...train for the marathon (week 6)?

I was mad this week. Jogged more than my usual and faster than my usual. Maybe making up for the fact that I will lose 4 days of running next week when we are in Bali. But have to give those legs a break, my calves are aching!

ST's training schedule:

Mon - 35 mins (optional)
Tues - 20 mins
Wed - 45 mins (optional)
Thurs - 20 mins
Fri - Day off
Sat - 20 mins
Sun - 60 mins

My training schedule:

Mon - 35 mins
Tues - 40 mins
Wed - Day off
Thurs - 30 mins
Fri - 35 mins
Sat - Day off
Sun - 60 mins

...train for the marathon (week 5)?

Forgot to update on the training schedule last week, but it was a bad week, in terms of training. I was recovering from the half marathon on Mon and Tue, sick the remaining days, went to Malacca for the weekend... but still managed to squeeze in a run on Sunday. Pray that the sick bug stays away!

ST's training schedule:

Mon - 35 mins (optional)
Tues - 30 mins
Wed - 75 mins (optional)
Thur - 30 mins
Fri - Day off
Sat - 30 mins
Sun - 90 mins

My training schedule:
Mon - Day off
Tue - Day off
Wed - Day off
Thu - Day off
Fri - Day off
Sat - Day off
Sun - 31 mins

...train for the marathon (week 4) / complete a half marathon?

I jogged, walked and limped my way to another half marathon today. Have completed 4 half-marathons to-date, but my timings have been deteriorated. Not sure if it is because of inadequate training, lack of a running partner (it's quite lonely running alone) or the injury on my ankle and my flat feet which made it rather painful.

Anyway, just glad that I finished it and completed it. At least now I know I can definitely run 18.5 km, now I just need to make up the next 20 km for the marathon in Dec!

ST's training schedule:

Mon - 35 mins (optional)
Tues - 25 mins
Wed - 60 mins (optional)
Thur - 25 mins
Fri - Day off
Sat - 20 mins
Sun - 75 mins

My training schedule (this being my birthday week, training was severely hampered, haha):

Mon - 35 mins
Tues - Day off
Wed - Day off
Thur - Day off
Fri - 30 mins
Sat - Day off
Sun - completed half marathon

...have a taste of Japan in Singapore?

I made a new discovery in Far East Plaza today.

I met a friend for dinner today and after shopping around with little to show for it, we were both famished. My friend then suggested having Japanese food.

"It's supposed to be good....Somewhere on Level 5," she quipped. She was about to call her friend (for the umpteenth time, according to her) to ask about the venue when we noted a queue quietly forming just around the escalator on Level 5.

Understanding that "queue=good food", we figured that there was little to lose and swiftly joined the queue. To our delight, the queue moved quickly and before long, we were greeted warmly by the waitress at the entrance. We were fortunate, because there seemed to be a lot of reservations and we managed to get in only because we promised to finish our food in one hour.

We soon found out that Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant's specialty was Yakitori and decided on a Set B combination and grilled Saba to share. Set B came with sashimi, eight sticks of Yakitori, rice, miso and pickles. Every stick tasted really good - tasty and not too greasy. Personally, I enjoyed the beef, tomato and chicken the most!

Overall, the food was a tad salty, but otherwise yummy. The decor was typical of a Japanese restaurant - small and cozy. The chefs (at least one of them) were Japanese and I particularly liked the part where the entire crew greeted every guest who comes into the restaurant!

Though very different, Nanbantei* reminds me of Gonpachi in Tokyo, which also serves Yakitori. For an hour, I felt I was back in Tokyo. Until I visit Japan again, I guess this will be one of the choices** whenever I need my Yakitori fix! :)



* Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant, Far East Plaza, #05-132.

** I will remember to bring my camera the next time so that there are pictures to show how good the food looked!

...train for the marathon (week 3)?

Am sharing my weekly running schedule, partly as a way to record my training journey towards completing a full marathon for future reference, and partly to share with others who might be interested one day to attempt a full marathon.

