Yesterday, YN and i finally got to go for our much talked about spa trip. Armed with our Citispa vouchers obtained from our Shape Run, we met up at the Suntec City branch. Well... I can't say much about their service, and i don't really know what to attribute their rather lacklustre service to (if what i experienced WAS lacklustre).

When we entered the place, the ambience was dark and welcoming, quite nice and peaceful. The counter girl however, was nice to an extent, but presented herself as rather bo chup in executing her professional duties of telling us what we were in for and what we were suppose to do and what we were suppose to expect.

I was dumped into a private room with a steam bath thing, and after 30 minutes of choking on heat and 100% humidity in the steam bath, i got out and waited behind the locked doors of my room for someone to tell me that i could go for my massage. Apparently, no one came, and i had to gingerly open the door every now and then to peek and see if YN would come knocking on my door for her turn in the steam bath.

Instead, on my final attempt at opening the sliding door, i caught the attention of one of the staff and she asked me what was happening, so i told her i was done. She then told me nicely to follow her. Argh. So, i grabbed all my barang, wrapped myself in the towel they provided and scampered after her... Well, not exactly. She did not wait for me to come out of the room before disappearing around the corner into the recesses of the spa. So, I was left panicking a bit and scuttling after her with my bag and slippers in hand, in my two piece swimwear, holding on to the towel for dear dignity. $%%$#^%$^%$&%#$#$

I felt darn vulnerable walking around the spa like that with other people around lor! !$$%#$^%&^%*^

Eventually, i saw her and YN in a bigger room and i breathed a sigh of relief and tip toed in. She spoke to me in mandarin, most of which i could hardly understand... After some guessing and gesturing, i figured that she wanted me to lie down on the bed with my face placed into the hole.
The massage went reasonably well............. But if you thought that i fell into a deep blissful slumber, you cannot be more mistaken!!! Her hands worked fast and furiously on my back and upper butt (yes, butt!) and my brain was cussing away in pain and sometimes, i'd be giggling uncontrollably because she hit ticklish spots now and then. When my back creaked and cracked she exclaimed: "AIYO! You very tired issit? When you very tired, it is like that." Oh. Kay.

After feeling like someone put my back through a pounding machine, my massager (?) left the room without further instructions except for: "Don't drink too much water after 8pm. Drink only in small sips." And left. YN then came out from the jacuzzi in the same room and we talked for a bit, wondering what we were suppose to do. And she offered me one of her home-and-self made chocolate cookies! Yum! :-D

Only after like say, 15-20 minutes, one of the staff came along and told us to get changed while she'll get us some tea. So we did just that and ventured out from the room. By right, i was suppose to have my jacuzzi bath as well, but i was already getting a bit impatient with their lack of organization and personalized care that i decided to forego the jacuzzi.

We came out and wondered where we were suppose to have our tea. We assumed it was one of the rooms that had a tray of tea waiting, but we decided to ask the women at the reception area. The girl was nice and led us back to the said room, and so we sat down to drink. After the obligatory attempt by one of the staff to get us to buy a package (which she was not pushy about, so i give her credit for not being annoying), which of course we declined nicely, we paid and left.

I don't think i'll be going back any time soon. Nuh uh. I'm not sure why they kept leaving us to our own devices. From what i gather, it's either because they took us for regular customers who know what to do, OR, spa goers are generally given as much time as they need to relax and hang around hence they are not hurried. But still! I felt so lost. Bleah.

YN and i parted ways soon after cos i had to return home for dinner. While walking through the suntec towers, naturally, i cannot not go into Nike Bird and Royal Sporting House... Anyway... For those of you wondering what joline likes.... you can never ever go wrong with sportswear. *hhhinnntt*

Ok, i fell in love with this maroon running top (there were two that i liked, but i picked this one to try) and this pair of gold and black running shorts from Nike (but, but!!! The pink and grey one, as well as the purple and pink combinations were nice too!). But then, i went to Royal Sporting House and spotted another pair of running shorts from Reebok and it was equally nice. I'm thinking of getting either one, or two... or three items... Hmm...

