KL City Day Run 2009 - 10km

The day started pretty early for me. I slept for about 3 hours last night before I woke up and joined the rest for this 10km race. Thankfully MU won! If not I would have stayed home to sleep off the disappointment! hehehe. At about 6.30am, Azad, Dr.M, Dr.Kamal, Halim, Jamil and I rendezvous at our usual meeting point..

picture courtesy of Dr.M

The race took us to through the familiar hilly Bukit Tunku route. I had a comfortable race this time as I pace quite consistently till the end. I still face this occasional abdominal cramp whenever I ran over hill. I slowed down to ease the pain when everyone else was actually sprinting downhill! I must find a way to solve this problem. It's funny when I get to pass slow runners going uphill but only to be taken over again downhill. Baik takyah potong!

The target was to cross the line sub 1 hour. When I ran pass the Parliament building, I felt I could still push harder. In my past races, masa ni dah nak pitam dah! Not this time though. So that gave me alot of confident to finish in time. Unfortunately, as I reached the DBKL building turning into Dataran, I looked up the Sultan Abdul Samad clock, it was already 8.34am. Damn! Kecewa! I completed the race in 65 minutes.

My self and Dr.M felt we could do it this time. But Mafeitz, he had a different predicament. He had to settle some 'big problem' midway during the race! hahaha. However, I got to know that the actual distance that we ran was over 10km! It's closer to 11km instead! If that's true, I might have covered 10km in under 60 minutes after all! Hahaha...bagus!

keletihan disebalik senyuman kepuasan...

We were all tired. A bit more than usual I think. Perhaps the body was still recovering from last week's cross country event. But I have to recover quickly now. If I want to survive next weekend's KL Towerthon, I have to start climbing stairs to elevate my physical and mental state. Elevate??? Rasa ada yang naik elevator je hari tu! hahaha

"Learning to change-Changing to learn"

My colleague Irene forwarded me this brilliant clip posted on YouTube. If you want to be inspired by what the new media can do in the education space, watch this video...

It was compiled from international experts speaking at the World Congress on Education held in Melbourne in 2008, sponsored by Telstra. An example of how a telco demonstrate strong sectoral leadership. Not just sponsoring telecommunication's forums and conferences!

" Green Transport"

This entry should have been posted way back in June last year. But anyway, it's not too late to post it today I guess. I wrote to The Star long time ago about Carbon credits. They published it online. Not sure whether it made it to the print.

FTAAA Cross Country 2009

I had to skip the Great Eastern 20km run in January due to gastric. So this 8.2km cross country is my first run for the year. Infact, I've not been running or training since the Malakoff 12km run in December! My only preparation; a week of carbo loading regime! hehehe

I met Azad at Dr. M's place in the morning and Dr. Kamal drove us to KL in his 5series bella. Ruslan and Halim joined us at the starting line..

before the race...from Dr M's camera phone..

after the race...

It's definitely different running in a cross country competition. But I never thought that we'd be running more than 1km in the jungle! Especially when we're in the middle of the city! There were too many runners and it created bottlenecks. We were reduced to walking for about 1km. It hasn't been raining lately. So that's good. If not, we'd be running ala Genting Trailblazer. However, we still ended up with soggy socks and muddied shoes (expensive running shoes mind you).

just before crossing the finishing line...

Finished the run just over an hour. With 8km to cover, I thought I could cross the finishing line in under 60 minutes. For the first 2km, I paced my run in anticipation of the unknown. They did warned runners to be prepared for obstacles but I expected them to be man made. What to do..tipah tertipu. So redah je laahhh. The good thing is we get to race under the shades! Next stop...10km KL City run.

Zidani's Ben10 obsession...

He watches Ben10 on YouTube though...It's a bit of a problem for us because he doesn't know how to move the cursor and click on the icons. So whenever he's on the Internet, we have to help him type in the web addresses or google up his favourite pictures.

