Aotearoa [aoˌteaˈroa]


Holiday Mood. Its starting to trickle in. Yes, I am going to take my usual year-end long break starting next week and won't be back until the 2nd of Dec 2005. I will be flying off with my family to the Land Of The Long White Cloud aka Aotearoa. Your guess is right, thats New Zealand aka Land of the LOTR. Running is totally out of the mind for me for the next 2-3 weeks while I am there. Looking forward to visit some friends whom have migrated there and attend to some other personal matters.

After that it will be on a Self-Drive expedition to explore the country (North & South) and maybe engage in some extreme sports like bungee jumping and high-powered speed boat cruising along some rivers.

I have also booked my family to a farmstay where I believe we can experience the life of working and staying in a farm in NZ. Feeding and milking the cattle and sheeps will be one heck on an experience.

Having a bath in the thermal pool will always be relaxing and soothing. Hopefully we can try the volcanic mud bath this time although it may not be the same as Poring Hotspring near KK Parks. I will definitely explore more new places in this trip although my family were there before in year 2000. But this time it is not the same, where my 2 kids are much older and the places I planned to go are new to me. Mount Cook is one of my destination where I can explore the highest peak in the country. Don't worry, I am not going for the summit because it is real cold out there and full of ice. Anyway time to sign off and do my packing for the trip.

Cherrio........

CLIMB 4 CHARITY
Mt Kinabalu, 4 to 7 May 2006















After our meeting with MAKNA today, we have manage to secure their agreement to be the recipient of our charity campaign. The next thing that we are waiting for before the real work starts is to wait for the issuance of the recipient letter from MAKNA. They promised to get the letter out to us by next Friday, 18 Nov 2006.

Once we have the letter, we can then start our campaign to acquire and lookout for sponsor to the CLIMB 4 CHARITY campaign. This is starting to be interesting especially when we go out there to talk to organization that we have targeted and get them onto the sponsorship list. Our target - RM50k, RM100k............ Lets give our best shot and moreover this is for CHARITY.

Will give an update and hopefully more good news to come.

Running in the rain.

Decided to go for a run today at 6pm even though the sky was telling me that it will definitely rain and very heavy too. Any way I have made up my mind for this run just before my long holiday year-end break starting next week. It had started to drizzle when I reached TTDI park and I was telling myself that it has been awhile since I ran in the rain. The consolation here is that the weather will be very cooling. I did my first 2 laps under continuous drizzle and I felt very good, coupled with a cooling weather and real fresh air. As I moved into my 3rd, 4th and 5th lap the rain started to become heavier and heavier. My shoes are getting wet and started to become slippery inside and heavier especially with the water soaking into it. I continued to finish lap 5 and started lap 6. I told myself this will be the last lap before I call it a day and half way thru the lap, the heavy downpour started. I completed lap 6 and my whole body is now soaked and wet. Immediately I took shelter at the Men's toilet area and cool myself down before going home. And next week I will be flying to the Land Of The Long White Cloud aka Aotearoa for my vacation and will only be back on Dec 2, 2006.

Cheers and Ol Man signing off........

It's a RUN-IN............

If you are running a marathon, there is one piece of very important gear that you find it very handy: RUNNING SHOE.

If you are taking on the 42km marathon, then what you are wearing on your feet is even more crucial.

Firstly, the most basic of all: The running shoe must fit well. Too many runners end up with painful blisters and ugly blackened toenails bcos they wear shoes that are too small for their feet.

Secondly, the shoe should suit your feet and running style. Otherwise you could end up damaging your feet and legs severely if you are going such long distances.

This led us to taking a look at how our feet that lands on the road each time we are training or running a race.


What is Pronation?

Pronation is the inward (medial) roll of the foot and in particular the heel and arch which occurs naturally at the heel strike as a cushioning mechanism.

Overpronation is when the feet roll inward too much.

Supination, also known as underpronation, is the opposite to pronation where the feet don't roll inward enough. Wearing the wrong type of shoe will lead to painful shins and joints, or even injury.

Here is a useful site that I read from The Strait Times Singapore, where the Singapore Sports Council took the initiative to do a shoe review in conjunction with the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2005

www.ssc.gov.sg/shoereviews

MARATHON: What does it mean?

