i had no idea polling for the Mr & Ms Metropolitan has started in college. The committee has been going around asking people who they're most likely to vote for. This week's leading nominees are Emily and Sean.
my predictions exactly. =)
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
dodge ball i will, throw ball i won't!
yes, it is now 100% confirmed that i have a certain disability in my life. a simple, yet, equally disadvantageous disability which seems to handicap me when i need it the most. and like all other handicaps, i am and will not be ashamed of this imperfection of mine.
yes my dear readers, my name is Karen and i have a disability. i. can't. throw. a. ball. in fact, i can't throw, kick, catch, roll, tackle, dribble and [insert any other verb with regards to handling balls] a ball. it is that simple. i just can't seem to handle balls in general. sad really, considering my passion for sports and games. whenever i come in contact what that spherical object i either trip over it, slip on it (yes i once stepped on a ball and slipped), or miss it altogether.
no it isn't...
anyway, today i took part in a Dodgeball competition organized by the Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES) in my college. Now if there was a point given for every ball i dodged, i'd say we would've emerged champions. Because of my fear of flying spherical objects, i have developed a natural reflex to...well...dodge them. Unfortunately, contrary to the name of the game, that is not how it works. Points are gained when one can THROW a ball to the other team and HIT one of them. Points are also gained when one can CATCH a ball that's being thrown in one's way. so i guess you can presume what happened today la.
I just hope my team wasn't too disappointed with my horrendous display of throws and catches...or the lack of them. *shrugs*
yes my dear readers, my name is Karen and i have a disability. i. can't. throw. a. ball. in fact, i can't throw, kick, catch, roll, tackle, dribble and [insert any other verb with regards to handling balls] a ball. it is that simple. i just can't seem to handle balls in general. sad really, considering my passion for sports and games. whenever i come in contact what that spherical object i either trip over it, slip on it (yes i once stepped on a ball and slipped), or miss it altogether.
no it isn't...I just hope my team wasn't too disappointed with my horrendous display of throws and catches...or the lack of them. *shrugs*
Sunday, March 25, 2007
week 2
week 1 analysis:
- legs are dead stiff, especially when attempting box split. usual front right split still alright. usual front left split is no longer comprehensible by my legs.
- back seems fine after sufficient warm up. bridge still done almost effortlessly. toe breaker almost gave me a heart attack.
- toes still points well. nice arch of foot makes it look gimrama-ish still.
- leaps are atrocious.
- self esteem: still positive. looking forward to next training.
week 2 analysis:
- legs took shorter time to warm up. usual front right split now done on bench, both front leg and back leg. usual front left split shall not be attempted on bench ever. box split slightly better. able to stretch body further down on ground with box split.
- back also took shorter time to warm up. bridge was done umpteen times with ease.
- attempted flexion. still wobbly.
- attempted pivots. atrocious.
- attempted illusion with ribbon. haywire.
- toe breaker can be done with more ease now.
- leaps are a tad higher.
- attempted handling ribbon, ball and rope. not too bad.
- walking around on crunched toes, however, was much harder than i thought. pain tolerence have reduced greatly.
- self esteem: not too good. watching Jun Mae and Jun Li do their routines was an ego denter.
only 3 weeks more for me to come up with a presentable gimrama routine for my talent showcase. training shall now increase from fridays only to fridays n sundays.
- legs are dead stiff, especially when attempting box split. usual front right split still alright. usual front left split is no longer comprehensible by my legs.
- back seems fine after sufficient warm up. bridge still done almost effortlessly. toe breaker almost gave me a heart attack.
- toes still points well. nice arch of foot makes it look gimrama-ish still.
- leaps are atrocious.
- self esteem: still positive. looking forward to next training.
week 2 analysis:
- legs took shorter time to warm up. usual front right split now done on bench, both front leg and back leg. usual front left split shall not be attempted on bench ever. box split slightly better. able to stretch body further down on ground with box split.
- back also took shorter time to warm up. bridge was done umpteen times with ease.
- attempted flexion. still wobbly.
- attempted pivots. atrocious.
- attempted illusion with ribbon. haywire.
- toe breaker can be done with more ease now.
- leaps are a tad higher.
- attempted handling ribbon, ball and rope. not too bad.
- walking around on crunched toes, however, was much harder than i thought. pain tolerence have reduced greatly.
- self esteem: not too good. watching Jun Mae and Jun Li do their routines was an ego denter.
only 3 weeks more for me to come up with a presentable gimrama routine for my talent showcase. training shall now increase from fridays only to fridays n sundays.
chick-a-dee china, a chinese chicken!
For some reason, I was actually pretty psyched to go for this. Yes, the torso baring guy on the poster was an influecing factor. But I wanted to see what a fashion show was like, especially one organized by Weng Lum. So i gathered a few of my college mates, 8 of us to be exact, and the next thing i knew we were galivanting down the roads of KL in 2 cars.We reached pretty late, but not surprisingly, were just in time for the opening performance. I was surprised to see Mr n Mrs Lok there as well! How supportive of them!
In short, what Weng Lum promised, he delivered. I thoroughly enjoyed the topless line of male fashion. Yes, and the lovely dresses the ladies wore too. =)
Initially, the plan was that a bunch of us would stay for the after party, while the other half went straight home. Me being in the latter category. But my friends were amazing when it comes to persuasion, and so they managed to come up with a danger proof plan which will ensure that i were to be accompanied every single moment until my doorstep. Armed with this plan, i was able to convince my mum to bend that curfew time of mine a little. So after the fashion show, we went to grab a bit at some mamak. Then we adjourned to Ruums.
april, yanyee, shakti, steven, karen, joey, khoa
april, shakti, karen, yanyee, joey, ronald in backgroundSo at about 2 plus, we made a move. Yan yee stayed over at my place, and we talked till 5 plus. Soon after we fell asleep, the alarms went off. 7.30 am, time to go to college. haha...champions!
