Getting my focus put !

Focus

With so many things going on at the moment, I just gotta make sure that my mind stays focus on my academics Will have to bear this attention span for at least another 2 weeks before I break free temporarily from studying. Just need to get some motivation back to keep my mind rolling and not ‘halting’ randomly. I do not have problem missing races because I have my priorities right. It just pisses me off when I bump into wrong people who expects me to take part in all the races present on the annual race calendar. I know of people or friends who register and plan early to go for a race. Come 1 week prior to race day they become very busy piling up their mileage and call that training.

No Training No Race

To me, its simple,no training no race. But like some athletes (leisure athletes?) if there is not enough prep for a major race, either they skip it, do relay or have fun reaching the finish line.  Some of us or even myself sometimes go for a race for the fun and sake of doing it. Some have more noble intention; they go to support their friends..! My knee is temporarily out, an excuse to pull out from the upcoming Powerman. Though I would really really love to race, the most that I can do is go there to support my friends taking part. It doesn’t mean I am a sponsored athlete  ( well, at least for this year), I HAVE to take part in all triathlon, duathlon and marathons ! If like that every weekend I’ll be racing.In my current state I can’t continue to take part in races, especially my favourite ones  if I can’t train unconditionally. So Trailblazer, Ironman or Singapore marathon hafta be put aside for the time being. There are races every year, so what’s there to lose ! Plus, I’m still, ehem , young. I don’t see the point rushing and forcing myself to do races which I’m not prepared for.

You know when you have 2 race events back to back, and IF you were ever on a training program, you know the  training program for the 2 events may ”clash” in terms of the type and intensity of the workout IF you don’t plan your training/races well. They keywords here are : planning, and not being too ‘greedy & unrealistically enthusiastic’ in selecting what races to go for that season. And more importantly which training phase are you at, at that point of time. Say you are in your  taper phase for Ironman training, you don’t need to pound any more miles ! You should be enjoying the reduction of training hours. In the earlier part of the Ironman training are the prep weeks (20th to 17th week counting down to race day). But some, especially age-group athletes do just that !

Training Plans

For the Ironman prep phase(this comes before the base 1 phase) , you spend at most 10 hours a week to train. Not 15 , and not 18 ! There is no point pushing the mileage and training hours too early. When there is no training plan used and appreciated, people will start pounding the mileage too early, or too late.. Training plans are planned and used by athletes because they work.

You don’t have to make your own program, you can just look it up on the net. Read the sciences of training if you would. Some of you reading this may not be in the same boat as me,particularly when it comes to whether or not we believe in using any training programs  . My first Ironman was a big deal. Its an honour to be able to register, train and do the necessary preparations for it. Come 28th Feb, I just gotta press PLAY and of course, ENJOY. I have to admit, I did not use any specific program for the 2 ODs which I did before my 1st 1/2 Ironman distance and my 1st Ironman. Langkawi was when I seriously started using a program and tried my best to stick to it. Nobody had to tell me that I have to use a program. I just knew that if I screw up the training part, the bigger the chance that I’m not going to race well, and that I will suffer and  may even bonk. I got my IM program from http://www.beginnertriathlete.com. A 20 weeks training program designed for 1st time Ironman. but still can be used even if you’ve completed one.

Interesting observation

It is very interesting to see how people who don’t use training programs train. There are so many training programs which you can find and find from the net,magazines  etc.. be it for a 10k road race, a sprint du, Powerman, OD , half marathon , just name it ! I wouldn’t dare to do Ironman without any training guidance. And I couldn’t depend on other triathlete friends all the time to train because  they have various training schedules and styles! Especially when it comes to cycling training. Some pound the mileage too early, or sometimes too late. It doesn’t say in the training program you gotta ride a total of 200km per week.. Or you gotta do back to back long rides.. or you gotta brick too early in the training phase.. or you HAVE to do a full marathon before doing Ironman. I never did a stand alone full marathon (thats 42.195km), and from my reading it is NOT NECESSARY that I HAVE to do a full marathon before attempting Ironman. That is so false and outdated myth. There was once i was talking to a friend and when I told her that I am preparing for IM, she said ‘Ko gila ke? Pernah buat full marathon tak’? meaning: ‘Are you crazy? Have you ever done a full marathon before’. And I said ‘No’. She replied, ‘Ýou have to do a full marathon first, to get the feel of ‘endurance’. And I said look , its NOT necessary to have done a marathon before attempting to do Ironman. That conversation sorta pissed me off coz 1st; ‘gila?’ what kind of motivation is that. Other people can, and did..so why are you saying that I’m crazy? Is it because you yourself haven’t done any triathlons and now you’re getting back at me..? but anyways..

Tri-Myths

The other myth(s) about training for triathlons, especially the longer distance ones (1/2 , full Ironman), is that, oo you gotta really pound the mileage and total work out hours per week.. no rest, etc…thing is, if you start thinking anxiously like that without any references to credible sources, than you’re gonna treat preparing for a race like you’re preparing for dinner, ’sesedap rasa’ indeed you will train sesedap rasa. Sesedap rasa as in ‘as you like it’. I hope I am not starting to sound annoyingly bitchy about training appropriately using training programs here.. You may say, hey look, my training works for me, so what else? Even if you’re not the serious type of athlete, like me, duh!..haha.. you do need a program..and why is that ?

If we’re gonna be ignorant, stay ignorant and never willing to appreciate the effort put in by coaches, sportsman, sport physiologists in their quest of coming up with the best training programs, than too bad. We’re missing the edge. Seriously missing it. I just can’t imagine doing my first Ironman without any specific training program. I may be joining random group for swimming, another group for cycling, whose distance are all jumbled up throughout the training phase..and believe in the weekend long runs is enough to prep me.. humm.. just lucky enough I had that realization that a specific training program is necessary and utmost important. Why so important ? From what I’ve learned and experienced :

 

• to train specifically for the race
• to not under-train and not over-train; tell me what rules are there to tell you when you’re overdoing it? you can’t really tell. therefore, if you have a guide (your training program, then you know, since you have the experience of using one!)
• to peak at the right time for your training. You don’t want to peak too early or too late as you can exhaust yourself
• to decrease the chances of injuring yourself as a result of training without any program a.k.a overdoing it
• to learn the proper way of  training
• to grasp certain training concepts which you might have not known before
• to know what kind of nutrition plan to use (some people underestimate its importance..some people overestimate it too !)
• to gear yourself well so that you can finish a well-done race
• to get you psyched up and motivated to train, and to race !! (totally worked for me)

 

Other importance I plucked out from the net :

 

• just too many lah . please proceed to the www for more info ! From lay man explanation to scientific benefits of training properly, precisely !

 

Whatever it is, I wish all of us can become more optimistic and have an  ‘edgier’ outlook when it comes to training. Its not geeky or nerdy that you’re looking up for training programs and reading articles to know what latest training programs are there. Plus, it is a complete waste of time to go, especially for big races but not train properly. You spend a lot of $$$$$$$ for your gadgets, nutrition, attires and what not and  a lot of TIME training + sweat lost for wrong reasons (when’you’re pounding the mileage at the wrong time) just to BONK the race and SUFFER. Baik duduk rumah tengok Astro. (better just sit at home wand watch TV). Why some dedicated coach put so much effort in posting online FREE programs? Because they want the public to know how to train properly.. why some people PAY to get good coaches or programs? Because they want to race a good race. And if there are any target or goal to improve from previous races, the better. You can totally reap the benefits from using a training program.

Another interesting observation here, even though I am still considered as a newbie to tri-races and Ironman, some of us focus so much on talking, spending and talking. Talk about the latest gadget, since some of us can afford it..and then spend some money to buy this and that gadget. Fine, no problem, our own right to buy But unfortunately, not everybody fully utilize what they have. It doesn’t matter if you have the lightest helmet, the most expensive bike in town or the latest tri-suit. I can use a bike 3 times heavier than that lightest most expensive bike (I’m talking about my Yellow Submarine Giant lah..)..but still can play catch with a Cervelo (yeah Dennis, I’m talking about you !! LOL !)..

If you bother about performance..you’ll probably think (I’m assuming), that it is not in the end the bike. (Denis is a guy and he’s much taller than me). Come Powerman 2008, I was overtaking a couple of the top end bikes with my heavy cranky Giant. Then I passed Denis (that time I didnt know him).. A couple of minutes later, he overtook me again.. hahaah..and then my turn to overtake him again..all the way till the end of the bike leg. Moral of the story; train well.

Its not all about the Money, money , money..

Just click on 75% on your view option to get the whole picture here..its the training, the effort, the discipline , the edge.. its not the $$$..or the amount of time spent talking and bragging how poor your mileage is..unless you do something about it of course..  so if you were gonna chuck Faris al Sultan my brother (ehem) on my bike, .. and you put me on his super bike (smaller size la), obviously I can never catch him.. you put me on an Orbea, and you put Mariana Mohammad on my old HEAVY KHS, i don’t think i can keep up with her..She’s fast because she trains. She won’t be strong if she doesnt train properly. And that she’s strong and trains properly and races on a Cervelo, walla, i can just eat her dust !!! Take away the Cervelo, and ask her to race a 10k, still, you still see dust flying.. It’s the TRAINING. And not to forget the experience and knowledge which she have gained over the years pent training ‘properly’. The sesedap rasa concept, thus, don’t work for her because she’s a performing athlete. Being an age-grouper still don’t excuse us from training properly. Think about it……

Walking on the MEX highway..hahah !

Other fellow triathlete/runner  friends who inspire me :

 

• IM Kevin Siah ; cause he’s like so cool, smart and fast !!!! those glasses are cheeky as well..hahahah..

 

• IM Rahman (Navy) (he qualified for Kona but couldnt go because of $$, and no, he doesn’t have a fancy bike, yes he’s young, so are you !!! hahah!)

