Countdown to 2014

17th December - got the new car :)

Christmas Eve - chill with Buddies

Christmas Day - Family Day

Boxing Day - Joy ride with Dad to Kampar / Ipoh

Durians!

Lata Kinjang

Food Glorious Food in Ipoh

Fuel consumption less than a quarter tank from Ipoh to KL

27th December - Hawker food heaven at Pudu Wai Sek Kai (Glutton Street)

28th December - New cafe - Rekindle at SS2

29th December - New Cafe - Nowhereman at Bangsar Telawi

29th December , Dinner, - went back to Hawker food at Pudu with family.

30th December - SICK

New Year's Eve today - recovered in time for one last makan makan before a brand new year :)


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas :)

RIP Uncle

A friend's father passed away yesterday morning after a long battle with cancer.  He fought hard and strong from the day of diagnosis, fought through unexpected complications from the initial surgery, fought through radiotherapy, chemotherapy.  Not single complain about not being able to eat and enjoy food as a normal person. Doctors had suggested ways to allow food in.  He once told the doctors - "It's ok, don't worry about food, I've not eaten for so long, just ease the pain, and I want to live"

RIP Uncle.
You're a role model to all humankind.
You fought hard and strong.
You showed us the real meaning of Treasuring Life and nothing is more important than having Health and Happiness.

You've given your best shot, now you can rest and enjoy your new journey.
As for us, we will continue ours, hopefully we can be as strong as you.

Decipher this :

One’s true worth as a human being is not a matter of outward appearance or title but derives from the breadth of one’s spirit.
— Daisaku Ikeda Quotes (@IkedaQuotes) December 19, 2013

It's here!

So..it's finally here.

I've got a brand new car.

My fourth car.

What's next?

Tired of waiting...

04.08.13 was the day of the accident.  There were no major physical injuries.
Life has to go on. The show must go on, I kept telling myself.

Work as usual. Play as usual. 

I drove again within a day or two after the accident. I've driven on the same road a few times but I still avoid that particular turn till today.  The bruises have cleared but the marks are still visible vaguely.  

The new car should be available this week but I'm still waiting... some delays in the registration process. It's quite normal apparently. It never bothered me in my previous car purchases but this time I was really agitated, it's like every additional day of waiting hurts a little bit more. 

I'm tired of waiting. I'm sick of waiting.  It's been four long months.  Although, I think subconsciously allowed myself to take it slowly, not wanting to rush things.  I thought I needed time to 'recover' and accept the circumstances..so to speak.

I needed time to accept that I should let go of the car, proceed with insurance claims, browsing and choosing the next car, deciding to wait or not to wait for the the old number plate, final decision on the the new car, waiting for loan approval, 

After signing the loan agreement and paying the down payment I became more and more excited.

When I officially applied and paid for a new registration number W####H, it kind of a officially signified that I'm ready to move on.  New car. New number.  


I'm Ready!


It was suppose to be Tuesday, latest Thursday.


Thursday came..it was still not ready :(    I think I went into depression... Grrrr...


Feeling better now after a good evening out.  Should get over the weekend pretty easily.  Hopefully, all will be sorted out, and I can drive home the new babe on Monday.  Fingers Crossed.

Livers!

Dad bought a whole tray of chicken livers and requested that we should have them for dinner.
Yucky...

I cringed while preparing them, yet, I was in a good mood and was determined to be a good daughter.

Meanwhile, I had no idea how to make them delicious and there aren't many Chinese dishes examples in the net.  Mostly are western dishes like these - HERE

After some comparisons, I concluded that Onions should be the must-have ingredient with livers.  With some common sense and my so called culinary experience, I believe there should be lot's of Gingers too.

Dad says I should cook them with the vegetables.  Again, my "culinary" gut feel tells me that I should not cook them together. And, I should cook the vege first.

Ta-daa....

Looks quite good right? Well, Dad didn't complain.

But...they are still livers to me.  Euw...

Recommended New Cafe (Kid) on the Block

There are more and more new cafes in town and even out of town.

Good news for us coffee lovers.  It may seem expensive to fork out RM7-10 or 11 for a such a small cup of coffee to some, well, only us coffee junkie will understand.

Hey, there are more serious coffee lovers out there who pays much more for specialty coffee.  I've yet to reach that level.


Anyway, here are two new kid on the block, less than 6 months old.  Currently, my top favourite. Mainly because the coffee suits my taste and location is very convenient to where I hang out and about.




Standing Theory @ SS2

Address:

• 26, Jalan SS2 / 103, Petaling Jaya

Benjamin Coffee&Tea @ Desa Sri Hartamas

Address:

• 40 Jalan 24/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur

Fascia

Alas, found something (finally) that concludes, summarise and explains all that I've learnt and gone through with my aches and pains over the years of being physically active.


Read more HERE

Please find some time to read through, relevant to all, regardless of whether you've an active or inactive lifestyle.

Fascia reacts to how we treat our body and muscles - how long we sit, stand, run, walk, hence, dictates and impacts our movements and flexibility.

Do you name your car?

Not too long after the accident, my friend's husband asked if I had a name for the car, "do you call it BABYYYY..." - he asked.


Just a while ago, another asked if my new  'BABY' is arriving soon.


LOL.

While I spent a lot of time in my car, and I do love each of them as my loyal travel companion, I don't think I have a name for them.


Well, I'm especially passionate about the last one cos I really was madly in love with it before thinking real hard and finally decided to pay so much more just to have it.  Plus, it also has a very special license plate bearing my name initials.  So, I often referred it to WSLXXXX.


So, what shall I call the next one?

It should look something like this, unless I change my mind (again) in the next few days :P

PHOTO CREDIT : http://polosedan.com.my

I'm not Unemployed

The questions never strike me, but a quite few have asked me these...

1. Can you still get a loan? You're unemployed
2. Why are you still looking at cars at these price range? You're unemployed.

Firstly, I'm not unemployed, I'm self employed.

Secondly, while I may not have a stable flow of income, I still have sufficient income to support my current lifestyle and commitments, otherwise I won't be able to sustain for the last 1-2 years.


Still, applying for a loan is quite different.  It was so much more simpler then, being a salaried worker, where all you need are last 6 months pay slips and bank account statements to prove your steady income flow.

Being self employed, especially smaller business with lesser transactions, 6 months bank statements may not be enough to prove that there are have sufficient income flow to service the loan.  Basically, the bank will evaluate your overall financial status eg other loans, credit cards, property ownership and/or rental income if any, etc.

I had to submit prove of my company registration, company account statements, personal account statements, other relevant documents to prove that my other loan commitments are taken care of.

My loan was approved :)

So, what it means is, the criteria of getting a loan doesn't solely depend on one's employment status.  More importantly, we should maintain healthy repayment habits.  I.e. Pay loan repayments on time, clear credit cards bills every month and on time, etc.


*Touch wood* I'm still able to maintain those habits so far :)



As for, why I didn't opt for a more economical option eg a lower price range car? Hmm..I think I 'll have to address that in another post.  It's complicated.  Think..in between, comfort, safety, money and err...of course status and / or style.

It's a matter of which is more important. The accident is still very fresh in my memory. The loud and strong crash, the impact, the pain, the shock.  I still jump at the slightest sound of honk or when a car comes too closely to my car.  While many may argue that life and death are beyond our control, I don't mind spending more on a better car even if it means letting go of some other luxuries in life.

The Necessary Art of Subtraction

By Leo Babauta

The tendency of our lives, businesses, art, is to keep adding: more furniture, clothes, gadgets, tasks, appointments, features to websites and apps, words to our writing.

Continual addition isn’t sustainable or desirable:

• Too many things to do means we’re always busy, with no time for rest, stillness, contemplation, creativity, time with loved ones.
• Overwhelming customers with choices means they’re less likely to make an actual choice. They’d prefer that we curate the best.
• Too many possessions is clutter, visual stress, cleaning, maintenance, debt, less happiness.
• Too many tasks makes it harder to focus on any one thing or get anything done.
• Too many things we want to learn means we never learn anything well.

Subtraction is beautiful: it creates space, time, clarity.

Subtraction is necessary: otherwise we are overburdened.

Subtraction can be painful: it means letting go of a child.

Subtraction is an art that improves with practice. Subtraction can be practiced on your schedule, task list, commitments list, possessions, reading list, writing, product line, distractions.

What can you subtract right now?

Source - http://zenhabits.net

Freelancing

Last night's message from a friend goes something like this - "Need you to accompany this Friday, can? Help me to read map while I drive to xxx"

I paused for a while after reading it...it was close to midnight, brain was shutting down.  Well, we've shared some adventures together taking leave and going out together.  There was a time when she was taking a break from the workforce, she came to pick me up from while I was waiting for my car to be serviced.

Those were the days.. we've not done that for some time..


So, my next reply was - "Er, I got work la"

And, her innocent reply was - "Eh, I thought you freelancing"

Lol..I think there are some misconception to the term "freelancing"


I was guilty too.  Before I started freelancing, I imagined myself, spending a lot of time working and/or relaxing leisurely at cafes. Unfortunately, that didn't happen often enough

1. Going out means cost eg petrol, parking, food, drinks all translates into cost
2. Going out also means time eg being stuck in jam, looking for parking
3. And it costs even more at places with wifi!
4. Oh, at home, I can work in my most comfortable shorts and sleeveless top  :D

So, realistically, it's always more realistic and efficient to stay indoor.   Well, once in a while, depending on work load and urgency, I do give myself a treat - hanging out with a latte cafee at my favourite, using my flashy Asus, with my sunglasses on the head, lol. Not often though. 

FREELANCING is a very broad term.

• It doesn't mean freelancers are free all the time, in fact, Free time means No Income for us!

• However, the no. hours worked vs. income earned very much depends on the type of work that a freelancer's skill set, and this can vary greatly from professional consultancy related services to mid-executive support roles to less professional but more hours-intensive desk job

• It can be quite different from those with a passive income.  Yes, if one had worked hard enough to establish the base to get sufficient passive income, yup, these group can idle and yet have some form of income in-flow

Unfortunately, the third point doesn't apply to me.  So, I gotta work my ass off when there jobs.   The only difference is I don't have to report to work on a fixed time period everyday.  And I get to control how much I can take on.  Eg I can choose whether I wanna work 20 hours a day to earn more or less.

Some jobs are relatively easy, eg just monitoring, hence, I can afford to be away from the desk, as long as I respond when needed.  Some jobs requires me to be glued to the desk 12 hours a day, like now. 

In conclusion, Freelancing is not a bed of roses.  I believe many freelancers work their asses off  in one way or another.   Especially, when there are more than one job, and we only have ourselves and no one else to do the work.

The nice part is we can opt to take a rest during quiet times.  But remember, the expenses bills continue to run when we rest, ya :)    As opposed to being employed, one can have paid leave anytime.

So, which side would you like to be on?

How I ended up buying the Polo Sedan

I was so tired of all the waiting and back and fro considerations.  I've reached a point of fatigue.  I woke up this morning with one mission - I Must Decide TODAY!

It was between the regular Ford Fiesta, which is already available or the newly announced Ford Fiesta Ecoboost, currently on display and open for early bookings only at the KL International Motor Show (KLIMS) but will only be available in Feb/Mar 2014.

What about VW?  My plan was to take a last look at its Polo hatchback version at the motor show before making a final decision to go for Ford.  I wasn't happy when told that the hatchback will only have two air bags instead of four, no arm rest, no back air cond blower and yet it will be more expensive.  And, I wasn't keen on the much more practical Polo Sedan at all.


Hmm..that was in the morning.

At approximately 11am, we began our journey to the motor show at PWTC. Thank God I wasn't the driver of the day, so I could browse on my phone.  Guess what...my FB newsfeed had a posting from the KLIMS announcing a major power outage at the venue and will be closed to public till 2pm!  Wow....


"This can't be happening..!!" "I must make a decision today"  -- I rambled on and on and on.

We detoured.  In a split second decision, we decided to make a visit to the Ford showroom instead, hoping that they can offer some advice to me on whether I should spend more and wait longer for Ecoboost.


Guess what...the showroom was closed.  Well, the gate and barrier was down. We assumed it was closed. Once again, dissappointed, we made a u-turn, decided to stop by VW instead, although after making the u turn we saw the gate and barrier of the Ford showroom was up.  wtf.


Are all these divine intervention? Someone up there doesn't want me to get a Ford!


Long story cut short:

We ended up in the VW showroom.
I sat in the Polo Sedan for the 3rd time, somehow it felt really good this time, it was comfortable, and most importantly - it felt really SAFE.

The sales consultant this time was somewhat better, offering some very good information that helped me re-weigh my consideration.

He let me take a look at the current hatchback which is quite similar to the new one.

He took me for another test drive, with him driving and explaining some of the features especially in terms of safety of the car compared to others.

I drove it for the second time.

I was sold.

I no longer care that the Sedan is old fashion and uncool.
Safety is more important.  Polo Sdan comes with 4 airbags, and the body is much more solid, etc etc,

After sales service..yes, worrying, but Polo is a relatively more basic car...hopefully, fingers crossed..I won't have any problems.

