The torture we put ourselves through for a small round metal circle.

It's a full moon tonight.  Bright, and full, and beautiful. 

Just like how I remembered it last night.

Last night, 29 May,

as we stood at the flag off point, 

music pumping, 

heart beats accelerating, 

MC shouting,  

amid 5999 bobbing heads, 

waiting for the final countdown

to kick start our Adiddas Sundown Half Marathon 2010,

looking up into the cloudless dark sky

and seeing the big yellow circle hanging there:

bright, and full, and beautiful.

We'd been counting down to this day for months, and finally, suddenly, the day was here:

our very first 21KM run.

Yes, I think we're ready(:

See my latest baby?  The beautiful white, wireless, water-resistant W Series Sony MP3! 

Ben carbo-loading with bananas up till the last minute.

And so, we ran. 

And ran.

And calculated how many steps it takes to run 21KM. 

And passed the 12KM marker. 

And walked, a teeny bit.

And ran some more. 

And ran. 

And drank some 100 Plus. 

And walked, another teeny bit.

And checked our watches for the time.

And ran.

And applied Counter-pain to aching muscles.

And ran some more. 

And drank more water and 100 Plus.

And passed the 18KM marker. 

And belted out "Sweet dreams are made of these"

And slow-jogged, then sprinted to the next water point. 

And hydrated.

And didn't feel like moving another inch.

And forced ourselves to take another step, and then another. 

And passed the 20KM marker.

And ran. 

And ran faster. 

And groaned, "Oh man, why am I doing this to myself??" 

before sprinting in the final 30 meters to the finish line.

It was exhausting.

 It was leg-cramping.

 It felt endless. 

BUT WE MADE IT!

Us and 5996 other runners took some 63,000 steps or more that night, and completed the 21KM Half Marathon. 

And all for the sake of receiving a small round metal circle.

Now if I can just get back on my feet in time to survive tomorrow's day of work in heels...

**She is officially field-effective today (:**

Enjoying the RIde

Sales training.

Long runs. 

Chill-outs.

Role-plays. 

Lectures. 

Presentations.

Niece-entertained.

Coffee bean double-choc ice-blended with whipped cream. 

Fun colleagues. 

Sleep debt. 

More long runs. 

Rose among the Thorns.

Life has been a roller coaster. 

Some days up, some days down, 

and some days upside-down. 

Let's hope I have my seatbelt strapped on tight as I enjoy the ride!

**She doesn't know where the time has been disappearing to, but the days ahead are going to get even busier..**

Everytime We Touch

Carolyn's Crossing of the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness or farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

This morning, the sun set in the life of my dear friend Carolyn.

She was sweet, she was cheerful.
Her sense of humor and ready smile was never dampened despite her phobia of needles and brain scans.
Her vivacious spirit remained unvanquished in the face of pain and discomfort.
Her sweet submission to God's will, even when she could not understand WHY, brought encouragement to the entire family.

And when it was time for her little vessel to embark on its final short but peaceful journey to see her Pilot after more than 2 years of bravely battling a growing brain tumor, she was ready.

The tears are overflowing for the loss of a dear friend who was the same age as me, but it brings comfort to know that she is in a far happier place now, free from the physical trials that tormented her days on earth.

We may say goodbye for now, but memories of her will live on in my heart for ever.

**She found it almost impossible to concentrate on what the sales trainer was saying after she received the message this morning**

Every End is A New Beginning.

Today is my last day as a Customer Liaison Officer, a position which I have been holding for the past 2 years and 3 months.

And like every big change in life, this one comes with mixed emotions.

On one hand, I am sad. I hate having to say goodbyes, and I will miss talking to the people that I daily liaise with. Liza, Hisham, Zaki, Raymond, Angeline... More than just people that I work with, they have become my friends. And as for the seniors in my department.. even with a 20 year age gap between me and them, we have survived the last 2 years working in close proximity with each other and that in itself says something. I do believe I will actually MISS having those lunches where the 3 ladies are chatting away in spit-fire Chinese, and I am sitting quietly in my corner, listening and trying to understand what they are talking about. And then there's the SDTO colleagues who sit in this side of the office together with the CA team. They are supportive of my decision but sound sad that they will not get to see me as often anymore...

It is not a total goodbye for my office colleagues, because I will still see and work with them, just not on a day-to-day basis. But still...stepping out of your comfort zone means leaving behind the familiar faces and routines that you have known.

It also means taking a plunge into realms not yet explored.

Which pretty much explains my excitement as well. My sales training starts on Tuesday, and there is going to be SO much that I need to learn. New faces, new boss, new job scope, new products...

New challenges.

It's not gonna be easy, but it sure is gonna make pages in the new chapter of my book that I'll never forget. :)

**She thinks she might need to revamp her sleep-style to clock more hours each night.**

Die all, Die Merrily

Ok, so I have not ridden a bike in like - ages. Years, to be specific. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I got on one. My speed blades have just become too convenient (and cost-effective) an option for me to put aside at a moment's notice. I mean, why spend 7 bucks or more on a mountain bike when you can whip on your beloved inlines and speed along faster than most other bladers OR cyclists?

Then we went up to Sunggei Ringet, Malaysia.

And we decided to rent some bikes and attack the hills of the nearby plantation.

Or should I say, THEY did. My four brothers who never say die, or if they do, it is because they are using it in the phrase "Die all, die merrily." 

Which explains why here we are in the baking hot sun, having just made it up a crazily STEEP, rocky slope to the top of this hill.  

And here are some of my favorite Quotes of the Day, from All in a Day's Cycle (Lim's copyright, 2010). 

"I think you better go in front of me la, it's a bit scary to hear you making so much noise behind me!" "Be careful, Em, better let those two monkeys (T & B) go by first.  You never know what idiotic thing they're going to do next." 

(as we're riding along the trails)
D: "Err..don't have to look now, but there's a huge longkang on our right."

E: "Yeah I know, I saw it earlier already.  Why cannot look now?"

D: "Oh ok.  Was afraid that if I point it out to you, after a few seconds I might suddenly hear a splash behind me..."

E: "HEY! What are you trying to say about my driving skills huh?"

Q: "How do you know a person went over just ONE puddle of mud?"

A: "Because he has ONE patch of mud running circles around on his tire!"
"Let me take the pic like this, then everyone will think I just made it up the hill!"

We're definitely gonna do it again. 

 Sometime.  

It's hard to predict when would be the next time we can actually get a weekend off to run away together, but we had wayyyy too much fun to not go back another time.  

And maybe next round, we might even be lucky enough to get the ATVs :) 

**She misses her darling Misty. So Very. Much.**