Nitrox Certified

I took my Nitrox test yesterday evening. It was only 25 MCQ and it was easy. I took less than 20mins to finish the questions and scored 100%. If only I knew earlier, I would not have tried so hard trying to study that stupid book - it was super duper boring!

Now that I got my Enriched Air Diver Specialty certification, I am all geared up for my Philippines diving trip from Dec 7 to 14… :-D :-) ;-P

Anilao, here I come! Sea creatures, wait for me!

Sick week

I was sick most of the time last week somehow. It started on a Tue, and it came and went for the following few days. The worst hit was Friday, where I had diarrhoea for 6x in the morning before I took pills to stop it. I had a very bad hit of stomach cramp spasms thereafter in the evening where I almost went berserk in office. And the irony was that I had seen a doctor just an hour before that, and the doctor was still saying that I looked well and should be on my way to recovery for my stomach flu! :O Cancelled everything that I planned to do on a Fri evening, I headed home with some assistance.

I was running a fever too as I laid on bed that night, but it was indeed a relief to be back home resting. I slept and slept that night, waking up every now and then. I was supposed to attend a friend’s church wedding on Sat afternoon, but yes, I skipped that as well… My body was too weak after fighting the whole night, and the weather outside was too hot for someone like me to be out there…

Good news is I should have recovered… cos I had resumed my run (but a short one) last evening…

What's next?

When results do not match up to expectations
What’s next?

When actions do not tally with words
What’s next?

When words do not reflect innermost feelings and emotions
What’s next?

When the heart is loggerhead with the brain
What’s next?

Is there a best way?

It has been a year

I was officially 1 year old in my company on 4 Nov. What an achievement for someone like me! Hah. It had been a fruitful one year – many things to learn, adapt and handle.

It wasn’t exactly an easy journey in this company but I supposed I should not be complaining too much. It is so much better than my previous experience, for at least there isn’t that much politicking here that drives me up the wall, and there are enough challenges to keep me constantly on my toes and set me thinking more.

Of course the future is unknown – how long and far in this company, I do not know. But for the time being, I figure I just need to keep going, and the future will unravel by itself… hopefully in a positive way.

A Night of Loss

Saturday, 8 Nov:

It was the longest struggle to get myself to sleep. As the minutes and hours ticked by, I laid on my big and comfy bed wondering why I was still wide awake...

12.30am:

I was on bed, ready to sleep. It was a stuffy night but I refused to on the air con, thinking that I would not wake up if I make it too conducive for sleeping… I was supposed to wake up at 645am that early morning to go for my run at East Coast Park…

2.30am:

For some reasons, I was still awake. I looked at my clock and started to panic - I had only 4 hours before I needed to wake up. Was it the iced lemon tea I had earlier with my Mac meal, I thought to myself. I tossed and turned… visited the toilet for the umpteen times and decided to on the radio, the soothing music might rock me into lullaby.

3.30am:

WTF, how came I am still alive?! All methods seemed to fail… n the harder I tried to sleep, the more it eludes me! My mind raced through all alternatives and was bombarded with all random thoughts.

4.06am:

Smsed my friend to cancel the run in the morning, for I was sure I would be more than half dead at 6.45am. I was totally pissed with myself!

4.30am:

Oh yes, oh yes… I think you got the idea…

And I did drift into sleep eventually, thought dunno what time... I woke up at 9am in the morning, feeling totally drained… So I did no morning run, ended up having lunch and doing shopping with my friend who had bunked at my house on Sat… But there was obviously a price to pay – I took a nap in the afternoon to get my energy back, and ended rescheduling other things to fit in a shorter run of 10km in the evening...

NO MORE seah.

Horrible Experience

Someone just reminded me that I could not longer wise up as I did a wisdom tooth extraction recently. What he does not know is that I JUST did another extraction yesterday! It was surgery to remove the impacted bottom right wisdom tooth. After procrastinating for about 7 years, I finally picked up my courage to have the other impacted wisdom tooth removed.

It was a horrifying experience when I had my first wisdom tooth removed. I was always having toothache during exam period due to stress in my University days. I eventually bit the bullet to remove that particular one when I started work… I still can remember vividly how the 2 nurses pressed on each of my shoulders to keep me down while the male dentist struggled to have my stubborn tooth removed, the trauma, pain… and the tears that rolled down after the anesthetic wore off… thus I never dared to go and remove the other impacted tooth…

However, my right jaw gave me problems while I was diving at Manado. I thought it must be the decayed wisdom tooth causing the intolerable pain at the jaws that even painkillers could not keep it away… After checking, the ENT specialist said it was due to the inability of clearing my ears, thus causing the bleeding of the nose.

