As far as I know, the Adidas Sundown Marathon is the only night race in Singapore. It started out with an 84km run through the night. Yes, you did not read wrongly, it started with an ultra-marathon of 84km through the night. They included other race categories, such as the 10km run for women, 21km and 42km, last year and this year.
Last Saturday on 29 May, I participated in my second Sundown Marathon, completing my third 10km run. This year’s 10km run started earlier than last year, at 7pm. As I took off from the starting point at Changi Exhibition Centre, I could actually see the setting sun in the distance. Running at night is definitely cooler, temperature-wise, than running in the day, but it was just as humid. I was sweating buckets barely a few minutes after I started.
Although it was quite cool (no pun intended) running at night, the race route left much to be desired. It's kinda boring, with no real scenery. You run along the Changi Coast Road, next to the airport, so you see planes landing and preparing to take off, but other than that, really, the scenery can put you to sleep.
About my own race results - well, I thought I was running very fast already, given that I have not been training consistently, but I still ran a slower time than last year. Oh well, just another sign that I should probably train harder. :) Running gives me a high (yes, there is really something called "runner's high") - I can't wait for the next race even though I was huffing and puffing by the time I finished that 10km. My next race is a half-marathon in September!
With that, I have 3 10km runs, 3 half-marathons and a full marathon under my belt. As I write this, I'm probably going to sign up for either the half or the full marathon in December, I still can't decide! The heart is willing but the body may not.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
….. get a plushie?
My dear A has decided that she likes plushies. She picked my poor cow plushie off the shelf and off came its horns, nostrils and tail. Unfortunately, it didn’t last more than 2 days, and when the stuffing showed, the poor plushie went into the bin.
After searching on the internet, we found plushies for dogs that were supposedly tested on other dogs and even tigers! The only problem was that we had to ship it in from US since they didn’t have it here in Singapore. So we made the order and waited almost 3 weeks before it arrived. We had expected something the size of our palm, but to our surprise, the plushies turned out to be bigger. Guess we didn’t look at the website closely enough!
Well, she took a while to warm up to her new toys, but now, she loves them!
Here’re photos of A’s new lobster and alien plushie!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
...live a month like it is a year...
I have been quiet in the blogosphere but my life has been anything but quiet. In the past month, I have collected a grand total of 6 boarding passes, turned 30, survived a mini civil war in Bangkok and received a marriage proposal. And the month isn't even over yet!
I wonder which of the above would interest you girls to pick up the phone to call me... Lots to tell but dashing off now. I'm in Bangkok so you know where to find me.
I wonder which of the above would interest you girls to pick up the phone to call me... Lots to tell but dashing off now. I'm in Bangkok so you know where to find me.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
...consider boycotting the SingTel / Starhub World Cup telecast in Singapore?
In economics, we learnt that monopolies are not desirable and having more competition will be good for consumers because of more variety and lower prices.
Not so for the pay-TV industry in Singapore. Perhaps the market is too small to have another competitor. Ever since the government opened up the pay-TV industry (well, not really since there is only one other competitor - it's still like a duopoly), I think Singaporean consumers, especially soccer fans, have suffered.
Most people in Singapore sign up for pay-TV because of soccer. Because of the Barclays Premier League. So both SingTel and Starhub tried to outbid each other, resulting in higher prices paid for the rights to broadcast the matches. And the price that I have to pay as a consumer to get my weekly soccer fix rose from the original $12 to the $25 that I pay today. And because SingTel won the bid to broadcast the matches for the next 3 years, I have to sign up for a SingTel account and get another set-top box, since my family watches other programmes on Starhub, at my inconvenience. Hopefully the situation will improve when the new law kicks in, that there will be no more exclusive content for either company.
And because SingTel can pay so much for the broadcast rights to the Premier League, I feel that FIFA purposely held out for more money for the World Cup, leading to a deal that was done only 35 days before the first ball is kicked. Guess what? I now have to pay $70 for the World Cup when all I paid was $10 for the previous World Cup. If you haven't done the sums, that's a seven-fold increase!
RIDICULOUS! I have decided I'm not going to pay for this, especially since the free-to-air channel is going to show the semi-finals and final. I will just follow the exploits of Spain, Netherlands and England on the internet!
Not so for the pay-TV industry in Singapore. Perhaps the market is too small to have another competitor. Ever since the government opened up the pay-TV industry (well, not really since there is only one other competitor - it's still like a duopoly), I think Singaporean consumers, especially soccer fans, have suffered.
