Ah... finally we are in the first official work week of the new year. No more holiday mood snoozing... I guess I won't never be ready for work until Chinese New Year has passed...hahaha...
I felt like I made a good start for 2009. Since my only resolution this year is to lose weight (or should i say, exercise more often), I guess there's nothing more convincing than exercising on the very first day of the year! So I booked and played tennis at Kallang from 8am to 10am.... Phew! What a way to start a day... Nice hitting session with my colleague and we went on to Mac's for Mega Sausage McMuffin with Egg meal! Alright, it's just him who's eating that junk... haha... i only had a small burger and coffee :)
Continuing on my resolution, my colleague asked me if I'm interested in taking tennis lessons again. I think it's a good idea and agreed right away. My tennis is really going downhill since my ankle injury last July. I was out for 3 months with no exercise at all. I count myself lucky (and I thank O' Mighty Goddess of Mercy!) that I didn't fracture any bones or tear any ligaments from that incident. I think i got back to tennis too fast and overstrained my shoulders a little towards the end of last year. But I guess my shoulders are kinda feeling okay now... just okay only... hmmm... I hope it will hold up well!
Tennis season is back! And on TV some more! Yeah! Hehe... Andy Murray just won the Invitation-Only exhibition event at Dubai and pocket US$250,000. I thought this was an interesting event as it only has 6 Top players and winner takes all the prize money. He is showing the rest of the guys that 2009 will be his year as he took out World #1 Nadal and #2 Federer on his way to the title. No sight of #3 Djokovic. Hmm... is he in secret training to defend his Aussie open title???
Monday, January 5, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year Celebration
Happy 2009 minasan!
Every year this time, I once again felt that time really flies. I'm sure many people felt the same too. 2008 started off not bad. Times were good, a lot of work done and appraisal from boss was very encouraging. Come end 2008, the financial market took another deep plunge and the expected bonus and wage increase went down the drain too... Very discouraging, I must say...
So once again, my gang (close friends from JC) celebrated NYE by having a crab dinner. We also did a NYE crab dinner a few years ago at No Signboard restaurant at Geylang. It was really fun. Friends of more than a decade, sitting down for a decent meal, occasionally reminiscing the yester-years, wine, laughter all night... I like that... :)
This year, Sista M and husband have decided that we all go to Seafood Paradize at Defu Lane 10. I heard many good reviews about this crab restaurant, especially for its Butter Cream crabs. So, my expection going into the restaurant grew even more. We had the usual starters like omelette and pork ribs and eventually the butter crabs and vermicelli crab came after a long 1 hr wait. Seriously, i think that to wait 1 hr for crabs is fucking absurd. However, i thought "fuck it", it's NYE dinner, so better not be diva and drop unwarranted comments. So the consensus was that the crabs are just fine... ok only. I felt that the chilli crab and black pepper crab i had at House of Seafood @ 180 Yio Chu Kang Rd was far better than this Defu Lane 10.
We then move on to a dessert place at Thomson Rd. I can't remember the name of this dessert place, but i think it got something to do with chocolate. I had the warm chocolate and a black coffee. Warm chocolate was nice. :) Thick, sweet and tasty. The coffee was abit too cold for my liking. I prefer coffee to be hot... boiling hot would be superb!
So that was it for NYE. As usual, it was nice and comforting to be with my gang again celebrating the turn of another year. Let's hope 2009 will be a good and healthy year for all! :)
Every year this time, I once again felt that time really flies. I'm sure many people felt the same too. 2008 started off not bad. Times were good, a lot of work done and appraisal from boss was very encouraging. Come end 2008, the financial market took another deep plunge and the expected bonus and wage increase went down the drain too... Very discouraging, I must say...
So once again, my gang (close friends from JC) celebrated NYE by having a crab dinner. We also did a NYE crab dinner a few years ago at No Signboard restaurant at Geylang. It was really fun. Friends of more than a decade, sitting down for a decent meal, occasionally reminiscing the yester-years, wine, laughter all night... I like that... :)
This year, Sista M and husband have decided that we all go to Seafood Paradize at Defu Lane 10. I heard many good reviews about this crab restaurant, especially for its Butter Cream crabs. So, my expection going into the restaurant grew even more. We had the usual starters like omelette and pork ribs and eventually the butter crabs and vermicelli crab came after a long 1 hr wait. Seriously, i think that to wait 1 hr for crabs is fucking absurd. However, i thought "fuck it", it's NYE dinner, so better not be diva and drop unwarranted comments. So the consensus was that the crabs are just fine... ok only. I felt that the chilli crab and black pepper crab i had at House of Seafood @ 180 Yio Chu Kang Rd was far better than this Defu Lane 10.
We then move on to a dessert place at Thomson Rd. I can't remember the name of this dessert place, but i think it got something to do with chocolate. I had the warm chocolate and a black coffee. Warm chocolate was nice. :) Thick, sweet and tasty. The coffee was abit too cold for my liking. I prefer coffee to be hot... boiling hot would be superb!
So that was it for NYE. As usual, it was nice and comforting to be with my gang again celebrating the turn of another year. Let's hope 2009 will be a good and healthy year for all! :)
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Keep Walking...
I woke up to a very wet Christmas eve today... Cold air, warm bed & blanket... and snoozed in bed for another 10 minutes before getting to work... Shiok! It's been my best sleep so far this week. I like to think that it was due to having some exercise last night.
Last night was the 3rd time this year that I walked home from office. I took about 1.5 hrs to walk from Raffles Place to Geylang via Nicholl Highway. It feels good! I've been having big celebratory meals for the past weekend and think its only right to burn off some more calories before the next wave of heavy meals come... haha...
I recalled the first time I walked home from office. I was feeling lousy, but i can't remember over what... I just know I need to sweat it out and clear my mind. So I walked from Raffles Place to Victoria Concert Hall to Peninsula Plaza (stopover at 7-Eleven for water) to Raffles City Shopping Mall to Bugis Junction to Jalan Sultan to Lavendar MRT station to Kallang MRT station then eventually Geylang. This whole trip took me more than 2 hrs, 1 bottle of Ice Mountain and lotsa sweat! But it was a very refreshing experience. I got to see a few interesting places which I would usually pass in my daily life i.e. Arab Street, the fruit stalls along Geylang Road... Another comforting note is that my beloved Clare called me along the way to check that I'm ok. Clare also waited for me to return home then took me out for a late dinner. All in all, it's a not bad night :)
So I think I will continue to do this walking regime more regularly in future... since my only new year resolution for 2009 is to lose weight! hehe...
Last night was the 3rd time this year that I walked home from office. I took about 1.5 hrs to walk from Raffles Place to Geylang via Nicholl Highway. It feels good! I've been having big celebratory meals for the past weekend and think its only right to burn off some more calories before the next wave of heavy meals come... haha...
I recalled the first time I walked home from office. I was feeling lousy, but i can't remember over what... I just know I need to sweat it out and clear my mind. So I walked from Raffles Place to Victoria Concert Hall to Peninsula Plaza (stopover at 7-Eleven for water) to Raffles City Shopping Mall to Bugis Junction to Jalan Sultan to Lavendar MRT station to Kallang MRT station then eventually Geylang. This whole trip took me more than 2 hrs, 1 bottle of Ice Mountain and lotsa sweat! But it was a very refreshing experience. I got to see a few interesting places which I would usually pass in my daily life i.e. Arab Street, the fruit stalls along Geylang Road... Another comforting note is that my beloved Clare called me along the way to check that I'm ok. Clare also waited for me to return home then took me out for a late dinner. All in all, it's a not bad night :)
So I think I will continue to do this walking regime more regularly in future... since my only new year resolution for 2009 is to lose weight! hehe...