I had fun anyhows. I appreciated my friends being very accomodating, making me feel less of a jakun in the club. I felt bad because i was screaming with glee at the end of it. I don't think I'll go clubbing again. haha...but all in all, it's a night to remember. =)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
now, was that supposed to be a date?
I went to watch Stomp The Yard for free compliments of CampusPlus e-magazine. I LOVED it! If i were to compare it with You Got Served, I love this one more. I am absolutely awed by the shuffling of feet, the tapping, the clapping and the overal synchronization of the guys! I honestly have NEVER seen guys dance so well before! Not forgetting the brief moments where the guys are working out and they're all topless, baring their more-than-6-and-8 packs super toned super fit bodies. The hotness of it all...*drools* The only show i can think of that sizes up is Drumline, the movie about the drum band. Seriously, synchronized yau-ying macho movements done by hot guys are to die for...I'm so gonna take up break dancing....
Anyway, i asked a whole slew of people to go with me since I've got 2 tickets free. But one by one, they rejected my offer because of various reasons (busy, have to cook, dont want to drive home late etc). So I kinda asked this guy to go with me. He's quite cool. He claimed it was a date. I beg to differ. But I did put a little more effort into looking presentable. Put more effort i.e. applied a dash of make up, a splash of perfume, wore a new top and checked my reflection umpteen times before leaving. So i don't go for formal dates. Sue me. Anyway, the outing was casual la. I had fun.I think, like Mel, i'm gonna start dating again. haha...put myself back on the market. Seriously, I'm not growing any younger. So the stakes are up!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
imagery description
I finally got the photos from Tisha dearest. These are the photos of the Mr&Ms Metropolitan preview which i shamelessly took part in. haha...enjoy.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
KL International Marathon
I somehow overslept this morning. I don't know if i forgot to push the alarm button, or I slammed it when it went off and just went back to sleep. All i know is at 4.45 am, my dad was knocking rather urgently on the door saying it's time to go! I scrambled out of bed, but my brother got to the toilet before me. So i changed into my running attire while waiting and brushed my hair up in a ponytail through squinted eyes (haven't put on contacts, couldn't find my glasses).
Sam, Jon and Tsong weren't here yet, so that bought me a little time. I was getting paranoid. My dad asked me to eat some fibre plus solution yesterday evening and until this morning i did not have the urge to pass motion. I didn't want a repitition of SJ10K, especially since there are no mamaks along the highways of KL. I was feeling rather agitated, but there wasn't much i could do.
At 5.10 am the boys came and off we went. We reached at about 5.20 am, but the carpark at Bt Aman was full. So the 4 of us half marathoners went off first. Sam and I started running to Dataran while the other 2 seemed to have disappeared behind us. We checked in at about 5.35 am, all warmed up from the short run. Lucky for us Mori was manning the Adidas counter so we passed him out bags instead of checking them into the baggage check in. The flag off, i think, was at 6 am sharp. Shortly after Jon and Tsong caught up with us and we were running together-gether :)
5 km
I dont know when Jon and Tsong stopped running alongside Sam and I. Then i can't remember when Sam said "see you Karen" also. For some reason, i was extremely blur for this race. What i remember was sweating excessively and feeling all icky and hot. What is wrong with our weather? The first water station, i decided to skip. I figured I was still doing alright. In fact ever since runnign with Kit Mun in the Smart tunnel, I've been daring enough to try a faster pace than usual. And it's amazing. :)
10km
In my too-early-in-the-morning-kelam-kabut-ness I ate my Gel a bit too early. Thinking the 1st Sponging station was the 10km 2nd Water station was the silliest thing i've ever done in a race. The fact that my stopwatch wasn't even showing anywhere near 1 hour had no impact on my blurness whatsoever. Only when i came to the actual 10km water station did i realise how stupid i was. I think i literally smacked my forehead, causing some people to frown at me. haha...running by the buzzing mat at the 10km mark felt good. Half way, Karen!
15km
Shortly after the 10km mark, air visibility seemed to have dropped and the air smelt musky and thick. It was bad enough that i was coughing, the hazy atmosphere caused more phelgm to build up around my throat. I felt like throwing up. Struggling to maintain my pace, i felt my spirits draining too. Not a very happy runner this morning. Everything wasn't right. I was feeling demotivated. I searched around for someone to pace with, hopefully to make conversation so that i can keep myself motivated but to no avail. Out of no where Zailan shows up and greets me good morning. When he said "Don't worry, I'm only doing 10km, that's why i'm with you" i started laughing. Haha thanks Z, you made things a little better for me today. ahaha...
18km
I felt my chest burn somwhere before the 18 km water station. When the shadows of Sogo loomed over my head, I knew the infamous devil of a U-Turn was coming up. Up until now i still don't get why they have to torture us runners this way. If they can't cover enough distance than turn us off somewhere else, don't make us U-turn when we're SO CLOSE TO THE FINISHING. My chest burned pretty badly and my cough wasn't getting any better, so i slowed to a walk. I didn't want to, but it just happened. I walked and watched the other runners run by me. I walked for a minute or so. Then I saw refreshments again so I picked up my speed again. Just a little bit more. I decided to give it my all. After the U-turn, Alan came and said Hi. I focused my attention about 7 steps in front of me, kept my shoulders relaxed and steady, and pummeled all the way to the finish.