Maintenance cost?  Service interval is 15K once, compared to my previous car 5K once.  They have a chart that shows the cost at each service interval.  Looks reasonable.

5 years warranty.

And, 5 years Mobility Guarantee for emergency support eg towing, tyre puncture, etc

Oh ya..there's a RM4k launching discount for Polo Sedan, so OTR price is attractive and more affordable at less than 90K.  In house V-kool  tinting available with 1k discount given.  How convenient.  These are the additional perks, that may have helped trigger the final call.


May be, I was tired of waiting and waiting..I just wanna get it over and done with.
May be, I've finally realised and accepted that safety is more important that being stylish and flashy.

Yay..will be getting my new car in December :)

Save the Tigers!

I signed up for the Wild Tiger Run without knowing much about Tiger Conservation.

It's a new run, it's for charity, it's for the love of animals (something close to my heart), the tee design looked quite nice, so I signed up.

The Wild Tiger Run 2013 was the first of such event.  Organised by MYCAT (Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers) - an alliance of the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society-Malaysia Programme and WWF-Malaysia. 

Main objective of the run is to raise funds for future projects and activities.  More importantly (in my opinion), it has helped to raise awareness on Tiger and wildlife conservation.

I learned some important points at the mini expo on the race pack collection day.
There are only 500 wild tigers left in the whole of Malaysia.


What can we do ? 

Stay away from:

1. Wildlife based traditional medicines
2. Wildmeat dishes e.g. bear paw soup?
3. Wildlife souvenirs e.g. tiger claw? Ivory?
4. Wildlife pets e.g. Star tortoise, Tockay gecko

Report wildlife crimes to : 

019 356 4194 (report@malayantiger.net)

Information needed:

1. What is the crime?
2. Where? eg Name of shop, address, etc
3. Date & Time of Incident

Meanwhile, we had a good time at the run.  I'm proud I ran 10km for them Tigers :)

Those who didn't run can purchase it for RM10.

Even my cat loves it...

Lovely air brush painting at the event

Haiyan

Many ways we can help.  Here are two:

Via World Food Programme (WFP) Online Donation:

https://www.wfp.org/donate/typhoon-philippines-a

At the Embassy of Philippines

The Embassy will be open until 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends until November 25 (Monday) to receive your in kind donations. 

Donations can be in the form of cash or other key necessities that we take for granted like blankets, sleeping mats, tents, mosquito nets, new clothes, foodstuffs (water, rice, biscuits, noodles, canned goods, etc.), toiletries and hygienic products (diapers, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary napkins, etc.), cooking utensils, medicines, first aid kits, etc.

Joy Johnson

She was 86, only started running after retirement in her late 50s, and completed countless Marathons since then.  A Full Marathon is about 42km in distance, an average regular Marathoner takes about 5-6 hours to complete a FM.  Slightly more ambitious ones will aim for sub 4 hrs.  Professional runners? Probably 2-3 hrs!


Joy Johnson completed her 25th New York City Full Marathon in closed to 8 hours at the age of 86 a few days ago.  She fell when she was half way through but insisted on completing the run despite suffering a knock on her face and head.

She woke up fine the next morning, attended a brief interview at a morning show - something she had been doing annually after the race.  She went to rest after the event but never woke up.


"I want to die running" she once said.
I think she had no regrets leaving this world.  She had lived a full life.  "Many people my age are in wheelchairs, I'm just so thankful that I can still get up and run everyday" she said in a recent interview.


And here I am, don't even have any guts to try completing Full Marathon and I'm already thinking about slowing down, I'm not even half her age!

Read more about Joy Johnson - http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2013/11/05/joy-johnson-86-dies-after-finishing-new-york-city-marathon/

Letting it go

There may not be a WSL ### version 2.0 after all :'(

The insurance company only received one tender so far, they need minimum three to complete the process.
Assuming it takes another 2-3 months for three tenders to come in. And another 1-2 months for the new owner to repair the car.  Then, another 1-2 months for inspection process.  In total, I may have to wait for another 4-6 months!

That's too long a wait.


So, I'm gonna let it go, for now.  Meaning, I'll go ahead with a new car and a new plate, meanwhile, scout around for anyone, preferably within the family, who is planning to get a new car or motorcycle in the next 3-6 months.  If there's one, I'll make a deal to use his/her car to do the transfer to get back the WSL plate (that is if it's ready by then).  After that, we will do another transfer between ourselves i.e. WSL ### comes back to my car and my new 4-6 months plate goes to his/her car.  It's complicated, I know.


