Before Easter

Before Easter Sunday, it was wholesome Saturday. A run in the morning, trees gazing, reading a magazine, brunch at a bakery with Adrian, Kel & Ruth, hatching plans for a short getaway, bike shopping, enjoying 饺子 (dumplings) in the late afternoon, and watching a good foreign film at night.

Happy Easter!

Of late

I did not have the most accomplished weekend, but it was a very decent one nevertheless, and I feel rested and ready for a new week of battles. Some of my friends have asked me how I have been doing in my current job. I tell them I am doing well: I am not unhappy in my current position, neither am I exhibiting much angst as before. I wonder if one can be truly happy in one's profession, for in any type of work there is bound to be both good and bad, both things that you enjoy and do not enjoy doing. Ideally, the enjoyable bits should greatly outweigh the dislikable parts. 

Ironically, of late I have been just as busy, if not busier, at work. I am often wearied out during the week as I leave home when it's barely bright and return only when its deep into the night almost daily. Tired I may be, but I am not frustrated or upset to any degree that leaves me emotionally drained. This is a critical difference from what I was going through previously. In fact, I have started to enjoy what I am doing over the past two weeks. There is still a lot of annoying work that inevitably comes along with dealing with clients and managing multiple deadlines and requests. Yet there is also a sense of excitement in figuring out and managing tactical aspects of the work I am dealing with, while smart-talking colleagues and new learning areas have helped to keep my days interesting and fruitful.

Perhaps much has to do with the environment and nature of my work, which differs greatly from my previous job. Instead of writing endless minutes and polishing one draft after another, I now look at figures and try to decipher their meaning so as to tweak them further to achieve some magical results. I find that I actually don't abhor the idea of being a geek and quite like being one in fact. Working with a small team and having limited resources, I no longer have to contend with a stratified machinery; neither do I have to expand emotional energy to grapple with people issues and a thousand peripheral matters. Even more important, I realise, is that I have more weekends to myself than before. This has given me time to recuperate between one battle-weary week and the next, thereby helping to restore some degree of balance in a life that will never cease working. I can charge ahead and work my ass off during the week, but it is important that I have time to do other things in life, time which I can only afford during the weekend. 

Happily, I am starting to find myself living healthier weekends these days. That has also made me greedy and hungry for even more weekend time even as I try to have a productive weekend every week. For there is just so much that I want to do over Saturday and Sunday. It sounds like I have a lot to do, but the ingredients for a happy weekend for me are pretty simple: time for sleeping, time for coffee and food, time for exercise, and time for reading. I went for a jog on Saturday evening and felt so good after that, having tried, unsuccessfully, to catch up with a much older man whom I swear was running at a IPPT 2.4km Platinum pace (aka above Gold Standard pace!). Then on Sunday. I wanted to cycle and run and swim all at the same time, but needless to say I couldn't do it even if I were a triathlete. I swam in the end and made up my mind that I would not linger longer than the time needed to complete my laps, just so I can scoot off for a cuppa after that (it was already late evening then). I managed to do both, and you know how setting goals for yourself and achieving them gives a great deal of satisfaction. 

So now I am ready to plunge back into the depths of the work and I think I can handle all the crises that will be surfacing during the week. Just leave my weekend untouched and I will work hard over the next 5 days. Promise.

I hope you enjoy your work and weekends too. Gambate!


Late evening jog by the lake on Saturday


A heart gift from yesteryear


Aspiring to be owner of a chic van


Girl & Her Doggie


Coffee Grounder


Sunday Cuppacino


Sunday Cuppacino with Murakami's 1Q84


1Q84: Tengo visits his Dad & the Cat Story


Looking for its script writer


My trusty un-DSLR cammie


Potions in a wooden chemical holder


View in front of me


Hello Kitty.

Fourth Dragon Day

Thursday, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the second working day which I did not have to spend in office. (Before you envy me, I'm paid nothing for staying at home.)

Lucky me, I had company in the morning for a slow city jog. Newly minted Peasant Yap, who is having a sabbatical currently, picked me up from Redhill MRT station at 8 a.m. We started our run from Robertson Quay, and the journey took us through Clarke Quay to Marina Bay Sands. We even zipped through the mall at Shenton Way when going over from Collyer Quay to Raffles Place. That was enough to make us honourably proud of ourselves as we cast mocking glances at the corporate crowd.

Breakfast was decent at a cafe. Coffee was not up to scratch, but the subsequent watermelon-lychee freeze more than made up for it. I read papers while Mr Yap busied himself with preparations for his upcoming GMAT exam.

After we parted, I went for a swim just after noon, repeating the same routine the day before. Awesome.

Third Dragon Day

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, I woke up to a quiet neighbourhood and lovely morning. The kids have gone back to school, the adults have returned to their offices for work. Those who are still on holiday are probably either still in bed or enjoying breakfast at home.

I went for a jog by the lake. In the afternoon, I went for a swim at my favourite public swimming complex. These two activities alone would have defined my day, for it is next to impossible to do both on a weekday. So you can imagine how satisfied and happy I was with my accomplishments.

After the swim, I took a train to town. I wanted to visit Cat Socrates at Bras Basah, a lovely shop that I've heard much about but yet to visit. When I failed to get a response by call and find out from the website and Facebook Page whether the shop's open for business, I decided to still make the trip - and be disappointed. But it's a weekday and I'm a free man, so I'm cool about it.

I hopped over to Kiliney Kopitiam and had a late lunch/tea, paying an exorbitant $5.50 for eggs, toast bread and tea because the prices have not gone down (stall-holders typically raise the prices of food during the first few days of Chinese New Year). After the satisfying meal, I took a long walk in the city area and took pictures - something which I have not been able to do for a long time. Short of calling this a photo-shoot outing, I did try to spot interesting sights and snap shots. By the time I was done, it was past 7.30pm and I had crossed over the road from the Esplanade to the Fullerton Hotel.

Dinner was awaiting me at home. I felt I had spent a good day doing things that I fancy. Lovely Wednesday.

18 September

Did an 8km city run today that took WW and me from Robertson Quay to MBS and back. Following which, we had our usual brekkie at a nice cafe. This time, it was to 40 Hands where I was surprised to see quite a crowd at such an early hour.

I had egg cocotte and a cuppacino, a pleasing combination, if a little atas, for a post-run meal.