Most people in Singapore sign up for pay-TV because of soccer. Because of the Barclays Premier League. So both SingTel and Starhub tried to outbid each other, resulting in higher prices paid for the rights to broadcast the matches. And the price that I have to pay as a consumer to get my weekly soccer fix rose from the original $12 to the $25 that I pay today. And because SingTel won the bid to broadcast the matches for the next 3 years, I have to sign up for a SingTel account and get another set-top box, since my family watches other programmes on Starhub, at my inconvenience. Hopefully the situation will improve when the new law kicks in, that there will be no more exclusive content for either company.
And because SingTel can pay so much for the broadcast rights to the Premier League, I feel that FIFA purposely held out for more money for the World Cup, leading to a deal that was done only 35 days before the first ball is kicked. Guess what? I now have to pay $70 for the World Cup when all I paid was $10 for the previous World Cup. If you haven't done the sums, that's a seven-fold increase!
RIDICULOUS! I have decided I'm not going to pay for this, especially since the free-to-air channel is going to show the semi-finals and final. I will just follow the exploits of Spain, Netherlands and England on the internet!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
... indulge in a 10 course meal?
On our second attempt, we finally managed to secure reservations to David Chang's much talked about 2 Michelin star establishment. Momofuku Ko is situated at the old Noodle Bar space in East Village. The entrance to Ko is but a mesh stainless steel and wood door imprinted with a peach (the Momofuku group of restaurants' emblem) and as nondescript as a restaurant can possibly be-- there is no signboard, no neon lights, nor are there windows from which you can look into (or out of). In short, it's a place you'd probably walk right by unless you were really looking out for it. This is a place you go to for the food alone-- the decor is minimal, the service basic and the 12 diners are seated on stools around a bar counter where one can observe the chefs at work. We decided to forgo the wine pairing and each had a glass of a delightful frizzante rose lambrusco.
Here's the line-up, as I best recall (and my accompanying thoughts):
Trio of amuse-bouches: red pepper puree + japanese eggplant + green almond; lamb rib + green garbanzo bean puree; glazed biscuit + chicharrón (I liked the lamb rib amuse the most among the three though the chicharrón was also excellent.)
White fluke sashimi + watercress + peas + sesame (This was very good, though I've had something similar before.)
Sirloin carpaccio + buttermilk sauce + blackened scallions + crispy rice sheets (Best carpaccio I've ever had, hands down.)
Toasted brioche + bone marrow + caramelized pearl onions + comte and gruyere broth (This was lovely-- the bone marrow and onions both added a subtle sweetness to the dish. The cheese broth was surprisingly light and of course, very flavorful.)
Smoked soft boiled egg + hackleback caviar + fingerling potato chips + sweet potato vinegar + softened onions (This was good but the egg dish at Blue Hill is better.)
Almond crusted skate + roasted cauliflower + water chestnuts + almond milk foam (It's hard to go wrong with skate but this was over-salted.)
Orecchiette + asparagus + crawfish + ricotta (Most uninspired dish of the evening.)
Shaved foie gras + riesling gelee + lychees + nut brittle (My absolute favorite of the night. The combination of flavors and textures was sheer perfection.)
Long Island duck breast + seared mustard greens + honeyed white baby radish (This was very tender but I would have liked a far crispier skin.)
Apricot sorbet + cookie crumb + bourbon molasses (Very nice palette cleanser. Bourbon molasses gave an otherwise pedestrian combination of flavors more depth.)
Pretzel panna cotta + caraway crumb/soil + root beer sorbet (The consistency of the panna cotta was extraordinary; the root beer sorbet simply delicious; and the caraway crumb-- yum!)
Overall, this was definitely the best tasting menu I've ever had. Was I blown away by every course? Well, no-- but there a few that certainly did (the foie gras, panna cotta, carpaccio and toasted brioche + marrow come to mind) and should the opportunity present itself, I will love to pop by Ko again.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
enjoy the sun whilst it's out?
Spring has been a bit of a touch and go this year in London. We had approximately 10 days of fine spring weather and on the good days it almost felt like summer before it all turned again and out came the winter coat.
Today's an exceptional day. The sun was out and the sky was a beautiful blue. I had an impromptu lunch with a visiting relative and a family friend in the city and since the city really is no more than 5 miles away from home, I decided to walk home after lunch!
Only on foot do you really enjoy the sunshine and as I walk past the famous sights of London - Monument, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London do memories of the first time I set foot in London came flooding through my mind. Many firsts, many fond and not so fond memories.
This is truly a beautiful city...
So Londoners, enjoy the sunshine and remember to vote!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
…attend a Royal Ballet performance?