But, it's the last chance to get back the WSL plate.


Well, will see how it goes..will leave it to fate.

Meanwhile....what car shall I get huh?

Currently..it's still between Polo and Fiesta.  Surpirisngly, after sitting on the pros and cons for sometime...I'm starting to believe that Polo is a better car.  Probably due to all the pressure from family members.

I still dislike the Sedan ....BUT...they are launching the Hatchback version in mid-Nov, probably at the same price.  I shall wait till then...

Carbonara Spaghetti

I really think my cooking has improved so much lately :P

How does this look?

Cooked up in 30 mins.

And I think it's quite yummy too.  Soon, I will not ever pay exorbitant prices for pastas..soon..I hope.

Quite easy to make actually...created and invented based on what I remember seeing on TV and bits of what I was told from various people.  And of cos trial and error, whenever I make one.

Somehow, this one tasted the best.

30 mins steps to a simple meal:

Boil some water and salt in pot

Put in spaghetti to cook

Cut chicken breast to cubes

Marinate with some salt, tiny bits of sesame oil & some parsley flakes

Chop some garlic and yellow onion, mix with chicken cubes

Dish out spaghetti, leave behind some salted water if you prefer a watery over dry version

Stir fry chicken cubes in some butter till fragrant (more butter more tasty - to ignore calories content)

Add some olive oil

Add cheese (I only used sliced sandwich cheese)

Add fresh milk

Cook for a while in slow fire and pour on to spaghetti and mix.

Add more parsley flakes before serving!

Knowing me..

My sis and I went to a road side mamak stall today.  As we were sitting down, she asked :

"Why is everyone staring at us when we walked in?"

Guess what was my spontaneous answer?

1. Cos we are dressed shabbily

2. Cos we are pretty!

3. Cos we don't look like someone who will come to mamak stall



All three reasons came up in the conversation, but I believe the first and spontaneous one depicts my personality or mindset.  Somewhat.  Well, at least at that point in time.


First one - indicates some sense of inferiority complex? Quite sensitive and concern about what others might see and say.

Second one - a free and happy and care-less personality..  Somewhat confident.  Don't really mind what others think of him/her.

Third one - similar to first one...but thinks more highly of oneself..?




Take a guess?  Which answer do you think as my first?

I couldn't run, so I walked.

The late sinseh had mentioned before that brisk walking is the best exercise for us. Back then, I thought it's so Duh to walk when I could run or jump and kick about in fun classes at the gym.

Years later, age has caught up, body condition has changed.  The recent problem with the back involved injuries to deep muscles in the back, hip flexors, hamstrings, etc...all inter related.  Any exercises that require exertion to the back and hip or even leg muscles would be uncomfortable.

The osteopathy said he can make me better but it's up to me to reassess my lifestyle, exercise options, sitting and sleeping positions, etc.  He said that exercising is an important aspect, but when there are injuries we gotta learn to adjust appropriately.

Will touch on what Osteopathy is all about at a greater length in future. 

In summary, I (we) need to exercise in one way or another.  

Before I got active in the gym, I used to go for regular massage sessions, the masseur said that I was only paying her to help me exercise !

Similarly, relevant articles on Osteo also mentioned that no treatment will help if the patient goes back home and be a couch potato.

I have been a good patient this time!  Treatment cost is expensive, better not waste it :D

I was away from the gym for about 2 weeks, now back to only twice or thrice a week.  I skipped the Adidas KOTR last week and won't be running at the 2xu run this weekend too.

Whenever I feel stiff, I'd go for a walk. In fact I've learnt to enjoy walking. But I need my music though. It's quite fun and relaxing especially when he weather is good.

I've learnt to enjoy stretching too. I stretch religiously for 30 mins or more every morning and after a run or walk or class at the gym.  Really helped to lengthen ans strengthen the muscles.

The Osteo said its important to start doing what I used to do again to test  what I can and cannot do, it will be good info to him too, if I need to go back and see him again.

It's all up to oneself actually.  For me, ya, I cannot be as active as before.  I used to be able to go to gym classes everyday.  I should be running 15km this weekend.  I can't now.  But staying totally away and inactive is not a solution either.  Any 'movement' is good for the body, even the brain.  It doesn't have to be a 10km run or any rigouros regime,  

In fact, I was thinking..I could just to a 5 mins walk over to my brother's house instead of driving.  That's good enough to relax the joints and muscles.  

Some articles recommended..walking up and down the stairs at home. Haha. That could be an options...but a bit too close up and boring for me.  I prefer outdoor..that is if weather is good.

Let's get active!

Me Photographer?

A long lost  friend befriended me on FB and stumbled upon my not so active photography blog at : http://elifejustphotos.blogspot.com/ and then asked if all those photos are "for work requirement or pastime achievements".


"What do you mean?" I asked, cos I wasn't sure what photographs she was referring to.


"Are you a photographer or something? or you are one of those with DLSR hobbies"  were some of her of the subsequent questions.


Hehehe..so Flattered lar.

I don't even own a DSLR..I told her shyly.

Hmm..may be I should have gone into photography eh?

Positive Angle

I was behind a car that was going extremely slow over each bump, and we were on a road of many bumps.  So, it was a very very slow speed ride.  Good thing I  left my house earlier that day and I had plenty of time to spare.  Still, it can be quite irritating when the car in front stops and roll over each an every bump at zero speed.

I could have cursed and and swore while trying to overtake it. Overtaking it was quite hard as it was a narrow and dark road.  In the end I chose to remain calm and instead looked at the positive angle of the situation.

1. It's really quite funny and enlightening that one could be so gentle to his/her car (it wasn't a new car, by the way). So, the driver must be a very gentle person.

2. Lead by example..why not I follow suit and be as gentle to my own car as well.  If I can go as gentle as the car in front, it benefits my car too!


Coincidentally, my friend recently blogged about a similar topic HERE.  Great minds think alike?

So, the next time you face a situation....try to find the positive angle before starting to curse and getting all agitated. ok?

*Peace*

Style vs. Practicality

Choosing a car can be as complicated as choosing a man.



I was very close to reaching a final decision to go for this.

Photo Credit : http://www.ford.net.my

STYLISH, YOUNG, COOL, MODERN, FUN-LOOKING, AND MANY MORE.
Whenever I look at this I feel like a young girl falling for a handsome looking young and cute dude.
*Muaks muaks*








Today, I met another guy.  It was highly recommended by trusted individuals.

Photo Credot : http://www.volkswagen.com.my

-.-

I only have two words to describe this man.

MATURED.

RELIABLE.

BUT..matured and reliable men are...erm.. boring right??

Jokes aside, both are very similar in terms of features, interior specs, more importantly price are quite close at the 80-90K range.  In fact the VW could go even cheaper at RM82K++ (unconfirmed).

BUT..from an Aethetic view point....I really like the "Younger Man" more!

*Sighs*

Is WSL #### v2.0 worth waiting for?

If not because of the wait for ownership transfer of the WSL number plate, I'd be cruising around with a brand new car by now.

Is the plate really that meaningful? I've wondered many times.  Well, it's my name initials.  How often would one get to have their name initials in your car plate? Almost never. I'll never get one again in this life or next life if I let it go now.

So, I decided to wait.

What's the wait about?

Oh, the procedure goes like this:


1.The car was declared a wreck now.

2. The insurance company had already paid me the proposed and agreed amount.  The amount was not too bad actually.  Quick check on current resale value of 2009 Nissan Latio Sport is between 54-60K plus minus.  And I was offered around 58K. After settling the outstanding loan amount with the bank, I'm still left with a good sum for downpayment of next car :)

3. The insurance company will now offer the wrecked car for tender.  Normally, car repairers will buy over the car for a few thousands (apparently), repair it, get it inspected and approved by the Roads Department and then sell it off.


4.  I can do the ownership transfer only after the repaired car passed the inspection process.

So..I shall wait.

Ideally it's better to get a new car towards the year end and have it registered in 2014.  That's what everyone's saying.  While waiting there may be more new and good models arriving to the market.  Or even better year end promotions.  Who knows..


waiting..patiently..

Blogging Still?

Looks like I've really slowed down.  In my last post, I blamed my aching back and the change in working conditions for blogging less.  Were those the right reasons, I've been wondering.

I used to blog every other day..every other day I'd have some stuff to excitedly blog about.  Well, those days, whatever stuff I blogged about, I thought they were worth blogging about.  Now, reading back to some of them makes me wonder why I bothered blogging about them at all. Ha ha.

Somehow, it seems harder now to have something worthwhile to blog about.


