Park City Run (23rd November 2014)

Hello lovely people!

Just had my Park City 10km run yesterday.

Had to get up by 5:00am cuz I aimed to reach Desa Park by 6am so I could join the warm up session.

Unfortunately the novio and I both woke up late so we only arrived at about 6:15am.

By the time we found parking, it was already 6:25am so we took a fast stroll to get to the International School of Park City, where the starting point is.

 But surprisingly, we still managed to get to the 3rd row of the starting point.

Are most people latecomers too? LOL.#MalaysianStyle

At 6:40am, we were flagged off.

#My trusty Nike Flyknit which I've used for most of my jogging sessions.

It's the 2nd time I'm using it for a race.

Everytime I look at the colour, I feel so HAPPY! :)

It was quite a hilly run.

(But not as hilly as the 2xu Compression run which really killed my legs!)

 I will not forget at one point, I think probably the 5th km or so, there was a REALLY hilly slope that was so steep I dreaded the whole path. As far as my legs could carry me, I ran. 

But I had to stop a couple of times cuz my legs were like all wobbly and jelly-ish. Haha.

Just somehow had a  rather lacklustre stamina on that very morning.

#Here, I was actually approaching the finishing line with every ounce of energy that I had left.

The novio was already nowhere to be seen by the 4th km but when I was nearing the end, I saw him at the turning of a corner. 

In the end, our time difference was only 2 minutes, with him being slightly ahead of me :)

#HappyFaces at the finishing line

All sweaty and still panting cuz I just reached the line when he grabbed me to have a pic taken!

 LOL. Sabarlah bang.

Got my results from the official website.

Clocked in a nett time of 1:08:51 for 10km this time round.

Ranked 63/563 for my Women Category.

Did better than the 2XU run and Penang marathon in 2012, so I'm quite pleased.

But definitely still trying to aim for the 60 minute mark!

Kudos to the novio too for doing well with a timing of 1:06:48 for his first ever run. Yay! 

Keep going. 

"It never gets easier, you just get stronger"

:)

Working out to pig out

I'll admit I'm generally a lazy person when it comes to working out. I guess the thought of doing squats, cardios, core, and all those fitness thingamagic just doesn't really motivate me at all.
I do know of people like my dad and bro who just loveeee going for a jog and to many, jogging or working out is their form of de-stressing.

I'd much rather sleep. Yup, sleep is my ultimate form of de-stressing.

I've always been told I was skinny (yeah, nobody really sees the belly fat that piles up underneath though) and I guess I just kinda took it in my stride. Over the years, my weight has also always fluctuated between 1 kg or 3-4 kg at most, so sometimes I tend to take things for granted.

But as most of would know by now, being skinny DOES NOT equal being fit. One can look skinny without being fit at all.This was always at the back of my head but lately, the good news is, the thought is getting translated into action.

And perhaps, my new Nike kicks is also a form of motivation for me? haha.

Saw this online first and it was love at first sight.

Turquoise has and always will be my favourite colour :)

So when I went to the store and saw this on the shelves, I was superbly excited!

Tried it on. 

Told myself: "I already have a pair of Nike training shoes what..." to de-convince myself.

But I couldn't get the image of the shoes out of my head! Argh.

So a week later, went back to the store again and to cut the long story short, ze novio made an offer to me and said,"OK, I will get it for you but this is your birthday present."

Say what? My birthday was still 1.5 months away! And was I sure I really wanted this as my be-early present?hahaha

Dilemma dilemma.

Huge contemplation went on but you can probably already see what was my decision.

LOL

Thank you my novio! #bestnovioever

This Nike flyknit is supposed to act like a "muscle trainer" for your foot; which is why it hugs soooo tight as though you're just wearing a pair of socks.

The maximum kilometers you should wear with the flyknit is supposedly only 7km. Otherwise, your feet will start hurting.

No regrets though. It's a great pair of joggers.

So yea,I'm trying to get my fitness level to improve by a whole lot. Not just to cut down on fats but to get fit for health's sake! :)

For the past week, I've been going to the park twice for a jog.

Each time, I did 3 rounds around the 1.3km lake = 3.9 km

Good start for me. Yay!

When I can't make it to the park, I'll try to get at least a bit of workout done at home which includes some crunches, cardio and weights.

So yea, lets see how the results turn out SOON, hopefully!:)

(Will probably post pics of before and after progress of my body)

Yeap yeap yeap. 

KEEP GOING!

Keep shining like stars! 

7 months

It has been 7 months. 7 LONG months since my last blog post here.
WOW! Just wow.

