Gotta calibrate my nike+

Last Saturday, I went for a run with colleague at East Coast but a different stretch. Instead of my usual Sunday morning runs, I opted to try out a Saturday evening one instead. Plus it was a new route to me (which I found I love it and am going to try it this coming Sunday morning... yoo hoo!).

But, boy, it was a totally different experience after all.

Perhaps it was just that particular Saturday but at 5pm, it still felt extremely scorching hot for me. I think I've run before around that time of the day, but that Saturday, the heat was not in my favour.

At the on-start, I could already feel 'uncomfortable' but perhaps, it was also because I was trying to pace myself with an expert runner and that'd mean the speed would not be my usual slow-coach one.

A short distance away, there was a toilet break but my ego said no, no, I can push on and didn't take advantage of the opportunity to cool my body down with splashes of water (which I later regretted). And from then on, I felt I was going to die from dehydration or exhaustion but once again, my ego pushed me on as I had previously covered a distance of 8km before.

On the return route, I gladly helped myself to the cool water to hose myself down and from then, I felt so much better, like as if the aircon was blowing at me and I could almost sprint my way back. But then, it was the return route, so maybe psychologically too, I was also charged up to complete my run and somehow found the extra energy to push on.

Finally for a few minutes, I managed to 'over take' the expert runner but couldn't sustain my lead for long.

My final nike+ reading showed a distance of 8.51km at a pace of 6:53/km completed in 58 minutes 38 seconds. Minus the inaccuracy of my nike+, I'd say it should have been about a 8km if not, 7km at worst distance.

Felt good and felt proud. But I've got to get to a stage where I can do this and come out breathing normally without panting excessively... like the expert runner.

I can get there... I know I can. Like Nike, just do it.

Ichiban Boshi - Oishi desu

We went to ichiban boshi at novena square and wazen sets it was for Sunday night dinner. Dad had his beef curry again while I tried the Unagi Tofu one which is excellent.

Mum and bro had ala carte sushi.

All in all, it's definitely two thumbs up again and a third thumb if we all had extras.

Empire State - I heart New York

I might have missed New York but dinner tonight reminded me of the night we ate at this deli in the Empire State building.

We went to "Empire State" at Iluma in Bugis. I had the Empire State beef burger steak (medium rare only of course) and Flo had some spring chicken thing.

We shared half a slab of pork's ribs and it was delicious, delicious, delicious.

I was eyeing the brownie ice cream dessert but we were so full, I had no more space left for it so had to give it a miss this time. Two thumbs up and will seriously consider offering a third if I had one.

街头茶餐厅，好噎！

Lunch today was great! We went to Street's Cafe at Raffles City and had a ball of a time.

I had my standard nissin but instead of my luncheon meat and egg (餐肉蛋), I opted for chicken chop and kimchi. June had 'hokkien' fried rice which looked suspiciously like mui fan. We both shared a 'Macau' chicken chop bun but the bun was wrong... guess they were left with french toasts only.

I had salty plum soda and June had something hazelnut I think... I liked it at Streets and find it better than other hong kong cafes I have been to. Two thumbs up!

Silk Road to spicy haven

Lunch yesterday was really 'sensational'. We went to a Sichuan restaurant in Amara hotel, which I've read much good reviews before, but never had a chance to patronize it.

Since Colleen was paying, plus knowing how Tina can take her spices, I thought the Silk Road would be a great choice.

Thankfully, most of the guests were happy with the selection - minus Uncle Lam, whose ultra sensitive mouth, couldn't take more of the spicy-ness.

We had the '八宝茶' which was almost everyone's favourite. We had french bean, some toufu thingie which was the appetiser, 宫堡 frog leg and spicy beef cubes.. actually can't really remember what I chose as I just selected anything that had 'chef's' recommendation.

Two thumbs up and will be glad to come back anytime we decide to numb our lips and give our stomach a spicy overhaul.

This little piggy went wee, wee, wee all the way home

After belly dancing class today, still felt hungry so I helped myself to one of m favourite snacks - 'golden' pig which is something you can get usually only around mooncake festival period.

Isn't she cute??

Ajisen Ramen

After my run today... I'm feeling hungry again. So we went to Ajisen Ramen at Novena Square as I wanted something soupy.

I ordered the "tenderous ribs"- nan kotsu - ramen which is my favourite eversince my brother introduced them to me about a year plus back. We ordered the sets and had white fish as well as crab croquette.

Oh, and I got a bit bored and decided to experiment with functions of my phone camera (some of which I didn't I had...kekeke).

Swenson's

Yummy... after a good jog today, time to reward myself with a 'happy meal'. So we went to Swenson's at United Square and 'creamed' myself out.

Had the cream of vegetable soup, and then the prawn and fruit salad, chicken & mushroom spaghetti (but no cheese... if it helps) and then ice cream, ice cream, ice cream!

Our sets came with a scoop of ice cream already (I originally chose black forest flavour but did a last minute swap with mum for her macademia nuts one), but we ordered more after that.

Sigh, better make sure I do something with my cream overload tomorrow.

Good morning Sunday

Good run, good sun, good fun! Finished 8.24km in 55m36s. Had breakfast at Old Town with my standard nissin noodle with sausage and egg. The hazelnut white coffee was alright as well.

Went for a short walk after breakfast and saw a cute white 'shih tzu' following its master.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Pu Tien, 我来咽！

We were going to watch "The Proposal" last night and as all foodies will do, they'd meet up first to fill their stomachs before the main agenda began.

We went to Pu Tien in Food Republic, Vivocity. The taste was good for most of them but we did order alot.

I liked the noodles and the fried brinjal best. The spinach and stewed tofu were good, but a bit disappointed with the tofu.

Somehow I think I tasted squid or something, which is a taste I don't quite fancy.

Once again, time always seem to fly by quickly. Whilst we were enjoying ourselves over dinner, we had to wrap up to collect our movie tickets. As for the review of the movie, it was quite alright. There were some really funny moments but the storyline a bit far out - to turn from hate to love in a short span of 3 days seems too much like fairytale. But nevertheless, since we are fans of Sandra Bullock, we did enjoy it overall.

Can't wait for next outing!:)

TCS Mad Hat Party

Prior to the party of the night, had a quick dinner at Sketches in Robertson Walk and unfortunately, was a bit disappointed. I remember Sketches being pretty good at pasta but the order I had was so-so and almost below average.

The cream soup was 'cold'. The pasta bolognese was average and perhaps it was my fault for ordering it in the first place (I was originally eyeing the aglio olio with tiger prawns), it was boring and the pasta wasn't dried out enough - water from the pasta diluted the tomato based sauce.

I had more fun at the mad hat themed party than Sketches. Happy Birthday to Sia!

Good morning Sunday!

Good morning Sunday! Great jog today at East Coast Park... managed 6.74km as well as half a set of waffle & scrambled egg at KFC. Aiya.. forgot to take pic of the food! Bummer...

Ichiban Boshi

Oooishii desu... Ichiban Boshi at Novena Square. As I'd be going for a 'run' tommorrow, Dad insisted I had to load up on carbs for tonight.

So we went to Ichiban Boshi japanese restaurant and ordered the wazen sets. I had the black pepper gindara (cod) while Dad had beef curry. Mum had the same set as me.

The chawamushi was great, but they were served late as it had to take an extra 10mins to 'steam' it. Probably that's why it tasted extra delicious. Two thumbs up and a third if I had one.

Good food, good company

I think the food at TCC is really not bad. Went to the one at The Atrium @ Orchard and enjoyed the sea perch with wasabi vinaigrette.

The salmon sandwich selection looked great, especially the avocado spread.

Where's this? 0805

Healthy living, healthy eating. Lunch was at this salad bar place in Robinson Road. We took the set but had different soup. June ordered the minestrone while I took the cream of asparagus one which was a tad too creamy.

We each took 3 picks - I had the waldorf, pear & feta and roasted vegetables.

Guess where this is? Hint: I did blog about this place before....

iPod nano is great, so is nike+... guess must be user error again!

I took my lovely hot pink iPod nano and nike+ for a spin this morning. I was so proud of myself to complete my task of a short 30mins run and according to the device, it clocked about 4km which is a hugely remarkable achievement for someone who could barely pass her 2.4km centuries ago during school days.

Happily, I took this reading back home to synch with iTunes and upload to the nike website. But unfortunately (and this is the part when you can hear my heart breaking and eyes filling with tears) the data was not able to be synched to my account in the nike running site. BIG SIGH!

