Stomach bug

Somewhere between dinner Mon and lunch Tue, I picked up a terrible bug.  It's been queasy, pukey and LS since Tue.

Spent a lot of time last night on the toilet bowl.  I should exclude the part about the "accident" I had while sleeping too.

Between puking and running for the toilet, I came to work as a responsible person to conduct an interview (cannot cancel last min. as the applicant may have taken the day off for this purpose - "do unto others what you'd want done?").

Yes, this is not a nice post.  So I will end off as the rumbling has gotten pretty painful.  Toilet here I come...

Yahoo bans working from home

http://www.businessinsider.com/ex-yahoos-confess-marissa-mayer-is-right-to-ban-working-from-home-2013-2

Personally, I agree.  WFH is a much abused concept peculiar to American IT companies.  I am all for flexibility - take early morning conf calls from home or leaving work at 4pm because you came early/have a night conf call to take/need to visit dentist etc...  Regardless, be in the office.

I know because I've seen this abuse in the work place.  It's just not right.

Some days I feel like a shark

Some days I feel like a shark.  Like today.

Not in the apex predator sense of being shark, but in the sense that like a shark, I need to keep swimming.  A shark needs to keep swimming, or else, they either 1, sink or 2, drown (in the case of Oceanic sharks, they need to stay moving to move water over their gills to breathe).

I wish I can stop swimming.  Just for a bit.  Sometimes.  Somedays.  One day, I pray.

Today's readings

Monday of the Second Week in Lent 
Lectionary: 230

Reading 1DN 9:4B-10

“Lord, great and awesome God,
you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you
and observe your commandments!
We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;
we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.
We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,
our fathers, and all the people of the land.
Justice, O Lord, is on your side;
we are shamefaced even to this day:
we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, near and far,
in all the countries to which you have scattered them
because of their treachery toward you.
O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
for having sinned against you.
But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!
Yet we rebelled against you
and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,
to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.”

Responsorial PsalmPS 79:8, 9, 11 AND 13

R. (see 103:10a) Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.

GospelLK 6:36-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.

My Lenten Journey

My Lenten plans are :
1. I am now officially vegan for the next 40 days.
2. Fasting on Wednesdays
3. Evening mass on Fridays

I am also restricting Facebook-ing and mindless online surfing.

It's only day 2, wish me lots of luck!  (Rather, pray for me!).

Amazon rocks!

I bought a second clock for the living room cos the bicycle clock I have is all the way across to the far side when I'm half slumped over the couch watching TV.

It's a gold, very retro, very sunny clock which I love!  But alas got not much luck with it.  My first order (via Amazon) never arrived.  Amazon refunded me the $.  I looked around but after a while re-ordered the same clock again cos I really like it.

2 nights ago, the clock fell to the floor and the spines of the sun rays broke off. The hook had come off the wall.  I really need to cement the hook strongly to the wall!

And it is now sold out on Amazon!

In frustration, I wrote an email to Amazon explaining and asking if they can do anything about this.  I got a reply back really fast apologizing, they put me in line for the first clock should this come back available and then provided me a refund on the clock!  Despite me admitting that the clock fell because the hook came undone, it was entirely my fault.  Ok, so I still lose the shipping costs, but Amazon just went over and beyond the call of duty.

I am now a lifelong fan of Amazon and in need of a new clock.  Sigh.

Ash Wed and morbidness

Attended Ash Wednesday mass over lunch hour at St Mary of the Angels (since I can't eat!) and thereafter I went to visit Pa's niche in the columbariam there.  As is my usual habit, I lit 6 tea-light candles for the rest of the family and said a quick prayer.  I notice that within Pa's section (they call it chapels), that there are still available niches - a few.  Wondering if I should book 1 for myself.

I returned to work and M was online and we were chatting so I casually asked her if she wanted 1.  I could book 3 - for C, for herself/I and for me.  Hmmm.  Costs still the same as in 2007 when we moved Pa from Mt Vernon to St Mary's.  Except she won't discuss with me.  She complained that it's still CNY and it's too morbid to discuss.  Ok, I could pick a better time.

Just went to washroom, discovered with horror that the ash cross that they drew on my forehead is huge and very black.  Wonder how many co-workers I scared.

Pope Benedict XVI to step down

It is the year of the snake, bringing with it ssssurprises.

Most catholics were shocked with the sudden news of the Pope's resignation.  And then the Vatican was hit by lightning after the announcement.  Here in Singapore, we are just about to watch the ordination of the new archbishop adjutor William Goh, the next archbishop in the wings.  Now we get to watch the selection and a new papal ordination by Easter, continuing on the line of Popes since St Peter.  Interesting times certainly - new archbishop and new Pope.  With Jesus in our midst, hopefully the new and refreshed leadership brings us into the new year and new directions.

I pray with all catholic christians of the world during this time.

The gospel of today reminds us to pray and to fast :

Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Friendship and family ties

Proverbs 17:17

A friend is a friend at all times, and a brother is born for the time of adversity. 

