.....times of refreshing.....

Income Eco Run 2018 ...

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Sun, 06 May 2018 16:07:00 +0000

This was my third consecutive half-marathon with Income Eco Run, which was organised by NTUC Income. It was also my fourth run with them, having did my 10KM on my inaugural run. Thus, this is the marathon I almost joined annually for the past 4 years as well as the most runs I did with the same event. What impressed me most with this run was it is the most affordable among all the running events in SG, well-organised, lots of hydration points with bananas and gels given out even for a HM and finisher-tee. This was also my first run of the year after 'considered' recovered from my plantar faccittis (Heel pain) injury.

My third HM medal from Income Eco run!

I gotta woke up at 2.30am on a Sunday morning in order to board their shuttle bus. That means I gotta sleep at 7.30pm in order to have enough rest for the run. After a simple breakfast of a protein shake and two wheat buns, I started out around 3.15am. It was a 20 min walk from my home to the MRT station to board the bus but I took a cab instead, as I don't feel like walking in the early morning. Once I am on the bus, it pass by some of my running lanes around the neighbourhood and I was tellling to myself, well, that's my preparations. Anyway, I didn't really prepared well for this HM and it was one of the toughest HM for me!

Reached the F1 Pit building at 4am and the run starts at 5am. All folks slowly walking in.

Some thought its a good idea to clear the bladder first

I was at the pen which was not opened yet.

At the first pen and selfie with my running buddy, Ravi.

The starting of the run was smooth and I found myself following a group of 2:45 hours pacers. I thought its a good idea to follow them since I will be slow anyway, due to lack to training. However, my short evening runs of 6-7 KM training doesn't really help me much as I 'hit the wall' after 6KM. I was worried that I might not complete the race as when I look ahead, there are still 15KM ahead!! The pacers were slowly leaving me behind and I decided to relax by going to the loo at a nearby toilet. I took a GU gel later at 8KM and started to run slowly combined with brisk walk. It helps me a bit as I seems regained some energy but it was a struggle all along till the finished line. *phew*

This was taken around 12KM where we are on the way to Gardens by the Bay from East Coast Park and Stadium.

My mood always lightens up when I see the 15KM signage, which means I am into my last quarter of the run.

The last 3 KM seems longer than usual or maybe it's just me! from 17KM to 18KM seems short but 18KM to 19KM was like forever! Anyway, I recorded 21.91KM in my GPS and most of folks also commented it seems longer than 21.1KM. However, I was glad that I managed to finish the run! It was also a humid run!

My sweet finisher tee!

Yours truly in action, nearing the finish line.

China Trip 2017 - Guangzhou # 4 - Cruising along Pearl River

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 16:19:00 +0000

The last itinerary for my 5-day trip to Southern China was a cruise along the famous Pearl River or affectionately known as 'Chu Kong' to the older generations. It was the third longest river in China and I visited the huge river earlier at Zhuhai where I took a few pictures along the banks. Well, this time, we were taken to night cruise along the Pearl River to enjoy the night scenery of Guangzhou. I was very amazed by how developed the city was as there were beautifully designed high-rise buildings along both sides of the river.

A view of one of the modern cruise ship

Inside the cruise, it was fully carpet with free drinks served as well as free shows and an auction event of calligraphy arts.

Picturesque view of high rise office buildings while cruising

They seems purposely changing the colors of the lights

Another view of the river

Passing along the beautifully lit up Haiyin Bridge

The Canton Tower, where the cruise move nearer and nearer to it until we got a good view of it. The colors of the tower kept changing to give us a nice show while the cruise stand still for a while nearest to the tower. I even saw the lift speeding up to the higher levels.

The amazing Liede bridge, with the oval shape supporter that make it unique. We were actually cruising under both bridges and we seems so near to the 'ceiling' below the bridge while passing by.

It was really great to be able to enjoy the cruise and night scenery.

After the cruise, it's time to say good-bye to Guangzhou as our tour bus headed for the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Our flight was at 3am and we waited a while at the airport.

Getting ready to go home, directly back to JB.

Snapping pics around the airport

It's kinda quiet at those hours

Overall, it was a great trip especially my ancestors hailed from this part of the world and I thought 5 days were quite short and how nice if the trip can be 7 or 8 days like my previous year-end trips. The tour group was also a small one which makes it less complicated as most of the folks there were a friendly lot!

Pix for a souvenir!

We reached Senai International Airport around 6am+ . Will be looking forward to my next vacation!

Volcano Ramen ...

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Thu, 05 Apr 2018 16:00:00 +0000

It really has been a while I never enjoyed Japanese ramen regularly as I used to have a bowl almost weekly before Men-ichi Ramen moved their operations away from nearby Northpoint Shopping Centre. Now. with the new Northpoint City wing recently opens, there are really a lot of ramen for me to choose from and well, I am really spoil for choice.

I tried Volcano Ramen there and though the choices are not as many, the ramen there are still the authentic type. Well, glad I can have my ramen fix back but too bad, they don't serve chawanmushi although they have complimentary hard-boiled eggs.

Initially, I thought they served spicy ramen there!

Just a small shop located in Northpoint city, I chance upon this stall while shopping for a new iPad.

Complimentary hard boiled eggs, you can have as many as you can ... hahaha.. I usually had two eggs.

I ordered a Shio Ramen ... love their broth and their thick half-fat chashu.

I shall explore more ramen after my workout ... *burp*

China Trip 2017 - Guangzhou # 3 : Parks hopping !

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 08:52:00 +0000

We visited Yuexiu Park on an cool morning in Guangzhou and it was really a nice place to calm the mind and relax the soul. Surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers as well as cool air, how nice I can come over here whenever I feel stressful. While climbing up the slightly hilly park, there was a sculpture of the Five Rams which probably is the icon for this tourist attractions.

Family Portrait at Yuexiu Park

The 5 Rams Sculpture

Then, we traveled over to the Chen Ancestral Hall, which is a almost century old and housed the Guangdong Folk Art museum. There are lot of beautiful carvings around the buildings and hall as well as carvings of plants.

Carvings of plants in animal and birds form

The century old Chen Ancestral Hall

Look at the carvings on top of the rooftop

Yours Truly selfie with workers' statues

I guess this must be an ancient well

More captivating and beautiful carvings!

It really took a lot of effort and skills for such beautiful carvings and they are everywhere

Next, when it is almost evening, we walked around the streets of Guangzhou and came to the Lychee Park. Well, it was really a day of park-hopping but I am fine with it as the air was cool and fresh. Moreover, we don't have to spend a single cent in parks.

An opera house at the Lychee Park and there were performances going on.

A scenic view of the canal there

Another relaxing view in China, a pond in Lychee Park.

Very old trunk trees in the park.

A panoramic view of the canal in Lychee park

After this, we head for our last attraction in Guangzhou before we headed home via a wee morning flight.

China Trip 2017 - Guangzhou # 2

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 16:53:00 +0000

We stayed one night in Guangzhou at Rosedale Hotel, which seems quite luxurious and is very convenient too with lots of restaurants and shops nearby. It looks like a 5-Star hotel which served international buffet breakfast but we are disappointed with the cleanliness of the hotel. This seems an old hotel which has their prime past.

Nevertheless, I had a good view of the heartlands from the hotel. The city is a mixed of very old buildings and new skyscrapers! It's a very interesting city which of course, there are lots of history to learn here!

The heartlands , mixed with old buildings and new modern buildings and skyscrapers.

A view of Rosedale Hotel, before leaving

We arrived at the CBD area of Guangzhou while on the way to Flower City Square and were greeted with lots of skyscrapers. This place was so modern!!

Office towers everywhere!

Arhh...my neck going to break!

Another iconic building!

There were some functions going on, nearby the Flower City Square.

My princess jumping posed at the Flower City Square.

The Canton Tower at the background during sunrise.

China Trip 2017 - Guangzhou # 1

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 16:16:00 +0000

The five day itinerary ends with visiting Guangzhou where we spent a long , long day there. Well, the trip actually started with a bang, by visiting Macau and winds up in Guangzhou before we boarded our flight back to Senai International Airport in the wee hours at 3am! However, hold on first, we had a great time shopping around Guangzhou after arriving from my ancestral home, Panyu.

