My mom wanted to speak with Nisa and I last night; nothing untoward, just to tell us what she had found stuff that belonged to me/us and that we should be moving them into the new house.
I arrived at the Laguna home to see the maid sweeping out my area of the house. My stuff had been brought out and she is clearing the space, starting early for the spring cleaning for CNY 2010. Looks like I'm out of the house now, and I'm feeling a little sad because Laguna is the place I grew up in and found solace too.
p/s My bed's been covered up and packed away!!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Water
I am just going about these days sorting out our new home and nothing seems to draw my attention as hugely as water. Yup, plain old water.
It replenishes, that we as runners know. I use it extensively to make my recovery drink. I even bought a fancy water bottle (expensive too!) to make the drink, which I down with much pleasure after a run.
Oh, it irritates as well. The bathroom is perpetually wet and the bath mats that I bought over the weekend do not bloody work. They do not absorb water well and it does not dry quickly. There are (and will be!!) water stains on the shower stall and this will be my perennial bane until Jamie grows up and he can take over the washing.
Water cleans, no doubt. Just this morning, I saw the tap in Nisa’s bathroom was a little stained. All it took was a splash from a quick flick of the wrist, and the stain was gone, disappeared. And no one needs reminding of the joy of standing under a hot shower after a tiring day.
It leaks too. Well, the kitchen pipes leak but the water pools underneath the kitchen sink. Left alone, the wooden cabinet would damage so an innocent looking pool of water can turn nasty.
It rains as well; and no, I’ve not gone running in the rain but have slept through many many lazy Sunday afternoons when there was a downpour.
Until the leak from the external wall is fixed, the little corner in Jamie’s room will remain damp. This is what is causing me concern. The condo management is prompt nonetheless and within some 24hrs of a phone call, accompanied with an email of photos, a contractor is coming down to evaluate.
But in between the good and bad, nothing beats a cup of coffee made by my darling Nisa. Its just coffee, milk and sugar, with water; made with love.
It replenishes, that we as runners know. I use it extensively to make my recovery drink. I even bought a fancy water bottle (expensive too!) to make the drink, which I down with much pleasure after a run.
Oh, it irritates as well. The bathroom is perpetually wet and the bath mats that I bought over the weekend do not bloody work. They do not absorb water well and it does not dry quickly. There are (and will be!!) water stains on the shower stall and this will be my perennial bane until Jamie grows up and he can take over the washing.
Water cleans, no doubt. Just this morning, I saw the tap in Nisa’s bathroom was a little stained. All it took was a splash from a quick flick of the wrist, and the stain was gone, disappeared. And no one needs reminding of the joy of standing under a hot shower after a tiring day.
It leaks too. Well, the kitchen pipes leak but the water pools underneath the kitchen sink. Left alone, the wooden cabinet would damage so an innocent looking pool of water can turn nasty.
It rains as well; and no, I’ve not gone running in the rain but have slept through many many lazy Sunday afternoons when there was a downpour.
Until the leak from the external wall is fixed, the little corner in Jamie’s room will remain damp. This is what is causing me concern. The condo management is prompt nonetheless and within some 24hrs of a phone call, accompanied with an email of photos, a contractor is coming down to evaluate.
But in between the good and bad, nothing beats a cup of coffee made by my darling Nisa. Its just coffee, milk and sugar, with water; made with love.
Monday, December 28, 2009
A new address
Its been a busy and stressful last few days. It started on the 23 December.
I camped out at the new home the entire day; this was the day the furniture was to arrive. The first (and I suppose, the most valuable to me) was our long teak table. I cannot explain why I expected it to arrive in the late afternoon - maybe its because upper-ty shows that sell what they can try to pass on as designer furniture would take their time with delivery; but it was the first to arrive at slightly after 10am. Everything else came along after that.
The Ikea delivery folks sent their wares along at almost 6pm. I learnt a tip from them! If I had wanted my furniture to arrive in the earlier part of the day, buy it from the Ikea shop closer to the home. They assembled everything in 15min or so, and whilst oberving them, I remarked that it would have taken me one whole day to do it all - they chuckled gently.
The most eagerly awaited piece was my hi-fi equipment. I suppose my classmate who sold the stuff to me would prefer I use the word "audio" equipment but it is to me what it is to me. The amp and speakers initially arrived in the mid-afternoon. When he saw that there were still workmen around kitting out the house, the asked to come back later in the evening, explaining that he shouldn't be setting up the hi-fi what with all the dust and stuff flying around. The hi-fi was finally set up in the night (the last thing for the day) and with that, I felt as if my base had been established. Even the problem with the blu-ray player was resolved when the technician arrived within 24hrs.
For quite a few years, I had been living with my parents at the home I grew up in. Whilst it was my home, it wasn't mine and I did not feel right buying things. My CDs were all kept in cold storage, unable to be played except for the time when I would drive up to KL. Then again, it was on just the stock hi-fi in the car.
It is a difference listerning to music on a decent system, where every nuance is clear, every instrument is heard. Makes me want to come home all the more.
The entire KL family arrived on 25 December. Whilst it was a visit for them, it was a stress test of the house for me. I found out the aircon in Jamie's room and ours were not working. That was also resolved within 24hrs, albeit it needs to be monitored for another week to see if there was another leak.
I spent all of yesterday going around the housing estate to look for knick-knacks for the house - bath mats, kitchen tray, dishwasher liquid recepticle (yes..there is such a bloody thing, otherwise, the sink area will be perpetually soapy and wet). In the process, I got to check out what was available in and around us in the nearby housing estate. Evident from the long queue, there was a chicken and duck rice shop.
A mental hurdle had been crossed last night because I felt some of the essentials had been procured. Nisa, Jamie and I now have a new address. There is a long list of to-do for R to rectify; he's coming tomorrow and I hope he is prepared for what is beginning to be a long list.
Running-wise, I ran the 1.2k intervals that I scouted out the last time. This will probably be my home run route now, short, hilly and brutal.
Yes, we have a new address now.
I camped out at the new home the entire day; this was the day the furniture was to arrive. The first (and I suppose, the most valuable to me) was our long teak table. I cannot explain why I expected it to arrive in the late afternoon - maybe its because upper-ty shows that sell what they can try to pass on as designer furniture would take their time with delivery; but it was the first to arrive at slightly after 10am. Everything else came along after that.
The Ikea delivery folks sent their wares along at almost 6pm. I learnt a tip from them! If I had wanted my furniture to arrive in the earlier part of the day, buy it from the Ikea shop closer to the home. They assembled everything in 15min or so, and whilst oberving them, I remarked that it would have taken me one whole day to do it all - they chuckled gently.
The most eagerly awaited piece was my hi-fi equipment. I suppose my classmate who sold the stuff to me would prefer I use the word "audio" equipment but it is to me what it is to me. The amp and speakers initially arrived in the mid-afternoon. When he saw that there were still workmen around kitting out the house, the asked to come back later in the evening, explaining that he shouldn't be setting up the hi-fi what with all the dust and stuff flying around. The hi-fi was finally set up in the night (the last thing for the day) and with that, I felt as if my base had been established. Even the problem with the blu-ray player was resolved when the technician arrived within 24hrs.
For quite a few years, I had been living with my parents at the home I grew up in. Whilst it was my home, it wasn't mine and I did not feel right buying things. My CDs were all kept in cold storage, unable to be played except for the time when I would drive up to KL. Then again, it was on just the stock hi-fi in the car.
It is a difference listerning to music on a decent system, where every nuance is clear, every instrument is heard. Makes me want to come home all the more.
The entire KL family arrived on 25 December. Whilst it was a visit for them, it was a stress test of the house for me. I found out the aircon in Jamie's room and ours were not working. That was also resolved within 24hrs, albeit it needs to be monitored for another week to see if there was another leak.
