It's You That Matters.

Putrajaya Night Marathon 2011 : My 4th 42km Marathon

2011-10-18T01:00:00.000+08:00

Hello there. If you must know, I'm currently doing my internship in OCBC Bank, which left me with little time for leisure and what not the soon-to-be-forsaken hobby of blogging.

Just a couple of days ago, I ran my 4th 42km marathon marathon. It was still so fresh when I first ran long distance in Ambank KL Marathon 2008 I thought "Woah I just finish 10km and it's so freaking far. Those 42km crazy one".

This is my fourth time being 'crazy' and still counting.

The mission in running marathons is the ability and will to overcome adversity and accomplishing the mission is indeed rewarding. If you're an avid runner or fitness enthusiast, I strongly suggest try a 42km full marathon at least once in your life. Worth while the experience.

The build-up and preparation to this marathon was not as good as the previous, as I've been channeling most of my energy waking up early and working 8 hours, 5 days a week. Respect how parents who work, and still has the energy to take care of house chores. Not easy, I must say. Hats off to these unsung daily heroes of ours.

Training has been below the level I would address 'intensive', weekly mileage is only around 40km when I should at least have a weekly mileage of 60km. Plus, 5 days before Putrajaya Night Marathon, I hurt my ankle during futsal. I had hard time to even run 2km during training. So fingers cross I was hoping my ankle would recover by itself naturally before the marathon.

Apparently it didn't. My ankle came back and haunt me after I merely crossed the 6km mark. I did the remaining 36km in pain. Of course I take it slow, which explained why I finished 5hours 53mins instead of my personal best of 4 hours 56mins. Not a good idea to run 42km with a bad ankle. Perhaps there's some blood clot.

Anyway enough about myself, because I believe the world doesn't revolve around me. I fetched Nico, Khai Sim, Su Juin and Christine to Putrajaya.

1 car ferrying 5 people, yay for Mother Nature. We arrived slightly later than planned, shortly later 42km kicked off.

The people I fetched - Khai Sim, Christine, and Su Juin in pink (minus Nico :P)

Yes, I close my eyes when I dash to the finishing line to take off all the pain and push myself through

42km finishers/survivors :)

Terrific effort, 42km finishers - Wu Chuan, Kaartig, Michelle and Nico :).
Well done to the slightly hardcore 21km half marathon finishers - Kevin, Khai Sim and Karmun.
& also good run from the many 10km runners - Christine, Jovita, Su Juin, Aris and so on.

Hope to see these familiar people again and perhaps more in the future.

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After the grueling run, time to fill the tummy.

Where to? - William's

Spaghetti Carbonara Beef Bacon!

Nico's Nasi Goreng Tomyam with Ayam Pandan!

I don't fancy William's Indomee so Khaisim, your food got no feature here hehe.

Upcoming runs within October to November :

30th October 2011 = 21km PJ Half Marathon
13th November 2011 = 5km CICM Run
20th November 2011 = 42km Penang Bridge International Marathon
27km November 2011 = 10km Nike KL City Run

Busy busy weekends :)

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Remember, "Limitations only exist if you let them".

Transitional Phase

2011-10-01T02:45:00.004+08:00

Ah, I remember putting on my concert costume performing one last time during my kindergarden days which I spent at Holy Light Kindergarten. Then my kindergarten teacher had a hard time finding a mortar board to fit my relatively big 6 year old head. Then I knew time to say good bye to my friends and teacher where I continue my primary and secondary education elsewhere.

That transition was not something I look forward to because I like my friends, perhaps I'm a fan of familiarity. Even at such young age I was thinking in such manner.

Now, after 15 years, the finishing line of my tertiary education is within sight. I had to bid farewell to a place I spent 3 years at - Kampar. Fair to say my good times there over-weigh the not so good ones. It was my first time leaving my home (then), so it wasn't easy. I'm sure it's likewise for anyone who left their hometown to pursue their studies.

I recall when the days of putting on school uniform comes to an end in 2007, a lot people whom I was close with headed different directions. It was tough settling into a new surrounding such as UTAR, sometimes it's like a duck trying to fit into a flock of chickens. Eventually, the people I met during my Foundation in PJ are the people who are closer.

There are a lot of people that I would like to thank to help me through but there are certain individuals whom I would like to extend my gratitude, deserved to be mentioned here. Firstly, Mr. Long. Oh tai lou(big brother), you're ever concerned and warm, especially after the occasional fights I had with my ex-girlfriend when she's at KL and I'm at Kampar. I had a tendency to sulk alone, and you were there to accompany me and we would go grab a meal together.

Then, CPM I dare say among so many people I've work with for assignments and work, you're definitely one of the most reliable. Your assistance in class and off class are invaluable to me, thank you :).

Captain/Founder of Brothers Futsal team, you might not realize but your presence actually lighten up the people around you. Thank you for encouraging me to play futsal and invited me to join your team - it's hard to mix around there without any teammates. & also the times when you gave word of advice when I'm having rough patch with my ex-girlfriend, I appreciate that too.

Greatstyler, your ever caring nature touches me. Fun-loving and opinionated, you're truly one great guy. Never regret having you as a friend, my buddy.

CLC, probably the reason why I leaned more towards the darker side. Your mixture of being caring-outgoing-funny-perverted nature never fail to make people laugh. Thanks for the times you've been there for me man.

Apparent-"BFF", your presence never fail to lift up my spirits. Though you got me into deep trouble last time, I've never regretted our friendship because we are clean :). You're a friend any person would definitely cherish. Thanks for listening to my rants, thanks for being there :).

imba player, perhaps the person I spent most time with throughout my tenure in UTAR. You may present yourself as a playful dude, but you're a great company. I'm glad to have a familiar face around me as I step into tertiary education. We've come a long way since Std 1 - now grown into men at the driving seat controlling the direction of our respective lives.

Last but not least, chocolate cake. If you are ever reading this, I'm apologetic and sorry on what kind of state we both are in at the moment. Glad to have you in my life anyhow. You carved your mark in me indefinitely which I'll carry till the day I stop breathing. Thanks for completing me once, and bringing me happiness that I never felt with anyone before.

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I've also learned that life is never a smooth ride, if you think it is, you deserve a wake-up call. The closest people to you could possibly be the one that hurt you most. Keep your guard up. There are pretentious people out there. Be careful of who you tell your personal matters to - some are really concerned aiming to help you while most of them are merely curious.

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So that's it. No more waking up to fresh air, storks flying above you, seeing huge monitor lizards and otters swimming, seeing uncles out-doing each other in fishing, play futsal in Westlake, embracing the lake-hill scenery, cycling to class, burning midnight oil for exams, eating relatively cheap good Kampar food, hanging out at Ipoh, running with Kampar people and so on.

We all encounter transitional periods in our lives, as excited as I am on the changes that are bound to happen, I dare say I am intimated looking forward in the uncertain future.

My 1 week break has come to an end, and Monday marks the first day of internship at OCBC Bank. Pretty positive that I will spend much lesser times here. I'm wishing my peers all the best, be strong, have faith in transitional phase like this. Do not lose faith.

Plus, my 21st birthday is around the corner. Any suggestion on how I should celebrate it?

Last but not least, anyone out there care to fill my empty glass?

Johnnie Walker – Step Inside The Black Circuit Singapore 2011

2011-09-18T01:20:00.004+08:00

One of the biggest party is happening very soon.. one that involves experiencing the sophisticated and glamorous world of Formula 1™. Any idea what this party is? If you still haven’t guessed it by now, allow me to have the honour of informing you that this has to do with JOHNNIE WALKER®. Once again, they are back this year with the JOHNNIE WALKER® JET BLACK race party for two nights. It is an invitation-only event and they are giving you Malaysians a chance to experience this amazing event.

It's definitely a party not to be missed as it features a really interesting line-up of some of the world's best DJs, stunning interactive party experiences and stylish JOHNNIE WALKER® cocktails.

Haven't experienced it before?
Here's a look at some of the previous JOHNNIE WALKER® events.

Hows good partyin' with great music, amazing cocktails, gorgeous ladies and dashing men within sight sound to you? Sounds terrific to me ;)!

So, JOHNNIE WALKER® is giving two Malaysians plus their partners a chance to win a trip of a lifetime at the Singapore GP for three days while also attending the JOHNNIE WALKER® JET BLACK race party for two nights. The contest is open to everyone so why not give it a shot!

Questions:

JOHNNIE WALKER® is the global partner of Formula 1™ team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes™ since 2005, who was the 2009 Formula One™ SINGTEL Singapore Grand Prix night race winnder and which team did he drive for?
Lewis Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes
The JOHNNIE WALKER® JET BLACK race party is the most talked about party of the Singapore Night Race, featuring a stellar line up of the world's best DJs, stunning interactive party experiences, and stylish JOHNNIE WALKER® cocktails. Tell us in 50 words or less why we should send you and a friend an exclusive invitation to the party and include 3 or more hi quality pictures of your version of a perfect JOHNNIE WALKER® race party to win yourself 2 passes each to both exclusive events.
The passes should be give to my friend and I because we have never experienced this event before and it sounds way too exciting to be missed especially when it involves cars! Ever eager to party - glamorous style.

Head on over to Johnnie Walker Malaysia's Facebook page for more information and visit http://www.adverlets.com/weblog/2011/09/07blogger-contest-johnnie-walker®-"step-inside-the-black-circuit-singapore"/ if you want to join the contest.

Keep Walking. Never Drink and Drive.

Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur International Marathon 2011 : My 3rd 42km Full Marathon

2011-07-23T02:56:00.001+08:00

Of gruesome distances, intense training, and discipline. It has been a long journey.

RAGE!

Marathons, something I got pretty familiar with. Now I am proud to have 3 Full Marathons under my belt. I wonder when will I stop, 10 Full Marathons perhaps? Till I'm 50 years old? Till my prospective girlfriend tell me not to?

That I'm not sure, but what I'm sure is that I'll run 2 more Full Marathons by the end of this year. That's 4 Full Marathons in a year. Creditable feat, if you ask me.

To be honest, the gruesome distance is taxing and taking its toll on me. Probably I'll run till my body tells me to stop. This marathon was disappointing one for me personally, I didn't have sufficient sleep the night before - wrong move.

Geared with my ever-reliable Nike Free, digital watch, 2 Power gels, 1 bottle of Gatorade, I clocked my worst ever timing for 42km, 5 hours 26 mins when I expect to improve from my previous 4 hours 56 mins. I literally lied down on the floor for numerous times, my body's just exhausted. Never happened to me before, so I blame the lack of sleep.

As long as I've run, I'm always fascinated with the spirit of marathon. Those little things; runners helping one another when one experienced cramp, friendly gestures among runners, supporters lifting up the mood, there were even free breakfast offered around the 34km mark at Bukit Tunku. God bless these wonderful individuals.

Quick fact :

Grand total of 22000 runners
The marathon attracted more than 1000 foreign runners
I ranked 566/1256 in the men open Full Marathon category
10km category is the most popular with 10000 runners participating

Warned, there will be a lot of pictures of me. I'm not exactly a narcissist but bear with me, haha. (it's my blog anyway :))

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Sincerely apologized for letting down some of my friends who were expecting my arrival at the finishing line. You know who you all are, sorry!

Meet the UTAR-Sg-Long-Building-Run-Gold-Medalist-Kong-Yi-Ching and me haha.

