So who is taking part this year? Registration closing today. Too bad I will still be here in Melbourne. Anyways, I don't think I can improve much if I join this year. I may improve my running time from last year but that's only by 1-2 mins in each leg, and maybe improve my transition times. Mine was pretty bad. Most Top 20 competitor are under a minute or slightly above a minute. I did mine in 1:30 and 2:30 respectively (talk about losing time).
As for cycling, I doubt I can improve much due to my lack of cycling mileage. Last year, my time of 2:05 for the 64km ride is the slowest among the Top 35 in my category. Most of them are in 1:50s, with the faster ones doing 1:40s. So maybe if I can improve to 1:50, maybe I have a chance of a Top 8 (that's RM50 of prize money woh...at least something lah). Last year the 8th place finisher's timing was 3:24:51, so I am like...mmh..wait..18 mins 09 secs behind this guy. So let me do the math. If I improve my riding time by 15 mins...that will be 3m09s behind, then take 1 min away from my total transition time, 2m09s, so I just need to improve 1m10s in my total running time.
Top five in each category will qualify for the World Champs in Zofingen. Well that I need to improve my overall timing by 22m35s! Last year's 5th place was 3:20:26.
Haha....easier said that done. Running and trasition legs are possible, but have to train real hard to get to a 1:50 riding time. Add to the fact that each year you may have different competitors, different running condition, your own or other competitors' conidtion on the day itself. There will be a lot of factors that will decide how you will be positioned on race day. So best advice is train hard & smart, and do your best.
So anyone up for the challenge in qualifying for Zofingen? Or the RM50 challenge (No. 8) also can lah...hehe.
Here's the press release for the 2009 Malakoff Powerman Malaysia in The Star today.
Wednesday September 30, 2009
World champ Vansteelant out to reclaim duathlon title
KUALA LUMPUR: Newly-crowned world champion Joerie Vansteelant of Belgium has confirmed his participation in the 2009 Malakoff Powerman Malaysia, which offers a total prize money of RM130,000.
Race director Melody Tan said that the duathlon race in Seri Manjung on Nov 8 would also see South African Jason Spong defending the title and the presence of Vansteelant would make the competition a more exciting affair.
Vansteelant, who claimed the world championship title in Switzerland last month, was the Powerman Malaysia winner in 2007.
The event will also feature Andy Sutz, Erich Felbabel, Jarrad Adams and Miguel Capo Soler, who have all made it to the top five in previous years. The Malaysian challenge will again be led by Shahrom Abdullah.
In the women’s category, Australian Rebecca Preston will not defend the title.
The race will see several new faces, including Camilla Lindholm of Sweden, Caroline Koll of South Africa, Radka Vodickova of the Czech Republic and Victoria Beck of New Zealand.
The men’s and women’s champion will receive US$5,000 each.
Today is the closing date for entries and Melody said that until yesterday, a total of 740 athletes had confirmed their participation.
“We hope to see about 800 athletes taking part in this endurance event,’’ she said.
Besides the individual races (11km run-64km cycling-10km run), there will also be a relay event and the sprint duathlon (5.5km run-32km cycling-5km run).
The individual event will have 14 age-group of competitions and top five in each category qualify for next year’s world championships in Zofingen, Switzerland, in August. Powerman Malaysia is the only Asian qualifying event for the championships.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Dish for the Night
What's for dinner tonight? Well, Im beginning to run out of ideas as I got very limited brain capacity in cooking knowledge. Usually I will cook one vege and one meat dish.
Same old stir fry vege (cabbage, carrots and tomato) and this sweet sour beef soup. Only decided the last minute to do this when I found out I have only a little left of beef to cook a whole dish by itself. So cut everything else in cubes, i.e. beef, onion, carrot, potato, tomato. Threw everything in and add some other sauces and this is how it turns out...oklah...boleh makan lah.
Same old stir fry vege (cabbage, carrots and tomato) and this sweet sour beef soup. Only decided the last minute to do this when I found out I have only a little left of beef to cook a whole dish by itself. So cut everything else in cubes, i.e. beef, onion, carrot, potato, tomato. Threw everything in and add some other sauces and this is how it turns out...oklah...boleh makan lah.
SAUCONY Pacemakers Network Run 2010
This is an event hosted by the Der Pacemakers Group. Please sign up online if you are keen to give your support to this event. Limited number of entries accepted, so don't miss the boat. From my experience so far with some of the events hosted by them, thumbs up in terms of organising.
SAUCONY Pacemakers Network Run 2010
Date : Friday, 1 January 2010
Time : 7:30am Sharp
Start Point / End : Tapak A, Lake Garden
Registration List : http://h1.ripway.com/pm1/netrun10.html
Enquires : 016-2166277 Wong Kei Ming OR 012-2795208 Ronnie See
Online Registration : Click Here!
Proposed Itinerary:
06:00am : Arrival of volunteers
06:30am : Arrival of runners and distribution of bibs
06:55am : Last call for bibs distribution
07:15am : Briefing by designated spokesman
07:30am : Race officially starts for all categories
08:30am : Estimated arrival of top men finisher
08:35am : Light breakfast will be served
09:10am : Estimated finishing time of last runner
09:30am : Trophy presentation to all age category winners
10:00am : End of event
Distance :
Men Category - 12.32km (3.08km x 4 loops)
Women Category - 12.32km (3.08km x 4 loops)
Category of Age Group :
- Men 17-29
- Men 30-39
- Men 40-49
- Men 50 & above
- Women 34 & below
- Women 35 & above
Register Online :
http://pacemakers.webng.com/registration.html
Registration Fee :
RM32 per participant
Payment Method :
Payment can be bank-in to Maybank account No: 1-12241-11208-3, payable to WONG KEI MING
Your entry will be confirmed only after payment has been made. Kindly make your payment on or before 1st November 2009. Please inform us after you have made the payment.
Registration : Open!
Registered participants who do not turn up on race day will be disqualified and no medals will be awarded.
Finisher Medal :
All finishers will be awarded finishing medal regardless of completion time at the finishing station, located a short distance from the finishing line.
Trophy Allocation (TBC!) :
- Men 17-29 (? trophies)
- Men 30-39 (? trophies)
- Men 40-49 (? trophies)
- Men 50 & above (? trophies)
- Women 34 & below (? trophies)
- Women 35 & above (? trophies)
Refreshment Station :
There will be refreshment station from the 2nd loop onwards, located 10m before the starting point. Both isotonic drinks and mineral water will be available to all runners at the end of each lap. We urge that you drink at every lap to hydrate yourself.
Collection of Bib :
Participants shall collect their bib number during the reporting time. Please take note that bib number will not be distributed after 7.00am. Runners that do not wear their bib number will be disqualified. The race will be flag off at 7:30am sharp; therefore your punctuality will be much appreciated.
T-Shirt Size :
How to know the size? Please refer to the measurement as follows :
Shoulder x Length
XS : 18" x 26"
S : 19" x 27"
M : 20" x 28"
L : 21" x 29"
XL: 22" x 30"
T-shirt size are not allow to change once you confirm the size (Pls take note that we only order for the exact quantity of the T-shirt).
Breakfast / Group Photographs :
Food and refreshments will be served after the race. Please throw the rubbish into the provided garbage bags to facilitate cleaning up. Do to keep the park clean and LITTERING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you wish to have group photographs taken, kindly ask our cameraman on duty for assistance.
Parking :
Ample parking is available at the children playground, FREE of charge.
Public Toilet :
FREE of charge (Open @ 7am)
Check Points :
Due to a number of shortcuts available along the Lake Gardens routes, there will be checkpoints along the way, to ensure a fair competition for every participant. Marshalls in charge will also record number of lap you have run, to ensure each participant completed 4 loops (Men) and 4 loops (Women).