This week's training was seriously hampered by my weekend activities, haha. It's Sept, I'm turning 30 and it's time for some serious celebrations. :)

ST's training schedule:

Mon - 30 mins (optional)
Tues - 20 mins
Wed - 30 mins (optional)
Thur - 20 mins
Fri - Day off
Sat - 20 mins
Sun - 30 mins

My training schedule:

Mon - Day off
Tues - Day off
Wed - 22 mins
Thurs - 30 mins
Fri - Day off
Sat - Day off
Sun - Day off

...train for the marathon (week 2)?

Week 2 of my training:

ST's training schedule:

Mon - 30 mins (optional)
Tues - 20 mins
Wed - 60 mins (optional)
Thurs - 20 mins
Fri - Day off
Sat - 20 mins
Sun - 60 mins

My training schedule:

Mon - Day off
Tues - 30 mins
Wed - Day off
Thurs - 35 mins
Fri - Day off
Sat - 22 mins
Sun - 70 mins

...start training for the marathon in Dec (week 1)?

After a short hiatus of 2 weeks, where I was under doctor's (I mean, sinseh's) orders to stay off running for two weeks (to cut a long story short, my knee was swollen after one whole night of walking around on heels), I am back to training for the marathon in Dec.

At the same time, the Straits Times published a training schedule for those who are training for their first marathon, so I'm using that as a guide.

Straits Times' Training Schedule (Week 1):

Mon - 30 mins (optional)
Tues - 20 mins
Wed - 45 mins (optional)
Thurs - 20 mins
Fri - Day off
Sat - 20 mins
Sun - 45 mins

My training schedule (Week 1):

Mon - Day off
Tues - Day off
Wed - 20 mins
Thurs - 20 mins
Fri - Day off
Sat - 24 mins
Sun - 48 mins

...fall in love with him?

He is 31 this year.

He was trained in classical music and plays many different instruments, but I think he plays the piano the best.

He plays basketball as well, as far as I know and handles a pair of nunchuks rather well.

He is apparently very filial to his mother and grandmother who brought him up.

He is also apparently a non-smoker and a non-drinker.

Contrary to what people may say, I think he can sing. I have heard him sing live and it's real and good.

He is arrogant, but, he has every right to be. In fact, I think it makes him cuter.

His name is Jay Chou. 谁叫他是周杰伦!

I just attended his concert, and I'm still smiling to myself at the memory of it and singing his songs in my head. Gawd, I feel like a teenager all over again. :)

...spend your Sunday afternoon listening to songs from another time and space?

I am listening to a 97 hit by Faye Wong "你快乐， 所已我快乐".

It's been a long while since I listened to the radio on a weekend at home, and the feeling is surreal. I remembered a long time (or maybe not so long ago, depending on your point of reference) when nearly everyday was accompanied by my favourite radio station and keeping a lookout for my favourite artiste's latest album...learning the new songs and belting them out in the games we used to play or during karaokes every now and then...That's always a highlight.

Between 1997 and now, we graduated, we started work, and we are now "grown up".

But I don't feel all that different, do you?

...run a full marathon?

Ok, further to my previous post, I have decided to sign up for the full marathon in December!

K has also signed up, so hopefully we can both complete the marathon. :)

There are 6 months to train, I am going to start running more frequently from now onwards and have decided to stay away from fries and fried food for the next 6 months as much as possible.

Training starts tomorrow morning! Am finally resuming my weekly East Coast runs with JM. Hopefully, I can stay healthy from now till the marathon. Otherwise, illness really interferes with the training.

Have a good weekend!

... run a night race?

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.

...catch the Taiwanese movie, Monga (艋舺)?

Monga is a historical district in Taiwan, which is known as Wanhua district today. Wanhua district is Taipei city's oldest district - it houses the Longshan temple, Taipei's oldest temple; the Huaxi Street tourist night market; and it also used to be Taipei's former "red light district". There were also gangs galore, with each of them taking their own "corners".