Myself in the Finisher's tee and medal :)

Personally people say they enjoy running from experiencing "runners' high". For me, running is obviously tiring and somewhat torturing, the only "high" or satisfaction is felt only when I finish the run.

So in order to reap the success of whatever you're doing, don't give up halfway, instead - finish it.

Happy Father's Day, Pa!

2011-06-17T02:04:00.005+08:00

I've written a Mother's Day blog post, I believe it is fair to write one for my dear papa too.

Meet the macho Lum Senior.

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The man I look up to and respect most - my father.

My father is more than just a man with big specs, frequently seen reading the newspaper at his favourite desk.

A quiet, calm and composed man he is, but he has taught countless number of lifelong lessons, important values, shaping the person I am today.

Your ability to put up to each and everyone's menace amaze me. Throughout 21 long years of my life, living with my father, no matter how furious he is at me, he never hit me before. Indirectly implying brute force is not the best solution. He scolds me, warns me the consequences of my wrong-doings all along. Pa, the way you brought me up opened my eyes. You seek the most rational solutions at toughest times, you teach me to realize myself - what is right and what is not. You taught me to be considerate, you taught me to be a better man.

Starting a family, raising a child is definitely no easy task. Having 4 children is definitely gonna be rough and tough. Despite all the headaches like household expenses, bills, debts, rising cost of living, and so on, you deal with them thoroughly. Pa, I look up to your work ethics, you never fail to put food on the table for the family. Unlike conventional fathers, my father actually lay his hands on house chores even after long day from work. Love the fact that you arrange frequent vacations for the family to spend quality time together. You also never fail to remind us the importance and ways of staying healthy.

Selfless man, my father is. The countless of sacrifices he makes for the family - invaluable.

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My father, despite his age (he's over 60), he stills indulge in weekly badminton! Did I mention he has an exceptional affection towards fish? Particularly loves tasting fresh steamed fish! Lived through the 1970s, my father is actually a fan of Elvis, Beatles, Bee Gees and so on. So here's a clip of Bee Gees performing "Stayin' Alive", enjoy :)

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The root to the achievements, success of all of us (Wai, Cheng, Foong and myself) are all from the guidance from my beloved parents. No words can describe my gratitude towards their contributions to our lives, sincerely thank you.

I love you dearly, Pa.

Happy Father's Day to all deserving fathers out there!

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus?

2011-06-14T00:34:00.002+08:00

Questions regarding heterosexual relationships have been surfacing every now and then, a never ending mystery. In fact, both genders actually have very different perception, values and practices.

For example, the topic of sexual fantasies. Generally, men have more visual sex fantasies, and most of the times genital-themed and filled with explicit visualization. Women, however, fantasize less than their male counterparts. They are less visual, less focus on genitals and more likely to construct a story with emotional feelings of a romantic encounter. There's a saying that, most men needs sex to feel wanted, while most women needs to feel wanted before having sex. However, it doesn't imply that all men are sex-craving beasts and all women are not nymphos.

However despite the fact male and female are hypothetically worlds apart, we embrace each other's presence. If we put deep thoughts into it, such differences actually complete one another. For example, you like to cook but hate to clean. Your other half prefer to clean, cause cooking is alien to him/her. Things work out naturally sometimes, don't they?

Knowing the differences, both genders are actually seeking for the same thing from their counterparts;

intimacy - the state of comfortable familiarity

In relationships, argument happens. Sometimes you feel your man is behaving like a total prick, or your lady is acting like a total bitch. Bear in mind, there's a reason that 2 people are called "A Couple". The usage of preposition "a" symbolizes singular unit. Each person in a relationship makes up 50%, 2 person making it a complete 100%. So, if you feel your partner is at fault, you are might not realize you that you could be contributing 50% to the emergence of argument. It takes 2 hands to clap. When dispute happens, I believe both parties are at fault and should be responsible in rectifying problem with each other. Tolerance is the key.

Wouldn't you rather lose an argument than to lose your other half?

Make admends, clear the air if things are rough. Do not be ignorant and collect all the matters into a big-bad-bag-of-trouble, there's when you realize you're in a point of no return and being regretful and sorry is all you can do.

We can go on whole day debating on what men want, and what women want. What actually do we seek from our counterparts?

Men presumably the more dominant gender, is usually the breadwinner. They strive for achievements, recognition and reputation. Most of the time, man's business should not be interfered, sometimes you gotta let a man be a man. Excuse the egoism, men are born this way. However, men do have a soft side too, being by their side (but not appearing too clingy), knowing the way to their heart is a great way to compliment them. Ladies can be very vocal at times - it's good to voice out but if excessively, your words are redundant and could be whiny - something men don't fancy.

A female is deemed as the backbone of the dominant male, supportive, a figure of love and tenderness. But of course times have changed and females can be as successful as male or even more successful. Most women actually have simple needs; you don't need to catch a grenade or put your hand on the blade for ladies. Extravagant gifts, romantic candle light dinner are bonuses but not necessary needs. Ladies actually needs to be cared constantly, wishing their man put themselves in her shoes. Men, pay attention on the tiny details, fulfill them and your lady will be utterly contented. Example, a chocolate lover be brought to a chocolate fondue? Amazing to realize how small things can bring big joy. Simple yet complex player of this game of love.

In a nutshell, men want to be appreciated, women want to be adored.

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Good relationships don't just happen, they take time, effort, patience and two people who truly want to be together.

Single ladies and men - heads up. You might feel worthless to one person, but you are priceless to another. Never ever forget your value.

Lovebirds - adore, cherish and appreciate your other half. Express your love like there's no tomorrow. Never ignore a person who loves you, one day you might wake up from your sleep and realize that you lost the moon while counting the stars.

I sincerely want to grow old with you ;)

Adidas All24 AllRun - 4 hour relay

2011-06-10T03:45:00.004+08:00

Adidas All24 is an epic scale celebration of style, street and sport! Among the competitive events are futsal, skating, basketball, dance-off, running and so many more! The condition of the event is it is open only for youths aged 24 and below, sorry oldsters :P. Held on the 4th June at Rakan Muda Sports Complex, Bukit Kiara.

Without must effort guessing, I signed up for the AllRun, with Louis, Murphy, Kaartig, Khityeng and Khai Sim. I find this format of race fun and enjoyable. After running 1.4km, we have approximately half an hour to recover, regain composure and run the following 1.4km lap.

Meet the Roadrunners :)

It is a 4 hour relay, with 6 runners in a team, we're required to cover as many laps of 1.4km as possible.

L-R : Louis, Khai Sim, Kaartig, Michelle, Murphy and myself.

The above picture display our running order, first myself, till last Louis. Knowing there will some of the country's top runners running, it is very unlikely to win top 3 places. Our goal was to have fun and we absolutely did :).

We completed 37 laps of 1.4km, which means we ran a total of 52km in 4 hours. The final result was we got 9th out of 45 teams, still top 10 pretty creditable :).

Lady luck wasn't on our side, Murphy, injured his foot a couple of days before the race. Determined and persistent dude he is, he ran 6 laps with a swollen foot! Hail his sporting spirit there.

At the starting point, right before the flag off.

Being the first runner, I finished the first 1.4km lap in 4mins 36secs coming back 4th. But later on the pace of other runners caught up and we can only afford to clinch 9th place:\.

Why you so smelly?

While waiting for Khityeng/Kaartig to complete their lap :)

Us- after the 4 hour relay :)

Each of us ran 6 laps which equal to 8.4km each, but I ran an extra lap, covering 9.8km. Really enjoy the relay, fun to push and see how far we can run. A break from those regular relay races :).

This is Murphy and I waiting for our supper at SS2 Murni

That's all for now folks. I've got to go OCBC Bank tomorrow to settle my internship stuff. Woohoo sorry for the short and simple post, will be back ;).

On the hook.

2011-05-17T03:11:00.003+08:00

Inspired by the ever comedic and entertaining series - How I Met Your Mother (Season 5 Episode 16), I'm here to share with you a very interesting term.

No, this is not a blog post about fishing.

On the hook

Definition : A person who is "on the hook" will be overly infatuated with another person. That person who is desired usually cares much less and sometimes take advantage of the person who is on the hook.

The person on the hook is hopelessly obsessed with the other person. The devotion is pretty much one sided. When you are on the hook, you usually think a lot about what the other person thinks, and would do almost anything to please the person they desire.

Ever felt as if the people you fall for never falls for you, while the people you are not fond of fall for you instead? Everyone has been on the hook, and of course kept someone on the hook. It's one vicious cycle.

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Person on the hook :

Being on one's hook comes almost involuntarily and naturally. The person you eyed or desired probably possess a specific captivating trait that you don't see in other people, an X-Factor perhaps? You probably are aware that the desired person is out of reach, but you still want to chase for it, falling for the 'bait'. Well, it's human nature to be constantly challenging ourselves right? We never know what we can achieve if we never take a leap.

Pleasing the person you fall head over heels for seems like the only thing you want to do. But honestly, look around you. You have people who love, appreciate and care for you! Wouldn't they deserved to be pleased and appreciated more? Never neglect the close ones around you, your family, your close friends - they are your lifeline.

Sometimes all you need is a wake-up call or a slap on your face (figuratively), don't be blinded by the desired person. You're born with good senses, put them to work! If you are wooing a possible partner, by all means, go for it, I don't mean to hinder it. Because if we never try loving, we never realized who we could end up spending our lives with, right? But at a point if you feel like you're clapping with only one hand and experiencing unreturned love, you should consider retreating. Hurtful but possibly wise move. It's better to be alone than to love alone.

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Desired person :
(I shall include 2 very desirable personalities of both genders to be fair to keep you reading :P)

Which of you girls are on hunky Ryan Reynolds' hook? ;)

Adriana Lima sure could easily get any men on her hook effortlessly ;)

Being able to have someone on your hook usually mean you're somehow attractive which could definitely boost self-esteem and ego. It's nice to know you're liked but sometimes if you abuse the feelings of the person on the hook, it is unethical.

If you have no interest on the person who is on your hook, cut him/her off early. Break his/her heart now before they get an even deeper wound. You might think being nice and playing along with the person who is on your hook is a better solution, NO. You're cultivating a bigger, more severe infection on them by misleading them. If you enjoy doing so, you're definitely cold-hearted, insensible and all the negative remarks I can think of.

If you have someone on your hook but you don't notice it when everyone else around you does, alarm your senses and be more alert. Never mess with others' feelings as you never want yours to be messed with, right?

Perhaps you can cut someone off by gradually showing them signals that you are not keen or interested. Sometimes don't give them even the slightest hope because a person on your hook will still hang on and be hopeful he/she will prevail one fine day. In most cases they won't, sadly.

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Are you on the hook, on someone's hook, or both?

Energizer Night Race - my 2nd 42km Full Marathon

2011-04-29T16:24:00.003+08:00

Energizer Night Race 2011, despite being held at the majestic Sepang International F1 Circuit, it somewhat turned out to be a catastrophe. The discomfort, dissatisfaction, anxiety has led to participants venting their anger on the Internet such as this website on Facebook.

No point going too long-winded it since most of you probably read/watched video about the chaotic event :P. From a personal point of view, my second 42km full marathon during was fine. I would change my description from 'fine' to 'great!' if it wasn't for the fact there are poor road marshals, cow dungs, and sighting of non-pleasant people :). Running 42km at the outside route made me miss all the chaos and drama happened near the finishing pit. When I came back 4 hours 56 minutes later, I was greeted by a dead town, with organizers or officials barely within sight. Going home empty handed (we were promised finisher t-shirt, medals, goodie bags) made me walk off heavy-heartedly in addition to my extremely fatigued legs. Energizer Malaysia took proactive action towards this 'fun run', pledging to post the respective goodies as well as refunding the fees. That is one bold appropriate move and kudos to Energizer Malaysia for taking the action to rectify matters.