I have to break this one long day and night itinerary to a few posts as we visited quite a number of places. Again, I let the pictures do the talking .....

I love the old buildings in Guangzhou. Sometimes I felt like home as some of Ipoh's old colonial buildings also looks like this, minus the cold temperature.

It was almost Christmas then and we were at the famous Beijing Street, its a shopper's haven!

Look at the crowd at the crossroad!! I gotta hold my kids tightly! Errr..wife too else I need to bring a younger wife from there back home... muahahahahaha!

Another view of Guangzhou old street

Back to Beijing Street to shop!

Walking around the huge and long street between the shops. The stuffs there doesn't come cheap!

I somehow mesmerize by the ads here, well, it was Angelababy Ads before this!

We went to Shangxiajiu Street for another 'treat' of shopping the next day. This place seems more affordable (though still not cheap) than Beijing Street and we managed to buy some stuffs. My son and I got a pair of sports shoes while wifey and my princess also got themselves some clothes.

It was a cool afternoon at Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street

Finally some food pixs. Yours truly cannot stand the huge BBQ octopus ... it was hot and slightly spicy! Yums!

Happy Chinese New Year 2018! woof woof ...

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Here wishing all my readers a Happy Chinese New Year of the Dog (my year :)) and may prosperity, abundance wealth, happiness, good food, best of health, lots of love and peacefulness of the mind is with you!

China Trip 2017 - Shunde

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 16:00:00 +0000

I was glad I got a chance to visit my ancestral home, which is Panyu in Guangzhou. In fact, my parents hailed from there and I never felt so good to be able to step onto the city. Though it was just to visit some jade factory on a shopping itinerary, I was excited to be there and was on a lookout for some 'Au' (my surname) family kampung, just like a kid...LOL

I was surprise too to see some of the home-cooked food served there are quite similar to those that my mom cooked. So, there's a history behind my mom's cooking, she inherited the local food there and brought over to Malaysia. And, I guess the same too for all the moms who came from there.

I bought this milk candy from a shop there nearby. I have opened it before I snap the pix..LOL It tasted like those 'ting ting' candies sold in the peninsular.

Next the tour bus took us to Shunde, which was nearby Panyu, and a district in Foshan City. We visited FengJiang Village, which was an old village with a river cutting through it. I heard this place was turn into a tourist attraction recently, and the riverside was busy with lots of stores and hawkers selling food and souvenirs.

Greeted by salted fish hanging over the cold , dry air to be dried

Beautiful statues at the river side

You can pay for a boat ride along the river

Ginger Beancurd...I love it. There was a lot of ginger in it!!

A part of the river with boats waiting for the customers to board

A walk around the village. It was an eye-opener to visit old villages there compared to those bustling cities

Kids and teens painting along the river while adults relaxing there

Love this herbal pork meat. It tasted really good, I want to try again! Yummy!!

Yours truly ready to spar ... LOL

China Trip 2017 - Foshan

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 16:52:00 +0000

I guess whenever people heard of Foshan, the first that came to mind is martial art masters like Wong Fei Hung or Ip Man. Yes, finally, I gotta the opportunity to visit Foshan after hearing it since my childhood in kungfu movies and dramas. And, Foshan is not a village like what I seen in the movies but a big province, though to the chinese people, it is consider a small place. I let pictures do the talking in this post.

First before we reached Foshan, we were around a place called Zhongsan. I guess it was named after Sun Yat Sen. We were actually at his birthplace and what a historical place to visit. There was a museum here with full of stories about his life, his wives, his siblings, his family, his descendants, parents and etc. It took a while for us to wrap up the visit at the museum.

Great to be at the birthplace of this great man after visiting his mausoleum in Nanjing 2 years ago

Map of the museum area

The place where he is born ... his ancestral house. See below.

The houses at his home village

An indoor museum

Enactment of one of his room

Cuiheng village - His birthplace

Enactment of a kitchen in the village

A statue of Sun Yat Sen

Next we reached Foshan and visited the Foshan ancestral temple which also called Zumiao. Here they housed several memorial halls and a Taoist worship temple. I especially like visiting the Wong Fei Hung and Ip Man memorial halls.