 

• IM Dr Fiona Lim (consistent performance and ever strong determination)

 

• Lian Bee Hoon (runner)(the old but young (races in senior veteran category; a.k.a she’s 45 years olf ++), friendly and STRONG; Mizuno 10k 2008 time : 45:43).  when I grow old I want to run like Lian Bee Hoon

 

• Shahrudin (runner)

 

• Emma Bishop (you can’t find the word rest in her neurons or any parts of her memory. 1 tough and cool chick ! I pray silently to God before I sleep at night for that level of will and determination Ms Bishop has !

 

• Simon Cross (what can I say.. he’s fast.. pheeww…I’m already sweating while choking dust on MEX highway while Simon and Sam zoomed by.. (coughs…)

 

 

• Ultraman Omar Yip ! (krazy , kool and brings sexy back)

 

Definition of smart training in this post : knowing your strength and weaknesses and focus on improving on the weaknesses while using a training program to improve your overall performance and training skills.

Definition of strength in this post: physically stronger, able and capable. having the physical endurance and  mental strength.

Definition of will+determination in this post: if you’re gonna keep triathlon ‘dry’, you can skip this part. Its not just about simply following the training program like how you would follow a baking recipe. You gotta put your soul into you training program for will and determination is not skin-deep. Its heartfelt. Ironman for example, is  very PERSONAL to me.

Definition of ‘fanciest/latest gadgets/gears‘ : Self-defined !

How I categorize training :

a)smart training + strength (athletic capabilities)+will+determination+ PLANNING+ all the latest fanciest gadgets and gears : VERY GOOD.

b)strength + will + determination + latest fanciest gadget and gears + all sponsor can give apparels + nutrition – smart training : NOT GOOD

c)smart training + will +determination + not so fancy gears + nutrition + some strength : MAY WORK and possible of  a PB/ great time  in 1ST IM. (hint..)

d)no proper training + fancy gears + some strength + will to meet cut off  : NEED TO WORK ON TRAINING PLAN. plan to fail, fail to plan. but if you don’t bother, I am surprised you read this article to this line already! hahaha !

Remember, every little thing you have gives you some sort of edge. If you’re a fast swimmer, you have an advantage. You have a good bike, you have an advantage. But if you really work on your bike and go race with your good bike, than you have the edge. Say you’re a good runner AND you trained well for the race, you got the edge baby ! Like the All American Rejects said on radio ‘a little bit of this and and a little bit of that goes a long way..’ I think he’s right. Start small, dream big. Don’t start big and dream small again, tri-falsampah of the day !

Anyways, all I am doing here is to share with all of you my 2 cents. Enter my site and read my ramblings with your own risk. Again, this is a personal website and I don’t offer unprofessional or professional advice to anyone here. There are plenty of reliable and credible websites you can look up, there are plenty of books or even magazine (and even online magazines) which you can access. Be creative in searching what’s best for you. Mere talking does not help. And so does mere visualizations of what is possible or  impossible to be done. You don’t just do it. You do it after you plan well what you wanna do. Follow that mere visualization with plan and action. So do it right and all the best in future races. God Bless.

Transition area; Ironman Langkawi 2009.

Carboloading dinner at Ironman Langkawi 2009. That's Denis next to me !

Swim. Done !

Bike leg - burnt under the scorching Langkawi sun ! Look how 'black' my hands are !!

Run Julie...Run ! And I ran !

All smile ! 1 happy jewelz

Shower- post race. Mak pesan, lepas bersukan kena mandi...so i showered. Beramai2...hahahahah...

Other then tri-life, there's also the camwhore-life. Quite fun ! Posing for Hermes!

me and my good friend, Shihming. bloody fast runner !!! Pic taken during her recent birthday party at Frangipani !

si Mary and si Julie : Ibu pesan, anak2 jangan gaduh. And I did. Jaja and I belasah-ed Mary with a surprise birthday dinner and movie after. Watched 'Law Abiding Citizens' starring Jamie Foxx. Talk about HOTness !

Girls just wanna have fun. MJ does it her way. Eat her heart out !! Oppss..mak pesan,if nak jadi kuat, kena makan.And so i ate, ate..and I ate ! All the 4 plates + 1 bowl u see in this pic was only for me ok. ahahah.. mmg kuat makan !!

What are you missing...? I missed time for myself..need rest..and time to think. and be happy, love and be loved ! Life is too short, too precious. Make the best of it folks ! And start to cut out those shit undeserving people out of your system. You don't deserve them. You deserve betta. God Bless. Amen.

LOOKING GOOD ?

you look really good today

Hello hello !! You look really good today ! Yes, you ! We are sometimes so busy with our life and ‘living’ demands that we sometimes tend to forget to magically pause and simply cherish the beauty that life has for us. Too busy with work, date lines, presentations, write-ups and stresses. I find that people who are in less stress tend to compliment others easier compared to those under pressure. But would it be fair for the stressed out junkies to blurt out painful words and mind ‘blows’ to other friends just because he or she is having a bad day ? Is he or she the only person in the whole wide world having problems ? I guess we all know the answer to this question. There is no single person who does not have a problem. And there is no single walking person who goes through life without them. ‘It’ swings by once in a while. And sometimes too frequently. But again, it is not fair if we connect to other people having the stresses attached and dangling all over. There is nothing wrong with exchanging compliments. As simple as a ‘you look really good today!’. or ‘nice shirt’. A smile or thank you should be more than enough to make a person’s day, or even your day.Does it not make us happy to see other people’s beaming face and happiness (thanks to our initiation) ?

Some people grew up or developed into personalities which are soothing, pleasing, calming, ya know. the ‘always smiling’ type. While some,sadly, is quiet the opposite. You know, the ones always with the alter ego, always looking for other people’s fault, easily pissed off …well, i have lived enough years to differentiate between these two categories of people. And some people fall in the middle zone. It sickens me to my neck , people who can’t seem to have enough. They come into your lives, innocent. They exit your life as devils and father of the devils. Causing more and more pain and pressure at every turn and point of exit. And wait, there is not only one devils, but many ! They come and they go. Taking over your lives. Having no mercy at all what your pre-conditions are ! Whether you just had a bad and stressed out day with your boss, family and banks. They just come as they will. Robbing you of your happiness and peace which you have struggled to gain with all your mighty might.

At one point of time, many of us would sit back and reflect. When will this end. ??  What surprises awaits me round the corner? Can I trust another living soul  now? I am pretty sure many of us can relate to this. Some of our friends (and even colleagues/family members) can’t sit still until they see us in pain, worry, sadness. It psychotically excites them to see that we are reacting to their so-called plan of actions.Devil actions. A simple smile or laughter from us marks the de-glorification of the Devil. The Devil strikes back. Coming with all sort of bad-managed scheme to make our heart , soul and hopes crumble again. The Devil here, i believe, you have seen him. He’s got 2 legs. A pair of lungs. HE BREATHE THE SAME AIR THAT WE BREATHE. HE IS ……HUMAN……

So friends, be aware that we do not deserve this unfair treatment. Being  jollied by the Devil. We do not deserve  to be directed by this force. We do not want it to take over our lives and cause more misery than we already have at the moment. Hadn’t we. If someone challenges to play with your trustworthiness, your respect and dignity, it is your utmost right and power to stop it. You know this proverb; what goes around comes around.Do not react  when there’s no reason to. Do not fall into the game of the Devil. I warn you fellow humans. Life is pretty short to have all this mess going on around you, or perhaps..in you..  Learn to make other people happy. Even you’re 45 or 57 years old, ’service ‘ your soul once in a while.  Check if every component is alright. Double-check if your ‘wires’ are still intact. Same goes to the younger generation, yes, you kids, the teenagers, the youth. Do re-organize your life before you start organizing others’. Look at your own flaws before pointing at others and telling them how bad and evil they are. You may not know what lurks in you until you look hard enough.

Make a person happy everyday. That should be your mission. What you give you get back . I had enough of bad days and sad nights. It’s time to make the world a happier place to live in. Hey, I think you look really look good today ! Hey, is that a smile appearing  at the corner of your lips?

Do feel free to leave any comments in my blog as i do cherish feedback from my readers. To those who have left comments before, Thank You !

the black and white potrait by missjewelz

Learn to make people happy. Live a happy, vibrant but humble life ! Amen.

1 month after Ironman

A  come back

Salam and Hi! again. Its been a month since Ironman Langkawi, and I kept to my promise for a full month recovery after the biggest triathlon race of my life ! Did not touch the bike, refrained from putting on the running shoes, and no swimming ! Total rest. At the same time, try to eat healthy.. but hafta cut down a bit as I don’t need to eat so much.  I had some knee problem diagnosed slightly before Ironman. Luckily I went for extensive physio just in time before I took off for Langkawi. Anyways, knees are better now, alhamdulillah. 1 month was a honeymoon for me and my knees. Kasi ais sama dia, apply Voltaren, urut-urut..hahaha…

Well, at least my body recovers. The mind was otherwise. Unfortunately ! But yeah, that’s part of the circle. I had a mind-torchering psychwar especially after Ironman. Starting from the pre-Ironman numbness to the post-Ironman blues to the  _ _ _ _ _    _ _ .  It’s not a battle per se, just a test ground and trial (trying to be optimistic here) . It caught me off guard though! But hey, I’m still alive. What doesn’t kill me make me stronger ! I totally agree with you Azmar, thanks! And to Goh, Stupe, Steve, Shahrol, TSB, AJ, Ayu ,Jessica, Huda,Ish and all of you who supported me with the needed moral boost and spirit, from the bottom of my heart, I wanna Thank You all. and alhamdulillah I’m more ‘calm’ now..huhuh….

Other than that I’ve been engaging on my free weight routine (lately), but not daily, just 2-3 times a week. Some core training, skipping,  as well as stretching. Physio rehab guy said my hamstring so stiff.. and my calf too, were stiff, especially after Ironman.. so, sttrrrreettcchhh !!!!!!! That was about it. No real training after Ironman, for a month..that’s why I call it ”total rest”! Some friends like Azmar, Steve and a few others have been hitting the road like a week after Ironman. Wow ! I TLC my body !!!  Hats off to those who manage to recover, rest and start training again in prep for Kenyir Triathlon and Singapore 70.3. Suet Fong ,Jason Thiang, Kam, Abu and Ariff went  to Kenyir.I’m not exactly sure who went to Singapore, except for Emma Bishop. She went to both Singapore and Kenyir. Hats off ! And she got stung by jelly fish too! (emma, i just realized u also got stung in Langkawi!…). I had a VERY near ‘encounter’ with a nice looking sea jelly ! LUCKY me it didnt bother to say Hi! to me on the 28th Feb by raising its tentacles to say ‘Hi Julie…’ hahaha.. .. My abs was like an inch or two from the jellyfish body! Anyways, I’ll save the rest of the story for my Ironman race report which has YET to be written !!  arrghhh….