On a positive note, I went with good company that night. I had Louis, Khai Sim, Hoong Yeap, Khit Yeng and Kaartig waited (patiently :P) and cheer me when I dashed my way though the finishing line. So nice right :).

This marathon, I was slightly better equipped, ate 1 Power bar, had 2 Power gels along the run and applied Vaseline around my thigh. The Vaseline simply reduces friction behind your pants and thighs to prevent scrapped skin that would be so damn painful. Having Gatorade every station was great! I think Gatorade simply rehydrates better, sorry (50+50) Plus - but I love to drink you too.

Did I mention the Sepang Circuit is HUGE? When we returned from the outer route back to the circuit, we had ran like 36km already so I'm pretty exhausted by then and being greeted by a Sepang circuit that seems to never end almost break my heart. It was like baking-a-cake-that-never-turns-out-right/spending-hours-in-the-toilet-suffering-from-constipation/having-unreturned-love. Yes, it was that saddening. Glad I finished it anyway :).

Did anyone realize the moon was oh-so-beautifully bright that night? - makes it so hard to think and motivated by - you ;)

Fantastic Four ready to save the day

Heeee all smiles before the race.

Getting ready... - putting on the timing chip

Louis passing me a Power gel, sweet fella. Oh did I mention I love my car? :)

The sea of frustrated participants. Goodie bags were thrown to the crowd like the organizers were tossing fish food to the fish pond.

Sprinting to the finishing line with every ounce of energy I have left

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - 2nd 42km Full Marathon under my belt ;)

with Khai Sim and Khit Yeng. Don't be fooled by my expression I was dead tired!

Group shot before we all head homeeeeeee.

Hello guys, meet Kaartig with trannies behind him while we were having dipper(dinner + supper) at Williams.

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Turning my attention to my next 42km full marathon at Standard Chartered International Kuala Lumpur Marathon this coming 26th June. Weeee.

Before that, I've got 4 more final examination papers to sit for after finishing one this morning. Still I am here, blogging :p.

Going to run to Tanjung Tualang later on, to clear my mind before wrestling down International Finance, Commercial Banking Management and Banking Operation Treasury Management which figuratively resembles a very huge sumo wrestler to me. Beef it up, Meng Leong!

We'll make it through ;).

Volunteerism Run 2011 organized by Public Relations (Education) students!

2011-04-14T20:37:00.003+08:00

As part of their course structure, Public Relations students are required to run a campaign, and one of them is organizing the Volunteerism Run & Carnival. Initially, I registered for a race namely Sg Long Building run, a competitive race that gives out medal (one of those things I never get bored of). However, something rather 'magical' or some would call it 'tragic', struck me recently. The incident that struck me made me feel like a small kiddo finally found his favourite long lost pillow.

Sheer joy.

Ask me about it if you wanna know in details.

Volunteerism run, which was held at Tronoh Mines Village slight off Kampar, is supposedly a charity run, non-competitive which the proceedings will go to building of a new library there. Noble cause by the Public Relations team. The Public Relations team possibly stamp their mark in Tronoh Mines history as the place never had an event or function of such magnitude - with so many people visiting Tronoh Mines. The Public Relations team practically just added Tronoh Mines in the 'personal map' of so many people as people are more aware of its existence.

Just right before the flag off of the run at the starting point, we were informed there are prizes for top 5 positions. My eye brows were raised cause as I was expecting a casual run. Anyway, I finished 5th in this 5km race, which was below the expectations of many. Competition for top places are getting stiffer, races will get better. Looking forward to race again to do better :).

The CF running gang and I - early in the morning before the sun rises

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Here are a few scenic shots of the Tronoh Mines village ;

Sun rise!

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The starting line - some school somewhere in Tronoh

1000 runners.. well done to the PR team for fishing so many participants :)

Pang! - the village chief doing the honour

Running through the oil palm plantation

Smiling to the cheers by the water station :)

Sprinting to the finishing line!

Finish! :D

Guess who clinched 1st place for the female category? - the Block H cafeteria aunty :O

Resting and filling up survey forms

The carnival consist of games, food stalls, exhibitions etc.

Taking shelter by the ambulance :P

The prize won - Yee Hup sponsored biscuits. Later on I won a food steamer from lucky draw :).

Participants spectating the performances arranged.

Miau Miau (the actress from Ice Kacang Puppy Love) among the artist who entertained us and got us giggling.

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There a brief post, got to rush off to gym now. Tata!

Love endures all things.

2011-04-13T01:51:00.004+08:00

Go the extra mile for the ones you love. Don't give up.

Bareno Run 2011

2011-04-07T17:34:00.001+08:00

Bareno Run 2011, held at Bukit Jalil, offered races of different distance, among them are 21km, 10km and 5km. With much consideration, I signed up for 5km, knowing I can run much competitively and confident in that distance. Furthermore, you get the same medal and vest for each of the distances. The only difference is that 21km enable you to have an additional Finisher t-shirt which I own one too. Ask me about it ;).

Aiming for top 10 position in the 5km race, I ran my lungs out. To my dismay, only to realized I finished 25th in the Men Open category :(. I encountered something different in this run - there is this man running in my category, every time he overtakes a runner he will shout cynically "CUTTING YOU!" or "OVERTAKING YOU BRO!" or something like that. Obviously, it is very ANNOYING. Determined to lose him, I increased my running pace and make him eat my dust har har. Didn't hear him annoy me anymore after I out-paced him ;).

Khai Sim, myself and Kevin.

& this time it's Khit Yeng in between the batangs.
Khit Yeng and Kevin are both top runners from their respective 21km Women and Men category. Woots!

This are the pictures derived from my "26km" story. Ask me, Khai Sim, Khit Yeng or Kevin about it :p.

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& also there are a bunch of UTARians from Kampar who ran this run too, most of them are members of Miracle Milers. Hence the picture. I'm not a Miracle Miler or Pacesetter or obligated to any running club but I was welcomed to join the group shot. Thanks :).

Cheers from Miracle Milers :)!

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This Sunday I've got a non competitive charity run - Volunteerism Run. Looking forward to it :)

Michael Bublé's Crazy Love Tour - Malaysia

2011-04-01T03:01:00.002+08:00

Do you agree if I said blogging has gone out of fashion? To be honest, I don't think anyone reads my blog anymore. Sadly. However, I'm determined to keep it going, writing my memoirs, and events that I would like to remember for times to come. Wonder when will I actually stop blogging?

A couple of weeks ago some of us were called by Justin to work as usherer/ticket checker for Michael Bublé's concert. The event company is paying us peanuts (RM70), but we were looking forward more to the show. Venue, Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam. Surprisingly the media coverage of the concert wasn't the best? Or was it done on purpose? Concert tickets range from RM300+ to RM1000+.

I was assigned to work at the center zone at the front. Dressed in his trademark suits, he's way more entertaining than I ever thought he is. The opening performance was spectacular. Personally, throughout all of MB's songs, lots of credit do go to Michael Bublé's band. But Michael Bublé's God-like vocal capability just lifted everything to sheer perfection. Not to forget MB has a good sense of humour too!

He's one heck of a smooth artiste, everyone raptured into madness when he impersonated the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. He sang Billie Jean, danced, moon-walked, grabbed crotch - resembling MJ so much. Michael Bublé is surprisingly good in sliding around the stage and dancing!

In addition to a number of his own songs he sang, he playfully sang Black Eyed Peas' Tonight is Gonna Be a Good Night, Glee's song, Beatle's. He gracefully mentioned he doesn't all the spectators who paid good money just to watch a concert, he wants them to have fun, party and enjoy it so much more! He definitely made the fans swoon, especially the aunties D:

Damn right we were mesmerized.

The Yue siblings ;)

Benjamin and I - we were assigned to work in the same seating zone. Boy, were we lucky.

Very, very pathetic lunch. Thank God there were an Ayamas truck nearby!

Among the many usherers who were 'paid' to watch the gig

Stadium Malawati sure do look bigger from the inside.

MB singing my favourite song of his - Home :)

A shout out to all his beloved fans!

Michael Bublé : "I'm not a sweaty person but I sweat a lot here. Malaysia, I would love to come back again but next time promise to improve the air-conditioning or I'll be dressing like Beyonce (sexy)"

Christine who worked at the VIP zone took this shot, yes he was that close :p.

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He also shared a joke, after the fans sing along to his songs, he said,

"You all are giving me goosebumps. You all can sing well. I would love to go to the bathroom with you"*girls going crazy
"What were you thinking? Go to the bathroom to SING together, because the acoustic is good, nothing else"
*girls' hype-ness level decrease but laughed shamelessly haha

One heck of an enjoyable concert. Never a single bit regretted taking up the job to watch MB's brilliant performance.

Reebok Zigtech Treadmill Challenge at 1 Utama

2011-03-31T02:13:00.002+08:00

& the blogging resumes. Damn, my procastination is so severe till I even forgotten the date of the event! Let me see.. Oh yes! 26th Febuary!

Reebok Zigtech treadmill Challenge is simply 48 hour non-stop running on treadmill in attempt to record the highest amount of calories burned collectively. By running an hour each runner are given Reebok and GNC goodies. Among them are Reebok bag, shirt, GNC health supplement, and many more.

The challenge took place at 1U, with so many people participating - Christine, my brother, Khai Sim, Louis and myself are among the particpants. Each of us are required to put on the very bulky Reebok Zigtech shoes to run.

With the speed range of 10-14km/hour, steepness ranging from 0-2, duration of 60 minutes, I burned 1033 calories. Speaking about calories, do you know a Big Mac contains approximately 550 000 calories. Damn.

This is Christine taking up the 1 hour treadmill challenge at 1am in the morning.

Adjusting the treadmill speed.

The female Reebok Zigtech shoes provided for the run

Menacing behind "running" Christine. She's so good, she can "run" while uploading photos through her iPhone D:

Girls devouring bananas. Naise.

Christine and her supporters x)

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I was allocated to the 8am time slot to run. Oh well, at least my situation's better than those who register but couldn't run. Hooha pledged to organize a better one next year :D!

Thian Hong and Christine tagged along to support me for the 1 hour run. So sweet of them waking up so early :).

Rise and shine guys! :D

Having bananas before runs are common as an immediate source of energy. Thian Hong's eating banana because he's just.. hungry :)

Gearing up for the run

Stretching

& did I mention I loathe the Zigtech shoes? Bulky giler. Almost like a basketball shoe.

While I was running...

& still running..

Thian Hong and Christine entertained themselves by camwhoring;

Martian-Hong

Potential Reebok ambassador

:O :O

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When I'm done, I had my fair share of appearances in the camera too :p

Sweat-tee

Posing with the shoe that made my feet swell =_=

Redbull Show-men

That's a wrap!

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After that, time for breakfast! Thian Hong suggested he should eat Village Park's Nasi Lemak again because it was too good :P

Makes me wanna have a plate now D:

Aaaah heavy breakfast there! Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng + Ayam Goreng + Milo Dinosaur for Thian Hong's dinosaur appetite :P

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Later on, I sent Christine back to her house at SS2. Knowing her house is right behind Edusmart, we decided to drop by because it's been so long since we last pay Uncle Chan and Madam Molly a visit!

