Half-Marathon

I completed my first Half-Marathon race last Sunday. I signed up for it in mid-February when I could only manage 8km at a very slow pace. Signing up for a race is an excellent motivation to get out there to run and to build up your mileage. It's strange, because really all that was at stake was the $62 registration fee. In the past, I have paid for gym fees and stopped going after several months. Perhaps the difference is that I prefer to be in the outdoors rather than being stuck in a gym with loud thumpy music.

Over the next 2 1/2 months of preparation, I learnt so much through personal experience and running vlogs. Although I've heard it many time before, I've learnt to appreciate the importance of getting the right shoes, to build up the mileage slowly, hydration and nutrition during a long run, setting aside time to rest my body, and warming-up properly. But I have also learnt that everyone is different and some things just don't work for me - eating a breakfast  before a run and having to chew something during a long runs.

Three weeks before the race, I managed to do a 31km long run. It made me wonder if it was still worthwhile running the Half-Marathon since I knew that I could complete that distance. In any case, I  followed the plan to taper. The subsequent week I reduced my long run to 16km, my last long run before the race. Then I did something radical, I didn't run for an entire week (this is not how you should taper). That was a horrible mistake because I felt lethargic and was breathless when I subsequently did a 5km run. That scared me a bit and so I kept up with the daily 5km runs up until the Friday before the race.

It rained heavily on Saturday morning and the thought did cross my mind to skip the run if it rains on Sunday. Again, it wasn't clear to me what were the strong reasons to run if I knew I could complete the distance. But I reminded myself to finish what I started, especially because the race was what motivated me to train. I told myself that there are surely new things to learn from the experience.  I spent the afternoon preparing all the things that I needed for the race. I had to decide which  waist pack to use - the simple one which I have been using all along which meant that I would have to hold a water bottle in one hand, or the new waist pack which I haven't run in before but holds 3 small water bottles. The sensible thing would have been to follow what all the vlogs and articles tell you - don't try anything new on race day. I decided I would try out the new waist pack so that I could be hands-free, but I took the precaution of bringing the other waist pack along.

I went to bed early on Saturday but did not sleep well. I wasn't anxious about the poor sleep because that's what all the vlogs tell you. I work up at 3am and was out of the house by 3.30am to avoid being flustered if there are any surprises. There were not many people there yet when I arrived. When I was warming up, I realised that the new waist pack wasn't going to work for me so I went back to the car for the other waist pack. Lesson learnt.

We were flagged-off at 5am and I was about 2 minutes behind the starting line. I kept reminding myself to start slow. Runners where just continuously running pass me, non-stop. Although this was  something I completely expected,  it was nevertheless a strange sensation. I saw people of different shapes, sizes and age - there was a girl as young as my daughter running with her father; there was a man who looked like he was in his 70s who was so fast; a lady who was walking faster than I was running at the 13km point. I was reminded that there is such thing as a typical runner, and nobody needs to feel like an impostor either.

It was a little emotional when I was running up the Marina Barrage. I recalled about 3 years ago I was jogging there in the morning and noticed that there was a race. At that time, the lymph nodes on the right side of my neck were enlarged but I didn't know that it was lymphoma. To be back here 3 years later doing something that I never thought I had the interest nor the ability to do made me realise that I have come a long way. Thank God for watching over me.

The plan was for me to speed up in the last 5km if I was still feeling good, so I picked up the pace slightly. With 3km to go, I realised that I could finish the race within 3 hours, which I have not been able to do in my long runs. I had to remind myself to be patient and keep up the pace. At the final bend, when I could see the finishing line, I ran as fast as I could. The remaining distance felt a lot longer than it looked. My nett time was 2hrs 45mins. My Samsung watch said that I only ran 18.45km. This is possibly why, based on my long runs timings, I thought it would take me at least 3hrs to complete this race.

I am glad I did the race. Running with thousands others is quite different from a long run on a quiet weekend.  There are a lot more distractions but at the same time it is comforting to know that so many people are going through the same challenges. It taught me to trust tapering (so long as I do it correctly), and the importance of sticking to all the golden rules that I have learnt. It was a new experience and I had fun.

A Good Run

Singapore's awesome skyline at sunrise

Third and final blogpost about running.

I have been watching Youtube videos and reading some article on running. Some things don't seem natural and were difficult to do. I tried just breathing through the nose the last 2 weeks but would only last for about 1/2 hour before I resort to breathing in and out through the mouth. I tried straightening my posture and looking in front rather than down, and it felt like I was stiffening up; the idea of looking at the long road ahead didn't appeal to me either. And learning forward slightly so that the feet lands properly on the ground. But how are you suppose to do that if you are also supposed to run slowly? Mind boggling.

I have been cutting down on my carbo intake over the last month or so in hope to lose some weight. Shedding some weight helps with the run and is less taxing on the knees. But yesterday I finished my share of rice to carbo load for this morning's run.  I slept late because we visited the 24 hour Decathlon Hub in Kallang, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to get up early enough to avoid the mid-morning sun. Thankfully, I was awake before 5am and didn't feel sluggish so I headed out.

Having the phone bouncing in my pocket bother me. I wanted to get one of those armbands at Decathlon yesterday but it didn't seem comfortable for a long run. But neither was having the phone in my pocket. I wore a wristband which made me look like a tennis player, but it turned out to be a good idea because it was so much easier to wipe the sweat off my face. I didn't see anyone else wearing it this morning though. Well, whatever work for me. 

I took the advice to start hydrating earlier in the run. After 50 minutes I got my first isotonic drink from 7- Evelen. I got a second bottle 2 hours into the run. It made such a difference. It was well worth the effort despite the weight. I tried the nose only breathing, straightened posture and lean forward. This time, after persisting for the first 1/2 hour, I managed to continue without being self-conscious about it. In fact I breathed through my nose for the entire run.

After a while the phone was also less distracting especially when I got to Orchard Road. At certain parts, there were quite a few people who looked like they just finished their night out. And there were certain parts where you could hear hundreds of birds gathered on some of the trees. There was a real risk of being pooped on.  

The sun was rising when I got to the Istana. There were lots of photo opportunities in the 3rd hour of the run - Raffle Hotel, Esplanade, Merlion, Marina Bay, Fullerton Hotel and much more. This run was much easier compared to the hilly route I took to the Henderson Wave last week. I felt I had another hour in me if I pushed myself, but I wanted to be careful not to do too much too soon. So I stopped at Raffle Place and took the train home.

Lessons for me - take good advice; continue trying even if it something feels uncomfortable or awkward; if something works well for you, stick with it even if you are the only one doing it; don't let distractions get the better of you; and don't do too much too soon.

Running Further

Hort Park, taken
several weeks back

I have made some progress since coming back from Kuala Lumpur last week.  Last Saturday, I ran for 2 hours; I have never ran that long before in my life. And then on Sunday, I ran another 2.5 hours. What really helped was trying out a new route as it distracted me from thinking about how long I have been out or how long more I have to run. It also helped that I bought a drink to rehydrate myself in the last quarter of my run. The best thing about being able to run long distance is that the 40-50 minute runs in the weekday mornings have become a lot less of a mental battle.

This morning, I was hoping to do another 2.5 hour run. You notice that I never talk about the distance - I run very slowly. About 30 minutes into the run, I tripped on an uneven surface and fell on the pavement. Fortunately, my reaction was pretty good and I used my hands to break the fall. One of my shoes came off, which was kinda funny. I am slow but not necessarily steady. The first thought I had was perhaps I should go home. I got up and checked for damages. I felt slightly bruised on the knees and palms but there was no bleeding, so I decided to continue with the run.

After running one of my usual route, I headed towards Kent Ridge Park. Running down South Buona Vista is a confidence booster. I ran slowly because I knew that at some point I will have some slopes to climb, which I just hate. Soon enough was the turn up to Kent Ridge Park. I saw someone who seemed like a regular runner stop to walk up the slope but I decided to carry on running... for 50 meters before I resorted to walking too. I was huffing and puffing as I dragged myself up the slope. The people which I was passed must have wondered why I took so much effort just walking.

When I got to the park, I started running again. Running after stopping for a minute was something I just couldn't do in the past. What is at rest remains at rest for the rest of the day. But I realised I could do it when I ran in KL recently. I stopped to take some photos of the city during the run so I have learnt to adapt. From KRP, I ran to Holt Park, again a downhill run followed by a slope up to the visitors centre. I headed straight to the water cooler to hydrate myself. I almost made up my mind to head home but I wasn't sure if I could get a cab (I didn't have my phone with me).

I decided to carry on with the run towards the Henderson Wave. That involved a long stretch up the Canopy Walk. There were parts where I walked because I felt I had enough of running for the day. And there were parts where I ran slow-motion because I thought there was no point walking if I was still going to cover the same distance. Indecisiveness. I felt good getting to the Wave because I knew there were no more uphill slopes after that. When I got down to Westcoast Highway, I had done 2.5 hours so I decides to try to push for 3 hours. It was so tempting to get on the train at the Telok Blangah MRT station, but I continued at turtle pace to finish the run at Labrador Park MRT.

It amazes me how people can run a full marathon under 3 to 4 hours. I am just happy running 3 hours whatever the distance, preferably without upward slopes.

Exercise Routine

Taken during a morning run in
Kuala Lumpur recently

When I started, I could barely last 15 minutes. Breathlessness, the strain on the knees, and most of all the boredom. I don't like the heat so running on the treadmill in the air-conditioned gym was my preference. Spotify or Youtube only reduced the boredom ever so slightly. The most frustrating thing with the treadmill is that it tells you how little you have done, especially the number of calories burnt.

