March 16, 2007
fat blasting and onto hanoi!
teacher j: hey..my class camp how liao? my 5star room ready?
colleagues cm: ya..6 star.
cm: and can see alot of stars at nite too.
teacher j: o_O
teacher j: actually i just need aircon la
me: yea..alot of natural aircon..that u can't turn off.
teacher j: can't turn off? o_O
the day started on a high note in the treble as i "attempted" for the first time to pack lunch for super boy. menu for the day: brown race (pre-fried with shallots and garlic), sardines and boiled broccoli. hope it's edible-licious for superboy's tummy.
after the hustle and bustle, we went for an ez 4km run. enjoyed it as we just chit chatted along..4km went by in a blink of an eye.
reading. just feeding my mind with alot of reading these days. daily Straits Times, Today.. and books.
the excitement for Hanoi trip is slowly raving up. got to settle accommodation soon..and also come up with a probable itinerary for the trip.
plan plan plan..i think that's one thing i caught on from superboy. =)
going to take the bi easy coz i'm simply not prepared for it. worse case just get fished out! =P and marathon for me is a fat burning session..so i'm also going to take it easy.
alrites..back to my papers..sourcing for good places to visit, eat and shop!!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
dreams in the building
1st day of mc
outrage of eczema-mama..from the normal joint and neck..now it went up to my right eye. itchy. dry. tearing.
doc at my family clinic was a gem to have, despite the hefty medical bill that came along with all that tenderness. hehe. slept. i slept so much i lost count how many hours i was in slumber.
2nd and final day of mc
fruitful. did quite a bit of the things i've been wanting to do for a long while but never got around doing them
1. write to joyce
2. do laundry
3. iron clothes
4. mop the floor
5. wash the toilets
6. plan the itinerary for hanoi
7. wrap christin's present
8. do my can handicraft
9. read read read
10. do some circuit training
11. cycle
12. plan training a little
13. update this blog (which i am doing right this moment)
bec course is next up. then to the ft course. i am hopeful! things will fall through.
marathon is this weekend. i am in deep shit!
bi? i'm not even 10% ready for it..laughs. cham ah..maybe just be pom pom gal for superboy..or like he said..we'll just go for the sake of doing some open water swim.. hopefully i don't get fished out for non-completion of the swim. ho ho ho..highly likely leh.
i've come to a point of realisation i shouldn't be asking nor expecting too much from my rjc job. just take it as it comes. let my courses be the main focus coz that'll be what might help me int he future. i don't dream big for this position in rj. just my sentiments at this point of time.
okies. mean time..other dreams are still in the building..and worth my time and effort! =) that's gd to know!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
life is what we make out of it
having this insatiable appetite for learning..reading..enriching myself. have been reading quite abit on s.e.a..history..culture.. right now i'm exploring possible courses i could do. anything from web designing, wilderness first aid..sports training..flower arrangement even.. if those are things worth doing, i will want to learn. of course, often at times like these, main deciding factors would have to be MONEY (first and foremost) then the TIME. if those are non-issues, then rest of it would fall safely in place.
have to compile a list of likely places and courses i can do..weigh them out..sort them in priorities and start to slowly embark on them.
there were bouts of trying moments at work, the struggle was often from within. so glad superboy and christin are always there to hold me through and their affirmation means so much to me. =)
been flipping the classifieds every day. i'm keen to get another part time job. most hopefully a clinic assistant job to fill my nights and earn more for saving.
been really interested in skin care since the workshop in school the other day. burnt a hole in my pocket just to get some of the skin care products i never quite bothered to buy nor apply. things like sunscreen, moisturizer, eye cream.. those are things i scrimp on..often just using whatever my mum has and most often, i just simply skip it altogether. the only things i consistently would do were just wash my face with a cheap facial wash and apply on toner from the same series. over the workshop, i gain some insights into skin care..of which the most impactful statement that still rings in my mind right now "women start to age at the age of 25" o_O uh-ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!! i'm a gal often out in the sun...and i never gave too much thoughts about the uv rays that is silently killing my skin. no more of that now..i got to undertake some self-care!! hopefully whatever spent on the products would be worthwhile.
so much for skin care.. i'm also curious to do some make-up too! so much for the tom-boyish tricia..i'm pretty excited to land my hands on a good eye lash curlers and mascara. i wonder if it'll help brighten up my whole look? hmm!! maybe i'll get them when i get my pay.. still very "giam" when i have to spend on make-up..=P or maybe if superboy is reading this..maybe he can consider a sponsorship? (sniggles)
singapore bi..i'm still torn if i should go for it or not.. the organisers made things kinda difficult for us for a moment..with the certs etc.. haven't swam for almost a month i think..i'm really hesitant and fretful about going for an open water swim. will probably do some crawling in the pool later this evening and see how things would work out from there.
marathon's coming..panic! panic! panic!!!!
so much things to do..so much to look forward to..there's is no moment to waste at all! =) in short, life is just what we want to make out of it. yea?
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
so small to an olympian
tonight i resolve to sleep at 830pm latest!! must get suffice sleep. till 6am tomorrow that'll give me 9.5hrs of sleep. i do need that. hate waking up feel lathargic and wanting to go back to sleep.
dinner would be an easy to go bread i reckon..so that i can get to bed on the dot.
tomorrow, i WILL wake up feeling FRESH!
can't wait for interview on thursday. it'll be the determinant of how i'll plan for my driving lessons. exams are 3months+ away, i do have to pick up my driving lessons soon.
completed all the tasks i set out to do at work today. final task for the day will be the meeting with the rest on the isle programme.
training has been really sluggish this week. haven't done anything as a matter of fact, as i've been feeling worn and tired. got to finish the night with my usual prune juice and multi vits.
hopefully i'll be well enough to do my macrit rounds 'morrow.
got to pick up mileage again..after the ex-olympician customer from germany who came into rl..his pb for 42km is 2:11.. o_O monthly mileage=approx 1000km.weekly mileage=250km!! faints. i'm so so so so so so far from that.
but it's ok..i'll start with whatever i have. hopefully it grows on me. =P
Monday, February 26, 2007
go go monday blues
as i turned n told super boy, "so cute hor.."..grin grin.. =D
i, tricia lim, resolve to work hard hard for the future..
hence..i am going for another interview this thursday at a clinic located at cck st 51 (yew tee). this is a clinic assistant position.. working hours are totally ideal to me. 7-9pm. i finish off at school at6pm and head straight towards the clinic to work. only problem is for the class camps, i might have to just take excuse and leave the camp for 2hrs to work. the best thing is at least i can get superboy to give me lift back to camp if i need to rush back.
many many camps ahead for the next few months. inhales deeply. somehow all the camps are killing alot of other arrangements for other stuff.
went recce at bahtera campsite with cm and sl.. the sheer amount of sops for the usage of a simple campsite is overwhelming. a simple night trek also requires risk mgmt report?? safety vehicles? faints. loads of rigidity too..
tonite's dinner...i'm going to attempt to cook pasta for superboy and i..inspired by pastamania dinner last nite! yummy yummy...
hope a good pasta dinner will chase our monday blues away =)
Saturday, February 24, 2007
i was hearing it wrong
i hate my hair..what a mushroom head i am! time for a change..mean time i just got to patiently await for my tresses to grow longer.. waiting can be such a painful process sometimes.
time to catch an hr of sleep before i have to head out to rl.