1000km

It was about 10 years ago, and while I don't remember the date or year clearly, I remember my first paid race was for 'Run for Hope' (or something to that extent) - while I don't remember the name of the run, I do remember the cause. It was a run to gather funds and to support cancer, and it was a 10-km race held at East Coast Park. I had signed up with some friends and the husband.


I hated it. I was gasping, I was out of breath, the husband was encouraging me, trying to be supportive and all I remember was snapping at him and willing him to shut up because I was so, super, duper grumpy! It's safe to declare that it was not a fit period of my life.


I believe I started running at the gym. I was a gym bunny at some points in my life (approximately 2002-2009) where I held membership at the original Planet Fitness) and I enjoyed the group classes tremendously and running was ok and conducted on the treadmill. I liked the control I had knowing the information of what I had accomplished - seeing the distance and time clearly on the machine validated my exercise. I never quite understood why some friends preferred to run 'in the outdoors'. Clocking time built my stamina and I beliee  I then remember another race, my first (& only) 12km race with the husband and his friends; it was a 2XU race and I did it just because I thought I was pretty ready to tackle this. I believe this run was after I had birthed K and before I was pregnant with J. I also remember that by this race, I was not grumpy, not as unfit and did pretty fine.


At some point after I delivered K and before I was pregnant again (2009-2011), I aborted paying for any fitness memberships because I just did not have the time, energy or commitment to stick it out at the gym as before. Instead, I opted to run. I believe I started because I was cheap (no need to pay to run in the open), and I was constrained by the time that I had (random bouts of free time when the child was taken care of/ asleep/ etc) plus I was vain. I was done with being 'pregnant/pregnant fat/post pregnant fat' and wanted to do something about it. So I did. I ran by the canal near my in-law's home where I used to stay with the husband.


Then pregnancy happened (round 2) and I was inactive again for about 1.5years, before I reverted to running for all the same reasons I did before. This time, my body was more accustomed to moving and I did runs with the husband (sometimes like this) and I also started jogging in the mornings with my son, the early riser. I remember using the 'map my run' application to monitor my progress.


I then switched over to use the Nike Running App because it was sleeker and I'm biased towards Nike. I started it in 2014, January and it has been a good run.

January 2014 - July 2016 - 1005km clocked

I was promoted to 'blue'!

The run on 1 July when I crossed the 1000km mark

To more runs, to an able and healthy body, to being happy (hello endorphins!), to being fit.

My cute potato

Getting a haircut

Look at that adorable face of serious concentration!

TGIF! A special 'hen and cock' party for the sister and the soon-to-be BIL

So, this idea was seeded months ago when I was talking to my friends. From idle chatter, it became reality when a bunch of people who love the sister and the soon-to-be BIL got together to celebrate a night of fun, friendship and love! Here's a whole bunch of pics (some poorly taken as a true reflection of how awesome things were!) to remember this amazing night. I had so much fun! And at the end of it, to receive thanks and watch the couple be surprised and have fun too, was truly super!

The hen and the cock (with muscles)

The original three

Boy team of the foofub clan

Serious hen clucking about her dares

Look at her, giggly with happiness :)

The game master

Surprise party - success!

Everyone

Siblings

The night ended with the sister and I slurring our way from RQ to AMK.

I love you so much little sister and am so glad that you had fun. It's the least we can do to be there with you on this special moment in your life.

Counting down to PROJECT3007!

My iron man in training

Next week, our family-minus-one is going away to Cebu. Hooray!
Why? Because the husband is going to race his first ever half-ironman. The boy and I are tagging along to lend support and catch some lovely family time together too.
Some weeks back, the husband did a triathlon and his timing was pretty good!

< 3 hours

Keep training safely, my love. Looking forward!

K teaches me a lesson, and our new morning routine

From January to May 2016, our family endured very early hours with K (truly, everyone at home is involved in one way or other) as she caught the school bus to school. She woke up at 5.15am and after 5 months, we did get into a decent routine.
However, several factors made me decide to switch things because while the routine worked, it wasn't truly the best. Sleep (& in turn a less cranky child) still seemed a priority, so I made the decision to take matters into my own time (literally) and for the past few weeks since school started this 3rd term, I have been sending K to school on my own, via public transport.


So now, here's our routine:
By 6am: K wakes up and starts her morning by changing into her uniform/ breakfast
By 6.15am: I am awake and start stumbling about the house. I'll wash up and change and pack my things and start nagging her to keep chewing her breakfast and remind her of the time
6.35-6.45am: we leave home.
We take a short and brisk stroll from our home to the train station.
10-12 minutes later: we reach the MRT station
Approx 20 minutes later: we reach Stevens MRT station & trot a short road across the road (2 small road crossings with a gazillion cars)
By 7.15am: we reach school - say our goodbyes and off she goes


This new routine has added two bouts of goodness, both of the same quantity:
1) additional 45 minutes of sleep compared to previous routine (from 5.15am to 6am)
2) additional 45 minutes of time together with my princess (our commute from home to school)


While there are mornings where I need to nag more (K is a talented slowpoke), we have whines about loose teeth that hinders chewing, a girl who doesn't pack her bag properly & the list goes on... I think this new routine is working out pretty well. Weather is a big factor and it's typically pretty good weather, but it was pissing rain yesterday morning but thankfully the husband sent her; and today it was drizzling but we made it fine with an umbrella.