So I've finally came to the conclusion that the reason why I haven't been posting enough is this:
I always try to write too much and then I'll save it in a draft thinking I'll finish the post later.
But the later always never comes. Cuz once I decide to blog again, I will have fresh, new ideas and then the older post ends up getting neglected! ><

So right now I have a lot of pretty good drafts (in my opinion) on current issues but that aren't so "current" or up to date anymore. lol.
There's even one on Cory Monteith, GLEE actor's passing and my thoughts on it but obviously never got around to finishing it.

In fact, typing this just makes me want to blog about the recent tragedy surrounding the Malaysian airline crash in Ukraine.#mh17
It truly is a matter close to my heart cuz it involves my nation and the precious,innocent lives of those who were on board. Sigh. I do pray that the peace of God will comfort the families of those who lost a loved one during this difficult time. <3
There's just so much chaos happening in the world that at times, I just do not really know how to respond. But empathy is one thing we should never lose.

This time, since I've decided to TRY blogging again, to keep things going I'm going to keep things SIMPLE and lighthearted!
And I mean really simple.

Tadah.

An updated version of me. 

Taken very recently at Shangri-La hotel, celebrating ze novio's birthday over a great buffet :)

A teeth-baring version. :D

Kthxbai.

There's so much gloom and doom in this world so remember to let your light shine and always stay POSITIVE!

Random highlights of the year

So 2013 has flew by really quickly. Here are some of the highlights of the 2nd half of the year for me :)

Celebrated ze novio's birthday in June.. Just a simple dinner together; nothing too fancy :) 

#Couldn't get anyone who was around to take a photo for us so we did the next best thing ----> elevator-mirror-selfie ;)

#Got him an ice cream cake for the first time ever. Could you believe the both of us finished that whole thing on the spot? It was so cold that our mouth felt super numb after that..haha

***

Dinner with the family at this new ramen restaurant we discovered at the Intermark, KL.

Menya Musashi :)

My dad absolutely loved it. He has been raving about how al dente the noodles were ever since we had it.

#There are 4 flavours to choose from and this is one of them. Mine was the red spicy one :) But if you like something authentic then go for the brown soup (i forgot what it was called).

***

#Hello Kitty coffee art @Coffee Stain by Joseph

***

Went out with ze novio and the sister one fine day. Basically just to chill and hang out.

#Lovin' this epic picture. Squeezy pouty!

#Now here's another epic pic of Jo-Ann..hahaha

***

#Almost could not believe my eyes when I saw this sign one time at Publika. Looks like my childhood dream of becoming a doctor eventually became a reality, through another Abby. haha.

Lovin' my stripe maxi from Dr Fashion! 

***

#Nice expression there sista! I'm particularly fascinated by this geometrical-looking object beside us. 

In October, 3 of us : ze novio, his sis and myself decided to head down to Melaka for a food escapade! But through the pic below, you can obviously see we explored way more than just food. :D

#Are you wondering what were we trying to do? 

We were actually trying our level best to reenact the hindi movie, Chennai Express', train-chasing scene...which if you're not aware of, is extremely common in hindi movies. Haha.

Attempt failed cuz we kept laughing. 

#At the famous cendol store in Melaka. One of my fav pics of 2013 :)

#You can't call it a Melaka food escapade if you haven't tried one of these yummy cendol. Absolutely mouthwatering!

#Not forgetting Satay Celup at the most popular one known as Capitol. Queue already started although we went there really early. Coincidentally, it was ze novio's uncle's friend who owns this place. 

Believe it or not, it was my 1st time there! After having been to Melaka for sooo many times I finally had my chance to give this place a try. Really loved their thicky gravy.. 

***

Rewinding back to late August when I visited Bangkok, a city I have been to for at least 4 times in my life. I's like my second home ya know.

#Love locks at the Swiss Sheep Farm @Cha-am, Hua Hin. 

# You + Me = <3 

Maths made easy! haha

#One-of-a-kind experience feeding the sheeps. They were like hungry wolves constantly craving for more. hence my expression here. Super duper funny!

#Yay! Now I can be a princess riding on a horse carriage too. I think we paid 100 baht for this experience @Swiss Sheep Farm. But the ride was a really short one.

# Since my dreams of going to the REAL Santorini @Greece isn't arriving anytime soon, this is a pretty good attempt, no?

#My first pair of Melissa shoes. Got it at an awesome 50-60% discount at a store in Bangkok which also sells other labels.:) Unfortunately, I wish it was a lil' more comfortable. Somehow it seems to keep cutting into my last toe and I'm a lil' disappointed. So currently am only wearing it for short events..

