Have been attending evening bible classes at Life BPC on the Old Testament. Yesterday's lesson was on 2 Chronicles which wrote about the kings after Solomon and most of them started well with God but still somehow ended on the wrong step.

I remembered a past sermon about King Hezekiah of Judah who obeyed and followed the Lord until he was tested and through a supposedly naive act of showing his wealth and country's weaponry to the Babylonian ambassadors; Judah eventually fell into the hands of the Babylonians under their King Nebuchadnezzar.

The key takeaways in all these is faith, and the endurance to run the race till the end finishing well. Along the way, we must make sure that we are aligned properly along the path; just like the ship's rudder which will decide where the vessel will eventually steer. Just like the musical instrument that was not tuned properly and hence will not be able to produce good music despite the skills and abilities of the musician (Pastor's example).

Went to Jalan Kayu to get a durian cake for my mom's birthday on 25th Jan. Last had this cake which was bought by doktor during last year's Christmas gathering at MT's (ModernTaiTai) place.

Jane's cake station apparently had some good reviews from Makansutra though (see the posters on the door)



It was rather expensive S$46 for a fresh durian cake but we enjoyed it. We didn't quite like the amount of fresh cream used though; too much.

It started with the running counter registering ZERO KM for the week. Had to expect this as I was quite overwhelmed with all the cleaning, shopping, visiting. Definitely have to put in some exercise this week as I am starting to feel out of sorts and pudgy.

This lunar new year started out with a cool and windy morning. It actually rained a little the night before. This was very unusual because in the years past, the first day of the lunar new year had been sunny and hot. The most exciting event was a solar eclipse from between 4.30pm-6.00pm! Some people were already saying that this isn't a good sign to the start of the year. I thought this would be one of the many signs seen in the heavenly bodies that would signify the coming of the time.

We did the usual visit rituals on the first day.

For breakfast on the second day, I panfried some yamcakes made by my mother.



And this year, all I got for a $6 bulb of Chinese Narcissus was just 1 bloom!! But the scent is lovely and it isn't coy and overpowering like the western 'Bridal Crowns' and paper whites.

DW bought me this tennis shoes when we went to Queensway Shopping Centre on friday night. Unfortunately she couldn't decide on getting herself a pair as her current tennis shoes are still usable. (My current NIKE tennis shoes are ill fitting and tight and I just couldn't risk more injury to myself by running around in them). Adidas Barricade has quite nice designs and is worn by quite a few folks in our saturday tennis group. What I really like about this shoe is the wide toe area that caters for people with broad feet. Damage for this pair was S$136 and I also bought a pair of running socks $9 from New Balance.

Worn it to a tennis session on sunday and found that it was exactly the same color as Francis's pair! The interesting thing is, both Francis and I had a previous NIKE tennis shoe which again was the same model and color.

Barricade felt a little heavy and it was definitely a sturdy shoe. But I felt some discomfort in my left ankle when the shoe was laced snuggly; hence I had to loosen the laces on the left foot. I believe this problem would go away with time as the shoe gets broken into and becomes more pliable.

Decided to do Macritchie during my weekend runs instead of ECP to take advantage of the dry and cool weather recently. As the Macritchie Reservoir is a trails area, dry weather ensures that I don't have to suffer muddy shoes and socks when ever I run in the forested areas. Mud isn't a good thing as it is acidic and having it on the shoes will inevitably requires washing in soap/water. And washing shoes will cause the foam/cushioning in these shoes to lose its efficacy much faster than if no washing was involved.

Anyway, I struggled to get out of bed on saturday to make this run. The morning was cool and the bright sunshine reminded me of Northern Thailand during the year-end. I reached the reservoir at around 7.45am and decided to do the 11KM route.

The trail leading to Venus Drive/Singapore Island Country Club road was almost deserted except for an occasional jogger/walker. I could feel the coolness from the undergrowth and the constant cool breeze helped to relax my body and I went over the slopes quite easily. Was intending to do a slow pace throughout.

After exiting the forest (4.2KM), I continued along the short stretch of road leading to the Singapore Island Country Club (SICC Island Location) before re-entering the forest trail leading to the Jeluntong Tower. From the Jeluntong Tower to the short stretch of wooden planks boardwalk, there was a short 20metres stretch where a fresh layer of rocks were laid for preventing soil erosion. I had no choice but to walk along this stretch as the rocks were unstable!

