Day 34: Post Christmas morning run

Christmas was spent chilling at home and watching movies.  I watched three and slept at 2am so I wasnt sure if I was going to wake up early in time for a run.

It's 730 when I woke up. Cloudy and chilly (by Singapore standards).  I got up and went for my run. It was supposed to be rest day today but I skipped Saturday's 8km and yesterday's 4.8km and ate a lot of macaroni salad so I had to compensate.

I went on a different route. I needed 8km so I ran to Novena along Thomson, went further to McRitchie and back.

Unsold pine trees from the flower shops along Thomson road now turned into piles of trash 

Small falls from the reservoir

Trees in the city

Simbang Gabi Day 9: St Joseph's Church

Just before the downpour

It's 2 days before Christmas

Since I have moved here, I havent went back home for Christmas.  It's either my mother comes here or we celebrate the holidays on our own.

While people have professed missing Christmas back home, I haven't really had that raw, gnawing feeling about missing it.  It's not that I hate, no I love the season. My memories of Christmas as a child has always been bittersweet. I was always excited about preparing for it, of my dad asking us to make a list of what we need for the occasion, of ham and queso de bola, of our family's own version of morcon (which we later realized was actually embotido), of cold weather, of buko/macaroni salad that days later would be eaten straight from mayonnaise or kaong jars, of waking up the day after from the noise of relatives coming to our house early in the morning.  And of course, my elder siblings coming home from Manila to celebrate the holidays with us. We didnt have a tradition of gift giving.  What we had was a tradition of eating and feeding and giving out food to neighbors. The bitter part was when my older siblings would have to leave and go back to Manila again.

A couple of days back I suddenly miss Christmas back home. Maybe it's the simbang gabi.  I suddenly missed the Christmas atmosphere. Endless eating, partying, merrymaking.  Of people excited to go on vacation and going back home.  Here, the Christmas season means people going out of the country.  Back home, it means people going back HOME.

It's the 23rd of December and Im at work.  No, Im not dragging myself to work.  In fact Im pumped up these past couple of days/weeks. I love writing this report. And when I opened Google, this was what greeted me.

And a warm feeling engulfed my heart.  It brings me back to my childhood. Christmas at home. 

Simbang Gabi Day 8: Our Lady of Lourdes

The altar

Close to home. Today talks about the transformational power of prayer.  Of how we change in the process when praying for something.  And how we are kept away from harm and sin when praying.

Trying to be a good person is a daily struggle.

Day 30: Early morning run on a weekday, again

The struggle is real. 

I was still sleepy and so tempted to just skip the training.  But I realized that Im already wearing my running clothes so I dragged my butt out of bed. 

And it dawned on me, wearing exercise clothes when going to bed indeed helps in doing morning routines.  I read it from somewhere.  I say that's my guardian angel pushing me.

Im glad I went for it.  This is the fastest that Ive done I think.

5.5km in 43 mins or 7:56/km.  I usually clock in 9 or 8+ mins/km.

Not bad.  Not bad at all. 

Happy one month!

Day 29: Crosstraining in the morning

Woke up later than the usual.  Did 40 minutes of yoga. I think I hurt my back a bit.

Simbang Gabi Day 7: Going back to Blessed Sacrament

And having the energetic Fr Michael Sitaram.

The homily was about faith, and living it out.

And I assembled this when I got home

before

after

Simbang gabi day 6: Cathedral of the Good Shepherd

It's my first time to see the church after its renovation.  I saw several familiar faces and sat with one of my co-lectors.

The altar. I liked how they managed to restore the church and kept it simple.

Msgr Heng celebrated the mass.  It was an insightful homily.  A reminder to not be afraid and have faith that things are going to be alright. And to be always generous, and have a heart for others.

Day 28: Early morning run on a weekday

Yipee! We managed to do it! That is waking up at 6am on a weekday to go for a run. And we even did a post-run yoga after.

About 30 sec per km faster

Simbang Gabi Day 5: Church of the Blessed Sacrament

This is so close to work.  So close that despite leaving work at 6pm, I still had enough time to go to Gene's place to water his plants, went to Cold Storage to buy food, go back to the office to get my meds, walk to Heng Mui Keng where I took the bus to church, and still arrived there at 730.

Aside from the proximity to work, what I liked about the church was that they recite the rosary before the mass starts.  The priest was Fr Michael Sinaran, the same energetic priest who celebrated the mass at St Vincent de Paul last Saturday.  And he had the same homily :D

Altar of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Simbang Gabi Day 4: Church of the Risen Christ

Day 4 is coming home to Toa Payoh.

I was commentating.  I came later than the required call time because I picked up Mudra from the airport.

It was my first time at the choir loft. It was steep. I couldnt hear much whats happening downstairs though

view from the choir loft. This is when Fr Kamil and Kristina sang "The greatest gift of all"

Day 26 : early morning cross training and baking

I set the alarm at 5:55am.  I woke up on time and snoozed the alarm. But woke up again so I got up.   I went to the living room to turn on the lights and heard squishy sound of tires from the cars outside. I looked outside the window and there I saw it: IT IS RAINING!  It is clear: NO RUNNING.

I messaged M, told her it is raining and asked if she's awake enough to do yoga instead. She's game so we did yoga and pilates instead for about an hour.

We finished at 7 and since I was already up anyway, I started preparing ingredients for my quiche.

I realized that I didnt have milk, which is an essential ingredient for quiche, so I thought of just blind baking the crust instead.

Obviously, they're burnt.  Looks like I also need to cover the edges so that they wont burn easily.

So I made another batch.  Popped them in the fridge first for about 10 minutes before putting them in the oven.  

I think this time they're perfect.  The first and bottom layers are from the second batch, significanty looking much much better than the ones in the middle, which were from the first batch

It's 945am and Im sleepy.  Oh dear, how am I going to do my run in the mornings this week?  Im afraid I will be perpetually sleepy at work.

The finished product

Simbang Gabi Day 3: Church of St Vincent de Paul

It's a small church. Feels homey. Well-decorated that I wasnt sure if there was just a wedding that happened or it was all for Christmas.  The priest seems to be well-loved.
They had white roses at the altar.

At the end of the mass, they had santa for the kids. 

Kids wanting to have their share of the chocholates and toys

Day 25: Doing the McRitchie trail

We conquered McRitchie! Well, half of it.

We started with the usual route.  This is a mid-level trail in terms of difficulty and takes 11km to finish the complete route.

We were psyched for the 12km run.  We've been doing it quite often at the start of the year.  It goes all the way to the golf course, the tower, the ranger station (before the tree top walk), and back to the mushroom cafe area.  But before we could even reach the golf course, just right after the outdoor gym where they have the monkey bars, the route was blocked.  Looks like they're doing something and it's only going to be reopened in April 2017.

So we took a different route instead.  We took the entire stretch of that wooden plank/bridge by the reservoir. We circled it twice.

The run itself was ok.  I didnt feel any difficulty in terms of breathing or pain in the calf.  I had an egg and a banana before the run so I guess I had enough nutrients.  By the 6th or 7th km though, I was already thirsty.  Since there was no ranger station, I couldnt do anything but to wait until we finish the entire route.

After the run, we dropped by one of the flower shops along thomson and bought some flowers home.

Too many choices.  Too cold a room.  Must pick one fast.

Pretty flowers

Simbang Gabi Day 2 : St Stephen

I left work 30 minutes later than planned since I was showing some friends around the campus.

I tried taking a faster route, transiting from yellow to blue and then green lines. In my attempt to arrive early, I got off at the wrong station, and walked towards the wrong direction when I got off the bus. But I was still smiling. Maybe God was teaching me something.

I arrived at the church about 720pm and I was no longer expecting to get a good seat. But lo and behold, the church wasnt yet full and seats were aplenty!

Church of St Stephen

The choir was very pop, sang mosty mushy christmas songs.

The gospel today was about the genealogy of Jesus, all 42 generations (very patriarchal).  I remember I would always dread today's gospel especially when I dont have a good seat because it is veeery loooong.

Today, I got to appreciate it more.  The priest was able to explain it's significance.  Of how Christ is a descendant of liars and whores.  The miracle of Christmas is beautiful for it brings Christ closer to us by becoming a man, and how much more closer other than by coming from a family of ordinary people, from a generation of imperfect families.

Day 24

It's rest day! But I still did 10k steps. Went to simbang gabi instead

Simbang Gabi Day 1 : St Mary of the Angels

So Ive decided to go for the 9-day simbang gabi.

Today was at St Mary's of the Angels. There were only two churches today and this was the one closer to work. I was there at 7. There was a long queue outside because a mass was still ongoing inside.

The magnificent choir. They're really good. I like the choices of songs as well as the style of singing. They could reach high notes without belting it out like pop singers. 

This is the usual fellowship after the mass. Lugaw and bread were served. I've already had dinner so I skipped it. The mass ended pretty late too.

My view while walking home. A beautiful full moon hiding beneath the clouds.

Fr Kamil talked about living life with integrity, about using the way you live as a means to convey your values. And that we must not forget the art of living - something which I need to understand more and be reminded of.

Day 23

Yay! We did run.  We did the usual 5km instead of the recomended cross-training.

I think our bodies are getting used to the distance.  We're not tired after the run.

We're 1/3 of our training plan. The first two weeks were ok. The third was a disaster. This week looks like it's a bit of a disaster too.

Next week, we're going to try running in the mornings. We'll see how that goes.

Day 22

Needless to say but Im saying it nonetheless, I missed a lot of training days :(

Day 17 - I walked 10,000 steps instead of doing strength training
Day 18 - It was raining. It was a convenient excuse for not doing anything
Day 19 - rest day
Day 20 - I was at JB, walked 15,000 steps instead of running 4.8km
Day 21 - I walked 1km instead of 3.2km

And today is rest day.

Tomorrow, Im still contemplating whether Im still joining an outing with friends or Im gonna run 4.8km.

And starting Friday, Im contemplating whether I should run in the morning because Im planning to go for Simbang Gabi for 9 evenings.

Let's see.

Day 16

4.9km in 45 mins.  Slower than the last time but it is still ok.  And my legs are getting used to it :) That's the best part I think.  I cant wait for that week when I would have to increase the distance for the Saturday runs.

I also realized the importance of a proper warm up.  Otherwise, the leg muscles will become stiff.

It's good that I have 14 weeks. I have 14 weeks to know what's good and comfortable for my body and otherwise.

This is going to be a good one :)

Day 15 / Layers of memorializing

It's Monday, ergo rest day.

Instead, I met some friends over dinner and talked about what's happening back home.

I always have a sense of ambivalence when I sit with a group of social scientists.  On the one hand, I admire and appreciate their grasp of the concepts and theories surrounding the issues at hand. It is also refreshing to go beyond the commonsensical discussions and delve into the disentangling of complex thoughts.  On the other hand, there's always that voice at the back of my head, of how to translate all these concepts in theories into a digestible manner, into something that people who dont have an interest in academic discussions will appreciate. Because in the end, scholarship is meant to educate, isnt it? This is always a challenge.

Anyway, after the discussion, two things became more prominent. One, maybe it's time to dive into that PhD path.  Second, it's time to finally read this.

Remembering/Rethinking EDSA 

Edited by JPaul Manzanilla and Caroline Hau

Me at work requesting for an autograph from JPaul 

===

On a side note, I sometimes, no most of the time, tend to discount the fact that NUS has provided me with a lot of opportunities to meet people who are excellent in their fields.  Inspiring people who are dedicated to their scholarship.  Last week, I just did an overseas tutorial to a prominent Australian demographer on Endnote. I shared my Endnote library with him and we encountered sharing issues that needed to be elevated to the Endnote team themselves.  In the end, the issue was resolved and I ended up teaching him about in-text citation.  A trivial thing actually but it was a big thing for the lowly me especially since he is one of those respected scholars who do not seem to have an ounce of self-entitlement. It's always inspiring to work with those people. It makes you think that one day, when I make it big, this is how I want to be.

This came into mind upon reading a friend's article on the Inquirer about meeting Dave Ulrich. It was a personal account of how he became Ulrich's sort of assistant when he went to the Philippines for a PMAP conference.  It was personal in a way that one could feel what he was feeling when he met him and how it was to work with him very closely for a couple of days.  It was also full of insights on HR and the general concepts behind human resource management.  In the end, his point was "brilliance and humility are not mutually exclusive, and that regardless of stature, being thoughtful and kind is really what matters"

Read about Meeting Dave Ulrich

Day 14

And it's the end of the second week's training!

I should have walked 3.2km but I only managed to do 1.1km.  Not good.

Generally, it's been a good two weeks. I wasnt able to follow the plan religiously as I would have wanted but I tried, so hard. Despite issues with work and with the then-boyfriend, training went well. Actually, I think training helped me cope with the stress at work and the emotional toil from the relationship. It gave me that periodic "break" from everything that's happening.

Im happy that I signed-up for it.

Day 13 : easy run with cool down yoga

It's 4.8km easy run again.

Im a person who wants diversity.  I easily get bored. I easily lose interest. I want constant change, well, gradually at least.

My relationship with running has been an on-and-off thing primarily because it's monotonous.  So for my training, I try my best to infuse diversity in it. And the best way that I could think of is to change my route every now and then, well at least to a certain extent.

Tonight, I did just that. I started with an uphill run which I only realized later was good because I wasnt tired when I did the difficult part so I still had a lot of energy to maintain my pace and running downhill enhanced my speed. I finished 5km in 45 mins.

I still had a lot of energy when I got home so I did a session of cool-down yoga.  Excellent for stretching my legs and muscles.