I spent all of yesterday going around the housing estate to look for knick-knacks for the house - bath mats, kitchen tray, dishwasher liquid recepticle (yes..there is such a bloody thing, otherwise, the sink area will be perpetually soapy and wet). In the process, I got to check out what was available in and around us in the nearby housing estate. Evident from the long queue, there was a chicken and duck rice shop.
A mental hurdle had been crossed last night because I felt some of the essentials had been procured. Nisa, Jamie and I now have a new address. There is a long list of to-do for R to rectify; he's coming tomorrow and I hope he is prepared for what is beginning to be a long list.
Running-wise, I ran the 1.2k intervals that I scouted out the last time. This will probably be my home run route now, short, hilly and brutal.
Yes, we have a new address now.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The Contractor's song
I'm actually getting a little nervous. R, our contractor from 10yrs ago, and re-hired for the current job at the new home, was to hand over the house back to us today - in pristine condition. For a moment, I actually believed him when he said there should not be a delay, when we first appointed him some 3 weeks ago.
R is now singing the contractor's song - why a delay is inevitable because of
1. the December rains (and hence he could not do the timber flooring on time),
2. the bit about "you want me to do a good job...correct??" (and hence, he would try his best to deliver the book shelves tomorrow)
3. you have yet to decide on the positioning of the shelves along the corridor
4. my men being too busy to do your rails???!!!
5. etc etc.
But I can see he is putting effort into the job and so it is hard for me to be pissed off. We'll see what tomorrow brings because it is a big day for the house - the furniture is arriving.
R is now singing the contractor's song - why a delay is inevitable because of
1. the December rains (and hence he could not do the timber flooring on time),
2. the bit about "you want me to do a good job...correct??" (and hence, he would try his best to deliver the book shelves tomorrow)
3. you have yet to decide on the positioning of the shelves along the corridor
4. my men being too busy to do your rails???!!!
5. etc etc.
But I can see he is putting effort into the job and so it is hard for me to be pissed off. We'll see what tomorrow brings because it is a big day for the house - the furniture is arriving.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Ticking off the to-dos
This was a big weekend and it is ending. I'm in KL now and will start leaving for home soon; the house needs to be attended to because the renovations are at the end phrase and the furniture is arriving. More importantly, the weekend has been about buying stuff from KL to kit out the home with sundries..we will be moving in soon and starting our lives as a family, finally.
On important occassions, where i need to accomplish much, i always make out a list of to-dos. There is an incredible amount of stuff to ready, all of which is invisible when living with parents. Almost by Merlin-ques magic, there are rags to wipe the tables, shoe polish for shoes, toiletaries to use. Even water runs when the tap is turned on. All of this will have to be attended to and I know I am behind in many things. But i achieved what i set out to do over the weekend and am pleased. Some of the sundries are in place. Nisa has done the lion's share of things and we will have a fairly comfortable Christmas.
Running-wise, i did Kiara today. Easy run, and more importantly, with an additional round at the top. Hills are never easy for me and it was a milestone, even though it was easy. What helped was the Cameron like weather this morning at Kiara, it was so cool the air was actually crisp!
On important occassions, where i need to accomplish much, i always make out a list of to-dos. There is an incredible amount of stuff to ready, all of which is invisible when living with parents. Almost by Merlin-ques magic, there are rags to wipe the tables, shoe polish for shoes, toiletaries to use. Even water runs when the tap is turned on. All of this will have to be attended to and I know I am behind in many things. But i achieved what i set out to do over the weekend and am pleased. Some of the sundries are in place. Nisa has done the lion's share of things and we will have a fairly comfortable Christmas.
Running-wise, i did Kiara today. Easy run, and more importantly, with an additional round at the top. Hills are never easy for me and it was a milestone, even though it was easy. What helped was the Cameron like weather this morning at Kiara, it was so cool the air was actually crisp!
Missing a couple
Having regarded myself as a KL runner and all, and even with the full immersion of running at all the regular places, I think i missed out on a big one, and will another on the upcoming calender.