Wong Fei Hung Memorial hall

The courtyard of the memorial hall. It seems like those KungFu films where the boxers practise their kungfu here...LOL
You can read the history of Master Wong's movies and dramas over here.

We were entertained to a show of martial arts and lion dance

Selfie with the statue of Master Wong

Then, I headed to Ip Man memorial hall.

Yours truly almost want to pose in a typical Wing Chun move but didn't do so out of respect for the Master.

A portrait of Master Ip

We travel to the Ancient Nanfeng Kiln, which is the oldest kiln in Foshan. This is also where pottery originated in Foshan. Nearby, there were a lot of pottery shops.

I like the design of the kiln, it's looks unique !

Inside the kiln

The roots of the tree crawling up the wall... it must an very old tree

An old lane there

Above and below, some of the old homes there, where most of t hem turn into shops

A landscape view of the village there at Nanfeng Kiln

A street in Foshan

All these shops sold pottery, it seems to be a local art and product there.

There it is, I let the pictures did most of the blogging in this post. It's easier to show around my day 3 itinerary. And, the weather got colder as we move north, around 15 to 18 celsius compare to Macau and Zhuhai.

China Trip 2017 - Zhuhai ....

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 17:25:00 +0000

Continuing my travelogue to Macau and Southern China last month in December 2017, where I went to Macau and several provinces in Guangdong. If you miss my first travelogue, please click on this link. :) After we are done visiting Macau, it's time to cross over to Zhuhai, which is just an immigration block away. Yeah, we entered the CIQ building at Macau and leave the building in Zhuhai, thus it's just a building away! hahaha.... Anyway, we were late and were at the CIQ during the peak hour where throngs and throngs of workers and labour leaving for Zhuhai. I gotta hold my kids tight as well as the tour guide had a hard time looking after all of us! It was chaotic! hhahaha...

We felt so relaxed after reaching Zhuhai and started doing some shopping while waiting for the tour bus to arrive, at a huge shopping centre near the CIQ. And, I like the cantonese speaking staff over there!! Felt so much at 'home'!!! I didn't even have much chance to speak cantonese in SG and JB!

The popular statue of Yunu

We first visited the statue of Yunu , which was near the seaside. I love the cool breeze blew towards us in the morning, though it's a bit hazy on that day. There was a love story about Yunu and Shijing, who has his own statue nearby a hill. Lots of photo taking occurs here including a family portrait below. Next, off we go to Shijing hill, where took a short cable car ride to the peak for sight-seeing.

The statue of Shijing with my wifey and princess posing here.

One of the landscape views I captured at the hill. We had a good look at Zhuhai and Macau here, though it's a bit hazy that morning.

I also snapped some pixs of Zhuhai city centre and like any Chinese cities, the roads are huge with lots of skyscrapers and buildings, not forgetting the lines of obikes everywhere!

Zhuhai city centre

OBikes everywhere!!

Big but clean roads !

After lunch, we proceeded for some shopping before going to the Yuan Ming Palace, which is the only royal garden in South China. It was picturesque place where we really took a lot of photos around. We were also treated to a live show there about China's royal history.

The Yuan Ming Palace

One of the ancient building there

Looks like an abandoned fort

Yours truly with family and fellow tour members waiting for the live show

Invasion of foreign powers in old China

The fall of the palace

Restoration - beautiful performance by the artists

Some weird looking trees there

And the serene lake at Yuan Ming palace

We had a great evening of street shopping at Zhuhai, which was just below our hotel. In facr, this was a convenient hotel where there are lots of street peddlers and big malls around. Thus, once the tour ended for the day, we have it free and easy.

The bright shops along the street where our hotel is located

Shopping malls are abundant here

Love the happening place there and it opens till very late.

It was a tired day as we woke up around 6am and thus, after a nice stroll around, we went to our hotel to rest and get ready for the next day, and yes, gotta wake up early too. :)

New toy .... and Happy New Year 2018!

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 16:53:00 +0000

Well, once you have stopped blogging for a while, usually that laziness will crept in. This is especially so after some long holidays. I tell myself to write something after I reached home from work and settled down but I ended doing something else. Muahahahaha.... glad I manage to start my first post of 2018. And, oh.. wishing you guys a blessed New Year! Hope it's not too late to wish you!

I got myself a gift too for the new year since my 3 year old Garmin Vivoactive GPS running watch strap was broken. This was my second strap where I bought a replacement last year which cost me around S$50+. I thought it's not feasible to buy another strap again since the watch is obsolete and while its upgraded version cost S$299. I will spent almost S$100+ on the straps alone if I get another one! While shopping for a watch, my colleague recommended me the Amazfit Bip , which cost only S$100 online.

Unboxing my new toy ... it looks like an Apple Watch ! LOL

The watch and the charger. One charge can last 45 days if the GPS is not activated (that's what I read)

The watch packed with a lot of features - Steps tracking, Sleep tracking, Heart rate tracking, GPS for outdoor activities like running, cycling and walking, smartwatch for the phone where it receives notifications, can answer or hang up a call, weather information, compass, alarm and etc. It can be synced to the Mi Fit app which also can configured the watch's settings. To sync to third party running apps like Strava, Runkeeper will required an alternative app called 'Notify and Fitness' which is only available from Google Playstore currently. I guess for this price, it is an affordable watch.

My new toy

Initially, I had problems getting the GPS signal as it took a while to lock it. However, after I did a factory reset where the firmware was reinstalled, the GPS signal is available within 1-2 minutes. Well, I also bought some bumper to protect the watch and it's on delivery soon.

And, not forgetting I had a simple dinner during Chrismas eve in Vivo Pizza. We ordered main pastas as you can never go wrong with pastas in Italian restaurants.

Mushroom Aglio Olio

Beef Bolognaise

Mushroom carbonara

And a chicken chop for my little princess.

Have a great weekend ahead!!

Merry Christmas 2017!!

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 16:00:00 +0000

I took this while shopping in City Square, JB. I love the Christmas ambiance there , though it's not comparable to Singapore's Orchard Road. However, it's still great to see some Christmas joy around!

Have a peaceful and beautiful Christmas Day!!

China Trip 2017 - Macau....

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 17:11:00 +0000

The last time I went to China was two years ago where I toured the Jiangnam area which consisted of cities like Hangzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Nanjing and Shanghai. Well, I was back to China again in 2017 and this time I was at the southern part. Well, it's not as cold as the northern area but it's still cold to our standards, temperature ranging from 15 Celsius to 20 Celsius. The good thing I can ditch away by inner heat trap wear and a long sleeve tshirt will do.

This trip covered Macau, Zhuhai, Foshan, Shunde and Guangzhou which are all located in the Guangdong area and I was there for 6 days and 5 nights. It's pretty short as usually, my year end trips will last at least 8 days. LOL. The best thing about this trip is I am at a cantonese speaking locality and I never felt so much at home. In fact, some thought I am a native there! muahahahahaha...

After a stressful time at the Senai International Airport where the check-in kiosks were down and the lack of manpower at the AirAsia counters which added more woes to it, we were forced to queue for almost 2 hours, which means the flight was delayed 2 hours. I guess both the airport management and the AirAsia ticketing crew should have some backup plan and not let things just move on 'naturally'. Luckily, the flight took 3 hours and 45 mins and we were there by noon. Macau International was under renovation then and there was not much to see there. I love the cool air once I got down from the plane.

The first itinerary was visiting the Venetian Casino, which is one of the biggest casino there. Somehow this place is super crowded even on a Wednesday and I don't really like it there. It's just an eye-opener for me to visit such a huge casino with lots of folks around. And, I love the Pork Ribs Bun! (No pic here as I was too hungry then...hahah)

One of the wings of the Venetian

I am glad we are off to another itinerary and we were taken sight-seeing around the city. It was a beautiful place with modern and old buildings, and an expensive place especially the hotel. We have a nice cantonese speaking tour guide who entertained us and most of us , tourists, have a good time talking cantonese with her.

