if you're my facebook friend, you're aware that i've been regularly running in preparation for (drum roll, please...) my first 6k run. i know, i know, it's a measly distance, but i'm starting small, hoping to build up the distance to a half marathon by december.

running was my therapy during my first few months here in singapore, resulting in "the-great-weight-loss of '06". don't you just love putting titles for certain periods in your life? but i digress.

so i've been huffing and puffing at the gym, reading up on running books (and there IS a book called "running for dummies"), and watching the calories (at least i try to). in fact, this weekend, as i announced in my facebook status, i'm going to do a trial run at the ecp, just to see how i fare in the outdoors. i hate to say it, but even if the park is a stone's throw away from my place, all my running has been done in the confines of the gym.

so my self-appointed coach gave me an assignment while he's out partying at the beach this weekend. i'm supposed to see if the distance i'm covering on the treadmill (2.8 km in 30 minutes, i am proud to say), is the actual distance i can cover on asphalt. if i can do that, then i'll finish the race in about an hour and a half, give or take a few minutes.

i made a deal with myself that if i accomplish that this weekend, i'll be buying myself a running watch. for weeks now, i've been eyeing this model from polar. it's a basic running watch that monitors distance, calories burned, heart beat, etc. for less than $200 sgd, i figure it's going to be put to good use for the coming races i'll be joining.
so i was pretty settled with that decision, but chilli d posted a link to lloydie's swatch video. and of course, since we all know of my big crush on lloyide, i just have to post it here.

ooh, the flashing pretty swatch watches brought me back to the early nineties when swatch was all the rage. our aunt bought us swatches from hongkong, and then the pop watches (you know, those oversized ones), we would remove from the bands, and embed in our skirts, shirts or bags (ala-Geneva Cruz!)

i was overwhelmed not only with the designs, but also with papa lloydie! but can i just say...i mean, i love papa lloydie and all, but i just want to ask who created the video?! is this an actual ad in the philippines? why did they have to put in clips from papa lloydie's movies? medyo baduy, 'no?

so, will it be a polar or a swatch? the coach would probably tell me to buy the polar for the race. but what about after the race? i should probably have a prize, you know, to keep me motivated to keep on joining races, thereby becoming a healthier, happier me? *wink*wink*.

just in case anyone wants to send over some gifts (ahem, ahem), here are my top two: