Made In Vietnam

My recent vacation to Vietnam ~ Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh aka Saigon city, was a great eye opener for myself and my family.

Vietnam is a country in South East Asia within the Indo-China regime, which borders the People's Republic of China to the north, Loas to the northwest and Cambodia to the southwest. The country's east lies towards the South China Sea. With a population of almost 83 million, it is one of the most densely populated nation in SEA. Coupled with approximately 20 million motorcycles within the country.

Give Vietnam 5 to 10 years and they are a force to reckon with from the perspectives of doing business globally, industrial activitivities and sports powerhouse.



















One of the stores along the streets in Old Quarters, Hanoi




















Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hanoi



















Boats anchored at Halong Bay



















The streets of Vietnam



















The Old Post Office of Saigon



















A common site of ladies dressed very sexily (showing off their top assets) to attract male customers in Ben Thanh market, Saigon


A more detail report is on the way.

Hit the Streets & Beat It

Thats the tagline for next year KL International Marathon 2007.

I am for it and will be signing up for another 42k race. My confidence level had progresses well after 2 marathons this year although my timing had nothing to shout about. Hopefully 2007 will push me further in improving my timing in all races that I run. Actually I have given myself 1 year to get acclimatize with the long distance running condition, and my target is to be more competitive in terms of timing for 2007.

Have a good week ahead and Happy Holidays.

Good Morning, Vietnam

I will be heading of to Vietnam today for my family vacation and will only be back on 21st Dec. And this trip reminds me of the 1987 movie by Robin Williams that talk about the Americans battling out the Vietnam war. I will be visiting Hanoi which will be cooling (in terms of climate) during this time of the year, and will then fly down south to HCM city aka Saigon which will be hot, humid and sticky.

But today Vietnam is a fast and upcoming developing country, where they are very prosperous and maybe to a certain extent ~ advanced in certain things that they are doing. Vietnam will be the next country that we should watch out for within this region. It will be another Asian Tiger that will come out from the cave. This trip will definitely be an eye-opener for myself and my family.

Take care everyone......

Once in a life time

Eugene Lee was my travelling mate to the StanChart Singapore Marathon 2006. He said this will be his maiden and swansong full marathon. According to him, "You only live one life, and once in a life time you have to run a marathon"

He ran the first 21k in 2h20mins, and walk the rest of the 21k in 4h10mins. His determination and mental strength pull him thru crossing the finishing line in 6h30mins. My salute and hats of to you. After the race, I asked him whether he will run another marathon. His immediate answer was "My answer will be very biased if you asked me now, and it's a NO, but I reserved the right to change my mind later"

Eugene "I will see you again at the starting line of the next full marathon"

Cheers!!!!!!

StanChart Singapore Marathon 2006 report

1 to 2 Dec, 2006

Its started on Dec 1 when Eugene and myself took a midnite bus from KL-Singapore. Was a very smooth ride since we are on an executive coach, very spacious and comfortable (you get what you pay). It took us only slightly more that 4.5hrs to reach Tuas checkpoint, and by the time we cleared the immigration of both countries, the bus reaches its destination at Copthorne Orchid Hotel at around 5.30am.

Have a quick washup and decided to wait till 6am (no midnite charge) to board a taxi to Peninsula Hotel where we are putting up a nite. After reaching Peninsula Hotel, went to the reception and try to check-in (which I think is too early but just trying our luck). Bumped into KC and his group who also boarded a bus from KL that leaves at midnite to Singapore. Told us we can only check-into our room earliest by 11am of the day. Being kiasu a bit, I went ahead to the reception just to make sure my name is on the booking list.

At that moment, Eugene received a call from his colleague saying that he will pick us up for breakfast and then drive us around the full marathon route. While waiting for him to show up, I have a chat with KC and group. We talk about the past years race in Singapore and then about one more person that was supposed to join their group. Last minute this person could not find her passport and don’t even remember where she placed it. Eventually time ran out on her and they left without her coming along.

Gerry (Eugene’s colleague) arrived and we went for breakfast. After that we reckee the marathon route to give a good perspective of how it looks like. Then we are back to hotel and walked to Marina Mandarin to collect our bibs and goodies bad. After that, walk around the area, and its time to check-in. Managed to check-in and got ourselves clean up. Took a nap and its time for our lunch. The rest of the day was just to ensure we have enuf rest. Lights off at 10:30pm.

3 Dec, 2006

Morning call came in at 4am sharp and we are getting up to ROCK Singapore marathon. Took a shower, do the morning business, dress up and I am ready to go. Fook was suppose to come by and put his barang-barang, so that he can take his bath after the race at our hotel room. Went down to the lobby at 5:10am, and Fook is already waiting there. While we was about to leave for the starting point, Fook heard Grace voice, and actually she is staying with her group of frens next to our room.

We (Eugene, Fook and Grace) then adjourned to the start point. At the hotel lobby, Fook bumped into a group of his frens which he introduced them to me. If I remembered correctly they are Chong Wah and Wan Lin.

As we reached the staring chute, there are seas of people waiting for the start of the race. We went to the area that were allocated for marathoners clocking within 5hrs and waited there. The atmosphere was great and with so many people standing shoulder to shoulder, waiting for the race to be gun off. The MC was pumping out all the encouragements that he can think of thru the loudspeakers, and eventually he did a countdown.

Its 6am sharp and off we go, and due the number of people, I actually took 2.5mins before reaching the starting point to begin the race. Heck, no big deal ~ I am here to enjoy the race, my timing is secondary although my aim is to clock a slow sub5. Fook and Grace was running together with me. The starting of the route took us into the CBD area of Singapore where we ran thru the business district. Sometimes we have to run in zigzag formation to avoid knocking onto those slower runners that blocking our way and while overtaking. This continues a good 15k and at this moment we saw the elite runners forming the front runner pack coming back the opposite side. The pack consists of all Africans, and the only Caucasian that was following closely was at least 50m-80m away. We are required to run a loop in this Marina Garden area and by the time we get out it’s the 20k mark. Water and 100Plus were widely available with no shortage of supply. I just keep drinking in smaller quantity at almost every station to avoid dehydration.

