My last 2 pairs of running shoes were from New Balance and I had my Hanzo S for close to 4 years. I went for my IPPT recently and I was sitting on the bench while waiting for my turn to run the 2.4km, I noticed that the sole of my Hanzo S is starting to fall apart. It was a sign to get a new pair of shoes once I receive the money for clearing my IPPT.

Over the weekend I went online to look for something similar to the Hanzo S. I managed to streamline my options to the Hanzo S v2, the On Cloudflash, and the Asics Sortiemagic RP 6. The Hanzo S v2 has been released close to 3 years now and there is no way for me to get them anywhere in Singapore. I have heard rumours of a Hanso S v3 flying around but that would probably only be the later part of this year. Running Lab sold the On Cloudflash for a while but they stopped restocking due to low demands. I could take a gamble and order a pair directly from their website since they allowed free returns, but the price was a big turn off since Running Lab sold them for much cheaper previously.

That left me with not much of a choice but to head down to Asics at Jewel to take a look. They told me they didn’t carry the Sortiemagic and recommended me to head down to IMM or Suntec instead. I drove down to IMM since it was much closer to home and they didn’t have the size that I wanted. I needed a US8 but they only had US7.5. Undeterred, I then drove down to Suntec and found the Sortiemagic available in both the new colours. The blue/green colourway seemed rather dull so I went for the flashier option.

(Asics has discounts, promo codes and credit card tie-ups for both their online and retail stores. Check what discounts you can apply and make sure you don’t pay the full retail price!)

I have worn Asics a long, long time ago when I first started running. I can’t remember the model of the first pair I had but it came with the Duomax sole. The other pair I had was the Gel Kayano. Both models I previously had were more for stability running and so this is the first time I am trying out their racing flats.

First impression, it is significantly lighter than all the shoes I have had before. The US8 weighs just 132g compared to the Hanzo S at 185g. Almost 50 grams and I could see why.

The mesh is so thin it is almost transparent. The top and sides are just like a layer of skin. Wear a pair of socks and put on the shoes, you could literally see through the shoe and look at the colour of your socks.

The Asics salesperson was quite nice to emphasize that this pair of shoes is recommended only for track use. I told him that I have always worn racing flats and use them mostly for track and road. He told me that road use will cause a lot of wear and tear to the sole. So far, my New Balance experience seemed pretty durable even for road use, but this is my first pair of Asics racers so let’s see how they run.

When I first shared my boarding pass on social media, a lot of my friends couldn’t believe my choice of vacation destination. They initially thought that I was flying to India for work, but I clarified that I am actually on holiday. I must admit that India wasn’t my first choice either, and I also did not know what to expect for the trip. I packed my luggages with zero expectations but a heart ready for adventure.

We arrived at Delhi Airport and went for a quick meal in the city, before heading back to the airport for a domestic flight.

This is my first time to India and I have never heard of Leh Ladakh, but after a quick research before my trip, I learnt that Ladakh is actually quite close to the Himalayas and most of it is situated on an altitude of 3000m and therefore, is not covered by my travel insurance.

During the trip, I realized that there was a strong military presence and my guide explained to me that Ladakh used to be a disputed region between India, Pakistan and China. There were a few landmarks and schools that used to be under Pakistan but are now run by the Indian army.

We were given a strict itinerary and sleep schedule to follow. We were told that this helps us to acclimatize, especially when we flew in directly from Delhi (low altitude) to Leh (high altitude). The places that we were heading to, are of even higher altitudes (4000 to 5000m and above).

Hence we spent the first 2 nights in the city, exploring local monasteries and markets. I came here with zero expectations, so I just followed through whatever was planned. Some monasteries required a lot of climbing up slopes and stairs, which I honestly wasn’t prepared for, so we had to pause every now and then to catch our breaths. It took extra effort because the weather was chilly and breezes were cold.

As we explored out of the city area, most of what you see in Ladakh are just mountains and deserts and long roads. The drive from one place to another can take 4 to 6 hours, sometimes even longer if weather is bad or when there is a risk of landslide or falling rocks.

I won’t say that my guide is the best and knows everything, because there were some places where he didn’t really explain the history or significance and we had to find out on the internet by ourselves, but I highly recommend him just due to the fact that he is an excellent driver. Some roads are literally just beside the edge of cliffs, and I am glad we made it back thanks to his good driving skills.

We took this on Khardung La, which is one of the world’s highest motorable road at 5400m. It is the same height as Everest base camp. The air here is very thin and it was ultra exhausting to climb up to the peak. You can’t see the wind from the photo but it was so cold we were chilled to the bone.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was when we went to Pangong Lake. I never knew nature could be so beautiful. The scenery was majestic.

The only thing here was that the altitude was 4200m and temperature at night dropped to about 10 degrees celcius. I thought I could manage but I overestimated myself. Woke up the next day with a really bad headache and feeling very nauseous. Was sent to the village hospital and prescribed pills for high altitude sickness, before I was allowed to continue the rest of the trip.

I must admit that we underestimated the climate and altitude. My jacket was evidently insufficient for the cold weather, some nights I ended up wearing 2 shirts so I could have an additional layer.

Perhaps due to the fact that I came here with zero expectations, the trip definitely turned out much better than I thought. It was a great adventure with amazing scenery, and I survived Leh Ladakh.

I have heard good reviews of Akira Back for quite some time now but haven’t got a chance to try because in Singapore, we are really spoilt for choices. There are really so many places to go.

For my birthday this year, I decided to pop by and try what’s on their menu.

Due to the latest safe distancing measures, we managed to get a good table. The seating was wide and located in a spacious and quiet corner. I am quite sure this table would have been used for bigger parties like 5-6 people during pre-covid times.

The most popular appetizer on the menu is the cold pizza. I was caught in 2 minds whether to order the mushroom or the tuna version, so we ordered half of each. I personally preferred the mushroom one as it packed more flavour including a hint of truffle. The tuna pizza on the other hand wasn’t anything outstanding.

We gave the salmon carpaccio a try but it wasn’t spectacular. It is quite safe to just give this a miss.

Our server for the evening was Evelyn, who was very friendly and hospitable. She takes good photos as well. One of her recommendations was the Brother from another Mother. Yes, that’s the actual name of the dish. It’s basically a unagi handroll topped with foie gras. I enjoyed this a lot. The ponzo mayo gave the dish a sweet and refreshing touch.

Now we also had the atlantic black cod. If you were to ask me, this was the most filling dish. The fillets were fresh and huge. This was also served as an appetizer but I would say this could easily go as one of the mains. It came with some yuzu foam at the side which looks almost like hand soap, but you just coat a little foam on the fillet and put it in your mouth.

The main dish was actually the signature short ribs. The meat was really soft and the fats melt easily. You can feel the juices from all the fat just breaking down under your palette. It was good on its own so no sauces required. The serving size felt much smaller than the cod, so we ordered some extra sashimi and sushi, but those were nothing special.

I am not some Michelin star expert or professional food reviewer but this meal was good enough for me, and I enjoyed my dinner thoroughly. Good food makes me happy, but the company I eat with matters more.

Every guitarist, at some point of his or her life, would have dreamt of owning a Taylor.

And I am going to be honest, when I am moody or down or discouraged, I cheer myself up by buying things I like.

So, one thing led to another, and one day I got the order confirmation from Swee Lee, and the next moment I had this huge box sent to my room.

Packed in a standard aerocase, with a solid sitka spruce top and Indian rosewood body, the sound is bright and warm and offers enough projection.

I would think that any Taylor out of the factory would have been well or fully setup in terms of playability, but I spent just 30 minutes on it today before my fingers started to hurt. I realized by default it comes in .13 strings which is a gauge too heavy even for elephant-skinned fingers, so I am intending to bring it down slightly to .12, and overall it still feels rather stiff so I am gonna sending it for some additional touch ups.

I have previously engaged my friend Jarvis from The Guitar Spa some time back for my previous guitars, and he has also improved tremendously over the past few years so I will be entrusting my Taylor to him to complete the setup.

I can’t wait to start playing again.

I think Sungei Buloh is one of those places in the entire world that you would least expect to find me. I have never stepped foot there my entire life and it has never crossed my mind as a place I would like to visit, so by a work of miracle, I found myself inside Sungei Buloh with the company of good people.

I read up on some reviews before we embarked on our walk. Apparently there are 4 different routes, but the most scenic and easiest to walk would probably be the coastal route. As the name suggests, it follows the coastline and the terrain is relatively flat, except for a few flights of stairs.

From the visitors centre to the coastal route, there weren’t enough signages to point us in the right direction even as we entered the forested area. We weren’t sure if the route we embarked on was the correct one (since there are 4 different routes), but we tried our luck and decided to walk ahead nonetheless. At one point we found ourselves surrounded with trees and looking at mudskippers, so we questioned ourselves if we were actually heading the right way, I replied with not much thinking, “Doesn’t matter, let’s just walk, every route will have a way out.”

I was amazed at my own moment of genius, but at the same time I pondered about what I just said. It was a simple statement but I felt like it carried much substance. (We were walking the correct route anyway in case you are wondering.)

Looking back, I have always wondered how I survived the past 33 years. At various stages of my life, I find myself at certain checkpoints questioning myself if I was heading the right direction. I wouldn’t say I am a pessimistic person but I think at times when we lack confidence, we tend to fill ourselves with doubt. Perhaps some of us have even lost our way, we embarked on the wrong paths, and I guess the majority of us would have ever felt like giving up at some point.

