Illusions

Why did the CHICKEN cross the road?

I saw a chicken crossing the road on my way home this evening. As I was driving at a constant speed, my wife shouted and said "Hey, beware of the chicken. It is crossing the road". The chicken was on the other side of the road and the car stops immediately, and so I did just in case that little thing dash over to my side of the road. It caused a standstill for a while as the traffic behind stops, wandering what had happened. "Hey, there is a chicken crossing the road"

And the famous question till today that no one can answer.

"Why did the CHICKEN cross the road?"
























Answers:
Plato:"For its own good. At the other side of the street, lies the truth".

Aristotle:"It's in the chicken's nature to cross the streets".

Moses:"And God told the chicken:Thou must cross the street.
And the chicken obeyed, for His Name to be glorified...".

Galilleo:"But it did cross it!"

Descartes:"To get to the opposite side".

Machiavelli:"The aim, crossing the street, purifies the means, whatever these are".

Karl Marx:"It was historically inevidable".

Charles Darwin:"Through the years, chickens were genetically chosen to be able to cross the streets".

Martin Luther King:"I dream of a world where every chicken will have the right to cross the street".

Darwin: "It was the logical next step after coming down from the trees".

Tony Blair: "I don't know, whatever the President of America said."

Issac Newton: "Chicken at rest tend to stay at rest, chickens in motion tend to cross the road."

Grandpa: "In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Someone told us that the chicken crossed the road, and that is good enough for us".

As the chicken was half way in the middle of the road, that little fella was wandering what is happening with all the horning. It was so undecided moving back and forth trying to get its bearing right on which direction to go. As I halted my car to stationary and allow the chicken to crossed the road, I was asking "Why is the CHICKEN crossing the road". Can't it just stay put on the other side. Why is the chicken risking it lives to cross the road, what is in it for the little fella over here.

So this is the million dollar QUESTION that is not answered till today.

Have you seen a chicken crossing the road?

I dream of running in ........

Tis' morning when I woke up, I was feeling extremely tired. Wat Happened!!!, I thot to myself and after recalling back I actually dreamt of running 3 marathons back-to-back flying from one continent to another. I have always aspired to run a marathon outside of Malaysia (ie in another country of another continent) and even in my dreams such activities appeared like real.


San Francisco Marathon

The USAT&F Certified loop course is a best of San Francisco tour of the sights, sounds and scents of one of the world's most beautiful cities. San Francisco's blend of natural beauty, big city charm and perfect running temperatures, make marathon running in San Francisco truly a magical experience.

Start Time - The Start and Finish Line is conveniently located in downtown San Francisco along the waterfront, on the Embarcadero at Mission Street. The staging area will be held steps away from the Start and Finish, in Justin Herman Plaza, across from the Ferry Building at Market and Steuart Streets.

Las Vegas Marathon

Race history will be made on December 4, 2005 when the New Las Vegas Marathon will become the first race to run the world famous Las Vegas Strip and through the Fremont Street Experience.

Experience the rush of adrenaline on the Start line in front of Mandalay Bay when the gun goes off and a spectacular laser display set to Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas" rocks in this inaugural event. Ideal weather and a loop course with a gradual mid-race incline followed by a downhill race to the finish line set the stage for an exhilarating Marathon designed to set and break records, and shatter personal bests.

Come early for the two-day New Las Vegas Marathon Expo as part of this unforgettable, fun-filled weekend. See the lights. Feel the thrills. Enjoy the action. Experience all that and more at the New Las Vegas Marathon. There is only one chance to be there at the beginning.

Great Wall Marathon

The Great Wall Marathon® is a very demanding course with exhausting ascents, steep descents and more than 3700 stone steps to conquer. Runners will also be taken on a flat and scenic route through beautiful farmland and picturesque villages.

The Half Marathon course takes runners on the Great Wall and through the fascinating scenery surrounding it. The experience will be no less - just half as long.