Im on my 2nd week of training and I think Im gradually feeling its benefits. Im getting used to the distance.  I can finish it now without pain in my legs and doesnt feel so tired. Yebah!

Day 12

It's rest day!

Day 11

It's raining. Training cancelled :(

Day 10 : Pilates and yoga for cross training

This is the 3rd day of week 2. It's cross-training day too.

Since we are already putting a lot of strain on our knees, we decided that we will go for pilates and yoga for our cross-training session.

The first time that we did it, we just did a 30-minute workout as what was required. But we felt we could do more so this time, we went for an 18-minute workout and another 40 minute one.

This was the first one

And this was the second

Our legs were shaking and we were sweating like pigs after these.

Day 9

It's 4.8km day.

Sleepy from the previous night, I tried to take a nap upon reaching home.  It was drizzling outside so I could have had a convenient excuse for not running tonight.

But I couldnt sleep.  So I got up and went running instead.

I did the usual route and following the usual pace.  But when I was already close to the end of my route, I was still short by 1.8km so I turned left in one of the streets and found myself in an unfamiliar place.  It's good that Pacer had a map giving me a sense of perspective.

In the end, I finished 5.3km

This was also break-up day :(

Give back by supporting a UP scholar

Im a person with a lot of questions in life, in the world.

But I have a few fundamental beliefs.

The value of education is one of them. Being kind is another.  And so is giving back.

I think every UP graduate carries on his/her shoulder the responsibility to be an agent of change.  No one gets out of the university thinking that he/she lives only for him/herself.  In a lot of instances, graduates commit themselves to the traditional notion of public service - working for the government.  Others go for volunteer work.  Others help themselves first, so that they could help others more. But not to gloss over it, some tend to forget to give back.

But we are always reminded. 

This is one of them.

Give back by supporting a UP scholar

Since 2003, the UP Alumni Association Singapore (UPAAS) has paved the way for 5 UP scholars to don on their sablay and graduate.  Two more are in the process of completing their degrees. These are students who come from humble families, going into the University with nothing to hold on to but their dreams for a brighter future, and the luck to have had acquired a slighly higher than average IQ.  

UPAAS hopes to bring this number up with this initiative.   The funds raised through this crowdfunding will go towards supporting our scholars through a 4-year undergraduate course at any of the UP campuses. 

So come on, click the link above.  Give back. Share. You can give either $25 (the cost of one meal in a restaurant), $50 (the cost of a buffet), or $100 (the cost of a bag).  A small cost from you will make a big difference in the lives of our scholars :) 

Day 8

It's rest day today but since it's quite cool tonight, I walked for 2.4km on my way home.

Tomorrow is going to be more intense. 4.8km with strength training. We're levelling up!

Day 7

Today is 3.2km day.

We tried doing how easy run is supposed to be. Running at a pace when we could still talk comfortably and using the power of the legs.

It indeed helps in terms of endurance and keeping the pace consistent. From the start towards the end, we ran at a 0.5km/5min pace and we weren't tired after the 3.2 distance. Our lower legs did all the work.

If the run was held today, we would have finished it in 3.5 hours. 

Day 6

Saturday is supposed to be for a 4.8km run but it's the org's Christmas party so I skipped training again.

Day 5

Today is rest day :) So it's decor-making time.

I helped mostly with the snowflakes.  The small ones with their intricate details were a pain in the ass.    But once you get the hang of it, you cant stop.  It was 130am when I called it a day.

Day 4 (again)

Day 4 is another 3.2km of easy run.

I stayed quite a bit late in the office, trying to finish a portion of my report. So I got home after 8.

There's a buzz of activity also going on in the house because of christmas decor making for the org's party on Saturday.

It was so tempting to just stay and ditch the run.  But then again, I kept telling myself, it's just one round in the neighborhood, and that's gonna be fast.  So I went.

As with most endeavors, starting is difficult.  I realised, no  matter how short or long the distance is, when one is tempted by laziness, it's always difficult to get into your tempo.  But once you're there, it's peanuts.

So I went for my 3.2 run. I noticed that I ran faster in the first few hundreds of meters then reverted to my old pace.  But I always try to run faster again whenever I notice that Im becoming slower again.  Overall, I think I did better this time.

Day 3 (again)

Day is supposed to be 30 minutes of strength training.  But I stayed late in the office and met the boyfriend after.

So no strength training happened.  Although I still did more than 10k of my required steps. Hope that counts as strength training :)

Day 2 (again)

Today requires a 3.2 km walk/run.  So I just went around the neighborhood.

Day 6

Today was supposed to be another run day.  But I was tired and sleepy. So I ditched it.

I also looked at the schedule and realized we were not following it. So we're restarting instead.

Today is Day 1, week 1.  14 weeks before D-day.  And today, day 1, is rest day.

Day 5

Today was supposed to be rest day but I went for a run to compensate for the one I didnt do last night.

We were supposed to go at 630, to try how it is to run early in the morning.  My alarm went off at 615 but I snoozed it multiple times. I finally got up at 625.

Im not a morning person so it's a gruelling task to wake up that early.

The sun was already out but it was a bit cool. We still followed the canal but took a different from my place to get there.

Running early in the morning has it's own plus points. It's quiet.  Less cars. Less people.  But it's also hot.

We didnt eat anything before the run.  We also didnt drink enough water.  By the time we reached 4km, we were already very thirsty.  So we deviated from the route to find a store.

This time, we went past Kallang MRT and reached the other side of the river - close to the Stadium.  I did 6km in 55 mins. Time improved for a few seconds, probably because I had better shorts today :D

This was the view at the end of the trail.

we were very close to the city

On our way back, we passed by a community garden. An interesting one.

This is a garden maintained by the Waterways Watch Society

And there was a special entrance for otters :)

How to water your plants, gradually 

Day 4

Day 4 wasnt supposed to be rest day but it became one.

I was at the Zoo and River Safari for an event and came home late so I wasnt able to do my run.

This is what happened instead

Black day today

The endorphins were working after my run. But things happening back home are just unbelievable.  Marcos was buried at the LNMB at noon today.

Out of curiosity, I tried watching BBM's speech at his father's funeral. Having lost my father, I too was touched for a second seeing the sorrow in his face. But the more I listened to what he was saying, about their family having to wait for 27 years before they could bury him today, my thoughts go to the thousands of people whose loved ones died and never got the chance to say goodbye. It's painful to experience death in the family. But I couldnt imagine the pain of those who have waited for years not knowing what happened to their dear parents, siblings or friends. Even if they have to wait for 27 or maybe even 72 years more, they will never have the chance to see their loved ones again and will never get the justice that they deserve, all because of this person who is being buried at the LNMB today, with all the choppers, red carpet, military parade, and what have yous.

I stopped the video. Hindi ko kaya. F**k. I wish I was in Manila today. 

I copied this from my FB so that I wont forget.  Days like these shouldnt be forgotten. These events force us out of complacency.

Day 3

I knew today was gonna be difficult.  I was feeling sleepy since lunchtime because of the cough medicine that Im taking.  Plus Im training alone.  It was just so tempting to ditch it and sleep early.  But lo and behold, I managed to talk myself to run :)

The first five minutes of the run was funny and such a hassle.  My beltbag was slipping.  My hairband wasnt tight enough so my hair was slipping too.  My shorts were, again, slipping, but upwards :)

But anyway, I survived that.

The first km was difficult. And the next km.  I felt heavy but the upbeat track that I was listening to helped a bit.

Initially, I was thinking of just running within the neighborhood.  I only needed 4-5km today anyway.  But then again, Forrest Gump was kinda right, at some point, you just cant stop running.

When I reached Serangoon Road, I was ready to head back.  That was approx 3km so I could cover 6km if I run on my way home.  But curiosity got the best of me.  I was following the canal and when I got to the block after Serangoon Rd, my turning point last time because I thought the passage was blocked, I went and checked if there was a way to the canal.  And there was!

Thats the flyer right there

I was smiling when I got there.  When Pacer reminded me that I was already running for 30 mins I think with 3.9km and it looked like I was just at the beginning of the park connector, I was so happy because I know that I needed to get to the end of it before I could find my way home.  These things make me realize, I enjoy running better and cover more distance when I dont know where Im heading to.  If the route is familiar and I know that I am close to/far from home, I get bored or lazy.  The sense of proximity makes me slack (ugh, I couldnt think of that other word which is more appropriate in this context).  Unfamiliarity excites me and pushes me to just go and reach the end.

And I think running is a good way of knowing the inner parts of the city which one would never get to see if you're in a bus or an MRT.  One interesting sight that I saw on my way was this group of old men, chatting in the middle of an arched bridge.  They were there, the four of them, with their stools, right in the middle of the bridge, simply enjoying their own sweet, leisure time.

Urban centipede

Anyway, I ended up in Kallang MRT.  Pacer said that I ran 45 mins and covered 5km.  But I wanted to do 6km.  So I ran some more.  6km for 55 mins.  At this pace, I could finish 21km within the 4-hr cut-off time. Pwede na but I need to improve.

I walked the rest of the 2km home.