At the 21k mark, we are required to run into East Coast Park where the jogging/running trail are. At this stage I have lost track of Fook and Grace. This route will take us from 22k all the way to the 35k mark. We are required to run this loop and we also can get to see the faster runners on their way out (on the opposite side) after the completion of the loop. To me this is the most boring stretch where you keep on running along the beach to/fro. I heard a callout of my name out of a sudden, and it was Pelle ~ Swedish guy whom I met during the Putrajaya race. (We were supposed to start together but he got my SMS late) He told me his fitness is not too good and will not be able to do a sub5 today. And at this stage at the 26k mark I start to encounter a slight muscle pull/cramp on my thigh. Oh no, I told myself ~ so early in the race and I am getting this. I know it will hit me badly eventually, so therefore I slow down a bit and take it easily. Along this route, I helped up a runner that fell flat of the trail suffering severe cramp on both his legs. A few other runners join in to give aid (and I must said, runners are a bunch of helpful human beings), and in a short period he is back on his feet and asked us to go ahead.

I pressed on, the tireness and fatigue starts to come in. I have started to apply Deep Heat that was provided at certain sections of the route to ease of the pain and cramp on my right leg. I reached the end of the route which requires all runners to do the loop back and get out of the park. Here I saw Grace in front of me, and I asked her how she is feeling. She said she is suffering from a slight muscle pull/cramp but is OK to run ahead. I was trailing her for a while and we are about 5m apart. She stops once or twice to ease of the pain from the pull but eventually she race ahead and no way to be seen. At this point my cramp was getting worst, I have to keep applying Deep Heat in big quantity on both my legs now to numb the pain and massage the affected area to loosen up the muscle.

As I get out of the park, this stage was the 35k mark and 7km to finishing. The strain on the muscle pull on both my legs is slowing me down miserably and I just have to control my speed without aggravating it and making it worse. Slowly I ran, telling myself to focus on the distance, and telling myself 7km is just running 3 loops in my housing area where I live that I run every morning. Kilometer by kilometer passed and I tell you time passes so slowly here. It took ages to complete 1km from this point onwards. 36k, then 37k, then 38k, and I need to run under a tunnel up the slope to reach the 39k mark (I walk up the slope and so are a lot of runners at that point) Both my legs are feeling better from 36k to 39k. At this juncture I caught up with this guy who was motivating himself to continue running and crossing the finishing line. He was whispering loudly repeating to himself with words like “COME ON, YOU CAN DO IT” ; “DON’T GIVE OUT”, “ITS 2KM AWAY”; “I CAN DO A SUB5”……. I joined in to motivate myself too since I am also fighting for time to cross the line with a sub5 timing. At the 40k mark, the last 2km requires the runners to detour from the main road and run on a path facing the sea. The scenery around this area was beautiful but this is not the time to admire it. The most important thing on my mind now is to complete the race under 5 hours. I looked at my watch I know I can make it with the PIA SPIRIT. No stopping from now on but keep running. I surged ahead leaving that guy behind and the crowd was supporting the runners along this path saying its 600m away from finishing.

I passed thru the tunnel, this is the area where I did my warm up in the morning. Runners are required to run under it, pass the tunnel and out on the road. Had a slight left turn and straight on I saw the finishing arch. The official clock shows 4:57:47 from a far distance as I approaches the straight road. The MC was announcing that this group of runners coming in will make the sub5 mark and dashes thru I did, pumping my right fist up on the air 3 times, acknowledging to myself that I make it under 5 hours. As I crossed the finishing line, the official clock shows 4h58min28sec.

Took a rest at the runners finishing area and then went on to return the champion chip, collect my medal and finisher Tee. Have some refreshment before heading back to the hotel. At this moment it was drizzling and I am feeling a bit cold. Reached my room and I saw Pelle sitting in front of his room. Apparently his access card had some problem and his wife went down to the reception to change the card. We have a quick conversation asking each other how we did. He clocked 5h09min which is not too bad taken into consideration the little training that he had. Then I quickily get into my room and had a hot shower.

Later Grace called upon us at the room. At this time Fook is already back having his shower. Fook had cramps starting from the 18k mark onwards and he was badly affected by it. Grace happily told us that she did 4h49min, it was a good run for her and I am happy that she is able to pull it through although she did suffer cramps at one stage of the race. A lady runner to watch out for in the future. Fook finished the race in 5h35min, and I personally felt that both did very well in their maiden marathon and the experience both gained in running a marathon. I am very sure, they will be more prepared and able to clock a better time in their next marathon. All the best to both of you.

Eugene came back much later, and he clocked 6h30min, something that I must salute him for his mental strength in completing the race. Running the first 20k in 2h20min and walking for the rest of 21k in 4h10min.

I was satisfied on the timing although I was aiming for a faster time like 4h40min. I know the muscle pull that hits me from 26k onwards was too early in the race and slowed me down tremendously. Anyway I have completed my second marathon this year after running for the past 1 year (in a 15 years absence).

Now I am back in KL, waiting to go for my vacation in Vietnam. Hurray, Hurray it’s a Holi Holi Day !!!!!

Split timing (hh:min:sec)

10k - 1:04
20k - 2:08
30k - 3:22
40k - 4:44
42.195k – 4:58:28

Who let the dogs out!!!!

Confucius (孔夫子) said "It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop."

My principle in running this Sunday Singapore Marathon 2006 :
"It does not matter how slow I go so long as I complete the race."

And this is not a good time to catch the flu bug but I did. Having a mild cough, phlegm and irritation of my throat. On medication for the past one day, see how it goes.

Testing time

Tomorrow, another major sport event (can be consider the biggest in Asia) will commence, and yes that is the Asian Games 2006 in Doha. And yet Malaysia had sent a contingent there to participate, and with the hope of doing well. And I must remind - how many times can we hope to do well, year-in-year out and in any international events. The standards of Malaysian sports are falling behind, lack of commitment and dedication by the sports fraternity.

I believe we probably have spent millions of ringgit from taxpayers to train these group of athletes up, and wanting them to be medal prospects. For these athletes, they have to perform and deliver and not hope for the best. In such high pressure competition, you cannot hope for the best to come. Either you are there or not there. I am just an amateur long distance runner, and yet I cannot hope for the best when running a race. I know I must train to a level where I am confident to achieve certain level of standards.