One day, when the treadmill was occupied (there are 2 in the condo gym but 1 is perpetually out of order), I decided to run around the condo premises. It started with 4 rounds, and over time it went up to 6. Sometimes I would lose count and end up not being sure if I did an extra round. It would take me about 1/2 hour, beyond which my systems would start shutting down - the ship falls off the edge of world. Again I found it difficult to overcome the boredom of doing multiple rounds. That's the same reason I can't make myself do laps in the pool even though I used to swim regularly in my younger days.

To beat the boredom, I started running around the neighbourhood probably about 4 months ago. From about 40 minutes, I've slowly managed to nudge myself to do slightly longer routes lasting about an hour, a couple of times a week. More recently, I've been able to get it up to 75-90 minutes, albeit at a slow pace. I even ran when I was holidaying in Bali and Kuala Lumpur.

The biggest barrier for me in getting started has simply been the unwillingness to give up some amount of comfort. When I am not at work, I would rather be with the family or be sleeping in. I've heard people say that exercise is a great way to unwind or de-stress, which is absolutely rubbish in my case - I just feel complete exhaustion. There was no other way to get through the mental barrier except to just get on with it; get out of bed as soon as I am awake before the analysis sets in; de-link what I have to do  from my emotions and keep the mind focused on finishing the present task.

I am really thankful for all the people who have been sharing their exercise routines on Facebook.  These people have full time jobs, family and other commitments, and yet they have taken the time to exercise. Each and everyone of them remind me that I don't have a good excuse to lead a sedentary life. If they can do a marathon or triathlon, then I can at least go for a run around the neighbourhood.

Ending 2018 in Bali

House of I Gusti Nyoman Lelpad,
painter and sculptor. Ubud

I just got back from a short vacation in Bali with my siblings and families. It's been about 2 years since we all met in one place. It's funny how a short holiday took so much time to firm up and plan - it must have been a good 9 months. And after we bought the plane tickets, Mount Agung erupted in June, followed by several earthquakes in Indonesia and then recently the deadly tsunami in the Sunda Straits on 22 Dec, just 4 days before our trip. We did discuss a number of times whether we should change our plans. So I really praise God that the meet up materialised and we had a brilliant time together.

Single Fin, Uluwatu

We started our vacation with a sunset dinner at the Single Fin. Perched on the cliffs of Uluwatu, this open air restaurant gives you a stunning view of the surf breaks off Suluban Beach. We got there earlier than planned as we had anticipated a traffic jam at the Uluwatu Temple as it was Galungan, one of Bali's most important festivals. Just as well, because the place filled up very soon after we got there. Understandably so, because the view of the sunset over Uluwatu was stunning. Great music, atmosphere, food and the sea breeze made a perfect start to the family holiday.

Big Swing,
Uma Pakel Agro Tourism

Day 2 was focused on the inland. The drive took us through the rustic green Balinese countryside. There was so much to see on the way. Our first stop was Uma Pakel Agro Tourism where you could learn about Kopi Luwak production or try one of the big swings. Next stop were the rice terraces in Tegallalang, just 5 minutes drive from where we were. Since my last visit, they have created a footpath down the rice terraces and up onto the other side. Some of us took a walk down the rice terraces while others took in the views from one of the warungs at the top of the terraces. There were big swings here too, and bird's nests to snap instagrammable moments. Great way to spend the morning.

Tegallalang Rice Terraces

After that, we drove to Ubud, the heart of traditional Balinese culture. We had lunch at Ibu Rai, a quaint place with a lovely Balinese garden and flavourful local cuisine.  Despite being in the middle of a busy town, the restaurant provided a quiet haven to escape the hot afternoon sun.  After the sumptous meal, we spent the next 1 1/2 hours roaming around the Jalan Karna market and the many small lanes. There were

Ibu Rai, Ubud

wonderful sights and colours at every corner we turned in Ubud. We also managed to hunt down the perfect pair of flip-flops for my niece.

On our way back to the hotel, we visited the Tegenungan Waterfall. I had always assumed this to be a remote site with very few visitors, maybe because of the photos I have seen. When we got there, loads of people were having a "beach" party at the waterfall.

Tegenungan Waterfall

It was like a cruise ship advertisement or the post-wedding dinner scene from Crazy Rich Asian. On top of the cliff, next to the waterfall was a place for drinks and chillout. Great vibes but surreal. My brother took a dip in the waterfall while some of us climbed up the waterfall.