By my own timing, i did 2:14.18. I initially aimed for 2:15, which is 3 minutes more than my personal record for 21 km. I clocked 2:12 at last year's Putrajaya Half. But i havent been well, and i havent been training, so 2:15 would be a reasonable target. By right, i should be happy. But deep inside i harbour the disappointment of not making 2:12.
However, i forgot that there is a small difference between the recorded time and the actual time by the chip. And since KLIM organizers are pretty efficient, the results are up already.
click image for larger view
Looks like i didnt disappoint myself afterall. :)
Sam, Jon and Tsong weren't here yet, so that bought me a little time. I was getting paranoid. My dad asked me to eat some fibre plus solution yesterday evening and until this morning i did not have the urge to pass motion. I didn't want a repitition of SJ10K, especially since there are no mamaks along the highways of KL. I was feeling rather agitated, but there wasn't much i could do.
At 5.10 am the boys came and off we went. We reached at about 5.20 am, but the carpark at Bt Aman was full. So the 4 of us half marathoners went off first. Sam and I started running to Dataran while the other 2 seemed to have disappeared behind us. We checked in at about 5.35 am, all warmed up from the short run. Lucky for us Mori was manning the Adidas counter so we passed him out bags instead of checking them into the baggage check in. The flag off, i think, was at 6 am sharp. Shortly after Jon and Tsong caught up with us and we were running together-gether :)
5 km
I dont know when Jon and Tsong stopped running alongside Sam and I. Then i can't remember when Sam said "see you Karen" also. For some reason, i was extremely blur for this race. What i remember was sweating excessively and feeling all icky and hot. What is wrong with our weather? The first water station, i decided to skip. I figured I was still doing alright. In fact ever since runnign with Kit Mun in the Smart tunnel, I've been daring enough to try a faster pace than usual. And it's amazing. :)
10km
In my too-early-in-the-morning-kelam-kabut-ness I ate my Gel a bit too early. Thinking the 1st Sponging station was the 10km 2nd Water station was the silliest thing i've ever done in a race. The fact that my stopwatch wasn't even showing anywhere near 1 hour had no impact on my blurness whatsoever. Only when i came to the actual 10km water station did i realise how stupid i was. I think i literally smacked my forehead, causing some people to frown at me. haha...running by the buzzing mat at the 10km mark felt good. Half way, Karen!
15km
Shortly after the 10km mark, air visibility seemed to have dropped and the air smelt musky and thick. It was bad enough that i was coughing, the hazy atmosphere caused more phelgm to build up around my throat. I felt like throwing up. Struggling to maintain my pace, i felt my spirits draining too. Not a very happy runner this morning. Everything wasn't right. I was feeling demotivated. I searched around for someone to pace with, hopefully to make conversation so that i can keep myself motivated but to no avail. Out of no where Zailan shows up and greets me good morning. When he said "Don't worry, I'm only doing 10km, that's why i'm with you" i started laughing. Haha thanks Z, you made things a little better for me today. ahaha...
18km
I felt my chest burn somwhere before the 18 km water station. When the shadows of Sogo loomed over my head, I knew the infamous devil of a U-Turn was coming up. Up until now i still don't get why they have to torture us runners this way. If they can't cover enough distance than turn us off somewhere else, don't make us U-turn when we're SO CLOSE TO THE FINISHING. My chest burned pretty badly and my cough wasn't getting any better, so i slowed to a walk. I didn't want to, but it just happened. I walked and watched the other runners run by me. I walked for a minute or so. Then I saw refreshments again so I picked up my speed again. Just a little bit more. I decided to give it my all. After the U-turn, Alan came and said Hi. I focused my attention about 7 steps in front of me, kept my shoulders relaxed and steady, and pummeled all the way to the finish.
By my own timing, i did 2:14.18. I initially aimed for 2:15, which is 3 minutes more than my personal record for 21 km. I clocked 2:12 at last year's Putrajaya Half. But i havent been well, and i havent been training, so 2:15 would be a reasonable target. By right, i should be happy. But deep inside i harbour the disappointment of not making 2:12.
However, i forgot that there is a small difference between the recorded time and the actual time by the chip. And since KLIM organizers are pretty efficient, the results are up already.
click image for larger viewLooks like i didnt disappoint myself afterall. :)
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Power-up!
Being on the Team Elite makes me feel like a superstar. I have people congratulating me, people I've never met before. I am now on the same team as many of the people I envy and idolise. I can drop names and say that we're teammates! *wink* I get pressured to perform. Which is actually a good thing because i think i'm way too lenient on myself. But the coolest part of it all, is the free stuff i get. Seriously.
Every. Single. Time. I go to collect my bars and gels I get something free. Water bottles, water bottles with Ironman logos (yup makes a whole big difference), countless of t-shirts, caps, visors, u name it...today i went to collect my free Powerbar imprinted Mizuno running vest! woots! it's the BOMB. i'm loving it so much. Eventhough it's a size bigger than i prefer. But I love it! Though wearing it means I'm telling the world that I'm on the team. That would cause undue pressure on my ego, which will incidentally cause undue pressure on my legs too.
Then again, I'm already telling the world I'm on the team right now aren't I?
I'm so loving it! :)
Every. Single. Time. I go to collect my bars and gels I get something free. Water bottles, water bottles with Ironman logos (yup makes a whole big difference), countless of t-shirts, caps, visors, u name it...today i went to collect my free Powerbar imprinted Mizuno running vest! woots! it's the BOMB. i'm loving it so much. Eventhough it's a size bigger than i prefer. But I love it! Though wearing it means I'm telling the world that I'm on the team. That would cause undue pressure on my ego, which will incidentally cause undue pressure on my legs too.
Then again, I'm already telling the world I'm on the team right now aren't I?