Shopping at Koi Kee confectionary

One of the best itinerary was to shop at Macau's various confectionery and biscuits shops, especially those with a long history. My kid loves their almond cookies and we did bought a lot!

The 15th century Ma Zhu temple

A relaxing spot near the temple

A peaceful old street near the temple

Glimpse of the Macau life

Then, we were brought along some old streets in Macau where there was an old temple sitting there, which was a tourism spot. I love seeing these old buildings, it's so much like HongKong.

Old Apartments

Old streets

Crowded apartments (up and below)

An old Catholic graveyard

A typical signboard in Macau, still can see lots of Portuguese words there

This almost took us one day and the last itinerary for the day was none other than visiting the Ruins of St.Paul's. Well, as the tour guide said, if you didn't visit this itinerary, you missed out a big part of Macau.

The majestic Gate

Family wefie ... it's so crowded there

Looking down from St Paul Ruins ..

We were rushing off to Zhuhai after that in order to avoid the rush hour, which is after working hours. We still needed to cross over the CIQ to China, though it's just passing by both CIQs under one building. It's so unlike JB-SG custom where you needed to cross the strait. We were slightly late and there were lots of human traffic there. I gotta watch over my family closely.

The crowded Zhuhai CIQ...look at the mountains of folks!!

And, we were in China, waiting to check-in to our hotel and dinner. It was a cold night too!

Back to Hong Dae Restaurant ...

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 16:00:00 +0000

This was last Sunday and I am already on vacation in Guangzhou and Macau now. I will blog about my retreat when I am back next week. Oh... I really have craving for Korean food lately, no thanks to the Korean drama and I pestered my wifey to go back to Hong Dae in Taman Permas Jaya, JB, which served great Korean cuisines.

It was quiet at 3pm , come 6pm, it's super crowded!!

Up and below, varieties of korean dishes

Miso seafood soup... My kid loves it. It carried some spicyness but it's great tasting. It's slightly different from the Japanese variety.

And my favourite Korean Ginseng Soup... I can finish the entire bowl.

Here's one of the better places for Korean food in JB! Will come back again! Have a good weekend!

Recovering from Plantar Fasciitis.....

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 05:36:00 +0000

I blogged about plantar fasciitis in my last post and I have been suffering from it for the past two years. Well, I am still not too sure what are the treatments except taking anti-inflammation and painkillers, which GP always prescribe, but I guess rest from running might help. And, getting good apparels like wearing good cushioning shoes too. In fact, I think it all started after a half-marathon run and later, I wore a pair of shoes with poor cushioning for a week long trip.

Here's an excerpt from wiki on the disorder -

Plantar fasciitis is a disorder that results in pain in the heel and bottom of the foot.^[1] The pain is usually most severe with the first steps of the day or following a period of rest.^[3] Pain is also frequently brought on by bending the foot and toes up towards the shin and may be worsened by a tight Achilles tendon.^[3]^[2] The condition typically comes on slowly.^[2] In about a third of people both legs are affected.^[1]

I am trying acupunture later and see how it goes. Btw, I got these from my contractor who also sold sports apparel.

A recovery compression sock wore after a workout

It's pretty tight and I shouldn't wash it too often as it will loosen very soon

Recovery after a run

The socks seems help as I felt the pain eased after wearing it for a few days but it also helps by wearing a good cushioning shoes. It did come back again especially when I wore my old running shoes and I have since discarded it. And, of late, I shop for a new shoes and got a Brooks Glycerin 14, a recommendation from a seasoned runner. I will blog on my experience with the shoes later.

I will work on the recovery as a full marathon is still on my bucket list. Oh.. I love Korean Ginseng Soup lately and got my fix in Seoul Garden Hot Pot.

Have a good week!

Reward after a run ...

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 16:13:00 +0000

I have cut down on my running since early this year after suffering from plantar facittis, or simply heels pain, for almost two years. In fact, my doctor asked me to do a short run once a week only and don't participate in anymore running events till my heels fully recovered. Well, rest did help as the pain went away especially when I never run for 4-5 days but it came back when I started running. However, I still do short runs of 2KM at the treadmill for two times per week and an outdoor run of 5KM weekly. I am actually getting lazy to run after never run for more than 5KM except the half-marathon which I did in last April. Thus, the 5KM run did at least push me to run and catch some fresh air though sometimes I walk a bit and usually, took a breather after the halfway mark of 2.5KM. This is a far cry from those days when I did 10KM-15KM weekly back then! Sigh!

