Sitting in the increasingly bad traffic jams on this hot humid island and seeing 3 hours of your day's waking hours wasted.

Fighting your way through crowds and people and breathing in exhaust breath-enhanced CO2 (FOC!).

Not having anything new to stimulate the mind and senses and everyday and weekend here is focussed on meeting the lowest level of Maslow's hierarchy (food)

Yesterday DW was on leave and she cooked dinner! From top: omelette with preserved vegetables, stir fried greens, and herbal beef soup with corn and carrots.

Every dish turned out well except for the omelette which was too salty because of the preserved vegetable.

Got to get a rice cooker soon.

The floor needed to be mopped again after the cook out.

Caught the cold bug since sunday and have been sniffing badly.

Drowsy from the FEDAC tablets and long to indulge in nice peaceful sleep! Yesterday afternoon brought up periods of lovely sunshine. That was after the sudden heavy rain just before noon.

I long to walk in the soft sunshine in the botanic gardens without the crowds. To breathe in the fresh air and enjoy a good read without the mosquitoes...

I went to Ginza Plaza during lunch today. I expected a change in this old shopping centre and indeed it was completely revamped! Although the carpark ramp and carpark spacing are still the same, much of the shop layouts and the tenants are new. You have the ubiquitous names like Fish & Co, Starbucks, Coffeebean and Tealeaves, New York New York and Prosperous Garden (see earlier post).

And no food court!

This place has certainly gone 'atas'! (high-class).

Most of the eating establishments were quite empty though; and I mean up to 90% empty tables! With this recession, not sure how many will be able to pull through.

Well, Ginza Plaza has a special place in my memory. More than 10 years ago when I was in my second job, it used to be a regular place to go for Taiwanese noodles, and Macdonalds/KFC meals with grocery store (Shop and Save) and bakery for after-lunch shopping.

I went to Starbucks to buy a coffee. Noticed that this Starbucks outlet has very nicely packaged used coffee grounds for free! I told the outlet manager that they don't need to package them so nicely and customers who want them should bring their own bags. Coffee grounds can be used as garden mulch whereby the grounds will breakdown and enrich the soil. Gardens will also smell nicely of "Starbucks" ! if that was the original intent.

Nicely packaged coffee grounds at Starbucks.

Side of Ginza Plaza leading to the carpark

Side view of the front of the shopping centre

This shows the year on year (2008-2009) log of my runs. Interestingly and actually to be expected, the highest mileages were clocked in December and January which happened to be the coolest months in the year. In fact, Dec 08 and Jan 09 were also the driest and sunniest months in recent memory.

Looking at the data, I am doing an average of 10+ km a week. Which is quite ideal without stressing out the joints (and my chronic left knee problem). Quite happy also that these aerobic exercises have managed to help me lose 2kgs and move closer to my goal of a flatter tummy!