想念是一种病

去年的现在，我刚卸下行李，准备到士林夜市排队买豪大鸡排。

转眼一年就这样过去了。

很奇怪，等待的时候，时间总显得格外悠长；回首往事的当儿，却又觉得时间飞逝得太快。人类本身就是充满矛盾的动物，在这个除了有黑有白，还有更大一片灰色地带的世界里挣扎存活。

今天一整天，心都在台北。从喜欢到不喜欢到眷恋，我也说不清间中究竟发生了什么事，起了如此不同的化学作用。或许可以这样说，那一个星期，装载了太多的记忆——太多平淡无奇，但却难以抹掉的记忆。

想念台北的空气、台中的文化气息，还有大大小小诚品的书香……

这种疯狂的想念，我想已近乎病态。

Monday Blues

Feeling really blue now... Why do I have to work tomorrow???

Took a break from running today. Was feeling very lazy and slightly "burdened" by my running schedule. I think I need to do some re-alignment. Shouldn't allow my life to revolve around running.

I really need a break badly...from work and from the monotony...

Weekday Resolution

Came home earlier than usual today as my external meeting ended early. When was the last time I reach home before 6.30 pm? I can't remember!

I was tempted to slack at home and rot in front of the TV but I suddenly recalled what I had for lunch - crispy fish pasta and then, I had a siew mai, har gao and half a scone during the meeting... I looked at my tummy and immediately changed into my sports attire.

The weather was cooler than I expected. Quite a few people were running at the park connector already. Isn't this a weekday? Don't these people have to work? I wonder... I am getting lazier these days so my weekday runs have been reduced drastically. Time to buck up! Run at least on 2 weekdays per week? I will have to put in more effort to achieve this.

It's finally Thursday and the weekend is nearing! I can't wait to NOT go to work! My office to-do-list is getting longer, the things on my table are piling up and my boss is coming back next week to haunt me... Cham liao! I'm turning into Smurfette even before Sunday!

Thoughts Running Through My Mind

I finally understood some of the things Murakami meant in his book "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running".

One thing that struck me was greeting "fellow runners". Probably due to our Asian culture, it is quite "abnormal" to greet strangers. Saying "hello" and "good morning" to passers-by would sound pretty lunatic to most people. The recipient of the greeting would probably stare at you and think to himself, "this guy is nuts!"

Things are slightly different when you meet fellow runners. It is not an everyday thing that you are greeted but at least, it's not seen as an insane thing to do. I noticed that 2 groups of people are more likely to say "hi". One is the veteran runners. By that, I mean the super-fit "uncles", probably in their 50s. The second category will be the "ang mohs". I have concluded that this is a result of the so-called "cultural differences". It is less surprising to find them waving at you, despite the fact that they are running in the opposite direction, at the other side of the road.

On Friday morning, I was greeted by an "ang moh". I was pretty stunned and hence, my response was delayed. I probably failed to return the nice gesture in time with a similar greeting. I vaguely remember smiling back at the guy. But honestly, this is not good enough. I should learn to be friendlier (which is not very me), open up but most importantly, open my mouth.

I have also started to recognise some of the runners who run at the same park connector. There is this lady who usually runs with her few friends, this guy with slightly long hair...

The park connector will be undergoing some construction soon and I may have to change my running route. This is going to pose some problem as finding a route with miminal traffic lights is going to be very challenging. Resistance to change? Maybe...

Time to explore the neighbourhood again!

Afternoon Tea

We had afternoon tea at Royal Copenhagen today. The restaurant was packed with people, perhaps because it's Labour Day today.

We ordered one of the afternoon tea sets which consist of the following:

2 scones...

...with orange marmalade

Green tea tiramisu and Blueberry cheese cake

2 "open" sandwiches

2 slices of Quiche

We enjoyed the food! It would have been a perfect afternoon if there were fewer people, less noise.