Many of us have ran a marathon or intended to run one in the near future. But do you know what does it mean and where was it originated from. You may or may not know, but for easy reference this is something I got out from a website that explains it.
Encyclopedia marathon race, long-distance foot race deriving its name from Marathon, Greece. According to legend, in 490 B.C., Pheidippides, a runner from Marathon, carried news of victory over the Persians to Athens. Pheidippides (fīdĭp'ĭdēz) , fl. 490 B.C., semilegendary Athenian courier sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon. He ran 150 miles in two days. At the conclusion of the battle, he ran the 22 mi (35 km) back to Athens, where he reportedly shouted “Rejoice! We conquer!” and then died of exhaustion.

In the first modern Olympics of 1896, a commemorative event retraced his route. The race soon became an Olympic event, its distance standardized in 1908 at 26 mi, 385 yd (42.195 km). The popularity of running as part of a physical fitness boom in the 1970s engendered a proliferation of marathons, some of them televised. Races in Tokyo, New York City, and elsewhere joined the famed Boston Marathon (begun in 1897). Tens of thousands of runners entered these and less celebrated marathons seeking to achieve personal records and to test their endurance. One of the most influential male runners was Bill Rodgers, who won the Boston and New York City marathons four times each between 1975 and 1980. Until the 1970s, women were largely ignored in (or excluded from, as at Boston) marathon racing, but in 1984, American Joan Benoit won the first Olympic race for women, and Grete Waitz won the New York City marathon nine times in 1978–88. Confronting the limits of endurance, some athletes enter ultramarathons, races of 50 miles or more, or of periods like 24 hours. The current marathon record for men is 2:04:42, set by Morocco's Khalid Khannouchi (Chicago, 1999); for women it is 2:20:47, set by Kenya's Tegla Loroupe (Rotterdam, 1998)

http://www.answers.com/topic/marathon?method=6

Do I want to run a MARATHON again??


LIFEMOU to OL MAN: Do you have the courage to run the Marathon again??



To run between 3-1/2 to 4 hours non-stop covering 42km (26.2 miles) is almost unthinkable for me now. Not that I do not have the courage but my body is not tune to this torturing race at this moment. And that's what I have been doing about 18 years ago and my PR for a marathon was the Cathay Pacific Penang Marathon in 1987, clocking 3hr 32mins (no bragging here) finishing at the Penang Esplanade near the Government office.

I am still extremely proud of that achievement till today because I knew deep in my heart I can never repeat such a feat again. Regardless of what I do in training and the best running shoe that I can wear, age is not on my side to do it one more time. So I always cherish that moment when I hit the finishing line, and I knew that was my PR. And coincidentally that was the last marathon race before I got married two years later and start a family. After that it was history............until now. The Empire Strikes Back.

Whether to consider running another marathon again is everyone's guess but for now, I think I will not do it again. Do I have the courage to do it again?? Don't rule the Ol Man out, okay. At least for now, I am back to my regular running habits after the loooooooong break trying to get back my endurance to stay longer on the road and clock higher mileage. My focus at least for the next 6-12 months is to run Half Marathons. When age is catching up, one tends to be more prone to injury ie like what is happening to my right knee now. It takes one lots of courage, determination, discipline and most important focus on long period of time to run and complete a marathon. That is not even considering the time taken to prepare for a marathon and I think it is easily at least 4 months. All you have is one chance on the race day itself to go get your PR within the goal you set, and if you do not achieve it you have to wait for the next race which can be 3 to 6 months down the road.

Ol Man signing off for the holiday seasons from down south across the border!!!

Marathon's 26.2-mile run tests body and mind

That's what the marathon is all about, testing your body, your mind and your ability to focus and to see whether you can push yourself to the limit and come out a CHAMPION.

An article that I extracted out from the web which is worth reading.

By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY

No. 7 on USA TODAY's 10 hardest things to do in sports is running a marathon in two-plus hours. Here's why it's so hard, from a scientific perspective, from an expert athlete's perspective and from an average joe's.

Khalid Khannouchi crosses the
finish line in 2000 Chicago Marathon,
claiming the third of his four victories
in the Windy City race.

