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

30.6.15 Sundown Marathon Race pack collection....

ChrisAu 12:31 AM Sundown marathon; Running; Miso sapporo Ramen , 37 Comments

The race pack collection for the Sundown Marathon was last weekend at Suntec City Convention Hall , level 4 and I was one of the early birds. I was there 30 minutes later after the opening. Very kiasu hor ? Well, not really la, I just finished an early presentation at 10.30am and since I needed to attend my colleague's farewell lunch at 12pm, as well as needed to go back to JB in the evening, I decided to chop chop collect the stuffs.

It was nice to be there early, there was little crowd and I need not to queue, compared to the late evening and Sat and Sun. I can also enjoy the exhibits where I purchase a headband at a discount rate. You know, whenever I ran, I needed to wipe my face and forehead every 15 mins after 30 mins of run. So, I thought no harm trying out the headband which works to help divert my sweat to the left and right.

Empty and no queue at all :D

Booths at Sundown ... the promoters also seems free

woah... check out the gorgeous ladies around ... hahah... Not really la.. I enjoyed checking the running apparels which is difficult to find at malls.

Lots of stuffs sold here ... from Shoes to apparels and power gels/bars.

New Balance booth

And,the banner that greets you ... I am all ready this Sat. , amid a little nervous with my frst half marathon

Oh... I had a miso sapporo ramen the night before ....

Have a good week!

24.6.15 Mixing with the younger ones...

ChrisAu 12:00 AM well - being , 17 Comments

Sometimes, it's not a bad idea to hang out with younger folks than you are , provided they don't mind..hahaha... When I talked to younger working adults in their 20s, I can always sense the drive in them. They tend to be hungry for success and ready to learn and try out new things whether in work or play. This can be good for older working folks especially when they lost the drive and directions at some point, after been working for so long. You will feel the oopmh and reminded yourself when you are younger then and how you get started on your career.

Well, even talking and playing with kids makes you feel joyful ! Have a game of chess or boardgames with them to de-stress yourself and discover the child in you. :)

Oh.. I was around Saladbox and thought it's a good idea to have salad for dinner. I ordered a salad filled with chicken slices , tortilla chips and all the greens with some thousand island sauce. It's delicious but can only keep me full for two hours. hahaha... I needed a supper later.

Have a good mid-week!

22.6.15 blogging style ?

ChrisAu 1:02 AM food , updates 31 Comments

I got a strange question from one of my friends who followed my blog. Well, he asked me why my blog posts always started with a story and ends with food, especially Japanese food? hahaha... I told him every blogger has their own style of blogging, for example, some gorgeous ladies will posts their selfies and slim bods pixs on their blogs, the makan gurus will posts lots of foodie pixs and reviews, the sports fans will talk about and review their games and activities and so on and on. I actually started on food reviews since I always travelled around when my kids are younger but I don't have that luxury now since the kids have to go to schools.

Ok, btw, I had a simple Father's Day dinner where we had a simple Japanese meal, since the kids wanted to have it. Anyway, nothing grand yet for a young daddy like me .... hahahaha... no need a 10-course banquet yet.

Raw and cooked salmon sushi

Sake maki sushi - My fav

Tobiko Sushi for my kids .. they love it

My wifey order a california maki sushi ...

A Teriyaki Salmon for my kids to share

I had a healthy Salmon Shioyaki set

And a simple Kake Udon for my wifey

Have a good week, folks!

19.6.15 quietness.....

ChrisAu 12:22 AM well - being , 34 Comments

Most of the time, in order to wind down and relax, you don't really need to drive far away to some nice places (though that can pleasant too) or spent a fortune for an overseas trip (of course, I don't mind one.. :P). To me, it's good enough to go to a nice, air-conditioned and quiet cafe and indulged in some nice coffee and cakes or toasts. That was what I had last Saturday and I might do it again this weekend.

My favourite Espresso Americano

And of course, I love kaya toasts

It's weekend and time to wind down. Have a good one! :)

16.6.15 Job hopping = more $$$ ??

ChrisAu 12:40 AM Finance , 17 Comments

I just read an article from some posts on Finance and they encourage one to job hop in order to maximise their wages. Well, their analysis is if someone stayed in the same company for a long time, the increment they get may not be as much as someone who joined another company, as they will get an instant 'big' increment. Thus, the article was suggesting by job hopping every 2 or 3 years, the worker can actually maximise his/her wages compared to the person who stayed in the company for years. And, they also mentioned in today's working climate, there are no longer such thing as loyalty but more on your skillsets.

Do you agree with the article? To me, there's job security concerns as if you are comfortable with your current job, and if the new job gave you a lot of problems (colleagues, environment, working condition...etc), you may end up looking for another job very soon. But then, even if someone worked in a company for 20 years, this risk may still exists. As the article pointed out, your future employees may not like to employ a job hopper but if you have a certain demanding skillsets, that is a different case.

Well, I am not looking for new jobs now but this article which I just read seems quite thought provoking. (PM me if you want the article as I don't want to link it here) Oh yeah, I was very hungry tonight after my gym workout and decided to order a sake maki and a Shokado Wazen bento set.

