Running, running..

as fast as I can....

Yah, paraphrasing a song by No Doubt, a group which did one of my all-time fave songs "Don't Speak" I can just HEAR all my friends rolling over laughing their toes off now, since I'm infamous for NEVER stop speaking! In fact, I can talk about anything, nothing and everything! even when I don't know nuts about the topic....just test me! I bet you I can speak for 1 minute about anything, no matter how obscure or boring.....

Anyway, in a moment of complete madness, I've signed up for THREE running events for the rest of the year. The first will be my favourite annual run, the Army Half Marathon. This used to be called the Sheares Bridge Run cos part of the run entails running over a portion of the Benjamin Sheares Bridge. I love the sight of the rising sun falling on the water and the buildings, and it's about the only time of the day that there are very few cars on the highway, and it gives me a runner's high like you won't believe. The Powers-That-Be have renamed it the Singapore Bay Run. I just know they're trying to be cheapo by keeping to the same initials so that they can save on posters or something. Other than that, the official reason is that they've changed the route to go round some bay or other. Beats me since everyone will still know it as the Sheares Bridge Run! Anyway, this will be 21K long, and I'm aiming to complete the run under 2 hours this year.

A week later will be the Shape Run, which is the 2nd time they're doing it. This run aims to increase sport participation in women. I just joined it for the goodie bag! Yah, shameless but true. It's a 10K run, which should be a nice warm-down for me after the 21k a week earlier.

The BIG run will be the Singapore Marathon on Dec 3. I've signed up for the full run. Completely barking mad, I must be! The last and only time I ever did the full run was in 1999, when it was touted as the Millenium Run. I hurt like mad during the last 15 klicks, couldn't walk for a week, and my 2 big toe-nails fell off from a nail bed infection. I'm hoping that this time round I get to keep my toe nails, but I'm still anticipating a LOT of bad bad pain after I'm done. Why am I doing it? Well, it'll be a challenge, and it's probably the last time I'll be doing the full marathon before I get too old, so I might as well give it a shot this year and see how it goes.

I like running, even though my knees hurt every time I do it and I'm prone to blisters since I got flat feet. I tend to run whenever I'm on holiday since it's a great way to check out a new city and see sights I would eitherwise miss. Some folks have warned me that it's dangerous to run since I could get robbed or attacked. Well, it's not that dangerous so long as you keep to the main roads. I also make it a point to run only when the sun comes up so that I can actually see where I'm going. Other than that, even in so-called 3rd world countries, the most hassling I ever get are strange looks from folks who can't understand why a mad Chinese girl would be pounding down dusty roads and inhaling car fumes! But it can get freaky at times, like when I'm in Bali and packs of dogs start running after me when they see me pass...or the time I got lost running in Japan and I couldn't find anyone who spoke English. But I did find an amazingly helpful cop who went beyond his duty to guide me back to my hotel. There was also this time in Germany when it was about 10 degrees when I ran....I ran pretty damn fast, I can tell you! Thought my nose was going to fall off from hypothermia. And cos I stretched my leg on a bridge and was spotted by a couple on the same tour as me, they thought I was about to jump off the bridge! Not sure if they thought I was suicidal or just barmy for running in such cold weather.

To anyone who's reading this and thinking of picking up running, let me encourage you to start. It's a really simple activity, you don't need any special training or equipment. Just tee, shorts and a good pair of runners. Then start moving your feet, right, left, right, left, faster and faster, and you're off!

My pals and I went to Bangkok recently to do our grocery shopping....and I discovered that the only place on earth where there's NO global warming are Bangkok hotel rooms and shopping centres! I actually had to buy a sweater because the hotel room was so freaking cold! Here are some of the pics that we took with my new Sony T100 camera, which is super cool! Yah, we ate a lot and I went for a foot massage every day! Yippee!

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I also went to my company's 60th anniversary bash recently, and here are some of the pics I took there....don't we look good all prettied up?

Proudly Singaporean?

I've been thinking about patriotism and what makes me a Singaporean lately. Guess that's cos I read and heard various people talking about how they would move to another country for better quality of life and more freedom, and how they wouldn't die for Singapore. But would they die for an adopted country? Or would they just move on again should troubles strike them in their adopted land?

I admit I've thought about and even tried to move permanently to another country when I was younger. But when push came to shove, I returned home to Singapore. Why? Well, my mother needed me, and I realised that "home" is where I belonged, and that home is where my family, friends and loved ones were. Of course, I still think occasionally about moving away, especially when the weather gets hot or I get irritated by stupid Singaporeans...but there are stupid and irritating people everywhere in the world!

I am proud to be Singaporean and of my PINK IC. Yeah, guess it's a bit embarrassing when I see that in black and white,and I'm sure some people will think I'm mad! I've received a good basic education for the first 12 years of my academic life, I'm able to walk the roads safely even at 3 in the morning, and I am free to travel the world with my little red biometric passport. If I was a Malaysian (those poor souls!), I wouldn't be able to go to Israel just because my government didn't recognise it and would be frowned at if I wore a short-sleeved tee outside of my home. In many countries, I would be grateful just to have 3 meals a day, while in others, I would be glad just to live to the end of each day.

That's why I always wonder what the heck people are complaining about when they talk about having no freedom in Singapore! Like what sort of freedom do they want? Freedom to own a gun?? Freedom to vote in a crappy politician who is smooth and suave (just think "Bill Clinton") but can't deliver on his/her promises and would have sex with anything in a skirt?? Freedom to throw tomatoes at your MP when he can't give you a lift on every floor? Grow up folks! Be grateful for what you have. I know I am....that don't mean I don't complain every now and then (I'm a Singaporean after all!), but I thank God that I have a safe haven in which I can dream dreams and envision a better future.

My mum and me always joke about how we're always happy to be back to our "Home Sweet Home" after each overseas trip. Corny, but the sight of the straight rows of trees and flowery bushes lining the straight, pothole-free ECP would soothe my tired spirits, and I'd look forward to opening the door to my home. Bliss indeed.

To all those who would give up their Singaporean ID for another country's in a flash....let me just say that there is no perfect country or perfect government in this world. And this country is not all that bad, just open your eyes and your heart to it, and you'll see what I mean.