There are 26.2 reasons why running a marathon is hard — as in 26.2 miles from start to finish.

"There is no downtime. You are the machine," says physical therapist Jim Wharton of New York-based Wharton Performance, which trains world-class athletes and weekend warriors.

Marathoners run on hard streets. Wharton says the impact of each stride is three to four times a runner's body weight, transferred from ankles to knees to hips.

About 450,000 Americans (60% male) ran marathons in 2002. But there is no rule you have to keep running the whole way. Wharton says the accomplishment of just going the distance, no matter how, can leave people "feeling good about themselves."

When Khalid Khannouchi won the London Marathon last year, he didn't do any walking: He set a world record of 2 hours, 5 minutes and 38 seconds.

Five-hour marathoners can participate in the same event, "but in a sense you're light years away from the event he is running," Wharton says.

On his record run, Khannouchi averaged 4 minutes, 47 seconds a mile, 71.75 seconds per quarter mile. Try running such a lap around a quarter-mile track. Imagine keeping that pace for 105 laps, the marathon distance.

Elite marathoners train at high altitude, where thinner air prompts the body to produce more red blood cells to carry more oxygen to muscles. They also do speed training at lower altitudes, where they can run faster.

Wharton says it takes 5 to 10 years to develop a top marathoner. They run 100 to 150 miles a week, which makes resting periods critical.

On his trips to Kenya, Wharton has seen that nation's elite marathoners. "You don't see them going to the mall. ... They're not standing around. They're in a horizontal position at rest, or they're napping, or they're eating or they're running."

The debate about the difficulty of the marathon, much as the running, swimming and cycling components of the associated triathlon, doesn't center just on the physical aspects. "Motivation, confidence and mental toughness are necessary," says Stephen Russo, director of sports psychology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health System, co-sponsor of the Pittsburgh Marathon.

In the pack, he says, some might choose to disassociate themselves from the pain by thinking of their taxes or singing a song in their head.

But he says research shows elite runners don't disassociate: "They somehow can manage to stay focused on their running and their stride and their pace. In some ways, your elite-level runner can withstand pain better and can actually function better when they're in pain."

Yes, even the elite feel the pain. But as Russo notes, "They don't have to deal with the pain for as long because they finish faster."

Full report:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2003-02-20-ten-hardest-marathon_x.htm

Posted 2/20/2003 11.56pm

My Knee - Ouuch!!!!


After a 14km Saturday run, my knee holds up pretty well except that I felt a bit sore after resting. I think it is quite normal because I am not clocking enuf mileage and this is the longest run after the Putrajaya race. But the pain is still there while walking. What is happening??. No time to worry about it while I have to get out of my house to run some errands.

Sunday was a rest day for me, just to get enuf rest and not straining my right knee anymore. Got some Chinese sinseh medication oil and rubbed on the affected area very frequently thru' out the day. In the evening did about 30mins of casual biking around my area that I live.

Tomorrow will be an early Monday morning for me as I prepared to do a 8km-10km run at 6am before getting to the office. Since most people will be on leave, can "curi ayam" a bit, and get in later follow by a few conf call thru' out the day before the holiday season starts. I will be travelling down south and therefore would not be running for the rest of the week. This is also timely to give my right knee more rest. Till then, enjoy your break and Happy DepaRaya.

Cherrio......Ol Man signing off.

Wat happened to my right leg !!!

I have the pain piercing thru my knee of my right leg when I am walking up a slope or up the stairs. Maybe I ran too much or I cud have got a slight injury to my knee but the funny thing is when I am running at a steady pace, the pain is not there. Just to test my knee again, this morning at 6am I had a 8km run and it holds well. Except again, when I started walking there is a slight pain at the knee. I will probably do a longer run on Saturday and see how well it holds and take a break during the next week holiday season. Hopefully the long break will ease off the injury. The Ol man need more REST.

Wet Wet Wednesday

Today will be a Wet Wet Wednesday, and there goes my run at the Lembah Kiara Park in TTDI. Hopefully it will stop before 6pm, and at least I can catch up in enhancing my endurance. Yesterday while at the park, bumped into some Pacesetters members while taking our shelter after our run because it was pouring. There was this guy by the name of Francis that I started of a conversation with. He was practically giving lots of tips to some new runners around the park on the technics of training and doing long distance running eventually. Extremely passionate while he speaks. Anyway back to the run, I will be at the park if the rain stops. The weather will definitely be very cooling today when the rain stops. Ideal for a longer run and some hill work too. Cherrio!!!!!