At the end of the day, the results will speak for themselves. These Doha bound athelets have to deliver and tell us if the money spent on them had gone to waste. (And this is not the first time, look at how pathetic our football and hockey team, soon will be the sepak takraw team)

And having said that, when the Games end on Dec 15, MALAYSIA shud achieve what we have set for, and not make execuses of not delivering again. If we dont get the results, then we should rethink of spending more money on those crumps and losers.

MALYSIA BOLEH or MALAYSIA TAK BOLEH.....Let the Games begin.

Twice A CHAMPION

Congratulations to Nicol David for being 2nd time World Champion. I must admit she is the only Malaysian that have achieve such a feat for the past 5 to 10 years. No other sport personalties or team have done it before. This is what I called MALAYSIA BOLEH!!!, the rest of hoohah we made in the sports arena are just vaporware..... If I will to be the Sports Minister I will just build on this momentum and maximise our authority. Pump more money in developing the sports and grassroot, and please REWARD the best, and get all the rubbish out of the way. Dont try to be Jack Of All Trades, but try to be The MASTER of One. The rest like football, sepak takraw, hockey, etc can take a second seat (who cares) and be sideline because whatever amount of money (tax payers $$$) we pumped in, they show no commitment and positive results.

Nicol, "Thank you for not letting we MALAYSIANS down!!!!"

The Final Countdown

Its finally here and this morning was the last LSD of 20k before next week Singapore Marathon 2006 on Dec 3. The last Singapore marathon that I ran was in year 1986, and it was 20 years ago. Although I had step foot into Singapore very regularly during these years, I have never imagine that I will race in the Merlion Island city again. Comeback I did and lets see how this race will stack up for me.

My SIM06 training routine started sometime late Sept this year, and it has been almost 2.5 months that I keep pounding the tarmac and doing my long runs on every Saturday with the furthest run of 34k. I hope this will help me break that mental barrier of going beyond 30k and not hitting the wall. Anything beyond 35k in a marathon is all about mind game and how you pull your body thru the heat, tiredness and crossing the finsihing line.

This morning run was easy together with Wong sifu, Fook and Grace. Fook and Grace will be running their maiden marathon next week, and are very excited about it. I hope they will do well in the race. They have agreed to pace together with me, since they found my pacing very consistent targeting a sub-5 finishing. In fact I hv asked both of them to raise the bar to sub 4:30, which I think is achievable since they are very young and energetic vs this 44 year old apek. For me, I am going out there to enjoy the race and try to complete it within sub-5. Any faster timing for me is a big BONUS and will get me even more motivated to take on KLIM07.

And I will be running using my Saucony Trigon 4 Guide......and SinJiaPoh here I come. Too bad no good food as a bait after the race unlike in Ipoh and Penang. It will be an IN and OUT trip for me. Have a good weekend!!!!!

While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry

This is an article I received from Melbourne, Australia today from a friend of mine (that was publish in one of their daily newspaper). Very interesting article and now I know why recently our Minister of Foreign Affairs made a big fuss and argued over it why this article is so,so wrong. Read on and asked yourself how right or wrong it is........

While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry

Michael Backman
November 15, 2006

MALAYSIA'S been at it again, arguing about what proportion of the
economy each of its two main races — the Malays and the Chinese — owns.
It's an argument that's been running for 40 years. That wealth and race
are not synonymous is important for national cohesion, but really it's
time Malaysia grew up.

It's a tough world out there and there can be little sympathy for a
country that prefers to argue about how to divide wealth rather than get
on with the job of creating it.

The long-held aim is for 30 per cent of corporate equity to be in Malay
hands, but the figure that the Government uses to justify handing over
huge swathes of public companies to Malays but not to other races is
absurd. It bases its figure on equity valued, not at market value, but
at par value.

Many shares have a par value of say $1 but a market value of $12. And so
the Government figure (18.9 per cent is the most recent figure) is a
gross underestimate. Last month a paper by a researcher at a local
think-tank came up with a figure of 45 per cent based on actual stock
prices. All hell broke loose. The paper was withdrawn and the researcher
resigned in protest. Part of the problem is that he is Chinese.

"Malaysia boleh!" is Malaysia's national catch cry. It translates to
"Malaysia can!" and Malaysia certainly can. Few countries are as good at
wasting money. It is richly endowed with natural resources and the
national obsession seems to be to extract these, sell them off and then
collectively spray the proceeds up against the wall.

This all happens in the context of Malaysia's grossly inflated sense of
its place in the world.

Most Malaysians are convinced that the eyes of the world are on their
country and that their leaders are world figures. This is thanks to
Malaysia's tame media and the bravado of former prime minister Mahathir
Mohamad. The truth is, few people on the streets of London or New York
could point to Malaysia on a map much less name its prime minister or
capital city.

As if to make this point, a recent episode of /The Simpsons/ features a
newsreader trying to announce that a tidal wave had hit some place
called Kuala Lumpur. He couldn't pronounce the city's name and so made
up one, as if no-one cared anyway. But the joke was on the script
writers — Kuala Lumpur is inland.

Petronas, the national oil company is well run, particularly when
compared to the disaster that passes for a national oil company in
neighbouring Indonesia. But in some respects, this is Malaysia's
problem. The very success of Petronas means that it is used to
underwrite all manner of excess.

The KLCC development in central Kuala Lumpur is an example. It includes
the Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world when they were
built, which was their point.

It certainly wasn't that there was an office shortage in Kuala Lumpur —
there wasn't.

Malaysians are very proud of these towers. Goodness knows why. They had
little to do with them. The money for them came out of the ground and
the engineering was contracted out to South Korean companies.

They don't even run the shopping centre that's beneath them. That's
handled by Australia's Westfield.

Next year, a Malaysian astronaut will go into space aboard a Russian
rocket — the first Malay in space. And the cost? $RM95 million ($A34.3
million), to be footed by Malaysian taxpayers. The Science and
Technology Minister has said that a moon landing in 2020 is the next
target, aboard a US flight. There's no indication of what the Americans
will charge for this, assuming there's even a chance that they will
consider it. But what is Malaysia getting by using the space programs of
others as a taxi service? There are no obvious technical benefits, but
no doubt Malaysians will be told once again, that they are "boleh". The
trouble is, they're not. It's not their space program.

Back in July, the Government announced that it would spend $RM490
million on a sports complex near the London Olympics site so that
Malaysian athletes can train there and "get used to cold weather".

