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Was down with stomach flu the past few days. It started on Wednesday. It came on so fast and so intense, I thought I was having a stroke! I felt a sudden numbness and cold sweat started pouring all over me.

The culprit was the 'economic beehoon' my colleague bought - all six of us who ate it were knocked out! But I think I got it especially bad 'cause I ate the most. :P Anyway finally got some semblance of a consciousness back last evening and STARTED studying for my exam which was this evening.

Listen up, kids. Do not wait till the last minute to study for your exams cuz you'll never know when a poisonous packet of beehoon is going to knock the wind out of you. The paper was horrendous. I hope I can pass... (pray)

One more paper to go and I'm done for GOOD! I'm so close to the end I can smell it...

My throat is not getting better. There's a Dr Yoong at a neighborhood clinic that I go to, but the doctor I saw yesterday was a part-timer who didn't seem to know what he was doing. First of all, he put his stethoscope on my collar bone several times - I wondered what he was listening for. Then he asked me the silliest questions like 'Did you swallow anything sharp?' - did he really expect me to say 'Oh ya! Now that you have mentioned it, I did have a bowl of thumbtacks for dinner!'

I decided to wait till this afternoon to see if I got any better. When I finally decided that I didn't, I went to the clinic again. Unfortunately I arrived 5 minutes after closing. So I politely asked the counter staff if they could squeeze me in. They said no. Fine. So I asked if Dr Yoong would be in in the evening. They said no, I should come back tomorrow morning. Not looking forward to putting up with the pain for another night, I asked again if they could fit me in, adding that I was here yesterday but have not gotten better. The b***h waved her hand at me and said loudly 'We are closed already! That's our last patient!'

I am not upset that I couldn't see the doctor today, but that girl's attitude stinks. If you're gonna tell a sick person that he has to wait 16 hours to see the doctor instead of 5 minutes because it is inconvenient, at least be nice about it. People providing healthcare, from doctors to counter staff, should be given regular mandatory sensitivity assessments so that this kind of b***hy attitude doesn't aggravate a sick person's already sucky day. Dr Yoong is an angel, but her staff needs work. A loooot of work.

Argh... Every time I swallow, it feels like there's a shard of glass in my throat.

Cheese fries was a mistake last night. :( That couldn't have been good for my sore throat.

I hate doctors, but I've got to see one today...

h dear. I really think I'm turning into an addict...

Help.

Or at least stick around until I visit in June! :P

Yes, it looks like it's really happening. I will be travelling to France this June to celebrate the (cross-fingers-and-toes) completion of my Master of Technology course which I started 3 and a half years ago. (Although it does feel like an eternity ago!)

My two dear friends and ex-colleagues Wei and Avril have kindly taken upon themselves to make the necessary travel arrangements for the three of us - so all I have to do is just SHOW UP! :P

I will be flying out of Singapore on the 30th May to Lyon and returning from Paris on the 15th June. Tickets are booked! In between, we will spend 6 days on our bikes exploring 'gently meandering rivers and lush pastures' in historic Dordogne. So describes the website. May also visit Bordeaux and Tours, but will want to spend more time in Paris because I didn't get to explore it thoroughly the last time I was there.



Just realised it will be exactly 10 years since my last visit to France. Had my 25th birthday in Paris, and will spend my 35th in Paris this June! :)

Anyone can teach me French?...

Half a day actually. Ordered the Time Capsule on the online Apple Store at 12:30pm yesterday, and it arrived at my door at 6pm the very same day! Amazing!

Unfortunately I've got no time to set it up yet - am drowned in work and assignments. Worse still - test scripts are coming in tomorrow so have to start marking. *faint* Pray for me, people...

Die. Am I becoming an addict?

So I'm not the only nut that zips around town on a bicycle.
Yay!

"PEOPLE ask, 'Why do you like getting around on a bike so much?' I don't do it to be 'green.' I do it because it's so [bleep]ing fun" Eric Bana to Los Angeles magazine

 

Went on a spending spree this week!



Bought myself a MacBook on Friday evening. No Pro. No Air. Just a plain white MacBook. Gonna take a while to get used to the Mac OS. It's really cool though. :)



Then on Saturday morning I bought a pair of SPD cycling shoes for my Scott Speed Utility Bike. Had to change the pedals on the bike for the shoes too. Set me back $200 in all. Took the bike and shoes out for a ride today. Forgot to unclip my shoes when I stopped at a road junction near Holland Village and pua-toh-ed in front of many many witnesses including passengers on two buses! So malu!

Anyway, the total damage for the 18-hour spending spree -> $2650! :(

Project presentation is this Saturday. I hope I can breathe when this is FINALLY over...

End of Exams,
Start of More Things To Do

Well, I'm finally done with the examinations yesternight. Time to put away my notes.

 


But have to keep my trusty coffee around cuz i still have two major things to clear - Final Year Project which is due on 29 Dec and an IT Law assignment due on a week after that.

:( Why do I put myself through all this? I don't even need to get this Masters degree for my job...
 

 I'm sick



I'm down with a bad case of flu. Started with a sore throat on Tuesday, runny nose on Wednesday and today (Thursday) it's full blown.

Die. I have exams next week...

Weight a minute:
Buffet or not Buffet?