***

And finally the definite highlight of the year has to be the day I've been waiting for since I first stepped into my campus: My Convocation!

After 4 long years of hard work, toil, sweat and sleepless nights (as cliched as it sounds), I can proudly say I am a graduate, and from a local university:) My CGPA was 0.03 away from getting First class honours but what is done is done. I did my best and I accept my result with gratitude cuz I know everything is a gift from Him :)

#Disheveled after a long day. Nevertheless I couldn't keep the smile off my face :)

#And is there a better gift apart from being able to graduate together with your loved one? :) 

Absolute happiness!

Our 13th General Election

And so, finally the moment the citizens of Malaysia have been waiting for... the polling day, which is tomorrow.:) 
My advice would be, vote wisely, and always put the interest of the nation before you. Cuz if the nation prospers, you will too. And after so much has happened in our beloved country, I do believe the bulk of us wants to see a turnaround of events; to see justice being served, equality for everyone, and core issues being addressed and not merely being swept under the carpet.

Regardless, I do believe God is sovereign and His plans and purposes for this nation will be fulfilled even in spite of how the situation might look like right now. Our job is to do our part, and then whatever the outcome is, just surrender, trust and believe.:)

"Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes."
Psalm 37:7

This afternoon, I was also itching to do some baking. And I thought, since we're in the election season, why not bake some statement cupcakes?;)

So yeap, I decided to go with the chocolate cupcake recipe I used for my previous baking attempt. It's by far one of the best I feel.. the texture is very moist and soft. My mum said she gives it a 100% rating for this batch of cupcakes but I do think it's a lil' flattering, but very exaggerated. Haha. There's still a long way for me to go on my cupcake baking journey :)

 #UBAH means ''change''. That is the very sentiment that echoes in my heart. Change can be daunting and even scary, but it can also be good, cuz it helps us to get out of our comfort zone and to help us realize, we are capable of so much more than we think we can.

# I made the buttercream frosting separately (the ones with a slightly beige colouring). The icing in white were done using a deco kit but somehow, this particular one seemed to have melted very quickly under the heat so I had to hastily arrange the cupcakes, whip out my phone, snap a few pics and put them back in the fridge! LOL

 #Mmm...I'm so pleased with this icing deco! :) 

#First bite tastes like.....the dawn of a new beginning....LOL. But frankly, it was moist and very satisfactory even for the baker herself :)

Dear voters, do remember to get up as early as possible  tomorrow to be at the polling station even before 8am. :)

Every vote counts, so go out there and make a difference!:)

My new job

As some of you might have already known, I just started my internship at a FMCG company not too long ago. A fashion company that is :)

Most of the people who know me well would say 'Wow congrats! this is what you always wanted right?' Yes, that's true. But I don't wanna be toooo excited about it just yet.  This isn't pessimism but the fashion industry is not all glitz and glam. There's a lot of hard work, sacrifice and can be a very stressful environment, which I believe I was gonna find out all for myself real soon. Haha. So yea, don't wanna have false expectations and end up getting disappointed,etc.

Here's a sneak peek into my journey thus far...

A typical day consists of lotsa paperwork and admin stuffs. (See?It isn't all that glam afterall right?haha) Currently at Day 12 and I've learnt how to key in incentive orders, payment vouchers, sales orders, transfer notes so far. Since I'm supporting the wholesale team, there's a lot of keying-in of orders that needs to be done.

 # Highlight of the day: GUESS bombshell models....Looking at these pics makes me so delighted. #idontknowwhy Gives me that surge of energy somehow. LOL. Packed, sealed and ready to be shipped to wholesalers!:)

 #2013 is here: A colleague was distributing this La Senza smexy calendar around my dept so i shamelessly asked if i could have one! (Cuz my name wasn't in the list yet so by right i wouldn't be entitled to it) Ask and you shall receive! I ended up getting two :D Now my work desk looks livelier with this on it :))

#OOTD to work: 

**LEFT** 

2 way Cape top from online

Nude pink cincher from Brands

Aztec leggings from Times square

Statement necklace from Korea trip

**RIGHT**

Blue flowy-loose top from H&M

White bodycon skirt from Brands

White flats from can't remember ROFL

Hermes-inspired file bag from Beijing trip

Ever since I started working, I barely have time to dress up as much as i would love to. Mornings are filled with such haste. Am still trying to work out the mix and matching between my casual outfits with something that's suitable for work. Thankfully enough, my company allows semi formal to casual wear! (perks of a fashion comp! yay!) 