They're people who wake up at dawn to run every day
just because they love it, plan an entire weekends around playing a one-hour game
where they don't earn any money, or sets personal best and never tell a soul.
They're everyday athletes. Just like you

FOR THE LOVE OF...........

New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. launches its new “For Love or Money?” campaign that questions the attitude of professional athletes who are only motivated by money and fame. The campaign theme reinforces the brand’s ongoing dedication to performance and underlines New Balance’s long standing ‘Endorsed By No One’ philosophy, which was introduced in the early 1990s.

Mount Kinabalu - Climb 4 Charity
Target 4-7 May 2006

The preparation started after some thots and bouncing of ideas with LIFEMOU. We have decided to choose MAKNA (Majlis Kanser Nasional) to be the recipient of the donations of this charity event. Provided we can secure the organisations to sponsor. We must, and we know we can do it. The draft letter was ready by weekend as I promised my buddy once he come back from the land of Sawah Dee Kap after his sales kickoff meeting. I hope he come back in one piece and did not create any SIN at all, otherwise the girl next door will KILL him!!!!

Next is to sent the letter out to MAKNA and to secure their approval. Maybe a meeting with them will get this going. The next most challenging thingy is to get support from other organisation to be the donor/sponsor of the charity campaign like donating between RM1000.00 to RM5,000.00 for every climber to reach the summit. I am targeting to have about 14-15 climber this time and hopefully we can have everyone at the summit this time and can generate a charity fund of between RM15k-RM60k. WOW!!!, not too bad if we can generate that amount of funds.

My buddy LIFEMOU had started to run this through with some organisations and hopefully he can get the support from them too. Bro LIFEMOU, all depends on your salesmanship now. Lots of dedicated hard work needed from now on. We have not reach a situation where we have everything on the plate and ready for it. Everything starts from Ground Zero.

Our motto: WE CAN & WE WILL

Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood 1940-2005

Endon's last words: Take care of everybody

Even during her last hours, Datin Paduka Seri Endon's thoughts were of the people and her family.

“Take care of everybody and the family,” she advised her husband Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and family members gathered round her bedside.

“I promised her that I would do it,” a weeping Rahmah Mahmood, Endon's sister, told The Star.

It rained the whole day yesterday as the nation mourned the passing of Endon.

Tens of thousands of people – from royalty, presidents, prime ministers to ordinary people – paid their last respects to our Beloved First Lady, sharing their grief with the family at the Prime Minister's residence, the Putrajaya Mosque and the burial ground.

Many wept openly at the great loss the nation has suffered.

Courtesy from The STAR Online.

In Memory of Datin Seri Endon Mahmood

PUTRAJAYA: The Prime Minister's wife Datin Seri Endon Mahmood died at 7.55 am today at the Prime Minister's official residence here after fighting a long battle with cancer.

Endon, 64, breathed her last about 18 days after returning from treatment for breast cancer in Los Angeles, United States.

She is survived by two children.

Thousands of Malaysians payed their last respects at Seri Perdana, the prime minister's official residence, from 11am.

VIPs and foreign dignitaries started paying their last respects at 9.30 am.

This is a rare moment of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to the public's eyes as seen here kissing his wife Datin Seri Endon Mahmood upon arriving home from work two days before becoming the Prime Minister. Abdullah sworn in as the 5th Prime Minister on 31 October 2003.

Among the earliest to arrive were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

Endon's remains was brought to the Putrajaya Mosque for funeral prayers during Asar, before being laid to rest at the Muslim burial grounds at Precinct 20, Putrajaya.

Abdullah and his son Kamaluddin,daughter Nori, daughter and son-in-laws, Azrene Abdullah and Khairy Jamaluddin respectively, the premier's four grandchildren who are Kamaluddin's children, were by Endon's side before she breathed her last.

Endon's mother Datin Mariam Abdullah was also present.

As a mark of respect, several Cabinet Ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Information Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir cancelled all their official functions.