The focus of The Great Wall Marathon® is on experiencing a unique adventure and not on setting new records. A fascinating tour combines an adventurous and demanding physical and mental challenge with relaxing and interesting visits to some of Chinas most fascinating monuments

I have always been to San Francisco and Las Vegas over the past 5 years. Am pretty familiar with this 2 places but never have crossed my mind that I wanted to run a marathon in this two cities. So is China, although I have been to Beijing only once so far, and never set foot on the Great Wall.

Well, dream on dude. Maybe one day my dreams will come true.

Make 26.2 or 42.195 your lucky numbers.

Running Code

Golfers have a written code of conduct that goes beyond simply the rules. And, although runners don't have a formal written code, there are runners that lives by a personal code of ethics that they uphold in the name of running. That code is born out of a true appreciation for the kindness and civility that exists at the core of every real runner, even the most competitive ones.

The code is fundamentally not about runners, it's about running. It's about being on the inside, not the outside. And it's about capturing and celebrating the ceremony and experience of running that we all want to live by.

I will push my pace when
I am running with other
people who are clearly
faster than I am.

- Saucony

And that is why I always need a pacer,
especially for an Ol-man Emu.

Where is my pacer??

POWER 10K Run photos

Before the start of the race.

















Final stretch of about 200m to the finishing line.

Note: Photos courtesy of KC

Nicol David

Nicol's failure in getting a medal in the current Melbourne Commonwealth Games had caused a stir in the camp and also within the Sports Ministry of Malaysia. Although all of us expected her to win a medal, especially the GOLD medal. She lost in the semi-final and failed to win anything after being defeated in the BRONZE medal play-off.

Nicol, no worries - you should get over it and PUSH ON !!! As the NST reported - You Win Some, You Loose Some. And especially to our Sports Minister - dont get so hype up.

At least Nicol is many, many times better than our Football team, Hockey team, Sepak Takraw team, etc which have been CONSISTENTLY LOOSING !!!!

Nicol, I am behind you all the way. Show us MALAYSIAN that you are not a fluke shot !!!

Cheers.

The Heat is ON

This is the brochure that I got from Francis Toh - Pacesetters Team Leader at Lembah Kiara Park, TTDI. YES, it is the Putrajaya Marathon 2006 on 10 Sept 2006, and I will running it this time. (Got pressure from my running buddy who left me without a pacer last week bcos he over-slept, wat an excuse!!) This will be my biggest challenge and comeback eversince I last ran a full marathon 18 years ago. I will have 6 months to train myself up to a condition that can endure at least 4hrs to 5hrs of running non-stop. See ya at the starting line



Some flash back: Memories of the 80's

And this is the pair of Saucony that I wore in 1987 and did my PB in the Malaysia Airlines Penang Marathon . Timing is 3hrs 31mins.



















I am still keeping it as my fond memories of achieveing my Personal Best and running marathons after marathons during that period of time when I am at my peak. Well, although lots of people will said that achieving your PB in a marathon had nothing to do with age but I bet to differ. Age make a big difference, especially in your speed endurance.








The speedy Gonzales of the 80s had turn into an Ol-man Emu now that runs a lot slower.

Good luck.....Aii yiba yiba yiba

I am NO speed demon

"Where is my pacer, where is my pacer" as I reached Dataran Merdeka at about 7.10am for today's POWER 10k run. Did my pacer went partying and clubbing last nite and skipping this morning race. Bumped into KC and say HELLO to him, whom will be taking photos today. No sign of my pacer as I checked into the starting area. After finding out the categories that are starting the 10k run, I realised that I have wrongly registered for the Men Open category instead of the Men Junior Veteran Category.

The race started at 7.30am sharp and I again am using this race to test my speed endurance and try to finish the race under 60mins. Started off faster than normal pace and since I have no pacer, was following a lady runner (I think she is one of the elite lady runners of Pacesetters) whom I thot was running at a very good pace. I was pacing her all the way until the junction that hits Jalan Duta. At that moment, I felt that I cannot maintain that kind of pace and I am slowing down. She continues to surged forward and in no time she is way, away ahead. Legs are a bit wobbly now, and I decided to reduce my speed back to normal and take the hills gradually along Jalan Duta and the stretch that leads to Lake Gardens.

When I am on the flat, I surge ahead in the last 1km in a faster pace, potong a lot of sayur that are slowing down and ended at the finishing line in exactly 60mins. At the end of the race I told myself that I am NO speed demon anymore, so dont start a race which is faster than normal pace. Under my current condition, I think I should start a race at a normal pace and gradually increase my speed. I adopted that strategy and it turn out well for me in the recent KLIM06 half marathon.

Anyway so much about the race strategy today, and headed towards the water station to get some water since I didnt consume any at the allocated water station along the race. As I was walking back towards the finishing line, bumped into Cheong SH which finished his race and we had a brief chat. He was asking me, Where is your pacer today??. Told Cheong no sign of him, must be partying all nite long and skipping the race. Cant blame him since this is the F1 weekend, lots of eye-candies around, hehehe!!!!

Aiii-yiba-yiba-yiba.....tut-tut......

Adidas Gazelle S129

Description:
Adidas Gazelle S sunglasses are designed with lightweight, scratch/impact-resistant PC lenses for incredible optical clarity. Designed with TRI.FIT™ temples, a Double-Snap Nose Bridge™, Traction Grip™ & Quick-Release Hinge™ for superb comfort and the perfect fit. Gazelle S is designed with a Quick-Change Lens System™ and Performance Insert™ to accommodate all light and weather conditions. Adidas sunglasses provide 100% UV PROTECTION.


Went shopping for a pair of sport sunglass last week. Have been comtemplating of doing it and also spending time to do some research before investing in the right pair. Was comparing whether to go for a pair of ADIDAS or RUDY PROJECT. Finally have sometime last week and went to a shop that carries both brands. After having trying out both the brands, it looks like the ADIDAS suits my face better and I am more comfortable in wearing it. Settled for ADIDAS GAZELLE S129 which is exactly like the one above shown in the picture, and I can tell you it is not that cheap investing in a pair of sports sunglass. It does punch a hole in the pocket. The ADIDAS is pretty hightech as describe above and the good thing is that it allows you to fit in a power lens too (which is definitely a plus point for me)

Happy engaging in outdoor activities!!!!

Bae Hyeong-Jin

This is a sequel to the RUNNING BOY (Marathon) movie that I published earlier. Got this report out from the web which is about slightly over a year old






A film spotlights an autistic runner - Running Boy (Marathon)