The Malakoff was ran this morning and it totally went by us without notice. I did see the flyer on the internet but did not pay much attention. Until i read the race reports just did I realise we missed this one. It was held on a hilly course, over a distance that was do-able. Looked well organised as well and no doubt there was a nice race tee.
The other that i think we will miss will be the P-NB 15k/30k. This will be in January and it is smack in the middle of my off season. From the looks on things on the net, this seems like a v popular race for the KL running community. I am using this off season as my base-building, so we can do a longer distance next year. Lots and lots of easy long runs, to slowly increase endurance. Just started base building some 2 weeks ago and all seems well so far.
The Malakoff was ran this morning and it totally went by us without notice. I did see the flyer on the internet but did not pay much attention. Until i read the race reports just did I realise we missed this one. It was held on a hilly course, over a distance that was do-able. Looked well organised as well and no doubt there was a nice race tee.
The other that i think we will miss will be the P-NB 15k/30k. This will be in January and it is smack in the middle of my off season. From the looks on things on the net, this seems like a v popular race for the KL running community. I am using this off season as my base-building, so we can do a longer distance next year. Lots and lots of easy long runs, to slowly increase endurance. Just started base building some 2 weeks ago and all seems well so far.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The Lords of PJ
I am just getting round to setting up my tool box for our new home. Truth be told I have no clue what to buy so I just walked into a DIY looking store to browse, and hopefully get some inspiration without spending too much in the process.
I thought I did my diligence well because I walked the entire block to ensure I would visit all the DIY stores; there was only one anyway. It didn't look like a DIY store in the first place because it sold paint but it was when you went into its bowels. No doubt the "Sale" sign also caught my attention.
After what must seem like an hour, the proprietor walked over to ask if I needed help. Too proud to say yes but yet in needing assistance, I mumbled something about the difference between American and local makes.
"of course more expensive lah..this is American mah..look at the quality"
"But I can't see anything different, except for the finishing on the screw driver"
"Look at the tip, it is magnetised. And the threads on the screwdriver will not wear off"
"You mean these bloody things will wear off? Aren't they guaranteed for life"
"If you twist it hard enough, it will wear off mah...."
"I don't have the strength to twist it that hard. Anyway, if I really have to get something seriously done, I'll get the contractor (or the Head of Treasury, whose quite a handyman around the house)"
"Sigh...ok, lah..then buy local one lorr..."
"Ehh, abang..you live around here? You don't look like you play with tools"
"Yeah..5min from here" (and I pointed in the direction of the PJ home)
"Wah..bungalow aaah"
"..not really, just a pondok.."
He must think I am living like a lord over here. And that I have nothing better to do in my free time than to play around with a cheap screw driver. The encounter will have to be repeated again Monday because I forgot to buy a wrench and a tool box. I am hardly Tim "The toolman" Taylor.
p/s on Tim "the toolmen", did you know Pamela Anderson was the first Heidi?
I thought I did my diligence well because I walked the entire block to ensure I would visit all the DIY stores; there was only one anyway. It didn't look like a DIY store in the first place because it sold paint but it was when you went into its bowels. No doubt the "Sale" sign also caught my attention.
After what must seem like an hour, the proprietor walked over to ask if I needed help. Too proud to say yes but yet in needing assistance, I mumbled something about the difference between American and local makes.
"of course more expensive lah..this is American mah..look at the quality"
"But I can't see anything different, except for the finishing on the screw driver"
"Look at the tip, it is magnetised. And the threads on the screwdriver will not wear off"
"You mean these bloody things will wear off? Aren't they guaranteed for life"
"If you twist it hard enough, it will wear off mah...."
"I don't have the strength to twist it that hard. Anyway, if I really have to get something seriously done, I'll get the contractor (or the Head of Treasury, whose quite a handyman around the house)"
"Sigh...ok, lah..then buy local one lorr..."
"Ehh, abang..you live around here? You don't look like you play with tools"
"Yeah..5min from here" (and I pointed in the direction of the PJ home)
"Wah..bungalow aaah"
"..not really, just a pondok.."
He must think I am living like a lord over here. And that I have nothing better to do in my free time than to play around with a cheap screw driver. The encounter will have to be repeated again Monday because I forgot to buy a wrench and a tool box. I am hardly Tim "The toolman" Taylor.
p/s on Tim "the toolmen", did you know Pamela Anderson was the first Heidi?
Friday, December 18, 2009
ahhhhaaaaa...(exhale, with a sigh of relief)
Good ole Ikea stayed open till 11pm - this is the one at Alex. This store normally stays open only till 10pm and we were at B's place for Justine's dinner birthday party so it was really convenient for us to get there after the party.
And why the sigh of relief? We bought the last of the big essentials for the home over there. Not that we are a fan of Ikea furniture but there was an item (or two!) that had previously caught out eye. After days of going all around Spore, we could not find anything that surpassed them.
And why the urgency of the purchase? We have visitors over Christmas and I feel some pressure to put up a good show.
Insyallah, everything will arrive at their agreed time and the visit should go well.
Monday, December 14, 2009
The Decorator
Over the last week and into this, Nisa has been traversing all over Singapore looking for furniture and fittings for the new home. My wife has been seeing the contractor almost on a daily basis and adds to the contractor's labours every time. To be fair, she is just ensuring the contractor carries out what he has promised. No effort is spared because when all of this is over, it will be our home for a long time.
Just last Friday, we went all over Geylang. This is not the area you would normally wonder to. Having lived all my life in Singapore, I never knew there were fans, lights and kitchen/bathroom fixtures being sold there - many stores too. After some 3hrs at Geylang, we bought our ceiling fans; and we got exactly what we wanted and did not have to compromise on price as well.
Next stop on Friday afternoon was in touristy Chinatown. No body would have guessed that in the heart of the tourist belt Nisa would chose our cockery. This cockery place is so popular that the shop told us to come early in the morning (8.30am!!!) or late in the day (5.00pm!!!) before they shut.
Nisa spent the entire Saturday afternoon with the curtain vendor. He brought swatches and swatches of material. I had always thought the selection of curtains were a very dull affair, because the choice was limited - one colour and material for the entire home. We are now going to have rooms with different coloured, different material curtains.
The rest of the weekend Nisa spent buying the oven (this was highly recommended by the sales person), the fridge, the vacuum and the washing machine. The washing machine sales person even taught us the correct way to wash our bedding efficiently, taking advantage of everything the washing machine would offer.
And finally, Nisa bought the dining table we have been eyeing for 2 weeks. After all 14 days of talking about it on an almost daily basis, we finally walked into the fancy looking (ie expensive) shop and bought it.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Setting the record straight
I almost learnt nothing except through experience. Certainly this is the case for experiences that I will bring with me all through my life.
I have now learnt enough to get medical help promptly. Dr R has been telling me over the many many years that properly prescribed medication is your friend, because it brings about comfort and healing - this to a person whom is extremely resistant to any form of medication, other than getting sufficient sleep, popping Vitamin C and drinking loads of water. The recent (and still in its tail end) 3-week bout of running nose and sore throat could have been despatched promptly had I taken medication. The bloody running nose has, during the last week, turned into what I believe is an inflammation of my sinus. All of this during my final buildup to SCSM 2009 so it was very irritating that I hardly did any running during and for the build-up. But I think I am almost recovered and I began running again last night.
The 2009 season is over. It is off-season for myself now and I want to do a lot of base building to retch-up the endurance and body. Nisa and I have decided to graduate from our 10k into something more.
Last night's run was deliberate. I wanted to, knew I could even - run much faster but I went slow in order to maintain my heart rate at the "easy" zone. I guess when the distances increases, I will not even need to feel I have to slow down - the distance will just wear my endurance down and speed will fall. Alot of LSD await me this off season.