But the summer Olympics are held in the summer.

So what is the complex's real purpose? The dozens of goodwill missions
by ministers and bureaucrats to London to check on the centre's
construction and then on the athletes while they train might provide a
clue.

Bank bale outs, a formula one racing track, an entire new capital city —
Petronas has paid for them all. It's been an orgy of nonsense that
Malaysia can ill afford.

Why? Because Malaysia's oil will run out in about 19 years. As it is,
Malaysia will become a net oil importer in 2011 — that's just five years
away.

So it's in this context that the latest debate about race and wealth is
so sad.

It is time to move on, time to prepare the economy for life after oil.
But, like Nero fiddling while Rome burned, the Malaysian Government is
more interested in stunts like sending a Malaysian into space when
Malaysia's inadequate schools could have done with the cash, and arguing
about wealth distribution using transparently ridiculous statistics.

That's not Malaysia "boleh", that's Malaysia "bodoh" (stupid).

Beep, Beep !!!!!

Yes, its the Ipoh RoadRunners KRI X-country 12k run that I attended yesterday.

Reached the race site early at about 6.30am and there are lots of race marshall along the road that guided the cars to a designated parking area. Ample parking spaces for all the participants. SMS'ed DK to find his whereabouts to pick up the Saucony sample vest from him, but got no response. Decided to walk towards the starting point (near SunCity Lost World Theme Park) of the race site. As I was walking bumped into DK, with Tey, and the Klang gang ie Lee, Peter and Albert. Got the vest from DK and went back to my car to leave it inside. As I was walking back towards the race site, I managed to catch up with Lee and DK. All the sponsors tent were coming up just be to ready and in time for the finishing. Also met Tony of the Penguins, and had a chit-chat with him. Asked him did KC came for the race, answer was NO. Tony was commenting that KC should be here to take pictures of all the Ipoh leng luis, summore all fair-fair one, not like in KL one very dark and tanned!!!!!

At about 10mins to 7.30am, all runners started to gather at the starting line to be ready for the dash. I was with Lee, DK, Albert and Peter. Lee was asking DK to pia kau-kau lat again. The airhorn sounded and that signals the start of the race. Out we went and ran around the SunCity housing area where it comprises of bungalows and semi-dees. The air was cooling and fresh. As I was following the pack with DK and Albert, Lee was about 30m ahead by now. There is no sight of Peter, and he must have dash of way ahead. Bumped in Wan and say "Hi and Good Morning" to him and went ahead. I took off once I reached the entrance to the hill area where we were running on sandy and untar terrain. As I took the corner, I saw a huge slope or uphill right in front of me. And this is whatz in it for all the runners.















Holy mountain, everyone have to take on this uphill to reach the top. As I had chosen to wear a pair of all-terrain shoe, I have all the grip in the world to take me up the slope. As I ran up slowly, there a lotz of people who have started walking and blocking the way. I have to run almost in zig-zag formation to overtake and avoid knocking on them. As I ran further up, I saw Tey standing by the side taking photos. Heard him calling me and I waved back at him while he snap a photo of me climbing up the hill. I have to walk at the three quarter mark since the way were blocked by all who slowed down and started walking. Managed to catch a breathe here .

















After the uphill which I think was easily at least 1km, I reaches the top of the hill and after that it was downhill all the way. I was fortunate enuf to be wearing the all-terrain shoe and the grip going downhill give me more confidence in running faster. I was overtaking at least 50-60 people along this route and finally we reached the flat towards the end of the mountain on the outside of where we started. Reached the village area and onto the normal tar road again. Now my all-terrain shoe felt a bit hard hitting the tarmac. But I continued to run at a pace which I was very comfortable and potong sayur all the way to the finishing line.

















Reached the finishing line, crossing it in a time of 1:10:58. And there was Tey, snapping another picture of me at the finishing. Tey, thank you very much for taking the trouble to take our pictures in this race. After the race collected all the goodies, drinks, stay on for a while before making my move back to my mother's house.

It was indeed a good and fun race, and KRI actually have put up a good show in organising this race. Later in the day, I actually sent an SMS to Mr Chong - The President of KRI for a job well done. He was the one that help me in my last minute registration and confirm everything for me. I told him I did not regret making a last minute decision to join the race. Will be back next year.

Beep, Beep !!!!


Pictures courtesy from RunWitMe and Tey ET

Miracle Soup - Herbal Life Extension Formula

This is a miracle soup formulated by Dr Tateishi Kazu, and especially meant to cure the world's biggest human enemy......... CANCER !!!!!



To find out more, Click here.

Is your Streamyx connection given you problem lately ???

Read on for the cause of it.......

Click Here, and good luck surfing on the NET.

Will you be back?

This is always a question we asked ourself or your frenz will asked you after you have completed a gruelling 42k marathon, irregardless of what timing you have achieved. Generally at that very moment when you felt so tired and exhausted, you normally do not really pay much attention to it and put it aside. Or your immediately answer may just be "I dont know, it so f**king torturing running a marathon, why shud I be back.....tell me, tell me, tell me!!!!!


And today while going thru all the certificates and medal that I have collected in my past races 15 years ago (because PM1 aka Lonnie See, opps its Ronnie See ~ wants to have a record of it.....he is so passionate about collecting medals) I actually stumbled on my first medal and the certificate where I completed a marathon, and that was in the year 1985 where I first ran The Kuala Lumpur Internation Marathon 1985. I still remember the pain and suffering that I endured in this particular race that I will never forget as long as I live. I suffered heat stroke, encountered cramps on both my legs from 30k onwards, have to be assisted by the medical team ~ lying flat on the pavement along the highway in Jalan Parlimen!!!!! My timing when I crossed the finishing line - a whopping 5h48mins.

Running a marathon needs lotz of personal discipline, commitment and sacrifice on time to train yourself up to be ready for a race ~ physically and mentally. And generally the answer after the race is that "No way I will run a marathon again in my life....that will be my maiden and swansong marathon race...I stick to the shorter distance. Good luck to those who continue running the marathon" There will be runners who will curse, swear and say whatever they want after the race ~ telling everyone no way he /she will be back.

After running thru all the medals and certificates, I dont think I actually have collected a lot of medals. First of all there isnt a lot of races 15 years ago, probably less than 10 races in a year and I believed I have also misplaced some of the medals. Dont know where I kept it, but its definitely in the house. So whatever is accountable for is actually 30 medals to my achievement. And since I am into it, I might as well check out my PB.

My PB
- MAS Penang International Martathon 1987. Timing of 3h31mins
- Ipoh Half Marathon 1987. Timing of 1h23mins
- Penang Bridge Run 1987. Timing of 1h37mins
- cant seems to trace back on my 10k timing
- 1987 was my peak....and I hang up my rubber trainers in 1989/1990

And after what those people said ie "That they will never run a marthon again", you will start seeing them doing their training and preparation for the next marathon. And their answer is "I want to give another shot at it and see whether I can improve my timing". So it wasthe same for me too. My immediate response after the 5hr48mins race was "I am not coming back, you guys are crazy man!!!" But that doesnt seems to happen because when I am back to training, with the support and encouragement coming from all the running buddies and also seeing the fun when training for a marathon, my next marathon race was 6 months down the road. That was the Cathay Pacific Penang Marathon 1985. Timing was 3h56mins....a whopping improvement of almost 2hrs. And my confidence level become so positive from that day onwards and by 1989, the number of full marathon races that I ran was about 15 ~ averaging about 3 marathon races a year (not including other shorter distance races)

I believed a big number of runners out there have ran their maiden marathon, they will have this question "Will you be back?" put right in front of them after the race. They probably will have or continued running at least one marathon (if not more) a year ever since their maiden race.

Lance Armstrong quotes after his first marathon during the recent New York City Marathon 2006.

He called the race "the hardest physical thing I have ever done" — even more grueling than his worst days on the Tour.

Will he be back?
"Now's not the time to ask that question. The answer now is no, I'll never be back. But I reserve the right to change my mind," he said. "I don't know how these guys do it."


SO, WILL YOU BE BACK?????

I M P O S S I B L E .........

Nothing in this world is IMPOSSIBLE
Coz the word IMPOSSIBLE itself says

I M POSSIBLE

KEEP SMILING ALWAYS

SPG

While driving to work this morning, and as usual I will turn on the radio and listen to my favorite station MIX FM hosted by Richard, Shazmin and Ika (the ThreeSomes) It was a normal morning for me until the three of them started a topic on SPG. They will talking and talking about SPG which i totally have no idea about it until Shazmin spelt it out in full.

SPG - Sarong Party Girl

Something that I am not familiar and is alien to me. Maybe you know who these sarong party girls are, but definitely not me. And with this topic, I definitely learnt something new. Sarong Party Girl are general refer to a local Asian woman (Chinese, Indian, Malay,etc) who dress extraordinarily and behave in a provocative manner to attract, and exclusively goes after or date Caucasian men. They consider the Caucasians much superior to their local counterparts.

On searching Wikipedia, it was also mentioned that the term SPG is heavily used in Singapore and less frequent in Malaysia. Ar-so-neh, no wonder I hardly hear this term being used. But now I know what is SPG. Come to think of it, I do encountered or see with my own eyes in certain occasions especially in malls, water joints, posh hotels, etc - these ladies which are with the caucasians behave one kind, as if they are the only one that can date a Mat Salleh and no one else in the world. They try to look elegant but actually overdoing it. Some even speaaak with some accent and when the conversation starts, you know they are trying to imitate the slant. Actually their Engrish are like us one!!!!

I think their motive is to leech with all the expat Mat Sallehs, and hopefully try to live lavishly with them. Follow them all over the places, irregradless of whether is for work or for pleasure.
Well so much about them.....

Do you know where are all the Sarong Party Girls in KL !!!!

Saucony Trigon4 Ride and Guide Tester Report

The tester of the above model is no other than our Carboman aka Dr Jamie Pang

Click here for detail report on the Saucony Trigon4

Carboman, Thank you very much for being the tester of this model and the effort that you put in to come out with the review and report. I hope with such ongoing activities, we will be able to help and inform runners of all walks of life to choose the right shoe for themselves.

Saucony Fastwitch 2 Speed - Test report

The test report is finally out by our tester Mr Chen Keat Hoong.















Chen's personal best race timings

42.195km - 3h 43m 13s: KLIM '06
21km - 1h 30m xxs: PortDickson Half 06
10 miler - 1h 10m xxs: KRI 10 miles Run 05
10km - 41m 16s: KRI 10k '04
7.5km - 32m 52s: Larian Amal Merdeka DBKL 7.5km
6.1km - 25m 15s: Larian Merdeka Cheras 6.1km























Click image to enlarge

Click here for the detail of the test report

I would like to thank Chen KH for taking the liberty and effort to provide us with some insight of the Fastwitch 2 Speed based on his experience in various kinds of racers in the market. Thank you very much.

Subang Jaya 10k debut for duo from Pacemakers

By NG WEI LOON

COME Sunday, some of the new faces from the Pacemakers (PM) will be surfacing at the Subang Jaya 10km Run at the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) Sports Complex in USJ5.

The duo of D.K. Dineshkumaran, 28 and Lai Fong Sang, 36 are among the rookies in the pack making their debut appearance in the Run.

“I don’t know what to expect. But, my running buddies at Pacemakers have assured me that it is going to be an interesting event,” said Dineshkumaran, who lives in Klang.

Dinesh took up running about 18 months ago to lose weight and he has trimmed down from 86kg to 72kg.

Over that period, he has taken part in more than ten 10km races.

(From left) Ng, Dinesh, See and Lai training at the KLCC Park.

He holds a personal best of 50 minutes in the 10km distance.

This year, he also completed the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon in five hours in his debut 42km race.

“I am looking forward to improving my timing in running 10km at the event. Going below 50 minutes will be a good achievement,” Dinesh added.

Meanwhile, Lai is rated as the most improved member in the group.

When he took up running seven months ago, he remembers the agony of struggling to finish a 10km run.

Now, he is beaming with confidence that he could finish a 25km run with ease.

“Currently, my personal best for 10km is 47 minutes. In my first 10km race, I ran at more than six minutes pace for a kilometre on average. I am enjoying road racing now. Running helps me to release stress,” said Lai, an accountant.

Pacemakers are avid runners, who are members of the Pacesetters Athletics Club Malaysia (PACM) that have embraced the advancement in information technology to share their passion for running with each other.

