My poh poh celebrated her 80th birthday last night. It was quite the elaborate family affair, with five tables booked at a private room on the 13th floor of a hotel, and food delivered by personal waiters from a famous chinese restaurant on the 2nd floor. There were short tributes made by several people, song items, some fun for the great-grandchildren and a powerpoint presentation of photos from the years gone by. It was an enjoyable night.

But as my poh poh made a little speech in teochew just before the cake-cutting, I couldn't help but wonder if I'll ever be as happy as her at 80 years old. She's healthy, she's got seven kids, most of whom are successful. She's got 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She still serves actively in church and she has a terrific personality. And she certainly looked extremely contented last night.

Here I am, single, 25 years old going on 26 in three months, still smutting from a break up, light years away from marriage, much less kids. I have a job that I have a love-hate relationship with, most of the time just a lukewarm feeling towards it boosted by intermittent spurts of excitement. I spend most of my time either working or feeding my addiction that is triathlon. I have a nice car, a nice bike, several pieces of luxury goods, a load of other rubbish and a bank nearly void of savings.

Fifty-five years ago, did my poh poh go through the same things as I am going through now? Was her heart broken? Did she get bored with her job? I don't suppose she did triathlon, but I'm sure she had a passion of her own.

I am secretly hoping she did have to get through the same stuff I have to deal with now, and I'm also hoping the happiness and health she is experiencing at age 80 runs in my genes and I will get to experience it too 55 years from now.

I'm not one to get all emo on New Year's Eve or make silly New Year's resolutions. But I've decided that forgetting is the best cure and moving on the best action. Que sera sera, what will be, will be. God, I'm in your hands.

Happy Birthday, poh poh.

On a less sombre note but not any less sore -- my legs, specifically my quads, are feeling the ache from yesterday's MR25 Ultra-Marathon at MacRitchie. I had planned to do six rounds of the 10.8km trail, but only managed five in the end. That's 54km of undulation, dirt, mud, sweat, gatorade, powergels, mind games with self and a sick masochism only endurance athletes would know about. It's the longest I've ever run and I took just under 6h.

What a perfect way to see out 2007, not the best year of my life but it wasn't too shabby after all.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Quite scary how times passes so quickly these days. And it's not as though I'm having a whale of a time. Christmas came and went, as uneventful as the other days I've had. Work has been alright, surprisingly. Been home before 8pm on three occasions this week already, which is more than what I usually get in a month or two!

Today, though, was quite the highlight of the week. Initially planning to while away my time in the office working a story for next week, I got a call at about 12 noon from my colleague asking me to cover a court case. Quite exciting really, to see the proceedings for the first time. I guess it gets boring if you do it everyday, but once was an eye-opener. The accused (and then charged) slipped by the reporters when the trial was over, and I was kicking myself for missing him. Hungry, I decided to walk across the street to get some grub... settled on kaya toast, two eggs' whites and a cup of teh (all made by ex-convicts). The toast was just about the best kaya toast I've tasted, toasted to a perfect brown. The eggs were done really really well, with the yolk intact but soft, and the whites half-done. The teh was of a pleasant thickness and sweetness. Now, if only the parking weren't $9.83 for four hours, I would go back again. Alas, it was not the toast that made my day, but my sheer luck.

As I sat down to wait for my order, right in front of me was the guy I needed to see -- no, not an ex-boyfriend, but the guy guy (if that sounds sensible to you)! He was having a meal with his friends. As I chewed on my kaya toast I planned to pounce on him (you know, metaphorically speaking, not physically) perfectly-timed. Finally, fuelled by the excellent meal (my lunch at 5pm), I made the move. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am,.. er, I mean, sir... got my quotes and I was gone. He was actually very warm and friendly and it was a blast. I guess he must've been happy with the charges! Heh.

So, by now you probably know how boring my life is if covering a court case is the highlight of my week so far. Possibly, Sunday's 12-hour marathon at MacRitchie will surpass today's excitement. Well, will check back, if I have enough energy after the run to type!

Tomorrow, I meet Sharapova. Yawn.

Been two crazy weeks since the race, two crazy weeks since I last updated my website. Hope everyone is doing well and feeling all christmas-sie! Loads of pictures to post, have yet to dump them out from my digital camera. Well let me try to put in a few paragraphs what I've been up to the past fortnight....

Ok, so after my race it was back to work. Basically stuck to the sailing team like glue, being very much part of the 40-member team. Woke up everyday to do an easy swim and/or run, then head to the sailing venue (about 1km away) to help the support crew, well, support the team. We made ham and cheese sandwiches, mixed the isotonic drinks, packed their lunchboxes, got extra supplies at the supermarket, then sent the sailors off to sea together with all these things. The sailors generally head out for anything between three to six hours at a go, doing two to three races then heading back to shore. So they really need proper fuel and hydration out there. It was really great to be part of the team and to experience the camaraderie among them. Indeed it's times like that where being a triathlete really feels lonely...

Well, other than helping the sailors I also reported on their haul of four gold medals, six silvers and three bronzes (if my memory serves me right). After which the Games ended and it was time to make my way down to Bangkok to meet my colleagues marclim, tvoom and limze. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Silom and did massive amounts of shopping. My damage: a couple of pairs of Tod's ballet flats, a skirt, two tops and a pair of shoes at Zara, and a few random tees, dresses and accessories from the markets. And a few other knick knacks here and there.... Anyway, it was good. No, it was GREAT. Really had three days of fun... I love my colleagues!

And then finally it was home on Wednesday. Coach Ghana managed to get me upgraded to Business Class... so I was enjoying beef cheek, metal knives and ceramic plates, endless flow of wine (ok, I didn't have any. I had OJ), great service and best of all, a HUGE seat which put me in a really lazy and comfortable position. Awesome. Thanks COACH!

Work began the very next day I came back -- Thursday -- and has not ended since. Tomorrow I work also. But it's all good. Makes up for all the ass-covering my colleagues did for me during my two month training break.

Training has been slack. Trying to STOP myself from doing anything but my lazy ass just can't be lazy. Been running and swimming (no biking, just unpacked it only), albeit not longer than an hour of swimming and 45 minutes of running -- and at a leisurely pace. I really feel like my body needs to recharge for the New Year, so I'm really trying to let it... but resting is as hard as training!

As I mentioned, loads of pictures to put up... but just three today. Actually, was taken by my colleague Sor Luan this afternoon after we got back from a job. Thanks Sor Luan!!!

Introducing, the PINKMP MOBILE.