So, yesterday I FINALLY did a come back run with a couple of friends.Yes, after 1 month tak lari okay ! No joke !! I told them ‘5k only ok.’ ,  and on top of that ‘we’ll go very slow ‘ !  I think we ended up doing nearly 7k end finishing less than 50 minutes. Not slow enough ! anyways, i went very slow.. . picked d pace up a bit somewhere after halfway point before turning back. And sped the last 200-300m with small quick steps. The grasses on the side of the walk/run path were very useful.. ran on them a bit , and practise some off trail running ! I told myself  (and my friends) ‘..this is for XTerra!! ‘.

after my 1st run since Ironman !

Delighted and happy to finally get the real SWEAT out of d system!

XTerra Malaysia

Xterra the Malaysia edition will be happening on the 6-7th June 2009. Where? I’m so proud to share this with u… its happening at my hometown @ kampung, in Kuantan ! Yes, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur. If you have been following my blog updates, you might have noticed how excited I can be whenever I write and upload my pics and stories about my latest Kuantan outing ! err…what’s XTerra ? XTerra is basically off-road triathlon. meaning swim, then mountain bike on off -road trail, followed by  off-road/trail running !

According to the organizer, registration for XTerra Malaysia will be closed after they receive the 800th entry ! So, hurry on, go register ! I understand there will be 2 categories ;  individual as well as relay. For more info,please click here.

Xterra coming to town!

Next plan

Now I’m gearing up for my exams. Yeah… first paper happening this Sunday. And another 3 for the next 2 weeks. My Gunung Nuang trip will be on the 18th April, so feel free to join me and some friends.WALKing up only.no running, at least for me. huhuh…click on events for more details, or scroll down to check out the post on the invitation. Next big race? It has to be XTerra…hahaha.. i like to try new things.. ! I mean, why not ? Oh ya, not forgetting New Balance 15k run on the 17th May !

Volunteers needed

By the way, Pacesetters are looking for volunteers to help out for 2 running events; the Orange Run as well as the NB15k run!

Orange Run 11km

The Club will be involved in the coming Orange Run on 12th April 2009 as Technical Support and we will be manning the route and timing for the top finishers. As such, we are looking for volunteers as road marshal and timers at the finishing point.
If you are interested or keen to join in the event atmosphere, please email or sms to our Exco, Ms Tan Pek Moi (contact as below) giving your contact number and the duty you would like to be involved in.
As the event is round the corner, would greatly appreciate if you can respond latest by 29th March 2009 to Miss Tan Pek Moi .

New Balance Pacesetters 15km
We are targeting 2,500 runners this year and since this is a Club’s event, we need your assistance in all expects of the smooth running of the event on the race day, 17th May 2009, ie road marshal, water stations, food tent, medal distribution and finishing point.
Kindly revert to M/s Tan Pek Moi by 3rd May 2009 .

EMAIL

Tan Pek Moi
pm1228@gmail.com

Plenty more races in 2009

Whether you’re a MTB enthusiast or roadie or run-only kind, I don’t think worrying if there are enough races for this season should be the top of your worries ! There will be plenty of races for you to register and train for. You can register for as many as you want. I know a few people who does that okay. ALL the road race kena take part. Some friends opt to limit themselves to 10-12 races per year be it triathlon, duathlon or running. While some only go for races to enjoy ! So whatever it is, just make sure you have some time off for yourself, your family, your work, your..ermm..study, your loved ones…aa… sukan , riadah, yes healthy and very much encouraged, especially when you’re in that warm up process to get multisports as part of your lifestyle. And guys, (and gals), make sure you have enough recovery in between races. Don’t lanyak !!

Pacesetters Subang Orchids : me and my team mates. p.s. : they were all in form 4,5 .. a good 10-11 years younger than me... !

You might wanna tell yourself that you still want to take part in races with your kids when they grow older and with your grandchildren when you get older ! I, InsyaAllah, want to take part in Ironman with my children  at least !  We all get excited to have family members and friends to join us for training as well as races. Just keep up the positive attitude. From only having MAKAN as a lifestyle, we should also have SPORTS as a lifestyle. Come on,why not?  Nothing wrong with makan/eating. But don’t take it too seriously that you forget that your body needs more than just food. That is what’s wrong with our society today. A social stigma that is. Always giving unhealthy excuses just to not get off their butts of the couch/seat/bed..and only excited for MAKAN. I eat too okay, but I always try not to over-eat, over-indulge (skali-skala boleh la.. once in a while can !))

Dear athlete friends, please, do your part ya. I’m happy that a few friends, some juniors, and batch mates are interested in keeping fit and asking some tips from me. The least that I could do is share with them what I’ve been doing, though it may not be the best of training advices. So people, lets  together raise some healthy-lifestyle awareness okay ! Do your bit ! Brag about your evening/morning runs to your office mate. Get your manager or boss to  join the next 5k or 10k run ! and join me for Gunung  Nuang on 18.4 ! hhehehe….
Btw, if you could get your hands on Shape Magazine, April issue, Azura Zainal on the cover..look up page 54..huhuh.. Mariana Mohammad (national duathlete) and I , Nor Juliana Ali (the 1derer) was interviewed by the magazine.hahaa.. funny picture of me in there as well !

Some interesting races you might wanna look up :-

1. Orange Run 11k (12/4)
2. Larian Bomba 10k (10/5)
3. Bidor Half Marathon(25/4)
4. Standard Chartered KL Marathon (28/6)
5. New Balanace 15k (17/5)
6. Sun Down Marathon, Singapore (30/5)
7. XTerra Malaysia(6-7/6)
8. Mountain to mountain challenge (April-June)
9. Sabah Adventure Challenge (12/4)
10. Kapas Marang swimathon(12/4)
11. PD Triathlon (11/7)
12. Adidas King of  The Road (2/8)
13. MUDS- Malakoff University Duathlon Series (tbc)
14. Malakoff Charity ride kedah-thailand (tbc)
15. Desaru Long Distance Triathlon(1/8)
16. Putrajaya 70.3 (26/7)
17. Perhentian Island Challenge (10/10)
18. Penang Bridge International Marathon (29/11)
19. Powerman Malaysia(8/11)
20. Awana Genting Trailblazer(1/11)
21. Sarawak International Triathlon (28/11)

I will try to get all the forms for the above mentioned races. Do drop by these links to check out for some info youself .

http://www.pacesetters.com.my

http://www.triathlonmalaysia.com

Adios and have a lovely day ahead everyone,

-mj-

26,27,2008,2009 and in control

26 : my age this year
27 : my age next august
2008 : the year im 26 years young
2009 : the year i’ll be 27 years young

 
when i was in my high school years, i cant really  imagine what its gonna be like when i hit the age 20. and now that i’m in my 20s i cant imagine what/where/how i will tun out when i hit the big three-O. working?married? children?sick ? successful ? or still the ‘young’  playful me ?! these kinda questions stay close to me no matter what i do, though they dont like show up all d time in my head. just once in a while when i am doing nothing, and have that time totally to myself  for some reflection and pondering upon.. Mind wonders , imagination goes wild, and ..i begin to think about the past, the future, and how the present moment will link these two.

Recently i was blessed with some luxury time  and space for myself , mysoul,myjewelz… and my family la of course. And i can see that I’m in this stagnant stage of my life, where nothing goes forward, or backwards. but instead , things are continuously swirling around me. i tend to get the same things happening over and over again. just like a cycle.  and if ‘positive’ 3 things happened me,,, than another ‘negative’ 3 will come along somewhere along that cycle.hits me. and everything will be back to square 1.no nett movement. and back to same old me.

Mysoul has also been ‘quiet’..say the past 1 year..and sometimes leave me drifting away in the calm sea only to be swallowed by the rolling waves. so is that the end? well, subjectively i can almost feel im drifting away. layman term for this thang :  blur case. me blur ?! not in control ?! well, i feel that way sometimes, yeah i do. ‘tak ke mana..’ << meaning you feel like you’re going nowhere. ive been nowhere …seriously.. almost 10 years after SPM i’m nowhere ! i’m not working YET. i’m STILL doing my degree. i didnt do particulary well in med school, but doing much better in my psychology degree.Alhamdulillah   Friends of the same batch and age have been sending wedding invitations .. and i have received almost 30 invites, which i’ve attended NONE but one,and that is Alin’s, one of my closest friend when i was in med school.and insyaAllah another one this Sunday, my senior and also my close friend when i was in highschool, Eddy.

at Amir&Alin's wedding

Alin is 26 and has a baby boy now. around 3 or 4 months age Im not so sure. I was joking to her husband telling him to bless his 1st child with a pretty cool name ‘MohdJulian’.. hahha..krazee. but i was joking la of course. My friend’s husband ,Amir , was my highschool senior, same batch with Eddy. I introduced them , Amir and Alin, at my 23rd birthday dinner. hihih… and there goes the first chapter of a wonderful love story. Eddy is 28, 29 next year. My close friend since high-school, and still in touch till today. I’m quite close to his family, and always visited them ever since 98′. I’m so happy for him.FINALLY Eddy’s getting married. Nikah is tomorrow (12/12/2008) after Asar prayers. Most of my seniors from his batch, who are also my friends, are already married.with kids. Looking forward to his wedding this Sunday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

One time I was chatting with him, and i said…’hey eddy, for the first time in my life im feeling ‘old’ lah.. and i never felt like this before’. And his reply was ‘ha tau takpe.’. this statement came about after i was sharing with him how ‘into myself’ i am nowadays. and how i dont bother to send out greeting cards every raya like i used to , and how i dont bother to ’surprise’ visit my friends in the east coast and up north like i used to before, and how i couldnt care less of any ‘gathering’ anymore, or pop in a Hi! to anyone or everyone. and he asked me if i know why ? well,the answer was already given in the 1st line of this paragraph.. coz we’re getting older. And as we grow older, that concentration angle narrows down to only 1 particular angle called ‘ourselves’. well, ironically, that is how i think of it. ‘Ourselves’ PLUS anything else which has a strong relation to is. Anything as in anything which you may consider crucial and important to myself, yourself. Be it love, career, interest, passion, money, properties. Anything.. in mycase, its my family, my studies and myself(notice d ‘my’ trend). Sports as the side dish. And hopefully it will be there all my life. It has to be. I cant imagine myself  lazing my butt 24/7 on the chair, on the sofa, on the driver seat, just reading, surfing the net.. hafta get physical also right ?!!! In case it(still talking about sports) moves to the main dish, I’ll let you know.

Okay now back to myself,myjewelz,mysoul. I just hafta get it clear, that patience is a unique virtue. One that you dont wanna mess with. It brings psychological wonder. And I am not afraid to tell myself, ‘hang in there JeweLz!’. coz i am , and will hang in here. Im going to my 3rd year 2nd semester soon.(in case you didnt know, and i know that most of you dont know and couldnt care anyways !) and after this semester is over, i can happily step into my final year. Wether i can finish my studies by end of this year or early 2010, i just hafta prepare for the best, and also for the worse. Some of my friends tell me that they envy me, that im still studying and enjoying some ‘missed’ privileges not enjoyed by them. And some of em even advice me to make full use of this ‘luxury’ . Another friend and also senior, Mohan, who’s now a doctor in Temerloh hospital, once told me how ‘lucky’ i am to have switched from medicine to psychology. Life as houseman/officer and medical officer equals ‘no life’.. life cant and dont resume as normal anymore.. huhuh… well, thats just 1 opinion. So happened my idea and motivation was ‘in sync’ with his !

2009 is just around the corner. No off-the-scale target this year. Just keeping it low key, but achievable. Go Julie !

1.  time to time psychospiritual enhancement. (wutz dis ?!) its a self defined definition. go read this line tagain. . really hafta concentrate on this one. mysoul has been ignored for the past 12months. it takes some wisdom and effort to really do this…  it makes a zillion lot of difference by those who does and dont take care of their spiritual being.im in the total disaster zone. im aware of that. so ego and worldly fancies aside.. i hafta to take charge here..i really dooooooo…………

2. less races than ‘08 please !! .. My ‘09 target races..:
     – (Jan 18)GE30k
     – (Feb 28)IM 09
     – A Famosa Tri (TBC May)
     – Kenyir Tri (TBC July)(ntpb)
     – PD Tri(TBC July)
     – Desaru LD Tri
     – Putrajaya 70.3 (ehem…)
     – Penang Bridge International Marathon (TBC Nov)(full marathon)

notice there’s no adventure races and trackmeet. 2 events which was also not in my 2008 list but somehow was ‘influenced’/terjebak.  Ended up getting 4 gold medals for the Pacesetters trackmeet and also 3rd place for the Perhentian Island Challenge(my maiden adventure race!). I suffered but after prize presentation all my sufferings n injuries disappeared. Hahhhahahhahahahah

I lost count of the total races i took part this year, but ive to make sure next year will be lesser !!!

3. Now the side dish is covered, HOPEFULLY (im praying really hard for this okayy ?!), i can and will conquer the main dish to its last bit ! All the best to myself !

4. No more ‘goreng’ kuew teow for my classes, assignments ,  revision period and finals exam. Planning planning planning. I will definitely fail myself if i fail to plan. tatz me. no random races, just dont work for me.

5. Read and study PHOTOGRAPHY. and practie photoshop. hahaha..

6. Future planning !
Yours,

-missJeweLz-

Wisdom is often meant as the ability and desire to make choices that can gain approval in a long-term examination by many people. In this sense, to label a choice "wise" implies that the action or inaction was strategically correct when judged by widely-held values. However, true wisdom cannot be measured in terms of popular consensus.

The wisdom quotes are the ones that describe the ability of the person to think out of box to find a solution to a particular object of problem. Whenever this thinking is applied by a person, he automatically becomes a wise person. The wisdom quotes describe the good sense of a person and his commendable judgment over certain matters and his ability to decide the best of the alternatives for a particular action.

It is the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships; it is synonymous with insight, good sense, and sound judgment. It means to have "deep understanding", "to have keen discernment", "to have sanctified common sense", "to have the capacity for sound judgment".

Powerman 2008 and Trikidz

Powerman Malaysia

Powerman Duathlon d-day :- this Sunday , November 9th 2008. To all friends taking part as individual or in the relay, I wish you all the best !! I will be going also ! Doing the individual event. So see you guys there at start line ! After start line, its your own journey lah yekk…hihih..nah, just kidding.  Don’t forget to enjoy the race  :) Hope it wont rain..and really prayin it wont get sooooo hot especially for run 2 !

I’ve been stuck with the academiae life the past 2 months , exams. And my last paper was only like 2 days ago. Basically not enough preparation for this race. I was all out during the Perhentian Island Challenge race as there was no exams that time, but right after PIC had to slowly give way for my top priority… Plus the training concentration has shifted for my big race next year. anyways, I’m praying and praying I could finish the race ! I ‘thought’ duathlon is not as hard as triathlon. Boy was I wrong ! A friend of mine said Powerman is harder than Desaru Long Distance (thats half-ironman distance FYI –> 2km swim, 90km bike, 21km run). Poweman Individual long distance is 11km Run – 64km Bike – 10km Run . I prepared quite okay for my Desaru race, managed to enjoy it (Thank God), and managed to impress myself with my timing even without a target time at the first place. So, no target time for this race ! Just DU it ! Let’s see how true are my friend’s words ..

I’ve done several duathlons now, but never the full distance, only the sprint ones , spesifically the one in UM last year, and of course MUDS(malakoff university duathlon series) this year. I admit I am worried and excited at the same time. Whatever it is, will do my best not to bonk early, race smart, and not be too serious on race course. A few of my friends complained I looked so serious  that when they cheered my name I didn’t even holla back ! Yikes !!!!! (I know there will be many familiar faces tomorrow and d-day.)..So i’ll remind myself just that, not so serious please ! Just like another reunion eh !

UM Duathlon last year. i came in 3rd for Women Open. Fr left to right : Stephanie Chok, Nurina, missJeweLz, Major Kalam Pie

 

 So, again, all the best to all friends taking part !! and to myself too !!!! Yikes !!!!!!

 

Something else to add to the anxiety… –> last year’s W20-29 result

Position Category Name Country Race

No

FINISH Run1 T1 Cycle T2 Run2 Club

1

W20-29 Natcha Pianprasobsuk Thailand 372 3:57:12 0:47:51 0:01:00 2:07:05 0:01:16 0:59:58 Thailand

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Norfarahdini Zakaria Malaysia 417 3:59:19  0:55:34 0:01:04 1:57:46 0:00:58 1:03:54

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Sumiko Tan Sok Hue Singapore 377 4:00:49  0:52:36 0:01:49 2:14:16 0:01:20 0:50:46 Macritchie Runners 25

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Stephanie Wang Tingxi Singapore 376 4:01:46  0:54:35 0:00:57 2:10:18 0:00:51 0:55:02

 

 

5

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Kok Hui Ping Singapore 367 4:05:45  0:54:40 0:00:45 2:06:57 0:00:55 1:02:25

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Tan Suet Fong Malaysia 360 4:07:34  0:56:37 0:01:41 2:10:48 0:01:18 0:57:08 Batu Dam

 

 

7

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Jasmine Ooi Malaysia 363 4:10:48  0:54:04 0:01:05 2:06:26 0:01:10 1:08:00

 

 

8 

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Teryn Tham Singapore 378 4:14:09  0:57:05 0:01:36 2:11:10 0:02:00 1:02:15

 

 

9 

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Karen Siah E-Ling Malaysia 365 4:15:38  0:56:56 0:01:14 2:18:50 0:01:14 0:57:20 PowerBar

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Charlene Tay Singapore 361 4:28:12  1:01:04 0:02:25 2:25:02 0:01:02 0:58:36

 

 

11 

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Karen Toh Beng Fen Singapore 366 4:51:16  1:01:42 0:02:11 2:26:11 0:02:10 1:19:00 CNB Cycling Club

 

 

12 

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Nazihah Abdul Ghani Malaysia 373 4:54:09  1:02:22 0:01:35 2:36:59 0:01:21 1:11:51

 

 

13 

 

 

 

 

W20-29 Lim Miao Jing Singapore 369 4:54:19 

1:03:28 0:01:55 2:35:27 0:01:56 1:11:31

14  W20-29 Lim Miow Chin Malaysia 

 

 

 

370 5:13:06  1:04:28 0:01:53 2:30:35 0:01:31 1:34:37

 

If you’ve been following my last few race reports, I’ve mentioned the name Teryn Tham. A Singapore triathlete. She sayured me in A Famosa by exactly 2 minutes. But in Desaru, somehow, I overtook her during the last few kilometres in the run leg and crossed the finish line 2 minutes before her. She actually came up to me the next morning before the prize giving ceremony, saying that she couldn’t keep up with my run….that is because I was already so high in the race , no pain, run faster la.. hihih..well, I’m looking forward to meet her in Powerman ! Hope she’s coming ! Then can really berentap coz there’s no swim in Duathlon ! I came out of the water 13 minutes behind her in Desaru. Beat that ! Anyways, Theryn Tam is another source of inspiration, motivation and competition. I know my level, and I should know who to pick as my closest competitor. Its part of the game. Kita main lumba-lumba. Sapa sampai dulu menang. Familiar?  :P

missjewelz

 

Trikidz

The third Trikidz is coming up ! 29 and 30th November at the University Malaya Sports Complex. Yes, venue has been changed. Original venue was UPNM in Sg Besi Camp. To all parents whose children are taking part, please update yourselves with our latest announcements at the Trikidz Malaysia website http://www.trikidzmalaysia.blogspot.com . We will post the map to the sports complex soon, online.