That was the reason http://pm1.blogspot.com website was set up following the Penang Round Island Race two years ago.

“We discuss everything related to running on the website among ourselves. We exchange information about running equipment, training schedule, upcoming events as well as members’ race reports and results on previous races,” said team captain Ronnie See, 30.

To them, nothing beats the feel of putting on their running attire and going for their regular runs at KLCC Park’s 1.3km running circuit after working hours on weekdays.

“The undulating terrain at the park makes it an ideal training ground. In addition, the running tracks’ soft synthetic surface takes the impact off the joints,” said Dinesh, who works in the IT industry in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

“Running helps me to keep fit. Besides, I enjoy the company of my running mates,” added Dinesh.

As for Lai, he runs up to thrice a week at KLCC Park and complements it with a long run from Lake Gardens to Sri Hartamas on weekends.

They derive a lot of satisfaction from clocking the mileage on the road to improve on their respective personal best in road races.

Pacemakers also keep track of the members’ personal best of between one to 13 laps around the KLCC Park in training.

During the fasting month, the Pacemakers organised a Networking Run for its members to prepare for up coming races.

A total of 43 runners took part in the six-lap route on the 2.3km circuit at Lake Gardens in mid-October.

“It was sort of a trial run for our members to keep them in shape as road racing took a break during the Puasa month,” said See, who will be taking part in the Subang Jaya 10km Run for the third time.

Even the recent hazy spell did not deter them from doing their regular evening routine at the KLCC Park.

“We feel lethargic if we are deprived of running. But, we reduced the intensity when it was hazy,” said Kelvin Ng, 45.

Ng, a familiar face on the local road-racing scene has been featuring in the Subang Jaya 10km Run since its inception in 2000.

“I am quite selective about the road races that I sign up for. So far, I am impressed with the organisation of the Subang Jaya 10km Run,” added Ng, who has raced in 14 marathons.

The appealing finisher’s medal is one of the reasons that Ng comes back year after year.

“As the number of participants hasincreased over the years, it is harder now to clinch a finisher’s medal. But, I will definitely be staying back for the lucky draw at the end of the race,” Ng pointed out.

The Run has 12 categories – 10km men’s and women’s open (18 years and above), 7km men’s junior veteran (40 years to below 50 years) and men’s senior veteran (50 years and above), women’s veteran (35 years and above), boys and girls (13 years to below 18 years), men’s and women’s special (wheelchair participants only), 5km men’s and women’s special (non-wheelchair participants only) and a 3km Fun Run (adults and children).

The Subang Jaya 10km Run is organised by MPSJ, The Star and the Selangor Amateur Athletics Association.

Participants can collect their running tags, reporting cards at the MPSJ Sports Complex today from 10am to 5pm.

The sponsors include Milo, Sports Toto, AmBank Group, DiGi Telecommunications and Sparkling H-Two-O.

PROGRAMME

6am: Registration of participants
6.45am: Warming-up session
7.15am: Arrival of MPSJ President Adnan Md Ikhsan
7.20am: Arrival of Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo
7.30am: Flag off 10km participants
7.35am: Flag off 7km participants (special - wheelchair)
7.40am: Flag off 7km participants
7.45am: Flag off 5km participants (special - non-wheelchair)
7.50am: Flag off 3km participants
8am: Expected arrival of 10km participants
Entertainment - Combo MPSJ,
RedFM and SuriaFM
9.30am: Prize presentation

Courtesy: The StarOnline

Is this the right way?

Polis: Encik, tadi u tak ada nampak lampu merah kah?

Driver: Ada!

Polis: Kenapa u masih jalan?

Driver: Saya ada nampak lampu merah, tapi saya tak ada nampak u……

Polis: !@#$%^&*()

Driver: Bagi chance lah..tuan..

Polis: Chance bagi dgn macam mana??

Driver: bagilah chance..

Polis: ya.. dgn macam mana??

Driver: biasa looo..

Polis: macam mana biasa..???

Driver: wei.. u pura pura ke atau hilang ingatan ar..

Polis: ape u maksud??

Driver: haizz.. u memang sedang bazirkan masa saya ..bagi saman...CEPATTTT...

Polis: saman RM200 o.. fikir baik baik ...

Driver: wei.. u tak faham maksud saya ka.. suruh u bagi then jus bagi la..
apasal mau cakap banyak... u punya head suruh u mari sini chating
ar?? mau saman then cepat sikit.. hanya tahu bazir masa saya..
saya sanggup bayar saman ini pun tak akan bagi u minum .. biar u dahaga

Polis: )*&@&%$#(_!+%!&%)

Breaking the mental barrier

In whatever I do, I always tried to do things out of my comfort zone to achieve better results. Breaking the mental barrier is also another strategy when it comes to challenging myself. So today is no difference. I have decided the week before that I will run a 33k LSD today or at least stay on the road for 3.5hrs to break the mental barrier. This will definitely help me to push the wall further away from me during race day in the Singapore Marathon 2006.

33k I ran staying on the road for 3hrs42mins (plus stop time). And running under a very warm condition with the sun shining on me for the last 13k that I ran. Very good conditioning for me and I really push my body and break the mental barrier to carry on.

Fook and Grace were my running partners today, and I must said this two young rookies had very good potential to be long distance runners. All they need is more experience in running more races. Stay on the road they did together with me and no hesitation to follow me in breaking the mental barrier. And we have agreed to do it together in the Singapore Marathon trying to achieve a sub5 finishing. Both of them will be attempting their maiden marathon in Singapore.

Do U run away from problems?

This is exactly what happened to this Zakaria Mat Deros dude (dont know whether there is any relation to Mat Rempit) the so call Port Klang assemblyman who defy anything from not paying assessment for 12 years to illegally buliding a posh Istana in a low cost housing area with no authority approval.

This ZMD dude got summoned by the Sultan Selangor (who got so angry with his makeover) to explain to His Majesty what is he trying to do especially in the royal town of his. But he snubbed the Sultan for not turning up but giving an excuse that he need to be admitted to the hospital for whatever reason (nobody knows) and discharge himself that same afternoon.....reported by The Sun today.