B and I share a love for the ballet, though I have to admit to being less well-informed and less adventurous in my choices compared to her. I started going to Royal Ballet productions on weekend trips to London whilst at boarding school and university. Now that I am living in London, and working close to Covent Garden, it is far more difficult to resist attending several performances each season. A good production captures the imagination and draws you into a world of beauty, comedy and tragedy
Two productions stood out for me this spring – Kenneth Macmillan’s Romeo & Juliet and Frederick Ashton’s La fille mal gardee.
Romeo & Juliet, as choreographed by Sir Kenneth Macmillan, is my favourite ballet and I have seen it staged by the RB for the last three seasons. Stereotypes of traditional ballet are few; Romeo, for example appears far more frequently than Juliet does, there are no scenes with the corps de ballet in tutus, no scene added merely to show off the technical virtuosity of the dancers. Prokofiev’s score is a lyrical masterpiece which stays in one’s mind; I once found myself humming excerpts for a week after a performance.
The story, well-known to most, reaches a level of intensity with the dancers I have rarely seen even in stage performances of Shakespeare’s play. Macmillan gave his characters passion and headstrong recklessness; they appear to have no thought of consequences.
My favourite Juliet, Tamara Rojo, starred in this year’s production; she was a marvel to watch and utterly convincing as a 14-year old sheltered girl suddenly exposed to the violence of first love. Small movements in her arms and turns of her head alternately convey self-consciousness, sexual curiosity and a youthful urge to please. Her moments of despair at being forced to marry Paris and at seeing Romeo dead were heartrending.
Rupert Pennefather partnered Rojo as Romeo this year – he was, I felt, unnecessarily panned in the press for lacking the vitality and technique of the injured Carlos Acosta. True, he did not appear very confident in his many solos, nor was there much chemistry with Rojo but for all that, he made a decent hero on stage.
Youtube has several clips of the 2007 production with the Rojo-Acosta casting – the famous balcony pas de deux can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGTNHHekn98.
La fille mal gardee was a different sort of performance altogether. Choreographed by Frederick Ashton at the height of his powers in 1959, it has remained a perpetual favourite with the RB and it is not difficult to see why. Watching La fille mal gardee is like drinking from a never-ending bucket of champagne – one gets a little light-headed with the buzz and cannot help smiling and laughing out loud at odd places.
Like Romeo and Juliet, it features a couple facing obstables in love but unlike the former, it is a romantic comedy set in simple countryside with a happy ending, loveable characters and no real villains. One adores the lovely Lise (the daughter of the Widow Simone and “la fille” of the title) for her simple grace and her very human wish to be with her beloved farmer Colas instead of the well-off halfwit Alain. The dancers seemed to really enjoy themselves in this ballet; there is a sparkle in their steps which is a joy to observe.
The Widow Simone (traditionally portrayed by a man) and Alain are two of the funniest characters I have seen in ballet; the former pompous and vain, the other a shy nitwit who nonetheless craves attention. Widow Simone’s clog dance is wonderfully upbeat and quite hilarious, and the first to feature ballerinas en pointe with clog shoes – you can find it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMn2TuvW_M8
The Royal Ballet is putting up more modern ballets this spring which I sadly cannot make due to work and social commitments. By chance however, a friend offered me a ticket to an upcoming performance of Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella before the RB goes on tour this summer and of course, I could not resist…
Two productions stood out for me this spring – Kenneth Macmillan’s Romeo & Juliet and Frederick Ashton’s La fille mal gardee.
Romeo & Juliet, as choreographed by Sir Kenneth Macmillan, is my favourite ballet and I have seen it staged by the RB for the last three seasons. Stereotypes of traditional ballet are few; Romeo, for example appears far more frequently than Juliet does, there are no scenes with the corps de ballet in tutus, no scene added merely to show off the technical virtuosity of the dancers. Prokofiev’s score is a lyrical masterpiece which stays in one’s mind; I once found myself humming excerpts for a week after a performance.
The story, well-known to most, reaches a level of intensity with the dancers I have rarely seen even in stage performances of Shakespeare’s play. Macmillan gave his characters passion and headstrong recklessness; they appear to have no thought of consequences.
My favourite Juliet, Tamara Rojo, starred in this year’s production; she was a marvel to watch and utterly convincing as a 14-year old sheltered girl suddenly exposed to the violence of first love. Small movements in her arms and turns of her head alternately convey self-consciousness, sexual curiosity and a youthful urge to please. Her moments of despair at being forced to marry Paris and at seeing Romeo dead were heartrending.
Rupert Pennefather partnered Rojo as Romeo this year – he was, I felt, unnecessarily panned in the press for lacking the vitality and technique of the injured Carlos Acosta. True, he did not appear very confident in his many solos, nor was there much chemistry with Rojo but for all that, he made a decent hero on stage.
