Clearing the dust away... Slowly

Wow! It has been quite a while since I last posted anything decent here. I think... The last few posts were just some updates published out of obligation to my blog and as compared to my posts before 2010, they were pretty un-creative. 

Not that I have any readers to start off with but with the lack of updates... It seemed like I had just disappeared into the thin air. Now is already August.... The old and young me would most prolly be updating consistently every month feeding this old blog with at least 3 posts a month I guess. 

So, what have I been up to since Jan 2016?

I've been busy running. Getting back to my feet and run since I have more free time now that I'm working this 8-5 kind of job. Sometimes I do missed my old job because of the environment. The people I'm surrounded with.. They are all great and fun to work with, there's always energy bouncing off each other. 

Haven't posts much of my running routes here as I've been posting them in my Instagram. You can find me there if you want at ohimenana. ;)

Participated in the JP Morgan run. That was my first run of 2016 and second time participating in JP Morgan run. The last time I ran was in 2009. It was a great run and I actually told myself to keep moving no matter what and don't stop. I did stop awhile there and then for my usual running route was 3km and max 4 however at the last 1km, I told myself to keep moving. Super slow jog is fine, just don't stop. That actually came from an ex colleague of mine when I went running with them. One of them said don't walk, just slower my pace but continue jogging. 

After that, I decided to go for the moon run - the Pocari Sweat Run. The route was so so as there were some traffic jam here and there. Human traffic jam so there were stops and kind of affected the timing in some ways while waiting for people to clear the road. I bought a pen that shines an image of the moon on the surface which I thought was pretty neat. 

I was quite happy with my results and I want to do better in my next run... Which unfortunately I haven't been running this week. Tsk. 

So these keep fit thing has got me off smoking as well. Yeah.. I'd picked up smoking a few years back due to some problems.... And now I had stopped because I had picked up running and I don't want it to affect me. 

Apart from my running experiences, I had returned to learning Japanese and I am putting in more effort this time as I don't want to waste anymore time and money on learning something that doesn't yield results. There will be an exam in November and I had made acquaintance with some of my classmates. :)

I had also bought my first pebble watch which I loved it very much. Note the past tense used because I realised that the pebble watch unfortunately did not have built in GPS.. And also because it was my first purchase hence I didn't know what to expect or to lookout for. I found one watch that has what I want - a built in GPS watch that doesn't require me to bring my phone out to run just to track my distance, timing, etc. Yes, the super watch - the Fitbit Surge. I got it in Australia which is a lot cheaper than buying it here, partly was because of the exchange rate.

Below is an example of my mapped route with Fitbit Surge - I used it for my Pocari Run. :)

Visited Australia in July and a friend and her two cute little boys. I missed them both so much! It was winter in Australia and it was cold! Not very cold but to the extend where you'll need to keep your leg and arms covered and warm. The weather kind of reminded me of Hokkaido.

I didn't take much photos in Australia this round as I was more of going over to chill, rest and relax instead of doing tourist stuffs like sigh seeing. I know... Some may feel that it is a waste of money to do that but I just wanna sit back and relax. 

Landed in Australia with the beautiful sun rise in the background.

It was pretty cold on my first day there and I had to borrow a pair of boots from her because the floors were so frikking cold!! It was my first winter holiday minus the snow and my first time using a heater. Hahahah. 

Helped out at the Tenrikyo church there as they are having a sleepover night and two days of activities. I helped out on the first day and it was really fun! I felt like a kid again playing with them!

It was also my first time making takoyaki. Heh

It was also my first time making a Kokedama. I've never well, handled soil and plants before and I was really proud of myself for being able to make 3 of them in different sizes! I've never have a knack for doing this by the way and these just turns out fine! It's a pity that I can't bring them back to Singapore unless I apply for some permit or something due to the plant being related to soil. Oh well. It was fun!

Next was also my first time attending a handicraft workshop. I've never attend one in Singapore before and I went to check out for such courses in Singapre, they are pretty expensive. 

We drove up to Gold Coast and it was really nice. The sea was different in the day and night, the sand were so fine, it was definitely a place to go to if you want to chill or to just wind down and relax in Australia. 

And sadly... All good things will come to an end. On my last night in Australia, it felt just like my first night there. I wasn't ready to return home yet. 

I was shopping in the NTUC here and saw this thin Oreo biscuits. It was really thin and easy to eat. Yummy!

Ok, I'm trying my best to keep my eyes open. Good night and have a good weekends!!