a page from the past ...

was browsing some old files that i had kept ...... and this brought back memories...

1st snow? underdressed for the weather...

Saw my first snowfall on Monday, in Daesan, South Korea... Actually, it was just small snow flakes falling for a short duration of time, so maybe the super tiny flakes I saw in March 2007 (also Daesan) would be the more accurate "first snow"... was i expecting to see a snowstorm as we see so often on movies and TV?

Anyhow, was at Harbin last night and took the opportunity to go to the 哈尔滨冰雪节 (http://www.harbin-ice.net/). When we were asking the concierge, the immediate comment was that I was underdressed... clothings too thin, shoes not appropriate... Nonetheless, we were brave (read: dumb), and decided to go ahead. Before leaving the hotel, the concierge commented that I'd better get some more protection, and immediately offered me a cape, ear muffs (this was an essential).

It was pretty amazing... amazingly cold, walking among the ice and snow. The feet were suffering, and the shoes were also unsuitable for stable walking (fell once, and nearly fell N times). In the end, we travelled between the "safe havens" quickly, to save our feet. The ice buildings certainly look great, with the inner light tubes. There was also a bar (see above), which we did not enter, and slides, which we did not play. Guess getting a cold butt, or the risk of getting stuck on the way down wasn't appealing at all.

Today, at the customer's site in Daqing, more than one person commented that what I was wearing was absolutely insufficient for the weather. And not one commented about my boss... was it because I look positively vulnerable? Maybe I should really invest in some winter wear better suited for this -22°C weather condition.

My "Heart Rate" Diary for 2008

2008 - A year of exercising...













These are courtesy of the Polar website, that tracks the activities based on the diary in the watch that my sis gave me for X'mas 2007. Each table is a month in 2008, with the red boxes refering to days when I had recorded physical activities (not inclusive of ball games and swimming... or days when I forgot to bring the watch or the strap along). Looks good? Except for a month of "inactivity" in April, when I went to 2 locations multiple times for work.

i guess for someone who doesn't follow the heart rate monitor in terms of maintaining a certain range of heart rate for improving on performance, the diary tracking at least helps to motivate me to jog a little more. :-P

tokyo, 3.8°C, big sushi and snow ice

Came to Tokyo again, for the fifth time over the past 1 year. Since the previous trips were all with unresolved issues and problematic meetings, I had never quite enjoyed Japan... this time, armed with new and positive experiences in Singapore, plus a new camera (that I stole from my sis), this has got to be a better trip than before!!!

Zoom into the photo above to see the temperature reading...

My dinner just moments ago...

8 weeks later

all good things must come to an end? or do we only appreciate the good things when there is a time limit to them? how do we know what is happiness before we experienced misery?

i had gotten used to the past 8 weeks, of not having to travel around for work... of being able to spend more time with family and friends... of making new friends and playing more sports... of having more time to exercise... of enjoying a nice christmas and new year period...


gonna miss a couple of beach volleyball and badminton sessions from here on. nevertheless, better try to keep fit during the work trips, and avoid growing too round again.







a new year... a new wallpaper for the blog! below is the one that lasted 2008... with photos from various trips before 2008... the new one is with photos from Project EuroWedding 2008!

a new year (again) and new resolutions?

I had only been "rudely" reminded that I had set resolutions for 2008, in late November... and realized that I had *gasped* not achieved them........... in summary (with excuses)

2008 Start introductory golf lessons - tried some lessons, but failed to continue due to heavy work commitments
Volunteering work - never got down to this. no excuses. sigh.
Tennis & Dragonboat - only played a couple of tennis games. did not even try to join dragonboat, since my schedule can hardly be regular.

So now, for 2009, let me set some goals and resolutions! If not for these, what drives us ahead?

1. Do my 9th marathon plus another sporting event this year ... don't let work be an excuse to miss these out.
2. Golf lessons ... started lessons again, and this time, I will work towards the PC test
3. Badminton, tennis, beach volleyball ... ok, this is obviously cheating, cos doing these 3 activities that I like need hardly be on this list...
4. Property hunting - get sometime, or at least learn how to get there
5. Spend more quality time with the family
6. Actively use the knowledge and skills from the Dale Carnegie course in my life and work. Stop being bitchy and whiny...
7. Trust family and friends more. Share and learn.
8. Smile more.

And to do better, I shall include the resolutions on my side-bar! Haha...

So, what are your resolutions and goals for 2009?