After about 35 minutes, I reached the SICC Bukit course. The trail along the SICC Bukit Course was exposed and bathed in bright morning sun! The warmth feels good on my skin as I soaked up sun's energy along this stretch. From here, the trail leads back into the forest with lots of tree roots and tight slopes which made running very difficult. Again had to walk through this stretch for I did not want to risk any injury.

Finally reached the last stretch where the 4.8KM cross country races are run. This stretch was easy as I have been running there many times. Increased my pace towards the end. Almost collided going uphill with a guy who was coming down a slope and running abreast with his friend. I stretched out both my arms to push him away. Why can't these people have some common sense or discipline to run in a single file when the trail is so narrow?!!

Returned to the Macritchie carpark in exactly 60 minutes for about 10+ KM. Considered this a good run for the weekend!

11KM trail - YELLOW route

Granny Smith Green apples with mild cheddar cheese. Cheese is good for calcium and the saltiness is balanced by the slight acidic crunchy apples. Most hard cheeses can be paired with apples this way.

After attending worship at Life BPC around 12.30pm, we went to Serene Centre which is along Bukit Timah Road intersection with Farrer Road to have our lunch. Ate at this place called La Petite Cuisine. Interesting name. The chef was french but the helpers all Filippinos.

The place does not charge GST nor service fees. We ordered one sirloin steak with potatoes and salad, and a Chicken Fillet. The steak was very well prepared and done with a streak of red (asked for medium-well) and it was absolutely very tender and flavorful considering this was just an ordinary thin sirloin cut. The chicken fillet was also tender and cooked in a rich cream sauce with sauteed mushrooms and eggplants. Very rich lunch indeed. Best of all, we paid only S$13 and $9 for the beef and chicken respectively! The portions were decent and it was certainly a lunch which I relish. Before the main courses were served, we were given fresh hot crispy french bread with unsalted butter. Certainly worth another visit to La Petite Cuisine

Food (quality, value): 8/10

After this, we hopped over to Island Creamery for another round of calorie-busting eats. DW wanted a chendol ice cream and I order another scoop of Kalua coffee to go along with it. I also order a mud pie for myself. It was doused with caramel and oreo bits. Each scoop at Island Creamery is only S$2.80 and the mud pie was $4.80.

I just have prepare myself mentally and physically for another week of intense exercise!

No, it is breakfast in TPY and not Tiffany's!
The bread is a lightly toasted walnut loaf from Gardenia (S$3) and topped with tuna mayo spread (Ayam brand). Accompanied with some cubes of mild New Zealand cheddar cheese. Fruits consist of apples and slices of a orange-mandarin orange hybrid. This citrus from Taiwan peels very easily and has inherited the Mandarin Orange taste with the juicy texture of a normal orange.

We went to Worldfarm after lunch at MIL's place. There were quite many cars there and people were shopping for CNY plants 2 weeks before the actual day! I think the good breezy weather (it was really windy at times!) and the cloudiness of the day which blocked out the sun led more people to the outdoors. For once, we could walk amongst the flowers and plants in the nursery without our UV protection umbrella!

DW was very interested in a particular annual flower which was grown in nice large bowls. But it was a little too early to buy and we said we'll come back again the next week.

Bought a blue Hyacinth (4 bulbs) and a Chimera AV (African Violet)

Yesterday went for a slow run at ECP after work. The sky was overcast but the humidity was noticeably absent. In fact, it was getting very windy towards late evening and the trees were swaying like a tropical storm was brewing. Because of this ideal condition, sweat didn't stick to my clothes and I did a nice very comfortable slow 8KM. Cooled off at the pool and it was a little cold with the blustery winds. Room temp that night was 24C.

We went to this place along Upper Thomson Road which is just next to the Shell petrol station. There are actually 2 shops along this row of shophouses. One of the shops have virtually no customers while this one had most of its tables filled. Both shops sell Ampang Yong Tau Foo. Strange isn't it.

We have eaten at both stores and we felt the one (928) is better. A plate of mixed Yong Tau Foo can be shared between 2 persons from $6-10 excluding rice or noodles.

Found coconut juice 500ml selling at a SPC Petrol Station at S$1.00 a bottle! Naturally grabbed 4 cans. These are good alternatives to drinks like Pocari, 100Plus..etc without the Sodium component.