Monga, the movie, was set in 1980s Monga. At first, I thought it was a Taiwanese version of the old Young and Dangerous (古惑仔) series. I must confess I only watched a couple of the 古惑仔 movies, so my interpretation might be wrong, but I thought Monga was rather different.

The movie starts with a new kid (Wenzi) who has just transferred to a school in the district. He is always alone, has no friends, and is often bullied. However, he catches the eye of the most powerful gangster in school and soon becomes the fifth member of this gang.

The five boys soon become sworn brothers, get into fights with rival gangs, attend boot camp to be trained in all kinds of weapons (but no guns please, cos that's for weaklings, according to their lao da), start getting involved in the disputes of the older generation and fights over the turf in Monga, and eventually go into a downward spiral of betrayal. All in the name of BROTHERHOOD.

Sounds very run-of-the-mill stuff? But I thought the movie was very well shot and as it explored why each of the boys joined the gang, you could kinda identify with the characters and see why they eventually took the path they did. It doesn't glamourise the triad life, as HK triad movies tend to do so.

There was a fighting scene that the director wanted to shoot in one take and required hundreds of extras. His "friends" from the gangs sent down busloads of real gangsters (700 of them!!!) to help him film this scene at no cost. Apparently, after he shouted "cut", these people from rival gangs were still fighting and the director and the actors had to step in to break up the fights!

The fact that the movie was based on the director's own experiences when he was younger shone through as you watched the movie. Because you could feel that whatever you were watching was not staged, and that things really happened that way. I liked this authenticity about the movie. I think about 50% of the dialogue was in Hokkien as well - so you need to know your Hokkien. Reading the subtitles just doesn't cut it!

...attend a Mayday (五月天) concert?

Lest you think that pop concerts are a thing of the past or only meant for the younger ones, let me remind you that Mayday released their first album in 1999, and so they are kinda from our generation too. :)



Yesterday, I attended my second Mayday concert in less than a year. I first went for their concert last August. I had heard a lot about their concerts, that the atmosphere was fantastic and that everyone would be standing throughout. The scene where everyone is standing throughout the concert is hardly seen in Chinese concerts, except for the Beyond concert I went for in 1997. So I thought, I had to experience a Mayday concert at least once.

I had a lot of fun at their concert last year, and yes, I stood throughout the concert. They write all their own songs and the atmosphere in the indoor stadium was just fantastic. I think part of it also has to do with their charismatic lead singer, Ah-Xin (there's always a guy involved, isn't it?). But Ah-Xin is not only boyish-cute, he's very talented. He writes almost all the songs in their albums and he's very good with the pen. I thought he wouldn't be able to sing live very well, but he did and he did so for close to 3.5 hours! At the end of their concert last year, I told myself I had to go for every Mayday concert!

Yesterday's concert was an open-air one at National Stadium. It was their first outdoor concert in Singapore, even though they have held many of such outdoor concerts in Taiwan. It was a little humid last night, but the concert was again fantastic! And because it was an outdoor concert, there was even fireworks! Very very pretty fireworks!

They even set up a 3-tonne transformer (Bumblebee) at the venue!

I had heard that the sound system might not be as good at outdoor concerts and you might not be able to hear the singer very well. But last night, Ah-Xin again showed his mettle! haha. If only they did not have any curfew to adhere to (I think the authorities would fine them if they over-stayed), I believe they would have gone on singing way past midnight. There were so many fans still at the stadium even though the lights at the stadium had come on and Ah-Xin had spoken from backstage to ask everyone to go home.

I felt a bit amiss cos they did not sing their hit Hokkien song, Zhiming and Chunjiao - oh well, till the next Mayday concert then! Maybe this time in Taiwan. :)

...try Omakase at Nogawa?

At my friend’s recommendation, I decided to try Omakase at Nogawa. I had a fresh tomato with salt to start off the meal, yes gals, H actually ate a fresh tomato. Although I’ve not exactly fallen in love with raw tomatoes, I did feel that it was refreshing and it whet the palate for more good things to come.