Waiver Clause :
The participants hereby agree to abide by the rules and conditions of the race, participants are entering the competition at their own risk and shall not hold the organiser responsibility for any accident, injury, death, loss of property however cause before, during and after the race.
'Do train hard and smart prior to the race as you will be rewarded with a well deserved a unique designed trophy for all your hard work and effort.'
brought 2u by der Pacemakers Network 2009
SAUCONY Pacemakers Network Run 2010
Date : Friday, 1 January 2010
Time : 7:30am Sharp
Start Point / End : Tapak A, Lake Garden
Registration List : http://h1.ripway.com/pm1/netrun10.html
Enquires : 016-2166277 Wong Kei Ming OR 012-2795208 Ronnie See
Online Registration : Click Here!
Proposed Itinerary:
06:00am : Arrival of volunteers
06:30am : Arrival of runners and distribution of bibs
06:55am : Last call for bibs distribution
07:15am : Briefing by designated spokesman
07:30am : Race officially starts for all categories
08:30am : Estimated arrival of top men finisher
08:35am : Light breakfast will be served
09:10am : Estimated finishing time of last runner
09:30am : Trophy presentation to all age category winners
10:00am : End of event
Distance :
Men Category - 12.32km (3.08km x 4 loops)
Women Category - 12.32km (3.08km x 4 loops)
Category of Age Group :
- Men 17-29
- Men 30-39
- Men 40-49
- Men 50 & above
- Women 34 & below
- Women 35 & above
Register Online :
http://pacemakers.webng.com/registration.html
Registration Fee :
RM32 per participant
Payment Method :
Payment can be bank-in to Maybank account No: 1-12241-11208-3, payable to WONG KEI MING
Your entry will be confirmed only after payment has been made. Kindly make your payment on or before 1st November 2009. Please inform us after you have made the payment.
Registration : Open!
Registered participants who do not turn up on race day will be disqualified and no medals will be awarded.
Finisher Medal :
All finishers will be awarded finishing medal regardless of completion time at the finishing station, located a short distance from the finishing line.
Trophy Allocation (TBC!) :
- Men 17-29 (? trophies)
- Men 30-39 (? trophies)
- Men 40-49 (? trophies)
- Men 50 & above (? trophies)
- Women 34 & below (? trophies)
- Women 35 & above (? trophies)
Refreshment Station :
There will be refreshment station from the 2nd loop onwards, located 10m before the starting point. Both isotonic drinks and mineral water will be available to all runners at the end of each lap. We urge that you drink at every lap to hydrate yourself.
Collection of Bib :
Participants shall collect their bib number during the reporting time. Please take note that bib number will not be distributed after 7.00am. Runners that do not wear their bib number will be disqualified. The race will be flag off at 7:30am sharp; therefore your punctuality will be much appreciated.
T-Shirt Size :
How to know the size? Please refer to the measurement as follows :
Shoulder x Length
XS : 18" x 26"
S : 19" x 27"
M : 20" x 28"
L : 21" x 29"
XL: 22" x 30"
T-shirt size are not allow to change once you confirm the size (Pls take note that we only order for the exact quantity of the T-shirt).
Breakfast / Group Photographs :
Food and refreshments will be served after the race. Please throw the rubbish into the provided garbage bags to facilitate cleaning up. Do to keep the park clean and LITTERING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you wish to have group photographs taken, kindly ask our cameraman on duty for assistance.
Parking :
Ample parking is available at the children playground, FREE of charge.
Public Toilet :
FREE of charge (Open @ 7am)
Check Points :
Due to a number of shortcuts available along the Lake Gardens routes, there will be checkpoints along the way, to ensure a fair competition for every participant. Marshalls in charge will also record number of lap you have run, to ensure each participant completed 4 loops (Men) and 4 loops (Women).
Waiver Clause :
The participants hereby agree to abide by the rules and conditions of the race, participants are entering the competition at their own risk and shall not hold the organiser responsibility for any accident, injury, death, loss of property however cause before, during and after the race.
'Do train hard and smart prior to the race as you will be rewarded with a well deserved a unique designed trophy for all your hard work and effort.'
brought 2u by der Pacemakers Network 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
4 Seasons in One
I was looking foward to another group run on Sun. I had a really great time running with them last Sun. It's been pretty chilly, wet and even hail on Saturday. Oh, before that, Geelong Cats won the AFL Grand Final. I wasn't sure what to expect watching the whole game as I'm not into footie. The game was quite fast and furious. St. Kilda was leading in all but the last quarter of the game. The final score 80-68.
I woke up at around 7.05am, with plenty of time to get to the meeting point. But when I look out the window, I can see the trees blown to one side, sky looks gloomy, I can hear the wind blowing from inside the apartment. It took me a long to decide whether I should step out the apartment and headout for a run or just stay in the warm bed. As I dont have much time to add in more mileage before Melbourne Marathon (MM), I decided to brave the wind and cold. I was already running late. When I reached the meeting point, I didn't see any familiar faces around. I got to know later that they were there but had to leave on the dot as it was cold for them to be hanging around there. Anyways, I knew I was going to be late, so my backup plan was to run with the Melbourne Marathon training series group which starts just a few blocks from the apartment. Their runs start at 8.30am. I got there just in time. One of the trainers informed that some doing shorter and the longer ones will be doing 24km. Perfect. I went with the group and it was a comfortable pace. We ran through some of the paths that will be used for the MM this year. Albert Park, Beach Road and MCG (ending). The pace was ok for me, but the wind was so strong that sometimes you have to hang on to a straight line if it was a crosswind. I tried to stay behind some runners but it didn't work. The sun did come out for a while which helps to heat up my cold body!
As we reach the Beach Road, it was challenging enough to run through it. Running besides the sea, we had lots of crosswinds and at certain parts, the wind blew the sand from the beach which got into my eyes. That was not a good feeling at all. As I was wearing contacts, I didn't want to rub it too hard as the air was really dry and it may come off easily. In the end, we did a sensible thing by running across the road to the opposite side of the footpath. I can't imagine myself riding with this wind. I'll probably get blown off with my bike.
You probably don't see it too often in Malaysia but the ladies are leading the way most of the time. They are really fast and they made it looked so easy. We went into the cover of buildings and that was quite a relief. It drizzled for a while but luckily it didn't get any heavier, otherwise I would have frozen! We stopped a few times for drinks and also to regroup. At one of the stops in front of The Crowns, there was an event and I saw Proton Persona was on display. I wonder what they were doing? Trying to break into the market here perhaps? Cars are so cheap here in Australia that I don't think Proton will do too well here. In the final few kms, the girls cranked up the pace, and I tried to follow, but couple of them were ahead of me. Boo hoo...
So you see....you can't really predict the weather here in Melbourne. It is just so unpredictable. I already went through 4 seasons in one day (kind of). You have the strong wind, cold, sun and rain! I just hope race day will not be anything like today. But if it is, at least I've already been through it and I know what to expect.
At least I went on with the run, and I won't regret the rest of the day for not running.
I woke up at around 7.05am, with plenty of time to get to the meeting point. But when I look out the window, I can see the trees blown to one side, sky looks gloomy, I can hear the wind blowing from inside the apartment. It took me a long to decide whether I should step out the apartment and headout for a run or just stay in the warm bed. As I dont have much time to add in more mileage before Melbourne Marathon (MM), I decided to brave the wind and cold. I was already running late. When I reached the meeting point, I didn't see any familiar faces around. I got to know later that they were there but had to leave on the dot as it was cold for them to be hanging around there. Anyways, I knew I was going to be late, so my backup plan was to run with the Melbourne Marathon training series group which starts just a few blocks from the apartment. Their runs start at 8.30am. I got there just in time. One of the trainers informed that some doing shorter and the longer ones will be doing 24km. Perfect. I went with the group and it was a comfortable pace. We ran through some of the paths that will be used for the MM this year. Albert Park, Beach Road and MCG (ending). The pace was ok for me, but the wind was so strong that sometimes you have to hang on to a straight line if it was a crosswind. I tried to stay behind some runners but it didn't work. The sun did come out for a while which helps to heat up my cold body!
