Posted on 13 May 2010 @ 07:48 in Memories, Personal
I was there. My grandfather’s Chinese herbal shop was on the street where it all started. I still remember all the other shops were already closed, but ours wasn’t. My dad and his older brother refused to close the shop, instead waiting at the entrance and it was only when they saw a group approaching from the opposite side of the roundabout that they decided to pull the metal shutters and lock up. Till today, I still shudder at what would’ve happened if one of them had stumbled and they were a moment too late.
I remember sitting at the round marble table upstairs doing my Malay homework, and thinking “No school tomorrow!”
I remember we took turns peeping out from the middle window in my parents’ bedroom to see the burning on the street below. It wasn’t easy – the windows were the old-fashioned wooden-slat type and we had to physically open the window for a slit wide enough to peep through.
I remember seeing the photo shop burning across the road. It had a huge glass display window, some framed photos inside surrounded by yards of decorative fabric. The window got smashed and the wooden photo frames and fabric used for burning.
For many years, there were different versions of what happened, why it happened and who was involved. For many years, these different versions of May 13 conflicted with mine, but the recent publication of May 13 by Dr Kua Kia Soong has verified that what I remember of that night is true.
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Posted on 5 May 2010 @ 10:18 in Health, Personal
After three months of occasional walks, I have completed a total of 54.4km which, according to the nikerunning.com site, qualified me to move forward one level, from yellow to orange. Of course, I’ve walked more than that, but the usual stuff such as from car to lobby lift, or from car to front door of sister’s house, or even my frequent mall meanderings do not count. The 54.4 kilometres were on set walking routes mapped at the aforementioned site.
This morning’s 5.39km walk was 36.8% further than my very first walk of 3.94km back in late January. That first walk was also the shortest I’ve done these past three months. The longest walk I ever did was 5.98km. Walking pace has always been below 10 minutes, which both pleased and surprised me the first time I saw the number.
Seeing the orange on my NikeRunning profile page has given me a renewed purpose to keep going for my morning walks. Previously, it was “I don’t feel like walking this morning, my joints hurt … ” but from now on, I want to meet my 3-walks-a-week commitment. Unless it rains. Heavily.
Here’s the plan – to walk at least 3 times a week, to maintain a minimum of 5km per walk, to keep my walking pace below 10 minutes, and to move to the next level, green, within three months.
The above plan will be achieved with the help of my Nike+ Sportband and the nikerunning.com site. The Sportband has proved to be a good investment. Some of my motivation has come from seeing my walks visually represented. Here’s the one from this morning.
Having walking buddies and seeing their achievements also help to motivate me further. Thanks, Nazley.
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RTFM!
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Posted on 2 May 2010 @ 14:14 in Stress Busters
Wolong Panda Centre
12 September 2007
“Of all the panda cubs born in 2006, I had to choose the most independent and fiercest of them all!”
Pandas International Newsletter – October 2007
These words reflect my first impression of Yoong Ping, aka Feng Yi, the panda cub I’d adopted in September 2006, during our very first meeting a year later. While other cubs hung out with one another and gladly gave hugs to their keepers and visitors, my cub spent a lot of time by herself, and often up in the trees. Heck, even when the keeper lured her down with a piece of wowotou, she took the bread and immediately turned around to go back up the tree!
And so I was very surprised and happy to see her on the ground – not just coming down for a short while – but SEATED and eating. This remains one of my all-time favourite Yoong Ping / Feng Yi pictures, because it shows her in an unfamiliar environment.
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