Just found out I gained 3 kg since I last weighed myself 3 weeks ago. :( In the time between the weighings, I have stuffed myself with Vietnamese food six to eight times a day for a week in Ho Chi Minh City, gone for several gorging sessions to carbo-load in preparation for the marathon, and gone for several gorging sessions to celebrate my completing the marathon.

The latest feeding frenzy took place this afternoon at Goodwood Park Hotel with my old friends from NUS Angela, Pui Leng and Kenny. 


(from left) Me, Pui Leng, Kenny, Angela, Me

For the high tea buffet, they served mainly hawker fare - stuff like carrot cake, prata, indian rojak, laksa, etc. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. (Sorry, Goodwood Park.) I can easily find better versions of everything in kopi tiams for a fraction of the price (which came up to $33 per head including taxes). I have to say, though, their cakes and service were commendable, but hardly worth the $20 odd extra dollars above kopi tiam prices.

 Chwee Kwei
 Cakette

But I stuffed myself with the mediocre food anyway. :P

I've got to get rid of this extra weight before it gets too comfortable...
 

 Ouch!

Yesterday, I completed my sixth marathon. This was one of the more challenging ones because I had stopped running for about 18 months. That is the longest I have gone not running since I was 18 - Needless to say, I was much younger and my joints didn't creak back then.

One would expect someone with prior experience to know what to do for the marathon, but still I made several mistakes for which I am now paying the painful price...

Burning Armpits

By my estimation, each of my arms brushed against the side of my torso 11000 times during the marathon. That's A LOT of friction. And a lot of pain afterwards. I should have applied VASELINE under the armpits to reduce the abrasion - it is petroleum so it will not be washed away by the perspiration.

Blistering Feet

I think the shoes I bought were too narrow at the widest part of the feet. They rip the skin off my feet almost every time I run even only a moderate distance. But stubbornly I tried to defend my $200 investment by telling myself that they are 'light', 'airy', 'provide good ankle support', etc - everything except admit that they are BLOODY UNCOMFORTABLE! I thought bandaging the vulnerable areas would do the trick. Well, it worked for the right foot, but the left foot took quite a beating.



The image has been pixelated for the benefit of those who do not have a strong stomach. What I should have done was so simple - GET COMFORTABLE SHOES.

Achy Breaky Legs

I think I am getting a taste of what my parents (and almost everyone else beyond the age of 65) feel when they lament about how their legs hurt. I seriously CANNOT walk at the pace of a normal 34 year old. The rude awakening came when aunties in their 60s are overtaking me in the shopping mall. And I always wondered why old people had to climb down stairs sideways. I still don't understand the biophysics of it - all I know is that IT WORKS! 

All this because I was too lazy to do something that was absolutely necessary after such a long run - stretch.

The Payoff

So what do I get for all this pain? A lousy T Shirt and a useless medal - AND I AM STUPENDOUSLY PROUD OF THEM!!

 

I hope I have inspired some of you to take on the 42 km next year. After doing this six times, I realised that yes, it requires a certain level of fitness, but it is definitely not beyond the ability of most of us mortals. It is more of a test of your mental strength than your physical. Once you have accomplished it, you will feel INVINCIBLE!

 

My Saigon Experience

They were fun five days - soaking in the atmosphere of the city of Saigon, savoring the exotic flavors of the the land and taking in the breathtaking landscapes in Mui Ne. Here are a few highlghts:

The City

   

What struck me most about this city is its chaotic orderliness. The traffic seemed like ten accidents waiting to happen every minute and yet in my five days, I saw not one. The sound of the bustling streets, deafening at times, invaded my consciousness everywhere I went, but it was when I finally escaped the clattering that my mind felt truly lost.

As much as I appreciate the conventional orderliness of Singapore, I felt quite comfortable in Saigon's chaos and its charming unpredictability.

The People

   

The people are generally helpful, but they are not the friendliest I've seen. They are not nasty or anything, neither are they aloof like some Singaporeans are - they just seem ... wary. I attribute that to their tumultous history. And given their long list of foreign occupiers, a number from as recent as the last 100 years, who could blame them for being cautious. Painful reminders of that past can be seen throughout the city on their people.

to be continued....

 
Coffee In Saigon

Sitting at a coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City. And I have to say, I'm really loving Vietnamese coffee! Hope the weather holds up long enough for me to get a coffee percolater and some vietnamese coffee to bring home to share with my coffee kakis back home.  WIll be heading back home tomoroow. See you guys back in sg! :)

 

My Virgin Entry
( yikes. it sounds more suggestive than I meant it to be!)

I have always wanted to keep a blog, but didn't know what to write leh. Then my friend gave me an epiphany - it really doesn't matter! :P 

Anyway, my life may be headed for some changes - some bigger than others. I thought this would be an excuse for me to talk to myself and think things through aloud. And maybe whoever is reading out there can put in their penny's worth.

Tomorrow, I will be heading out to Ho Chi Minh City with my new friend Edric ( merman13 ). Hopefully I will find him a compatible travel companion.

Here are some crazy pics we took of each other yesterday when we were out shopping for backpacks.

    

gasp! the lines on my face are like railway tracks!  Need to take better care of my skin...