As we reach the Beach Road, it was challenging enough to run through it. Running besides the sea, we had lots of crosswinds and at certain parts, the wind blew the sand from the beach which got into my eyes. That was not a good feeling at all. As I was wearing contacts, I didn't want to rub it too hard as the air was really dry and it may come off easily. In the end, we did a sensible thing by running across the road to the opposite side of the footpath. I can't imagine myself riding with this wind. I'll probably get blown off with my bike.
You probably don't see it too often in Malaysia but the ladies are leading the way most of the time. They are really fast and they made it looked so easy. We went into the cover of buildings and that was quite a relief. It drizzled for a while but luckily it didn't get any heavier, otherwise I would have frozen! We stopped a few times for drinks and also to regroup. At one of the stops in front of The Crowns, there was an event and I saw Proton Persona was on display. I wonder what they were doing? Trying to break into the market here perhaps? Cars are so cheap here in Australia that I don't think Proton will do too well here. In the final few kms, the girls cranked up the pace, and I tried to follow, but couple of them were ahead of me. Boo hoo...
So you see....you can't really predict the weather here in Melbourne. It is just so unpredictable. I already went through 4 seasons in one day (kind of). You have the strong wind, cold, sun and rain! I just hope race day will not be anything like today. But if it is, at least I've already been through it and I know what to expect.
At least I went on with the run, and I won't regret the rest of the day for not running.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Australians and Their Footie
The Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final will be played tomorrow between Geelong Cats vs St. Kilda Saints. Lots of events are lined up a week before the final. Aussie Rule Football can be considered as the fourth highest attended club championship in the world. Every weekend spectators will packed the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), with spectators ranging from 70,000-100,000 a match. Tickets are sold exclusively to supporting team club members and only a few are offered to the public. So for us public, chances of getting a ticket are pretty much zero! Victorians practically breathe, eat and sleep footie! 90% of their sports page are on AFL. Normal conversation must include footie and as one of my running friend here says, Aussie Rules is practically a religion here!
A day before the Grand Final, players from the 2 teams will parade along the streets of Melbourne with thousands of people lining up to catch a glimpse of their sporting heroes. I was there today in the pouring rain, but it's not heavy. You can get away with a raincoat or a jacket. Still, thousands of people were there. I was waiting at the National Gallery of Victoria where the parade starts. Caught glimpse of the players of which I knew their names. One is Nick Riewoldt and Gary Ablett. Gary won the Brownlow Medal, awarded to the best AFL player of the year, a very prestigious medal. The highest individual honour to an AFL player.
The Geelong Cats mascot
The Saints mascot
Nick is inside but seating on the left side, so couldn't catch a photo of him
Gary Ablett
Bands playing at the parade
Crowds just behind the parade line
Crowds on the sidewalkThis is a video clip of the parade.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Some of the Dishes I've Prepared So Far
Some of my cooking collections:
Vege with Curry Powder and Chicken Tikka Paste
Curry Pasta with Potato and Anchovies
Beef Rendang
Baked Chicken
Vege with Curry Powder and Chicken Tikka Paste 
Curry Pasta with Potato and Anchovies
Beef Rendang
Baked ChickenSo how? Can open restaurant already kah?
Laptop is Back ON!
Thanks to my cuz, Huey, my computer is ALIVE again! However, there's still this niggling sound from the inside of the laptop. It could be the hard drive or could be the fan. I don't know. Need to get it check out when I go back KL.
Being without a computer for a week can feel quite "cacat" (handicapped). Usually I will feel like that when I don't have my handphone with me but then here in Melbourne I don't use it much. Gone were the days where you write mails and send it to your friends, families or your loved ones using the "snail mail". Those days World Wide Web (WWW) was not even widely used or even owning a computer. I never owned a personal computer till 2003 I think. During the days in university, had to rely on lab computers (which do not give access to internet) and a laptop which I borrowed from my sister to do most of my coursework. Anyways, I am glad that my cousin Huey managed to fix the bug!
Last Fri, rode with my cuz, Andrew to Black Rock along Beach Road. Total distance covered with him was about 35km. Twice he sprinted, one just before th U turn back and the second near the end. Both times I was nowhere near him. I didnt go for a longer ride with him as I had to head back, grab my stuff and head off to meet Geraldine at her place at around 11am. It's about 22km to her place. Reached around her area but couldn't find her place. So had to find a place to stop and call her for SOS. Guess what? It's only about 300m from where I was stopping. Reached there and she was already ready to run, so we went out for 10km run. Even stopped by her children's school and she took me for a tour. We had lunch at Glen Waverly at a Chinese Restaurant which I suspect is a Malaysian or a Hong Kong owned. After lunch, went to grocery shop next to it and you can start hearing people talking in Hokkien dialects. Sounded like Northern Msian Hokkien dialect. Headed back to her place and had to ride back home again. Took another route to go back but the hills are a killer, when you've done a 60km ride plus a 10km run.
Shops at Glen Waverly
Geraldine with her children
The Sunflower that greeted me in front of Jee Koh's place
Some of the Beautiful flowers @ Jee Koh's garden 
The fish and vege dinner I had at Jee Koh's home last weekThe next morning went for a late morning run at the Tans track and saw there were a lot of runners with bibs running aroudn the track. Oh, this must be the Tans Relays. I just went for a slow 1 hour run but seeing them competing made me have an itch to compete too. Somehow, middle distances appeals to me more than longer distances events.
Sun morning at 7am, I had made an appointment to run with a few runners I met in the Cool Running forum. Met up with Michael, Bruce, Basel and 2 other lady runners. We ran 3 laps around the Tan track before meeting up with other runners at 8am. We joined the other group and from 6 runners it turns out to be 15 runners in the end. A big turn out! We headed out to another route around the Yarra Main Trails. I ended up running 34km but with a lot of drink stops. Lucky for the drink stops as my legs were starting to feel really sore. All of us went for a drink at the Royal Botanic Garden and chatted for a while. I didn't stayed out too long as I was starting to get cold.
That night I cooked rendang for dinner and invited my cousins, Alissa and Arina over. Bought the rendang mixture from the Asian grocery shop. Alissa cooked the vege. Well it's Hari Raya, so since am missing the curry and rendang back home, why not cook it and have it here. The rendang turn out pretty good.
I had lunch with Grace, my schoolmate from Form 6. I finally had my Vietnamese broken rice with pork chop today. Yummy. The shop is called Mekong and is located in Swanston St. After lunch called my cuz, Huey and checked with him whether he knows how to fix computer bug. He wasn't sure what the problem was so he won't mind checking it out. So I headed home and quickly took out my bike and rode to Jee Koh's place to let Huey have a look at my computer. It took a while but it was worth the wait and finally got it fixed. I stayed on for dinner there before heading home.
And this is DINNER! Yummy!
The Groves family (from left): Jee Koh, Uncle Derham, Grandma and HueySince my computer is fixed (well not completely), here I am...updating my blog.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Laptop is DEAD!
My laptop has died on me! F#%$! I was trying to restart it when the computer went into repairing mode and I tried shutting it down. Bad mistake! Tried a lot of step but the blue screen kept appearing. Safe mode, Repair mode, last configuration mode....all don't seem to work. It has a stop error code of 0x0000C1F5. Bugger, now Im going to be out of laptop use for the next 2.5 months!
