Wedding bells are near

In another two days, it will be my long time pal’s wedding! Helen was my primary school mate, and our friendship goes back the longest in history. I’m certainly happy for her that she has found her lifelong partner and is finally settling down. Equally, I’m delighted that I can contribute that little bit to her wedding.

I can’t wait for her day to come – I’m sure she will be one pretty bride, and I already can imagine her walking down the aisle in church!

Congratulations, dear friend! It is an indescribable feeling to be able to have the chance to witness you getting married. It seems only like yesterday two ignorant brats were in school playing or when we were working part-time job together after our ‘O’ levels! Gosh!

Marriage is a lifetime commitment, and I sincerely wish the both of you eternal happiness and joy… The journey is going to begin – have fun! :)

“Running & Philosophy”

“Running & Philosophy” by Michael W. Austin was a book that I picked up sometime back after I stumbled across it accidently at MPH. As the title implies, it is a book that ties running with philosophy together, exerting that they have a lot in common. And yes, I was impressed by the way Michael puts across some of his ideas… Definitely not an easy book to read, and I have still a long way from finishing this book, but what’s new? Ha…

Here is one small extract about life must be lived as play from this 200+ odd pages of book:

“Most runners don’t run to lose weight or get fit, they run because they enjoy it. It becomes a huge part of their life, of who they are. It was only in running that George Sheehan felt “whole and true and living at the peak of my being”. And such moments of peak contentment are usually times of “absorbedness.”

People are absorbed when they are totally into what they are doing, totally engrossed in the present task and the present moment. Feeling of contentment that often accompanies moments of absorbedness illustrates a fundamental insight about happiness that philosophers call “the hedonistic paradox”. The paradox is this: usually the happiest people are not those who pursue happiness directly, who make happiness their goal. Rather, the happiest people tend to be those who experience happiness as a by-product of other things they value and enjoy, such as loving relationships and engaging in challenging and rewarding work.

Runners understand the hedonistic paradox because they live it daily. They find happiness through sweat, sacrifice, and struggle. To most non-runners this is a complete enigma. Cars pass a lonely runner on a solitary road – lungs burning, knees aching – and the passengers shake their heads. Why anyone would want to do that, they wonder. The runner, in turn, barely notices the car. For her, reality is this road, this moment, this feeling. Soon she will be back in the world of deadlines, piano practices, and endless loads of laundry. But for the moment there is nothing but his road, this feeling of wholeness, the Zen-like effortless effort. For her, journey and destination have fused. Success is now."

《King and I》

King and I is the latest korean drama series that I am watching recently. 3 sets of DVDs, a total of 63 episodes, costing more than $100 for the full set! :O Nonetheless, it is still an interesting drama, of cos!

All about eunuchs - in fact the focus is on them, king and women (hopeless!), power, the darkness of politics and the struggle... Ya, I know - I'm turning into a Korean drama addict.

Old and older

I hit the big 3 two days ago… A few of my girlfriends who had crossed that hurdle much earlier this year were curious how I felt on that day for they were pretty much depressed and grouchy on their own birthdays as it signifies that they are no longer young; that youth has zoomed past them without they achieving much. Well, I hate to disappoint, but I chose to view it differently - I celebrated the fact that I am in another phase of my life, that it is only going to get better, more exciting and enriching…

I could be indulging in self misery for I caught flu somehow, with a bad throat, throbbing headache and occasional running nose since Sun afternoon… But my mood shouldn’t be dampened just over this, isn’t it? Thus, on Sunday evening I visited the Night Safari for the first time, and on Monday afternoon ice skating - an activity that I had not done for ages!

Ya, I admit that I am a mountain turtle for I had never been to Night Safari all these years, but now I had… and I enjoyed the fun and experience… I had butterflies in my stomach when I stepped into the skating rink after about 8 long years. I struggled for my balance as I moved inches forward awkwardly, and I feared for my bones if I did fall. But, just like any other new activities, we learn by experiencing and get better by practicing. At the end of 2 hours, I was more relaxed and had some little fun with all those young kids… Haaa… What a way to signify new experiences for me! Of course, none was possible without Dan. So I thank him for going the extra mile to make my day.

The 1st person to wish me Happy Birthday via sms on my actual day was someone once very important in my life. I had picked up heaps from him– his wits, creativity and confidence during our growing up years. He is a day older than I am, so I figured there is no way that I can ever forget his birthday...

Of course, I had some jolly good friends who took effort and spent money to buy me pressies and/or made the time to have dinners or lunches with me. There were many others too who sent through their good wishes via phone calls, smses or emails. On this very day of my birthday, I know I am blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love me for who I am...

Another phase of life for me… Let it be forward moving, purposeful and meaningful… I am and will be sourcing for that.

ECP run...

We did another evening run at East Coast Park last night. There is supposedly to be quadthalon happening at ECP this morning, hence we decide to alter our Sun morning ECP run…

All I can say is it was totally exasperating that we caught on the rain last night again! It turned out to be a race against the rain. The sky was already showing signs of possible rain when we started, but I thought we couldn’t be so down on our luck once again. But I was too early in my conclusion for we felt small raindrops after our mid-point U turn. We picked up our pace for we certainly did not have the desire to end up like the last time where it was a storm and we were stranded for an hour.

The drizzle got bigger as we pressed on, forcing us to go faster; yet, my mind and body did not seem to be in sync. I struggled to the end point, with my lungs grasping for air and legs giving way. What a complete torture.

Heaven loves to make sport of people certainly, for the rain completely went into hiding after my bath… Thanks mate… DUH. No more evening run at ECP for me anymore!

Dark Clouds...

As more unravels, the bigger the mess the entire financial market seems to be in… No one knows how deep and widespread the trouble can go further, neither can anyone identify the solution to it… Dark clouds loom the whole industry. *Sigh*

Some friends of mine had caught on the heat – they have been slogging till wee hours for the past two weeks and presumably in the next few weeks too. It must have been a complete nightmare for them, as issues are mountainous and the end seems nowhere near… I can certainly feel their built-up stress…

Certainly not an easy time for many of us… Hope the dark clouds will soon pass, and the sun will be shining once more. Preserve on, my dear friends.