It’s true that it’s not how much you earn, but rather how much you spend. Recently, I buy a peace of mind with RM420. Did that yearly, ever since I started to join the rat race. It will cost more if not of the ECG, liver function test and x-ray that I already did 2 months ago. Have I been paranoid? I guess a little bit, after all the recommend frequency is once in 2 years for those who are under 40 years old. I view it as been responsible to myself, the very same reason people buy insurance.

Was so happy when I got my blood test result today. It was almost perfect if not for the high cholesterol. This is the first time my total cholesterol is above the recommended limit, corrupted beyond repair. Year in and year out, the LDL will be kind of high, but it still can be rescued by the HDL such that the total cholesterol isn’t too bad. Well, this year, I guess I’ve to bid my favorite squid, egg and pork liver goodbye. Anyway, I couldn’t care less about the high cholesterol because to me, it’s one of the least important tests among the rest. Every year, some random tests will fail. Sometime albumin, sometime calcium, sometime bilirubin, sometime leucocytes, sometime even the terrifying CA125! Of course the test isn’t the ultimate marker, that’s why BP made me sign a lengthy disclaimer to avoid any legal action towards the accuracy of the test result.

Overdose with 'slow jog' posts lately, this is going to be a diverse one. A friend forwarded a video clip by this prodigy called Ethan Bortnick, a 6 years old pianist. It was an awe-dropping, jaw-opening and inspiring performance.

http://www.ethansmusicsite.com/aboutme.cfm
http://www.ethansmusicsite.com/repertoire.cfm

From his performance, I was mesmerized by "Rondo Alla Turca", one of the 3 movements in Mozart's Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331. It was such a beautifully written masterpiece. Confucius once said that, music produces a kind of pleasure human nature cannot do without. He knew what he was talking about, for he was deeply affected by music; so much so that after listening to an orchestra on one occasion he was unable to taste his food for three months! Of course, there is no such drastic after-effects for the novice me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbRV2uX8p88
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM0wSNqA7f0

Quite a lot of Rondo Alla Turca video clips can be found in youtube. Had since downloaded the score from IMSLP. With the scarceness of time, I estimated 1 year to get a feel on this piece. However, factoring in my indiscipline-ness, it might take infinity. Currently, still very much occupied with Handel's Allegro from the Aylesford Pieces and Chopin's Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 69, No.1. My teacher is so much into the classical music that she can even tell me the story of Chopin's Op.69 #1. According to her, Chopin wrote this while courting Marie Wodzinska. He had fallen in love with the young and beautiful countess and had proposed marriage to her. As a poor musician, however, Chopin was not considered suitable marriage material by Marie's parents, and he was rejected. She even told me that it was love at the first sight, so this piece should be interpreted as melancholy, but not too sad or crushed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voERpPCO5jo (I like this one better, after all it’s marked lento)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgdrGyxvro8

What could be a better way to start your weekend other than a good run? Ok, I admit that statement amount to a heavy dose of hypocrisy. What could be a worse way than to have every single cell in the body desperately grasping for oxygen at the start of the weekend, at the hour when they should be still resting on a comfy bed? I can’t think of any.

Anyway, despite the sunburn, I think I had a good workout, judging from the bountiful acid lactic generated, thanks to scores of uphill contour at Botanical Garden.

A "slow jog", not even qualified for a "jog", let alone a "run"; that's what my pace of 7.7km/hour been defined as. Not that I didn't foresee a lousy run when I chow down the ikan masak pedas, sambal trassi with cucumbers with lots of chilies+spices+curries-laden-gravy, earlier for lunch. But, I didn't realize that all the while my lousy run was indeed lousy. Come to think about it, I think our national athletes do deserve a bungalow at least, when they win the international championship for their perpetual deprivation of the real food, especially the pleasurable ones.

The smart Garmin Forerunner 305 gave me the closure to the many nagging questions, which among others are my heart rate and how slack exactly am I. Will spare you the details of the technical analysis from all the graphs, numbers, charts, and statistics from the run. Life is simple but we insist in making it complicated. Running can’t run away from that.