Today I learned what I had been doing wrong this whole time I was working for the Boss. I never got him drunk!

Not to say that he's drunk at work right now!! But he's certainly come back after a very long lunch and is sounding very very happy. In fact, he even giggled to himself a few times. And very candidly spoke about someone he knew who'd recently put on a lot of weight and how she looked out of control. I told him that was a mean thing to say but was secretly tickled by his demeanour. Initially, when the phone flashed the digits of his extention number, my heart had dropped. I wasn't prepared to show him the submissions I had been slaving over for this past week. In the morning he'd called to press me about them and I assumed he was only calling me at 5pm to scold me for not getting them to him earlier in the day and being tardy about the work. But instead, after his jolly lunch, he called to wish me a great vacation and said that we could get to the subs when I got back.

Perhaps its just the Christmas spirit. But I certainly ain't complaining!!

Anwyays, I know I've been MIA of late. Mostly becuase I've just been swamped with work, even though December is supposed to be a quiet month. The Boss and I have been in trial and when we're not in the courtroom, I'm working on the closing submissions. I've been rushing to tie up as much as I can before I go on a family vacation to Egypt tomorrow (which I'm absolutely looking forward to!) so I'll probably not be blogging till I get back.

Happy holidays world!

I ran the marathon today. 

Well, it was the half marathon but still, 21 km is no joke. And I managed it in 3 hours and 50 mins so I'm rather proud of myself. I never thought I had it in me and all who know me know that I'm not exactly the fittest person they knew. But what I discovered was that by the middle of the distance, your body settles into a rhythm and the rest is more of a mental battle. Every time I thought we were about to finish, there would be another loop or turn, detouring the route for another 5 km. My hopes would surge, thinking it was all going to be over and then come crashing down when I saw how far the lap stretched after the bend. But quitting was never an option to me and I just learned to stop looking up to see where the end was, concentrating instead on my feet hitting the road. 

I was thoroughly impressed with the sheer number of people who turned up for the marathon. I never realised what a huge event it was even though the marathon happens every year. Roads had been blocked off and traffic rerouted for the thousands that had turned up for the run. To keep the energy up, they had posted cheerleaders along the route who would cheer us on and signs with slogans like 'the pride you'll gain is worth the pain'. Indeed, I am proud. 

I am also in pain. In the last 5 km, I wanted to just push myself and run it off but my calves decided that they'd have enough. Every time I broke into a jog, my muscles would cramp painfully and I had to slow myself to a brisk walk. By the end of it, I could barely take another step and I've been limping around for the rest of the day because my left ankle and knees are sore. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow when the muscle ache sets in. 

But I can now proudly say that I've run a marathon in my lifetime :)

Call me a heartless bitch but I hate to say that I had gotten to a point where every other terrorist attack that I heard about was just another unfortunate statistic. Don't get me wrong, it was a horrific thing to happen and I condemned the acts but if I were truly honest, it never hit me on more than a superficial level. I'd denounce it but I'd forget about it the next minute.

Many people know that on 26-27 Nov, a bunch of crazy terrorists went on a massacre in Mumbai, killing people point blank. At the time I heard about it, I was mainly concerned about my friends who had family there, praying they were all alright. But as per usual, other than just condemning the acts, I wasn't too bothered. That is until I heard about Ms. Lo Hwei Yen. Internationally, I doubt many people know who she is. But in Singapore, she's become a household name overnight. She was a young lawyer who had been in Mumbai and had been shot twice by the terrorists in her hotel room.

What struck me the most about her though was the fact that she could have been anyone of us. She was only 28, having started her legal career at the Firm, just like many of my friends, before she moved on to other big firms. she had been in India that night only because she had gone there for a business seminar. She was only supposed to be there a night before coming home. Any number of us could have been sent over for a business trip like that one. Any number of us could have been placed in that situation. Everyone keeps asking "why her?" because she was so young and full of life. The scary part is that if it wasn't her, it could have just as easily been one of us.

For once, its really hit close to home. In Singapore, as much as we talk about terrorism and defending ourselves from it, its always been something that happens in other countries. I feel sad that it took something like this to make us pay attention.