Day 3 was beach hopping day. Initially I had planned for us to visit 3 beaches, but we only ended up visiting Bingin Beach. The beaches with stunning views require climbing down and up steep steps and we concluded that 1 was all

Bingin Beach

our legs could take. Also my sister was chased by a few cows on her walk down; not sure what she did to the cows. Bingin Beach was stunning and well worth the climb. Along the climb, you will see a number of accommodations and cafes to cater to surfers. Since we didn't hop to another beach, we

Hotel Intercontinental, Jimbaran

went to Hotel Intercontinental in Jimbaran for lunch. Pool view and beach front lunch and rest for the tired legs.

Day 4 was free and easy as were catching our flights home. Like the last 2 mornings, everyone got up early to catch the Sanur sunrise at the beach. I would go for a run before joining everyone for breakfast. Before we left the hotel, we spent some time thanking God for the precious time together. We prayed for His continued watch over our lives, especially those of the younger generation. God has been so good in the ups and downs, and the big and small things in our lives.

This trip was a wonderful way to end the year 2018.

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Hotel de Ville, Lyon

Part 3 of our vacation was in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. We drove 5 hours from Sarlat-la-Canéda to Lyon, the capital of the region and the second largest city in France. This was going to be our base for the next 2 days, and where we catch out flight back to Paris and onward to Singapore. I don't enjoy driving in big cities, so we booked a place just slightly outside of the city centre. I made a reservation for dinner and we took the bus into the city. For some reason, I though that it was going to be a short walk from the bus interchange to where the restaurant was - possible because it looked like a straightforward straight ahead direction. It turned out to be a couple of metro stations away! But it was a blessing in disguise because we came across a marché de Nöel and also got to see the Fête de Lumieres. Mistakes don't have to be bad. At the

Fête de Lumieres, Lyon

marché the kids had their candy floss, a chocolate coated mashmallow and a ride on the carousel. We bought a mini Gâteau à la broche, and would have sampled a lot of the food had we not made the dinner reservation.

Monsieur P, rue de Royale

After the long walk, we were all ready for our dinner at Monsieur P. The P is not for Detective Poirot but for its owner and chef Florent Poulard. The place came highly recommended on Tripadvisor. For starters, I had this amazing  beetroot salad, so good that even my son enjoyed it. I had Pollack for the mains and a fantastic Chestnut mousse and Clementine sorbet for dessert. Great food and friendly service. I was looking for the French gastronomique experience in a child friendly restaurant and that was exactly what we got. Completely satisfied.

When we got back to the apartment, we realised that there was no hot water for our shower. We had suspected this before we left for dinner but thought perhaps the water would get warmer if we let it run a little longer. The heating in the apartment also wasn't great. I messaged the owner and told him that we will move to another place tomorrow and asked him for a refund for that 2nd night. I am still waiting for the refund. The entire family ran in and out of the shower very quickly that night.

Palaise l'Isle, Annecy

All packed, we drove out to Annecy the next morning. Perfect weather, the sun was out. We walked to the lake and took a quick stroll around the Vieille Ville. We had a delicious brunch at a creperie called Quai No. 10, situated along the Thiou Canal and a stones throw away from the iconic Palaise l'Isle. The owner of the creperie told us that he just got back from a trip to Bali and Singapore. A vacation swap. Annecy was gorgeous even in winter.

Chamonix

We drove on to Chamonix, but not before we accidentally drove through the Mont Blanc Tunnel and into Italy! We should have driven on for another 50 minutes to reach Aiguille du Midi. Instead we turned back to Chamonix, and discovered that the cable cars from Chamonix  up to Aiguille du Midi were closed for a few weeks. With no mountains to climb, we went to a forest for a stroll along a river. Later we had Italian for dinner (that would be the second Italian encounter of the day) and a walkabout the town centre. The weather forecast indicated a 100% change of snowing at 7pm and they kids kept a lookout for it, but it did not come. The snow finally came about 7am the next morning. So we got to experience light snowfall for about an hour before we drove back to Lyon to catch our flight.

7 days seemed short but it felt like we did a lot during that short period of time. And we felt God's presence with us throughout the trip giving us special glimpses of the wonderful world that He created.  

Until the next time France, au revoir et a bientôt.

Dordogne

Château de Beynac

I've never heard of Dordogne before I started my planning for this holiday. And it took me a long time to decide if I should visit the region in winter. Would everything be closed? This place is known for its wonderful cuisine but will any restautants be open? The Gabares will not be operating along the river and it would be too cold to kayak. Not a wine enthusiast and it would be way past the grapes harvesting season. But the research that I did suggested that Dordogne is a bit like the Cotswolds in England, beautiful in any season.

It was an 8 hour drive from Mont-Saint Michel to Sarlat-la-Canéda. I didn't want to be searching for our accommodation in the dark when we arrive, so we decided to start off at 7am. Driving through French villages in the dark on the left hand side of the road was quite an experience. My two sons were excellent navigators throughout this holiday and thank God for journey mercies. I would probably stay the night in Loire Valley if I do the same drive again in the future. We managed to arrive in Dordogne Valley when the sun was still up and the autumn colours of the region were amazing. Felt excited about spending the next few days here.

Medieval town Sarlat-la-Canéda

We stayed in the heart of the medieval town. The orange-yellow hues of the limestone buildings and small lanes were quaint. Many shops were closed during this time of the year but we didn't have too many issues finding food. We had an exquisite dinner at Hotel La Couleuvrine on the first night. Sarlat makes a good base for people exploring the Dordogne Valley, because it has a lot of amenities including large supermarkets and, ahem, McDonalds just a few minutes drive out of the medieval part of town.

The next morning, we drove 30 minutes to Font-de-Gaume. This is the only remaining cave in France containing pre-historic polychrome wall paintings that is still open to the public. Less than a hundred tickets are available each day and they have stopped taking advanced booking since the beginning of this year. Everyone who wishes to visit have to be personally present to buy the ticket. I read that in summer, visitors line up as early as 7am even though the office only opens at 9.30am. We arrived at 9am and were first in the queue - the advantages of visiting in winter. Thibaut, our English speaking guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. It was surreal to stand just inches away from something that was painted more than 17,000 years ago. Don't miss this when you visit Dordogne. Later we drove by La Roque Saint Christophe, a pre-historic human settlement in the face of the limestone cliffs. We also came across one of the many goose farms in the region where the famed Perigord foie gras comes from.

Lino, our truffle hunter

We visited Château de Beynac after lunch. Purged on a cliff next to the Dordogne river, it used to be home to Richard I, King of England. The castle is not as well maintained as those in Loire Valley, but it offer a stunning view of the Valley.  We did a truffle tour in St-Cyprien the next morning. The tour was hosted by Edouard who gave us an excellent introduction to the fungi. My daughter loved playing with Lino, the truffle hunter. With his help, me managed to gather close to 400g of Perigold black truffles which sells at the current market price of about EUR750/kg. The tour was lots of fun for the kids and helped all of us appreciate the wonders of God's creation, including those well hidden under the ground. 

Brantôme

We spent the rest of the day driving around the region and ended up in Brantôme. The town is encircled by the La Dronne river and is known as “Venise du Perigord Vert”.

I am so thankful that I chanced upon charming Dordogne when researching on the holiday. Next stop, Lyon.

Normandy

Étretat

Our recent holiday in France was so short that I didn't have a chance to blog. 7 days with short daylight in the winter, lots of driving and much to experience. I got back to work the day after the holiday so that I could quickly get over the jetlag and have been trying to finish up the photobook of the holiday. Unfortunately I did not realise that Apple had stopped the Photos printing services until I finished compiling the photobook. At first I thought that I had chosen an outdated template so I painstakingly transferred the photos to another template. I realised later that I had to update my Mac OS and use the Mimeo photo app extension to convert my template. I thought I was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when I realised that the photos loaded onto Mimeo were blurry. I have been trying to find other alternatives for the last 2 days - extremely frustrating, and completely disappointed with Apple. When frustrated with Apple, Keep Calm and Blog. 

We flew Airfrance to avoid CDG Terminal 1; I don't mind iconic, so long as it is updated. It took more than an hour to get out of the airport and another hour to sought out the car rental - they couldn't tell me where the hand break was. The kids prefer nature so we didn't plan for any time in Paris, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We did see gilet jaune protestors during our trip but they are mostly at roundabouts slowing down the traffic. Our first stop was Étretat. It was raining heavily most of the morning, so the chances of seeing the white cliffs weren't good. Everyone was hungry so we had to find a place for lunch. By the time we finished lunch, the rain had cleared and we were treated to a beautiful view of the limestone cliffs. The kids played on the pebble beached for awhile. To my surprise, the family was adventurous enough to take the hike up the cliffs that inspired some of Monet's paintings. 

Bayeux

It started to rain again when we got back into the car. We decided to head to our hotel in Bayeux and defer the visit to the D-Day sites until the next day. Château de Bellefountaine was an excellent hotel. There were even black and white swans on the grounds and a river running through it. It was unfortunate that the hotel dinner was fully booked because the menu looked amazing. We had a light dinner in Bayeux instead and managed to take in the beautiful Christmas lights in the city. There were no takers for the Tapisserie de Bayeux, which depicts the Norman conquest of England. 

We had an early start the next morning. After breakfast, we checked out and headed to Arromanches-les-Bains. This is the historic location where an artificial harbour was built by the Allied forces to unload heavy equipments on D-Day in June 1944. You can still see remnants of the floating structure along the beach. After that we drove to the Normandy American Cemetery &

Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial,
Colleville-sur-Mer

Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer. More than 9,000 American soldiers were buried here. Many died as soon as they got off their battleship. A sea of white crosses and Star of David across the cemetery was a solemn reminder of the sacrifices of so many to free Western Europe from the grasp of tyranny. There were balsam veteran's wreath place at the foot of each headstone. The American flag was flown at half mast to remember President Bush Snr who passed away the day before. At the centre of the memorial is a bronze sculpture named "The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves" with inscriptions that bring great hope to the families of the fallen soldiers: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord".

