Christmas Day Treasure Hunt For The Kids

MISSING PRESENTS

To find your Christmas presents
This is what you must do
Hidden somewhere around this house
Are four simple clues

The first clue is not hard to find
It is where you always go
To look for food when hungry
Or to keep things cold

Wow you have done very well
So heres the second clue
I am in a cupboard nearby
Where we keep ours shoes

Again you have found me
Now here is clue number three
I am underneath two piggy banks
That hold the children’s money

What a fantastic job guys
I hope no one peeped
The presents are hiding
Under where Papa sleeps

Renovation Process

Our Annual W Hotel Staycation

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore - Timings & Splits

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2017 - Half Marathon Finisher

I did it. I finally accomplished something of sporting significance since my full ACL reconstruction some three years ago.

So proud of myself.

Going into the race this morning I really felt quite unprepared. My last run was a week ago and I struggled having been hit by a bout of flu late last week.

By the time I woke up at 3am this morning, I was high on adrenaline and I was pleasantly surprised that Man United were leading Arsenal 3-1 away at the Emirates. Definitely a good sign, I thought.

So I got a taxi and as we drove into the city, we saw the massive jams due to the road closures. In the end I had to drop outside the One George Street building and had to walk/jog from there. Talk about an intense warm up.

Still I managed to get to my starting pen early. Even if it was all the way at Ion Orchard. Almost 4km away. Many other runners were affected by the jams as well.

Flag off was very organized, even though we waited in the pen for more than half an hour. The wait was so long that by he time I was flagged off, I really needed to pee.

And so from flag off at Somerset 313, I hunted for the first available toilets. Turned out that it was fairly near, at the YMCA at Dhoby Ghaut. After that the rest of the city leg was beautiful. SCMS is really very well organized and the entire roads were closed for the runners, so there were minimal clogs and choke points.

By the time I was at the 11km mark, we had reached Raffles Place. I was actually having a very good run, beyond my own expectations. Thankfully I listened to the wifey and tried to run slower instead of cheonging.

It watually the 16km mark that things began to fall apart for me, firstly my Bluetooth headphones ran out of batteries! OMG can? Then we had to run up Benjamin Sheares bridge which was extremely tough, and of course my legs were jelly by then.

My wife also started messaging on WhatsApp that I had to jiayouz othherwise the bus of shame would come sweep me up.

In the end I walked a km, jogged a km for the final 5km, which probably cost me a full hour.

When I reached the finish line at the Padang, there was more a sense of relief than anything, knowing that I completed something so significant.

Still hoping to complete the full marathon next year. Will definitely need to train for that one,

So proud of myself.

#scms2017

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2017 Route Map

New Keys

Got the new keys today.

Super excited.

Hoping for abundance in good health, wealth, prosperity, and family togetherness.

Hurt ah!

Goodbye Sengkang

Goodbye Sengkang.

It was fun while it lasted.

Saw you blossom from a small little HDB village into today’s HDB jungle.

It was here we bought our first home.

It was here that we had so many good memories.

But it is the right time to move on to a better location to raise our kids.

Almost be in my heart.

Manchester United 4 Newcastle 1

Glad to see Martial score.

Glad to see Smalling score.

Glad to see Pogba score.

Glad to see Lukaku score.

Glad to see Pogba starting a game again.

Glad to see Ibrahimovic coming back on.

Sad to see Lindelof so poor.

Sad to see Mhkitaryan not even making the bench.

Let's keep up the chase!

GGMU!!!

Pak Victor's Wedding Party

So it all culminated into a very grand wedding reception at The Edge, Bali.

What an amazing and expensive place!

Here's the very beautiful view. It is no wonder this place is called The Edge. The dark clouds are gathering.

The beautiful laid out canopy and buffet food reception.

Pity that just before the food began to be served, a thunderstorm rained on the ceremony and destroyed everything in its wake. We were nicely hidden from the storm in the clubhouse, but the wedding dinner was somewhat ruined. No photos of that though.

Nonetheless, luckily no one got hurt, and this rain should be seen as a blessing in disguise, and a harbinger of wealth.

We also had another crazy after party which culminated in me reaching back to the villa at 0630 in the morning when the sun had risen!

I truly wish the loving couple good health, wealth and prosperity!

Bali National Golf Course

After the first night's party, we teed off at noon at one of the best golf courses I've played.

The Bali National Golf Course is truly world class. No wonder so many international events are held here.

I had my customary nearest-to-pin wonder shot. This time even more amazing because I hit a Par 3 hole 4 I think, so badly, that it ricochets of the tee stone of the ladies tee and loops upwards before falling nicely and rolling slowly on the green. Here the caddy is adjusting where my ball landed. Amazing!

Villa Bali

Preparing for the biggest party of the year - Pak Victor's wedding!

This was our villa.

Villa with a view of Bali island.

On a hill full of other villas!

Check out that power packed pool!

Fantastic chillax area.

Crazy beer time!

So we stayed over the weekend and had one of the most wicked villa parties on the night prior to the wedding. So much for staying sober!

Baggage

This fella is near retirement.

It has travelled to so many places with me. Just look at all the flight stickers all over.

Gonna miss it.

Balancing Chair Game

It's much harder than it looks!

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2017 Sign Up

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon here I come!

Finally gather the balls to sign up for the half marathon.

Looking forward!

Also did a 6.30am jog during midweek.

Yield a beautiful sunrise in the East Coast that I haven't seen in ages.

Huddersfield 2 Manchester United 1

So upset.

What a lousy loss today. The players were tired and we just didn't create enough chances.

