close of Jan twenty ten

Red Brick House


Uniform Pattern


Lovely snacks


Pretty Sights


Wonderful Place


Small things


Weekend Postcards

End of Jan, twenty ten. Next chapter.

today better than yesterday

Shouldn't be breakfast. Make it breakslow.


Windows to the sky - they need opening


Oh, how it draws you in


Which is your Happy?


Underscore, Abovemarks


Shine below, hear their silent speeches

Friday Blues

It's usually the day I look forward to, but today I am feeling restless and down.

Running the eastern coast

Weekend came early on Friday last week. I had a run at East Coast Park in the afternoon at three plus, with the invisible warm rays of the sun shooting down on me. People asked me was it not hot to run in the afternoon? I couldn't really reply, for what would their reaction be if I told them that I enjoyed the run, I enjoyed the warmth of the sun, and I enjoyed running in the warmth of the sun with the sea beside me. It was hot, but it wasn't sweltering or scorchingly hot. I could do with the heat.

A's reaction when I said I was going for a run was this: 'Such a solitary activity', and she gave me a rather sorry look. Yes, running can be solitary because you don't need another human being to be able to run. With a pair of shoes and socks, and running shorts, you are good to go.

Yet some of the best runs that I had were hardly solitary affairs. I remember running with Eugene for more than an hour, covering part of the route that includes the stretch I did on Friday. We were having a conversation throughout the run, talking about our interests, sharing our opinions on different matters. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and we probably had a better workout than if we were both running on our own. And it was during the run that I found out snippets of his journey thus far in life, like how he used to cycle with his Dad.

Then there were the Friday training runs with Jon and Teddy Bear. They always start with jokes and stories from Jon, which inevitably fade into sounds of our breathing and thumping on the ground as the run progresses. Short runs eventually became something like 12km; long runs would be a loop along East Coast, from the SAFRA chalets to Fort Road. It was crazy, but foolhardy men like us like the idea that we can be crazy. We need to prove our mettle as we grow older.

The runs would invariably end with dinner/supper at Bedok 85, where we would order bak chor mee, stingray, bbq wings, carrot cake and lemon lime juice to fill our famished stomachs. Whether we run or don't the calories don't bother us. We eat what we like and what is nice. More than once I took a midnight cab home, the consequence of living on the other end of the island, while friends who drive live on other ends. If not, I would be on a long journey home on the train, which I don't mind because I get to sit down. The endorphins courtesy of the run and the company of the night help ensure that I was never feeling a moment down, and sometimes the happy feeling spills over to the next day.

Despite the sorry state of the beach, East Coast Park is still a wonderful place to do a lot of leisurely things. Its position as the eastern coast of Singapore and its affectionate household name have ensured it a place in the lexicon of famous Singapore places. Where else on our tiny red dot can you enjoy a long, scenic uninterrupted stretch of path where you can walk, run, cycle or roller blade? A pity I don't drive and can only depend on Chance to bring me to the stretch for running. When the opportunity does come, I will be running down the peaceful and seemingly unending road, past familiar landmarks that I have mentally noted, stop at the toilets to have a few sips of water, soak in the sea view, and finally finishing with a splendid cool shower, changing into a fresh pair of clothes and slipping into my flip-flops.

ScrabbleliciouS

The last few minutes of 2009 shall be remembered for the scramble to a certain house in Bukit Timah to pick up Scrabble and other assorted board games, and then fervently praying that I would not have to celebrate the new year in a car with T or, worse, while we are rushing from the carpark to jw's home. That would have been, well, pathetic. We did manage to dash into the apartment in time, and even had a few minutes before the fireworks began - on the screen, of course. Instead of sparkling champange or wine, we had pokka green tea to toast to a new year.

The first few hours of 2010 would be remembered for a mind-boggling session over forming English words, short and long, common or never seen before. I also learnt a new word - the first in a year that had just barely begun: Tufa. It sounds suspiciously fraud but, yes, there is such a word. Henceforth my vocabulary expanded by one more word - within the first two hours of 2010.

Scrabble can be an intense game. No, change that to - Scrabble IS an intense game. Or as my friends would likely say, yours truly takes forever to make his move and, going by rumours, need the help of women to compete (those treacherous gossipers!). I was one Man pitted against 3 pairs of brains. I put up a brave fight, but was defeated still in the end, no thanks in part to Mr Z and Ms Q which are notoriously known to be difficult to rid of. One of them cost me negative 10 points, which is negative ten too costly. By the end of the game, nearly two hours later, I was brain dazed.

But scrabble is a lot of fun. In fact, Cal & Sab played scrabble for 12 hours while in transit during their honeymoon. I don't know how they did that, man. It must have been many rounds because Sab the strategist and analyst must have easily killed off Cal!

Untill the next game, I shall endeavour to unravel more Tufa-esqe words and unleash them at the battle. Hear my war cry, Scrabblelicious!!!

a rare treat

I made an unexpected but pleasant discovery on Sunday. I chanced upon a quiet corner in the dazzling Ion mall, that current crème de la crème shopping haven that still oozes sass and luxurious appeal even though it's opened for some time already.

It is a small café that is hidden away at an inconspicuous location inside the tastefully styled bookstore Prologue. I have never visited the bookstore since it opened for business even though I very much wanted to. This trip was, however, a coincidental stopover: I was in town to run some errands and decided on a whim to drop by to check out if it sells any diary planners for 2010 (this was already 3 days into the new year).

I was looking for the stationery section when the floor space suddenly opens up to a more spacious area that is occupied by the snazzy cafe. The small space was clean and sleek in its design. Most important, it is devoid of the obnoxious crowds that have descended upon the other cafes in the lower floors of the popular mall. Dinner was not long away but it didn't take long for me to decide that I shall finish my errands quickly and visit the cafe.

For Style, Taste and a Classy 2010

Cheers!