January 20, 2005 ㅡ The story of a young autistic marathoner has been made into a film, which premiered Monday. The film is titled “Mal-a-thon” because Bae Hyeong-jin, 22, has the mental capacity of a five-year-old child and misspelled his favorite hobby, the marathon, as mal-a-thon. Park Mi-gyeong, 46, Mr. Bae’s mother, related a story about the difficulty of dealing with his condition. She said a few years ago her son became thirsty after finishing a marathon and walked toward a stand to get a drink. Mr. Bae accidentally hit a man’s eyeglasses and walked away without apologizing. The man began shouting at Mr. Bae, so Ms. Park ran toward him and said the boy had a disability and apologized to him. “If I had not said this, I don’t know what would have happened,” Ms. Park said. As a parent of an autistic child, Ms. Park has encountered numerous unpleasant experiences like this one. Mr. Bae has a normal appearance, and whenever he acts strangely other people think that he is rude and stare at him, she said. In explaining why she agreed to the movie, she said, “If Hyeong-jin’s story were adapted into a movie and many people came to understand [autism] better, I thought that people like Hyeong-jin would be more accepted.” To make the film, director Jeong Yoon-chul spent time at Ms. Park’s home over the last two years, and ran marathons and traveled with Mr. Bae. Mr. Jeong also had many conversations with Cho Seung-woo, who plays Mr. Bae in the film, and Kim Mi-sook, who stars as his mother. Though it is difficult to interact with an autistic person, hearing his mother speak about the film, Mr. Bae said, “I like Director Jeong.” Speaking of Mr. Cho, Bae also said, “Brother is good to me.” “I think the biggest reward from making the film was that Hyeong-jin became able to open up and befriend new people,” Ms. Park said. “As a result, he became closer to the world.” Every day was like a war for Ms. Park in raising her son, she said. “I didn’t want people to label him as a child who couldn’t do anything,” she added. When Mr. Bae was 10 years old, she read books on how to train an autistic child and taught him all kinds of sports, including running, swimming and hiking. She hoped that his condition would improve with exercise. Mr. Bae had physical strength and an aptitude for sports. After several challenges, he finished the full course of the 2001 Chuncheon Marathon in the exceptional time of 2 hours, 57 minutes and 7 seconds. The following year, he also took part in a triathlon. Recently, Mr. Bae took another step closer to the world. He goes to work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to assemble parts for a device used to tune guitars. “Some people said I was brutal to make my son run a marathon,” Ms. Park said. “But watching him take small steps was the only hope for us after all these years.” by Shin Ye-ri So never quit if you run a bad race, there is always another one coming along for you to improve on. Running a bad race (slow timing) is not a FAILURE, quitting and not participating is a FAILURE....as quoted by newton.

Pokok Halau Nyamuk

Its pretty amusing. Pokok Halau Nyamuk (Mosquito Repellent Plant) selling at RM6.00 per plant. This so call advert on a piece of cardboard actually caught my attention in one of the flower stores during my recent trip to Cameron Highlands. I actually asked the young lady selling it if it really works. According to her, the plant emit a scent that mosquitoes does not like. I took the plant and smelt it, and it really smells like those insects repellent stick that we can buy from those pharmacies. I thot this is great, so the repellent sticks actually imitates the scent of this plant.

Was contemplating of buying one and for RM6.00 I will experiment the plant and see whether it works. After some exchange of offers, we finally settle for RM10.00 for 2 pots of this plant.

Hope the plant work wonders and my house will eventually be free of mosquitoes.

Get Together

Carboman, Newton, Cheong and CS

Great to meet up with all of you.

Carboman: Finally get to meet up with you. Anyway have a speedy recovery from Carbo Poisoning.

Newton: Was a surprise that after a lapse of 15yrs we crossed path again. You really have good memories. Its a small, small world.

Cheong and CS: Great to make new friends here.

Lifemou: Thanks for making the lunch arrangement.

Have a good weekend.

Eye Protection

Is eye protection important in marathon running? Especially in weather condition like Malaysia where runners will be exposed to sunlight and UV rays for at least 2hrs towards the end of a 42km race. We put on sun-screen to protect our skin and a pair of sunglasses to cut off the glare from our eyes when we know we will be exposing ourselves in outdoor activities like swimming by the seaside and strolling along the beach. But do most runners wear a pair of sport sunglasses when running a marathon, probably not !!! This is generally not a habit amongst runners in Malaysia. So the question is that - is it really important to protect our eyes from the harmful UV rays while running a marathon.


These are 2 extracts from Massachusetts MELANOMA Foundation and VSP Labs.

Eye Protection

According to the Vision Council of America, while 79% of people know that the sun causes skin damage only 6% know it can harm the eyes.

Photokeratitus, a sunburn of the eye, occurs with too much unprotected UV exposure. It hurts, makes the eyes red, sensitive to light, and tearful. These symptoms usually clear up quickly and cause no permanent change to the eye. However too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation can greatly increase the chances of cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye and damage to the retina. Both conditions can seriously impair vision, and it is rarely possible to reverse. Damage can be prevented by wearing UV eye protection.