But sadly, they weren't around. So we left a door note! Uncle Chan called us later on to thank us for being thoughtful and dropping by. He later added his famous quote "sow and you will reap" and Thian Hong replied with Pn. Molly's famous quote "Yes will study hard if not it will be like digging your own grave" which made Uncle Chan burst into laughter too.

Thian Hong doing the honour of writing the doornote

It says "We love you Pn Molly and Uncle Chan. Lotsa love!" :)

& for procrastinating so long I successfully finished 1 of many blog posts.

Tongue Challenge.

2011-03-10T06:01:00.002+08:00

1. Find a cherry stalk (it can be preserved or fresh)

2. With that cherry stalk, tie a knot using only your tongue.

Being able to do so it is said that you're an excellent kisser.

Share with me if you can do it ;).

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Well, I successfully tied a cherry stalk knot ;

... twice in 2 attempts ;).

Chinese New Year 2011 - Family Edition

2011-03-10T05:53:00.002+08:00

Blogging. Something I've not done for quite some time. Firstly, I'm currently hooked on the tweeting, updating my Twitter more frequent. I was seriously occupied! Busy is an understatement, I barely have time to shit some times. Youth nowadays are so good in multi-tasking, juggling so many social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Blog, Foursquare, and so on. It's good to have good networking, socializing, but don't engage in it too much till you do not have time to do productive work or even drain your precious energy.

Hmm, I never wanted to ditch this beloved blog which is filled with my memoirs, so here I am. I shall blog about an overdue post on Chinese New Year. It was a month ago? Because my paternal grandfather passed away last year October, it's Chinese Custom that we do not celebrate the following Chinese New Year, not supposed to give angpau and so on.

However, we're not too superstitious, we went on to embrace Chinese New Year, but in a low note. Didn't do much. The Chinese New Year break this year was good because Thian Hong, Ser Siang, Wei Guan made their way back from Australia, Hong Kong and UK respectively! It was Thian Hong's first time celebrating Chinese New Year in Malaysia since he left for Australia in 2006!

Duck, Prawns, Fish, Chicken, Vegetables, Soup - Wholesome dinner :)

Chinese New Year's Eve Reunion Dinner with the Lums at OUG.

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On the first day of Lunar Calendar, we make our way back to my maternal side, at Teluk Intan.

Chinese New Year at Teluk Intan is becoming more on more interesting ;). With 28 grandchildren, there's never a dull moment at my uncle's place at Teluk Intan.

Very gratifying dinner at Poh Loong - also conveniently celebrate my ah ma's birthday :).

Fortune Pot? The sauce is delicious. The scallops, chicken, pork, mushrooms - delightful!

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SOUP I EVER HAD!
As I remembered there was a whole chicken, fish maw, herbs and a lot of scallops :)

Sang mee

Halfway through dinner we were entertained with lion dance!

Meet my cool and fit 2nd uncle ;)

The youngsters - aww so cute :)

L-R Foong, myself, Irene, Wai, Ai Wee and Pui Cheng

The 'young girls' - NOTE MY MUM IS OUT OF PLACE :P

I love you ah ma :)

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This year, we had a rather formal talent time after the dinner. With cash prizes up for grabs! There were less participation than expected, but nonetheless we still had a good time :)! There were singing, dancing, skate-boarding, football freestyle and magic tricks :)

Foong and I were the emcees for the night :)

Jian Eng skate-boarding and spinning the pillow simultaneously - good balance!

Sze Hong the whiz kid performing 'magic tricks'

Not blessed with much entertaining talent, I performed juggling acts with the football :) - and won 1st runner up (cash prize of RM80 :))

'Volunteer' performers, 2nd uncle and 1st aunt singing a mandarin song together ahah :)

4th uncle from Singapore, flanked by his daughter - sharing a word of advice with his niece and nephews.

The little performers showing off their cash prizes in red packets after their performances :)

Performers for the night with VVIP - ah ma and ah kong :)

Group photo :D

Seeking blessing by releasing flying lanterns that has wishes written on it :)

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The night is still young for the young adults :). Therefore a number of us proceed to McDonalds for supper and a prolonged chit chat session.

Gossip time ;) - had a number of good laughs sharing various stories!

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The following day, most of my relatives left Teluk Intan, leaving my family and Irene's family. So, the following day was an outing with my siblings, Jay Sern, Irene and Ai Wee. Catch a movie, went for rojak, ice kacang, played Frisbee and had a long photo-taking session. Good bonding session indeed.

One of the many cookies made by my cousins and aunt :)

Irene tossing the Frisbee!

Jump shot!

The girl that I adore most, my youngest sister :)

Flying Kick with Jay Sern!

Yes, we took pictures till sunset :P

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Later that night, we had a mini surprise birthday celebration for my mummy.

Mummy's 47 but still looking good! - All smiles :)

Oh dear, it's 5.50am now. I need to go to bed. Will be blogging soon if I manage to steal time from my busy schedule. See ya :).

Me Papa.

2011-02-08T14:12:00.001+08:00

That is my father in his teenage days, haha Pa, you used to be so thin! Do you think I resemble him? Will post up more pictures if I happen to find any hehe.

Dad in his 20s.

Look really different here already. But I swear he look more handsome in his 30s ;).

Seeing my father so thin last time and having a belly now, I can't strike out the chances of me growing up with a belly too. I pledge to remain fit till old :D. I love my old man!

The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race - The Aftermath.

2011-02-02T06:09:00.001+08:00

I'm getting lazy, yes I am - in blogging at least. I used to be able to blog immediately after a particular event. Here I am, doing an actual feedback on the whole Maxis Om Nom Nom race which took place on 15th January.

The team consists of Khai Sim, Louis, Yi Ching and I. Firstly, we're 1 out of the 15 teams selected to participated in the race. Being picked among so many bloggers all over the country is a creditable feat already. Thank you Nuffnang for picking me and my team ;). As preparation for the race, we gathered all sorts of gadgets like camera, Maxis broadband, Garmin GPS, 3 laptops, YES huddle and of course a car which is my Proton Saga.

Those are actually additional gadgets. In fact, we're provided with gadgets like laptop, Maxis broadband, and an iPhone 4. Did I mentioned each and everyone of us secretly dream of bringing back the iPhone? Not to forget we're given an over-sized event shirt each.

Basically in this race, there are 5 food locations. We'll be given coordinates of a particular location, then a marshal there will hand us a riddle to solve to identify the actual restaurant/food location. While sampling various dishes, we're required

Our starting point - Modesto Capsquare

A part of Modesto's bar

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At Modesto, there were welcoming speeches and briefing. Breakfast was also served :). We were told to eat more because the food served at the restaurants might be not enough. BAD IDEA. There's so much eating it blows your mind, haha.

Robb from Nuffnang distributing the iPhones to respective teams ;)

Louis and I, all ready to Om Nom Nom!

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Location #1 : HSBC Bank which lead us to -

Strawberry Fields Cafe at PJ Old Town.

Our adorable, secret weapon - Miss Rei ;)

Yi Ching with the Strawberry Fields Fried noodle and I with the Pineapple fried rice.

All smiles from the Foodologists :)

Verdict : Our team was 1st to reach! My dad brought me there before. The ambiance is fine, ideal for a drink/snack while watching football. But food-wise, it is not that good. There's a shop in the same row that serves delicious duck rice. To be frank, I would recommend that instead of the latter.

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Location #2 : McDonalds Sunway Pyramid which lead us to -

Tarbush, Sunway Pyramid

Ching with some pudding. Shoo cute.

Louis and I both want a bite of the scrumptious Arayes Chicken

Verdict : It was tough finding parking at Sunway Pyramid, as usual! Yi Ching found the place because recognized the cameraman and trailed him. We were once again the first to reach! Feeling ecstatic, I took our time, enjoyed the food and blogged. In fact Tarbush is one of my favourite restaurant among the 5 restaurants we visited. Tarbush serves really delicious Middle-Eastern cuisine (eg. Arayes Chicken, Briyani Lamb). However, we got too carried away and wasted too much time here. To make things worse, I couldn't recall where I park my car. Wasted some time there.

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Location #3 : McDonalds Uptown which lead us to -

Sate Kajang Hj Samuri, Damansara Uptown

Verdict : Arrived 2nd. Tummy was pretty full by then already. Hence, we barely enjoyed the sate served. This restaurant serves tender sate meat, ideal if you suddenly have sate craving. At this location, we wasted no time and hustle our way through to complete our tasks.

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Location #4 : McDonalds, Kepong which leads us to -

Thai Base Restaurant, Kepong

Verdict : GPS screwed us up on the way to this route. Screwed us up so bad I don't wanna talk about it. We reached the place 6th. At first I was thinking, ah Thai restaurant, nice - cause I fancy Thai food. To be honest, I've tasted so many better Thai food compared to those served at Thai Base. Tad bit disappointed.

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Location #5 : DOME, Bangsar Shopping Centre which lead us to -

Dancing Fish, Bangsar Shopping Centre

Verdict : We stepped up the speed and was 4th to reach! Definitely the best restaurants among all the one we've visited all day! The food served mouth-watering, ambiance is great, the staffs were welcoming. Dancing Fish, a funky name that serves a uniquely prepared fish. Serving Malay-Indo cuisine, it rattles my taste buds and very likely I would go there again :).

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ALL 5 LOCATIONS CHECKED! Rushed back to the finishing point, Modesto Capsquare. Much thanks to the awesome/bad/reckless/skillful driving of mine, we were the 2nd team to reach the finishing point.

However, speed is not the only element considered in winning the race. In fact, they judged the quality of our blog posts, Twitter, Facebook etc. So it's pretty debatable who earn the most points. Unfortunately, we didn't win 1st or 2nd. There goes the HTC smartphones and trip to Hong Kong :\.

I couldn't ask for better teammates - Yi Ching, Louis and Khai Sim.

Nobody goes home empty handed!

Among the goodies we brought home :)

I have to say it was a very fun and enjoyable experience, thank you Nuffnang and Maxis for organizing such an interesting event! Will be eager to participate more in bloggers' events from now on.

It's Chinese New Year Eve tomorrow, Gong Hei Fatt Choi! & Thian Hong's coming back Malaysia tomorrow woohoo!

Skytrex - Extreme Challenge!

2011-01-18T01:16:00.001+08:00

On the second day of the year 2011, I successfully organized a bunch of us to go for Skytrex! After hearing so much about it, Skytrex is definitely in my to-do list! Knowing Lisa is keen on having fun around tree canopies too, so she came and brought along her Sydney friends and I brought the Cengal bunch, plus Yi Ching and Karen :).

Skytrex Adventures basically eco-recreational acitivities which will take participants from tree to tree (on the canopy!) via series of aerial obstacles suspended at 3 to 22 meters in the air. Agility, courage, strength are needed to complete the challenges in the sky. But don't worry guys, it's utterly safe!

To go for Skytrex, you've to make reservations and pay via online. Among the routes they have are:

Extreme Challenge RM45 (RM40 effective 1 Jan 2011)
Big Thrill RM40 (RM45 effective 1 Jan 2011)
Little Adventure.

However, if you get more than 10 people to go, you're entitled for a 10% discount. There are 13 of us so each of us only need to pay RM40.50 for Extreme Challenge :).
Interested? Visit its official website.