I'm so loving it! :)
Thursday, March 15, 2007
ain't so bad afterall...
if i were to ask a person to sum me up in 3 words or so...the word poise or elegance or maybe even beautiful would probably be a far cry from what that person would say. seriously. i'm about as klutzy as a klutz can get. i sprained my ankle doing a throw in! ha!
and so, bearing that in mind, today was a shocker for a LOT of people in Metropolitan. I could pretty much see jaws dropping, NOT for the reasons you and i think it is. But i think today i have proven to myself, more than anyone else, that i am capable of more than just brainless brawn. there's hope! ahaha...i think la. whoever begs to differ, speak now or forever hold your peace. :)
i still think it's a wrong place for someone like me to be. i cross out every single criterion that makes a beauty queen. standing amongst the Ms Metropolitan nominees, i felt my shoulders grow 3 times broader than they already are, and my thighs 5 times bigger. Seriously, this whole Ms Metro thing? Is really bruising my self esteem. And Emily Lim's a contestant. I never would've imagined the both of us vying for the same spot, competing alongside each other. How can I outdo Emily in a contest which requires beauty, poise, elegance and wit?
Anyway, 3 guys and 3 girls out of 8 each were eliminated today. I, was surprisingly not. Yup, Round 2 coming right up. A talent showcase. 5 weeks from now. And i need to campaign. Something i hope Mr Dektos Loh will aid me in. :) So i need a great campaign strategy and a unique talent to make up for the lack of whatever i said above.
any ideas? =)
and so, bearing that in mind, today was a shocker for a LOT of people in Metropolitan. I could pretty much see jaws dropping, NOT for the reasons you and i think it is. But i think today i have proven to myself, more than anyone else, that i am capable of more than just brainless brawn. there's hope! ahaha...i think la. whoever begs to differ, speak now or forever hold your peace. :)
i still think it's a wrong place for someone like me to be. i cross out every single criterion that makes a beauty queen. standing amongst the Ms Metropolitan nominees, i felt my shoulders grow 3 times broader than they already are, and my thighs 5 times bigger. Seriously, this whole Ms Metro thing? Is really bruising my self esteem. And Emily Lim's a contestant. I never would've imagined the both of us vying for the same spot, competing alongside each other. How can I outdo Emily in a contest which requires beauty, poise, elegance and wit?
Anyway, 3 guys and 3 girls out of 8 each were eliminated today. I, was surprisingly not. Yup, Round 2 coming right up. A talent showcase. 5 weeks from now. And i need to campaign. Something i hope Mr Dektos Loh will aid me in. :) So i need a great campaign strategy and a unique talent to make up for the lack of whatever i said above.
any ideas? =)
Monday, March 12, 2007
Circle K Annual Installation
10th March 2007, Saturday
It was mentally gruelling to plan something i know little about. It was like building a structure when all i have is a semi ripped instruction manual. I pretty much followed my own instincts and took some of me Leo experience to put to use, and prayed for the best.
The installation turned out pretty alright in the end. Honestly, i felt it could've been a whole lot better. But the guests came to me with good remarks and positive feedback so I guess i am satisfied. That is, until the post mortem next week. The turn up wasn't as good as i expected so i'm worried we may make a loss. But that's another story for another day.
tisha the MC...did a splendid job!
It started out pretty worrying. My head was throbbing. All the sleep deprivation and the stress was taking a toll on me. And i haven't been running. I wasn't really thinking straight, and i feared that i wouldn't be quick thinking or alert enough to handle sudden mishaps during the installation. I really wanted to make a good impression on the Kiwanians as well as Anita and the rest. Mails was going on and on about Plan Bs and Cs and sure he was just trying to help, but it really wasn't helping me much frankly. I kept thinking some major screw up was going to happen.
the retro chics..:)
At 5 pm sharp, the Kiwanians arrived. I wasn't exactly free to talk to them. I felt really bad, because it was a fault on my part. When Mails had briefed me about the technical stuff, the lighting, the PA, the laptop and stuff, I had forgotten to pass the knowledge on to someone else. And so, i pretty much handled everything. I ran up and down as fast as my new heels can carry me.
tim and sean...signed, sealed and delivered in an awesome package...
5.10 pm, more people have arrived, people from TBS and friends of others. The dancers and some performers were no where in sight! I was this close to pulling my hair out. And then i remembered...Thahirah! I have not spoken to her within the past few days, and there was a very high chance that she may have forgotten about the event. I got someone to call her and to my utmost horror, she thought it was at 8.30 pm!!! I wanted to scream! But then it was my fault. I haven't been updating her...ohmigod!
BOD installation
installation of members
After more calling, and stressing, we finally kick started at about 6 pm - half an hour behind time mind you. But the moment it started, i think things went pretty smooth going. I was still running up and down, so much so i just imagined my heels giving way in front of the entire theatre.
ronald and matt...dreaming their lives away...
Shakti calling out to all Big Spenders
Overall, I really dont have many complains. The only person i blame for lack of efficiency was myself. The BOD were amazing! I can't love them enough. I think everyone had a great time. Tisha was an amazing MC. My dear performers outdid themselves. And I can safely say it was a pretty good event, not great, but almost there. :)
It was mentally gruelling to plan something i know little about. It was like building a structure when all i have is a semi ripped instruction manual. I pretty much followed my own instincts and took some of me Leo experience to put to use, and prayed for the best.