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Thank U, Justine Pt 2
It was 2001 when i started to notice Ms Justine Henin. Despite being in the Women's tennis tour for many years, she only burst into the limelight in 2001. She reached the women's singles semifinals of the French Open and the women's singles final of Wimbledon.
What really caught my eye was her relatively small form (she's 5 feet 5 tall) and big game. She's the only noticeable female tennis player who uses a single backhand. She's always referred to as the Federer of female tennis for having such a complete game & skills. Her western forehand is generally regarded as her most dangerous weapon, but its her single backhand that brought her international fame and admiration. Her signature single backhand is even more powerful than her compatriots' double backhand.
Now many people may think "What's the big deal with single or double backhand? Same same what." Let me tell you, it's not the same! Double backhand is a more steady shot. U can be off balanced and still hit a pretty ok double backhand. But with single backhand, u must always be ready and prepare your strokes early.
So after watching Justine on TV in 2001, i made the decision to change my backhand from double to single. As i mentioned earlier, since my double backhand has no impact/pace at all, i'm eager for a change and improvement. If a small lady like Justine can have such a big game, so can i! haha...
From then onwards, i hired a coach for one-to-one training to improve my new single backhand. Of course as with all sports, some days u play good, some days u play horrendously. I came to realize that no matter how bad your game is for any particular day, just commit yourself to your game and hit the game out regardless of the results.
My single backhand is now my main weapon in my tennis game. I love playing tennis and the sport had helped me grow alot. I believed i've learned to be more determined, more focus and enjoy every minute of the sport. I hope that our body can hold up well into its old age and still be playing tennis with my kakis.
This is how much Justine Henin had influenced my game. So thank u and Allez Justine!
What really caught my eye was her relatively small form (she's 5 feet 5 tall) and big game. She's the only noticeable female tennis player who uses a single backhand. She's always referred to as the Federer of female tennis for having such a complete game & skills. Her western forehand is generally regarded as her most dangerous weapon, but its her single backhand that brought her international fame and admiration. Her signature single backhand is even more powerful than her compatriots' double backhand.
Now many people may think "What's the big deal with single or double backhand? Same same what." Let me tell you, it's not the same! Double backhand is a more steady shot. U can be off balanced and still hit a pretty ok double backhand. But with single backhand, u must always be ready and prepare your strokes early.
So after watching Justine on TV in 2001, i made the decision to change my backhand from double to single. As i mentioned earlier, since my double backhand has no impact/pace at all, i'm eager for a change and improvement. If a small lady like Justine can have such a big game, so can i! haha...
From then onwards, i hired a coach for one-to-one training to improve my new single backhand. Of course as with all sports, some days u play good, some days u play horrendously. I came to realize that no matter how bad your game is for any particular day, just commit yourself to your game and hit the game out regardless of the results.
My single backhand is now my main weapon in my tennis game. I love playing tennis and the sport had helped me grow alot. I believed i've learned to be more determined, more focus and enjoy every minute of the sport. I hope that our body can hold up well into its old age and still be playing tennis with my kakis.
This is how much Justine Henin had influenced my game. So thank u and Allez Justine!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Thank U, Justine Pt 1
My favourite sport is tennis and it's been going on for a good 8 years now. Despite having a somewhat boring childhood (i was in the chinese orchestra for 6 years in school), i always know I'm an active person and i can excel in sports.
So when i got into my junior colleage, I've decided to do something beside chinese classical music. Upon finishing the freshie orientation program, I immediately sign up for the colleague's tennis club selection. Of course I wasn't selected... my years of watching tennis on TV totally did not translate into any real life skill... haha... what am i thinking?!?