ZMD had no guts or b*lls to face the truth of what he had done. A bloody lame excuses of going to the hospital and running away from problems. As usual our beloved PM just ticked ZMD off but not excuting the last blow in taking him out. But he left it to Khir Toyo to do it saying that it is the rakyat that voted him, let the MB of Selangor to deal with it. What can the MB do since he was also on the advertising billboard scandal in Selangor. Alamak, Pak Lah is at it again...only ticked people off, no action after that.

Well letz pray that the Sultan of Selangor will be able to eradicate all these Sampah aka Rubbish because they are spending the rakyat taxes money. Worst still is this ZMD dude is running away from problems... what a shame, dare to do it but dare not face the music. What a WIMP (weakly interacting massive particles)

Birthday LSD 20k

A group of Pacemakers organised a birthday LSD 20k run for our birthday boy Dr Jamie Pang which celebrated his big day today. It was quite an easy run thru the normal Lake Garden/Sri Hartamas Petronas/Lake Garden route.

For more details, story #1, story #2

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri to all Muslim frens.....

Saucony Fastwitch 2 Speed

Tester:
Chen Keat Hoong

Profile:
40min - 10k racer
Sub 1:40 - 21k runner
Sub 3:45 - 42k runner

Shoe: Saucony Fastwitch 2 Speed

More information of Saucony Fastwitch 2 Speed, click here

Test report will be out once the tester had complete his 2nd test run with the shoe.

Some inspirational words that can be found at the base of the shoe:

running is a way of life.....
a commitment to yourself.....
judged only by you.....

How long can you run?

Today's run was more of getting myself to stay on the road as long as I can. This is to ensure that I can still run comfortably after the number of hours pounding the tarmac. The run started of at about 0610 from the usual place in Bukit Aman carpark at Lake Garden with Tey, Jason, Phyllis, DK, Geraldine, Eugene, Fook and Grace (which I met the first time), and not forgetting myself.

After the usual Sri Hartamas/Petronas loop, both Fook, Grace and myself did a detour at the Bank Negara junction and decided to run a different route back to the carpark. We ran towards the Istana junction, pass Tugu Negara and ended the first part of the training run in about 2hrs 35 mins.

Grace complained that her feet was hurting so she decided not to follow us for our second part of the run. This time Geraldine joined Fook and myself to run the Carcosa route but instead on running thru the deer park, we ran all the way down the highway. Reached the Masjid Negara junction and turn left, ran past the Islamic Musuem and ended at the carpark. This part of the run took us about 36mins.

All in all the total time both Fook and myself stayed on running was about 3hrs 10mins. I still feel OK but a slight tiredness after the run, but I believe I shud be able to hang on there for another 30mins to 40mins comfortably. After that its all about how strong I am mentally to take me to the finishing line under 5hrs in this year Singapore Marathon.

Note: Fook and Grace - both of you are very strong runners given the short timeframe that you have started running long distance. We need to do one LSD before Singapore Marathon that make us stay on the road for 3hr 30mins to break the mental barrier.

Happy Deepavali

Wishing all Indian frens................


* * * Happy Deepavali * * *

We Swear !@#$%&*+

We swear at:

- what the Indonesian govt are doing to curb opening burning
- what the local govt have done about the haze...dont they care!!!!
- the API readings are totally wrong
- the unethical drivers on the road especially Q jumping
- at drivers who overtake from the left
- outlets which have bad customer service and does not admit their mistake
- the Consumer Association why consumers like us are not protected
- closure of highways bcos of cracks
- why the city of KL are still having problems in dealing with flood
- unethical housing developer that chop down trees
- people who causes all the landslides
- why the LRT trains halt and take 10hrs to resume service
- the Mak Rempit for causing trouble and creating social issues
- the Boh Sia but they are no where to be seen now
- those people who are cruel to animals

What else do we swear at.....many more !!!!

Your last long run

This maybe something that season runners know what to do, but for rookies I believe this come in very handy especially for those training for their maiden marathon in Singapore.

This is an article extracted out from - The Running Times: Training Newsletter Oct 2006

Training Tip of the Month - Your last long run
While marathon training is a foundation made of many bricks, the keystone workout, physically and mentally, is your last long run. Most coaches agree that ideally it should be three weeks out from the race, or, at the closest, two weeks out. Depending on your training plan, it ranges in length from 18 to 26 miles (28k to 41k), although the vast majority of coaches cap the long runs at 22 miles (35k). As for speed, you'll also find numerous opinions, ranging from an easy, conversational pace to the full distance at race pace. Among top coaches I've interviewed or read, a progression run strategy seems to be the most widely held, and the most reasonable method of accomplishing the goals of both getting in the distance without undue stress and simulating race pace when fatigued. This method begins at a comfortable pace, approximately 20% slower than race pace, and gradually increases during the second half to either race pace or just under (approximately 10% slower than race pace) during the last five miles. The last long run should leave you confident that you can accomplish your goal. Now comes the hardest part of training mentally: the taper, as you cut back to let your body build for the big day.
- Jonathan Beverly, Editor

A good 27k

This morning LSD is suppose to be a longer run than the usual 20k or 21k. The day started of a bit hazy but I am definitely not disturb by the condition. I have in mind to do at least 25k for my first long run. Although hazy, the weather is very cooling, just ideal for a long run.

Reached Lake Gardens carpark and there was Eugene and Gerry waiting. Wong sifu is no where to be seen, since he had mentioned that if he cannot fix his wife car then he wont be showing up. Looks like the car is still giving him some problem. Later join by Lynn. Tey - PM22, came over to greet us and said that his group will start first. Off they go and we also take off later.

Along the run, the morning is very cooling although the haze is still there. Well, no worries and we gallop on. Eugene was running stronger today, at least his knee is not disturbing the run. Well rested as he said.

We completed the 21k run and back to the carpark. I refuel myself and since I still feel good and fresh, I decided to take on the Carcosa route, via the deer park and back to the carpark from the Islamic Museum. Meet Tey after completing the run and asked him what is the distance of the Carcosa route, and he said its about 6km. Well thats a nice distance (21k + 6K). A good 27k run and I am still fresh. I was contemplating to do a 30k since I know my body can take it but I thought since this is the first long run, I will not push myself too hard.

Well another long run, another week gone, and a shopping trip towards the later part of the day......

Are u loyal?