But look at where you are today.
Look at where that got you.
You are fine today,
And you will be even better tomorrow,

Because if there is anything I have learnt so far,
It is that every route will have a way out.

Nothing in life is permanent, so while it’s true that good times don’t last forever, then neither do the bad times.
If you are walking in darkness, keep walking, because every route has a way out.
If you are walking in the middle of a valley, keep walking, because every route has a way out.
If you are walking through hell, keep walking, because every route has a way out.

Then one day when you sit down and reflect back on life, you will be amazed at yourself and how you have made it this far.

During my reservist call-ups over the years, besides going through all the trainings, it is also a good time to catch up with fellow commanders and men.

We come from all walks of life, and among us, we have Chef Firdaus. Whenever we have a conversation about food, he gets very passionate and would share with us everything about what he knows.

This year’s reservist is no different, we were talking about food again, in particular: onion soup. I have never had onion soup so I don’t know how it tastes like, but the rest of the guys were debating on where to get the best onion soup.

Firdaus then recommended this French cuisine ran by a chef who operates from his own home. We made a reservation with the chef directly, and due to social distancing measures, we also had to minimize the number of participants. As a result, there was only a handful of us present.

First on the table was the much anticipated onion soup. I am not quite sure how to describe this dish but from the taste of it, I could tell it’s beef broth with a generous serving of onions. The garlic bread adds a little sweetness to it. I am not sure if this would be considered the best onion soup, but it was really appetizing and I enjoyed it.

Next we had this toasted goat cheese salad. I know that goat cheese typically smells a bit funky with a sour aftertaste, but this didn’t have that particular strangeness that comes with it.

Then we had the pan-seared foie gras and escagots. The foie gras came with 2 different sauces for pairing but I think it was already good on it’s own.

I did not expect what was going to hit us next. We had 2 servings of beef bourguignon, and while it looked just like rendang, the beef is so soft that it literally just melts in your mouth. The chef explained that this dish is slow cooked for at least 4-5 hours.

I ordered a 200g ribeye as a main to fill up the rest of my stomach. Honestly there was nothing special about it as you can get good steaks in a lot of places. However the potato gratin that came with the ribeye and beef bourguignon is amazing. Potato wasn’t mashed, yet was soft enough to just swallow, and together with some salt, cream and cheese to make it extra flavourful. If this particular potato gratin was to be sold as cafe food, it would definitely sell.

It was an amazing experience to dine at the home of the chef. Thank you Chef Nordin for the awesome dinner and for passionately explaining to us what goes behind every dish.

You can make a similar booking by sending him a message on WhatsApp directly. (Note: He uses a Malaysian number but he is based in Singapore.)

I decided to spend 48 hours in Chiang Mai despite just having visited about 3 months ago. Everywhere seemed much quieter this time round for obvious reasons. Flights and hotel prices have dropped drastically. The roads are less congested and malls doesn’t see much human traffic.

Which is also exactly why I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There was no need to queue at popular eateries and cafes are empty for picturesque moments.

For lunch, I decided to pop up Khao Soi Mae Sai. It is a small family operated eatery that probably has about 15 or 20 tables. You write your order on a small paper and pass it to an aunty whom I assume to be the mother, and a young man (I assume son) is the one preparing the orders beside all the large pots of gravy.

Each bowl of Khao Soi is filled with both flat and crispy noodle, and comes with a chicken drum stick. Although the servings are small, the price was very affordable. I could finish 2 bowls by myself. The 3 bowls together won’t cost more than $6. I planned to visit another Khao Soi restaurant for lunch on the second day but I was so satisfied with this and ended up returning here again.

Another place worth visiting is Lert Ros Restaurant. My friend recommended it because it is said to be a legendary haunt in Chiang Mai. I was quite puzzled when my Grab driver dropped me there because it looked to be in the middle of a neighbourhood. There was no store front or signages. My Grab driver then explained that the restaurant itself is actually inside the owner’s house. I walked through the living room and was greeted by a grandpa watching TV. He smiled at me and told me to go straight, walking past the kitchen and was led to a large dining area on the balcony.

I felt that the prices here were slightly on the higher side. It’s the kind of prices you would pay if you were dining in an air-conditioned restaurant in Bangkok. Nonetheless, it was still affordable. I recommend the black pepper crab and also the garlic pepper crayfish. They don’t serve the entire crab but only the pincers and the meatier parts. I guess some people prefer it this way because it’s less messy and easier to peel.

There are plenty of new cafes in Chiang Mai. I think there is at least a new one popping up every corner every week. The ones I went to are not new, but I have read reviews that they have good coffee and it is undeniably so.

Khagee is my favorite. It is also the smallest among the three that I’ve visited, but their coffee is amazing. Did not try anything from their bakery but they are apparently very good too.

Until next time.