I decided not to buy anything yet, but to return home to handle my budget first. Aren't i a good girl. :-) And what muscley legs i have!









Anyway, i shall end my post here now. Tomorrow'll be a long day.

YARRRRRKKKKKKKKKK!

Jo prints out set of songs for BACC.

Jo notices that text is all smudged out on the first page. Jo notices that there is black and red smeared all over paper.

Jo also notices something long and black that is twitching on its own on the piece of paper.

Jo assesses long twitching thing.

Jo realizes with horror that it is a SEVERED LIZARD TAIL SOAKED WITH BLACK INK twitching on her paper.

JO IS $$#^%&^%&% HORRIFIED.

Jo turns second piece of paper around and finds the MANGLED, TORN AND DISTORTED BODY LUMP OF THE LIZARD STUCK BEHIND THE SHEET OF PAPER, PRINTED WITH BLACK STREAKS BY THE PRINTER.

Jo's hand was dangerously near the mangled, torn and distorted lizard body lump.

JO IS SO GROSSED OUT SHE HURRIEDLY CRUSHES UP PAPERS AND TOSSES THEM INTO A PLASTIC BAG.

JO WOULD'VE TAKEN PICTURES TO GROSS YOU OUT TOO IF SHE WASN'T THAT GROSSED OUT HERSELF.

Printer exploration gone wrong for Mr Lizard.

Retarded Lizard!!!

Have you ever experienced times when you hear your mind/God?/heart telling you to do something, but you brush it aside, by rationalizing away, or, because you were too distracted, or thought maybe it wasn't too important, or that things would not change even if you obeyed? (amongst other things)

In the last 3 days, i had one or two of these promptings which i didn't obey. And mind you, regret is not a nice feeling.

And i think one of the main reasons why i failed to obey (i used to do so all the time because i didn't want to leave anything to chance) was because i was not receiving tangible feedback that what i had done had any impact on anyone or anything.

That's not a good reason to stop of course, but i guess as humans, we need a little encouragement that we have made a contribution somehow. Ah, part of Keyes and Magyar-Moe's social well being theory... "Social Contribution: the assessment of whether one is of value in society".

Knowing that we have made an impact keeps us going, it eggs us on by giving us hope that in doing what we are doing, it will fulfill a purpose, even if we cannot see it immediately.

Of course, rewards can either come quickly, or after a long, tedious process. Both of which we can't really control to begin with. All we can do is to be the trigger, the starter. The important thing is to just do the right thing even in the face of emptiness or bleakness.

If all the tiny millions of neurons in our brains (sitting high on our bodies in the main control centre that is The Head) went on strike and chose not to pass on their electrical and chemical messages through one another, we'd not be able to function at all. Similarly, if i went on strike and chose not to to the right thing, God cannot use me to move and change situations.

As for those on the receiving end... Hey, if someone has made an impact in your life today, or if you know someone who needs a little credit for their deed(s), why not be open to them about it. You never know how you can be that trigger in their lives as well.

So... Encourage someone today! Give out those free power gels (carbohydrate loaded food used by athletes)! Run beside a fellow friend/enemy in their hard and hot race of life and offer your towel (for enemies, maybe you can take the opportunity to pour water over their heads instead. Heh.)! Sms or call someone to check on them! Observe and give praise!

Why not?
And besides, you don't need a prompting before you do something good for someone.

Knee How Mah?

Ok, this'll be a update about the knee injury. The when, and whats. A big big thanks to those of you who've shown your concern... I really appreciate it. It's like, it's my injury, either you don't even meet me, OR, you can't see the problem even when i'm around, but yet you still enquire about how i'm doing... So i'm touched. :-)

It started two days after my New Balance real run. I finished the run well, and i was perfectly fine after and during the race. Monday passed by uneventfully, and then on tuesday morning, all i did was squat, and that was when i felt the sharp pain around the knee cap and stood up immediately. I noticed a lump formation as well and i was pretty frightened because i've never felt anything like it before.