Rested on Mon as my lower back pain still bothers me. Tue wanted to run, but being lazy and also wanted to give my back a rest for another day, I went for a ride to my aunt's house which is about 11km from here. Thought I drop by to visit since I got nothing much to do. Had to go throught the city road which was a little tough. There are just too many traffic lights to go through! On the way there, passed by Royal Park and Princes Park. Royal Park is where Melbourne Zoo is located. I didnt go in the zoo, only stopped outside for a while.
Reached my aunt's house not too long after that and met her mum-in-law. Huey, my cousin was at home too. Uncle Derhan will only be back a little later around 6pm after work. She asked me to stay for dinner. I have not been here since Jan 1998. That was the last time I was here in Melbourne. They've done a few extension to their house but stil left quite a huge compaound for her gardening. Will post the photos later. She has a very nice garden indeed.
Uncle Derham came back and we had dinner together. Had very Australian dinner and also a very good dessert. I can't remember what's it called though (the dessert). Had a cup of tea after that and chatted with my aunt for while before I headed back at around 8.30pm and went through the city roads again before reaching back home.
Last night, I went for a run with the Melbourne Marathon training group yet again. They did a 16km run and again I went with the medium group (around 5:00-5:15/km pace). I probably could have followed the faster group (which I think is going around 4:40-4:50/km pace), but Im just taking this as a long run, so am not in a hurry! Back seems fine during the run, but in the end my legs just felt a little jelly. I think I logged in around 22-23km last night.
Up till now, I still haven't reached a 30km as yet, not even a 25km. Will do one this Sun morning as I'm set to run with a few runners I met through forums. Gona try for 30-32km this Sun. If Im ok with that, I should be ok to finish a marathon. Cooler weather helps too. I don't think I can top my time in KL but still looking for a sub 4 hours finished would be good. I do wish I had my form in KL marathon right now but unfortunately I don't.
Still kind of sad right now that my laptop broke down, but can't do anything about it. Might ask my aunt to bring it back to KL if I can't get it fix here. Today it's just been raining since 2pm, so guess won't run for today.
Rested on Mon as my lower back pain still bothers me. Tue wanted to run, but being lazy and also wanted to give my back a rest for another day, I went for a ride to my aunt's house which is about 11km from here. Thought I drop by to visit since I got nothing much to do. Had to go throught the city road which was a little tough. There are just too many traffic lights to go through! On the way there, passed by Royal Park and Princes Park. Royal Park is where Melbourne Zoo is located. I didnt go in the zoo, only stopped outside for a while.
Reached my aunt's house not too long after that and met her mum-in-law. Huey, my cousin was at home too. Uncle Derhan will only be back a little later around 6pm after work. She asked me to stay for dinner. I have not been here since Jan 1998. That was the last time I was here in Melbourne. They've done a few extension to their house but stil left quite a huge compaound for her gardening. Will post the photos later. She has a very nice garden indeed.
Uncle Derham came back and we had dinner together. Had very Australian dinner and also a very good dessert. I can't remember what's it called though (the dessert). Had a cup of tea after that and chatted with my aunt for while before I headed back at around 8.30pm and went through the city roads again before reaching back home.
Last night, I went for a run with the Melbourne Marathon training group yet again. They did a 16km run and again I went with the medium group (around 5:00-5:15/km pace). I probably could have followed the faster group (which I think is going around 4:40-4:50/km pace), but Im just taking this as a long run, so am not in a hurry! Back seems fine during the run, but in the end my legs just felt a little jelly. I think I logged in around 22-23km last night.
Up till now, I still haven't reached a 30km as yet, not even a 25km. Will do one this Sun morning as I'm set to run with a few runners I met through forums. Gona try for 30-32km this Sun. If Im ok with that, I should be ok to finish a marathon. Cooler weather helps too. I don't think I can top my time in KL but still looking for a sub 4 hours finished would be good. I do wish I had my form in KL marathon right now but unfortunately I don't.
Still kind of sad right now that my laptop broke down, but can't do anything about it. Might ask my aunt to bring it back to KL if I can't get it fix here. Today it's just been raining since 2pm, so guess won't run for today.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Brunch and Dinner
My "early" breakfast cum lunch or you called it brunch. Ok, it wasn't early, I woke up late as I was watching the US Open Mens semi-final in wee hour in the morning.
Brunch - Cereal with Banana
Brunch - Pasta with carrot/tuna/pasta sauce
Dinner - Stir fry Chicken with Oyster/Soy Sauce/Onions
Dinner - Brocolli, Cauliflower and Carrots
Brunch - Cereal with BananaBrunch - Pasta with carrot/tuna/pasta sauceDinner - Stir fry Chicken with Oyster/Soy Sauce/OnionsDinner - Brocolli, Cauliflower and CarrotsThis is what you call a BEAUTY!
Roger Federer reaches his sixth straight US Open final after beating Djokovic 7-6, 7-5, 7-5. He has already amazed everyone with his 22 consecutive straight Grand Slam semi-final after beating Robin Soderling in the quarters. The same guy he beat in the French Open final and the 4th round of Wimbledon this year. 22 consecutive semi-final appearances! That's 4.5 years span. An incredible record which I don't think anybody can beat. There may be players better than him but the consistency he has shown is just sublime. It's going to be tough for him, playing the in-form Del Potro who blast Nadal off the court, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, with his power play.
Here's the amazing shot playing against Djokovic, in which he described his "best shot ever". That gave him a match point which he took by hitting a forehand winner off Djokovic serve.
Check out the magic from the Tennis Maestro!
Kim Clijsters, the comeback mum, won her 2nd US Open title, after beating 19-year old Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3. She only came out of retirement recently and this was only her third or fourth tournament coming out from retirement.
Australian Running Friends
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Ross, Coach David Eadie, Grace and Lara
These are the people I was with yesterday. Got this photo from Ross. They all got medals!! Me the odd one out! Haha! The second guy in the middle is their coach. According to Ross, he is the 2008 Australian 100km Champion. I actually can't remember his name but the print on their shirt led me to his website: Running Man. Wow, looking at his profile, no joke man. And he made his passion into a business. But his resume is amazing. A triathlete and Ironman too.
Also met Graeme whom I met during the VRR Tan Time Trial. He was there for the 21.1km.
Care for a Starbucks Coffee?!
Got this from a friend through email. Very "Creative" and funny indeed. Rumoured to be in Bekenu, Miri. I think must get my friends in Miri to go check it out. Maybe only need to pay Coffee of the Day or Caffe Latte for RM1 instead of exorbitant price!!
Must go check got wi-fi or not....
Must go check got wi-fi or not....
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Warm, Windy Saturday and Racing in Cold on Sun
What a relief on Saturday. It was one of the warmest day I've felt since reaching Melbourne. I didn't know what the temperature was and didn't bother to check it as I was enjoying it. Found out today in The Age report, it hit a record high at 29.9 C. Didn't do much in the morning till late afternoon, woke up late as I was watching a movie till late online. Felt like going out but wind was so strong. It was reported that certain areas, powerline were bought down in the mountain areas that causes blackout.
Anyways, I felt an itch to go for a ride, then thought maybe I should head out to my cousin's place in Sandringham, which is just by the beach. I could take some photos by the beach on the way there. Checked out Google map in a hurry and found that her place was about 17.5km from where I stayed. Not too far, I thought. So I just drew a rough map and quickly changed into my cycling clothing and head out. I rode and rode looking for the turning to her place but either I missed it or my map was wrong. I can't visualise the map I saw earlier as I had a quick glance. I went pass 15, 16, 17...20km, this can't be right, I decided to make a U-turn back. The sky really got dark and also not promising as the cloud gathers. Told myself I'll go to her place another day. On the way back, I saw the road heading to her place, then realised that I've been looking at the wrong side. I should be looking out for the road on the right instead of left, no wonder I missed the turning. Should I go or shouldn't I (go to my cousin's place)? What the heck, might as well. I got a good tailwind (easily can reach 40km/h) at the start and was little worried heading back when I made the U turn, but luckily it was ok, then when I made the left turn to my cuz's place, it wasn't that bad. Finally reached her place and saw her cooking. She invited me to stay for dinner and she'll drive me back after that. Well, sounds good to me!