Fast forward 5 years and I found myself in NUS. My urge to learn tennis emerged again. This time I am very determined. I went to sign up for a tennis class at the Spore Sports Council all by myself! So I went for my 10 tennis classes. They were really fun :) There were 3 guys and 9 ladies. I like to think that I'm somehow quite gifted in tennis... hehe... i was easily the best student in the class. With an awesome forehand and balls of confidence, i immediately signed up for an intermediate class. Now, the intermediate class was even more exciting. The students are definitely more skilfull and focus than those from the beginner's class. I totally enjoyed the class and made some really nice tennis kakis.
Despite having better strokes, i still find my backhand a major weakness. The 2000s period is an era of the double-backhanders (Marat Safin, Leyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, Williams Sisters, Martina Hingis etc.). So most people learned and played tennis using two hands to hit a double backhand and I'm one of them. Somehow, my double backhand didn't seem to unlease like my fellow kakis, despite have good progression. I tried and tried many times on court to improve my movement, body rotation etc. but to no avail.
My tennis improvement reached a plateau... until I saw Justine...
So when i got into my junior colleage, I've decided to do something beside chinese classical music. Upon finishing the freshie orientation program, I immediately sign up for the colleague's tennis club selection. Of course I wasn't selected... my years of watching tennis on TV totally did not translate into any real life skill... haha... what am i thinking?!?
Fast forward 5 years and I found myself in NUS. My urge to learn tennis emerged again. This time I am very determined. I went to sign up for a tennis class at the Spore Sports Council all by myself! So I went for my 10 tennis classes. They were really fun :) There were 3 guys and 9 ladies. I like to think that I'm somehow quite gifted in tennis... hehe... i was easily the best student in the class. With an awesome forehand and balls of confidence, i immediately signed up for an intermediate class. Now, the intermediate class was even more exciting. The students are definitely more skilfull and focus than those from the beginner's class. I totally enjoyed the class and made some really nice tennis kakis.
Despite having better strokes, i still find my backhand a major weakness. The 2000s period is an era of the double-backhanders (Marat Safin, Leyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, Williams Sisters, Martina Hingis etc.). So most people learned and played tennis using two hands to hit a double backhand and I'm one of them. Somehow, my double backhand didn't seem to unlease like my fellow kakis, despite have good progression. I tried and tried many times on court to improve my movement, body rotation etc. but to no avail.
My tennis improvement reached a plateau... until I saw Justine...
Sunday, December 21, 2008
My First !
Hello to Everyone who's reading this. After many months of procrastination and hesitation, I've finally started my very own blog. :)
My hesitation stemmed from how I should position this blog (hmm... this kinda sounded like a financial pitch...hehe). I always tell my friends that I would love to put my ideas/criticism in writing, but how should I write so that readers can "feel" my thoughts. I call that Writing with Impact. Then again, I thought "Fuck it, just Do it!" It's not if as I'm going to contribute any material worthy of a Nobel prize... hahah.
So here it is... My Virgin Post! Actually I have to thank my 2 new friends, Stevie & GND, for this post. After reading their respective blogs, I once again feel motivated to do up my blog. So, thank you cuties! Now, let me give you a lowdown on what you can expect from my blog:
My hesitation stemmed from how I should position this blog (hmm... this kinda sounded like a financial pitch...hehe). I always tell my friends that I would love to put my ideas/criticism in writing, but how should I write so that readers can "feel" my thoughts. I call that Writing with Impact. Then again, I thought "Fuck it, just Do it!" It's not if as I'm going to contribute any material worthy of a Nobel prize... hahah.
So here it is... My Virgin Post! Actually I have to thank my 2 new friends, Stevie & GND, for this post. After reading their respective blogs, I once again feel motivated to do up my blog. So, thank you cuties! Now, let me give you a lowdown on what you can expect from my blog:
- Movie/Music/Book Reviews
- Food Reviews
- Random Gossips
- Quirky Extracts/Stories
- Tennis Updates
- Travel (perhaps?)
- Other snippets of my Life...
Alright, that's all for my first post. I have 2 half-written posts sitting in my PC (since Nov 08). Let me go tidy them up and present to u :)
Merry Xmas!
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