Then again, I thought it should be high time that I get rid of this troublesome tooth which is always trapping food and causing headache. So I fixed up an appointment more than a month again… and I had it removed yesterday. I must be a real coward for I regretted my action as I sat on the dental chair… I tensed up when I felt pain while the dentist was drilling apart my tooth even though she had given jabs of anesthetic, and I squirmed in silence when I could feel how hard she tried to dislodge my remaining root…

All was done now though after the long 1 n 1/2 hours of trauma at the dentist. I am now on antibiotics and 2 types of painkillers… and I realized that it is awfully painful without the more potent painkillers... Just tested it and I am feeling the pain as I am writing now... Oh yes, my pocket is badly burnt too - a total cost of $905!

BUT I am on a straight 5 days of medical leave… so that is something to celebrate – at least no work for this week! And I do NOT have a single wisdom tooth left, so do not blame me if I appear to be really stupid!

Another HK trip...

I was at Hong Kong last Fri to Sun… The purpose? For the Bledisloe Cup – All Blacks against Wallabies battle of Rugby happening on Sat, 1 Nov… It was a working trip – we had great dealing with this game, and our Hong Kong office had planned corporate hospitality programs around this game since last Wed till game day on Sat…

With Helen’s wedding on Thu, I could only fly down on Fri to attend the evening cocktail function… It was Halloween that day of course, and I realized that Hongkies celebrate this day big time! You could only see mountains of people trying to get their way into Lan Kwai Fong from 9pm! Gosh! I ended up with colleagues in a pub at Shaunton road after the cocktail event, and later pub hopped to Wan Chai. I nearly got myself into trouble with different Ang Mos – they must be thinking I am an easy target or something? Darn!!

Yes, yes it was THE match on Sat @ Hong Kong Stadium, 4.30pm… The stadium was nearly packed full with 39 000+ people… How was the rugby? Well… the game was not live as it is NZ All Blacks to retain the trophy. Yet, you could see all enthusiastic fans (mostly ang mos) cheering for their team. The mood was simply contagious. Both teams put up a good fight as well, especially 2nd half of the game.

I had a great time thereafter too as I got the chance to meet up with my colleague who was just relocated there. He treated me to the famous curry pork chop rice and a cup of iced coffee at Pacific Coffee. I toured his new place of residence thereafter, and his place made me drool with envy- so darn nice especially with facilites such as rooftop open space, cosy lounge area and spectacular views! However, I made no way down to the pub that night though I had agreed to as I was getting way too lazy after getting back to hotel.

It was totally R&R day on Sunday – I had breakfast in the room, took a walk down the harbour and shopped around Mong Kok before taking the 6.30pm flight back to Singapore…

Not a trip that I wanted to go initially, but it was my boss who wanted me to be there… So there I was, and it was more like an R&R trip for me. Did not know how to exactly describe this trip – too much mixed feelings on what I saw and experienced… But I do know that it certainly added to my pool of experience… I should be more wised up next time round... hopefully…

Wedding on 30th Oct

It was a tiring affair to drag myself up at early hour of 5am to get myself prepared before heading off to Helen’s house to prepare for gate crashing… It didn’t help when I slept barely 4 hours, as I was busy packing my barangs to go over to hotel immediately after the morning session and as well as for my Friday’s Hong Kong trip. But soon all was forgotten – I only remembered to sabotage the guys and kept asking for ang pows. Haa..

It was customary wedding in the morning and a simple catholic wedding thereafter. The sisters had to walk the aisle too after the page boy and flower girl in church! Where she got that idea from?! :-O *innocent look*

The night was at Regent Hotel. I was overwhelmed with emotions when I saw the montage, not to mention when the couple did the walk in… Helen is such a dear friend to me all these years, and I am both touched and delighted to be there witnessing such an important moment of hers. And yes, the evening just passed at a wink of an eye… So many months of hard work for a day… Haaa…

Oh yes, I forget to add that I was the star of the morning video montage – you can practically see a lot of close up shots of me, the notorious bitch in action! What a disgrace!

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.

F1 First Night Race

The Singapore Formula One Grand Prix was an absolutely exciting one. The experience of watching the race up close beat watching it on TV or anywhere else. The onsite mood was fantastic, with real time actions, deafening sounds and unexplainable trills!

It was a drama-filled race yesterday with Ferrari’s Massa started from pole but a disastrous mistake at the pit stop sent our jaws dropping – he drove off with the fuel hose still attached to his car!! Although the crew eventually managed to pull off the hose at the end of the pit lane, all was too late. Adding on to that, he was given a 10 seconds drive through penalty. He only managed to finish 15th in place.

The highlight was Spain’s Fernando Alonso, the two-time world champion, as he won the first race in a year. The Renault driver started from 15th as his car ran into mechanical problems on Sat qualifying session. However, in the mayhem of pit lane dramas, crashes and safety cars, Alonso took the lead at Lap 34, and finished first. Germany’s Nico Rosberg finished second, with championship leader Lewis Hamilton in third…

I certainly had great fun there last night – no, I wasn't in the exclusive (and costly) Paddock or in any other suite, I was only at Connaught Grandstand, but it's a brand new experience which beats seeing the race on TV or hearing it a hundred times from someone! :)

Memories...