And I verified a recent discovery made on a forum thread as well. Someone had told via a thread that his HRM had gone crazy in the middle of a run. Exactly the same thing had happened to me because on a recent run, my max HR jumped to the crazy 220s!! Seems certain technical fabrics in the running gear will interfere with the signals of the HRM and yes, my KOTR jersey did. I had worn it the last time and again last night - same crazy number popped up until I took off my running top.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wow 2
The photos were available on the web. And a video (from 4 angles, no less) of our finish too!
But this is the best:
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Wow
The SCSM marathon experience continued today. I have been waiting for my chip time to be available and it was on the website today. In addition to my chip time, the website also showed me my position in my category, my overall standing, and the names (and times) of those in front and behind me as I finished.
I guess this is what other marathons offer but....wow, that is pretty impressive (at least for me).
Sunday, December 6, 2009
SCSM 2009
Oh my word..what a race!!
There were so many things going on through our minds that I don't even know where to start now.
Unlike when we were (are!) in KL and Jamie is familiar with the people at home, Nisa and I were a little undecided about leaving early in the morning for SCSM with him being asleep. Jamie typically stirs whenever he senses that Nisa is not lying beside him and would eventually wake up. It's not like he is waking up in a strange place this time around because we have been in Singapore for a while and he knows the people in the house, nonetheless we were a little apprehensive. My Mom came to the rescue and agreed to stay in the house Sunday morning should Jamie wake up. My Pa and her always, always, go to church (followed by bible study classes) on Sundays and this is why I am so glad she agreed to stay behind. They went for the Saturday evening service instead.
We got up at 6.30am this morning and scurried around, to get ready to leave for SCSM. The Spore home faces the ECP, which is a part of the route. When we looked out, we could hear sirens and saw flashing lights - the front runners were already running past along ECP, right on pace!!! Driving down to SCSM, we saw the full marathon runners already starting the "away" leg of the ECP route. The excitement was building in Nisa and I.
Despite the road closures, we got there on time, and easily found a parking space. I started 45min before Nisa's race and after a kiss for good luck, we parted and did our warm-ups.
The weather was perfect!!! And I was off!!
No big problems on the run, and even going up the Sheares bridge was ok. The homeward leg was ok and as I passed the F1 grid and pit buildings, I wanted to walk. This was where the race merged with all other categories; it got crowded but no one was giving up. This and the fact that I hit the 8k mark in good time made me push on to the end.
A fine race and a PR on a certified course. My season ends on a high note. Nisa ran a fantastic race as well. We're now home and Jamie is playing with our medals. Everyone's smiling.
Here are the post race photos, at the venue:
Nisa in front of the Esplanade - this is where the race started
We all had to sit after the race - look at the crowds in the background. They are on the Padang, the end point
A photo to cap the end of our 2009 season
The only down in the race were the crowds. Unlike the Malaysian races that we are used to, there were many many people in our race. I cannot complain because this is the landmark race for Singapore and I am just glad we got to participate.
We're already looking forward to next year.
p/s There was a casualty. The upper on Nisa's shoe tore; and we promptly went over to Queensway to get a new pair of Asics for her!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Getting the junk out
After 2 weeks of feeling poorly, I finally felt good enough to go for a trial run. It really was a trial run because I wanted to see if I was up to SCSM sunday. I started off well, and the turnover was easy. A skip and a hop and I was off on my run. Easy all the way back home and I was done in a while. I feel fine and I think I will do the SCSM.
I started in reverse. Jamie has been ill as well and he did not go out all of today. We decided to bring him for a car ride to SAFRA, where I got off and ran the 5k back home. The route was fairly crowded for this time of the night; it is school holidays in Singapore now and throngs of kids were out barbeque-ing. There were people cycling and others were out on their walk. It was nice to be out doing what I really enjoy, and seeing others out as well.
I came back refreshed, with the running nose and sore throat banished. Truth be told, I was worried I had lost fitness in the last 2 weeks of illness but my confidence has been restored after this jaunt.
So this is what it means to be getting the junk out of your system.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