Are you always loyal to one brand of running shoes? Or do you try every other brand and still didnt find one that suits your feet and biomechanics. Or maybe you are loyal to one brand because your favorite sports idol is the ambassador of that brand. You dont care whether the shoe is up to the performance you wanted and most importantly value for money. You just pay irregardless of how much it cost, just because you are swear by the brand. On the other hand there are people that I know of that select different brands for different running occasion ie one for shorter distance racing, one for long distance competition and one for training.

These are some incidents that we probably can find in the running communities. I believed there are no right or wrong answer to it but its more of a personal preference. It is also very true that a high performance high rating shoe may fit in very well to one individual but turns out totally the opposite for another runner. And therefore in whatever brands that we can find in the market today, I think there is no one brand that is more superior than another brand. The key difference is the power of throwing the marketing dollars to get mindshare and awareness. The bigger marketing dollar one splash out, the more eye ball attention they will get. And then eventually the consumers are the ones made to pay on behalf of them because these big boys have to fork out hugh sums and pay sponsorships money to their so call megastars or ambassdors.

So think twice when you go out and purchase your next pair of rubber trainers. And asked yourself whether what you are paying is value for money. Good luck in your next purchase.......

To run or not to run

For the past 1-2 weeks, I believed we have been asking whether we shud expose ourselves and run in those hazy condition. This Q never arises until the recent haze attack in our country, bcos rain or shine the diehard runners will still go out and clock their mileage.

For me, the haze doesnt affect me much and therefore I have attempted a few runs during the weekdays and LSD over the weekends. Maybe not now. Hopefully there is no side effect later. I noticed that the condition in morning is not as bad compare to the afternoons and evenings, and most of the time I do my runs in the mornings even on weekdays before going to work. Rather than exposing myself too much to the haze, I just run on alternate days. The LSD on Saturdays are a must, at least to clock certain mileage and tune my body up, and to be ready for my next marathon in Singapore.

And how long more do we need to ask ourselves this Q
"To Run Or Not To Run?"

State of Malaysia Football

Soon after the June’s World Cup was over, 3 country asked God when will they ever win the World Cup.

It goes like this: “A Korean asked God when will Korea win the World Cup. God replied, in 100 years. The Korean cried as he would not be able to see that happening in his life time. Then a Japanese asked God the same question. When God said in 200 years, the Japanese cried as he would not be able to witness it in his life time. Finally, A Malaysian asked God when will Malaysia win the World Cup. This time, God cried!”

For a moment, we will smile or even laugh at that joke. I take my hat off to whoever came up with that. It’s healthy that we, Malaysians, are able to laugh at ourselves sometimes. Or at the standard of our football, to be precise.

Have a great week ahead.....

Alan Tam "30 Glorious Years" Concert

Yesterday 07 Oct, 2006 - The sky suddenly clears up towards afternoon around 3pm with bright sunshine. Not a stain of haze that you can find. To me this is definitely perfect and praying that it will continue to stay that way towards the nite.

Yes, thats the nite I am on a family outing to attend the Alan Tam "30 Glorious Years" concert at Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil. I have been a fan of Alan Tam since young (partly influenced by my dad). Although I hardly read Chinese character, he is one of the Four Heavenly King of Canto Pop during the 80s and 90s that I really admired and still is. Also partly because I enjoy the songs of The Wynners where Alan Tam and Kenny Bee used to be part of the band during the 70s and 80s. That tells you how old am I ~ a veteran.

Attending a concert have been a thing of the past for me. Gone are the days I am a concerts goer attending shows by Richard Marx, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Michael Learns2Rock, Air Supply etc,etc. But for this time, I will not miss this special concert of Alan's and its one of the Special Editions.

So the nite started out very well with clear bright sky and no haze. Thats a blessing especially when the concert was held in the open air of the stadium. The concert supposed to start at 8pm but as usual it will always be delay. But the audience dont have to wait too long and becoming too restless, unlike those local concerts when it can be delayed for hours. Just cud not understand what so great about this local singer where they need to delay their shows. Alan Tam was on stage by 8.30pm to greet about 10,000 of his fans, shouting and yelling his name.

He pushed out a high tempo song and also one of his golden hits to get the adrenalin pumping. Then he greeted the crowd saying that he was surprised to see a good mix of very young children, teenagers, young adults and middle age adults (like me) within the audience. That shows that he had a very good mix of fan base, where his songs are heard and enjoyed by loving or dating couples, and then when they got married and have children, their kids are being influenced and exposed to his songs. And still continued to have a good fan base of middle aged adults as they aged. A very good way to market himself.

Alan Tam is one great celebrity that can perform very well and have great showmanship on stage. He communicated with the audience very well getting them engaged in his performance. The concert was well equipped with a great backdrop and props, professional dancers and most of all the sound system was fantastic. That make the concert so much pump up. Everyone enjoy every single hits that he sang.

Songs after songs with a combination of sentimental and upbeat version, the nite almost comes to an end when he bidded goodbye with his so call last song of the evening at about 10.45pm. After he finished the song, he went back stage and in a usual high powered high adrenalin concert, the crowd was screaming for an "ENCORE". Nothing happens for about 2-3 mins, the stage was in darkness except for some dim lights and backgroud music. Then out of a sudden the tempo start to comeback and Alan Tam reappeared from a hydraulic stage moving vertically upwards. He is back to the stage (from the request of his fans) for the nite.

This time he was sing all his golden hits of yesteryears and that pushes the crowd to be even wilder. By now everyone were standing on the chairs, singing along, waving their hands high up in the air and in one song Alam Tam had requested every single one to light up the stadium with their mobilephones on. This had created a sky of white lights (like moving stars) waving from left to right as he sings. And this is what I called showmanship and a great celebrity.

The ENCORE goes on and eventually the nite have to come to an end. The last song that he wanted to say thank you and goodbye to his fans (or he always term it as his FRIENDS rather than his FANS). The non other than the famous song "PANG YAU" (Friends). I believe anyone who heard of Alan Tam will know this song. Practically everyone in the stadium sang their heart out. After that, it was followed by another golden hit and that was the finale. By now it was almost 12 mid-nite, and that was a 1-hour long encore. Amazing !!!

After that it was jam all the way, from coming out of the stadium and getting to the carpark and driving the car out of the carpark to the highway.

It was a nite to remember for everyone in the stadium......and till we meet again !!!!