Bike parking
Master Chef Alissa 
Foodie Goodie 
City view from beachShe drove me back after dinner. Then, me, her and Kheng went for a drink at Rosco's Cafe just down at Kheng's apartment.
This morning I had to get up early at 6am to hitch a ride from a fellow runner from Melbourne. I had posted in the Cool Running Australia forum that if anyone out there who is passing by my place would be kind enough to offer a ride to Sri Chinmoy Yarra Boulevard Half Marathon. I was pretty surprised that I actually got a reply. A lady, Grace, offered me ride and she has 2 other runners car pooling with her. Well my back up plan was to follow the Melbourne Marathon training series run which is just a few blocks away if I am not going to the race. Anyway, I took up the offer and went for the race. In the car I met 2 other runners, Lara and Ross.
There was a 10km option but I opted for 21.1km since I need to access where my fitness stands at the moment as I've only put in about 2 weeks training. Prior to the training, I wasn't really doing any consistent training at all after my KL Marathon. Paid AUD 28 on-the-day entrance fee and no finisher's medal ya. Only top 5 in each category gets medal. Grace, Ross and Lara will be doing the 10km, so I took out my bag from Grace's car just in case they are leaving early since both the events will start at the same time at 8am. Either I hitch another ride back or run back. Luckily for me, they were still around when I reached the finish line.
I wore my singlet today in expectation that the weather will be warmer or my body will get warmer after a few kms. The race is actually run in loops. The 10km runners will run 2 loops of 5km, while the HM will be running 4 loops plus a 1.1km turn. The race started with a moment of silence. Not too sure why they did it, but we were briefed that it was their tradition to have a moment of silence before race starts. No guns, just a shout of Ready, Set, Mark and GO! The 10km runners runs in opposite direction. There were about 200-300 runners from all categories.
I started the race pretty well. I was going slightly above 4 mins pace and feeling good. I didnt start from the front though, so slowly made my way up front, but didnt manage to get up with the leaders. I was maybe in the top 30 position for the first half of the race. My split time for 10km was 42'16 and thought I would be good for a sub 1h 30mins finish today. Suddenly, I felt tired and my body temperature kind of drop and started feeling cold. We had isolated shower during the race, weather was cooling, maybe around 14 C but I was freezing. Then more runners started overtaking me, couldn't keep up with my pace. 15km split was 1h 04m 15s, still good for a sub 1h 30m finished but I need to increase my pace if I were to do it. My hands were freezing, so I thought I just try to push in my last 1.5km and hope for the best. When I saw my watch passing 1h 30m with maybe 150m left to go, I just slowed down. Stopped my watch 1h 30m 44s. It was ok, as I was expecting it to be around 1'32-1'35. I saw Grace, Lara and Ross. Told them I was freezing, they were kind of surprise. Then Ross said to me, "Kiat, you having goosebumps on your hand!". I know. I saw 3 of them were having medals aroudn their neck, so they must be in the Top 5 in their categories. Good on them.
These are my 5km split times (Start/Finish line):
25'08.75 - 6.1km
21'37.85 - 5.0km
22'03.11 - 5.0km
21'54.61 - 5.0km
Quickly took out my singlet and put on my shirt and jacket to keep myself warm. There were pancakes at the end of the race for runners, with bananas and syrup for the pancakes. I had one pancake and had a few drinks. Then, off I went with Grace and friends to head home.
Stop by a cafe down at the aprtment to have a cup of latte to keep me warm. Had my shower then my brunch, toast again with ham, carrot and egg.
Then watched US Open semi final for women between Serena Williams vs Kim Clijsters. Boy, what a bad end for Serena when she was called for a foot fault which gave Kim the match point. She appears to be unfazed for a moment but then she walked to the line judge and started swearing at her, while swinging her racquet like threatening her. Poor lady...from Asian ethnic. She looks so scared and quickly walked to the umpire and told her about it. Then she walked back, Serena saw it, and went at her again. the petite lady quickly walked to the umpire again. The next thing that happened, the tournament referee came out, then Serena just walked off to her chair and threw her racquet and walked up to Clijster and shook her hand. Found out from the website (link), she was given a 2nd code violation and a point was awarded to Clijsters which ultimately ended the match. What an end! All I heard was "I threatened to kill you, are you serious" looking at the line judge at the umpire's chair. This was her press conference interview.
The Course Map
Registration and Baggage Tent
Volunteer preparing drinks
Pancake served
Lara and Ross
Grace, Ross and MeFriday, September 11, 2009
Windy Day & Supper
Went out for a walk today. The strong wind been blowing non stop today but weather was pretty warm really to my liking. There was one occassion where I nearly got blown onto the road, had to put out one hand on the traffic light pole, just in case. Haha. Im skinny mah.
Bought some food supplies at the COLES and ALDI supermarket. I bought 2 Cadbury chocolate bars at Coles. 1 200g for AUD3.00 each. Want some?! ALDI supermarket do not provide free plastic bags. Most people bring their own "Green Bag" or take some empty boxes from the supermarket and use it. Anyway, plastics and 'green bags are sold at the counter too.
Bought some food supplies at the COLES and ALDI supermarket. I bought 2 Cadbury chocolate bars at Coles. 1 200g for AUD3.00 each. Want some?! ALDI supermarket do not provide free plastic bags. Most people bring their own "Green Bag" or take some empty boxes from the supermarket and use it. Anyway, plastics and 'green bags are sold at the counter too.
Came back and cooked rice and stir fried vege with pork meat. Aslo cooked eggs with onions. That was 2 1/2 hours again. Now that Im hungry again, here's what Im having right now. Wholemeal bread with cheese and ham. The ham is pretty good!
Lunch for the Day
This is my lunch for today. 2 pieces of bacon, and egg, 1 potato, 1 carrot and a little leftover from my can tuna.
Very strong wind out there today. Non stop puffing! It was a sunny day this morning and now (as of 2.32pm) the sky is getting gloomy as the clouds gather.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Starting To Get Warmer
Seems like the weather is getting warmer lately, which is a good thing. However, it's still not as warm you think it is. I still have to wear 2 layer of clothes and putting on hand gloves (and beanie at times) when going out for a run, with the exception of today. Sun was up today but after a few laps around the park, it was freezing.
I didn't do anything on Mon, thought I rest up my legs, which getting a little sore. On Tue, went for an hour run around Fawkner Park. Last night, I ran to Genesis Fitness Centre, Freshwater Pl, to join the training series run organised by the Melbourne Marathon organiser. The centre is about 3.5km from where I stayed, so I ran there to log in some mileage for the day. Reached there and saw there were about 20-30 runners waiting. Then a guy came out and asked everyone to gather around. He divided the groups. There were 8km, slow group, medium group and the other will be 12km group, divided into slow, medium and fast group. I was contemplating in joining the fast group but I thought I better not "kepo" in joinng the fast ones. A lot of them went with the fast ones, probably be doing 4:20-4:40 pace I think.
Anyway, it was a good decision. The medium pace group was at the speed I was looking at around 4:50-5:00/km pace. I just want to get my mileage in. The run started at around 6.10pm. There are 6 of us in the group and we started with a slow pace, running along the Yarra River and out around the Tan Track, then we went across the river to the Melbourne & Olympic Parks, better known in hosting of the first tennis Grand Slam each year, The Australian Open. The arena are also used to play host in some of the big concerts/events. Looking at their webpage, Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, II Divo, Liza Minnelli, Nickleback and even Britney Spears will be down to perform. Melbourne will also play host to the coming UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics (Link). Speaking of which, Josiah actually lives where I am staying right now. Haven't got the chance to meet him yet, as my cuz told me that he is away in Japan for some track races. But he will be back for the World Cup. And oh....it's held on the day that Im flying off from Melbourne. Since my flight is at midnight, will be catching some of the events for the night session and head straight off to the airport after that.
Now where was I? Oh...we ran pass the Melbourne Park thru to Melbourne Cricket Ground or better known as MCG. MCG is the largest stadium in Australia which can hold a capacity of over 100,000 spectators. This stadium is packed every Sat due to the football game...no we're not talking about soccer you idiot. We're talking about the fiery game of Aussie Rule Football, the Footie. Everyday you take out the newspaper and turn to the sports page, you'll have 3-5 pages on footie before you have the other sports news. And everyday, you'll have at least one show or more on TV. These people are crazy about AFL (yeah, not EPL). Even my cousin, Alissa, can sing and dance to her favourite team theme, St. Kilda! Well, MCG of course did play host to the 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Back to my running. We passed MCG, then went on to run around Fitzroy Garden. Can't see much as it was already dark. But running in the dark, you are able to see the beauty of the city, where Melbourne's skyscrapers are lighted up manigficently. The run was pretty much a tour around the city for me, as one of the guys put it. We then ran across one of the bridge back to where we started. I ran slowly back to Kheng's place after that. Took a quick shower and had fried rice leftover I cooked in the afternoon. I think I logged in about 19km yesterday, I was pretty satisfied with it.
Today, as I went out to do a tempo run, my lower back hurts at the start of the run. Thankfully it felt better after a while. I cut short 10 mins off what I wanted to do. I've been feeling the lower backache lately, so I think I better not run for tomorrow. It could be the cold weather which is affecting my lower back. Even with the "koyok" I stuck behind my back is not helping at all.
Cooked some rice and as for vege, I dumped the mince meat, carrot and cauliflower into the wok and stir fry. Easy meal. Nothing delicious thou but it did fill my hunger. Mmmh, next time I should take photos of my cooking (well, some really look or taste like shit! Who asked me never learn it from my mother).
Oh, here's a photo of Lamington, generally found in Australia. Basically it's a sponge cake, with chocolate icing with desiccated coconut.
Boy, I wish I could have a massage right now for my backache!
I didn't do anything on Mon, thought I rest up my legs, which getting a little sore. On Tue, went for an hour run around Fawkner Park. Last night, I ran to Genesis Fitness Centre, Freshwater Pl, to join the training series run organised by the Melbourne Marathon organiser. The centre is about 3.5km from where I stayed, so I ran there to log in some mileage for the day. Reached there and saw there were about 20-30 runners waiting. Then a guy came out and asked everyone to gather around. He divided the groups. There were 8km, slow group, medium group and the other will be 12km group, divided into slow, medium and fast group. I was contemplating in joining the fast group but I thought I better not "kepo" in joinng the fast ones. A lot of them went with the fast ones, probably be doing 4:20-4:40 pace I think.
Anyway, it was a good decision. The medium pace group was at the speed I was looking at around 4:50-5:00/km pace. I just want to get my mileage in. The run started at around 6.10pm. There are 6 of us in the group and we started with a slow pace, running along the Yarra River and out around the Tan Track, then we went across the river to the Melbourne & Olympic Parks, better known in hosting of the first tennis Grand Slam each year, The Australian Open. The arena are also used to play host in some of the big concerts/events. Looking at their webpage, Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, II Divo, Liza Minnelli, Nickleback and even Britney Spears will be down to perform. Melbourne will also play host to the coming UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics (Link). Speaking of which, Josiah actually lives where I am staying right now. Haven't got the chance to meet him yet, as my cuz told me that he is away in Japan for some track races. But he will be back for the World Cup. And oh....it's held on the day that Im flying off from Melbourne. Since my flight is at midnight, will be catching some of the events for the night session and head straight off to the airport after that.
Now where was I? Oh...we ran pass the Melbourne Park thru to Melbourne Cricket Ground or better known as MCG. MCG is the largest stadium in Australia which can hold a capacity of over 100,000 spectators. This stadium is packed every Sat due to the football game...no we're not talking about soccer you idiot. We're talking about the fiery game of Aussie Rule Football, the Footie. Everyday you take out the newspaper and turn to the sports page, you'll have 3-5 pages on footie before you have the other sports news. And everyday, you'll have at least one show or more on TV. These people are crazy about AFL (yeah, not EPL). Even my cousin, Alissa, can sing and dance to her favourite team theme, St. Kilda! Well, MCG of course did play host to the 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Back to my running. We passed MCG, then went on to run around Fitzroy Garden. Can't see much as it was already dark. But running in the dark, you are able to see the beauty of the city, where Melbourne's skyscrapers are lighted up manigficently. The run was pretty much a tour around the city for me, as one of the guys put it. We then ran across one of the bridge back to where we started. I ran slowly back to Kheng's place after that. Took a quick shower and had fried rice leftover I cooked in the afternoon. I think I logged in about 19km yesterday, I was pretty satisfied with it.
Today, as I went out to do a tempo run, my lower back hurts at the start of the run. Thankfully it felt better after a while. I cut short 10 mins off what I wanted to do. I've been feeling the lower backache lately, so I think I better not run for tomorrow. It could be the cold weather which is affecting my lower back. Even with the "koyok" I stuck behind my back is not helping at all.
Cooked some rice and as for vege, I dumped the mince meat, carrot and cauliflower into the wok and stir fry. Easy meal. Nothing delicious thou but it did fill my hunger. Mmmh, next time I should take photos of my cooking (well, some really look or taste like shit! Who asked me never learn it from my mother).
Oh, here's a photo of Lamington, generally found in Australia. Basically it's a sponge cake, with chocolate icing with desiccated coconut.
Boy, I wish I could have a massage right now for my backache!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Nike+ Human Race, Singapore
Just saw the ad for this race. Looks like a good/fun run.
"Date: 24 Oct 2009
Race Duration: 7.30am – 11am
Venue: Singapore’s scenic route.
Details to be announced soon.
Entry Fee: S$20 (24 years old & below)
S$35 (25 years old & above)
And here’s some encouragement for those running in the Nike+ Human Race 10km:
All runners get a Nike race t-shirt with a pre-printed number bib.
Every Nike+ Human Race 10km finisher will receive a special finisher’s bracelet.
Look forward to an exclusive music concert featuring Thaitanium (Thailand), Composition B (Singapore), Estranged (Malaysia) and more from the region after the race.
Starting 10 Sept 2009, the 1st 1000 who buy the Nike+ SportBand 2.0 will get to register for FREE for the Nike+ Human Race 10km.
Please visit the following Nike stores for detail:
+ Nike Wisma Atria
+ Nike VivoCity
+ Nike Suntec City Mall
+ Nike Paragon
+ Nike Wheelock
+ Nike Orchard Central
+ Nike Velocity
Look out for a host of other goodies at the race."
Monday, September 7, 2009
LOOK TT Bike
The TT bike that I saw at Melbourne Bike Boutique, stumbled upon in You Tube it's a 2009 LOOK 596 TT Bike. Click on this link to see the review on the bike.
A Hearty Dinner
I woke up early again on a cold and breezy Sun morning, anxiously wanting to join a running group for a long run organised by the Melbourne Marathon organiser. I washoping to join one last Wed but I was a little late so ended up running myself. This time I reached there at 7.55am and was hoping to see 20-30 runners waiting at the Genesis Fitness Centre which so happen to be walking distance from my cuz's place.