Next up was the sashimi platter, with the tuna belly melting in my mouth, it was over all too soon! If only I had some Ikura in the platter *drool*.

Baby eel in vinegared sauce (above). I slurped the smooth, cool eel down and it set the stage for the rest of the meal!

Kobe beef wrapping deep-fried garlic (I believe) was up next, and finally, something that S could take a bite out of too! ( since S doesn't take raw food!) It was delicious, though a just a little strong on the garlic.

Soup was Milt with Dancing Mushrooms ( I forget which fish the milt came from), the thought was a little disgusting but hey, what’s life without trying out some new stuff. The soup and mushrooms were delightful, but I think milt may be an acquired taste.

Braised seasonal squid in sweet sauce, with its eggs in the squid (above). This was well done, the squid with its eggs had a lovely texture as you chew on it.

For sushi, I had yellowtail, tuna pre-soaked in shoya, seared tuna belly, omelet, octopus and more tuna. The sushi was fresh and I loved the seared tuna belly!

Strawberries for me for dessert!

I do love having a good Japanese dinner because it always leaves me refreshingly ‘lightly’ full, if you get what I mean.

... jump out of the pan?

Okay, I was just kidding. This blog has absolutely nothing to do with “jumping out of the pan”, but has everything to do with the restaurant “Out of the Pan”.

One of my more significant encounters with The Crepe was in 2003. LK took me to this place (Imperial, Kensington?) which sold fabulous crepes. I must say, I never knew crepes could taste this good. And friends who have seen photos of me with The Crepe testify that I looked blissful – happy and satisfied!

So, Out of the Pan is really a good substitute whenever I have my crepe cravings, one of which was the Thursday that just passed.

My friend and I ordered some tortilla chips, two crepes (Seafood Juggle and Peking Duck) wrapped in sundried tomato and a Fresh Berry waffle (with chocolate ice-cream) to share. Between two gals, I think that is a lot of food. However, the strange thing was we both did not feel grotesquely full despite eating a lot – which in my opinion, is a key success factor to the food at Out of the Pan. Tasty but light to the stomach.

Out of the Pan is a good place for gatherings of various sizes. The atmosphere is open, vibrant or noisy, depending on how you look at it. The waiters are generally chirpy (more so than what I recall from memory). One of the drawbacks though is that they tuck people into corners which sometimes require 10 seconds of vigorous waving and gesturing before customers can catch the waiters’ attention. That said, it’s hard to be frustrated when the waiters are so apologetic when they realised what they have done.

At the end of our meal, we were also pleasantly surprised when we learnt that they are currently doing a 1-for-1 promotion for crepes for UOB cardholders. On the way out, one of the staff also thanked us and greeted us farewell, something that we have never experienced before.

I wish I have brought my camera and took some pictures, in particular the waffle (by far, one of those I enjoy the most).

But even without the pictures, I hope you believe that the food is really good and if you are in the mood for crepes, please do not deny yourself of the pleasure and satisfaction!

try to satisfy a craving?

I must admit, this food item I am about to describe is not strictly Singaporean food, but it's definitely Asian or more specifically Japanese.

Inspired from my trip to Japan, I suddenly craved for those little "croissant shaped" bread rolls from Petit Provence in Holland V.

Yes! They're called Wassants! You trust the Japanese to come up with an Anglicised name for a Japanese product. Trust me: I tried to rationalise this name and find it's origins (or rather an explanation) but to no avail. My conclusion: it's more like "Wah!(as an expression) combined with the "ssant" spelling part of "croissant" to come up with the name "Wassant"! (lol)

Of course, during my trip to Japan I popped into as many boulangeries as I could manage and there were many. The Japanese are obsessed with all the french bakeries and patisserie names and you can find everything from Dallayou, Laduree, Cordon Bleu, Lenotre, and everything else France had to offer! But in Japan!!