Among others, the official launch of the national jersey for the SEA Games, scheduled to be officiated by the deputy premier, was called off.

News of Endon's sudden death at the break of dawn shocked the nation, with Malaysians from all walks of life mourning the loss of the premier's wife.

Reflecting the atmosphere of grief and sorrow, the weather in the Klang Valley also greeted the day with gloom.

Radio and television stations switched to low gear by broadcasting songs which depicted the sombre mood and verses from the holy Quran.

Muslim radio deejays also called on listeners to offer the Al-Fatihah verse to Endon.

Senior government officers, including secretaries general and directors general, based in Putrajaya rushed to Seri Perdana and paid their last respects.

Members of the public started converging on Seri Perdana ahead of visiting hours at 11 am.

Also present were Minister of Agriculture and AgroBased Industry Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, Minister of Higher Education Datuk Dr Mohd Shafie Salleh and former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Musa Hitam.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor were seen arriving at Seri Perdana at about 10.30 am.

Thousands of Malaysians, including VIPs, royalties, foreign dignitaries, paying the last respects to Datin Seri Endon Mahmood who passed away Thursday at the Prime Minister's official residence in Putrajaya - Starpic

Shortly after, the Prime Minister, who appeared in blue Malay traditional dress, was seen receiving visitors who came to pay their last respects at the premier's official residence.

Abdullah, who appeared composed at first, could not hold back his tears when several visitors expressed their heartfelt condolences by lending their shoulders to the bereaved premier.

He was later seen conversing with Najib and Syed Hamid.

According to one of his aides, Abdullah who was by his wife's side, appeared calm when Endon breathed her last.

Immediately, the premier began making preparations for her burial.

The PM's daughter Nori having a last look at her mother Datin Seri Endon Mahmood.

At the Parliament building, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib announced Endon's death at the start of today's sitting at 10 am before adjourning the meeting to Monday.

Here are some immediate reactions:

MIC President Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu
The demise of Datin Seri Endon Mahmood is a great loss to the Prime Minister and all Malaysians and we are saddened by her death. She is a very fine lady, very polished, polite and pleasant, and always had a soft heart for the poor.

She had on several occasions organised and raised funds for the poor. As chairman of Bakti, she has led the organisation well by providing foodstuff for the needy and poor.

In all my conversations with her she has demonstrated her kindness and respectfulness.

Backbenchers Club Chairman Datuk Shahrir Samad
She was the pillar of support for the Prime Minister. It must have been a huge impact on him.

We, MPs, are very saddened by her death.

PAS secretary - general Kamaruddin Jaffar
We hope the Prime Minister and his family will take her passing as a fate from God. On behalf of PAS, I extend my condelonces to them.

PAS youth chief Salahuddin Ayub
On behalf of the leadership and members of PAS Youth central committee, I would like to extend my condolences to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the passing of his wife.

We believe her passing is a great loss to the country and we pray that Abdullah and his family will be strong and patient in facing this test.

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang
It has come as a shock because we believed she was recovering. In the short period as First Lady, she has managed to establish a fond place in the hearts of Malaysians because of her kindness, humility, consideration and courage fighting the killer disease.

She did not give up without a battle and for encouraging other women who are suffering from breast cancer.

Former first lady Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali
I received the sad news early in the morning through the short messaging system (SMS). I felt so sad when I heard the news as I have known Allahyarham for a long time, as friend and also colleague in Bakti.

I am really saddened by her death and I regret the fact that I could not visit her while she was in the hospital.

Endon's death - which comes less than two months after she and Abdullah marked their 40th wedding anniversary - is the biggest personal blow to the Malaysian leader since he took office in October 2003 following the retirement of his predecessor, longtime leader Mahathir Mohamad, the AP meanwhile reported.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Abdullah has accepted his wife's death, even though the family was surprised when Endon's condition worsened suddenly early Thursday.

"He was very calm, he is very religious, he has come to terms with it,'' Najib said.

Thousands of people filed past Endon's body, which lay in state wrapped in white linen on a table while Muslim clerics recited verses from the Quran.

Abdullah, Malaysia's fifth prime minister since the country achieved independence from Britain in 1957, had been married to Endon since Sept. 4, 1965.