May be my life has become so boring that I don't have anything to share anymore?

Have not travelled for some time..so no travelogues.

Food blogging? Nah..too many out there..and I'm quite active on foursquare and foodspotting.

Photoblog? Nah..have not touched my camera for a long time :D

:-o  Oh no


May be I should stop blogging :(


Or shall I start a brand new blog :)

There's still new blogging platform called GHOST


I'm very tempted to give it a try..in fact I've already signed up.

Now..to decide ..what would be the title, theme, content...

Shall I move to a new home?

Why I haven't been Blogging

I actually have quite a bit to blog about.

On my next WSL XXX.
On why the decision to let go the wrecked car.
On the status of my strained back.  And that leads me to my recent visit to the Osteopathy.

Yet, I couldn't get down to pen my thoughts as frequently as I'd like to.  Mainly because my back doesn't allow me to sit down for long.

Plus, being so called self employed, I don't need to be seated in front of the work desk to be 'seen like working'.  With the back condition, the more I shouldn't force myself to sit when there's no reason to do so.

So, I've been moving around.  When there are no urgent desk work, I'll take the opportunity to go out to run errands or meet someone. Or,when there are no outside errands to run, or no reasons to meet anyone, I'll be alternating desk work with 'household' tasks like cooking, cleaning, etc.


Anyway, in summary, WSL XXX version 2.0 is pending.  Gotta wait a bit to get the process going to transfer the old plate to the new car.  All because I'm not willing to let go the having my name initials as the car plate.

Because of that, I still have some time snooping around showrooms.  Although, I've more or or less decided, I think.

As for my back, after seeing a GP, a tit tar, an osteopathy and taking into account all my previous problems, could be as far back to damaged nerves from 20 years ago) to recent overuse injuries, etc...the conclusion (for now) is that there are three major issues to deal with.

.. slightly mis-aligned or twisted at the L4-L5 spinal vertabrae hence compressed nerves causing discomfort to the sacrum region esprecially during sitting

.. Hip flexor strain -  due over exertion from activities like running and knee & kicking realted activities. ahem..

.. back muscles inflammation from all the above I guess.

..and  blockages eg bad circulation..around the back area - I believe this is a pre-existing condition due to damaged nerves.  Haven't been accupunctured ever since the sinseh passing :(


And..conclusion? Is it over exertion? Is it something serious?

No, it's nothing serious from a medical viewpoint as there are not major fractures or dislocation.

Rest is needed.  It's important to continue being active but .. care should taken when choosing the type of exercises to do.


Very obvious...I should stop doing 'certain' exercises for he time being..and continue maintaining the muscle strength by swimming, yoga or as simple as walking.


*feeling down*

Don't try any clothes before a meal

I bought a tee today at a Brooks clearance sale today.  Well, I have enough running or gym wear from all the runs but thought this is kinda cute. Liked the slogan "Run Happy" and I like the blue.  Plus I can use it for casual wear too.  Not necessary gym wear.

My normal size is M but it 'was' loose when I tried it at about 12ish, Before Lunch.  So, I took "S" which fitted perfectly well during that time.

Yup, that was Before Lunch and breakfast was only some cereals.

I happily put it on in the evening to try it out while I go out for a hike, and wohhhh...there's the spare tyre bulging out very obviously .

Damn...never try anything fitting before eating!

This was taken with tummy tightly tucked IN. 

Well, looks like i can only wear this in the morning and don't eat and breath for the rest of the day :D

To be Bitter or Thankful - It's your choice

This guy has been quite popular.  The guy without limbs, he's a motivational speaker, he is a believer, he inspires, he swims, he surfs, he golfs, more importantly..

He chose to be Thankful of what he has instead of being bitter about what he doesn't have.




So, think about Nick the next time you feel down or sad about life.

Good Bye WSL XXXX

It's official.

I no longer own WSL XXXX.

Sad but..it's the best way forward.

It's been a great journey, "he" was a great companion.  I will miss you..

Almost two months after the accident, I've finally settled the necessary procedures with the insurance company and the bank.  So, as of yesterday, I officially do not own a car now.

I'm on my way to getting a WSL #### version 2.0.  

Will write more about how and why I decided to take this decision soon.

Live Great Run 2013 was Great too

Congratulations to Great Eastern.
Last year was the first time it was organised, and it was great. I blogged about 2012 HERE

They've done it again this year. Equally great if not better, with a slightly more challenging route, in my opinion. Hint : Bukit Tunku!

