runningshort

I was bodyboarding at Karon Beach in Phuket and snapping photos of Bryan being engulfed by huge waves simultaneously. A stout looking Australian man, around 50ish or so, with a mop of white hair stared wistfully at me, smiling slightly to himself. He strolled over, glanced a quick look at Bryan then myself and asked, "May I help you take pictures of you two?"

He took a series of pictures of us splashing around in the beach, giggling foolishly and wrestling each other. I became self conscious and remembered he was taking pictures of this, so I returned to pick up my camera and chatted with him. I asked, "You here alone?"

He said, "No I am with my wife. She's in the hotel room napping, so I am here for a walk."

"Ah...did you guys try bodyboarding? It's awesome!"

"No...she has cancer and needs a lot of rest. Well, I'm looking around to see if we can go on an elephant ride. We did that together in Bangkok and she likes it. So I'm hoping to arrange for another one here in Phuket" He gave a sad smile, gave me a wave and continue walking.

I felt a tinge of sadness as I watched him walked away. I can't help but be reminded of how much my grandpa has to go through just to take care of my grandma who had the stroke.

Then I saw Bryan waving widly in the water, beckoning me to join him. In that brief moment, I just knew I must learn to cherish whatever that is in front of me...our youth, our good health and our good times together.

Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford, sounds like someone I want to blosom into, based on the interview he did with Fortune magazine with the Alex Taylor III (renowned journalist, known for being a guru of the car manufacturing industry and someone who knows the works of Detroit inside out).

Mulally's one of a kind. He is enthusiastic and driven. Alex Taylor was taken aback when Mulally archived a list of articles Taylor has previously written, and tries to turn the "no" and "maybe" of Ford into "yeses". He even keeps a list of his leadership traits (think cover letter adjectives like "disciplined but yet think out of the box", "committed to hard work") titled "Alan's Leadership" on his desk so he can share that with Alex Taylor for Fortune's special feature. Which joker out there would even do a thing like that? I can only think of...myself cos I am the Queen of Embarrassing Moments. To be honest, I think I see a little of myself in him (someone comfortable in my own skin, driven and passionate. At least, that's who I think I see whenever I look into the mirror), which is why he left an impression on me.

Sometimes I wonder...what do I truly want to do in life? How far will I go? What is in store for me ahead of my journey? Though I enjoy a corporate life thoroughly, do I want to climb it as much as I think I will like to? Am I conforming to what's expected of me because I was bred into the urban rat-race lifestyle in Singapore?

What I really like about getting now is that I feel really in control of my life.
I like the good feeling after a hard, sweaty work out.
And I like how productive and clear-headed I've become at work.

I like the well balanced life of working hard, and having quality time to do what I love.

My work trip to KL was the most fruitful ever because I had bought 2 dresses and 1 blue-stripe oversized tee from Mooie! (Note to self: Got to make a trip to Bangsa every time I travel to KL) That aside, I enjoyed the training thoroughly and it's one of the rare trainings that there's zero eye-rolling.

In a nutshell, here's what I've learnt: A salesperson today is not just there to sell, but to advise and educate the end consumers. One of the most important skills they should have is the ability to communicate and listen. So when you see a customer, state your agenda and check for acceptance. If there's acceptance, proceed to understand all of a customer's concerns, needs and doubts. Then maneveur the conversation with appropriate probes so that the customer starts really seeing his needs (aka your service and products) and being aware of the costs if they don't purchase your service/product. As a marketer, I could apply this skill to my sales team, when I am selling a program or a new product or any new idea to them. As a girlfriend, I could learn to be a better listener, and really listen to what my boyfriend is truly saying, instead of thinking what to tell him. :)

Accomplished:
Saturday: Train mid-section and triceps. Resistance training for the legs.
Sunday: Pure cardio - 2.5 hour of tennis

The must-do list:
Tuesday: Cardio
Thursday: Resistance training

I woke up feeling sluggish and dehydrated because I haven't drank so much for the longest time. It's not a lot, by a German's standard. But I was out with my German friends. Chinatown dessert, nasi padang, a tower of beer and some cheap red wine. Swoooosh. Bloaty and sluggish.

So I finally woke up at 11am and traveled down to Holland Village to meet Bryan for lunch. It's such a hot and humid day - the perfect time for summer dresses and slippers!

After lunching at the Katong Laksa place, we spent a good part of our afternoon having coffee (the latte is bad) and bread (wow, we love) at Bakery & Cafe Provence. We spent the day lazy about at the swimming pool. It feels nice. Power slamming Bryan in the water makes me feel that I've got quite a mini work out done.

Speaking of work out, I went for a Abs Sculpture class with Fiona and I almost died in it. It's horrible but so damn effective for the arms and mid-section. I think I will endure it for the whole month. Just stick with it and see how it goes!

(...and now, I think Bryan's taking me to Hort Park for a dinner date. It's meant to be a surprise, I think)



p/s I'm feeling the need to learn an art or a new language

I haven't done any projects for myself of late. I used to embark on little projects so that I can improve myself or just to prove to myself I can do something (pick up a competitive sport, increase GPA by x% etc). Labor Day marks the first day of May and it got me thinking about my little May project...

Due to my laziness and procrastination, I have lost most of my muscles and let my weight fluctuates from 45kg to a whopping 48kg. Then again, my weight correlates strongly with how wild the stock market fluctuates. I was a 53kg at 16, then it dropped to 39kg when I turned 18. I sustained a 45kg throughout university and now because of all the sitting in the office and compulsive junk food, it surged to 48kg. I even pant a lot in my last tennis game (grrrr...)

My little project for  myself (a girl needs to do something for herself!) - to get my weight down to 45kg healthily and steadily within 30 days.

I will try out the big theories written in Shape mags and popular health sites. I will keep a food journal (note today: cereal, a curry puff, a glutinous rice roll & a banana...). Adding to that, I will stick to at least 3 intense work-out sessions a week. I started out successfully yesterday by completing a 20 min slow jog, 40 min of intensive running and resistance training for my arms and abs.

Sweeeeelll! I am so motivated about May. It's gonna be a feel-good month. I will update my progress periodically :)

***
Today is a lazy day spent writing notes for Bryan (he's having his exams) and reading bits of Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh.