My Simple XXV Birthday

Today started off with some cycling to Parkway Parade to meet mum for lunch at Subway. 1 x foot-long Subway Melt was consumed to prepare me for the rest of the day. Following lunch, I headed off towards Changi via the park connector route from East Coast Park. I had wanted to cycle the previous week but Mother Nature was temperamental so it was no go. Today's weather was good - plenty of cloud cover, some sun and even a light drizzle later on to cool down on the way back.

The first leg of the journey was to Changi Coast Road. I had planned this some time back and today was a great day to do it. The motive: plane-watching. (WTF?! Yeah, it's a childhood pastime.) And what better way to do it right beside the runway! However, things didn't turn out as enjoyable. Double-fencing made visibility a meshed mess. And little did I know that that red "Protected Place" sign was more dangerous than it meant. A few minutes later, a police car eventually homed-in on my position and siren-ed me over. A familiar face (from army) in the police car told me that I wasn't allowed to linger there as it was a protected place. No photos, no lingering, no hard feelings, no problem. Dang, I could've sworn seeing people park their cars along the fence to watch the planes in days gone by...

That red sign with a lot of words in 4 languages and a silhouette of a man being held up by another silhouette carrying a gun means business

The second leg of the journey was to Changi Beach to find another spot for plane-watching. I found a particular stretch which gave me a nice view of the approaching planes so I settled down and let the lazy afternoon pass by. Doing something like this once I started working would probably be hard so I savoured the moment.

Savouring the moment

Following that was the journey back home. A drizzle came up when I was on Changi Coast Road but that soon stopped and the sun ripped through the clouds again. Back home, a cleansing shower rid the filth from thy body and dinner was up next at Astons' Katong Branch.

Dad got a Black Pepper and mum, a Prime Ribeye. I got a Prime Tenderloin (medium well-done) with Potato and Pasta Salad sides. Turned out to be damn bloody good. Literally. The steak was absolutely tender but it seemed more medium rare than medium well-done so I asked if they could grill it again. I soon got it back and to my surprise, my half-finished sides were replenished! Awesome. And not forgetting the IBC Root Beer I had with the meal. Best root beer on earth.

Prime Tenderloin w/ Potato Salad & Pasta Salad: S$26.50 - a bit pricey but worth it once in a while

Dinner over, it was time to head back. Simple.

Rei Kondoh - The Sun Rises

A very moving song from a game called Okami where you play as Amaterasu (the Japanese sun god) in the form of a white wolf. I get goosebumps listening to it. This song plays during the final battle where you, the embodiment of pure goodness, fight the forces of darkness. An apt title indeed. At 1:28 onwards the song is like crying out, "We must not give up! We will overcome!"