Youtube has several clips of the 2007 production with the Rojo-Acosta casting – the famous balcony pas de deux can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGTNHHekn98.
La fille mal gardee was a different sort of performance altogether. Choreographed by Frederick Ashton at the height of his powers in 1959, it has remained a perpetual favourite with the RB and it is not difficult to see why. Watching La fille mal gardee is like drinking from a never-ending bucket of champagne – one gets a little light-headed with the buzz and cannot help smiling and laughing out loud at odd places.
Like Romeo and Juliet, it features a couple facing obstables in love but unlike the former, it is a romantic comedy set in simple countryside with a happy ending, loveable characters and no real villains. One adores the lovely Lise (the daughter of the Widow Simone and “la fille” of the title) for her simple grace and her very human wish to be with her beloved farmer Colas instead of the well-off halfwit Alain. The dancers seemed to really enjoy themselves in this ballet; there is a sparkle in their steps which is a joy to observe.
The Widow Simone (traditionally portrayed by a man) and Alain are two of the funniest characters I have seen in ballet; the former pompous and vain, the other a shy nitwit who nonetheless craves attention. Widow Simone’s clog dance is wonderfully upbeat and quite hilarious, and the first to feature ballerinas en pointe with clog shoes – you can find it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMn2TuvW_M8
The Royal Ballet is putting up more modern ballets this spring which I sadly cannot make due to work and social commitments. By chance however, a friend offered me a ticket to an upcoming performance of Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella before the RB goes on tour this summer and of course, I could not resist…
Monday, May 3, 2010
... talk about food so much you get your own blog tag?
It's true-- I'm a tad obsessed with food and most things to do with it. I love to bake so much I typically prepare at least two desserts when I have company over at my place. I love to cook so much I cook almost everyday, even when I come back late from work. Sometimes when I can't seem to fall asleep or wake up in the middle of the night, I find myself baking lemon yogurt cakes in the kitchen. I find cooking therapeutic and good food makes me very happy.
What I particularly love about food is that it brings people together-- there are few things I enjoy more than sharing a meal with others who enjoy good food, posess curious palettes and are not snobbish about what they eat or drink. As much as I enjoy dining out at Michelin-starred restaurants, I'm just as happy wolfing down thoughtfully prepared street food. In short, I'm pretty sure I'm the sort of person who lives to eat.
Luckily for me, I'm surrounded by many like-minded friends. We frequently organize potlucks, explore new restaurants and flavors, exchange baked goods and indulge at wine and cheese parties. Winnie is one such friend of mine who recently started a food blog with a foodie friend of hers. As a testament to the amount of time I spend obesessing about all things food related, be it eating, cooking, exchanging tips about kitchen tools or telling everyone how I can't hardly wait for the return of the farmers markets, I was honored with, ahem, a tag on her blog! Check it out here: http://oohmummy.blogspot.com/.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
…… cook for your dog!
A’s growing up to be quite the fussy eater! I fear she’s learnt that there are more yummy things out there than kibbles. So after one week of A picking at her food, we decided to change her over to home-cooked food. First up was gathering recipes and cookbooks from our friends, then off to the supermarket. We decided to go with the cookbook with simpler instructions and preparation first since I’m far from a gourmet chef and we hardly even have time to cook for ourselves anymore these days.
A’s first home-cooked dinner was pasta with minced pork, tomatoes, long beans and grated parmesan cheese. And, boy, she loved her new food! Since then, we’ve tried some other recipes like fish with rice and asparagus; chicken with potatoes, peaches and grated carrots; and chicken with rice, barley and long beans. We even tried to bake some peanut butter cookies for her. In fact, I think it's my first attempt at baking cookies. Hahaha, so the cookies turned out just too big to be bite-sized and really quite bland to the human palate, but strangely, she lapped it up. For all the effort put in cooking for her, it has really been gratifying to watch her finish up all her food and licking her bowl clean.
A’s first home-cooked dinner was pasta with minced pork, tomatoes, long beans and grated parmesan cheese. And, boy, she loved her new food! Since then, we’ve tried some other recipes like fish with rice and asparagus; chicken with potatoes, peaches and grated carrots; and chicken with rice, barley and long beans. We even tried to bake some peanut butter cookies for her. In fact, I think it's my first attempt at baking cookies. Hahaha, so the cookies turned out just too big to be bite-sized and really quite bland to the human palate, but strangely, she lapped it up. For all the effort put in cooking for her, it has really been gratifying to watch her finish up all her food and licking her bowl clean.
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