Mont-Saint Michel

Our final stop in Normandy was Mont-Saint Michel. I've had wanted to see this place for a very long time. And 2 years ago, when we visited the Loire Valley, I did consider driving here but was dissuaded by the hotel owner. I am glad I took his advice, because our eldest son wasn't with us for that trip.  Now we got to see this amazing place for the first time together. We could have joint the free English speaking tour at 3pm, but we were far too hungry, so we started off with a wonderful lunch at La Mère Poulard. I am glad we filled our stomachs first because the walk up to the monastery required quite a bit of energy. But the climb was well worth it because the monastery and the view of the top was astounding. It's unbelievable how hundreds of years ago, people managed to build such an huge structure so high up.

Nightfall at Mont-Saint Michel

The one advantage of travelling in winter is that you don't have to wait too long for the evening lights to come on to illuminate the buildings. We decide to go for crêpe de banane and wait for the sky to darken. And what a sight we were rewarded with - it was like a picture perfect postcard. We stood there in the dark for at least 1/2 hour taking many photos. After that, I was thinking of taking the 2km walk back to the hotel, but it was getting cold so we decided to hop onto the free shuttle bus instead. It didn't feel like I got enough of the place. Definitely worth another visit in the future.

Despite the rain and change of plans, we managed to do quite a lot in Normandy on the first 2 days of our vacation. Next, we were off to Dordogne.

The Message

I bought a copy of The Message after I stumbled across a Youtube video of a meeting between Bono, the lead singer of U2, and the late Eugene Peterson. The latter was a preacher who developed The Message, a modern rendition of the Bible. Parts of The Message was published in earlier years, but the full version became available in 2002. I have come across abstracts of it every now and then, but have never taken interest to it because it didn't seem to have the authoritative ring and punchiness of the New International Version (NIV). The Message paraphrases the Bible by using modern words and context.

In the youtube video, there was a segment where Bono reads from Psalm 40:

"I waited and waited and waited for God.
    At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
    pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
    to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song..."
Psalm 40: 1-3 (The Message)

That piqued my interest in The Message. "I waited and waited and waited..." resonated with me because I often feel like I am waiting and waiting and waiting for something or other!  I was conscious that I already have a few copies of the Bible at home and wondered if this was a impulse purchase. Will it make me love reading the Bible more? Can it help me understand the Bible better? Is it going to make Jesus sound like a hippie? Well why not buy a copy to find out - so I gave in to my impulse.

This is its rendition of Isaiah 1:13-17

Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings— meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless.

This is like God walking into a busy church today. "Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You've worn me out!" You have no excuse for thinking that those words were just for the Jews of the Old Testaments. The paraphrase takes the essence of the message and serves it to you piping hot. The picture in my head wasn't religious leaders in white garbs putting up a pious performance, but of men and women like ourselves treating church like weekly "religious games". 

I read its rendition of John 3 where Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader meets with Jesus to speak to him alone. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he needed to be "born again". And quite honestly, there a some portions of some verses in that chapter which aren't so easy to understand. But the elaboration in the The Message helped me to understand it better:

"Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit." ~ John 3:5-6 (The Message)


So, I am enjoying myself reading The Message. And it is helping me to better understand some verses. I gave my copy to my son today and I pray that he will hear God speaking into his life. I am going to get myself a replacement copy tomorrow, perhaps a NIV - The Message parallel Bible.

Prayer

One of the more difficult things to get my head around is prayer. What is it for if God knows my every thought, even before I think it. And in Romans, it even says that God would teach you what you ought to pray: 

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our heartsknows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." Romans 8: 26-27 (NIV)

What is prayer actually for?  I remember reading 2 books on prayer. One explained the different things that prayer is but it didn't give me that 1-minute explanation that I needed. If something is going to be of use to me, it has got to be simple enough for my goldfish memory to remember. I didn't manage to finish the other book - perhaps the 1-minute answer is at the end of that book. It bugs me to do something that I don't fully understand. 

I think I got the answer I was looking for today. Let me qualify this by saying that this is my view of prayer. There isn't a Bible verse that describes it this way. I am not entirely sure a pastor or theologian would agree with my illustration of what prayer is. All it is is a 1-minute explanation to myself, which helps me to pray with the greater conviction.

So for me, prayer is sticking my brain into God's realm. The rest of the body is here - the eyes, ears, mouth, the whole body, but the brain is with God. The brain off-loads everything to God, and takes wisdom from Him. The brain receives the power to believe and directs the body to take the right action. When the brain is tired and confused, it finds rest and peace. The brain is in conversation with God, offering God the open door to our lives. Our brain has an opportunity to see God's perspective, and can see how God is involved in a situation. Our brain understands that God is always in charge.