 

For more info, please click on the Trikidz tab above. Thank you. God Bless Malaysia. Change We Can !

 

Desaru LD 08

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ironman ?

Will give it a deeeeppp thought and analyzation first… Listening to Pagi Yang Gelap by Hujan..  and its currently raining here in Gombak..I just wanna enjoy the rest of the day… Muah !! Peace y’all !!

 

jull pull da bull !!

MALAKOFF UNIVERSITY DUATHLON SERIES 2008- FINAL LEG @ UPNM

Ive never entered the uni library this early, (but ‘report’ punya pasal..).. 7.45am after baris pagi, already lingering in front of the library.(library opens at 8am..). waiting patiently to write in my MUDS final leg report.. mana yang sempat lah yek..i’ve class at 9. Here goes..

PART 1

The heat that morning was reminds me of the run leg at this year’s PD Triathlon.. BURNING HOT ! Nevertheless, I enjoyed the race very much as it was the last leg of the series. So, just enjoy it lah ! Here are a few pics for starters.. you could see I got myself all covered up..so no worries of ugly tan lines !!! heheh.. to all winners, congratulations !! Keep youself updated with the photos at muds2008.blogspot.com

 

Chan Jun Shen of UPNM . 1st place for MUDS -final leg

Chan here missed the Top University (Men) Duathlete Award by a mere 10 points !!!!

smiley cadet ! I’m not sure whats his name.. Adi i think..

 He’s been tagged as ‘Smiley’ at muds2008.blogspot.com. A very nice and cheerful cadet & duathlete. He did the MCing for the 2nd Trikidz too !

My dear friend, Goh @ the transition

 My super fast runner friend, Goh Choon Aun @ T2.

missJeweLz !

 Is tat me ? Phew.. a bit reliefed seeing not many bikes yet at T2..

 

go jewelz !!!

 I look fat..

gulp gulp gulp…in the name of rehydration !

 Focus julie ..focus.. i always kalut after the bike..but this time ‘cool’ a bit..heheh..

so you noticed ?

relay runners at the background waiting for their cyclists !! 

that i wear the same outfit over and over again for MUDS ?

 yeah..just a statement i wanna make.. couldnt care less lah.. just wanna race !

this is not a fashion parade..wear anything u want..doesn’t hafta be expensive&brandish..huhuh..

 the tights is less then 20bucks..the nike top around 60++..others things;free.

jewelz on the run !

the run leg was terrible.. this time not exactly any1 i could ‘draft’, and no1 exactly ‘chasing’ me from behind..but anyway, i think i did fairly okay..huhu…

 

More report coming up. I’m still waiting for the prize giving fotos. Pics courtesy of muds2008 and also neobike ! More MUDS next year I hope !!! Will still be in uni !! ahhaha….. Farid, email ekk gbr tuh.. Man, when’s your next race ??

To all DUers of MUDS 2008 , congratulations !!! It has been a great month (nearly..) meeting and competing in this friendly and fun event !! To those considering this sports more seriously yet maintaining the fun, selalulah training !! the more the merrier ! 1 step at a time yeah..!! You don’t have to worry what other people hafta say..just DU what u wanna do.. You’ll end up nowhere restricting yourself with other people’s ‘restrictions’ . Remember that..  Cheers !

To all friends, this Saturday, Azwar (Pipot.com) and friends are cycling to PD. Start at MTDC UKM , 7.30am. Distance : 130km. Sesape nak join, come !!!

PART 2 tomorrow !

A freelance photographer, an undergraduate and a rescuer : THE STORY

What a title ! Hah ! I’m not that creative enough for a more suitable and catchy one for this post. But i hope i did get a quarter of your attention when your eyes were scanning the long ‘tah apa-apa’ title ! Heheh.. Last nite I met up with two friends. And plus myself, 3 odd people sitting together at the Haslam Restaurant situated along Jalan Pahang. The freelance photographer, Mr.Chan Wing Kai.. hahah.., came to pass me the soft copies of some fotos he took during the recent trackmeet (check out the past 2 posts..), and Shahrol, my rescuer friend from DBKL, was actually the main agenda as I wanted to promote this product I’m taking at the moment..which I believe could assist him in his weight management. But ended up talking about photography, triathlons and hiking with him ! Luckily he did show some interest, especially in hiking , and uhm of course, Chan Wing Kai and I was talking non-stop about our interests and passion ; photography, the great outdoors , hiking, friends etc.

Frankly speaking, I felt the ‘old’ me back. Yeah, when I was studying in Kuantan 3 years ago, it was a norm for me to sort of gather friends for a cup of coffee or a chit chat & breakfast by the beach.. and in the end, it doesn’t matter if you’re not from the same profession/study background/race/religion/interest. And it is rather interesting to see some people who can easily blend in the group, whereas some people don’t. Well, that depends on the individual,right? And some people can be talkative,hyperactive at 1 occassion, and be the extreme opposite in another. Try asking yourself this question; ‘do you have a bit/some of this characteristic?’. I know it may sound lame for me to be asking you this question here. But for discussion/sharing sake, I put forward this question to all of you reading my blog. I myself have this pattern of personality/behaviour. At times I could talk as if there’s no tomorrow, gear 4 all the way, and at times the gear just couldn’t budge from gear 1, lips pursed. . I feel more or less in the ‘comfortable zone’ in situations and discussion on things which I’m familiar with & have interest in ; sports/races/training/movies/celebrity tabloids from Hello/history , as opposed to situations/things which i don’t find much interest in or have not much knowledge of.. lemme see, football/the latest player transfer/the latets CD/songs/ stock exchange/clubbing/.. aya…

So where do I go from this round about ? Interests and passion unites and gather people, no matter what profession/background you come from. (ya, of course you already know this..like duh! heheh..).. So what was the freelance photographer, undergraduate and rescuer had so much in common that they could sit nearly for 2 hours, in an unkown restaurant (at least to me..), could possibly chat about ? We didn’t eat, so no chance to keep quiet while pretending to forever chew that spoon of rice, or else it would be too obvious..  Introducing Mr Chan and my friend Shahrol was no problem. Shahrol , i got to know from the Wataniah local training held regularly at the Jalan Ampang 515 Camp. We were not even from the same recruit, but during 1 of the latihan tempatan (local training), held at Sg.Besi camp, he was promoting some perfume to me and some of my friends. Haha.. yeah, he’s selling perfume from 25 bucks per bottle !  Okaylah, so i bought 1 from him.  Okay, back to the story, Mr.Chan had things to say most of the time on the fotos which he took during the trackmeet, and I on the other hand was eager to show him some of the flower pics which I took in London.  Then we switched topic to ; hiking.. haha..we recalled last year’s trip to Gunung Irau with Tony Quek and the gang, how Mr Chan became our unofficial ‘caterer’! He kindly came along with the hikers and made hot-chocolate for us,.., siap set up the place nicely!  heheh.. and I was happy when Shahrol shared his bit when he told us about the rescue mission he and his team undertook at Gunung Nuang, Hulu Langat couple of months ago.

at MNS, Ringlet . with Chan Wing Kai, posing for the camera

 

from left : Mr Chan, Eric,Lily,Julie,Vivian

We chit chat till all drained out of ideas already.. (ye la tu!!) .. ekceli drain out of energy leh.. Shahrol working tomorrow, Chan Wing Kai gotta balik and rest leh.. , and me, already penat after tutoring 2 primary 2 students, (they were extra ‘tak-boleh-duduk-diam’ last nite,..), and today got class..and tonite got training at Putrajaya.. huhhu..but that does not matter really.  All in all, I enjoyed having 2 odd friends together with me for a late nite chit chat! =)

 

Next week, I’ll be taking part in PD triathlon. my 2nd time PD tri, last year i took sprint. So this year after an encouraging start at A Famosa Tri, I hope to do well in PD despite my ‘way’ underway training.

Below are some of the pics taken by my dear friend Mr.Chan Wing Kai, and also a pic of Shahrol and me during our local training.

 

100m sprint @ Pacesetters 8th Track Meet

 

Pacesetters President, Mr.Rustam Affendi, Lau Pui San, missJeweLz, Kosheila Sivabalan

 

me,Ahmad Lamchannak,Lau Pui San (both representing Bukit Aman area group) and Kosheila (Subang Jaya)

 

Okay, okay..so ur the last runner, Navreet third runner.. all out for this 1 yeah..! okay..!!

 

Subang Orchid relay team: Jacinda Rae Webb,Navreet Kaur,Michelle ,Juliana

 

at the mixed relay 200m start.. 200m i dont lyke ! but still hafta smile for Mr.Chan Wing Kai !

 

Pacetters 8th Trackmeet champions !!

 

the champion trophy held by Mr.Mani (coach), together with the rest of the Pacetters familly

 

shahrol & me during a local training @ Sg.Besi Camp

 

my M16 team..

Been a while..

Been a while since my last entry.. To tell you the truth.. I dont have a functioning camera anymore.. my Nikon sudah kaput.. and so is my Sony.. all i’m left with is an ole-skool film Olympus.. The 1st item I would place in my wish list this year , for my birthday this coming August, would be a camera..which brand and model ?? still surveying la dude.. seems that i’ve to wait another year for my roadbike….its 5am in the morning..and i’m still up..doing nothing specific..had a superlate dinner.. a bowl of pasta. no pasta sauce..so just ate it with tuna chunks. also had quaker oats..so much of healthy and economical diet huh.. hahh..some more with the price hike and all..might as well rethink that tempation for the new mcdonald burger..what its called again ?? mega somethin ? my brother, Yasir ,told me he had 1.. im impressed.. he doesnt usually it that much.and portions would normally be small to moderate.

 

 

Many things going on my mind actually.. I’m taking Arabic language this semester.. and my arabic officially sucks !!!! Ma is mu ka ? (What is your name?).. Kaifa haluka? (How are you?).. Have to work on it more. Finals in less than 2 weeks . Luckily I do not have any other subjects this semester.