You can see from the pics I'm wearing flats and slippers. That's cuz i have to walk about 4-5km to and from work daily so comfort is mandatory.But usually i change into a pair of heels once i get to office :) Even so, my flats are all failing me... giving me blisters and bruises. Thinking of investing in a Birkenstock but the price is deterring me. LOL. I mean, for a pair of sandals RM 200++? Nvm, let me ponder and sleep through it first :)

#No filter self-shot of yours truly: I personally think I look a bit worned out here. Ever since I started working, I've been coming home feeling utterly exhausted and sometimes accompanied by tension headache (at the back of my head). For the past two days, after coming home for dinner, I K.O-ed on my bed till the very next morning O.O That just proves how tired I am. Constantly feeling lethargic during work and I'm now taking supplements to help ease the situation. Hopefully my body will adjust to the new timetable soon enough!

Moving on... The sale event we had last saturday in which Guess watches was a part of the DIGI LOL CARNIVAL at D'House 


#My superiors are so kind, they bought each of us who were on duty that Saturday Chatime! I for one can never resist Chatime :D Especially the original Pearl Milk tea!

#Lion Dance team and Choy San Yeh were also present. I guess CNY came early this year.hehe.

#My new gorgeous friend and colleague who's from the marketing dept.;)

<3

Gotta go now...have to get up early for work tmr and then its CNY! Woots!:)

10 things

I came up with a list of 10 things to be grateful about. It's just a reminder of how much I already have and how much there is to be thankful for in this life.:) Like they say,'The happiest people are not those who have a lot, but it's those who are contented with the little they have.' It's good to write down 10 random things you're thankful for. Its somewhat proven to give you that boost and emotional lift :)

I'm thankful for...
1. The fact that I wake up every morning and I'm still alive and breathing and kickin'. Many people fall asleep and don't wake up the next day....So the God-given breath of life is not something anyone should take for granted.

2. The best mum in the face of planet earth. And i truly mean it. A mum who still wants to feed you with her own hands (like that time when she asked me to open my mouth so she could stuff a piece of egg mayo) even when you're already a young adult...But yet in her eyes,you're always still a big baby.:) 

#Back in beijing 2010. Ok you can't really see my mum cuz her specs are all blurred cuz the weather was 0 degrees! hahaha.It was Reaaaally freezing temp. I wasn't in too good shape either..wrapped like a burito ==' And i had to ditch my lenses for something more comfy..le sigh. No room for fashion or looking pretty during icy cold blistering winter man..unless you can brave the cold. I can't.


A mum who would make cup of tea for you whenever you ask for it even though she knows you're just being pure lazy by giving her the excuse that she makes 'better tea'. ><

A mum who doesn't like shopping (yes, you heard it right) and hardly goes out except to work..but joyfully INSISTS she wants to tag along with her two daughters even if she knows she has to pay for everything during that trip to the mall and in the process, get pestered to buy that cute Nike gear.==

And best of all, a mum who rather shamelessly tells everyone (from the uncle at the optical shop to the mak cik at pasar) she meets and drags me to them saying (more like yelling), 'THIS IS MY DAUGHTER! PRETTY OR NOT? LOOK LIKE ME OR NOT?' And when they respond with a 'Waahhhh..she looks JUST LIKE YOU' , 'Looks like your sister!', 'What? I can't believe it..you look so young'...she has the wide grin on her face and a rather sheepish yet happy smile. LOL. And you walk away feeling rather embarrassed and questions her purpose for that, but deep down you know she's proud of you.:)


3. The other half of my parents - my DAD! (needless to say). The strictest, most demanding autocratic dictator (prolly i exaggerated a lil..haha) in the Chan family but who has also in recent years mellowed down a lot.:) The one who never fails to give good advice ; supports you in everything you do and would defend you when you were being bullied during your younger years :) The one who trusts in you even when the entire world says you're wrong. 

Only a dad would do that, and for that...I'm beyond blessed.:)

4. My results last semester.  I've been doing rather consistently well every sem, although i had some minor slip ups in two sems but last semester's result was a pleasant surprise.Cuz i just felt i didn't put in that much effort compared to some other sem. I got a First Class CGPA *wide smile* Really thankful to the Lord for this undeserved favour. Now lets just hope this sem's results will be good. It doesn't have to be fantastic, I know i did my best, that's enough :)

5. The many trips abroad that I've managed to go to in recent years. It didn't come easy cuz no one in the family is a travel junkie as much as I am and budget is always another issue especially if you're travelling as a family! (which means expenses will skyrocket). And none of my friends are really that gung-ho about travelling unfortunately :( But so far I've managed to cover the following:
- Bangkok x3 (2009,2010,2011) Yes, i love Bangkok this much! :D
-Beijing,China x2 (2010, 2011) One during winter, the other, summer. Diff experience ;)
-South Korea (2011)
-Singapore x2 (2010, 2011) I know its funny that I've only been to Sg twice despite the fact that we live so near to them.LOL.But i love it there, really :)
-Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (2011)
- Indonesia (Medan, 2003 & Jakarta, 2008) Both under my church's mission and conference trips :)
- Taiwan (2012) The most recent one!:)

#Taiwan : Queing up for a very popular ice cream. I really forgot what its called but you can add your own toppings (which are free) and its pretty delicious too, hence the long queue!

#One of the best hotels in which we stayed. I think we moved at least 3-4 times during our week's stay.;) But this is the top of the list! Great service and we loved the concept!

#South Korea: This was taken at Mt Seorak when the scenery was at its best during autumn. If you guys wanna visit Korea, Autumn is definitely ze best time! Cuz that's when you get to see beautiful maple leaves in an array of orange, greens, reds and browns.:)

Really breathtaking I must say!

#Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam: Now you see me.......

Now you don't! 

This was at Chu Chi Tunnel in Vietnam. It used to be a special hole where the people would hide during a war. As you can see from the picture, the hole looks really small and it really is. I reckon it could only fit someone less than a 6 footer After me, there was a caucasian man trying to get in but had great difficulties. So, yea, go into the hole at your own risk. XD

Btw, did i mention my mum totally freaked out when i volunteered to go first? She was so afraid it was a one way trip down there. HAHAHA. But of course,I went down and came back up! So there was really no need to worry. LOL

As you can see they're all Asian countries, not that I'm complaining.:) But my ultimate dream is to cover Europe, America and Japan. Oh, and Maldives! The list would go on forever but shall take it one step at a time.:) collect more moolahs first...hehe

7. Being one of the top 5 finalist in my uni's Prom Queen ceremony although i honestly think there must have been some sort of mistake! (Random? hahaha. But this is a random To-Be-Thankful-For-List okay) And no, i didn't win, and i wasn't surprised either.haha. I was feeling REALLY jittery on stage.:/ Not to mention, having fever and flu on the same day...le sigh


#Can you spot me? Hint: Am wearing my all time fav shade ;)))


8. Being able to try out all the awesome new restaurants/ cafe/ foodspots while I'm back in KL. I'm glad i don't have to eat Nasi goreng kampung and Maggi goreng almost everyday while I'm in Johor. I'm serious. There's not many options there since its like an outskirt area and mostly are Malay stalls.I do love mamak food and its one of my fav hangout spots, but too much of anything can make you really sick.:/ So i make it a point that while I'm in KL, i have to explore all the good stuff!

#Mc Cafe brekkie with my beloved during one of those rare days when both of us were up early.haha. :)

#Fried tempura at Pasta Zanmai. 

#One of the best pork ribs ever @ Morganfield

#My all time fav cendol at Jonker Street, Melaka. :D

Looking at this really makes me hungry! 

#First time trying out at Watami Japanese restaurant @Paradigm Mall. I love how they gave us good service too :)

9. God's protection and mercy during the accident i met roughly 1 month ago. I felt like it should not have happened cuz it was an emergency break done by the first car but i slipped up and couldn't break in time.But everything happens for a reason and I'm just really thankful no injury was incurred and no lives were loss.

10.I'm not a sports person for the most part but last year I decided to challenge myself to join the Penang Bridghe Marathon. Together with my dad and bro who have been joining marathons for a couple of years, we decided to sign up. My sis and mum joined in the fun too :) I didn't get to train much prior to the actual event cuz i was so caught up with my assignments + thesis..and then i fell really sick for 1-2 weeks which was just around the corner before the marathon. However,to cut the long story short, i managed to do it on the actual day and i even surprised myself (and my family) by clocking in at just 1 hr 12mins for 10km! :D which is a hugeeee achievement me thinks ;) On top of that, the results showed I'm the Top 8% out of the 5000 participants who were in my category, which certainly added to my satisfaction and joy :)

#This was during a charity run organized by my church just days before the actual marathon so i took it as a practice and exercise for the actual one in Penang. I emerged in the 7th place for my category in this run :) Could have done better but still satisfactory me thinks..hehe

Opps btw, did you notice i missed out no.6? HAHA. Well then, I guess no.6 will be being thankful for starting this blog so that I can record my journey of life and in the future, reminisce in amusement and loads of gratefulness ;)