How many of us remember Times The Bookstore and MPH in Singapore? They were my childhood bookstores. I told the story to my kids before: when I was 10 or so, I use to take this tiny (probably less than 30 seater) blue City Shuttle Service bus to Orchard Road, Centrepoint, where Times actually occupied the half the level, while MPH occupied the other half. It was books galore and being not well to do, I had to plough through the books there and then. I remembered I finished the whole series of The Adventures of Tin Tin. Remember Snowy and Captain Haddock's "Blistering barnacles"? Those were the times!
The bad news of closure and bankruptcy and filing for bankruptcy of books supermarket Borders reminded me of how Times and MPH is now a distant memory of itself now. Both bookstores were a huge force in Singapore back in the 80s but are now a few stores strong in Singapore, overshadowed by Borders and Kinokunia in the turn of the millennium. Paperbacks and hardbacks do not seem to be popular anymore. I suppose physical books will be a thing of the past, with the online books available.
Frankly, I am one for physical books than digital. Not that I do not want to change with the times, but what defines a book is the ability to grasp the thick volume in the hands and be able to physically flip the pages and not with a touch of a button on the iPad. What constitutes to shopping? Going into a store and walk to browse, or walking into a digital mall, where you cant hold the item in your hands and feel the weight? On a side note, if everything were to be done online, are we not going to deprive ourselves of the social interaction with another human being, not necessarily with just the cashier, but the simple gesture of meandering out of a squeezy lane with other shoppers? Emails, teleconferencing, videoconferencing, brings about new frontiers, breaking global barriers, and new era of global citizens. But at what cost? Or will there be a cost?
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Last night I did an even faster 8km run. 20 laps on the track at under 2min per lap. Worked out to be just a tad fast than 5min/km. Last Thursday I was working on 2:06 per 400m, this week had been reduced by Coach. In fact Coach prescribed a 4:50 pace, which worked out to be a 1:56 per 400m lap. But I was hesitant and diffident of my stamina and legs - after having done 100km ride the day before. It was good and managed under 40min for the whole run. Pace was not too breathless. Had wanted to push up the pace but the legs just refuse to move faster and stride further. So I was pretty much stuck at 2min per lap. Next week, perhaps? The thought in itself is very very daunting already.
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