When someone mistreat you, the body may feel all the human sensations, but the brain who is connected to the heavenly realm releases it to God. It is able to focus on God's beauty rather that the temporal nuisance of this life. We see the God-possibilities rather that be limited by our human capabilities. We pray for miracles and what seems impossible because we know that our God is able.

To stick our brains into God's realm, we need to allow His Holy Spirit to put our head in the right position. It is not a matter of us trying and trying harder. Even when Jesus was with his disciples, they didn't know how to pray for healing. And they fell asleep when they ought to be praying for the challenging times ahead. But when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they began to pray boldly. The book of Acts tells us this over and over again - it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that the miraculous happens. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~ Philippians 4:6

Conversion Stories

Our church is doing a sermon series on the book of Acts, The Acts of the Apostles, to be precise. Written by Luke, who also wrote the eyewitness account of Jesus in the Gospel according to Luke, Acts talks about how the Good News of salvation spreads to "all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" by the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. The early followers of Jesus, mostly Jews, were persecuted and martyred for their faith by their brethren Jews and the Romans, but their faith stood firm.

This morning's sermon was on Act 9 about the conversion of Saul, a Jewish persecutor and murderer of Christians. This was recorded for us:

"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”. “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9: 1-6 NIV).

The encounter transformed Saul from a hater of Christ into Paul, the most prolific missionary in church history. He was eventually imprisoned and beheaded by the Romans, but not before he wrote a few more books of the New Testaments which are commonly referred to as the Prison Letters. Paul's life and his death is recorded to for all the skeptics who come after him.

Listening to today's sermon reminded me of the movie, The Case for Christ, which I watched about a week back. The movie is based on a true story of a Chicago Tribune award-winning journalist turned pastor, Lee Strobel. Lee was a born skeptic and was distraught when his wife became a Christian, so distraught that he set out to disprove the claims of Christ. Much like Paul of Tarsus, Lee wanted to settle the score with the Christians. He put his investigative skills to use and spoke to a number of experts in their fields of specialisation. On his journey to disprove the death, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, he ended up face to face with the truth of Christ. 

In the face of truth, both men comes to the realisation of God's love. God took a chance on us - "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). Today, we live in a world that is very hostile toward God and what God stands for. Yet when we push Him out of our lives, He remains quietly at the door of our hearts waiting expectantly for us to open it again. He gives us grace even when we choose to take a different path. He continues to pursue us even when we've made it clear to Him that He is not welcomed to our part of the neighbourhood. 

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. 

 ~ John 3:16-17 The Message

Dream

I can't remember exactly when I had this dream, only that it was during the period when I was recuperating at home after my hospitalisation. Unlike my wife, I almost always forget my dreams when I wake up from sleep. But I remembered this one and I have been thinking about it ever since. It was a simple dream - it was cold and dark except for a tiny spark of warm orange light in the distance. Although I could not see my immediate surroundings, it felt as if I was in a forest heading slowly toward the light. It felt as if I was sitting in something that was rolling smoothly on a winding track towards this light. All this was happening without any sound and in slow motion. 

After awhile it seemed like I had stopped moving and the light was moving towards me instead. Still a distance from the light, I realised that the light was Jesus seated on a throne with His nail pierced hands resting on his knees.  Behind the throne were two winged-creatures. At that point it occurred to me that I was perhaps leaving this present life and headed towards the next life. But it wasn't fearful at all. Instead it felt like I was reaching my destination. I recall making sense of it in my dream - that after all the twist and turns in life, this is all that really matters. And then I woke up. 

I do believe God speaks through dreams and it has certainly happened to me once before many years ago. In that case, I received a confirmation of what the dream meant from an independent source right after I woke up.  Even as I write this paragraph, I just thought about a message I received out of the blue from an ex-colleague about 2 weeks back. This was some time after I had my dream, so it hadn't occurred to me that they may be related until now. It reads:

"The Lord prompted me to pray for you. Know that He is near and always there to lean on. His grace is sufficient. Amen... I was reading Philippians and God is wonderful. He reminds me that salvation wrought by self has nothing to glory about. But only his grace freely given to mankind is priceless and gives all glory to Him. Verses in chapter 4 urge us to remember to be joyful because the evil one comes to steal, kill and destroy our joy in Jesus. Let our mindfulness be evident to all. Victory belongs to the Lord. Be encouraged Brother." It is followed by the verses from Philippians 4:4-7.

Is it related? Not sure. There are some parallels. Am I going to be up against something beyond my human abilities yet again? I don't really want to. Too much of that over the last couple of years. But even so, I wish to encourage anyone out there who is dealing with something that seems difficult or unbearable  - that Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11). Whatever it is that you feel that you cannot handle, I hope and pray that you will receive "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding".  Whether you are dealing with an illness or with bullies; anxiety or emptiness about the future; losing someone you love or losing the love from someone; being victimised or marginalised; feeling alone or feeling overwhelmed. Cast away your fears and do not let yourself be heavy laden. Like David who removed the heavy armour that got in his way, draw on God's strength as you face your Goliath. 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
~ Philippians 4: 4-7

Recovery

Three weeks of discomfort, then a couple of days in the hospital, followed by a full week of home rest and daily hospital visits for IV antibiotics. The big day came last Wednesday when the catheter was meant to be removed. After carrying the urine bag around for more than a week, I was ready to have it removed. But at the same time, I was concerned that I may still have issues going to the toilet once it is removed. I also read that patients may experience urinary incontinence. I actually went to the pharmacy to get "pouches for weak bladder" (there doesn't seem to be a term for the product) ahead of the doctors appointment.

So the urologist explained the procedure. Before they remove the catheter, they will infuse (made it sound like an exotic fruit tea) me with saline to test if I can go to the toilet after the catheter is removed. The infusion was cold and woke up my bladder pretty quickly. I was meant to be infused with 300ml of saline but my bladder was already feeling very full at 150ml.  As a compromise, we agreed on 250ml - well what else could I do, I was lying down flat feeling pretty vulnerable. When it was time to take the catheter out, I was assured that it would not be anywhere as uncomfortable as when it was fitted in. Honestly, it is debatable. And the special instruction was to keep the saline in. I got through that somehow, and they gave me the measuring jug to empty my bladder. All 250ml came back out, so no blockages. And I also don't have urinary incontinence.

I am still on medication for several weeks more. A day after having the catheter removed, the doctors ran some tests and confirmed that the markers for inflammation and infection have come down significantly. That meant that I could switch from the daily IV to oral antibiotics. There will still be follow ups with the doctors and a scan in a couple of months to confirm that my prostate has fully recovered. The previous MRI showed that my prostate was twice the average volume which explains all the pain and discomfort I had experienced.

After close to a month of dealing with this issue, I felt a great sense of achievement to be able to go to the toilet. Honestly, we have to thank God for all the simplest things in life. Intricately stitched by the mighty hands of God, every part of us is a miracle. We are reminded of the miracle of life when we see a newborn, but we can sometimes forget that our body is a miracle every single day. Current influences suggest that we are inadequate and we should despise our bodies. It makes us feel as if we can do better than what God has already done.  We can lose sight of what we are designed for and to give thanks for that.

While I was waiting to see the doctor on Thursday, over a cup of hot chocolate, I gave thanks to God for the miracles that make life look so simple to us.

Getting Discharged Today

After 5 days in the hospital, I get to go home today. Will finally see the sky and some greenery I hope. I am still waiting for the urologist to discharge me so timing is a bit of a variable. The tests that he ran 2 days ago did not yield any bacteria cultures so I will not know what bug I actually caught. Vicious but shy. But since the symptoms are lessening, we know that the antibiotics are working. As I have developed prostatic abscesses, I will be kept on antibiotics  for a few more weeks. 

The urologist will still keep the the catheter in so I will go home proudly carrying the urine bag. I will be resting at home for about a week before I part ways with the urine bag, that is if I no longer have issues urinating on my own. I will have to make daily visits to the hospital to receive the IV antibiotic. For this arrangement to be feasible, I will be switching to a new antibiotic, which only requires 1 dose a day rather than 3. I also need to be fitted with a long IV line in my arm. Not looking forward to that. 

In times like these, I am again reminded of how vulnerable we can be. When we are well, we can act as if nothing can stop us. We can spend too much time focusing our energy on acquiring more. We expect everything to work at the Singaporean level of efficiency. We form the view that if things in our lives are not what we expected, we can get them to perfection. In reality, life is full of ups and downs. There has been huge advancements in science and medicine, but a tiny bug can wreck havoc and turn a grown man into a groaning man. I for one know that am more vulnerable than I think of myself and I need God.  I need God's help to see the vulnerabilities in others and be an encourager. I need God's help to strike a balance in my life so that I don't find myself chasing after meaningless things. I need God's help to see that whether I am winning or losing in this life, I am always winning in God's eye. 

In today's world, there are so many angry voices against the existence of God or the belief in God. There is so much hatred towards the name of Jesus, because His church and followers have abused or been disobedient to His teaching. We place our hopes on what humankind can achieve if we can all work together, a big if.  We are losing sight of how vulnerable we really are and are too quick to write-off the existence of God. Yet God shows great compassion despite our human condition, and we see that clearer when we are vulnerable.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and   his righteousness with their children’s children-

with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

~ Psalm 103: 13 - 18 (NIV)