Sake maki - My favourite!

Shokado Wazen Bento Set

And, a hot green tea to wind down...

Have a great week, folks!

11.6.15 Mind over matters ?

ChrisAu 12:36 AM running , 29 Comments

With the sundown half-marathon in 3 weeks time, I decided to run for 15KM for the rest of my training. I did my first 15KM run last Monday, after a warm-up run of 5KM on Sunday night. My leg muscles are fine after the Sunday run and after a 'rocky' start during the first 2KM, I beginning to run smoothly till the 10KM mark. And, that was the time where I started to feel tired and the struggle begins. hahahhaa... Gradually I am getting tired and did some walking but continue to run until I reached the 13KM mark. I felt like quitting as this juncture but since I set myself a goal to complete 15KM, I struggled on and tried to eliminate the negative thoughts with positive self-talk. Well, when you are tired, the mind too is tired and the negative thoughts will crept in. It was real tough from 13-15KM and I jogged really slow but glad I didn't give up and managed to complete the training. I ran for almost 2 hours. Anyway, after finishing the run, I was thinking how can I complete the 21KM half-marathon...hahaha... I guess I probably walk 6KM, with a little run, to the finishing line...ahahah...

I joined my colleagues the next day for a 5KM run and my leg muscles are really aching before the run. However,since I promised them, I thought 5KM should be allright. Anyway, by the time I reaches 3KM+, the same episode happened again. I really felt like quitting again as my muscles were really aching and I was tired too. Not sure if it's mind over matters but I will definitely walk if I feel tired during the event. Better don't take risk. :) Anyway, step by step, I managed to complete the run in 35 mins, with my colleagues waiting for me as they completed 5 mins earlier than me.

I went back to the gym for my workout tonight and did a relaxing 2 KM run on the treadmill. This is the most productive week for me and with another 2-3KM slow run on the treadmill tomorrow, I break my record of 30KM per week. Of course, this is kacang putih for the seasoned runners but that warrants a rewarding Sapporo Miso Ramen for me tonight.

Have a good mid-week and stay positive !! :)

8.6.15 Big Prawn noodles...

ChrisAu 6:01 PM food; prawn noodles , 30 Comments

Though I am Malaysian, somehow I prefer the Singapore Prawn mee compared to Malaysia's , which is basically based on the Penang prawn mee. I find the latter spicy and basically, lesser or smaller or no prawns, though the soup is nice. The prawn noodles in Singapore usually contains bigger prawns with a light but non-spicy soup. The soup brings out the raw prawn flavour which I love it and some put in some pork ribs to go with it. Of course, with the bigger prawns, it doesn't come cheap.

I had this at a food court in Whampoa yesterday and it's been a while I never had the big prawn noodles. I guess this is one famous stalls around as it moves from the famous 'Long House' food court.

It was not crowded at 4pm then ...

Here's my bowl of big prawn noodles , cost me S$10. I simply love the prawn meat and the soup!

And, a ice-kacang to sum up a wonderful afternoon !

Oooh. I have been eating a lot over the weekend in SG. Gotta run more! :) Have a good week ahead!

5.6.15 Hwa Mui Restaurant , JB ...

ChrisAu 1:43 AM food , 19 Comments

Well, some folks did ask me how I spent my long weekend and I told them I actually went to Johor Premium Outlets to check out football kits. This is a good time to buy the just concluded football season's jerseys as you can fetch them at a good discounted price, since the new season's jersey are coming out.

To my disappointment, there was not many jerseys at both Adidas and Nike outlets and some of them are left with sizes that either too small or too big for me. I guess I am slightly slower where I should have gone earlier. Anyway, all is not lost as I got the Brazil World Cup kit for my kid and myself, an England World Cup kit for my little princess, a running shirt for myself and a Nike shirt for my kid.

And, not forgetting we had a nice brunch at the popular Hwa Mui Restaurant, which is famous for their Hainanese Chicken Chop. Anyway, due to the hot weather, we didn't order the chicken chop, though I would love to. Well, next time!

Selfie with the kids ...

A cooling kopi ice kao to start with...

Mee Goreng for my wifey and kid

A Chicken sandwich for me

A breakfast set for my little princess which I shared with her

Have a good weekend! :)

Hwa Mui Restaurant is located at - Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

3.6.15 Pavillion Steamboat, Taman Molek, JB...

ChrisAu 12:13 AM food , 14 Comments

Last weekend was a relaxing weekend for me as it was a public holiday in Singapore on Monday while school holidays has started. That means we can break away from our usual routines as all my kids' enrichment classes are off. Though we didn't go anywhere far, it was great to be able to find some 'freedom' around and wind down, instead of rushing to send them to classes.

I thought of having steamboat on a Friday evening after returning back from work and the first place I thought of was Pavillion Steamboat in Taman Molek. I like this place, it was clean, air-conditioned, bright, good service and they gave away ice-cream potong. LOL The food was not bad too as it was fresh and lots of ingredients given for the per head set meals.