It was past midnight when I heard this song by Michael Jackson in the car today. I could not help but to bring myself back to nearly five years ago, when we decided to use this song “Heal the World” as a torch pass song. I remembered walking into the packed room with lit candles with my mates singing this song, reaching out and touching hearts. Our message to the people in the room - make the world a better place to live in. I also have vivid memories of holding the torch and passing it on.

Time has flied certainly. It seemed only like yesterday when it happened. Nevertheless, it was a marked turning point for me then… If not then, I would not be where I am today. So am I glad that I went through it? Yes, of course.

And such coincidence today is my captain’s birthday too!! It has been 5 years… but I do remember that he was the one who rooted for me when I went for my interview presentation. I was getting really nervous and it was his sms that gave me confidence. I could also recall that I was feeling very disappointed with myself in a job, and he was there to give me strength…

We just had steamboat buffet dinner together… and hope he would like the watch… Happy birthday.

Bad news

First, it was Lehman Brothers filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, followed by a last attempted deal to sell off its Asia business to Barclays.

Then, there was Merrill Lynch absorbing more than US$40 billion in write-downs and its rescue buyout by Bank of America.

Then it was the giant AIG asking for a loan, which US Fed Reserve is close to finalizing a US$85 billion loan in exchange for a nearly 80% stake in the company.

British bank HBOS, which is Britain’s biggest provider of home loans, is in deep trouble on the stock markets amid the crisis engulfing global financial markets, and it is reported that Lloyds TSB is in talks to buy it over.

And there is speculation whether Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are the next on the line.

The whole financial market is in turmoil. Where is the end? It is yet to be known, but it clearly spells trouble. Any job in the financial sector can be very unstable – I had witnessed it first hand already. Better to be on the toes now and don’t assume own indispensability or job security.

May I be blessed.

Full Moon

Have you taken a peek outside your window tonight? Isn’t the moon exceptionally beautiful today? It’s mid- autumn festival today – a day that Houyi visits his wife, Chang-e accordingly to a myth, thus it is tonight that the moon is full and beautiful.

Since sometime back, I never fail to admire the beauty of the full moon, no matter where I am… and every time, the moon leaves me in awe of her charms – sexy at times, pretty at times, captivating in other times. She always seems so near, but I know she is beyond my reach, meant to be only appreciated from far… But perhaps that is how it is supposed to be. Getting too near will mask the intriguing beauty and upset the whole equilibrium…

Still loving it nonetheless.

My Fri

I was supposed to be out shopping, and then I was supposed to be out celebrating a friend’s birthday over dinner on Friday evening. It was long awaited Friday, and it was a time to let down the hair and had some fun out there. But I turned down everything at last hour.

I ended up getting home before 7pm. After settling down, I did a simple dinner to fill my stomach and poured myself a glass of white wine to go along, while watching my DVD. The week proved to be a little more than I could take, and somehow it had reached a tipping point on such a Friday. I decided that I needed the time away from the bustling crowd, let my emotions clear a little and had some quiet time for myself. I did not think I would do quite well if I were out trying to make merry and entertain my friends. By the way, I really had no patience to wait for 2+hours before meeting my friends that day.

And yes, I did feel better thereafter. Somehow, the emotions found their own space and settled down better… Afterall, I was given enough space – I had the whole house to myself for that few hours before bedtime. :P

Korean Drama Addict

Did I say that I am watching another Korean drama recently? I had been watching it for the past 5 weeks already!

I watch a few episodes every day, day in, day out, and the weeks just fly past! We are talking a total of 167 episodes, not mentioning that I started off from Episode 43 instead of the first… But I finally got to the last episode last weekend! Oh, I should also say that I have just started from the very first episode today too. :-P

My ex-staff got the DVD for me on his last day. I asked him causally before if he got them at home since his mom and sisters were Korean OST addicts. This OST was showing in Channel U at 7pm everyday, and it aroused my interests when I caught a few episodes during days that I was back home real early from work. Certain dialogues and acts were really hilarious, you see…

It is a simple (and light hearted in some sense) drama series – it features the love, struggles and triumphs of a nineteen years old girl whom initially came to Seoul to get married, how sincerity can move all the people around her, and the dailies of two families including the disputes, arguments and the intense love, care and concern.

There aren’t big ups and downs or extremely drama stuff in this OST, yet it is so heartwarming that one will inevitably be very touched by all the simple acts and displays of deep affection and love.

Simplicity is beauty; sincerity and perseverance pay off; bliss is doing what you love doing with the support of your loved ones… these are my learnings from this 《19岁的纯情》.