Don't think so? Let's see..this was from last year's run, Thanks to my Runkeeper.

2012

And, this is the recent run.

2013

Aik..how come total climb is less at 294 this year?! I did feel there were more hills this year..especially along Bukit Tunku.  Care to explain, anyone?

Nah..it's over and done with.  Doesn't really matter.  More importantly, it was an enjoyable run and we completed it with satisfaction.  And look..I had a faster average pace this year at 7.49 per km :P

Medal wise..looks the same as last year's. Old stocks?

The running tee's better this year though.  

Here are some pics I managed to snap along the way...girls in red/white, guys in dark blue/white.

Ah yes, I remembered to take a pic of the barricades this year!  Three in a row..last year was only one, I think.

Right..I'm done for September.  Next run will be in Oct 20th - Adidas KOTR, Hope my back's better by then.

There are two more runs in November, 2XU Compression Run Nov 3rd and Maybank Wild Tiger Run a week after.  And, that's all for 2013 :)

I'm "Back"

Yes, I'm back.

Wasn't in a mood to update last week due to the back strain.

It must be the most uncomfortable back issue I've ever had.  The GP's prescription worked well in relaxing and reducing the inflammation or whatever was going on with the entire muscle works.  The pain stopped and I could go on with my daily basic life pain-free.  But doc adviced to take it easy for two weeks to a month to let the muscles heal properly.


Hmm..
I have not gone to the gym since then...well I went for a short swim yesterday.  And I could hold a 40 secs plank today. *raised eye brows*

I must say that our body is as smart as any computer.  Numerous articles about back muscles strains stated that when there's a strain or tear in the back muscles, muscles will go into spasms (hence, pain) to restrain the body from most movements to protect further strain.

While I'm pain-free now..I could still feel sore-ness and somewhat uncomfortable especially at a sitting or lying position.  The medication has done it's job well in relaxing and healing inflammation.  For a longer term solution I may seek alternative treatment.  Still considering.

Back Muscle Strain

Was planning to blog about the 2013 Live Great Run that I participated in last Sunday.  It was a 12km run. The route was quite hilly around Bukit Tunku.  In fact, there wasn't much flat land, but yet the hills weren't that steep.

Overall, it was a good but somewhat challenging run.  I finished in about 1 hr 41 mins, not too fast yet not too slow (Ranked 107/256).

I stretched well after the run, there were no strong cramps, all seemed good apart from a sore right buttock - something that I've learnt to live with i.e. suspected sacroiliac syndrome.

Woke up the next day feeling pretty okay, I've learnt that if I stretch properly after a workout, I'll be less sore the next day.

As with all morning I did the regular round of back exercises and stretches.  Again, not much problems.

It was a public holiday but I had to stay in to do some work.  I started to feel unwell by afternoon, my back started to feel really stiff.  I'm quite used to back problems, normally it will go away if I keep to the exercises.

I could still do some mild exercises on the next morning but it got really bad towards evening.  Very basic movements like bending down, sitting down, getting up, reaching out became really painful tasks.  Even dep breathing and sneezing was painful.  I got really worried that it may something more complicated like a slipped disc or a recurrence of transverse myelitis.

Hence, I decided to see a GP just to be safe.

The doctor examined me and concluded that it's muscle strains or over exertion.  Slipped disc will be much much more painful, he said.

He prescribed some muscle relaxants, pain killers and gel to relieve the muscle spasms.

Medication seems to be working..hence I'm blogging this :)

It's wearing off though..as I can feel the tightness setting in again.  I better log off to have dinner, and take another round of meds.

Doc said..it will take a week or two to heal.  Crap.  I'm gonna beat that!  You think I can?

What happens when you quit Facebook?

A friend told me that she decided to quit Facebook but came back on after a week or two.

Why so?

Reason?

Well, she's the type who is always on-the-go, she'd be out most of the day and would be busy with kids when she reached home.  By the time she's done with kids and stuff it'll be bedtime.

So, when her colleague mentioned about the bus crash that killed 37 passengers - she didn't know.

There was a major water crisis in the city - she didn't know.

Petrol price hike by 20cts per litre - she didn't know.




So, that's how 'important' Facebook has become :)  Who needs the newspapers?!

I was one of the first in the family to learn about the Boston Marathon bombimgs, cos it was all over my Facebook feed at 7am in the morning.

P/S: Well, it also depends on what and who you follow in your feed.