Before going for Skytrex located at Taman Pertanian Shah Alam, we went over to Klang to have Bak Kut Teh brunch at Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh.

Potential Bak Kut Teh Restaurant ambassador ;)

Dried Bak Kut Teh, Yau Char Kwai, Sang Choi, Wet Bak Kut Teh. After having our tummies filled with these scrumptious food, we're energized to for all the climbing and flying fox woots!

Weng Hoe driving us there ;)

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Upon reaching, you've to pay RM3 to the reserve forest and there will be a shuttle bus/van/vehicle that will drive us to the Skytrex location. Be prepared for a really bumpy ride.

The good looking couple, Brian Moi and Mei San :)

Myself, Weng Hoe, Slyvester(Quan Yuan's friend that replaced Lilian) and Quan Yuan

Next, we're required to sign indemnity forms, and put on gloves. (You can purchase new ones for only RM3 or use the recycled gloves they provide for free).

& yes, place RM5 deposit if you wish to have a locker for your belongings.

Weng Hoe and Quan Yuan are readeh!

Hi guys, meet Karen :)

Climb!

Everybody excited!

Harnest and gears will be provided. Don't worry there are crews to help you out ;)

Top (L-R) : Dexter, Brian, Slyvester, Quan Yuan, Sabrina, Kar May, Yi Ching and Karen
Bottom (L-R) : Lisa, Mei San, Weng Hoe, myself
Missing : Li-Jen
All ready with the harnest! Off we go guys!

Took us 2 hours ish to finish, with around 33 obstacles. Can actually finish it real fast but the waiting for one another is what dragged it so long. I was actually kind of shocked as I reached the last obstacle, thinking to myself, "Har, that's it?". To be honest a bit potong la cause I was expecting more.

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Upon completion of the Extreme Challenge!

Sab the Hitman

Sab making Quan Yuan and Weng Hoe do the same pose lol.

All smiles :)

In the shuttle bus/van/vehicle that's gonna send us back

These are a few ~~syiok sendiri~~ shots of me.

Ze ladies ;)

Final group picture before we depart :)

Frankly, we definitely enjoyed ourselves, but to be honest, it's not as scary or as challenging as we thought it would be. Would probably come back to taste the Big Thrill, or even cycling around Bukit Cahaya - but not anytime soon :P.

The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race - Location #5 : Dancing Fish, BSC

2011-01-15T17:32:00.004+08:00

Tis’ has been an enticing journey around Klang Valley and Kuala Lumpur. Reached our final location for the Maxis Om Nom Nom race: Dancing Fish- Malay-Indo Cuisine! WE ALL LOVE THIS PLACE, although it may be a lil secluded to be located at the third floor of BSC. But, this place is a gem!

To be honest, our taste buds have been pampered so much for the day. Being at this last location kinda makes us feel sad for not having more time at each location to savor each of the dishes gao gao! Meh.
Anyway, enough with the emo-ness…

This is how the outer part looks like! Pretty, no?

And the interior:

Classy much! So romantic, ain’t it?

Well, as usual, we are extremely easily to be distracted with food. Started to dig in when the food is served. Om Nom Nom!

For starters, we were served emping with sambal terasi. Made from nuts, it is balanced nicely with the spiciness of the sambal.

We were also served some barley and lime to quench our thirsts after racing around PJ/Kepong/Bangsar and KL ALL DAY!

And here comes our beautiful mains:

The Ayam Panggang – yummy and tender spring chicken, charcoal-grilled to perfection after going through some serious marination with their famous homemade BBQ sauce. It is served with ulam, which seemed as if some mango juice was dripped all over it, adding a tinge of sweetness and asam chili sauce to help accentuate the flavors of the chicken. We personally enjoyed this greatly, as the combination of the wonderful tastes made us feel proudly Asian!

I love the chilli yo. *slurrp

Ching giving dancing-fish kissy kissy.

And their house favorite, as their restaurant is aptly called, the Dancing Fish! As the manager explained, the fish is fresh from the tank deep fried until golden brown, whilst ensuring that the juiciness is kept. He goes on to say that it is prepared in the image of a traditional Indonesian Baron Dancer, as you can see by the unique cut and placement of the fish. It is served with their homemade sambal terasi. Heck, it was fried until the bones were edible! The sauces helped balance out the hard and dry exterior of the fish, and we ate as much of it as we could!

They also served us some gelato for dessert!

It is truly a pleasant place to dine in, with decent price too. I give this place a 4.5/5 and do recommend this place as a decent eatery destination. More information? Check the deets below!

Details:

Address: Dancing Fish, Lot T120, T121, T122, Third Floor, Bangsar Shopping Center (right above Tutti Frutti)

Contact Number: 03 2095 6663

Business hours: 11.30am - 3pm and 6pm - 10pm daily. However, on public holidays and weekends, they are available from 11.30am straight till 10pm! Nice!

The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race - Location #4 : Thaibase Sdn Bhd

2011-01-15T16:16:00.001+08:00

4^th location at Restoran Thaibase Sdn Bhd with the Foodologists for the Maxis Om om Nom race. More good food to savour! Woo hoo! Located the place right in the heart of Sri Damansara. As we heard, this place mainly does catering. Food here tasted awesome as well.

This is how the outside look like, recognise this well for future visits, peeps

And the interesting interior design with plenty of aquariums with pretty fishies swimming in it as displays. Look look:

Well, the main outline here is the FOOD! Wheeeeeeeeeee~~~ With a reasonable and affordable pricing, this place is not bad for a good family dinner. Check out what we had:

Yum yum? Even out little Yi Ching still has space in her tummy for more of these food! Haha.

Salivating yet? Tee hee. Now, if you are interested...

Details:

Opening Hours: Daily from 12 noon to 10.30 night. Closes on public holidays and Sundays though =S
Address: Restoran Thaibase Sdn Bhd. No. 7-1, Jalan Tanjung SD 13/2 Bandar Sri Damansara, 52200 Selangor.
Contact Number: 03-6275 2284

The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race - Location #3 : Sate Kajang HJ Samuri

2011-01-15T16:13:00.001+08:00

Chicken, Rabbit, Mutton and Venison Sate

Succulent, tender meat. This sate meats are grilled to perfection and taste absolutely amazing. Sate Kajang serves a wide range of meat to choose from such as beef, chicken, mutton, venison and even rabbit meat. It definitely is a must try for those who have never tasted any rabbit meat before in their life.

The sauce that accompanies the sate sticks taste really good as well. It’s like most typical sate gravies which have a very nutty flavour to it but what makes this special is that it isn’t that sweet and the peanut aroma isn’t overwhelming. Even our teammate, Yi Ching who hates peanut didn’t mind it all that much.

As usual, there are side dishes accompanying the sate sticks such as cucumbers and ketupat. The vegetables and ketupat go very well together with the peanut sauce and we all love it. It tastes good and I’m pretty sure that everyone regardless of age will love it just as much.

Besides that, they serve other Malay food as well.

This Damansara outlet has ample amount of dining seats (2 storeys). It is decorated with simple elements of wood that resembles traditional Malay architecture.

Check out the collection of antique clocks they have.

Details:

Address – Damansara Utama, Uptown (Same row as Village Park Nasi Lemak)
Tel – 03-77105318
Business hours : 11am – 12am (perfect for snack, lunch, tea time, dinner and even supper!)

The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race - Location #2 : Tarbush Restorant, Sunway Pyramid

2011-01-15T14:24:00.001+08:00

We have now reached our second destination, Tarbush in Sunway Pyramid! We’re pretty pumped that we’ve kept our lead :)

History: Tarbush is the leading Middle Eastern Restaurant in Malaysia. Since its humble beginnings as a small sandwich bar in Ampang in 1998, Tarbush has 3 other branches: Jalan Bukit Bintang, Starhill Gallery, and Batu Feringghi, Penang. The next branch will be opening in Wisma Atria in Singapore so our friends across the sea will also enjoy wonderful Middle Eastern cuisine that we Malaysians have come to adore. Besides these branches, there is also an Al Halabi Lounge in Marriot Hotel on Jalan Bukit Bintang.

With Ms. Shereen, BossLady of the establishment!

Drinks Ice Lemon Tea (RM9.00) and Lemon Na ‘Na’ (RM11)

Arayes Chicken (RM20.00)
Crunchy, pan fried Lebanese bread wrapped around flavorful minced chicken with greens and a lemon to squeeze on the side. We personally enjoyed this the most among all the wonderful dishes served to us at Tarbush. It’s basically a savoury grilled sandwich Middle Eastern Style!

Biryani Lamb (RM24.00)
Louis was the only one amongst us to have tried Biryani Lamb before, just once, in KL, and this was totally incomparable! It was an explosion of flavors and tastes in all our mouths. The generous portions of Lamb were amazing to eat; juicy, tender and well-done! The accompanying chili sauce and curry also went very well with the Biryani rice. The aroma of the parsley also brought out the best of the Biryani.

Appetizer: Humus Tahinah (RM10.00) and Dessert: Mahalabia (RM10.00)
A mildly tasting milk cream pudding garnished with chopped pistachio! We thought it was a pleasant way to end our meal after all the strong tastes and herbs we’ve been having!

Décor:

The restaurant is well lit and had wonderfully comfortable chairs! 2 wonderful fountains placed in the middle of the restaurant. Cushioned seats and beautiful Middle Eastern pottery and paintings adorned the inside.

We also learned that they serve shisha for those of you who enjoy it after 3pm daily!

Details:

Opening Hours: Daily from 10am-1am, perfect for chilling after a late night movie!

Address: Tarbush Restaurant, Sunway Pyramid, LG Floor. It’s in the Marrakesh area of the pyramid, near FootMaster Spa & YinYang clothing.

Contact Number: 03-5633 9222

Fax: 03-5635 5922

Branches: Bukit Bintang – 03-21428558, Starhill – 03-21446393, Penang – 04-8852558, Tarbush Express (Pyramid) – 03-56353830

The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race - Location #1 : Strawberry Fields Cafe

2011-01-15T12:56:00.002+08:00

SO ! Our team, the Foodologists consisting of Khai Sim, Louis, Yi Ching and I have just arrived at the first location, the Strawberry Fields in OldTown Petaling Jaya in first place! Let’s hope we get to keep our lead at the remaining 4 restaurants!

Conveniently located in front of the MPPJ Building, The Strawberry Fields Café serves a variety of local dishes such as Asam Laksa (RM6.95), Tomyam Soup Meehoon (RM6.95) and even seafood like the Butter Cream Prawn Rice (RM9.20).

We were served three dishes to sample in total, the first:

Strawberry Fields Fried Mee RM 8.10
The springy thin noodles are a perfect expression of our local flavors, with ingredients such as fresh prawns, carrots and onions. It tastes like home cooked food which is something that most of us love. The flavors in the dish go together very well and the ingredients complement one another just as well.

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice RM8.20
The Thai Pineapple Fried Rice is as we expected: tangy, full of fresh seafood and comes served in a pineapple as it’s name clearly suggests! It does taste a lot like most Thai dishes I have had in Thailand before which is a very good thing. However, it isn’t very spicy. Probably the dish was tweaked a little to suit the tastebuds of us Malaysians.

Yi Ching devouring em D:

Both Main Dishes were served in hearty portions and were appropriately priced. Presentation wise, they were both served in a very eye-catching manner. For example, the Thai Pineapple Fried rice was served in a makeshift pineapple ‘bowl’ made out of an actual pineapple. As for the Strawberry Fields Fried Mee, it was served with vegetables that added colour to the otherwise plain looking dish.