I don't know what went wrong. User error again it seems, but I don't read manuals and expect all CE products to be designed idiot-proof for idiots like me! So, how come such a simple task like synching didn't work? I even approached our default unofficial official Juniper's very own iPod helpdesk officer but neither he could explain or figure out what this idiot here might have done.

I don't think I have the energy to go for another run tommorrow. Besides, have early calls to make once again so no way I'd be able to wake up, jog, shower and go to work in time.

Till then, the mystery remains as so.

Where's this? 0804

Dinner tonight was a Marina Square at this Chinese restaurant. We ordered the 'healthy set' for 4 pax, deemed as less salt and less oil. However, Sunny also ordered the dong po pork which was deliciously sinful which I think kind of defeated the purpose of the 'healthy set'.

A 4pax set, cost about $97plus after discount, came with about 6 dishes selection - fish maw soup, spinach, fish slices, duck in special herb sauce, mushroom galore and dessert of 'gui ling gao' which I hated, but is supposedly good for you, especially if you're prone to keeping late nights.

Guess where this is?

3 Things about me

You've been tagged, so you are supposed to write a note with the 3's of YOU. At the end, choose people to be tagged. You have to tag me. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but not in a creepy stalker kind of way.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 3's, tag 26 people (in the right hand corner of the app), then click publish.) Over

Three names I go (have gone) by:
1. Ah Hua (or Ah Girl)
2. Yue
3. Cin

Three jobs I have had in my life:
1. Marcom Executive
2. Product Manager
3. Sr. Marketing Manager

Three Places I have lived:
1. Normanton Park
2. Kembangan
3. Whampoa (no, not referring to current place but we've lived here before)

Three Favorite drinks:
1. Anything citric (eg. Lime juice, plum juice, lemonade, vodka lime)
2. Wine (Currently, into whites now like Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling)
3. Coffee

Three TV shows that I watch (only 3?? It's killing me):
1. Crime and punshiments ones (CSI, Law & Order SVU, Criminal Minds etc)
2. Reality ones related to fashion (ANTM, Project Runway)
3. Reruns (Friends, E.R. etc)

Three Places I Have Been:
1. London, England
2. New York City, USA
3. Beijing, China

Three people who I talk to and/or Facebook with regularly:
1. Jac Hoe
2. CK Lam
3. Please insert your name here

Three of my favorite restaurants:
1. Angus Steak House
2. Jade
3. Long Beach Seafood

Three friends I think will respond:
1. Jac Hoe
2. June Loh
3. Please insert your name here

Three things I'm looking forward to:
1. 2010
2. Finishing my 10km run and still breathe
3. Hoi An

Three Places I would like to visit:
1. Spain
2. Greece
3. Paris, France

Three Important Ingredients of a Lasting Relationship:
1. Mutual understanding
2. Give without expecting returns
3. Commitment

The Twilight Look

Vamp it up…the easy way

The idea is to look sexy, not man-eater-y, so try smoky brown eyes like Ashley Greene, 22 (Alice, Edward’s future-seeing sister), has here. We asked her if the nonstop cast-hookup rumors were true; she won’t confirm or deny, but admits that there’s a lot of heat on set. “I’m glad I don’t have a boy-friend. It’d be hard to tell him, ‘I have a crush on Jackson Rathbone!’”

To get that smudge effect, blend with a spongy applicator. Try Dior 1-Colour Eyeshadow in Trendy Taupe ($28, sephora.com). Do black liner, light blush and lipstick.

Source: http://team-twilight.com/20090807/details-pics-twilight-girls-glamour-spread/#more-4013

For every input, there has to be output...

Yet another week has passed... but this Friday had been most 'healthy' even though I've been sitting on the couch typing away in my blog, twitter and facebook entries, in this ever sedentary lifestyle which I adore.

Dinner was at Ikea's in Queenstown area and although my favourite food there is the cheap, cheap $1 hotdog which I'd always drown in mustard and ketchup, Jac was a fan of their salmon. So we headed to the cafe. I hereby declare that though I love salmon, it must be eaten raw sashimi-style or smoked. I cannot take it once it has been 'touched by fire' and cooked in any form especially 98 deg cel and beyond.

I had the roast chicken, which was delicious, and came with side salad with carrots and lovely mash potatoes. We each ordered chicken wings and shared a plate of smoked salmon.

So much for input.

For output, I didn't do any but I made investment in this area (which is a start, right? I'm putting in effort, right? It's the thought that counts, right?). I bought two pairs of Nike running shoes - Lunartrainer and Zoom Structure.... Mary also called me last night as she's in HK for holiday and I asked if she could help find me iPod Nano and Nike+ sports kit. She came back with pricing and I say "yes, go".

So you see, I am moving along with my goal. Just by typing in this blog entry, I feel much healthier already.

How time flies... it's 1.10pm and that's lunch time. What shall I input now...

Where's this? 0803

Lunch with colleagues was at this Thai Place in Temasek Tower, opposite our office. We had mango salad and thai fish cake as starters.

For mains, by 'recommendation', I ordered the tom yam kar with thai rice noodle and the thai iced tea. Tom yam kar, as I was told, is tom yam with coconut milk.

Both came in orangey coloured shade - the tom yam kar looked suspiciously like laksa while the iced tea looked like some dark carrot juice (just like my celery carrot juice in fact).

Luckily, both tasted pretty alright for me. The tom yam kar was nice, and doesn't taste much like laksa and still retained its tom yam-ness which is spicy and sourish. The noodle was tad hard (maybe they didn't soak it long enough) but wasn't horribly bad.

The thai iced tea, as I was told, was not up to standard but my palates are very easy going. It reminded me of chendol, to the dismay of the original recommender who said it was suppose to taste much better - but I wasn't complaining (except mid way we got our drinks mixed up and might have drank off each other's cups. Lucky for me, I'm H1N1 immune:P)

Dessert was the usual mango sticky rice which I gave a miss but I suspect it should be pretty alright.

Guess where this place is?

Where's this? 0802

It's been a while since we last had Japanese... so we went to this place in IMM, Jurong as they had an ala carte buffet dinner. We ordered so many things that by the end of it, we were so bloated. We had sashimi, yakiniku, soft shell crab, miso soup, chawamushi, unagi, sukiyaki... . However, the best dish of the night was the ebi tempura and the green tea ice cream was also very good.

Guess where this is?

Where's this? 0801

We're back to where I had eaten my frog prince. This time, we ordered an additional toufu winter melon dish. Yummy!

Have you been to ION orchard lately?

Friday evening... weekend's around the corner. What do we do? We pop over to ION orchard. Mistake #1 was not driving there. We thought, since it is a new place, it's bound to be foreign to us and we'd probably have a hard time to find a parking lot. So hail a cab we did, but Ah Sui and Beekee felt car sick by our incompetent taxi uncle, who already declared when we got into his cab that he doesn't know the place.

It also didn't help that he was a 'jerky' driver... starting and stopping... and I lost count the number of 'could have been' accidents which we mildly avoided.

Anyway, when we got there, boy was ION big... and expensive. The part we got off was the high end fashion label branded stuff. It felt very much like the Times Square in Hong Kong. And I felt abit out of place... and crowd wasn't big either, which is surprising. There was suppose to be an official 'turn on the big screen plasma' at 7.30pm, but we had forgotten it after trying to figure out how to comb the mall.

Then by chance, we found this little alley... "ION station". Could it be a new MRT station? We decided to venture it and lo and behold, it was quite the paradise and it's where more of the 'normal' stuff like Mango, Charles & Keith etc were located. This area was much more crowded, and it is also where the ION food hall was located... and that's where Ah Sui and I hit paradise.

We loaded up the calories and fat with hakka abacus bead, yong tau hu but the fried kinds, fried carrot cakes.... we then proceeded to sin through the night with local desserts at the food court and then drinks at Xin Wang char chan tang. By the time we checked the time, it was about 10+pm. And we haven't finished exploring....

BTW, if you want to know, parking after 5pm at ION is $4.50 per entry. Yes, traffic is indeed 'bizarre' but if you're driving, it's not going to help either.

Where's this? 0709

Lunch today was very nice, 'healthy' and delicious. The ladies opted for something light, so we went to a salad bar a few minutes walk from our office. Although it was quite pricey (3 choice salad picks with soup and iced lemon tea was about S$13.60 or so. But Marilyn was so nice to pay for it... so the plan would be to bring her and Mary to try my favourite fish head steamboat in return.

I had something chicken salad, waldorf and pumpkin with spinach. Heavenly... I was also eyeing this other salad (can't remember what it was) but luckily Mary ordered it and I had a taste of it. Delicious too....

Guess where's this?