Abdullah has often called Endon his "No. 1 supporter.''

When his mother died of natural causes in February 2004, Abdullah telephoned Endon in the United States, where she was undergoing treatment.

She later told reporters that he said: "I've lost my mother and I don't want to lose you too.''

Endon was respected for her humble, unassuming personality.

She was popularly referred to as "Kak Endon,'' or "Elder Sister Endon.''

Abdullah and Endon often showed public displays of affection, including hugs and kisses on each other's cheeks.

Endon discovered she had cancer in 2002 after her twin sister, Noraini, was earlier diagnosed with the disease. Noraini died in 2003.

Endon had a breast removed and traveled to the United States regularly for treatment.

She returned to Malaysia from Los Angeles on Oct. 1 after five rounds of chemotherapy since July.

Agus Yusuff, a political scientist at the National University of Malaysia, expressed confidence that Abdullah would "not let his personal loss affect his responsibilities.''

"He has been mentally prepared for Endon's death for some time,'' Agus said.

"He will bounce back and carry out his work as prime minister with his usual zest.''

Endon met Abdullah while both were working at the Public Services Department in the 1960s. Since retiring in 1976, she has mainly been involved in charity work, and has spearheaded efforts to assist children in North Korea, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Endon has insisted she was never passionate about politics, and that she had to "slowly accept it'' when Abdullah became much busier after he was elected a member of Parliament in 1978.

"I must be supportive and understanding of his duties,'' Endon told The Star in a 2003 interview.

"I always compliment him. He will always phone when he is away and we always tell each other we love each other.''

Endon had been deeply involved in awareness programs for breast cancer, the main cause of illness-related fatalities for Malaysian women.

She has said she refused to feel sorry for herself, and felt fortunate she could obtain the best medical treatment.

Article contributed by The STAR Online.

LIFE is sometimes you gotta work on a weekend

I was requested to be at a distributor biz offsite meeting over the weekend in Melaka. Besides having to work, the consolation is that I am having a group of audience that are young, energetic and aggressive, and this make an ol man like me feel a lot younger at least for a day. As usual (and that reminds me when I am a lot younger) these people are fun, full of joy and laughter and enjoy themselves like there is no tomorrow. I believe this are their rights, because you wont get this kind of opportunities when you start a family. Anyway it was a good session, and positive dialogue being exchange and the biz session was well received. There are some team building activities as well to foster better biz partnership and understanding, and probably for me getting to know some eye candies and treat them like my young sisters. Are you SURE, bro? Coincidentally I met the gal that was on that ASTRO advert where she was with her mother-in-law and pinching her husband...... Kind of lucky for me rite!!!!

ENDURANCE

Where is my ENDURANCE. I DON'T FEEL GOOD. MY STEPS WERE HEAVY !!!!! Just did about 7km run today in TTDI park but I am still far from being fit as far as I am concern. Very heavy steps, not too sure was it the rubberised track. Or was it the heavy seafood lunch that I had with my customers. Hey bro, dont blame it on the track or the lunch. You are not fit and need to increase your mileage.

No motivation to run today, there is no eye candies as what LIFEMOU had mentioned. Weather was great and just nice to have an evening run. Not too sure why? There are all shying away on a mid week. Maybe I skip my Wednesday run next time. I hope I will be in good shape for my next run ie Great Eastern 20KM by Pacesetters in Jan 2006. Till then and goodnite, and still contemplating to wake up at 2.40am the next morning to watch the Poland-England game but given the way England play, I might give it a miss.
Ol man emu need more rest.

Climb For Charity - Mount Kinabalu 2006

CONQUERING THE MAGNIFICIENT ONE
Take nothing but Photographs,
Leave nothing but Footprints


Have decided to scale Mt Kinabalu again come next April 2006, and this time hopefully the weather is better. No fix date yet but I can guarantee this time it will be lots of FUN, especially with my climbing/runner buddy LIFEMOU helping to get more buddies of his joining us eg Mr C and possibly 2 other pretty gals from a bank. WOW!!, exciting and cannot wait for next April. LIFEMOU assures me he will convince JXXX C to be with us too. And according to him, just a bit of manja-ling will get this solid leng lui with us. JXXX C was with me in my climb 2 years ago. Are we going to have the DXXX gal that our friend accidentally positioned his eyes onto her August 15th during the Double Jaya Half Marathon......, and also the dry mermaid aka THE LADY IN WHITE DRESS


On the other hand, I am also thinking of doing a charity climb this year, but just trying to figure out how shall I do it. Maybe for every climber reaching the summit, the donors will have to sponsor RM500 or RM1000 for a charity organisation. For those reading this blog, give me some suggestions. IDEAS, IDEAS, IDEAS......SUGGESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS


















I am ready for the challenge and get my trekking shoes dirty again.

