of the cobwebs on my blog and a cold wintry day in Ratingen

i was very surprised when i got onto my blog and realised that the last time i posted was 2 1/2 months ago! where did all the time go? i couldn't even remember that i had written that post..

so much has happened and i would love so much to write them all here.. but time does not allow for me to reflect deeply now.. it's a cold cold day in ratingen and i am in a short-sleeve t-shirt sitting in a very nice office environment because i had only 45 mins to pack for this trip..

my heart is full.. and i have much to thank God for.. but that'll have to wait for another time in another place..

i came online to post this little youtube video that ryan took of me straight after my 2nd OD triathlon race.. i had such a wonderful time.. and i want to remember it.. thanks ryan! :)

of long long hikes and great funny friends!

Of late, I've been taking lots of long hikes.. And by long hikes, I mean hikes that last between 4-7 hours at a go.. This is all in preparation for the Oxfam Trailwalker that's coming up on the 7th of November.. This event takes its participants through 100km (!!) of hilly terrain across the whole of Kowloon from Sai Kung (east of Kowloon) to Tuen Mun (west of Kowloon).. The main purpose of this is for charity.. raising money to the different causes that Oxfam is rooting for...

SO.. I'm doing this hike with 3 other people, 2 of whom I've introduced earlier as Stephanie and Elsie.. The last is Tong, who's this super nice guy who's Elsie's friend.. It'll take us (hopefully!) 36 hours to complete the 100km IF we complete it..

I first found out about this event on my first hike, from some of my friends at IECC.. and then I got inspired to get my friends to sign up with me, after my hike with AL and HC when they came to visit! I had SUCH a good time on that hike that I thought.. I could do 100km of it! Well.. I'm not regretting it yet, but it sure has been a painful journey..

Stephanie did a montage of our journey thus far.. and I thoroughly enjoyed it :) Looking back on the training thus far is WAYYYY better than the actual training!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

of my blue and only birthday cake this year and silly faithful friends

I have two silly friends :) I love them lots..



They baked me a blue birthday cake.. It was chocolate and blue.. It was yum.. And it made me wanna sing "you're blue-dar-ber-dee-dar-ber-dar-eh-dar-bur-dee-dar-ber-dar-dar-ber-dee-dar-ber-dar!"



I miss friends I've known for decades for I know that with them, I can be whomever I wanna be, at whatever time of the day, in whatever state I am, speaking whatever language I choose, making all the faces I can think of, swinging my moods like a pendulum, dreaming any dreams I can think of... and I know they'd love me all the same..

Thank you all for being my friends.. you-s know who you-s are.. (I already can think of one such friend who'll be cringing at the grammar! a true beatnik! ;) but she loves me all the same! bad grammar and all!)

*hugs* to all.. :)

Of being a silly visionary and 100% extraverted

Of sonic and completing a triathlon

I don't know if it's a result of getting older and wanting to seize the day (while my bones can still take it) or my crazy best friend selling me the idea, I've suddenly found myself training for triathlons on a rather intensive basis..

Imagine running and swimming for an hour each on Monday and Wednesday, doing a long distance run on Friday and running, swimming and cycling on Sunday morning.. That's a routine that I find myself myself in these days.. or at least since I found Sonic, the triathlon association/club that I train with..

And as you can tell from the picture, there are quite a few other crazy people who subscribe to the torture regime as stipulated above! :)

Much as I complain about it, it's actually been a really good time-occupier and routine-setter for the past couple of months that I've been here in Hong Kong. It helps to take away the loneliness that I'd imagine I'd feel if I had all those nights and weekends to spend by myself..

So God works in mysterious ways.. :) He knows I enjoy the outdoors.. and He knows that I need to exercise (given the copious amounts of food I enjoy consuming) and He knows that I need company.. and what better way than to start a new (and painful!) sport?


And it was through Sonic that I met Stephanie and Elsie.. Two God-fearing ladies who've been immensely encouraging.. I thank God with every remembrance of them.. :)

of breakfasts and laundromats

For countless mornings now, i've been planning to have cereal or a homemade ham sandwich for breakfast.. These lofty plans are made before bed and carried thru dreamland and the REMs before i finally awaken to a brand new day.. ... only to realise that s#%t it's too late and i hv to rush to get ready.. I whisper a short prayer to God thanking Him for the new day.. and ask that He goes before me.. AND i apologise for using s#%t earlier! :) haha

SO.. my breakfast plan doesn't bear any fruit and i'm left to fend for myself jostling in the mtr with countless far more experienced hongkongese (that's what they call themselves!) commuters trying to get to work.. all of this, on an empty stomach.. How sad is that? :( worst part of this whole ordeal is that i never know what to buy for breakfast because obviously the decision-making function of my brain is not awake this early in the morning...

Note to self.. I wanna have cereal or a homemade sandwich at least ONCE before I leave this country for good!

And... laundromats.. I like carrying laundry to the laundromat.. It gives me an artificial sense of importance and accomplishment (though if I were all that important or accomplished, I wouldn't be bringing my laundry anywhere by myself!) Anyhow, this rainy morning, I decided to wash two rain jackets and my bedsheets.. And I'm still utterly amazed at how washing 2 rain jackets can cost 5x more than a whole big bag of sheets! How do they do the math I wonder.. ?

Almost at work now.. raining kittens and puppies today.. Thank God for a brand new day.. with or without breakfast :)

of deserted blogs and fresh new starts

so... i return to -a white bubble- ever so often, just to catch up on the past and to will myself to begin writing again.. but it seems each time i return, the cobwebs and inertia seem too overwhelming and i give up before logging in.. :)

but tonight seems different.. i've been having so many thoughts/ideas/reflections over the past 5 months and i haven't had the time/energy to pen them.. which is such a pity because i'd like to know i had these thoughts another 5 months on..

i said to J a couple of days back that i'm a professional procastinator.. i amaze myself sometimes.. it must take quite a bit of talent to procrastinate the way i do..

so tonight i bravely swipe the cobwebs and muster up courage to begin writing again.. i dunno how long it'll last.. but for now.. just for now.. i'm content..

to commerate this lovely weed-debunking-cobwebs-swiping event (that has taken almost 2 1/2 years), i'm posting this lovely picture of my favourite flowers currently taken by one of my favourite friends, S.

love the pic!.. ... marks the days of new (2nd) beginnings.. don't we all love second chances?