Swims, Cycling and Vonda Shepard

Had my third physio yesterday. like a toddler learning to walk, it just happens suddenly and I realise I'm walking quite well..I really like the people at Hallmark Physiotherapy. In fact I like them A LOT!! I'm now kinda sad i'm healing too cos i won't see them once i'm totally healed :( Mr Ravi is sooo comforting and understanding. I'm very sensitive to pain and he makes sure to assure me and make me comfortable. His assistants are just as wonderful - Mr Arun covered my lower body with a towel cos i was wearing a tennis skirt even though I did not request for it. So sweet of him, isn't it? Then his other assistant, Sunny, a charming young fella, taught me stretches and gave me advice on my exercise routine with such patience and warmth that I did not realise I spent nearly 30 mins with him! In fact I feel they are like angels, haha.. I was given the go ahead to swim and cycle on alternate days! WHoooopeee!! You can't imagine how happy that made me feel. Even though i've so much to catch up in my work, I made time to swim today.. was yawning away like crazy even as I left for my swim but emerged from the pool refreshed and recharged, and smiling :) Even though it's now three hours later, I'm still feeling alert and good! I'm already looking forward to my next swim on Thursday,hehe..

I don't know why but recently i'm just so into Vonda Shepard's songs. The singer on Ally Mcbeal remember? Here are two songs dedicated to that special someone in my life .. you know who you are! Miss you lots! Muacks!

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm feeling so good today ..woke up feeling good after my swim yesterday with a fren.. had dinner at Upp Thomson Rd - an indian stall next to the Five Star Chicken Rice. Shared thosai masala and bee hoon goreng...scrumptious but i think the thosai at Chutney Mary (Siglap) is still better Nice relaxed dinner, good company 2.. the waiter who served us was soo polite and friendly that i nearly wanted to give him a hug!

Back to today ..had a nice lunch of grilled fish with mashed potato and corn from Crazy Ang Mo at Bishan St 23.. then went to Yishun CLubfitt gym to cycle for about 26 minutes..and finished off with ab-blasting and back exercises. It's funny but today i feel exceptionally poised and happy somehow. The gym was pretty empty ..guess the guys r busy romancing their gals ..As i exercised I thought of all the loving msgs I received today ...but i realise most important of all, is to love myself and know that I'm lovable too as I love all these people in my life :)

Just cooked a fantastic meal.. steamed broccoli with carrots in butter, stir-fried chicken in lime leaves and sambal. Michelle went for TWO helpings!



Posting two lovely music videos that I simply love - just for those romantics out there :)

Perfect Body Toning

In the quest for a toned but not muscular body, I came across this website :

http://www.perfect-body-toning.com/body-toning-exercises.html

A Poem That I Just Composed..

A Little Bit More

I have to tell you the truth..
I have not fallen in love with you yet...in fact -
From where I am, there’s still a long long way to the ground.

Each time you call me baby, sweetheart, honey
In that sexy voice so tenderly
I fall a little bit more ..

Each time you kiss me so deeply
Stroking my hair as you explore me
I fall a little bit more...

Each time you beat me at frontcrawl
Looking so strong as you hit the wall
I fall a little bit more...

Each time you make crazy love to me
Our lips locked and limbs entwined,
I fall a lot more ....in love with you.

Still got forever to go...
Till I fall completely for you.

What kinda woman do men really like?

Well this is good news!! I came across an article that said men fantasize bout perfect women but feel intimidated to be intimate with them... Well unless you have a totally buff and perfect body too rite.. I kinda agree.. I feel very intimidated to date a very good looking and buff guy. Wonder how he'd find my not-so-perfect body and looks. I feel more at ease with someone who's fit but not too fat, cute looking, caring and fun. That's GOOD enuf! So guys, what is your opinion after reading the article?

Junk That Diet

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Medial Gastrocnemius Strain

That's what my injury is specifically called. During my MC I have been sleeping most mornings till 11 plus am, after waking up at 6 am to fetch my son to school. Take my breakfast and then back to bed. Somehow this injury makes me feel very tired and sleepy. Guess the body not only dispatches chemicals to the healing area but also sleepy chemicals to make me rest ..

I've found a website that fully describes the injury; perhaps it might be useful to anyone else so i've posted it here...
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/91687-overview

About a year ago, I received a call from a lady wanting to talk to me about some accident policy. Due to my buddy who's in sales, my treatment of sales personnel have greatly been altered from negative to positive. So I gave her a chance to describe her product and it turned out that it could be useful to me after all. It's called Caring Star Insurance Policy from MSIG. According to her, it provides a cover of $50 K for death or total disability, daily benefits of $20 per day and medical expenses covered up to $1000 per injury (even cover TCM). Not bad huh? Well since i do sports pretty frequently, the lady advised me to take it up and it's only $15.29 per day. Ok so i've been paying till now- total premiums is about $180 plus. But now i can claim it all back. Submitting my claims today...But not sure after tat whether my premium will increase?? Hmm...

Anyway i'm on mc till thursday..can't wait to go back to work on Friday. Meanwhile I've been swimming, thanks to my sports buddy (HUGS and KISSES for you honey). It's really times like this that you know who your true friends are. They're not just there for the good times but also when you're down n out!