 

 

The other things happening to me at the moment… receiving a continuous flow of wedding invitations from friends. From high school mates , to pre-u friends, to med school buddies. In April and May itself, i  received roughly around 10 invitations. But sadly couldnt attend any of it.. 2 weekends back2back I was tied up with the family.. my cousin got engaged.. and the week after went for the Beach Run in east coast.. Zafwad, Web&Nad, Yan,Olet..all my age , or a year younger, ..married. 1 of the pros not being able to attend receptions >> you get to avoid the same questions being repeated again and again at your face.. bila ? bila ? bila ? ..i couldnt answer to that . You asked me the wrong question lah ! I’m a struggling undergraduate (Yes I am !!), and focus on the pursuit for academic excellence is a big deal to me.. (like Duh!).. ”deal’ as in its the current priority..other things will follow suit, and i believe planning too much is equivalent to not planning at all. so let me go with my flow (although some planning of the future is necessary!)

 

 

Mean time, I am just enjoying my life.. with my family and friends. Doing the things I like, things that I love, things that I might not be able to do later on once I’m working or older.. never let go of the chance , time and opportuniy  blessed upon me now, Live life cool baby !! Mind you, I’m turning 26 this August,,and 85% of my friends (of the same age) are already working, with 40% of them already married. Mum already bising2.. cant do much about it but just listen and keep on pretending to listen. Uhmm.. Half of my friends are much older than me, and I must admit I learn quite a lot from them.. from newlyweds, to new moms, to grandfathers..they teach me to cherish and appreciate the short life that we have, And not to fret too much of the lows. Just keep on going no matter what, and put the best foot forward so you may continue on a beautiful and never-ending journey of life herein and hereafter.

 

 

To Ngae, thanks you so much for the wisdom you have generously shared with me during our brick-training. . You’ve helped me understand more about this short life. We need to learn how to enjoy it. And shouldnt be  sceptic in the attempt of a happy and quality life. ..

Fuel price is soaring like there’s no tomorrow. Don’t fret and fuss too much. We can deal with this. Think. Change. Heatlhy life style. Lesser Americans are driving. They switch to alternatives. We can do it too. Its about time that we face the reality. Reality can’t change. But We can. So change.

To all my dear friends who have/who are getting married, a big Congratulations to you. I am really sorry I couldnt make it to the ceremony/reception. May Allah Bless all of you. Nanti dapat baby, calling2 la..aunty julie nak dtg tgk baby comel.. ehhehe.. kaylah.. missJeweLz signing off..  ciao !

 

 

 

Comparing..

KLIM (Half marathon 2007-Women)

Category Results : (Half Marathon-Women)
RkCat	RkTot	Bib	EngName	Country	OfficialTime	ChipTime	10Km
1	1	G3156	TRUDY FAWCETT	Great Britain	1:27:40	1:27:37	0:42:31
2	2	G3212	YUAN YU FANG	Malaysia	1:28:55	1:28:54	0:42:49
3	3	G3133	RADKA VODICKOVA	Czech Republic	1:29:26	1:29:16	0:44:39
4	4	G3208	WIKAIWAN KHAMPHITHAK	Thailand	1:32:08	1:32:04	0:43:06
5	7	G3114	VALLY MICHAEL		1:32:58	1:32:54	0:44:46
6	9	G3108	ELAINE LIM SU LIN	Singapore	1:37:33	1:37:17	0:46:47
7	11	G3206	AMUTHA A/P ARUMUGAM	Malaysia	1:39:25	1:39:21	0:47:52
8	12	G3207	MATTIKA RAKKHAPHAN	Thailand	1:40:48	1:40:48	0:46:05
9	13	G3082	NATCHA KHEMPET	Thailand	1:41:42	1:41:40	0:47:23
10	14	G3160	STEPHANIE HULBERT	Great Britain	1:41:42	1:41:19	0:49:22
11	17	G3124	MARIANA BINTI MOHAMMAD	Malaysia	1:42:06	1:41:51	0:48:41
12	18	G3109	TRINA SOH CHAI LING	Singapore	1:44:01	1:43:50	0:50:27
13	27	G3018	LOH VOON YING	Malaysia	1:52:28	1:52:07	0:58:13
14	28	G3161	TAMI THOMAE	USA	1:53:58	1:53:41	0:52:49
15	29	G3102	JOSEPHINE GALAS	Philippines	1:53:59	1:53:57	0:52:31
16	30	G3147	SARAH MAGGS	Great Britain	1:54:36	1:52:21	1:01:26
17	32	G3016	SHEA KRISTEN ALLEN	USA	1:55:59	1:55:08	0:56:37
18	35	G3038	NOR JULIANA BINTI ALI	Malaysia	1:57:35	1:57:32	0:56:55
19	36	G3004	JACQUELINE TEO	Brunei Darussalam	1:58:25	1:57:50	0:57:24
20	37	G3013	TEH SEOK IM	Malaysia	1:58:52	1:58:05	0:57:09
21	38	G3107	CHARLYN JOY HOLDEN	USA	1:59:07	1:58:12	0:55:08
22	40	G3117	JANEICARLANE GAPANG	Malaysia	2:00:03	1:59:50	1:01:17
23	41	G3099	STEPHANIE CHOK BT. CHOK KUI ENG	Malaysia	2:01:00	1:59:46	0:57:08
24	42	G3131	GERALDINE LOW	Singapore	2:01:17	2:00:57	0:56:35
25	43	G3123	EMMA PENVER	British Virgin Islands	2:01:31	2:01:16	0:57:24

KLIM (Half marathon 2008-Women)

Category Results : (G – Half Marathon – Women)

RkCat RkTot Bib EngName Country OfficialTime ChipTime 1km  10Km

1 1 7195 JANE NJERI KANG’ARA Kenya 1:21:46 1:21:44 0:06:19 0:45:15

2 2 7119 ROSE CHEROTICH Kenya 1:27:48 1:27:30 0:07:28 0:49:30

3 4 7147 SARAH CHEBET Kenya 1:36:14 1:35:59 0:07:26 0:51:32

4 5 7110 EMILY ELAINE LIM SU LIN Singapore 1:36:15 1:35:37 0:08:33 0:55:07

5 6 7064 JUPSARAT INWICSIAN Thailand 1:37:42 1:37:20 0:08:28 0:55:07

6 8 7114 AMUTHA A/P ARUMUGAM Malaysia 1:42:44 1:42:41 0:07:06 0:55:43

7 9 7118 MARIANA BINTI MOHAMMAD Malaysia 1:44:48 1:44:41 0:07:47 0:57:44

8 14 7088 HELENE LE MOING France 1:52:14 1:51:24 0:10:02 1:04:06

9 18 7087 CHARLOTTE CHATHERINE SALISBURY Great Britain 1:56:35 1:55:57 0:10:31 1:06:37

10 21 7141 MORAIG BEATTIE Singapore 1:58:39 1:58:26 0:09:28 1:05:48

11 23 7188 LAU PUI SAN Malaysia 1:58:46 1:57:46 0:11:23 1:09:35

12 24 7142 CYNTHIA WARNER-DOBROWSKI South Africa 1:58:46 1:58:23 0:10:15 1:08:04

13 25 7115 SEAH BEE LIAN Malaysia 1:58:55 1:58:44 0:09:51 1:07:11

14 27 7033 THALAGAVATHY AP SURIAKUMAR Malaysia 1:59:49 1:59:45 0:07:54 1:05:50

15 30 7193 CHAN WAI YAN Hong-Kong 2:00:55 1:59:29 0:11:07 1:09:32

16 31 7204 LIM AN QI Singapore 2:02:12 2:01:24 0:09:56 1:08:38

17 32 7103 JUSTINE CHATWIN United States of America 2:03:08 2:01:20 0:11:48 1:10:15

18 35 7017 LYNN GUAN YOKE LING Malaysia 2:04:37 2:03:03 0:11:49 1:10:31

19 40 7150 CAROLINE ROBERTS Great Britain 2:06:15 2:04:28 0:11:55 1:11:25

20 41 7200 CATHERINE WORKMAN United States of America 2:06:28 2:05:45 0:11:32 1:13:41

21 42 7016 TAN CHIN CHIN Malaysia 2:06:54 2:05:20 0:11:50 1:11:32

22 43 7151 TAY HUAY LING Singapore 2:07:40 2:06:28 0:12:53 1:12:51

23 44 7206 MARIE PERIN France 2:08:03 2:07:25 0:10:50 1:12:04

24 48 7138 ROHANI BINTE MOHAMED IBRAHIM Singapore 2:08:53 2:08:13 0:11:17 1:12:14

 25 49 7060 VIJAYA KALAH A/P TANABAL Malaysia 2:09:33 2:08:55 0:10:24 1:13:01

Nampak gayanye..

 

1.Kenyan runners dah mula nak join category half-marathon women.. biasanya men category and full-marathon category yg ramai org Kenya….adoi na….

2. overall time for the half -marathon women category semakin turun ..with both Amutha and Mariana adding 3 and 2 minutes (respectively) to their half-marathon time in 2007 (Amutha 2007- 1:39:25, 2008- 1:42:44)  (Mariana 2007 -1:42:06 , 2008-1:44:48).

3.If I ran.. and assuming my time is the same as last year KLIM halfmarathon  1:57:35.. my ranking this year bley dlm 10th or 11th place.. (wishful thinking !)..and assuming my time improve SIKIT around.. say..1-2 minutes.. ada kemungkinan diapit runner from France and Great Britain at 9th place..(wishful thinking lagi..)