I WILL BE BACK........HASTA-LA-VISTA

MOVIES

Movies are always very close to my heart in my younger life especially when I was a kid. At this juncture, I would like to thank my dad (an avid movie goer) who brought me to cinemas for movies ie from black n white to colour movies. Even though we are just an average income family, my dad never misses a good movie when it is screen on the silverscreen of cinemas during the good old days. On an average, we as a family visited the cinemas at least twice a month if not more. We got to go to view all kinds of movies from chinese sword fighting movies, love stories movies, war movies and comedies except for hindu/tamil movies and malay movies. The only hindu movie that I remembered watching was something called BOBBY (quite a famous one where the story line surrounds an elephant). During those days most of the Chinese movies are in Mandarin and only in the late 70s and early 80s, we start to get some Chinese movies that are in Cantonese. And its basically started from Sam Hui, my idol during that time. He is practically quite an allrounder entertainer where he can sing and act at the same time. Outdoor movies in the "padang" during chinese festivals are also part of my movies experience, but generally movies shown are old ones.

I still remember actors like David Chiang, Ti Lung, Wang Yu (these are always the good guys) and Lo Lieh, Tien Fung, Sek Kin (the baddies). The one that will always remained my favourite is the original WONG FEI HUNG (black n white movie). The actor is Kwan Tuck Hing as Master Wong together will all his obedient students fighting the baddies. And how can I missed out the actors and actresses of love stories, and ther are Chin Han, Chin Hsien Ling, Tang Kwong Weng, Lin Fong Chiao, Chen Chen, Tien Niu and so many more.

Movie going died off for a while during the late 80s and early 90s, because of the video era where everyone is on those HK-TVB dramas, and SHANGHAI BEACH is one that I can never forget. And it is also where the porno started to penetrate into the movie industries.

Today it has been very different going to a movie. Things are so high tech starting from buying tickets, getting your pop-corn and watching the movie. Sound systems are so much better now, but patrons pay a price for all these. But after all these years, I would always like to make a comparisons of how a movie is being made and this is how it looks like.

Subject: Indian movie vs Chinese movie

Things You Would Never Know Without Indian Movies
=======================================


1. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to cleanse his wounds.

2. The hero cannot fall in love with the heroine(vice versa) unless they first perform a dance number in the rain.

3. Once applied, make-up is permanent, in rain or in any other situation.

4. Two lovers can be dancing in the field and out of nowhere, 100 people will appear from God-knows-where and join them in the dance.

5. In the final scene, the hero will discover that the bad guy who he is up against is actually his brother and the maid who looked after him is his mother and the chief inspector is his father and the Judge is his uncle and so forth.

6. Key English words used in the movie (usually said out loud between sentences) are By the Way, No Problem!, My God!, Get Out!, Shut-up!, Impossible!,Please forgive me!

7.They drop down on the ground and roll and roll while singing and come out with different clothing.

8. They can run around the coconut trees, singing, batting eyelids, and throwing glances at each other and changing clothes all at the same time without being out of breath.

Things You Would Never Know Without Chinese Swordsman Movies
=================================================


1. Being the hero's parents will always be unlucky and will usually be killed by enemies when the hero is young, and the hero will become an orphan.

2. When a man is wounded and dying, he always manages to catch his breath and speak a few sentences to reveal the killer before dropping his head and be declared dead.

3. Skilled people are able to fly over roof tops, up trees and across distances without any sweat. But when travelling to towns and villages, they still have to walk or ride horses.

4. The heroes need not have to work for money, but will always have gold and silver with them to pay for their food.

5. The heroes and villains will meet each other very often no matter how big the country is and no matter where they are.