So that's our regular routine, and there are some implications which is my morning work-out time (which I am still experimenting now); and time with J (which I try to increase at night time) but truly, all is pretty good. Let's keep going and see how this continues!
So this morning was one of those slower than regular slowpoke kinda days (some days are better, some are worse) - and I was quite irritated. I'll nag her, urge her, even nudge her lightly to get her mooooooving. It did not help that it was drizzling and the train was slightly delayed, heightening my stress that we may be late for school!
We did make it on time, albeit a little later than 7.15am. On the short stroll to school, she had to take an umbrella - I watched this girl, unfrazzled by my incessant nagging, disregarding all care in the world as she twirled her umbrella, did light steps into puddles and hum a tune I couldn't make out.


In that moment, I smiled. My heart did a little blip as I watched her, and marvelled at her innocence. Yes, my girl can be whiney, she can be sluggish, but she is also the sweetest, good-natured, easy-going child.
This morning, she taught me a lesson of being yourself, and being happy because life is more than schedules. I love that I had this insight to her, and of how I ought to learn a lesson from her to take a chill pill.

Random pics I have snapped of her - she's always this smiley! :)

Thank you baby K for teaching me to just live a little. I love you baby!

Warrior

Two nights ago, the husband asked me, "what did your sister give you?"
It took me a moment to figure out what he was asking about, and I mumbled back, "a bracelet."


Thinking back of it, I didn't feel like that justified what the gift was, and I wondered why I was so hesitant to share more. Perhaps a part of me is still trying to bury the truth, and pain of this rut I am trudging through. It shouldn't be the case. I should be proud of my achievements so far - that despite what I was feeling (tired and slightly beaten, just wanting to snuggle up under my blankets and just lie there dormant with no care of the world, to screw all responsibilities and needs) - life still goes on. I wake up daily to look after the little people who rely on me to get on with their daily lives, to have meals with the people who mean the world to me, to celebrate in joys and not just dwell on myself... each day still goes by as if there was nothing wrong at all - that takes every ounce of strength and while I still stumble, I think there is a lot to be said that things just keep moving. I am seeking for love and support from the people around me - whether or not they know what their responses mean to me, I actively seek it and I think that is credit to me.
So, my more accurate response to what my sister gave me, was this - hope.

Simple and meaningful messages

When I received the gift, I was touched. My heart was beating and I felt so amused that my sister had thought of me, yet not at all. Amused because just before I got the gift, I figured out that random 'ninja delivery' was from her. She has gifted me as part of her gifting exercise before, but I didn't think that I'd be a recipient this time (to be honest, I was just not thinking). So just before I collected the gift, she was way more excited than me. She had received the notification that the parcel had been delivered and urged me to look for it. It took me a while to receive it because there are fixed timings for parcel pick-up in the office.

When I did get it, I was smiling to myself, with a slight bounce in my step. As I held the parcel in my hand, and made my way from the mail room to my desk, my heart started feeling all fluttery. The idea of receiving a gift from my beloved sister, for no reason at all, started to strike me. I thought of all the times I had struggled in the past months, I thought of me confiding in her of all that I felt... it all started to hit me at once and I knew that I needed to share the moment with her.
I found a quiet room, and I rang her. I was incoherent, practically. I had her on the phone, as I opened the gift, sobbling... and as I read the words on the packaging, I broke down. The words of encouragement and support was so appropriate and struck bulls-eye; it meant so much to me that those words, seemingly so innocuous to another, meant the world to me at this moment.


Warrior - is about having the quiet courage to say at the end of the day, "I will try again tomorrow."
The gift was such a thoughtful one, and one that truly meant so much to me at this moment in time. I am blessed, I have plenty to be thankful for, and I hold on to this belief that you have in me that I can do this.


Thank you.

The big day... is nearly here

I don't think I have said it here before... so let me make the announcement - MY LITTLE SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED!


She has launched her project #project3007 many, many months ago since their lovely proposal, and it is with certainty that the big day is truly approaching.


Last Saturday, was the "bethrothal day"; in the olden days, that's the formal day where the groom and bride exchange dowries and pleasantries. Fast-forward to today, where it is not as rigid and formal as the olden times, but it is still a significant moment where both families meet and well, do the basic form of exchanges.

Gifts galore and double happiness!

Happy Foo parents, happy Foo bride, happy Yeap groom, happy Yeap family (Mom & Brother)

It was quite a simple affair, one where the parents and sister and new husband-to-be prepared in bite-sizes, so it wasn't harassed or fussed. I totally liked how the couple opted for the traditional options (once in a lifetime yo) for the very Chinese feel of it all. Oh, and did I mention that I ate non-stop for 4 hours because there was just so much food at my mom's home? Ah, we are so abundantly blessed with contributions from the mother (she laboured and cooked many dishes) and our aunts (a few chipped in potluck style) and everyone was so, super stuffed.


I am not sure that it's truly sunk in that my sister is getting married. I mean, I know it, but I think it's really going to hit me - at some point.


It's such a happy occasion and I am so glad that I am part of it all - just talking to her to know what she's planning etc, it's a happy, happy time for her and our family.


Another 2 more weeks (a bit less) before the actual day! Woot!