Simple Life

No, nothing to do with Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie.

Life without work the last few days has been G-R-E-A-T! No that is an understatement. It has been fabulously wonderfully divine and enjoyable. Merely because I have been doing some of the things that I enjoy doing the most. Starting the day with my dear, we would leave the house together, him to work, I to swim.
We watched the Pirates of the Caribbean together the previous night. Not having to work, I was able to get the tickets for our favourite seats. No need to queue! I bought a drink and a cake to eat while reading my book and waited for him to join me. Ahhhhh... the luxury of time.....

Swimming is one of my favouritest activity for those of you who don't know me well. These 2 days of swimming in the morning sun has done wonders. My skin is glowing, my hair is thicker and straighter.I feel lighter and stronger. The bumps, scars as well as the spider veins are no longer visible. Yes, I know how swimming damages the skin and hair of some people, but I am fine. Maybe it is because I have been built to swim? The first time I tried to do laps at the pool, I managed 30 at one go. These days, I stick to 40 laps, sometimes 60 laps. While I can never outrun a guy, I still can outswim an average guy at the pool sometimes. This is good for the ego, mine of course!

Conversely, I am NOT made to run. My ASICS has seen light for no more than 3 times in the last 1.5 years since I have bought it. One round around the estate is enough to set my heart into a 250. (My Dad averages 4-5 rounds. Likewise for my Mum.) Each time I have jogged, I suffered from one or more of the following:

• Bruised toes,
• Blisters,
• Sprained left ankle,
• Aching limbs,
• Near death experience due to oblivion to cars turning into carpark,
• Cardiac arrest due to overpumping of the heart, and/or
• Tomato face (i.e. the WHOLE face turns red and feels like exploding and really hot)

At 8am when I reach the pool, some of the aunties and uncles have already completed their routine and have gathered round for a laughter-filled chit chat session. The lifeguard, one of the least stressed and most cheerful people around I feel, greets you with a bright smile. Sidetrack a bit, but the reason why they have such a bright smile is because they are so tanned that anything remotely white or off-white will become pearl-white when contrasted against their bronzed skin. Other benefits of a bronzed skin, which I am enjoying now are that the dark eye rings don't stand out anymore, I look slimmer and have less sensitive skin. Sidetrack a bit again, I do hope to become a lifeguard. It seems like a slow moving and stress free job, suitable nearing retirement.

Starting my day with a swim can do wonders to my mood. Maybe it is the sun? I dunno. All along, I have been addicted to sun as much as my cuppa of caffeine. No sun, no wakeup. Just like Superman (if you have watched it recently when it opened at the cinema on my birthday), he flew up to the outer space to absorb the sunlight to revitalise himself after being drained by the kryptonite. I feel very much energised by the warmth of the morning sun on my skin. Oxygen never smelled so sweet after gasping for it in the waters moments ago. I am thankful for the ability to inhale and exhale. The walk to the bus-stop akin climbing a mountain. I am grateful that my limbs can ache. Endorphin is released and the aching pain is numbed. Stepping into the bus-stop, I am thankful for the shade. The bus arrives and I hop on. I am thankful for the seats. I walk home from the bus-stop. I am thankful for the absence of the morning rush hour crowd. I take my time to stroll without having to fear that I am blocking some other person's path. I reach home and gulp down 2 cups of water. It's so sweet. I read the newspapers which are delivered to my doorsteps everyday. I am thankful for being born into Singapore and not any where else. I go online and chat with my friends through MSN. I am thankful for their companionship. I surf the net for html tutorial. I am thankful that I can still learn. There are so many more things that I want to learn.

How different life becomes when you don't have to work. You no longer crave for your BMWs and your SLKs. You are satisfied with a little room carved out of your parents' flat rather than the bungalow along district 10. You wear your old PE t-shirt from your sec sch days, makeup-less. You don't bother about the latest fashion. You don't have to stress yourself to impress your clients or bosses, nor sayang your colleagues' ego so that they make life/work easier for you.

I am a simple ger, with simple needs. I am not striving to earn that first million dollars by 25. (Ops! Past limit liao and still no million dollars.) I only need my 3 meals and pool entrance fee. I can walk to and from the pool to cut down cost of transport. Even if I swim every Mon-Fri, it will cost me less than $20. Gee... I wonder if I can retire at 30 and lead this kind of Simple Life with the savings that I have accumulated.
Why do I have a feeling I am going to get blasted for writing this?

Why I enjoy swimming:

An Erotic Cloud -
Seen on my trudge to the bus-stop after swimming