Anyway to relate about my visit to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. THe first doctor i visited was at the polyclinic (on 28.1.09) and guess wat he said - "What do you want me to do?" I was stumped. Wah..wat a question! Anyway I told him I came so i can get a referral. He said it would be some time before i can get an appointment at the orthopaedic dept of any hospital. So i said - just try your best then. The referral turned out to be on the 6th of February! So I went to see a private doctor in the meanwhile (at the SIngapore Sports Medicine Centre - see my earlier post). Ok so finally on the 6th February i went to TTSH hoping they will schedule physiotherapy sessions to help me recover well. The doctor, an Indian expat, examined me on the couch by rotating my leg in all directions and pressing it hard in various places. After eliciting a lot of groans of pain from me, he said "ok it's not that serious..you just rest and it'd be fine..Don't stand for too long, at the most 10 mins" He said there's no need for physiotherapy sessions either! Geesh ... wat a waste of my time ..and money too... So looks like i'd have to continue with the Singapore Sports Medicine Centre if I want a proper recovery. The physiotherapist said I need to do sports masssage when the scar tissue forms else it will result in recurrent injuries next time...

Beauty and the Beast

Today as i was driving my son to school, my attention was suddenly captured by this beautiful-looking woman standing on the centre divider of the road. She was tall, had long wavy hair, was wearing a dress that skims her curves beautifully and simply looked divine. A wave of emotions surged through me - envy, insecurity and inferiority as well as despair.. I just felt absolutely ugly at that moment - my short wave-less hair (i swear i'd never go back to this hairdresser AND i swear I wont cut my hair short again!), my petite frame and my average face. I simply hated myself at that moment and would give ANYTHING to be her..

After driving back, I went online and surfed the net - looking for ways to get that look...then a ray of reason finally shone through - "the only way to look like that woman is drastic PLASTIC surgery and even then you can't grow any taller! Why suffer like that to look like a bad imitation of someone else? ok..u aren't happy wif yr hair cut but it doesn't change WHO you are.. just use hair wax creatively and try to look chic with the right clothes..Comparision is a state of the MIND and that's the real BEAST!"
I started to feel more confident again ...yeah if i look like someone else, wouldn't my family and friends miss ME, regardless of the hair? The world will be so boring if everyone has the same age, look and body! I have to accept myself and make the most of my strengths - like my sensitivity, compassion and determination. I need to learn how to make the most of what I am, not be like someone else..and most of all, not compare myself with other women. Even if all the men in the world like a certain woman, they can't ALL have her, rite? So i dun hv to please ALL men, haha..start with pleasing myself first and that ONE man in my life :) I really do hope he really likes me for who i am, short hair, petite body, wrinkles and all, cos I like him for who HE is and definitely do not compare him to other men.

Time for A Laugh : FITNESS CARTOONS

Singapore Sports Medicine Centre

My buddy referred me to Singapore Sports Medicine Centre last week to get a proper assessment of my injury, while waiting for a referral from the polyclinic. It was a really posh place! My first consultation with a Dr Chang (the fee was about $270)involved a ultrasound scan which showed that there was really a tear of the ligament from the bone. The internal bleeding will slowly surface and manifest as blue-black marks around my shin. He gave me 2 weeks mc and told me not to move around so much as it will end up swelling again. Yeah he told me to ice often as much as FOUR times a day.. I was wondering how icing can help. Well this is what i discovered : "When you're injured, your body responds by going into protective mode and swelling in the area of the injury. However, sometimes the body doesn't know when to stop swelling -- that's where ice comes in. When a cold pack is applied to your skin, it "acts to slow down metabolism at the injury site, so your body can begin healing itself more quickly." Ice also acts as an analgesic to slow down and block pain impulses. Ice should be applied soon after the injury occurs. The coldness makes the veins in the tissue contract, which reduces circulation in the area. After the cold compress is removed, the veins overcompensate and dilate. Once that happens, the blood rushes into the area and brings with it the nutrients necessary to heal the injured area. "

So here i am, icing my injury ...praying for a speedy recovery. It's really tiring to walk with such an awkward gait.

Swimming Forever

Day 11...I've finally decided to heed the doctor's advice and rest at home till 12 Feb.. My mind and body wants to go back to work but the calf doesn't! Well in case you're envying me, don't.. I slept at 1 plus a.m. last nite after planning the lessons, printing them together with the SOWs for the relief teacher and scanning the text books for reference. I want to keep in close touch with what's going on in class through calls to the relief teacher as well as posting homework and lessons on my class blog. I've asked my pupils to email me and keep me posted on what's going on in class and so far they have, so I don't feel so alienated from school..

Meanwhile, I've discovered swimming again in a new way - front crawl. I never thought I'd be able to swim front crawl alone for ten over laps! I usually start off with breast stroke as warm-up for about 6 laps and then I'd alternate front crawl with breaststroke for the rest of the laps. But since breaststroke engages the calves, I'd hv to swim front crawl instead. Man it's tiring but it gives greater returns in terms of post-workout exhilaration. I feel so recharged and refreshed after about 12 -14 laps of front crawl that I find myself smiling non-stop after the swim!

Here's a website on frontcrawl and its benefits :

http://www.artofswimming.com/page.aspx?p=stltca

A video on technique of frontcrawl that I find useful :