The good thing is after the 5KM weekly run with my friends, we usually rewarded ourselves with some good food nearby. Yes, the calories we burned were quickly compensated back ! LOL.

One of our favourite eateries is Restaurant Ayam Penyet President, located in Sports Hub, Singapore. Besides ayam penyet, they also offered a lot of Indonesian cuisines.

Catfish (Lele Pesmol)

Ayam Penyet

Gado-gado

Satay

Tahu Telur

The food is the reward for the 5KM run...LOL. Anyway, I intend to re-train myself again. I miss those running days! :)

Chicken Soup for a rainy night ...

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 16:00:00 +0000

The rainy season has started and I do look forward to it as the days are cooler and I sweat lesser in the morning while going to work. Of course, I dreaded floods in many parts of the country and I pray that the affected areas stay dry soon and folks will go back to their normal lives. Back to my post, since it's been raining lately, I decided to go for something warm this evening and Korean Ginseng Chicken soup comes to my mind. I was at Seoul Garden Hotpot in Northpoint Shopping mall, Singapore.

free flow kim chi, spicy radish and onions

Hot Ginseng chicken soup

I didn't workout this evening after doing weights and ran consecutively for three evenings. Thus, it's time to wind down a bit for the weekend and warm myself up too with a bowl of nutritious chicken soup. And, time to plan for next year for my goals as well as my year end holidays!! I think I also need to plan how to improve my earnings with my blog! :)

Have a good week!

A relaxing lunch ...

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Usually I was the one who suggested to try out new eateries but this time round, my wifey discovered a newly open restaurant and she thought it's a good idea to go there for lunch. That was two Saturdays ago, before I went for my ...urh... root canal treatment. It's actually B.E. Cafe in Taman Molek, where they have moved to a new location here.

That place was quiet when we reached there almost 2pm. I like the clean, quiet and relaxing environment there. Served by a friendly waitress, we got our orders done efficiently. My ideal lunch for the weekend was always a non hurried, relaxing, less crowded and comfortable eatery. That's how I wind down during the weekend. :)

My little princess enjoying the relaxing and quiet ambiance.

An Aglio Olio for my son who shared with my wifey as he always love plain pasta.

A nasi lemak with fried chicken cutlet for me. Oooh... I'm getting fat! :(

A serving of waffles while delighted my little princess.

And not forgetting my Americano.

Have a great week!

Dental blues....

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 06:17:00 +0000

Oh... I been bogged down by a toothache in one of my upper molar, and have been in and out of my 'atas' dentist clinic for four times, in a month.The first time he didn't do anything but subscribed medicines to me as there was an infection in my tooth, where some nerves seems got infected. After taken the meds, the pain seems gone but I went back a week later and facing a probable extraction which was diagnosed earlier and that kept me tense for a week. Anyway, I praise God that a filling will do after he took an X-ray and that was great news as I don't have to lose an important tooth. However, he added a root canal is a better treatment for me. The filling seems to be a temporary solution although the pain is gone. So, after 2 weeks, I decided to go back for the root canal and the days leading up to the treatment was quite tense. Anyway, Praise God again that the procedure was almost painless. However, after the treatment and with the anesthetic wore off, there was some disxomfort and I decided to go back for my final treatment, which is to close up the tooth with permanent fillings. It was really a month of dental blues!! And that 'atas' dentist doesn’t come cheap, though he did a superb job !

Prior to that, after my usual weekly run with my colleagues, we went to Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh for dinner at sports Hub, Singapore.

Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh

The side dishes , i love the mui cai.

Mee sua for those who doesn't want rice

Bak Kut Teh in clear soup, Singapore style!

More pork braised

And dry Bask Kut Teh in claypot too.

I guess I gotta stop meat for a while and go for softer food. LOL... Have a good week!

Korean Wave ...

