A Little Birthday Reflection

A little birthday reflection

I first saw a lean tanned guy
Trying hard to address a crowd
As he tried to project his voice
Each time he spoke
A hand coolly perched on his back
The other gesticulating away
His body weight slightly on one foot
His face slightly turned

I soon learned he was the trainer
Whose training plans I eagerly await
Every Monday before 830am
My Inbox I would check
One week it was late
Repeated refreshing brought nil mails
What relief as it finally beeped
With the awaited plan at 10am

Many speed and distance runs
Across interesting routes and mixed terrains
Through unknown roads and linkages
Hidden estates we bashed through
Cantebury Portsdown discovered
Brings much respite to the runs
Easing the pounding monotony
And hard panting breaths

On this twenty-ninth of September
As you turn two past thirty years
I wish you many more happy returns
As you attain many better PBs
Amongst the greatest one we can never beat
Your choice of significant other
As you continue your journey with her
Have a happy birthday, Ong

Domestic Therapy

My mum's away for a couple of days. She goes on these free cruise trips a few times a year, courtesy of my cousin's gaming prowess. When mum's away, that means DIY-everything. Read: recycle more of everything. So I have tried out domestic therapy for a few days. Some people claim that household chores can be uplifting and almost detoxifying for the spirit. I reckoned only my arms were uplifted from the packing and my hands throughly detoxed (aka disinfected) from the cleaning.

The first afternoon, I merrily cleaned out my wardrobe. I should hold an auction, I might rake some profits from all the recycleable stuff. One small shelf led to another, and I turned the entire cupboard inside out. It was gratifying to free up an extra 50% space in the bulging cupboards, whose metal rods and doors threaten to spill their contents everyday. Being organized means sorting the clothes into 4 neat piles - the outing, the sports, the sleep-in, and the post-sports - never mind if they sound similar. I've a premonition the 4 neat piles would soon morph into 1 big mess, but then one can't keep worrying about the future can we? :) Laundry was up next. I'm thankful that I'm small-sized, so there's less cloth to wash. I'm such an inefficient washer, if my mum was away longer, Singapore would need lots more Newater. But hey, I'm quite good at scrubbing clothes fast. I managed to do my laundry today, before coming to work. Well, I was sort of late for work. But hey, someone has to do the laundry right?
And here comes my all-time favorite activity. Food. Maggi mee. Via microwave. I flooded the machine. It was a bowl, plus noodles, plus hot water. With a glass lid cover. It flooded the microwave tray. I then set the lid slightly ajar to let some steam out. It flooded more. Excellent. The 3-min fast to cook, fast to eat meal, became a 15min clean up session.

And there ends my attempts at domestic therapy. Clean sheets and clothes beckon. My mum is back today.