The installation turned out pretty alright in the end. Honestly, i felt it could've been a whole lot better. But the guests came to me with good remarks and positive feedback so I guess i am satisfied. That is, until the post mortem next week. The turn up wasn't as good as i expected so i'm worried we may make a loss. But that's another story for another day.
tisha the MC...did a splendid job!It started out pretty worrying. My head was throbbing. All the sleep deprivation and the stress was taking a toll on me. And i haven't been running. I wasn't really thinking straight, and i feared that i wouldn't be quick thinking or alert enough to handle sudden mishaps during the installation. I really wanted to make a good impression on the Kiwanians as well as Anita and the rest. Mails was going on and on about Plan Bs and Cs and sure he was just trying to help, but it really wasn't helping me much frankly. I kept thinking some major screw up was going to happen.
the retro chics..:)At 5 pm sharp, the Kiwanians arrived. I wasn't exactly free to talk to them. I felt really bad, because it was a fault on my part. When Mails had briefed me about the technical stuff, the lighting, the PA, the laptop and stuff, I had forgotten to pass the knowledge on to someone else. And so, i pretty much handled everything. I ran up and down as fast as my new heels can carry me.
tim and sean...signed, sealed and delivered in an awesome package...5.10 pm, more people have arrived, people from TBS and friends of others. The dancers and some performers were no where in sight! I was this close to pulling my hair out. And then i remembered...Thahirah! I have not spoken to her within the past few days, and there was a very high chance that she may have forgotten about the event. I got someone to call her and to my utmost horror, she thought it was at 8.30 pm!!! I wanted to scream! But then it was my fault. I haven't been updating her...ohmigod!
BOD installation
installation of members
ronald and matt...dreaming their lives away...
Shakti calling out to all Big SpendersSunday, March 11, 2007
SMART Tunnel Run
The much awaited SMART tunnel run happened this morning. I was so physically drained from the many late nights and hard work i've put into my installation that i was so sure i'd do a bad time. And so, droopy eyes with puffy eye bags, sore aching feet from the heels i wore last night, throbbing head from sleep deprivation and all, i went to KL this morn with Sam, Jonathan, Isaiah and my dad with the purpose of having pure fun.
Reached there, i dont know, 6.45 am? Called Ben and he just woke up. went to the starting area and the first person who called my name was Uncle Choi. then i saw mr wong, ah fook (who seemed to have forgotten who i am again), and many others. Ben arrives sometime later, to m relief. =)
The race had a staggered start, with Men Open starting at 7.30 am, Men veteran and JPS starting at 7.40 and the women starting at 7.50 am. I couldn't help but worry that the men will use up all our oxygen in the tunnel, leaving us women with an endless supply of CO2 to breathe. I saw Kit Mun, who is now someone to fear when it comes to racing. At only 14, she's amazingly fast. I saw Ashley Lim and gang. I met Geraldine for the first time. Saw Carboman in the midst of the crowd. And many others la.
I started the race running alone. about 10 minutes into the race, Kit Mun cruises past me, and so i decided to keep up. I knew it would probably be suicidal but what have i got to lose? So i ran alongside her, and started talking. We talked about training, and about her MSSD and things like that. I realised that half an hour have passed and i was still in sync with her. It was either she was going slow to accomodate me, or i was actually doing a pretty good time. I did feel unusually energised, surprisingly. We were steadily overtaking people till we were amongst the slower Men Open runners. I noticed i was taking slightly bigger strides than usual. I figured, hey if i could keep this up, Kit Mun's gonna be my target pacer from now on. haha...
The tunnel was endless tho. It was well lit but after seeing the walls for a really long time, i yearned for sunlight. There were big ventilation fans which blew strong drafts out, that caused me to shiver because i was perspiring like nobody's business. The first water station was out of water! darn. As we approached the tol plaza, I saw uncle Eugene and Uncle Choi and all these people on the opposite side of the U-Turn. After the U-turn we went back into the tunnel. The 2nd water station was somewhere midway and this was where Kit Mun left me. Because i wanted to eat my gel, i had to get water. But the water station had a queue because of the inefficiency of the marshalls. Can you believe, they gave us the cups, lined us up and slowly wait for water to be poured into our cups. anyway, i drank the water to wash the gel down and off i went. Kit Mun had already disappeared from my sight. I figured chasing her was gonna be a moronic thing to do, so i just kept up with the pace i was doing just now. It felt harder without a pacer, but i was determined to keep it up, still amazed at my new found speed.
Further up i saw Mr Cheng, who kept up with me after i passed him by. He stayed b my side for some time. Overtook Daddy dearest and kept on going, still taking long strides. I think the powerbar and gel really work. haha...anyway, Mr Cheng ran with me for about 15 minutes or so. And then he said "Ok you go ahead." And so i did. I actually picked up a notch and in no time, i saw the bright blasting rays of the 9 o'clock sun!
Not far off was the finishing. For the first time ever, runners need not make a big loop to go into the finishing. I clocked 1 hour 16 minutes for 13.3 km. Definitely not expected. I felt pretty good. :)
*photos courtesy of Uncle Choi and Uncle Tey. :)
For more photos, click:
1. Uncle Choi's album
2. Mr Tey's album
Reached there, i dont know, 6.45 am? Called Ben and he just woke up. went to the starting area and the first person who called my name was Uncle Choi. then i saw mr wong, ah fook (who seemed to have forgotten who i am again), and many others. Ben arrives sometime later, to m relief. =)
The race had a staggered start, with Men Open starting at 7.30 am, Men veteran and JPS starting at 7.40 and the women starting at 7.50 am. I couldn't help but worry that the men will use up all our oxygen in the tunnel, leaving us women with an endless supply of CO2 to breathe. I saw Kit Mun, who is now someone to fear when it comes to racing. At only 14, she's amazingly fast. I saw Ashley Lim and gang. I met Geraldine for the first time. Saw Carboman in the midst of the crowd. And many others la.