Anyway, my search was for a typical Japanese bakery and for that wassant, or anything that vaguely resembles the wassant. The search was entirely futile and the only thing that came close was a loaf of marbled chocolate bread that was completely over-priced (approx Y800 = 7-8 pounds) and taste-wise, was nothing to shout about.

Oh, some of you might ask what a wassant is. It's a bread roll, layered with a chocolate paste, like puff pastry (so you get many thin layers) between soft and milky bread. It's not my usual kind of bread but don't ask me why, I suddenly had a craving for it.

So back in grey and very cold London (I spotted snowflakes yesterday when I popped out), I have yet to satisfy my cravings for that small little breadroll!

I decide to make my own - what better way to satisfy a craving?

A trawl through the WWW returned many results and discussions for this wassant (many fans out there - Singaporeans are real foodies).

Combining a new technique called a 65degrees water roux starter, laminating technique learnt at LCB(for feullettine pastries), a google translate of a Japanese website for the chocolate filling, I embarked on this culinary quest to recreate the wassant in my own kitchen.

As they say, a picture paints a thousand words and here are the results of my experiment:

A taste test by my Korean friend MC and her husband along with Dr O confirmed that this recipe is a keeper. Personally, on my next attempt I would increase the chocolate paste content so that it's more chocolately.

And just a note: the bread remained soft and fluffy even on Day 4 - not that they should last till Day 4!!

What a way to satisfy a craving! More bread making in the pipeline....

...try a new dish?

One of my 2010 New Year resolutions is to step out of my comfort zone.

Learn a new language.

Pick up a new sport.

Stop procrastinating.

Try new dishes, or ever better - pick up cooking.

I have not embarked on my cooking aspirations. But I have tried a couple of new dishes, which have been delightful to say the least. One of which, included German food at Brotzeit.

Brotzeit has two outlets in Singapore; and although I have walked past both outlets many a times, it never really occurred to me to dine there (which explains my New Year resolution).

Anyway, for a lack of ideas and at a friend's suggestion, I went to the outlet at Raffles City some weeks back. The setting at the Raffles City felt somewhat more inviting than the one at Vivo City. At the very least, it felt more relaxed and welcoming– a good place to chill out over a couple of drinks and light snacks in the evening.

My friends and I ordered a mixed salad and seafood platter to share.

The mixed salad - Salatteller mit Huhn, was generous with the greens and was accompanied by grilled spicy chicken sausage, chicken ham, feta cheese, walnuts, cherry tomatoes and sour cream dressing. The greens were fresh and crunchy, and the sausages were not too salty or “artificial”.

Next was the seafood platter - Fischplatte. The seafood platter came with smoked salmon, marinated tuna, marinated prawns, white anchovies and crab salad with a basket of selected German breads. I loved the breads – very different from the usual served at American outlets. As everyone would be aware, one of the most important things about seafood dishes, is that the seafood itself must be fresh and free of the “fishy” smell. The chef did a great job with the seasoning, accentuating the original tastes of the various seafood types without overcooking.

What’s a meal at a German restaurant without German beer? To top it off, some of my friends ordered German beer. Though I can’t remember the names and flavours – None of my friends complained, which is a testament to the quality of the beer in itself.

I think, I would be back for more. In the meantime, time to brush up on some basic German.

Guten Appetit!

...go for a swim at the public pool?

I have been trying to get my fitness routine back on track after the CNY holidays. After a couple of bodycombat sessions, a couple of jogs, I finally made it down to the pool. I can't even remember the last time I went for a swim at the public pool in Singapore. It was probably in Sec 4, when I had to take part in the House Captains' Race during the annual swimming meet.

I must say things have changed quite a bit since my last trip to a public pool. Public swimming pools are now more equipped and even have water rides for the children. A trip to the pool used to cost only $0.50 for 2 hours (I think), now its $2 per entry! What used to be paper tickets are now replaced by plastic cards. Ticket attendants are now replaced by automated machines that dispense your tickets and automated gates which open after you insert your ticket.

It was quite a good experience - I was very proud of myself that I managed to complete 16 laps. The original plan was just to TRY and do 10 laps. Stamina in the water is very different from having stamina on land. Even when I was at my fittest, swimming 1 lap left me slightly breathless. Ok, so I stopped for short rests in between, but I thought 16 laps was quite good, considering the shape I was in.

After last Saturday's swim, I'm looking forward to heading to my neighbourhood public pool more often, and will try and make this a weekly affair! Oh wait, maybe not tomorrow, there's a party tonight. :)

... celebrate your 30th birthday at an "old" place?

Nostalgia is in the air.

Perhaps it's because we have reached a milestone in our lives, or just a plain feeling of wanting to revisit some memories, nostalgia seemed to be a theme in the two 30th birthday parties I have attended thus far.

During the Fridays preceding her birthday, KC dragged us to some of the bars and clubs that we (or rather, she and the rest, I was not there all the time) used to frequent, for "old times' sake", as she put it.

So, off we went - the first weekend, we went to St. James - at Movida and then to the Boiler Room. It was quite interesting, to say the least. I have never been to Movida in the many times I went to St. James, so it was an eye-opener. The crowd was, well, mmm, much older than 30, haha. The Boiler Room was, as usual, rather crowded and the band was energetically belting out contemporary rock and R&B hits, but their crude jokes left much to be desired, and marred a good night out. Or perhaps I was not drunk enough to ignore those crude jokes. :)

The second weekend, we went to New Asia Bar. I felt the club has lost some of its former glory and it was scarily empty the last time I was there last February on a Friday night. It was more crowded this time round, but we left and headed to ChinaOne instead. Enough said.

In the end, KC had her birthday party at Cuscaden@Chijmes. Not really an old haunt but another branch of an old haunt. It was a cosy party, with a small live band and lively banter amongst old friends.

YL celebrated her birthday next, at the Night Safari! I must say I thought it was a rather unusual place to have a birthday party. There was even a party bus which ferried everyone from Bishan MRT to the Night Safari. The whole group caught the "Creatures of the Night" show and went on the tram ride.

We stopped to walk along the "Leopard Trail", but got split up into 2 groups when one group gamely walked through an enclosure of flying squirrels, while the other group went another way. The flying squirrel group was rewarded for their bravery and they managed to see the leopards, while the other group saw none and had to contend with photos that the other group took! It was a novel way to celebrate a birthday and it felt very much like a school excursion. We even took a group shot at the Night Safari sign to commemorate the event!

...celebrate Valentine's Day in a different way?

When I was 15, we celebrated V-Day (the abbreviated version of Valentine's Day that we used) on 13 Feb, so that those who had boyfriends then could celebrate with their boyfriends on the actual day itself. So it was called a pre-V-Day celebration and the venue was always Chili's until it closed. By that time, we also stopped having pre-V-Day celebrations.

The recent re-opening of Chili's in Singapore has brought back some memories, so perhaps it is time to gather the girls and head down for some stupid, noisy fun.

When I was 18, I broke up with my then-boyfriend on Valentine's Day. Needless to say, that wasn't a very good V-Day.

When I was... well, I can't really remember much about the subsequent V-Days. V-Days had a different meaning after I found out it falls on the same day as the birthday of somebody whom I don't really like. Just kidding!

Even as a hopeless romantic, the older I got, the less important V-Days became. When you become more discerning to the ways of the world, you realise that it's all a commercial gimmick and seriously, if two people are in love, everyday should be Valentine's Day (awwwwwww) and you really don't need a special day to celebrate it.

Inspired by the movie, "Valentine's Day", I feel like organising a "I hate Valentine's Day" celebration next year. Check back with me or remind me about it next year. I loved that scene where Jennifer Garner beat up the stupid heart. Now THAT would be a different way to celebrate Valentine's Day. :)