Btw, if you know how to make YouTube play the video continuously, please let me know. Our solution now is to look for lengthy video clips for Zidani to watch. If not, we'd be clicking on the same video every 1 or 2 minutes!

Raidi's first scale modeling work...

Today I took Raidi to a hobby shop in SS14. He has been persistent to build a scale model tank. So I thought it's time to expose him to the world of military model building.

At the shop, he aimed for the 1/35 scale models. A bit ambitious I thought. So I advised him to start with a smaller scale. After about an hour looking for the right kit, we opted for this 1/72 Swedish made main battle tank. I purposely chose this model because of its turretless design. It should be easier for him to build compared to conventional MBT.

Raidi assembled the model the same day we bought it. He did well on his first attempt. It wasn't really a clean finish but I don't put much emphasis on the end product. It's all in the process. It's in the attention, concentration and patience that he puts in.

Raidi complained that the 1/72 scale is too small.... kotak je besar!

assembling the wheels and track of an MBT is the most boring part for me....

photo finish.. but without the decals...belum pandai lagi..

Now he's looking forward to build his next miniature tank. It's getting into me as well. I want to build the Merkava MBT again...

Upgrade...

I've been loyal to my Canon A95Powershot digital compact camera close to 4 years now. This camera captured majority of the pictures posted on this blog. In fact, I've uploaded close to 3000 pictures on Flickr from the same camera.

I'm upgrading to a DSLR. But I'm doing it with my own pace! hehehe..So I started off with the memory card first! hahaha... With 2GB flash card, I have 10 times the capacity of the original CF card! I'm tired of deleting unwanted pictures to save space. And no more 10 seconds video clips!

Camping Trip...

1st February is a holiday. I contemplated at first, either to take the kids for a round trip to the east coast or somewhere closer. Then I thought, I've been wanting to go to this interesting place many times before. I even blogged about it last year. Besides, going to Aryani twice a month is mentekedarah namanya...hehehe

For a change, I took the boys and Ayu to a private retreat within the tropical rainforest. I told Raidi that we're going camping. He was excited naturally and wondered whether we should get ourselves a tent. Boy he was in for a surprise...and he wasn't alone in this!! Check out the photos and see for yourself...

our 2 storey glass shed...the upper floor is the sleeping area...Raidi standing at the front

masa siang...

masa malam...

the living area...

The glass shed that we stayed in is perfect. Accommodation is nestled right amongst the trees. Imagine being in the shed and listening to rustling leaves and running stream located just metres away. It's so soothing and relaxing. I've been to camping trips many times before but this place is like a luxurious forest living environment complete with hot showers, kitchen amenities and a swimming pool! It's just nice for a family outing looking for a bit of adventure without sacrificing basic facilities (basic is a huge understatement to my standards).

Atuk Seth and Uncle Harris entertaining the kids...

BEST!!

on the upper floor, complete with kelambu..

the other shed....made primarily of mud...yang ini siap ada aircond..

Our parents, brothers and sisters drove for about an hour from Damansara to join us for BBQ dinner that evening. Ayam, kambing. lembu, ikan, sotong semua kita bakar malam tu. We felt very close to nature. They were all surprised by the serenity of the place. Mak said that it reminded her of my grandparent's pondok tunggu durian jatuh in Muar! ..Momy just geleng kepala when she first arrived at the place and asked me "Apa mimpi buat bbq dalam hutan ni?". Hehehe..

during the bbq dinner...Rizal busy mnaging the bbq pit..

No Astro, TV, no hand phone signal and no Internet. A perfect place to escape from your hectic daily routine. Raidi wasn't really happy as he couldn't watch YouTube and play games. Ayu was skeptical about the place at first and said that even Kutu can mati here. So I told her to bring along Stephenie Meyer the pontianak novel. I can't imagine any other better place for her to read the novel. Seriously, the glass shed reminded me of the Cullens bungalow in the movie Twilight. Zidani went back to Damansara after the BBQ. He was a bit uncomfortable being surrounded by tall and huge trees.

one good reason why I don't go to public pools..Zidani memang suka mandi tak pakai baju

But the boys totally enjoyed the swimming pool. Who wouldn't. The pool setting is bliss. Water is source naturally from a nearby stream, filtered and not treated with chlorine. I think we went to the pool more than 3 times! It's very refreshing!

Before we went back to KL, we stopped by the Serendah waterfall picnic area located 5 minutes drive from the resort. Of course we couldn't tahan. So we had our final dip for about an hour before finally calling the day off.

Serendah waterfall...sejuk gile!

We headed back to TTDI feeling recharged. It's a whole new experience even for me. I'm very impressed with the whole setting of the resort especially the glass sheds. Before we came to this place, I thought Ayu wouldn't really enjoy this type of 'outdoor' excursion. But during the stay, she did asked me this question "Nanti kita buat kita punya anniversary party nak dekat sini?". Strange, maybe she was being sarcastic..I dunno... But if someone like Ayu can value this piece of sanctuary, I wonder who wouldn't?? heheheh..

I can't wait to go back to Sekeping Serendah...

Al-Fatihah...

On 22nd of January, my uncle (mom's side) passed way due to serious head injury from a motorcycle accident. He was admitted to the Putrajaya hospital and was in the ICU for a couple of days. I visited him during the 1st day and recited Surah Yassin. Due to maximum swelling in his head, we were told that the chance for survival was slim. He owns a Jaguar, but he still wants to ride the Honda Cub. I straight away drove to Bukit Setiawangsa from my office after receiving the news that my uncle had passed away.

Fondly known as Pak Sidki, he is very popular among his nieces and nephews. He's always jovial and likes too smile. Very seldom I've seen him frowning or complaining about anything. Many of us considers him a bit 'strange' even by his kids, but that's his unique personality. He lives in his own creative world.

One time, when we visited him during 2nd hari raya, it was raining. I couldn't find him. Then Mak Cah told me that he's outside of the house scrubbing and cleaning the wall in his kain pelikat and t-shirt. "Pak Sidki buat apa raya2 ni kat luar?" I asked him. He said "Tengah hujan..rugi tak basuh tembok..air free!!"..hahahaha... this is just one of his 'weird' character. One other thing that I never forget is how his family never failed to be the last to arrive in Muar on the eve of Hari Raya. That's because Arwah always drove back to Muar via the old trunk road and he likes to do this at night.

When I was small, I was very close to Udin, his eldest son. So whenever there's opportunity, I would stay over my uncle's place in Cheras. I envied Din at that time because Pak Sidki bought him many toys for him to play with. Myself and Din loved to play with Lego and we would be building things including Airwolf and the Millenium Falcon. Arwah was an architect, so I like watching him building scaled model houses.

the last picture taken together during last Raya at our place. Arwah is seated next to me. This picture was taken using a tripod bought by Arwah way back in 1976 in Glasgow!!

Arwah will certainly be missed. His smile, his laugh and his antics, he will always be remembered. Semoga roh Arwah dicucuri rahmat dan ditempatkan dikalangan orang-orang yang beriman. Al-Fatihah..

I'm 33, he's 7 and she's 80....

I'm tiga puluh tiga...

Zidani's 7 years old...

My grandma, she's now 80!!

In my family, the month of January means birthday to many people. Too bad we couldn't go back to Kluang to celebrate my grandma's birthday. I heard they all had a great time together. Siap main mercun!

As for my own celebration, Ayu took us out for dinner at the Al-Rawsha restaurant. They serve delicious middle eastern dishes. They brought along a secret recipe cake and I get to blow out candles together with Zidani.

And thank you everyone for the birthday wishes...

The Aryani....

Ibdil wanted to go for a holiday in Terengganu. He specifically asked me about my previous stay at this particular place 6 years ago. Of course based on my own experience, I would recommend this luxurious malay style Aryani resort to him (or to anyone else for that matter).

The thing that I like most about this place is the resort itself and the service. I've been to many places before and The Aryani holiday is by far the most memorable. It's located in a very secluded area in Merang, next to a stunning beach.

The hotel staff were lovely, from the reception, chef, grounds and housekeeps they were all pleasant and friendly. With only 20 rooms/villas available, probably, the place won't ever be busy. Very peaceful and I like this kind of place. The resort is a little gem to recharge your batteries for a few days.

Some photos for proof....btw, these photos were taken recently...last weekend!! Hahaha.. I cannot tahan after talking to Ibdil about this place on Thursday/Friday. So I decided to take the family for an overnight stay at the The Aryani, some 6 hours++ drive away from KL!!! hahahaha..Besides we haven't really gone for a holiday during the school break. So I have to thank you Ibdil (check out his blog later on. He's in Aryani as I'm blogging this..and he's there for a full week!!!)

the villa where we stayed..overlooking the south china sea
it was really windy! check out the hotel staff behind us, in traditional malay outfit..
I wanted to stay at this Heritage Suite initially, but the place reminded me of my grandparents place in Muar! hahaha

our room....with over size bed!
killer view from the bed....
breakfast with a seaview...

indoor bath tub??
or outdoor sunken bath??
outdoor!!
yummyy....
I had to drive 20kms to get these...sedap gila!! seafood goreng tepung!!
time for spa & massage anyone? of course Ayu couldn't resist it...the beach house entrance...
Zidani can't wait to mandi laut! I guess he has to wait for another 6 months for that!
looking at this picture...I know Zidani's future is in good hands..Raidi is ever so reliable
so sad to leave this place...when will we come back??

We enjoyed this quick getaway very much, although it's only for a night. It's also the monsoon season so it was very windy and the sea was very rough. Raidi was on the mend (from food poisoning). So he stayed indoors most of the time. Pity him really. But we'll be coming back here soon, I'm sure of it.

After checking out, when we were driving out of the Resort, Zidani said one of the most unexpected thing to us..."Thank you Abaaaahh...Thank you Mamaaaa...." .....and that is priceless.

Raidi's antics..

We were at the Berjaya Times Square shopping mall couple of weeks ago. There's only one reason why I took the boys and Ayu there. The indoor amusement theme park!

Raidi wants to ride the roller coaster but due to his height, he has to wait for another year I guess. I admire his courage though as he got the stomach to go on the looping coaster ride. Zidani of course likes to play with the arcade games very much.

Ayu went into the haunted house with Raidi with another group of kids. I knew it was bad idea. All the kids were walking closely behind Ayu shielding themselves from the preying 'ghosts'. When they came out, I saw Ayu's traumatic face while Raidi was grinning from ear to ear while saying "takuuutt...takuuttt"..hehehe.

What I remember the most from this trip was what Raidi said while riding this ride called Dizzy Izzy together with his mother.

"Ooohh..aaahhh...geletek.. geletek... hahaha..hehehe.. geletek..geletek...geletek"

Hahahahah. I know he was trying to express this tingling sensation from the ride but geletek would be my last choice of word! I corrected him "It's geli la raidi..not geletek!" Hahahahahah

Welcome 2009...

Despite the economic slowdown, despite the expenditure cut down from various agencies, this year's firework display to usher in the new year is way louder!

We live very close to the Curve shopping mall. The mall operator organises this new year's count down cum street party. By the stroke of midnight, they lit the sky with fireworks. I can't really describe this fireworks display simply because I've never seen them before! Every year, I do plan to see the fireworks with the kids but each time, I'd find myself watching TV at home instead.

So judging from the loudness of the fireworks, the number of cars and house security alarms being triggered and from the vibration that I felt, they definitely fused more gunpowder this year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!