And then Phil Jones got injured and Victor Lindelof comes in. What follows is two gifted goals to Huddersfield.

Gosh I never want to see him play in another league game anytime soon.

I would rather a player in the reserves be promoted to the first team to play starting CB while Rojo, Bailly and Jones are injured. Lindelof should go train with the reserves.

Fume.

#GGMU

Soft Toys Galore

Goodness!

Look at the amount of soft toys my kids own!

Definitely more than I thought!

Tired Beyond Measure

Check out my latest running getup!

UA Compression tee. Checked.

Nike Compression bottoms. Checked.

Adidas wristband. Checked.

Spotify Premium. Checked.

In the end I ran the first hour all the way to Marina Barrage. That was really far and I underestimated the distance coming back. By then it was way too late and I was absolutely exhausted at the bridge crossing the opposite of Fort Road.

From there I walked back and even then it felt like forever. In the end I took 90mins just to complete the jog/walk from Marina Barrage, half hour more than getting there. I was so thirsty I told myself that I would bring cash the next time I run this route.

My knees hurt. The soles of my feet hurt. My shins hurt too.

Check out my OOTD!!!

Proof that I made it there!

Marina Bay Golf Course

I never fail to enjoy playing here.

This time we played a two-man Texas Scramble in a four-ball.

This meant that it was between Youlong and myself, versus Mark and Victor. We even gave them a 5 stroke advantage!

In the end we prevailed after a very tight first nine, by a score of 92 to 99.

Kid Chores

Just the girl washing her school snack boxes.

#parenthack

#trainingthemearly

Geronimo Stilton

The latest craze amongst kids.

Who said paperbacks were going extinct?

At least this is $30 much better spent compared to a small box of Lego.

Just An Ordinary Sunday In 2017

Work up early at 7.30am for an early 90min jog.

Reached home before 9am so the wife can go for her Sunday yoga class.

Brought kids to playground till 12pm.

Lunch at home having ordered in from Honest Bee. Fish beehoon.

Short power nap.

The girl's ballet class at 2pm.

Rush home by 3.45pm for everyone's nap.

Wake at 5.30pm.

Off to regular dinner at MIL's. Soup was delicious as usual, plus Saba fish special.

Home before 10pm so kids can sleep.

Pack for everyone's day tomorrow, watch Sunday football on TV.

Off the catch Pokemon in Siglap at 11pm.

Just another routine Sunday in 2017.

Saxo Bank 25th Anniversary

Having celebrated the 15th and the 20th anniversary, I was looking forward to this for quite awhile.

The 15th was held in Singapore, at One Degree Fifthteen on Sentosa Cove, with only the Singapore Office back then. Singapore was still the only APAC office at the time.

The 20th was held in Cairo, Egypt, at the compound of the Great Pyramids of Giza. This time employees all over the world gathered there. 

The 25th was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the Ledreborg Castle. All employees were flown in as well.

For those of us in Singapore, it was literally a 12hr flight there, a 24hr party non-stop, and then a 12 her flight back. Short yet ultra memorable.

Will post some pictures soon!

Bangkok, Thailand 2017

Another working weekend :(

A nicer view this time!

The Longest Jog II

Following my supposed longest jog last week, I went one further and soldiered on to the Singapore Sailing Federation HQ. A total of 12+km of pure running in 85mins. I am getting even better!

Accompanying me this time were my Nike tights which were really helpful, even without knee guards.

I ran so long that my handphone ran out of battery from playing PokemonGO and I had to switch the app off just to conserve what was left for my Spotify.

Thank goodness for Sia, Alan Walker, and Selena Gomez for keeping me going.

We Are Family

Look at what the girl made in school!

So nice!

The Longest Jog

Here's my route. I actually clocked a good 12km at least since I ran from start to almost finish.

Active Older Adults Are Us

You know we're old when this is a couple shot.

#relationshipgoals

This Beautiful View Of Siglap By Day

Following my post on my beautiful view from home of Siglap by night, here you can see how beautiful it is by day.

Beautiful isn't it?

The Great Split

Can anyone guess what this is?

My pants split at work today.

Haha.

Further testament to my ever expanding waistline.

Cashflow Worries

Buying a new property has brought a whole new set of problems.

Worrying about paying down the hefty loan.

Worrying about paying paying back what the wifey has had to stump up up front.

Worrying about paying for renovation.

Worrying about paying for furniture.

Worrying about paying rental for the remaining months at my present place.

Worrying about what we will receive from the proceeds of our other property.

Worrying about having to make this year's SRS contribution.

Worrying about saving money every month.

It's no wonder the white hairs are starting to appear.

Children's Biennale & Yayoi Kusama @ National Gallery

Brought the kids to the event at the National Gallery today. What a fantastic event it was for the kids! Really arty-farty, diverse and creative, the various pit stops were interactive and interesting. The place was quite crowded because the school holidays have begun again.

Here's the map and the various stations to complete!

This is the Hello, Future-me letter box.

This was the Homogenizing And Transforming World installation which was about navigating through an immersive labyrinth of glowing orbs that change colour and produce sounds when touched.

This was the Firewalk: A Bridge Of Embers installation, which was a man-made bridge made to look like an infinite abyss. So cool yet scary. The kids really loved it!

This is the famous Yayoi Kusama's The Obliteration Room. Originally pure white, participants are given a sheet of coloured dot stickers to stick anywhere in the room. The kids also enjoyed this one.

This is the Sonnet In Blue installation, a simple maze made of plastic with poems written on them. Meh.

The tree eye!

Was good fun and the kids absolutely tired themselves out.

Visit while you can!