I started the race running alone. about 10 minutes into the race, Kit Mun cruises past me, and so i decided to keep up. I knew it would probably be suicidal but what have i got to lose? So i ran alongside her, and started talking. We talked about training, and about her MSSD and things like that. I realised that half an hour have passed and i was still in sync with her. It was either she was going slow to accomodate me, or i was actually doing a pretty good time. I did feel unusually energised, surprisingly. We were steadily overtaking people till we were amongst the slower Men Open runners. I noticed i was taking slightly bigger strides than usual. I figured, hey if i could keep this up, Kit Mun's gonna be my target pacer from now on. haha...
The tunnel was endless tho. It was well lit but after seeing the walls for a really long time, i yearned for sunlight. There were big ventilation fans which blew strong drafts out, that caused me to shiver because i was perspiring like nobody's business. The first water station was out of water! darn. As we approached the tol plaza, I saw uncle Eugene and Uncle Choi and all these people on the opposite side of the U-Turn. After the U-turn we went back into the tunnel. The 2nd water station was somewhere midway and this was where Kit Mun left me. Because i wanted to eat my gel, i had to get water. But the water station had a queue because of the inefficiency of the marshalls. Can you believe, they gave us the cups, lined us up and slowly wait for water to be poured into our cups. anyway, i drank the water to wash the gel down and off i went. Kit Mun had already disappeared from my sight. I figured chasing her was gonna be a moronic thing to do, so i just kept up with the pace i was doing just now. It felt harder without a pacer, but i was determined to keep it up, still amazed at my new found speed.
Further up i saw Mr Cheng, who kept up with me after i passed him by. He stayed b my side for some time. Overtook Daddy dearest and kept on going, still taking long strides. I think the powerbar and gel really work. haha...anyway, Mr Cheng ran with me for about 15 minutes or so. And then he said "Ok you go ahead." And so i did. I actually picked up a notch and in no time, i saw the bright blasting rays of the 9 o'clock sun!
Not far off was the finishing. For the first time ever, runners need not make a big loop to go into the finishing. I clocked 1 hour 16 minutes for 13.3 km. Definitely not expected. I felt pretty good. :)
*photos courtesy of Uncle Choi and Uncle Tey. :)
For more photos, click:
1. Uncle Choi's album
2. Mr Tey's album
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
knowing me, knowing you
i think i overslept. as in slept too much. i actually have the same feeling as overeating. thus i didn't feel like sleeping so soon this morning. i decided to pass time by blog surfing, but i wasn't much in a reading mood. so i started randomly selecting people to talk to on MSN. those whom i've not spoken to in donkey years. people whom i've not seen in such a long time i'd have to pause for a second to remember how they looked like, or which class they were from back in school.
it's pretty cool. first i started talking to my high school prom king, Sunil. he was amongst the jocks in school, the hot basketballer whom we ogled over once in a while whenever he does his thang at the bball court. he is currently doing a flying course under AirAsia. he's flown to melaka i think, or somewhere domestic. he'd be finishing in a year's time he says...cool!
then i messaged Rhenita, a former classmate in form 5. we weren't particularly close, but we did exchange his and byes back in class and eventually along the roads of ss15. i sometimes spot her at a nearby mamak where she meets with church mates i think. i kind of forgotten she has gone over to Inti Nilai, if not i would've asked her to come watch the biathlon. she's doing engineering if i'm not mistaken.
oh, and i started talking to Khai Boon, who was the queitest guy in my class. he sat next to Rudy, and i swear, i've never heard him speak in my 2 years of being classmates with him. but he somehow managed to get my msn contact, and was talking to me under a pseudonym for a while. i had all the while thought of him as a friend's friend, never thinking that he was 2 seats away from me in class. then he told me who he was after spm. ha! anyway, he's doing pretty alright now. a pro yo-yo player apparently. funny too, im still talking to him now. pretty cool how people turn out to be. :)
i wanted to talk to Kevin from my SAM class, but he had a test tomorrow. so that would have to wait.
yeap...it was nice talking to these people again. just to know what they're doing. there was an episode of One Tree Hill, where the teacher in the class pairs up his students of different cliques, like jock and geek, prom queen and loner, etc. and let them off for 50 minutes. they had a list of things to find out about each other. it was cool. i wish a lecturer would do that in college.
anyway, i may have filled up many invisible gaps between myself and a lot of random people today. or perhaps i've created a bond which was never there in the first place. but one void remains gaping, one which i feel kinda sad to see getting wider and wider. i know i should do something to stop severing the ties, but i dont know how. i dont know if i can go back to how it used to be.
remember when we'd write letters
and passed them around in school
letters which turned into books
of which we wrote pages full
remember when we'd go for recess
and we'd sit in that huge gang
eventhough we never really belonged
with the "popular bunch" we'd hang
remember when we sat by the window
and watched the guys play basketball
giving commentary as they play
remember how we crushed on them all
remember how we'd sleep over
and we'd stay up all night talking
over guys and gossips and friends
until one of us just started sleeping
remember how we'd say we'd go
for an 8 scoop chocolate Swensons earthquake
just for the both of us
because no one would share that for our sake
remember how we use to perform
for clubs we joined back in school
dancing silly for the world to see
how we can be such moronic fools
remember the heartache we went through
cause by arguments or guys and stuff
how we always end up making up in the end
and dust it away with a laugh
remember the times when people assumed
that we'd always be with each other
remember the times that we had
moments that we shared together
i miss those times.
it's pretty cool. first i started talking to my high school prom king, Sunil. he was amongst the jocks in school, the hot basketballer whom we ogled over once in a while whenever he does his thang at the bball court. he is currently doing a flying course under AirAsia. he's flown to melaka i think, or somewhere domestic. he'd be finishing in a year's time he says...cool!