Sagu Gula Melaka RM4.00
After tasting 2 main meals, time for desert! For desert lovers out there, you just got to come and try this. Just sit around chilling and indulge in the Sagu Gula Melaka. It’s sweet with good authentic gula melaka taste.

Decoration:

The Strawberry Fields Cafe is decorated with various tokens of the owner’s past, from Elvis,

to a small picture of the Beatles in the Kitchen:

Overall, we certainly enjoyed the local fare and decor. We would definitely recommend it to our friends and families.

Details:
Address: Ground Floor, Jalan Tengah, 46200, Petaling Jaya.

Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday (11.30am -2am) and Friday t0 Sunday (11.30am to 3am) – perfect for late night lepak/football match watching!

Phone Number: 03-7960 1268

The Strawberry Fields Café also has a branch in Taipan, Subang: 26, Ground Floor, Jalan USJ10/1B, Taipan Business Center, 47620, Subang Jaya.

Foundation Reunion - this time bigger and better ;)

2011-01-11T03:47:00.004+08:00

I used to be a blogger that puts great importance on the timeliness of my blog posts. But lately, I've a number of overdue posts coming up. Not procrastinating at my own will, just very occupied ;).

I successfully organized a Foundation gathering in the previous semester break, so I went on to organize a bigger one this time round with more people attending :).

Though some of us have parted ways (KBU, Segi, HELP, etc), but we still and will always be bonded by the fact we met and spent our 2008 together. It was great to meet up and catch up with each and everyone there :).

On the 27th December, 20 happy souls met up at The Apartment, The Curve to have a buffet lunch together. Frankly the lunch was below average, the appetizers were good, main course (beef stew and turkey) was average, soups (carrot and vegetable) were awful. However, the smiles on everyone's faces that day reflected how contented they were seeing all the familiar faces :). It was definitely worth the trouble organizing the event!

Photo credits to Ong Kean Seng. Thanks a lot :D!

Top row L-R : Sheng Wang, Wei Bin, Jason, Chai Yeng, Kah Yin, Kelly, Pui Yee, Seng Eu, Wen Kit and Ying Sern.
Bottom row L-R : Myself, Kevin, Wei Hoong, Sun Hoe, Kai Fu, Christina, Liang Yin and Shih Yeong.

Sheng Wang the broadcasting junkie,

Wei Bin the joker that sells electrical products now,
Jason the ladies man,

Chai Yeng the lovable sporty girl,

Kah Yin the pretty model,

Kelly the party go-er,

Pui Yee the happy-go-lucky one,

Seng Eu the Buff dude,

Wen Kit the Buff-er dude,

Ying Sern the Lam Fung,

Kevin the businessman,

Wei Hoong the caring-good-father-candidate,

Sun Hoe the dota-pro,

Kai Fu the #1 Donnie Yen fan,

Christina the accountant from Sunway,

Liang Yin the sweet birthday girl,

Shih Yeong the chef from Penang.

Ah, don't I just miss all of you. It was awesome reminiscing the good old Foundation days :).

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I shall just let the pictures do the talking :).

Shih Yeong, the eldest and he's like the elder brother to all of us. Ever concerned, ever caring. Great guy.

With Seng Eu and Wei Bin :)

With Kelly and Shih Yeong :)

Kah Yin and her friend Gena :)

All smiles :)

The bunch of not-so-early-early birds :P

The hunky men :)

The pretty ladies :).

Ah, Pyee with your new haircut, very hard to tell between you and your sister!

Thankfully she did not forget us (ok she did forget some) after gaining so much fame :p.

With Diong and Jason ;)

All wearing dull colour except for Sun Hoe who's in red x)

In addition to the gathering, we celebrated Lianyin's birthday :).

Pyee presenting her birthday gift to her bestie.

With the birthday girl!

The last group picture before we finally leave The Apartment.

Some of them left and the remaining bunch went on to catch a movie at E@curve.
14 of us watched Meet the Parents : Little Fockers starring Ben Stiller. If you've watched you might get this. Hard to believe Ben Stiller can actually shrug off Jessica Alba's seduction. Hard to believe ANYONE can deny Jessica Alba's seduction. Kaifu added they probably slept with each other after filming the movie. Hahaha.

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Kevin with the long list of tickets ;)

The bunch who watched the movie including Pui Yee who snapped this picture. Oh and Jia Ding only joined us later on :p.

Gorgeous Christmas decorations around the Curve :)

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For dinner, we head on to New Paris at SS2.

We had Champagne Chicken, Guiness Pork Ribs, Claypot Tofu, Mantis Shrimp Salted Egg, Stir fried Kailan, and... I can't remember :\. New Paris serves really delicious dishes, with minimal waiting time. Wanted to order Kam Heong Lala but they didn't have it that day. Hmmmm.

The dinner bunch

The boys head off to dota (they just couldn't resist themselves with so many kakis), while the girls went home.
On the other hand, I rushed off to futsal to celebrate the return of Basil from Switzerland. TFD reunion! 2 reunions in 1 day. Doesn't get better than that.

Till my next post, see ya!

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Oh by the way I've a Twitter account. Follow me if you bored ;).

One Step Closer to the Maxis Om Nom Nom Race

2011-01-06T05:33:00.006+08:00

I kept on seeing all the wonderful events Nuffnang organizes for bloggers and all but I've never had any luck in getting lucky with Nuffnang. I hope this time round is my virginity for attending bloggers-event would be taken ;) (I'm sounding like a slut eager to have my virginity taken haha).

Being someone who live by the tagline "Live to eat", eating as always been a pleasure. In fact, I would have weekly to-eat list, when I'm at PJ, Kampar or travelling! Visiting places that serve scrumptious food. Food taste has always prevail over ambiance for me. I wouldn't mind eating at the roadside if it serves delicious, glorious food!

This time, Nuffnang collaborated with Maxis to come up with this "food edition" of Amazing Race called "The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race"! I've participated in many treasure hunts but none are as exciting as this. I'm hungry. I'm eager for action! 15th January is the last weekend of my semester break before I return back to very simple University life at Kampar, I need to end it on a high and start my new year with a bang!

The following are details of "The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race"!

Date : 15 January 2011 (Saturday)
Venue : Modesto's, Ground Floor, Capital Square, 7 Persiaran CapSquare 50100, Kuala Lumpur
Time : 6am - 7pm
Dress code : customized “The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race” T-shirts will be provided (I would like a size M t-shirt, thank you :D)

This challenge will involve the iPhone 4, the Finder301 application and Wireless Broadband, ALL available through Maxis!

Find out more about the broadband here : http://www.maxis.com.my/personal/broadband/wireless_allplans.asp

Don't write Maxis off just yet! They have more great stuffs you just got to know! Check these out.

Maxis Finder301 Application:
This location-based app provides you with information on food, restaurants (we Malaysians just love to eat! Don't we?), ATMs, banks, clinics, police stations and so much more! Absolutely convenient and helpful!

You'll simply adore the food listings, can't never get enough of it! FINDER301 has the largest food listings in Malaysia, definitely handy for all foodies out there. Get phone numbers, addresses, food reviews and even a map to help you get there.

Plus, sign up to be a FINDER301 contributor & you'll be able to share your comments on food places you've been to with other food lovers!

Find out more here:
http://itunes.apple.com/my/app/maxis-finder301/id375530216?mt=8#

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Participating in "The Maxis Om Nom Nom Race" will definitely be a fun, pleasurable experience but here comes the best part! The prizes that make bloggers think this race is simply an event you can't miss!

PRIZES:
1st Prize : A trip to Hong Kong 3 days 2 nights with 5-star accommodation worth RM10,000 for all four members of the winning team and also 4 x HTC Desire Z (1 per winning member)! (I need a new phone and a trip to Hong Kong would be great I always wanna see how Hong Kong really is from all the Hong Kong dramas I watched ^^)
2nd Prize : 4 x HTC 7 Mozart (1 per winning member)! 2nd place also got smart phone each! Awesome blossom!
All 60 participants will be rewarded with Maxis goodie bags! No one goes home empty handed :D!

I'm so hyped! xD

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I would like to add on with a quote by Wallace Irwin. He once said "Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive."

-true, true that. Food lovers are usually associated with fat people, so how often do you find a food lover as fit as I am? (haha forgive I don't normally blow my own horn). I believe I have juggle well from being a marathon runner and someone who just loves putting any food into his mouth!

Among the many heavenly food I love! It's 5.30am right now and my stomach is making noises already ;(

Meet the 'Foodologists'! This team of 4 would consist of ;

Have you met a food blogger with abs? ;)

1. Meng Leong
- marathon runner who just enjoys running around the place searching for food! :)
click here for my posts on food :) - utterly love spicy food!

The petite and pretty Miss Rei :)

2. Yi Ching
-As you can see from the picture she's petite, hence more mobile haha. Yi Ching has very good features, in other words, PRETTY. I chose this picture which did not show her face because that's the catch. Nuffnang, choose us and you'll get a hot chick participating your event ;). In addition, I shall not promote further as she would not want more male fans as she has plenty of them already! Join the crowd and stalk her at her blog if you must ;).

"Argh I'm gonna eat you!"

3. Khai Sim

- she LOVES food, like married to them. She eats when she's happy, she eats when she's sad, she eats when she's bored, she eats the whole time! She even has an album on Facebook solely on food. LOL. Despite it all, Khai Sim's a sporty girl herself.

A very good shot of him playing Frisbee ;)

4. Louis Yap

- a friend of Khai Sim, a very outgoing guy with a pinch of attitude in him. He's definitely gonna spice up the food race, in a good way ;)

Here are the permalinks to their blog posts to enter this race:

Only 60 bloggers, 15 teams can be chosen! If we are chosen, I'll be utmost grateful and count my blessings. Fingers crossed!

Appreciated, flattered, complete.

2011-01-06T00:22:00.002+08:00

I've been going through an amazingly good time this semester break. Countless number of good happenings, too many to blog it all. But I just can not miss saying this.

Sometimes, good things happen to you when you least expected it. In this case I'm blessed I got to say, I'm utterly flattered.

Karen drew me, now it's framed up displayed in my living hall :).

I never got my portrait drawn, so I was feeling overwhelmed when I first saw the drawing thinking, "WOW it really does look like me right?"

Balancing the qualities of being artistic, athletic to baking, she's definitely one of a kind. It's been really since I last featured someone exclusively on my blog, so Karen, you should feel really flattered haha.

I shall not say further, at the moment all I have to say I'm having an absolutely awesome time lately :).

Malacca 1 Day Road Trip!

2011-01-02T03:28:00.003+08:00

Bid farewell to 2010! Usher in 2011! Happy New Year all :D!

Welcome the holiday seasons! It's the time of the year to be jolly as we meet up and catch up.

I've just finished my 2nd year in degree, and preparing to embark on the 3rd and final year. Time to recuperate, after all the energy drained from arduous studying for final exams. Returned from Kampar 2 weeks ago and I can say I'm pretty occupied.

Ah. At last. Decent time to sit down in front of the laptop. I've been all over the place during the holidays, barely have time to shit, literally! From running errands, road trip, meeting up with friends to attending parties. Despite feeling worn out from all the things I've been up to, I can't deny that I'm utterly having an enjoyable period :).

This semester break, I'm feeling really content with how things have been coming along, and the lovely familiar faces I met. I'll probably write other blog posts on the recent happenings.

This time it's regarding the Malacca road trip with Weng Wai, Mei Chern, Christine, MJ and Zhen Yang. The road trip plan was kind of impromptu where we were supposed to go Pulau Ketam? Then after much consideration I simply mentioned, "How about Malacca?" Next thing we know we're heading to Malacca. haha awesome.

Let me tell you how 6 of us are related. There are 2 couples here, MJ Christine and Weng Wai Mei Chern. Zhen Yang couldn't bring his gf so he prevented me from feeling like a lamp post :P. Zhen Yang and MJ are buddies since young. On the other hand Christine and Mei Chern are like in a relationship with each other. The link up is interesting, isn't it :P.

So on the 23rd Dec, we drove approximately 190km south for the sake of good Malacca food!

1st Stop.

Bullock Cart Ride!

The seats of the 'cab' that cost us RM10. This cows sure run on expensive fuel :P. Nothing to shout about, I don't think the ride is worth your RM10 though, such a rip off.

Us taking pictures despite the very bumpy ride xD

Zhen Yang and I with the very obedient bulls :)

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2nd Stop : Hoe Kee Chicken Rice at Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street)

Chicken, rice, rice balls. We had much more rice later on :P. Extremely hungry then as we wasted no time and dig in!

MJ and Christine, sweet couple ;)

Weng Wai and MJ checking out those goodies like real tourists do. You would be amused by the amount of random things they bought as they come across throughout the trip.. haha.

Bruce Low :O

Haha MJ with the Divine Rapier

The other couple, Mei Chern and Weng Wai ;)

Haha yes, they really bought these wooden swords :P. Whats with Zhen Yang and weapons.. Haha.

There this is him again. LOL

You find funny funny things along Jonker Street, oh, have you tasted Kuih UFO? Funky name for a biscuit/kuih.

MJ was literally blowing bubbles most of the time haha.

3rd Stop : Jonker 88 Dessert Place at Jalan Hang Jebat

It was crowded :O

2 Durian Cendol, Durian EPC, and the regular cendol :). Savoury but really sweet. Can't take this own regular basis, definitely =X

Group shot! I don't know why we wanted to snap here but we made a guy stand in the middle of the road to take a shot of us lol.

The funky cameraman with really nice hair. Later on, he moved backwards to snap more and caused a mild traffic congestion :P

Ah, the Stadhuys.

The penises of the trip - Zhen Yang, Weng Wai, MJ and I :).

Clashes of wooden sword with a windmill in the background? Confused scene.

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4th Stop : The Ship Museum

Group picture on the ship! RM3 per visit. The ship museum was kinda dull. Not recommended.

Foundation friend :)

WW trying out the vuvuzela he just bought :P. He's planning to wake the Kampar eastlake residents up in the morning with this, haha.

This is me, overlooking a canal :)

WW and I, ahha.

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5th Stop : The Jetty

Scenic view, taken by MJ.

All of us again of the buggy.

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6th Stop : A Famosa Fortress

This is me with the 2 Klang buddies :)

Mei Chern and Christine. Sorry guys, both are taken haha.

Smile :D

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7th Stop : Tan Kim Hock

Spend around RM50 per person there. The stuffs are not cheap :P.

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8th and Final Stop : Portuguese Settlement.

So many times I visited Malacca, but this is the first time I went to the Portuguese Settlement, small but dense area filled with Portuguese. We went at the right time, close to Christmas so there were plenty of Christmas lights decoration, very beautiful :).

Portuguese Square - where you can search for something to munch on ;). We dined at Restoran De Lisbon. But if you were to visit Portuguese Square, I would rather recommend you to eat at the food court which is slightly deeper in.

Kangkung belacan - Spicy but the balance of taste is poor.

Sambal Squid - sweet, spicy, not bad :)

Otak-otak - not bad, not bad.

Ginger clams - I found a lot of empty shells :(

Baked Fish - MJ and Christine loved it. I prefer grilled fish though.

Omelette - The simplest dish but was claimed damn yummy by all, haha.

The following are a few of the many lightings I mentioned just now :).

There I have come to the end of my post. It's 3.27am now I have to wake up early tomorrow!

Skytrex here I come muahaha!

Hatyai, Thailand - again?

2010-12-11T20:08:00.004+08:00

2 different years, same location.
I visited Hatyai last year, and did the same again this year. If this goes on it has might as well be a yearly affair. You might be thinking, my family is fond of travelling the same places over and over again. Hmm. I need to suggest new travelling destinations to my lovely father :).

I also have a tendency to travel around the study week (a week before the final exams), like I did 2 semesters ago to Langkawi with the fun bunch of Sports Club committees. Wait, it was 2 semesters ago? Time do passes real fast eh.

This year, it was a similar Penang-Hatyai trip, but I only joined the my family for Hatyai because I refuse to miss the French classes which were on every Saturday. So Sunday morning, I took a bus to Penang so my I could join the travelling group (my father, my mother, my youngest sister, my mother's sister and brother). Much thanks to Ah Wen who sent me to the bus station very early in the morning ;).

My brother couldn't join because he's currently doing his internship at Great Eastern, while my other sister Pui Cheng is still in the midst of her SPM.

Because I wasn't with them for the earlier Penang trip, so I shall just post pictures of food they ate in Penang to make you a little hungrier.

An extravagant bowl of prawn noodle, that has 3 huge prawns and 2 crabs. RM15

Ikan bakar - stingray. Lovely with a dip of spicy chili belacan

Mee jawa - good balance between the spiciness, sweetness and sourness

Crispy, crispy Apom!

Ou Jian! (omelette with oysters)

Mee goreng mamak

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A month ago, the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia and southern part of Thailand experienced terrible flood due to heavy downpour. Hatyai, located at the southern part of Thailand was also affected.

Teh ais everywhere. :(

The flood had caused property damages and affected the people badly. But by the time we traveled to Hatyai, the streets were cleaned, some buildings were repainted but mud stains can still be seen on some walls. Those underground supermarkets were completely submerged and washed out. During this Thailand trip, there were noticeably much less things to shop. The flood probably has hindered tourism and business around the area.
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Despite having less things to shop, there are still abundance of scrumptious food around!

I've forgotten the name of this, it's some dessert with preserved fruits, ginkgo, yam and sweet potatoes. Not very good but kinda pricey - 50 Baht per wall (RM5)

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One thing, you just got to love Thailand's 7 Eleven. In Malaysia, 7 Eleven usually charge much higher prices but that wasn't the case for Thailand. The goods from 7 Eleven are still very cheap! A bottle of Coke for 10 Baht (RM1), Tropicana twister for 15 Baht (RM1.50) and a big bottle of Heineken for 70 Baht (RM7).

The ever convenient 7-Eleven

My 2nd uncle with bottles of Chang Beer which cost 45 Baht each :) (RM4.50)

This is my aunt, a successful Great Eastern Insurance agent and my retired uncle who's leading an active lifestyle - while waiting for dinner to be served :)

Kerabu Mango - Hmm not the best I've tasted, would love it more if it was spicy.

Braised pork knuckles! - Highly recommended! Big portion with succulent pork meat yumyumyum :D

Stir fried prawn with asparagus

Otak-otak

Fish maw soup! Flavourful, definitely worth trying!

Last but not least, a very delicious pot of tom yum seafood :).

& with 6 dishes, 2 pot of rice, and chrysanthemum drinks the dinner costly merely 1090 Baht (RM109). Very reasonable! I had 3 big plates of rice to compliment the wonderful dishes. I've not ate so full for a long long time!

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After the heavy dinner my mum and her siblings went to go for leg massage, while my dad, my sister and I walked around to see if there're anything to shop :).

My adorable sister posing with the 2 zinc chairs and the crotch of a lingerie model for background haha.

At Hatyai you find plenty of stalls selling street food, among them are these big lobsters. However it's not highly recommended cause it looks dirty and not too fresh as well.

Back in the hotel room at Grand Plaza, toasting with what my aunt claim as "battery water"

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Next morning, after taking our scrumptious breakfast of porridge, tomyum noodles, konloh (dried) noodles and wan tan noodle, we proceed to Hatyai Municipal Park, which was like 15 minutes drive from our hotel. We were prevented from enjoying the Municipal Park to the fullest because it was raining heavily.

As the rain subsided, we do our prayers in the temple.

& bought birds to be released, as releasing birds, fish or other life forms have been traditional Chinese practices to seek blessings.

Foong posing with the cage of birds :)

My aunt, mother, sister and uncle :).

Soon to be free birds :). - I captured a video of them releasing the birds, but I find it cumbersome to upload video so I will just leave it out :p.

All 6 of us :). - Aunt, sister, mother, myself, uncle and father.

I love you for being there for me all the time :)

Handsome daddy and pretty mummy

Chew siblings :)

This is my sister as she is about to contribute to sound pollution.

RAWR haha soo cute.

Us riding the dragon haha.

The Lum family minus my brother and sister who couldn't join us.

Posing at the golden dragon's mouth

Us Lums again :)

She was about to do the middle finger because before snapping this picture I was criticizing her for being a cam-hog and spreading her legs so wide haha. I didn't teach this 12 year old the foul sign okay :\.

Lunch at some restaurant near the market. Cheap and very good!

Foong helping herself with the cashew nuts.

Me with bunch of dried sea cucumbers.

A cup of yummy coconut ice-cream in preparation :)

Coconut ice-cream. Consists of peanuts, glutinous rice, bread, bean and 3 scoops of really smooth cocunut ice-cream. & the best part is it's only 10 baht (RM1)! A must try!

Definitely earned the thumbs up from me!

Smiley mummy sipping on this fragrant Thai coconut. Only 25 baht (RM2.50) each! Cheap cheap.

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After walking around the market, we decided to go for massage just before our dinner :). 1 hour of massage (no hanky panky haha) for 200 baht. (RM20)

My sister and father waiting to be massaged :)

As you know, I'm sitting for final exams. So this is me reading through my notes while soaking my feet in warm water :).

Peace yo.

lol taken by my sister of her kiddie legs.

LOL look at the 12 year old's face, enjoy-nya haha.

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After massage, makan again!

Appetizing tom yum seafood again :D

Lala! :)

Fish cakes with some sweet sauce with peanut and cucumbers.

Green curry chicken with vegetables.

Ou Jian (Omelette with oysters). This one is not recommended. Penang's one better :P.

& one more dish of vegetables which we forgot to take. Total cost of dinner? Only around 700 baht which is RM70, considering there is 6 of us :)

The time we visited Hatyai, it was raining most of the time. Although the rain did hamper our activities, but we have umbrellas and raincoat to move around.

Pui Foong forced me to put this in my blog :\

Oh yes, I have to say the fruits I tasted at Thailand are total delights! Mangoes, pineapples, jack fruits, coconut.

Don't you just love Thai food :D?

As night falls, the adults bought even more Chang beer as we have another drinking session before going to bed.

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The following morning, after having really heavy breakfast, we left Hatyai as we head on for a long journey home.

Some jelly dessert thingie to fill our tummy throughout the long drive south.

I believe if you gone through the pictures above you're probably feeling a little hungry, unless you've just taken a meal haha.

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Last 2 papers to go!
& I shall go back to PJ with many activities on mind :D!
1 month holidays weeee.

UTAR Trekathon 2010

2010-11-22T20:18:00.003+08:00

Knowing UTAR does not have track and field events, UTAR Trekathon is the only running competition they have - at the moment. With students from all 4 campuses, Kampar, Sg Long, PJ and Setapak, as well as alumni and other universities, it is actually a fairly big event. After winning 1st runner up last year, of course I came back this year looking to kill the ghost in me, and get 1st. But sadly, I failed myself. Running the race under glaring hot sun with tricky terrain, I only manage to get 4th place clocking 17 minutes 32 minutes for a distance of 4.5km? It is hard to hide my disappointment, after the training I've done, foregone midterm, and missed Penang Bridge Marathon.

Losing only mean I have to step up my gear, no excuses when there are actually so many people who can do better. I treat disappointments like a wake-up slap to cut off slack. Of all people, Kai Fu gave me some words to think of, "Meng Leong, it's okay you didn't win, probably luck wasn't at your side. Sometimes despite having the ability and without luck, we can actually lose. It's like when I have no luck even some noob can pwn me in DoTA." hahaha.

Well done Chris, Sheng Wang, Jian Hong and Ying Sern for running the Trekathon! You guys did very good. *Clap. Especially Chris who actually had nasi lemak before running. Haha. Jason and Pui Shi dropped by to support us and made the whole morning more memorable :).

This year, it is held at some big ass lake garden at Kepong, Taman Metropolitan. Distance claimed is 6km which I highly doubt.

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This year, there is an additional tug-of-war telematch in the agenda. Among the 4 groups participating are UTAR Kampar, UTAR Klang Valley, Open Category, and Staff. As we gather the boys from Kampar for tug-of-war..

RAWR :)

Haha macam buffalo ini. Our 87kg anchor :D

Ready,

Set,

PULL!!

ARGH MORE POWER!

Ahhh, so worn out after the grueling pull

After defeating the Staff team, we move on to the finals against the Open Category which apparently is too robust for us Kampar team to handle. Finally, we settled for 1st runner up for tug-of-war.

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Not long later is the prize giving ceremony.

Mr. 4th place receiving certificate from Dr. Teh

Kampar tug-of-war team receiving a carton of Soyfresh as prize lol.

Top 10 winners from every category :)

Cheerful Kampar bunch :D

This is Jason, Sheng Wang, Jian Hong, Pui Shi, Chris, myself and Ying Sern(from L-R) at the starting line.

With Jason and Jian Hong ;)

With Bi Chai, who currently studies at KBU ;)

Sexy Chris with Pui Shi, Ying Sern, Jason and myself.

Us again, this time posing at the finishing line :)

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At the end of the day, I believe there is no point for me to sulk and I should just move on and pledge to improve myself.

"Train hard, win easy" - a quote made famous by Kenyan runners.

I'm tired.

UTAR Christian Fellowship Sports Day 2010

2010-11-18T15:55:00.003+08:00

Firstly, I've been commonly deemed as a Christian by others, mainly because the main language I speak is English and my minimal knowledge in Chinese.

My friends will go, "Meng Leong you're a Christian right? Cause you look like one."

Apparently the truth has deceived many, I'm in fact a Buddhist. Not the most staunch Buddhist around, but that's my religion. However, to be honest, I've attended more Christian activities and gatherings than Buddhist's. Christian activities have always been enjoyable because majority of the Christians are very friendly and I'm always amazed by the fellowship they have. Peer influence have definitely played a role in this, as many of the people of my age range joins Christian activities, making them seem more 'youthful' than Buddhist activities. Among the Christian activities I've been to are Church concerts, competitions, and mass gathering.

No intention on starting a religion debate here, just sharing my point of view. With all respect to Buddhism, I am actually more inclined to being a free-thinker. I simply believe it is important that we have respect on living beings around us and perform good deeds and ethics, as no religion would ever encourage sinful activities.

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Recently I've joined a couple of Chirstian Fellowship (CF)'s activities in Kampar, because I've been invited by my friends who are in it. Appreciate the fact that they welcome me despite not being a member of CF :). The most notable activity I've joined was the UTAR CF Sports Day.

Initially I thought, "Cool, finally Sports Day like the good old school days! Track events!"

Haha but I misinterpreted 'Sports Day' wrongly, the sports were actually referring to Captain Ball competition. I've played captain ball a number of times during secondary days, so I thought why not, it's gonna be fun :).

Held on a public holiday (Deepavali), early in the morning at an empty grass field at Kampar New Town. Met familiar faces there, and made new friends as well. I finally met Florencetina who was one of the organizers. She is Wei Guan's friend from Taman SEA after hearing Wei Guan mention about her for a number of times :).

Haha do we look like convicts waiting to be prosecuted?

The crowd listening to briefing gave by Ngee Derk.

After being divided into our respective groups, we were given 15 minutes to come up with a team cheer as well as discuss formation. My group, lead by Carmen, was named the 'Red Riding Hood' :p.

Red Riding Hood performing our team cheer :)

Group discussion on how to be competitively ahead of others in the following matches

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Being tall will definitely give you the upper hand in almost every sport, including a game of captain ball. In this competition that comprises both girls and guys, girls would be awarded 2 points for each successful point they 'score' and marking girls are not allowed to make things fair :).

The first match for our team was against 'Hard Gay' which was lead by Kelvin who ironically is the CF President. The word 'gay' is usually not associated to someone like a Christian Fellowship President haha. But they're a fun, sporting bunch of people :).

Check out Hard Gay's team captain, Kelvin doing his infamous Hard Gay pose! Haha

This is me with the ball, I look so tensed as if I was playing rugby :P. Damn, I miss rugby days with the Cengal bunch :\.

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My team came in second best in our first match against the Hard Gay in a closely competitive game, which means we will continue the competition in a lower league among the 'losers' :p. We changed strategy and played our hearts out and we eventually won Champion, in the 'losers' league :P. & Hard Gay were the overall Champion, well done!

The new friends I've made, my Red Riding Hood team mates ;)

This is when Ngee Derk announce us as the 'champion from the loser league' and giving us credit 'for not giving up'. Haha look at Tom's face receiving the wooden sword with obvious triumph expression.

Group photo :D

Once again, thanks for inviting to such activities and looking forward for more to come! A pleasure to mingle with each and everyone of you there ;).

The big Two O'

2010-10-30T23:47:00.007+08:00

On 25th October, I finally can call myself a man in his twenties. We're indeed getting older, embracing life lessons and accepting more responsibilities. Although things have really changed drastically from the previous year, I would like to hammer the thought to myself, that all these changes are for the better. Although I look content in expression, my heart is shrieking on loneliness, dwelling on the past.

~~Damn it how come every time I blog, I will somehow express unpleasant thoughts.~~

Listening to sad old love songs sure are having its effects on me. But I can't help it they're just so good and meaningful!

Anyway, days before my birthday, I was expecting to pass my 20th in a low note, hence not having any high expectations. But on the 23rd October, I traveled back to PJ from Kampar to celebrate with my family and friends. Had a simple lunch with family at a Thai Restaurant (I'm one who truly adore sour and spicy delicacies). Then at night, dinner at Skewers, Subang Avenue with Ser Siang, Yong Meng, Kar May, Sabrina, Choon Seng and Weng Hoe. Skewers serve awesome grilled food and burgers which are very reasonably priced. Definitely a place worth visiting :).

Cheers :D

Scrumptious food served :)

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First pint to many more beer to come that night :p

Myself, Kar May, Ser Siang, and missing Esther :P

Kar May with pint of Hoegaarden beer haha. Don't worry that's not hers but mine :P.

We former Kempas bois :). Thank you both for the Fred Perry shirt!

Pretty Kar May and Sabrina :)

So far the best Tiramisu I ever had! Added with a dash of Brandy, I heard Yee Ming(Yong Meng's sis) contributed to the recipe. No wonder it taste so good ;)

I wished :).

Thank you, every single one of you! Love you all :).

After Skewers, we moved on to Piccadilly at Millenium Square for round 2 beer drinking session, with addition of Khy Li, Zhi Lei and Vincent. As far as I know, we always drink more than we ought to. Initially the plan was I spend everyone 2 towers of beer, but at the end, we all had 4 towers. Monster x)!

Taman Megah friends :), and with Khy Li's girlfriend Zhi Lei

Bromance ;).
Yong Meng claimed he couldn't drink too much because he has a political reputation to protect :P.

Everybody that night :).

That night I think I drank a little too much, alright not a little, definitely too much. Enough said :p.

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After an awesome day back at PJ, the following day, my birthday eve, I'm back at Kampar. At night, Wei Hoong called me and asked me to watch football at mamak together, I agreed because I have no plans spending my birthday eve, and watching football is fine with me.

Soon, Wei Hoong picked me up and he said he got to return to his house to get something before going mamak. So I thought, no problem let's go his house.

As I enter his house..

They actually had a surprise mini celebration awaiting me! :)

Yummylicious pancake served with Vanilla ice-cream and Hershey's chocolate syrup. Prepared by Wei Hoong, Hor Yi, Xin Wei and Edmund :)

Definitely earned the thumbs up from me :)!

Chit-a-chat session ^^

Still staying close to our previous plan, watching football x)

Thank you dear residence of 1925 x)

Later on, we moved on to play DoTA with Mark, Kai Fu, Sun Hoe, Ah Lian, Chris and Sun Hoe's 3 other friends. This is the first time I spend the very beginning of my birthday(12am, 25th Oct) playing DoTA, while last 2 years I spent that with my very special someone.

DoTA with them are always fun, filled with laughter. Though playing DoTA might sound pathetic, but I wasn't sad a single bit :).

On my birthday itself, I spend most of the day eating and shopping at Ipoh with Chris, Kai Fu and Sun Hoe. Bromance, loving it. We shopped, tried clothes on, bought 'em, watched movie hehe. It's kinda queer that we watched a touching romance movie. But nonetheless, I enjoyed it, and hope you guys did too ;).

Back to Kampar for dinner at East Ocean Restaurant, together with Kai Fu, Sin Wei, Chris, Wei Hoong, Hor Yi, Edmund, Xin Wei, Sun Hoe and Ah Lian, which was my treat :).

Guess what was on the agenda after that? DoTA hahaha.

After a couple of hours DoTA, I was supposed to be home and supposed to be surprised by Denise, Yinli and Wan Kien ahaha. But I was too caught up playing with the boys, sorry to you three :P.

We had really funny conversations and chit chat for really long while sipping on the red wine Wei Hoong and the rest gave me :).

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Lots of thanks for my family took care of me, shaping me who I am today,
Thank you Jolynn for the Nike T-3 Futsal shoe,
Thank you Thian Hong for the phone call,
Thank you Ser Siang and Yong Meng for the Fred Perry shirt,
Thank you Kar May, Sabrina and Joanne for the Padini shirt,
Thank you Choon Seng for the Protein Shake,
Thank you Wei Hoong, Hor Yi, Xin Wei and Edmund for the red wine and cake,
Thank you Yinli, Denise and Wan Kien for the cake,
Thank you all who wished me through Facebook and text message, really appreciate it.

& the endless gratitude I would actually wish to express to the countless number thoughtful people around me. I'm truly blessed to have each and everyone of you in my life.

In a nutshell, I have to say I had an awesome 20th birthday :).
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When there is up, there is down.
When there is joy, there is despair.

Two days after my birthday, my paternal grandfather left to meet his Creator. He lived 95 years of blessed life, leaving behind faithful and loving children, in-laws, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

"Yeh Yeh, you'll be dearly missed and I will study hard like how you asked me to"