For days, i could not squat fully because it'd hurt. After 3 weeks, things got a lot better. It hurt less, but i still felt that the lump and pain, though it was minimal. I thought i was doing well, so i took a walk home with Jun one saturday night, and to my disappointment when i got home, the lump and pain flared up and squatting was painful again. The next day though, it was slightly better.

All of this was puzzling me, so... i finally got to see the doc.

According to the orthopedic doctor, he said:
"Nothing serious... Just some wear and tear in the knee joint, some arthritis here (taps the x-ray image)... Nothing serious. Your knee cap is rough from the wear and tear. So, when you overdo, the knee cap rubbed against a weak part of the knee and that area produced fluid, which is causing the swelling. So, every time you overuse the knee, it'll produce the fluid and therefore, the pain."

Suffice to say, my heart and spirit was crushed. It might not sound that serious, but to me, the implications were... So, does that mean that my running days are over? Does that mean that i'll always get this pain when i run? Since running uses the knee a lot.

It did not help that though he is sort of nice, he wasn't answering my questions properly when i proposed my concerns to him, and he didn't seem very sympathetic about how i obviously felt.

He recommended that i go for physiotherapy, which i did for the first time in my life on wednesday. I LOVED IT. Well, i got a therapist who educated me on the knee physiology and told me what exactly was going on. Apparently, this problem is a common one, seen mostly among school athletes and NS men.

I learnt about the position of the patella, the outer and inner thigh muscles and how my knee cap was moving sideways because my outer thigh muscles were stronger than the inner ones, therefore resulting in the misaligned movement. She also taught me some exercises to do on my own everyday. The inner thigh muscles need a good workout.

She gave me one good knee massage (wa seh, darn PAIN but darn SHIOK) and then hooked me up to two machines. The first one was an ultrasound machine that was suppose to help with the cell healing, and the second machine was to help reduce the swelling. All i had to do was lie still and enjoy the prodding and massaging. Hee.

It's much better these couple of days. I guess the physio session and exercises really do help. It's not completely well, but i'm just trusting for healing and recovery. In the meantime... I'm swimming. Haha, ok, so it's hard to keep me off my sports.

So yep, this is the whole story. Other than the fact that i've decided to go for the standard chartered half marathon. And... i'll be walkin'. Yeah baby, YEEHAH!

So my exams are over... And things have gotten a little... busy (most of it is busy-ness in my head) in such a short span of time.
It's 2:30am now, and d'you know how wonderful it is to spend some quiet time alone in my room? I've been so caught up with non recreational stuff lately that having time to deliberately sit still, to hear myself think, is a luxury. Yeah lah. My brain works at pentium 1 speed, so i need more time to process my thoughts. I'm not the most intellectual person around here.

The peace is just... Wow. Having the LEGAL opportunity (when school's in, blogging with reckless abandon feels like a crime) to engage in non academic work in the wee hours of the morning is liberating. In the stillness of the night, in the quietness and privacy of my room, with the door closed to keep noise away from my family, i feel safe and free. I can feel my eyes getting puffy and tired now, but i'm reluctant to hit the sack. :-D

(joline's 5 second blond moment: gah, exam stress gave me big pimples!)

So... Updates.

First things first, i'm preparing to have to retake one of my papers. Nasty stuff, but at times like this, you just need to face reality and plan for the future. It's not about being pessimistic. It's just that, i'm not living in denial. I trust God, yes, but what if He does allow me to fail this paper for reasons that are beyond me? Trusting God isn't always about believing that he WILL give you what you ask for. I trust Him, despite, whatever the outcome is.

Secondly, i thought my knee was getting better, on the road to recovery. After two weeks or so, i'm able to squat again. But i'm still not able to do what i used to do normally, ie, put pressure on my knee, crawl around (while playing with Jed lah! You think for what.), and spring up from a squating position. BUT then, despite the improvements... I came home from a walk with Jun from Holland Village, and discovered... To my horror, that i cannot squat without experiencing the same (now elevated) pain, and the lump now feels enlarged again. I'm quite miserable about this whole injury, really. I love my sports, i love my exercise. And i cannot imagine my life without rigorous sporting activity.
I have NO clue as to what is causing the lump and pain. I've gotten an appointment with a specialist this coming wednesday, and I'm hoping that he'll be able to help me out. :-( And my Standard Chartered half marathon is in TWO WEEKS!!! I am feeling miserable about it, yes.