4. Kehadiran Kenyan runners memang macam virus.. Sekali datang, berduyun-duyun lagi akan datang.. uhmm..talking about positive competition..! Should have another category just for international runners.. tapi tak boleh jugak.. runners from europe and states takde la beri challenge sangat..ewah…. hahahaha…

5. I’m running KLIM every 2 years.. I registered in 2006 tapi had to forego coz ada exam time tuh..(& family call) .Simpan lagi the running number in my clear folder. KLIM 2007, dapat lari my maiden KLIM with the time 1:57:35 ..  KLIM 2008, dapat free entry (and registeration fee refunded) coz dpt 3rd place for the circuit run.. Tapi..malangnye..had to forget KLIM tahun nie coz my exam clash ngan KLIM..yeah..exam on Sunday huh …adoi… tapi TAKPE……

6. I have..HAVE to improve my 21k time so that…so THAT next year (if i take part lah) boleh dapat at least top 12.. uhm..yeah… i tak takut kat international runners..haha… Thailand runners tak nampak kelibat sangat..10k runs, towerthon baru nampak ramai sketz.. if walking races..biasanya Hong Kong yang conquer..hahaha..no worries lah Malaysia. We can do it !!!!! Cuma jangan malas training ye kakak-kakak dan adik-adik !!! Yes we can ! (Barack Obama tagline.. ahhaha)

7. For the rest of the results, proceed to http://www.klmarathon.gov.my or click on the RESULTS TAB above. Thank you for visiting missjewelz.wordpress.com !

Some old fotos..random..

Woman..reflecting..

 

 

 

Women busy…chatting..

Woman..On the run..

Women..For a cause..

 

Friends…for a lifetime.. 

Kuantan Kakis (Kuantan Pacesetters)

12th General Election : The Aftermath+ Insecurity

a) 2003 : I still remember my reaction when the news broke .Mahathir was going to stepdown from his post as prime minister of the country. Imagine my whole life living by the name of Mahathir, seeing his face everyday in the news, and suddenly this guy nak stepdown pulak… Naturally it was all the good and positive things brought by him for the country and for the people, that I saw, that i felt. Remember Wawasan 2020?

Challenge 1: To form a nation that stands as one.

Challenge 2: To produce a Malaysian community that has freedom, strength, and full of self confidence.

Challenge 3: To develop a mature democratic community.

Challenge 4: To form a community that has high morale, ethics and religious strength.

Challenge 5: To cultivate a community that is matured and tolerant.

Challenge 6: To form a progressive science community.

Challenge 7: To cultivate a community rich in values and loving culture.

Challenge 8: To ensure the formation of a community with a fair economy.

Challenge 9: To cultivate a prosperous community. 

Will we actually live up to to the challenges outlined by the exPM? Or it doesn’t matter anymore since the recent GE brought tsunami of a change in the country’s governing institution and that we have different parties holding on to different states ? or simply because there’s another PM ? hum… Where are we leading to ??

 

 I remember I was kind of scared when Mahathir wanted to stepdown.. what would Malaysia be without Mahathir ?? A mixed feeling of insecurity..takut-takut.. Not that I’m going to die without Mahathir.. but my whole life has been surrounded by Mahathir’s vision, outlook and advancements etc. In a way, I was already ‘attached’ to this outstanding leader. And I am pretty sure most of us felt pretty much the same that time. Will Pak Lah be as good as Mahathir ? Is he a better speaker and ‘tougher’ than Mahathir ? Well, in 2003, lets just say it was a bit too early to say anything.

 

 

b) Fast forward to 2008. the 12th General Election. Simply unexpected eventhough some of us saw it coming. So BN no more enjoys the 2/3rd majority .. causing the leaders to be ’shaken’ a bit.. humm.. some of the rakyat was ’shaken’ too. I was one of them. What? After decades under BN and now another party taking over and you feel nothing ? You must be kidding me !

 

The two instances I’ve shared above is not to pin point or label anyone. Okay ? and I’ve mentioned nothing about who is on who’s side etc. I hate to judge or label people. Label jars. Not people. Reflecting the bigger picture here : We can become so attached with something especially when it has been with us for a pretty long time. other factors ; close proximity, a good and healthy relationship and always getting benefit from each other (some times may not be the case lah), all happy-happy , peaceful.. And when that something becomes detached, taken away from us, we will be in a state of uncertainty ..what’s going to happen next ? will the ‘thing’ you lost be replaced? and if yes, will it be as satisfying and benefitting as the 1st ‘thing’.

 

Like the Malay proverb, ‘Belum cuba belum tahu’.. lets just see how the next four years go. Thats the same amount of time I took to realize that leaders are shaped and not many are born leaders. The same amount of time I took to really see that Pak Lah was okay, in his way. So let’s give our new representatives and leaders a chance. They can’t help us without our support. We elected them. And it is their duty to ensure that they serve the rakyat and run the government as transparent as possible. We do not want many things to happen backstage.If possible ,nothing ! Make it all on the stage. Center stage. The wind of change has arrived and all of us should take part in ensuring that Malaysia is our target for betterment and not political leaders/party per se. Stop this circus between and within political parties. With the chaos going on at the moment , especially post election, I dare to say, Malaysian politics haven’t mature.And that includes us too! Yes, we do not want revolution nor do we want evolution (can’t wait too long could we!).. so , it has to be a bit of both..in the middle. Memang senang nak cakap right.. senang nak cakap that the parties should unite and stop focusing on their indifferences. They should get down to constructing a better government. Take the good stuff from the previous government and take the flaws as lessons to be learnt. That should be the way. The part yang susah tuh,its up to us how to share and lift the burden. Yang penting, tak nak this country pecah belah .. let us unite ! Malaysia Boleh !! You also boleh !!!

 

p.s. : you can’t live totally compartmentalizing politics from your life. In a way, sooner or later, it will affect you and me. Bob Marley once said he hates politics, and never thinks ‘politic’. But just look at his songs.. heavily political.. or as he puts it ‘politikal’ .. As long as what you do is good for the people, then it doesn’t matter whether you’re a politicial or not.Just that when you’re officially elected and hold post, then its your responsbility not to misuse that trust and power given to you. And do your job !!!!!!!!

 yet another p.s. : the other day I daydreamt of becoming the next Dato’ Seri Azalina ..hihih..

 

part time job : MC-ing

 

Maran,Pahang.

Tukang angkat dulang @ ah thiam’s nikah

 

Wide Awake at 3 a.m. – PART l

Can’t sleep. Craziness. Tomorrow (today) supposedly ada PT (physical training) for wataniah. but i’m skipping that one and proceed with my own training. Batu caves la nampaknye.. speedwork wont do me any good after 1 nite tak tidur nieh.. hummm…. had dinner with friends at Seri Gombak . had nasi goreng paprik.. rice ,finally !! yeah, been a less-rice diet nowadays.. huhu.. anyway,after makan tuh, went back to the campus.. iron my number 4B uniform for tomorrow’s wataniah class, polish boots,… and then kemas bilik sikit, and then..oh ya, cuci baju. phew.. penat dah. my ipod is giving me problem.. seem to have connecitivity problem with the laptop.. tapi rasanye got d problem resolved.. i think.. I can’t sleep !!! Help !!! humm…

 

I was on and off  friends’ website.. Nurina, Abu, Shazly,Stupe, pacemaker,.. news website; nst, berita harian etc.. humm.. and then my throat kinda dry, perut pun bunyi2… looked around the room for any food…ye la,kot2 any leftovers..none.. eh wait.. i bought nescafe ice yesterday, and tak minum lagi..huhu.. kay…drink…

   I don’t usually drink coffee/tea.. mcm mana ntah tergatal beli nescafe last nite from the petrol station.. humm.. ok, it wasn’t really the right choice ; minum coffee mlm2..  my eyelid showed no sign of shutting itself.. (like duh !!)..hahah.. ok, so i was bored.. i had plenty to do actually.. but you knowlah, ngantuk,tapi dah minum  coffee,jadi tak ngantuk.. the mind is not fresh, but eyes wide open… humm.. just take a look at the following fotos; check out how i entertained myself.. ease the boredom..

 

My tuition class attendance log. 

Already 3 classes this month. Teaching maths, english and science. Form berapa ? I was teaching secondary school students masa kat Kuantan. This year ajar budak darjah 2 pulak.. huhu.. ‘accidentally’ landed the job on the 27th December last year, and started 1st class on the 3rd.

 

 

 

This semester schedule. The uni’s athletics coach wanted ‘my’ timetable.. if not for him, takdenye nak type lawa2.. huhu.. I’ve some spare time this semester thanks to the official perletakan jawatan as the club’s Q.M (quarter master).. (QM for the wataniah club).. less burden of having to take care of the club’s barang.. jaga store.. cukuplah.. Zuhri and Wanie taking over me and Hadi. Good luck to both of you..! since i’ve some spare time, i added more items into the schedule.. training, tuition class,gym.. fun.. but tiring..hahaha.. still trying to adjust to my new timetable..so far,no big problem except for being sleepy on  a few occasion during lecture..humm.. no coffee please ! just have to sleep  and wake up early.. To dear Dino, thanks for helping me out with the schedule.   i appreciate it.

 

THE SAGA CONTINUES..

 sweeney todd , starring johnny depp; the coolest,sexiest,weirdiest hollywood star ever.. the movie preview so far so so good.  yet to watch the movie..still waiting for the right time..next week perhaps.. really ketinggalan bab-bab new movies nieh..last movie i watch was I Am Legend. So proud to watch the movie coz Bob Marley’s songs were used for the soundtrack.. and played over and OVER again throughout the movie.. 

 

 

 Adik-beradik my kaki ; from left; kak cik (slipper), middle; kak ngah, right; abg ngah. not in photo; abe long and kak long.. left them in the car.. and sorang lagi adik angkat ‘nike free’ kat hospital nike kl.. koyak… huhuh… dah lama adik -beradik tak ramai cam ni.. baru start tahun lepas dapat ramai adik and kakak and abang.. huhu..  *okay,i damn bored this time.i actually went outside my room to cari stuff to snap* kesian…

 

 

 

 I’m surprising myself now.. still ‘focusing’ on typing this.. this is my baju loreng.. favourite uniform coz baju nie susah nak kotor..and even if kotor pon, tak nampak sangat.. you won’t see any fotos of me in the uniform . don’t worry.. bahaya !!!

 

 

 

Tour de missJeweLz room continues..