Read this last night and was thinking, oh so that's the standard for friendships!  In the new King James version, it reads : A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Just as I sit back and rue all the bad friends I've had in the past and the few good friends that I ought to cherish more, today's reading provides the conclusion :

Heb 13:1-8

Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:

The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Chinese new year and the start of Lent

Feb 10/11 - Chinese New Year day 1 and 2 : eat a lot!
Feb 12 - Mardi Gras : eat even more.
Feb 13 - Ash Wednesday : no eat.
Feb 14 - Valentine's day : no date, eat to drown sorrows.
Feb 15 - Hotpot dinner at Peter's place : eat some (i envisage competition getting at the food)

I can't believe Ash Wednesday falls on day 3 of CNY - is the Archbishop going to announce a delay to the fasting day?

Just in case there's no dispensation with Ash Wednesday fasting, I will take Mardi Gras very seriously.

When people hear Mardi Gras they think wild parades, but Mardi Gras simply means Fat Tuesday, aka eat a lot on Tuesday because Wednesday you fast.  It has its origins with the catholic calendar.

Ash Wednesday traditionally is a day of fast and abstinence as it marks the beginning of Lent - 40 days of  preparation leading up Holy Week of Good Friday & Easter. 

Again the church remembers and celebrates the great salvific life and death of Christ.

For Weekend Athletes, Groups Can Be More Fun

Precisely how I feel of late.  Don't get me wrong, I still hold the "no excuses" attitude towards wanting something, so none of the lame "oh, I have no buddies to train with" type of excuse.  Train cos you want to, if you do it for any other reasons, e.g. social reasons, it is likely you won't last long.

However, for all my years of running alone, in most of 2012, I hardly ran alone.  Perhaps just at races, even so, I'm not alone going to the race.

Alone, it is all too easy to succumb to laziness/weakness and skip trainings.  But if there's a group of folks waiting for you, you will rise at 6am for that Sunday morning training run!

From the NY Times, 1 Feb 2013 :

For Weekend Athletes, Groups Can Be More Fun

HONG KONG—Groups can be more fun. That’s a growing consensus among amateur athletes around the world.

Rather than run that marathon all by one’s lonesome, many weekend warriors are participating in races that require a team of two or four to get through a course.

The advantages of training and racing with buddies, of course, include the camaraderie, as well as a healthy dose of peer pressure to stick with a training regimen. If your teammates are more experienced, you may glean tips on health and nutrition, and you can share any logistics or organizational workload.

Perhaps the greatest advantage to teaming up is that there’s safety in numbers. Running with others, for instance, can make entering the world of amateur racing easier and less intimidating.

My colleague and friend, Bettina Wassener, has biked throughout Germany and trekked in Nepal, but on Saturday she will participate in her first race: the Green Power Hike, a 50-kilometer, or about 30-mile, event through the hills of Hong Kong, as part of a three-person team. I can tell she’s caught the bug because she’s already talking about competing in December in the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, which is a solo 21.1 kilometer race though the famed ancient temples in Cambodia.

The disadvantages of team training and events are less numerous, at least for someone like me who races just for fun. You may end up moving faster than you normally would, which can lead to injury, or slower, which can be underwhelming. Busy people may find training difficult to schedule. But that’s life.

I’ve done both team and solo events and like both equally. One evening this week as I ran (alone) along this scenic route up and down Hong Kong’s famous Victoria Peak, I got to thinking about Bettina and her team’s approach to Saturday’s race. They’re right on target. They trained frequently over the last few months and they got over the hurdle of early weekend wake-ups by rewarding themselves with a restaurant or pub visit at their destination.

During Saturday’s race, they planned to stick closely together along the route because scattering can be disheartening for straggling members. As a team, they banned the use of headphones. And they required themselves to show up with three jokes each to break up the monotony of a course they expect to last 12 hours. (My only qualm might be their intention to wear matching penguin hats on race day.)

And there are other incentives for making racing a team sport.

For the past 30 years, the charity Oxfam has sponsored 100-kilometer events throughout the world for teams of four. I’ve participated in Hong Kong several times, and am monitoring this calendar of 2013 races in the hopes of doing a similar event in Spain, India or Australia. Participants also help fight poverty. Oxfam says that in 2012 more than 22,000 people collectively walked over 2.2 million kilometers, “the same distance as walking around the world 55 times, becoming great ambassadors for Oxfam’s work and aiming to raise over $18 million.”

That just scratches the surface of such events. Are there any team races — or other team sporting endeavors — you can recommend for the usually solo practitioner?

I am an engineer, hear me roar!

I have this Philip's Blu Ray Home Theater 5.1 system model no.  HTS 3541.

It plays DVD perfectly well though I have yet to try out playing a BD title.

It however, does not play music CDs well.  After a couple of songs, the music stops, and it switches itself to "browser mode".  Which is most annoying.

I went online to the Philip's customer care forum page, downloaded the latest firmware, flash the player and presto, that did the trick.

Sick

I've been nursing this cold all week and I actually feel better when exercising, but right after the exercise, the nose drips continues.

So I ran my usual Sunday morning long run yesterday, rushed down to Tampines to pick up race kits then rushed off to mid day mass at Siglap Road - thankful that the race kit collection isn't at NTU!  The whole time sneezing and nose dripping.  And it didn't stop all day so I double-dosed myself with cold tablets and went to bed.

This morning I woke up totally zoned out.  My entire face is throbbing, even my eyeballs are aching.  My nose feels like a dam holding back a flood of mucous.

I am thankful my job is easy.  I am a walking zombie today, watch out or I'll sneeze in your face.