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 15:17:00 +0000

I was hooked to Korean dramas lately, thanks to my wifey who has been chasing every episodes found on TV! I was not a fan before this but after watching some episodes of Doctor's Crush, somehow I find it entertaining with pretty actresses and cute actors, and I am spending more and more time on K-drama. Now, I understand why aunties and ladies love it, the stories are always romantic in nature, the guys were good-looking and acted gentlemanly while the ladies are gorgeous and mostly girls-next-door type. Added with a nice storyline, it makes a feel good drama compared to those serious and or blood-gore type. I am watching Hospital Ship now online.

And, after seeing many food scenes too, I had a craving of Korean food and ended up in a new restaurant, in Permas Jaya, JB, Hong Dae. I always like Korean Ginseng Chicken soup which is the only Korean dish that I knew, besides kim chi and bibimpap.

My favourite Ginseng Chicken Soup

Miso seafood soup for my wifey

Assortment of Korean small dishes

We just ordered the above for the three of us, as my kid attended a birthday party. It's enough for us especially there are so many small dishes for us which can be top-up.

Now, time to go back to the mushy Korean dramas.....

Oishi!!!

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Before I went into hibernation at this point of time last year, I used to post lots of Japanese food especially ramen. Well, I thought why not I do another one in this post since I just patronised the grand Warakuya Restaurant last weekend.

It really looks grand outside and spacious!

The restaurant - Folks waiting for their seats while they served free tidbits, fruits and beverages. There's even a small shop selling Japanese stuffs and three massage chairs for tired legs.

If you are coming on weekends, it's best to do an advance booking but still, there is some waiting time. We waited almost 40 mins even though we called in to book. And, now the food ....

Some specialty sushi

Japanese Pizza ... it's crunchy with full of seaweed taste!

Assorted sushi and sashimi

Fried rice and Cold Soba

Cawanmushi ....our favourite

The food really tasted good and to me, it's one of the better Japanese restaurant in JB. I understand they have three branches here in Permas Jaya, Taman Pelangi and Mount Austin. Will visit the other two when I am free. Have a great week!!

Sunday Brunch at Super Cafe ....

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 16:00:00 +0000

I thought this was another local cafe with a Starbucks or Coffee Bean theme which operated by the Super Group, more known for their 3 in 1 coffee sold all over the country and Singapore. Located at the less popular Aeon Permas Jaya, their manufacturing plant was just 2KM away. It was only until I realised they served meals , and not just desserts to go along with the coffee.

The environment was pleasant with a few tables and sofas and it was relaxing dining there. After all, this Aeon was not as crowded as the other five Aeons in JB.

Super Cafe... pictures courtesy of Super Cafe facebook page

While running some groceries after fetching my kids from tuition nearby, we decided to try out the food there and had brunch. I guess this is the only or the first cafe that the Super Manufacturing Group opens.

A pancake and ice cream with chocolate syrup on top for my little princess

Aglio Olio for my wifey

My kid and I ordered a set each of their breakfast set.

Overall, the food was great and I especially love the scramble eggs, which was also my kid's favourite. I definitely love their Americano, which was thick and slightly bitter which really perks me up for the day! After having a light breakfast, I considered this a brunch and it was a good one!

Have a good weekend!

This Blog Is Back!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 16:16:00 +0000

Well, thanks for the comments left in my two previous teasers and it was great to see there are still comments coming in after I stayed inactive for almost a year!! Yeah, I have taken a year break from blogging and all ready to come back, with some new ideas. I will create some pages of interests in the coming weeks and probably will stick to a few topics instead of 'rojak' posts like the past. Of course, food is included as I always love to introduce new makan places in JB.

I also chose a new theme for the blog instead of using bloggers' themes and I am loving this theme. Hope you guys like it too. More to come albeit gradual updates and will visit your the blogs in my list again!

I be back..... !

check.....

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 16:22:00 +0000

blog font ... check
blog page. ..not ready
blog template ...check..
blog banner .. not ready
blog mobile responsive .. check.
.....

get set ....

noreply@blogger.com (ChrisAu) — Sun, 24 Sep 2017 08:18:00 +0000