So, what did I see? No one there!! I waited till 8.05am before I gave up and ran myself. I went to Albert this time to change the scenery a little. A lap araound the Albert Park lake was about 4.7km. I was thinking of hitting above 20km but ended up doing only 1hr 20 mins run. Did 3 laps around the lake. I was pretty exhausted after an hour of run. It was pretty sunny day but still cold and sweat was not visible, well, maybe a few drops. This is the time when I need a group of runners to motivate me, but so disappointed that I didn't get to join one. I went back home and check the schedule again and found out it's actually an 8.30am start! First time I got there late, second time too early! Anyway, can only join 2 of their runs, Weds and Suns. Wed is also at Genesis Fitness Centre but in another branch slightly further away, near Crown Casino/Hotel by the Yarra River. I got lost last Wed, that's why I was late for the run. Anyway, will try to make it this week.
Alissa came over and took me to Safeway to get some food supplies. She then told me she'll cook for us. A way for her to "take care of us two boys". She even bought fresh oysters for us. She baked a meal from her own recipe she says. Well I forgot to take the photo before we ate, so that's already half gone. Arina (her sis) came back after work and took half of what you see in the photo. Haha. What's inside? Onions, Corns, Mushrooms, Chicken, Bacon, Eggs, Cheese, Tomatoes...really good stuff! Delicious!
Here are the oysters...
After that, it's dessert time....Sian Chao...or better known to ang mo as Grass Jelly and the Mala - Cin Cao. She used gula melaka but somehow it hardened
The gula melaka somehow hardened before it made it's way to the cup! Haha!
Didn't do much today. Watched some US Open matches online in the morning. Afternoon, was just too lazy to run, as need to rest my legs a little as I've been training on my racer so nto giving me much support in terms of cushioning. Then cooked pasta in the evening for me and my cuz.
So, what did I see? No one there!! I waited till 8.05am before I gave up and ran myself. I went to Albert this time to change the scenery a little. A lap araound the Albert Park lake was about 4.7km. I was thinking of hitting above 20km but ended up doing only 1hr 20 mins run. Did 3 laps around the lake. I was pretty exhausted after an hour of run. It was pretty sunny day but still cold and sweat was not visible, well, maybe a few drops. This is the time when I need a group of runners to motivate me, but so disappointed that I didn't get to join one. I went back home and check the schedule again and found out it's actually an 8.30am start! First time I got there late, second time too early! Anyway, can only join 2 of their runs, Weds and Suns. Wed is also at Genesis Fitness Centre but in another branch slightly further away, near Crown Casino/Hotel by the Yarra River. I got lost last Wed, that's why I was late for the run. Anyway, will try to make it this week.
Alissa came over and took me to Safeway to get some food supplies. She then told me she'll cook for us. A way for her to "take care of us two boys". She even bought fresh oysters for us. She baked a meal from her own recipe she says. Well I forgot to take the photo before we ate, so that's already half gone. Arina (her sis) came back after work and took half of what you see in the photo. Haha. What's inside? Onions, Corns, Mushrooms, Chicken, Bacon, Eggs, Cheese, Tomatoes...really good stuff! Delicious!
Here are the oysters...
After that, it's dessert time....Sian Chao...or better known to ang mo as Grass Jelly and the Mala - Cin Cao. She used gula melaka but somehow it hardened
The gula melaka somehow hardened before it made it's way to the cup! Haha!
Didn't do much today. Watched some US Open matches online in the morning. Afternoon, was just too lazy to run, as need to rest my legs a little as I've been training on my racer so nto giving me much support in terms of cushioning. Then cooked pasta in the evening for me and my cuz.
Married Life: For Laughs
They say that marriage makes a man dizzy, and it's true.
As soon as I got a wife, I lost my balance at the bank.
Men want 3 qualities in wives: Economist in kitchen, artist in home & devil in bed.
But they get artist in kitchen, devil in home & economist in Bed.
Q: Why do women live longer than men?
A: Shopping never causes heart attacks, but paying the bill does!
Before marriage: Roses are red, sky is blue. U r beautiful, I luv u.
After marriage: Roses are dead, I'm blue. U r my headache, one day I'll kill u.
Getting married is very much like going to a restaurant with friends. You order what you want, and then when you see what the other person has, you wish you had ordered that.
Man: Is there any way for long life?
Dr: Get married.
Man: Will it help?
Dr: No, but the thought of long life will never come.
Why do couples hold hands during their wedding?
It's a formality just like two boxers shaking hands before the fight begins!
Wife: Darling today is our anniversary, what should we do?
Husband: Let us stand in silence for 2 minutes.
As soon as I got a wife, I lost my balance at the bank.
Men want 3 qualities in wives: Economist in kitchen, artist in home & devil in bed.
But they get artist in kitchen, devil in home & economist in Bed.
Q: Why do women live longer than men?
A: Shopping never causes heart attacks, but paying the bill does!
Before marriage: Roses are red, sky is blue. U r beautiful, I luv u.
After marriage: Roses are dead, I'm blue. U r my headache, one day I'll kill u.
Getting married is very much like going to a restaurant with friends. You order what you want, and then when you see what the other person has, you wish you had ordered that.
Man: Is there any way for long life?
Dr: Get married.
Man: Will it help?
Dr: No, but the thought of long life will never come.
Why do couples hold hands during their wedding?
It's a formality just like two boxers shaking hands before the fight begins!
Wife: Darling today is our anniversary, what should we do?
Husband: Let us stand in silence for 2 minutes.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
VRR Tan Time Trial
Didn't do much in the last few days. Had a walk to my cousins' place, Den and Andrew, yesterday to pick up my bike and rode it back to Kheng's place. Did walk around Chinatown to see what it has to offer. I saw Old Town Kopitiam there too. Wow, even in Melbourne got branch. The taukeh must be very "kaya" by now with oversea franchisee. I walked in to one of the sports shop, Rebel Sport. A very big sport shop indeed. 2XU, Skins and other brands of compression clothing are easily available here. They displayed it like what we see in departmental store selling underwears! Haha. But I can see these are widely used by people here, especially Skins and 2XU.
Woke up early today to join the Victorian Road Runners Tan Time Trial. No charges in entering this event and if not mistaken it's a monthly event that they organised for members or non-members. No medal are offered here, but not that the runners mind. I guess runners here have different mindset, not so medal gila. Even some of the events that are fee charging, availability of medals are not a guarantee. Not that I mind, cos I'm also not too sure what I do with my medals. Mine are all inside the plastic bag back home, hidden in one of my cabinets. I ran to the starting line as it's not that far from where I stay. Today, it's a handicapped event. I ran a few handicapped events in NZ. What it means is that the faster runners will start last, either through your estimated time or the previous trial you had with them. So if you start later, you go chase down the guys in front of you. In the end, most people will have pretty much the same timing but that is never the case lah. I went to see the handicapper and this is the short conversation I had with him (not exact conversation)
Handicapper: You doing a 8km? (they had 2 time trials each time, 4km-1 lap and 8km-2 lap)
Me: Yeah, the 8km.
Handicapper: So what is your estimated time for 8km?
Me: I say about 34 - 35 mins (well I had a few runs around the park and my average time was around 17'20)
Handicapper: So, I'll say it's about 36 mins?
Quiet momentarily. (I was like, "Wah, kua beh ki wa meh?") Then I think he caught the message and say, "So you think can do 35 mins?"
Me: Yeah, that's ok.
Handicapper: You'll start at 10 (that means you start 10 mins later from the first batch of runners)
Hehe. I didn't really mind where he started me, coz I just there to do a tempo run since I'm too lazy to do it on my own. They had a digital clock for this event, not bad. We had a briefing/anouncement before the time trial started. Anyway, think they were just annoucing some results/news and even the number of times some of the members had done the Tan Time Trial. I think one of them had done more than 200!
