Christmas 2009
We did a homecooked dinner on Christmas eve this year.  My fav caesar salad, cream penne with prawn (both PS cafe style), black pepper steak, cod fish & prawns and salsa dip with nachos.. It was simple but yet heart warming.

In fact,  I would say it's one of the best Christmas eve countdown I had for a while.

For the third year, we "maintained" the tradition of taking a photo beside the nicely decorated Christmas tree.

Since we were flying off on Christmas day, boxing day came early! We started opening all our presents on the eve itself.  Thoughtful Ivy got us a manual musical box with our special song!

We did our yearly Christmas Kettling.  This time round in Suntec.  2 hours of our time, but it's time well-spent!

This year, I did the kettling not once but twice, at Habourfront as well.  SMS a few friends to inform them of the Salvation Army Kettle so that more could donate.  Was so pleasantly surprised where SiewChoo popped by as I was yawning away to drop a $50 note . It certainly perked up my spirits!

Lots of Christmas photos this year.

Several Christmas gatherings with friends & unfortunately some without pictures taken.

Today by Faith, I can do what yesterday seem impossible

An simple idea from me became a dream come true for WJ, touched the hearts of many, leaving a heartwarming story to share for a lifetime... only made possible with true friendship!

It's amazing how quickly bonds were made as we were struggling "pedaling until our tongue sweep the floor" to draft in a pack while remaining safe at ~40km/h. One of the best things I did this year was to join the JRs.  The euphoria from those 3 times a week rides and the friendships made were priceless.

6 persons (Al, E, DS, DR, I, JY) roped in and everything went into place.

WJ is a special girl.. ultra sweet & kind-hearted. 24 year old girl drew & published KiteSong and have a second book in the works.. amazing!

 

A simple home-cooked dinner by WJ but everyone at the table could feel the sincerity as she gave THANKS.

FAITH brought us closer!  A last minute idea to visit Fung has everyone "ONZ" in full force at a simple Kopitam at 9pm on a weekday night.  A few SMS & phone calls with several offers for a ride from home.  Yes, we are not just crazy when riding. =)

 

With love from WJ.

Christmas present from WJ was not a typical Christmas present, but a goodie bag consisting of a photo album containing our good memories from OSIM, JRs & SCM, a photo frame with one of the nicest photo of all time, my fav GODIVA dark chocolate, a FAITH cup, a FAITH magnet and a nicely self-drawn card.  

I love the card the best!

Christmas Presents 2009
"... the value of a timeless gift lies in the thought put into it. What really matters is its ability to linger forever in our memories."

X'mas present for myself... My first Kate Spade item!

This is the first year we chose our own X'mas present.  In the past years, I always like to receive something nice & impractical for Xmas...  a pleasant surprise.
This time round, I saw something at Kate Spade which is nice & yet impractical.  So I snapped a photo & MMS Gerald "Dear, can I choose my own present this year? Please!" and he immediately replied "Sure =)"

 

In return, Gerald choose his own X'mas present too.. iPhone 3GS

 

 

Started getting presents for good friends early this year... presents I'm confident they will like it. =)

Saw this on a poster along Somerset MRT & thought it would be a good X'mas present for Eric (my cycling mentor). So Gerald & I head to HMV on 3rd floor.

So many nice CDs on my dream list! Jason Mraz, Adam Lambert (no worries he's a gay, I still like him!), Norah Jones, Emo Love & many many more!







Was trying hard to refrain from buying! Haven't been buying CDs for a while expect when buying as gifts. Prefer using the cheaper option.. Aka U-Tube :)
Was drooling at the LOTR DVDs too. Had wanted to watch it before our NZ trip but couldn't find time to download online & it's sooo expensive to buy!




(Afternote: Luckily managed to get LOTR blueray version from David. Woohoo!)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

X'mas Gathering

Haven't met Siew Choo, Shirley & Seah for a while but when we do meet up, there's always so much to chat about! Had japanese food for dinner at Vivocity & took the opportunity to celebrate Shirley's birthday.
4 of us actually managed to finish an Awfully Chocolate cake after having our own main course & sharing some starters!



Very happy that both ladies are taking up running as a sports & progressing well. :)



Walked past this on my way to meet Seah & Shirley and without hesitation, I grab my iPhone for a quick snap & mms this to Gerald "Woohoo! Max Brenner is coming to Vivocity!"

Blogging on the GO!

iPhone is really great! There's apps for anything under the sun. From Facebook, instant messaging, cooking & baking receipes, to track running distance & pace, and Twitter & blogging within a few clicks of the button.

In fact, this posting was drafted as I was walking towards office on Tue morning.
Recently i started taking photos of interesting things using my iPhone & sending mms to either Gerald or frens.
It's really nice! Hopefully I can find another app soon that allows posting pics on the go!

Looking forward to NZ
 

Christmas is approaching & I'm getting excited.  Not just with the usual X'mas get-togethers with friends, the yummy X'mas logcakes & relaxed year-end atmosphere, but also the upcoming holiday to NZ with a stopover in Sydney.

Decided to head for Southern Island since it's reputed for the scenic sights.  Haven't done much planning for the trip yet.  Only booked the flights, hotel accommodation & car rental in NZ as well as the ice glacier hike.  This time round, I don't intent to plan too much.. just wanna relax & explore whatever our hearts & maps bring us. 

Super happy when I went to the NZ Tourism Office @ Faber House last week.  Managed to get plenty of informative brochure, maps & a mega thick & up-to-date guide book.  In the next few weeks, would at least work on booking the glow-worm cave & jet-boating to avoid disappointment & finalise the accomodation in Sydney.

The results are out!

It's official, Chip timing is 2hr 11 mins. Average 6mins 13 sec per KM. 
Next target would be how to reduce it to below 2hr.

 

 

SCM 2009
Did my 3rd half marathon today and achieved my personal best timing @ 2 hours 11 mins (based on own stopwatch). 14mins faster than my 1st & 2nd attempts (both 2hours 25mins) and within my target. 
I'm happy with the new record but definitely more happy that WJ was able to complete her 1st 21km.  Definitely sooo proud of her for not just completing the race on her own but also finishing with such excellent spirits.  We run together about 2 times a week mostly in the morning over the past months, not just to train but also to chat & spend time together. In fact, I was the one "psycho-ing" her to sign up & I know this race really meant a BIG deal to her. 
Well done dear!

Jennifer did well too for her first half marathon. She's definitely happy =)

Delicious Apple crumble from WJ, a great pre-race indulgence!

Preparing for the race

 

My dream list...