then i messaged Rhenita, a former classmate in form 5. we weren't particularly close, but we did exchange his and byes back in class and eventually along the roads of ss15. i sometimes spot her at a nearby mamak where she meets with church mates i think. i kind of forgotten she has gone over to Inti Nilai, if not i would've asked her to come watch the biathlon. she's doing engineering if i'm not mistaken.
oh, and i started talking to Khai Boon, who was the queitest guy in my class. he sat next to Rudy, and i swear, i've never heard him speak in my 2 years of being classmates with him. but he somehow managed to get my msn contact, and was talking to me under a pseudonym for a while. i had all the while thought of him as a friend's friend, never thinking that he was 2 seats away from me in class. then he told me who he was after spm. ha! anyway, he's doing pretty alright now. a pro yo-yo player apparently. funny too, im still talking to him now. pretty cool how people turn out to be. :)
i wanted to talk to Kevin from my SAM class, but he had a test tomorrow. so that would have to wait.
yeap...it was nice talking to these people again. just to know what they're doing. there was an episode of One Tree Hill, where the teacher in the class pairs up his students of different cliques, like jock and geek, prom queen and loner, etc. and let them off for 50 minutes. they had a list of things to find out about each other. it was cool. i wish a lecturer would do that in college.
anyway, i may have filled up many invisible gaps between myself and a lot of random people today. or perhaps i've created a bond which was never there in the first place. but one void remains gaping, one which i feel kinda sad to see getting wider and wider. i know i should do something to stop severing the ties, but i dont know how. i dont know if i can go back to how it used to be.
remember when we'd write letters
and passed them around in school
letters which turned into books
of which we wrote pages full
remember when we'd go for recess
and we'd sit in that huge gang
eventhough we never really belonged
with the "popular bunch" we'd hang
remember when we sat by the window
and watched the guys play basketball
giving commentary as they play
remember how we crushed on them all
remember how we'd sleep over
and we'd stay up all night talking
over guys and gossips and friends
until one of us just started sleeping
remember how we'd say we'd go
for an 8 scoop chocolate Swensons earthquake
just for the both of us
because no one would share that for our sake
remember how we use to perform
for clubs we joined back in school
dancing silly for the world to see
how we can be such moronic fools
remember the heartache we went through
cause by arguments or guys and stuff
how we always end up making up in the end
and dust it away with a laugh
remember the times when people assumed
that we'd always be with each other
remember the times that we had
moments that we shared together
i miss those times.
Monday, March 05, 2007
headache ar!
i've had a headache all day long. it's not exactly migrane material but it's there and it's throbbing. i blame the sweltering heat and the menstruation cycle. i thought maybe it'd go away if i took in some oxygen. so i went for a run in the evening to make sure i breathe in a bit of outside air. unfortunately outside air didn't do much good. i had a good run, but i came home with an even heavier head.
i think it's the stress. the selling of books, the selling of installation tickets, the selling of...well...my project to clients, the selling! i'm a marketing major student and i HATE selling!
oh by the way...please try to come for the following event:
It's open to everyone. we've got some pretty nice performances lined up. plus, we're a charity organization...you can't turn your back on charity right?? hehe...
so come come...if you do i'll love you for life i promise...:)
i think it's the stress. the selling of books, the selling of installation tickets, the selling of...well...my project to clients, the selling! i'm a marketing major student and i HATE selling!
oh by the way...please try to come for the following event:
Circle K Annual Installation
date: 10th March 2007, Saturday
time: 5 pm - 8.30 pm
theme: Retrospect
venue: Metropolitan College
fee: RM20 (RM5 rebate if you come dressed according to theme)
date: 10th March 2007, Saturday
time: 5 pm - 8.30 pm
theme: Retrospect
venue: Metropolitan College
fee: RM20 (RM5 rebate if you come dressed according to theme)
It's open to everyone. we've got some pretty nice performances lined up. plus, we're a charity organization...you can't turn your back on charity right?? hehe...
so come come...if you do i'll love you for life i promise...:)
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Inti Biathlon Open 2007
Yesterday morning was my first ever biathlon experience. Inti's Life Saving Society organized a 1 km swim and 6 km run race for all private colleges around. However, there were only participants from Inti Nilai, IMU, Nilai International College, Inti SJ and of course, Metro.
The biathlon was a team event. I initially had Matt as my swimmer, but he was down with a very persistent flu (Get well soon Matt!) and so i was almost forced to forfeit. I didn't want to, obviously, because I've never done a biathlon before. So i hunted up and down the corridors of Metro (no, seriously) and finally caught sight of someone donning an Arena Shirt out of the corner of my eye. Aha! I got me a swimmer!
Shah (in black), me, some scary looking Kenyans, IMU swimmer...
Clifford Tan Soon Soon Lai (yup, that's honestly his real name!) was a retired swimmer of the Royal Klang Club. He must've told me like a billion times all the way to Nilai that he hasn't been training for years, and that we shouldn't expect to win blablabla. Anyway, race turned out...pretty messed up.
The marshalls were kinda blur. There were swimmers who were doing 1100 m and there were some who were doing 900 m. There were 11 swimmers in an 8 lane pool, and some of the marshalls weren't sure if they were to look at the swimmer number 5 or the lane number 5. Clifford came out 10th place, claiming he had done 2 laps extra. I ran and realised after a while that no one was in sight. No marshalls even. I had actually turned off a wrong junction and was running aimlessly for a while. The silliest thing was where i turned off, there were marshalls, but they decided to just stare at me rather than let me know i was wrong.