Thirdly, i am feeling emotional pain. Not my own though. I'm not feeling LADEN with weight, what i mean is, i am feeling the pain that others are feeling. I mean, i had the privilege of being able to listen to some of my friends and though i don't fully comprehend what they are going through, i can sense the struggle and pain. There's only so much one can say and do to solve a problem. We can help the person with or through the negative emotions, but problems don't and can't disappear in an instant. It takes courage on our part to tackle the issues, some time to bear through the process, to tear up the problem and then mend things back again. We get scars, but we come out wiser.

Fourthly. Planning for Bintan and Timor trip. Hm. Hm. Hm. Every person who finds out that Timor is my first mission trip destination go like this: "OH REELEEE????!!!! HOHOHOHOHO!!!!"
I found out the reason for their enigmatic behaviour: It's because in terms of technological advancements, Timor is the most backward in this region.
Ha! I listened to their explanation with a mixture of wonder and... terror. Ah well. But really, i'm game for it. Seriously.

People usually say that the children there are wonderful. Honestly, i'm not a lover of little humans. In fact, i'm afraid of children, and because of past experiences as a child, i don't particular like children. And i'm told that there are LOADS of children and that they will come flocking to your home and you, and talk to you. Ok... Uhm. Uh. Hmm... Well. I guess it's a time for God to mould me, to be a more expressive, fearless and loving person.

Ok, this's all for now. I don't exactly know who reads all my junk other than the usual suspects that i get comments from (heehee, i REALLY appreciate you ok! Without you, this blog would be pretty lifeless). Some of you don't let me know of your presence (hi CHERYL, yes, YOU! MUAH HAHAHA.)!!! But still, thanks for dropping by to read up on my ordinary life (care to share what brings you here?). So i'm not yabbering into a black hole. :-D

(jo's 2nd 5 second blond moment: if i don't sleep soon... worsened eye bags!)

Toodles. joline out~.

I had my first paper yesterday.

It was a Royal Fiasco.

I've handed it up to the good people to mark it. I cannot do anything about it anymore.

So i've submitted it to God. Because God can do something (if He deems fit).

Hello world! Your friendly blogger is still alive, longs to blog but is up for exams this week. So, am here just to say HI ALL! *wave* and that it is infinitely crappy to have a knee injury just 1 month shy of my half marathon, and that i'm seeing the end of the tunnel that wasn't all that dark to begin with, and oh, my cell group/church mates has created a blog!

It's new, so there aren't many posts yet... But it shall fill up in time. We're at www.ntucell.blogspot.com Come visit us some time!

EXAMS? BRING IT ON!

Hi folks. Yes, i've been MIA-ing in the last week or so... Because i've been mugging for my upcoming exams (MY LAST EVER IN SCHOOL... UNLESS I FAIL!) and also, anything interesting to post would involve pictures and i don't have the luxury of time right now to wait for it to load.

Anyway, over the weekend, only one thing struck me and i feel compelled to tell you about it. We had the privilege of hearing from a pastor who shared with us her experience of God telling her to pray for something very important.

She said:

"During the prayer (she was at a prayer event), i postrated before God and i was praying in tongues and interceding. But i did not know what i was praying for... So i asked the Lord to show me what I was interceding for. And he showed me a vision...

I saw MULTITUDES of young people... Walking together... And they looked completely LIFELESS. (she adds, addressing the congregation: i see some of you here, some looking bored, some sleeping, but at least you are still alive...) But the youths looked SO LIFELESS!

Then i saw them walk to the very end... I think a place where they could not walk any further anymore... And i saw them jumping. Jumping over a cliff, and no one came back up again. Then i saw where they were jumping into... Fire. And i knew, the Lord was showing me the Lake of Fire (in Hell)."