After that, the clock started and off they went, a big group of runners. Then every 1 min, another group went. I waited there freezing cold, made a big mistake not to wear my gloves as I saw the sun was coming up. Then I was talking to this petite lady and she was asking me what was I starting on and told her at 10. She looked a little startled and say how could she get 11 mins when she thinks she runs slower than a lot of people? I just smiled. From then on, I just thought the 1. handicapped are not really accurate or 2. she's going to chased me down!! I asked her whether we are just running the loop. She then told me that since it's a slightly less than 4km per loop (3.827km), we need to make a turn to make it 4km. I waited freezingly till the 10th min and off I went. I went with 3-4 guys, surprisingly all of them are quite old, maybe 50s. Then I thought, "Alamak, are they that fast? Kalah malu man". Anyway, they just went slowly, so I followed one of the "younger" runner, maybe 40s. He was going at quite a good pace, I wanted to pass him but wasn't sure about the route, so I just stuck with him. Then as I saw the turn we needed to make, I just went ahead. 1st lap, 17'01. I went faster in the 2nd lap, but was actually a little out of breath, but not as tired if I had run in Malaysian weather. Stopped my watch, 33'17. My 2nd lap was 16'16. I was trying to do a 4'00/km but I was pretty happy with my time nevertheless.
The digital clock at the starting line
Runners reporting their time after the run.
A lucky draw, small prizes, e.g. chocoloates, fruit juice during the breakfast.
A BBQ and drinks (juice and hot drinks) greet the runners after the run. You got to pay AUD3 to enjoy that.
Met quite a few people there. A guy name Graeme, passed me a VRR magazine. Very nice of him since the magazine is usually for members only. Then he told me that, I can still enjoy the hot drinks/juices without paying. Also, chatted with a guy named Steve, who has done 10 marathons so far but have broke 4 hours yet and also Tim. Right after, I went for a coffee nearby with Tim and Graeme. On the way to the cafe, met up with 2 of their friends. Can't remember their names though. The lady was actually from Johor but she's been here for 5 years already. After the coffee, I bid farewell and walked back home. Suddenly, I realised that I have dropped the house key. F$%@! I went around the Tan track again in search of the key. I wasn't putting up much hope of finding it as I got too much trails to look for one small key. In the end, I gave up and I was already shivering a little as the weather is really chilling today. I still had the access card. Lucky most aprtments here has entrance phone for each unit. Otherwise, I wasnt sure how am I going to call my cousin. Lucky he hasn't gone out yet. I feel so bad of losing the key. Damm, why am I so careless?!!
VRR "Stride Out" magazine
I had a quick hot shower and had toast. Went to take a nap for a while but keep thinking about how I lost the key! Woke up, had my meat pie again and not much to see but Footie (Aussie Rule Football to watch) on TV! No US Open, No EPL....
I reach Den's place and took my bike and rode home. It was a little dark already, so had to put on my headlight and tail lights. It was only about 5km away, so didn't take long for me to reach Kheng's place riding. Took a long time for me to walk though!! Here's a video showing my ride home. Am actually on a special lane for bikes on road.
Woke up early today to join the Victorian Road Runners Tan Time Trial. No charges in entering this event and if not mistaken it's a monthly event that they organised for members or non-members. No medal are offered here, but not that the runners mind. I guess runners here have different mindset, not so medal gila. Even some of the events that are fee charging, availability of medals are not a guarantee. Not that I mind, cos I'm also not too sure what I do with my medals. Mine are all inside the plastic bag back home, hidden in one of my cabinets. I ran to the starting line as it's not that far from where I stay. Today, it's a handicapped event. I ran a few handicapped events in NZ. What it means is that the faster runners will start last, either through your estimated time or the previous trial you had with them. So if you start later, you go chase down the guys in front of you. In the end, most people will have pretty much the same timing but that is never the case lah. I went to see the handicapper and this is the short conversation I had with him (not exact conversation)
Handicapper: You doing a 8km? (they had 2 time trials each time, 4km-1 lap and 8km-2 lap)
Me: Yeah, the 8km.
Handicapper: So what is your estimated time for 8km?
Me: I say about 34 - 35 mins (well I had a few runs around the park and my average time was around 17'20)
Handicapper: So, I'll say it's about 36 mins?
Quiet momentarily. (I was like, "Wah, kua beh ki wa meh?") Then I think he caught the message and say, "So you think can do 35 mins?"
Me: Yeah, that's ok.
Handicapper: You'll start at 10 (that means you start 10 mins later from the first batch of runners)
Hehe. I didn't really mind where he started me, coz I just there to do a tempo run since I'm too lazy to do it on my own. They had a digital clock for this event, not bad. We had a briefing/anouncement before the time trial started. Anyway, think they were just annoucing some results/news and even the number of times some of the members had done the Tan Time Trial. I think one of them had done more than 200!
After that, the clock started and off they went, a big group of runners. Then every 1 min, another group went. I waited there freezing cold, made a big mistake not to wear my gloves as I saw the sun was coming up. Then I was talking to this petite lady and she was asking me what was I starting on and told her at 10. She looked a little startled and say how could she get 11 mins when she thinks she runs slower than a lot of people? I just smiled. From then on, I just thought the 1. handicapped are not really accurate or 2. she's going to chased me down!! I asked her whether we are just running the loop. She then told me that since it's a slightly less than 4km per loop (3.827km), we need to make a turn to make it 4km. I waited freezingly till the 10th min and off I went. I went with 3-4 guys, surprisingly all of them are quite old, maybe 50s. Then I thought, "Alamak, are they that fast? Kalah malu man". Anyway, they just went slowly, so I followed one of the "younger" runner, maybe 40s. He was going at quite a good pace, I wanted to pass him but wasn't sure about the route, so I just stuck with him. Then as I saw the turn we needed to make, I just went ahead. 1st lap, 17'01. I went faster in the 2nd lap, but was actually a little out of breath, but not as tired if I had run in Malaysian weather. Stopped my watch, 33'17. My 2nd lap was 16'16. I was trying to do a 4'00/km but I was pretty happy with my time nevertheless.
The digital clock at the starting line
Runners reporting their time after the run.
A lucky draw, small prizes, e.g. chocoloates, fruit juice during the breakfast.
A BBQ and drinks (juice and hot drinks) greet the runners after the run. You got to pay AUD3 to enjoy that.
Met quite a few people there. A guy name Graeme, passed me a VRR magazine. Very nice of him since the magazine is usually for members only. Then he told me that, I can still enjoy the hot drinks/juices without paying. Also, chatted with a guy named Steve, who has done 10 marathons so far but have broke 4 hours yet and also Tim. Right after, I went for a coffee nearby with Tim and Graeme. On the way to the cafe, met up with 2 of their friends. Can't remember their names though. The lady was actually from Johor but she's been here for 5 years already. After the coffee, I bid farewell and walked back home. Suddenly, I realised that I have dropped the house key. F$%@! I went around the Tan track again in search of the key. I wasn't putting up much hope of finding it as I got too much trails to look for one small key. In the end, I gave up and I was already shivering a little as the weather is really chilling today. I still had the access card. Lucky most aprtments here has entrance phone for each unit. Otherwise, I wasnt sure how am I going to call my cousin. Lucky he hasn't gone out yet. I feel so bad of losing the key. Damm, why am I so careless?!!
VRR "Stride Out" magazine
I had a quick hot shower and had toast. Went to take a nap for a while but keep thinking about how I lost the key! Woke up, had my meat pie again and not much to see but Footie (Aussie Rule Football to watch) on TV! No US Open, No EPL....
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