Wearing sunglasses with 100% UV protection is the best way to shield your eyes from the sun as well as dirt, dust, and other particles that can cause irritation. Be smart, protect your eyes from the sun!

VSP Labs

Can UV radiation hurt our eyes?
Yes. More and more scientific evidence shows that long-term exposure to ultraviolet radiation can damage our eyes. Ultraviolet radiation may contribute to the development of various eye disorders, such as macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss among older Americans, and cataracts, a major cause of visual impairment and blindness around the world.

What can we do to protect our eyes?
UV-absorbing eyewear provides the greatest protection from the sun's damaging rays. According to Dr. Looysen, a good quality pair of polarized sunglasses that selectively block the sun's harmful UV rays offer the best protection and maximize your vision. "They are like 'sunscreen' for your eyes!"

So with the above articles, I think the answer is pretty obvious. Protect your eyes while running especially under hot and sunny condition. Start investing in a pair of sport sunglasses. Not only that it will give you the insurance that your pair of eyes are protected from those harmful UV rays but it also makes you look real COOOOL !!!

WAKTU LAMBAT TAK APA, TAPI GAYA MESTI ADA !!!

Running Boy & Brokeback Mountain

Over the weekend after the 21km race, I took the opportunity to relax at home and decided to catch up with the number of DVDs that I bought from the Farn Parn shop near my office. I started off with a Korean movie ( which is based on a real life story in South Korea) with the title Running Boy (Marathon). This is also very timely after the race and hopefully inspire me to run a marathon. (since my last marathon was 15 years ago)

The movie is a story about a boy named Cho-won which is a lovely, normal looking child who likes chocolate cookies, noodles, sweet and sour pork and zebras. Finding out he is autistic, his mother kneels down before the burden of reality. However, his mother discovers his love for running, and begins to train him. 20 years later, Cho-won's intelligence is still that of a five-year-old boy. He farts everywhere, bows to his younger brother, and dances to music wherever he is. However, his mom dedicates herself to training him to accomplish a 'Sub-3-Hour,' which is completing a marathon below three hours, a dream for amateur runners.

And the story continues...............................................




This movie is about the passion for running, in whatever condition you are and achieving what you set to achieve in a race. Very good movie and highly recommended.






The next movie is one that was highly talked about, directed by Ang Lee and nominated for The Oscar for Best Movie of the Year (but lost out to CRASH).

Set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, the film tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.

Its about the life of bisexual where there are no differentiation of "1" and "0" or the "ying" and "yang", yet love is a natural force that drive deeper intimacy. This movie actually give us a good perspective of the needs of these group of people and they are still humane irregardless of what they do. Not that I support such relationship !!!

Another good movie not to be missed and highly recommended. Advise not to have children around while watching. There are definitely some watt tatt and nude scenes along the way.

Movie marathon over the weekend.

Two Zero Nine (2:09) - 21km

Pre-race target was 2:10 to 2:15. Race day target was 2:00, raising the bar a bit and to challenge and stretch myself to do a sub-2. Worst case if I dont do it, hopefully I will still able to meet my pre-race target. So I started off the race and tekan a bit harder and faster. I was doing 2 minutes faster than my training pace reaching the 10km mark at 57mins. The 2nd half of the race, cannot maintain the fast pace and back to my training pace doing 72mins for 11km, and finishing the race in 2:09:10. I have no complain about it since it is even faster than my pre-race target. Raising the bar on race day was good for me since my mind was set to achieve a new target in the race, too bad my speed endurance let me down. (gotta train harder, and LIFEMOU lets run faster in our next training quest for the next race.) And talking about my running buddy LIFEMOU, I have to thank him for being my running buddy and pacer during our training together. Well so much for KLIM 06 and till we meet again in KLIM 07.