 ’THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN INTELLEGENCE AND INSANITY’. One of the exhibits during my group’s presentation for schizophrenia entitled ‘Galleria Schizophrenia.. now menjadi hak milik cik julie.. ‘ ..really, its a thin line when you consider yoursef ass-smart when actually you’re nothing.. simply hydrogen inflating a balloon which is waiting to be popped.. so just be moderate even at times you need to think out of the box. Your ideas may be brilliant, but never overlook or underestimate other people’s say about the issue/topic.. but we can’t afford to be dumb either eventhough we have people who we thought were dumb surprising us with their ideas and thoughts..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I must admit that I laid down and closed my eyes baru tadi while waiting for this photo to be uploaded.. *ngantuk la tuh..* hum….  these are some medals which i’ve collected..mostly from ‘06 and ‘07.. i’ve to be put them here in my room in uni and not at home.. nanti banyak soalan pulak orang tua aku..huhuh…

 

HATYAI MARATHON 2005.

No, didn’t run this one. Jimmy, my Pacesetters friend from Kuantan gave it to me. haha.. how cool is that.. beautiful medal.. and its not plastic ok.. quite heavy for a medal.. mcm besi.. i dont think i will go for any races outside Malaysia until i start working. passporte with my mum still.. takut anak ‘lari’ pi Hatyai..

 

 

 

 

MOST PRIZED POSSESSION..

15 year old medals which i won in 1993 ; Tahun 5 tuh..hihi.. which school ? just look at the medal lah.. best part wuz.. we had our sports day at st john’s field coz our padang kecik.. haha.. tak cukup nak buat 1 loop of 400m. *memories,memories…..* i was in Rumah Biru.. sampai form 5 pon, rumah biru..i miss CBN… hey.. i remember d skool song.. ‘dengarlah suara semangat waja.. kami insan CBN kini…. !’

 

 

FAMILY : clockwise ; 1)mum, 2)Yasir, 3)me @ desaru tri , 4)me and adik2 at chester street,london , 5)dino&me , 6)me&adik2 at changi airport.  Missed the ‘younger days’.. me being the eldest never had so much fun and adventure in  my life..thanks to my beloved adik2..

i was their kakak,(still am lah)friend,cikgu,playmate, ustazah,tukang set up obstacles using hockey+plastic golf sticks for them to go through, humm.. and now semua dah besar panjang.. and i’m now the second shortest among my siblings.. damn.. tapi takpe, i can run faster than them..hahahha…

Yasir is turning 18 this year.. how fast time flies.. Suraiya is gonna be 16. !! and Iskandar 11.. love you guys… !!!!!!!!

And their kakak.. well, lets just say, I don’t really care of my age.. in the sense that, with age, comes expectations and responsbilities. I am prepared and ready for them, but not scared of them per se.. and guys, don’t be surprised if i tell you this.. I cannot imagine myself as a 3o year old woman.. seriously.. the past 5-6 years, I’ve this thing of not being able to visualize myself as a 30 year old.. followed by questions like ; where will i be.. where would i be working..and as what.. married to whom..seriously… but of course, the thought has gradually faded as i began to open myself to reality. not that i drew myself from it before this.. its just that now i’m having a better outlook and optimism towards life, now, compared to before…

 

Career in psychology .. yeah.. insyaAllah. Despite the setbacks, I finally sticked to this track .. the path to this point of the academia timeline was not easy.. alhamdulillah Allah have me the patience, strength and hope ..

 

  Will is up to you.. and you decide your destiny, not anyone else.. God wouldn’t change people’s fate/destiny unless they themselves change it. I can’t afford to sit and watch people drawing  MY life map. It would be a disaster.. (as it already did before.. (missjewelz is an ex-medical student..)) 

 

 

( to be continued…)

2007

Let me see.. My 2007 was quite a stroll. Phew.. I ‘accidentally’ took part in my first triahlon event (Sprint) in the A Famosa International Triathlon back in April last year, and ‘accidentally’ securing the 9th position for my age group. (I’m 26 this year..gosh..). A friend initially asked me to accompany him to go to A Famosa for the event, and I thought why not,since I was not tied with any events that weekend, and I could bring my camera and practise my photography (PHOTOgraphy). Anyway, I don’t know how or why my friend asked why not I join the sprint event, since I never took part in triathlon before, eventhough I planned to pursue it after completing my first full marathon. (yup,setakat ni half marathon je la..). I decided to join the event 2 weeks before the race day !!

Yikes… managed to fix an instant 2 weeks schedule..huhuh.. macam cerita mee maggi la plak.. but anyway, there I was on the 7th April last year, racing my 1st triathlon . Another 1 came.. PD triathlon.. got 7th place.. and finally; Desaru Pengerang; 6th place ! 3 sprint triathlon and my position goes in an ascending manner..haha.. yet I’ve got to train more and improve a lot on my swimming and running.  after that, trained really hard for Powerman, bulan puasa after tarawih, sambung witir on the bike..(just kidding !) then registered online. AND THEN.. around 2 weeks before race days, baru realize that I’ve any annoying bengong paper 1 day before and 1 after race day… humm..mana tak geramnye.. so guys, planning itu penting. Aku da beli organizer , dah plan dah betul2, tiba2 uni decided to change the exam date.. damn.. beyond my control rite?so ..takpe ..next year.. bukan nak menang pon Powerman tuh, but sekadar buat yang terbaik.. 1 thing SOME of my friends and family members don’t get is the fact that I could enjoy training and racing in marathons, duathlon and triathlon events. My brother would over and over again ask me, kakak, how long do you run for half marathon? A: 21 kilometers. And brother would sincerely reply : “How lame is that !” argh… the endless strive to piss me off. But so far never succeeded lah.

 Last year i also  took part in my first duathlon. the UM Duathlon , women open.. tak nak masuk varsity category.. payah pulak nak menjawab nanti..3rd place, and my 1st bronze medal after high school days.. hehe..anyway, the race was pretty fun..really.. the killer hill kat UM tuh.. huhuh.. memang nak bunuh orang.. nasib tak cramp. And talking about prize money, aku rasa top 20 for each category semua dapat !! best… !!!

What else last year.. oh ya.. lupa plak nak britahu.. 1 went for a month recruit (Kursus Asas Perajurit Muda) for Wataniah.. huhu.. Private Juliana. If ada rezeki, I will go for KADAR(Kursus Asas Darat…) for LKpl..  and last year, jadi QM for Nadiawatan (the uni’s wataniah club). Most of the time memang sibuk. Had to juggle between studies, meetings and training. And weekend kena pandai2 selitkan masa for training or race, especially if event is outside KL.. so far, I am not planning to race any event outside Malaysia, because my priority is my studies.. plus, passport with mummy.hhhuhuh.. takut anak lari ke Siam kot.. which I did before new year.. ahaha… yeah, I was in Thailand for 3 days from the 28th – 30th December. 1 day in Bangkok , and 2 days in Pattaya. It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun and relaxing !! Will write on that later.. 

kaylah, gottago and siap2 for RPM class, and lari 16k. eh jap.. brapa ari ni…? oh shit.. btol la..16k.. sayonara… later !! (posted Wednesday 9/1/2008 @  1730hrs)

 

 

                                        

                                            

Benazir, sincerely… by Nor Juliana Ali

I was looking forward for a relaxing family getaway to Thailand, to ease my mind and soul from the chaotic 2008 only to be shocked by the news that Benazir was killed in an attack after her rally in Rawalpindi,Pakistan. It wasn’t the first attempt to assasinate the former MP of the crisis-clouded country, and late Ms Bhutto knew very well she was risking her own life on returning to Pakistan after years of exile. This wasn’t the first time any prominent leaders were shot during or after a campaign. There was ,Tsar Nicholas ll,Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Yitzhak Rabin (PM of Israel), and the list goes on. So, this is not a new case nor it is a new trend in political history. Leaders shed their blood in the name of unity, democracy and justice. And I agree with Mr.Bush (ehem…) when he said “The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan’s democracy,” .

I took the small effort of looking up the list of martyred/assassinated leaders.. mostly top ranking leaders; Presidents, Prime Ministers, and even kings and emperors. But what I immediately saw is that nearly 100% of the documented list (correct me if I’m wrong) were made up of male leaders. Point is, there were not many female leaders, prominent ones, who have held the Prime Minister office twice, who fought and rallied in the name of democracy, who had been exiled due to corruption , and who came back her homeland only to be assassinated by her enemy. That was the very case of Benazir Bhutto,54, who’s father(Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) also succumbed in the hand of his enemies. I must admit that I did not really follow her saga, only a glance at headlines mentioning her name, never actually going into the details. But the tragic end of her epic sprung my interest to read more on Ms.Bhutto. I guess this applies to some of us too.. we do not really value what’s around us until its loss. We do not appreciate the giftgiven to us until it is taken away from us.The potential and credibility of what Bhutto potrayed and realized through her political journey is wonderous despite the political circus which Ms Bhutto has went through; from the house arrest to the corruption charges against her…

Online orbituaries filled in as soon as the news of her death reached around the world. I got the new through phone from my boyfriend, (he was watching CNN), and right away afte that updated myself with the news from various news websites(as you can see). May God Bless her soul, and place her among the righteous. I salute you Ms Bhutto. A courageous and exemplery leader; criterias lacking in many Muslim leaders, and other political leaders. To all of us, let’s not allow today pass without feeling more motivated to fill your life with essence and values which can be benefitted by yourself and those around you. No matter what career and field you’re pursuing, do it with justice. To all leaders, the world is never short of enemies, your enemies, my enemies. It is a matter of them making themselves visible and making their presence felt. And it isour fight to keep this world in peace despite the fact that peace is becoming more and more endangered and extinct. Waking up to a peaceful and beautiful morning has been taken granted for by many of us. Pray and make sure it will still be a beautiful tomorrow. To war and poverty stricken countries, that might just happen in the people’s dream. Brothers andsisters, be thankful to God for what has been blessed, to you. To people of Pakistan, the world mourns with you today.The evil has to stop… we have to stop the evil… !!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEA Games Triathlon Official Result

>> TRIATHLON RESULT <<

Click on the link above for the men and women’s SEA Games triathlon result !