I ran the green route....twice....:)
Anyway, after i ran for over 2 km, a marshall on a motorbike flagged me down and told me that i ran on the wrong route. He was speaking to me in mandarin and we all know how excellent my mandarin is. All i knew was he wanted to bring me to the correct route on his bike. i was halfway up when a car pulled up and out popped the Organizing Chairperson. She was trying to explain to me how exactly i had gone wrong and how many kms i've covered and how many more i should cover. With all the mumbo jumbo, i could've easily lost 5 minutes AND my momentum. But she made a decision rather quickly la, she told me to do the same route again because that route was about 2.8 kms in total. And so 2 rounds of that would make 5.6 km. Satisfied, i continued to run. Coming on to my second round, i started seeing the other runners this time. I managed to overtake a few, and finally came in 7th. A security official asked me if i was from China! That's a first...ahaha
Clifford and i after the run
The OC told me they'll deduct 5 mins off my time, was very very apologetic and eventhough i was a little ticked off, i forgave her. She seemed sincerely sorry, and i pretty much know how she felt that moment, when something you've worked so hard for just goes wrong. After many group photos, the OC came to me and asked for a personal picture. And so did this other girl who was on the committee as well i think. It's cool that people are wanting to take photos with me, but i can't help but wonder why they're all girls. ???? haha...
IMU got first, and if i'm not mistaken, 3rd. 2nd place was Inti SJ, duh, because they've got a national swimmer on their team. I'm blissfully happy. =)
There was an anime costume play in the hall after that...
The biathlon was a team event. I initially had Matt as my swimmer, but he was down with a very persistent flu (Get well soon Matt!) and so i was almost forced to forfeit. I didn't want to, obviously, because I've never done a biathlon before. So i hunted up and down the corridors of Metro (no, seriously) and finally caught sight of someone donning an Arena Shirt out of the corner of my eye. Aha! I got me a swimmer!
Shah (in black), me, some scary looking Kenyans, IMU swimmer...Clifford Tan Soon Soon Lai (yup, that's honestly his real name!) was a retired swimmer of the Royal Klang Club. He must've told me like a billion times all the way to Nilai that he hasn't been training for years, and that we shouldn't expect to win blablabla. Anyway, race turned out...pretty messed up.
The marshalls were kinda blur. There were swimmers who were doing 1100 m and there were some who were doing 900 m. There were 11 swimmers in an 8 lane pool, and some of the marshalls weren't sure if they were to look at the swimmer number 5 or the lane number 5. Clifford came out 10th place, claiming he had done 2 laps extra. I ran and realised after a while that no one was in sight. No marshalls even. I had actually turned off a wrong junction and was running aimlessly for a while. The silliest thing was where i turned off, there were marshalls, but they decided to just stare at me rather than let me know i was wrong.
I ran the green route....twice....:)Anyway, after i ran for over 2 km, a marshall on a motorbike flagged me down and told me that i ran on the wrong route. He was speaking to me in mandarin and we all know how excellent my mandarin is. All i knew was he wanted to bring me to the correct route on his bike. i was halfway up when a car pulled up and out popped the Organizing Chairperson. She was trying to explain to me how exactly i had gone wrong and how many kms i've covered and how many more i should cover. With all the mumbo jumbo, i could've easily lost 5 minutes AND my momentum. But she made a decision rather quickly la, she told me to do the same route again because that route was about 2.8 kms in total. And so 2 rounds of that would make 5.6 km. Satisfied, i continued to run. Coming on to my second round, i started seeing the other runners this time. I managed to overtake a few, and finally came in 7th. A security official asked me if i was from China! That's a first...ahaha
Clifford and i after the runThe OC told me they'll deduct 5 mins off my time, was very very apologetic and eventhough i was a little ticked off, i forgave her. She seemed sincerely sorry, and i pretty much know how she felt that moment, when something you've worked so hard for just goes wrong. After many group photos, the OC came to me and asked for a personal picture. And so did this other girl who was on the committee as well i think. It's cool that people are wanting to take photos with me, but i can't help but wonder why they're all girls. ???? haha...
IMU got first, and if i'm not mistaken, 3rd. 2nd place was Inti SJ, duh, because they've got a national swimmer on their team. I'm blissfully happy. =)
There was an anime costume play in the hall after that...Thursday, March 01, 2007
attention all footie freaks!
A friend of mine has decided to reach for that pot of gold at the end of the digitalised rainbow of cyberspace, as so many others have tried to do. To make some out of the wonders of the internet (and broadband streaming) so that the surfers out there have even more things to do online on top of the already tall pile of time consuming, eyesight destroying hobbies we all indulge in.
For the footie junkies out there, who can't get enough of that oh-so-amazing goal that Rooney scored, or the oh-so-yau-ying save that Casillas managed, or the what-the-hell-was-that strike that Crouch carried out SaiKaiBall is the site to visit. Or for those who simply do not have the luxury of staying up at ungodly hours to watch live telecasts on Astro, here's how u can bullshit ur way through tomorrow's conversation without feeling left out. er...i think....don't know if it's that efficiently updated. but owell...
pls pls go indulge in the convenience the cyber world has given to us all.
thank you.
For the footie junkies out there, who can't get enough of that oh-so-amazing goal that Rooney scored, or the oh-so-yau-ying save that Casillas managed, or the what-the-hell-was-that strike that Crouch carried out SaiKaiBall is the site to visit. Or for those who simply do not have the luxury of staying up at ungodly hours to watch live telecasts on Astro, here's how u can bullshit ur way through tomorrow's conversation without feeling left out. er...i think....don't know if it's that efficiently updated. but owell...
pls pls go indulge in the convenience the cyber world has given to us all.
thank you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)