My next focus (together with LIFEMOU) will be diverted to our next challenge and that is climbing the Magnificient One ie Mt. Kinabalu in May 06.



















This will be my 5th climb, and I will have 22 of us together, taking the challenge up to the summit via the Timpohon and Mesilau route respectively. This will be another challenge to our body and our mind to reach the summit, especially in the last leg where we have to ascend the summit at nite (trekking for at least 3hrs - 4hrs) with very little visibilty by using a headlight to guide our way up. Coupled with the thin air that can cause difficulties in breathing and altitude sickness with symptons like fever and vomitting. And my biggest experience after all these climb is never under-estimate the weather change in the mountain surroundings. Dont get caught unprepared.

Till then and a good week ahead. Cheers...............

Its a piece of SH*T

Wat a BIG let down. The KLIM 06 T-shirt is a piece of SH*T. Wat on earth are those FTAAA officials doing. R they sleeping or wat. How can you give out such low quality t-shirt, and worst still the color is unbearable coupled with the yellow print-on logo. I thot of taking a photo of it and post it up here but later decide that it is a total waste of my time. Even my kids commented that how come daddy brought back such an ugly t-shirt, and my daughter said "U going to wear it?" I told her "Yes, I am going to wear it only to sleep". Please dont criticize anymore !!!! Ya-Ya-Ya.

Freedom in Solidarity

Thats my cousin, we are both born in the Year of the Tiger, grew up together on the streets of Ipoh. We can called ourselves the NewTown Boys. He stays in a town-house which his late father operate a coffee shop along Clare Street and I stayed about 2km within the town area radius, also in a town-house along Hugh Low Street.

His name is James Wong Wing On, a former Member of Parliament and ex-Senior Staff Writer of the Chinese-language Sin Chew Jit Poh (now renamed as Sin Chew Daily ), is the Chief Analyst of malaysiakini.com's Strategic Analysis Malaysia (SAM).

He maintains a blog under the name of Freedom in Solidarity which discuss about the daily happenings of Malaysia.

Bring back old memories and new happenings...........

On your Mark, Get Set, Boooooom

Friends that I know who are taking part in this Sunday (5 March) KLIM 2006. Yours truly will be doing the Half Marathon.

Full Marathon
- Ben Lim

Half Marathon
- Christine See
- Karen Siah
- Megat Harris
- William Wong
- Wong Teck Min

ALL THE BEST AND ENJOY THE RACE

If U think your job is BAD!!!

Try comparing to these jobs and you will appreciate what you are doing...................





















































Do you feel better now .....................
and enjoy what you are doing.
Take care.

Cheers !!!!

St. Michael's Institution - Ipoh, Perak (1968-1982)

Thats my school and Class of 82. This landmark always gives me good old memories during my school days where I spent 15 years there from kindergarden to Form 5, and after that moved on to Methodist High School for my Form 6. This is the school that I spent my entire primary and secondary education. The classroom that I occupied during my last year in the school is at the left side second row, second to third windows openings. Thats where my classroom was during Form 5. This building had never changed and it is still standing majestically in the town of Ipoh. When I am back to Ipoh, I always take the opportunity to drive back to the school for a visit and let my kids know this is the place where I studied. The big field in front of the building is still there (and is one of the best school field in town till today) where it is use for our Monday assemblies, inter-class and inter-school football and hockey competitions, and school sports day where we ran 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m around the field. This the place where I spent my childhood growing up besides my home in Hugh Low Street (now Jalan Sultan Iskandar) Although I have lost contact of most my schoolmates, the school itself continues to bring me fond memories of how we grew up and studied together, attend sport activitives on every Saturdays and burnt the midnite oil at the school library during the examination period. Very recently I do a search on the web and learnt that there is a website that host the Old Michaelian Alumni (OMA). I think by joining the OMA, it will be the only avenue now for me to go in search of my long lost schoolmates. Wish me luck in my search..........

Lets cherish old memories..........