6. Healing internal wounds in the body is as easy as sitting down cross-legged, palms on the knees and smoke coming out from the head.

7. They can keep a lot of stuff in their sleeves and waistband and never drop them (carrying especially lots of those gold and silver ingots)

IN MEMORIES OF KUALA LUMPUR (KL)

Introduction
Located between Indian Ocean and South China sea, in the South East Asian region, Kuala Lumpur is the ultra-modern capital of Malaysia. Because of its strategic location, it has been a traveller's entry point to Malaysia, dating back to the times when traders and travellers of the east and the west converged at this place.

History
Kuala Lumpur's history dates back to 1857 as a small mining town at the converging point of Gombak and the Klang rivers. The town flourished under the business interests of three officials- A British resident, A Malay Raja Abdullah and a Chinese headman. This buzzing town attracted Chinese labourers, Malays from neighbouring areas, and Indian immigrants. Soon Merdaka Square became the focal point of the town with colonial buildings replacing local offices. The city spread out from here.

Inspite of going through its ups and downs, Kuala Lumpur became the capital of the state of Selangor in the late 1800s, and later the capital of the Federal Malay states of Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang. Its main trust was the establishment of center of Malaysian network of railway lines. Today multiracial and multicultural people making up this busy and vibrant city.


Kuala Lumpur of Yesteryears
Kuala Lumpur is not the original place that I was born and breed but I called it my SECOND HOME (and so are lots of people living in the Klang Valley). I have made this place my second home for at least one-third of my life, migrating into this vibrant city in search of better opportunities and also a life partner to start a family.

Things have changed a lot eversince I first visited Kuala Lumpur as a kid and then making it as my base when I am out of college and ready for a job. But it is always good to rewind the clock and look at what Kuala Lumpur has to offer during the yesteryears of the fifties and the sixties.


Petaling Street, where CHINATOWN is today serve as one of the "Must Visit" tourist attractions. Many of us still do our shopping of foodstuffs, clothings, the famous VCDs/DVDs and marketing here. Come the month where Chinese New Year falls into, this place will be full of activities and attractions, where all the Chinese will do their new year shopping.



Jalan Bukit Bintang aka THE STRIP of KL (similar to the LAS VEGAS STRIP) - The famous Sungei Wang Plaza is located. Nobody can missed this street that holds significance remembrance. I can still remember when I was a young boy visting KL, there used to be an amusement park called BB Park that I always visited. In the later years, BB Park was demolished to make way for Sungei Wang Plaza. As the years goes by, more and more new buildings came up ie Lot 10, Bukit Bintang Plaza, etc


Masjid Jamek, the most famous and oldest mosque in KL. Known for its intricate North Indian Islamic architecture, sited at the point where the Klang River and Gombak River meet. This is the birthplace of Kuala Lumpur.


National Musuem, The oldest and biggest musuem in Malaysia. It is inspired by Malay architecture and display Malaysian history. A must see for toursit visiting KL today.





Lake Garden aka Taman Tasik Perdana and Bukit Aman (where the Polis DiRaja Malaysia HQ are today). This is a place where all avid runners are familiar with. A place where we have our weekdays evening run and Sunday morning run, either just a casual breakfast run or training for an upcoming race. Even though both places had changed a lot but the older generation will have an acquaintance to it.



Dataran Merdeka aka Merdeka Square, is the site where the the Malaysian Flag was first hoisted in 1957 and Independence proclaimed. At one end of the square is the world's tallest flagpole flying the national flag. The Selangor Club is still located around the area, and in the older days the field in front of the club used to be a ground where cricket are played. Today the field are generally used for other events like concert, resting area after a sports event, etc. And again, for all avid runners, Dataran Merdeka is where the START/FINISH podium of some major road races held in Kuala Lumpur.


And finally, The General Hospital of Kuala Lumpur. This is where the medical facilities are provided to all during the yesteryears of KL. Today the hospital is still standing majestically at the same location but had transformed into a well equipped hospital to continue offer medical facilities for people living around Kuala Lumpur and vicinity around it. Over the years, there are more hospitals that came up as alternatives and closer to people staying further away from KL.