Sunglasses

Note: This report was written by MMR while she trained for her maiden marathon in Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon last year. It is something like Star Wars Trilogy – we go back in time.

I am feeling excited every time I think about the marathon. While embarking on the journey, I keep thinking and visualizing the moment I will be crossing the finishing line. I am also a little nervous and in awe of the journey ahead but I am excited and anxious to go through it.

I bought a pair of sunglasses for RM 290 which is considered darn cheap! Mine are not those with reflections, just quite simple dark glasses. The average price I checked is around RM400 to RM500 and for Oakley specs (those that look like Keanu Reeves in Matrix) is around RM800 plus.
I put it on top of my cap in the mornings before the sun comes up, thought I better get used to it. Then around 9 am when the sun is glaring, I put it on. It is pretty good, does not rock around when I am running and stays on my face.

The sunglasses actually improve my eyesight because I think it filters out some rays so I can see things a little clearer and also if people are looking at me or not since they cannot see my eyes! So far only old, old uncles are impressed! The garden here attracts a lot of uncles and aunties in the mornings, the young ones are still asleep.

Note by KC: Yes! These sunglasses are expansive. Never mind, what is important is to look “yow yeng” (looking good). I can imagine a runner in sunglasses will sure be looking real cool. The original sunglasses will ward off the hot sunrays; as such, you will look and feel cool. Make sure that when you run in the evening, don't put it on. Otherwise, you may think that the sun sets much earlier.

Let me share with you a similar joke: a few years ago, I participated in the Powerman race in Putrajaya.... run 10km, cycle 60km, run 10km. When it comes to the biking segment, I put on the helmet and a pair of sunglasses of light tint. Later on, I totally forgot about the sunglasses as I was focusing on the helmet that caused a bit of discomfort to my head. It could either that the helmet was small or my head was big. While thick in action cycling under the hot sun, I looked at my arms; and at that moment, I said: Wah! Both my arms were so dark already.

Written by MMR

Trekking Up Mount Kinabalu

At Raban Rata: Jason, Kelly, Beh, Karen, Tan, Kathy. Tai is in front.

While we were trekking up Gunung Apek on the weekend of 2 March, Kathy and Group were trekking up Mount Kinabalu.

According to Kathy, she was walking fairly fast after the Sayat-Sayat check-point. While approaching the peak at around 5am, being a bit faster than the other group members, she has to wait for about half-an-hour in the cold. Yes! In the freezing cold!

Please click here to view photos by courtesy of Kathy.
.

Yeah! We should be reaching Raban Rata soon
Kathy at the peak of Mount Kinabalu

Posted by KC

Hi-tech Bib Number

Take a closer look at the design of these sample bib numbers. They are very different compared to the conventional bib numbers where letters and numbers are painted on a piece of cheap white cloth.

As for the Putrajaya Breakfast Run organized by Pacesetters Club, the sample bib number even bear the photo of the starting area, the organizer and the sponsors.
.

Mr. Chang Yoong Yeh is the man behind this innovative printing of bib numbers on cloth. Being a runner, he wants the runners to keep the bib numbers (other than the medals and certificates) as a rememberance for the participation.

For those who would like to take up the business venture and opportunity, please email Mr. Chang Yoong Yeh. Note: he is from China !!
.

And for those event organizers who would like to explore using this hi-tech bib number, you can contact Mr. Chang Yoong Yeh also.

Email:

escher2008@163.com

Local Contact Number - Mr Tan Chein Sin - 019-777 9128

This is a flag of A5 (half of A4) size, printed on cloth with imprint of a runners' photo

Posted by KC

Trekking at Gunung Apek

Please click here to view photos taken by yours truly (KC) while trekking at Gunung Apek.

Back: Derick, Chiew Hong, Cynthia, Carol, Mak, Hamdan, Lim
Front: Ann, Chee Sum, Josie, Chooi Lin, Sharifah, Shirley, RosePhoto taken by yours truly (KC).

The group went trekking at Gunung Apek in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday 2 March. The Team Lead was Derick who is very familiar with the terrain and trail of Gunung Apek.

That was my first time going beyond Level 3. From base to Level 3, it was uphill most of the time. But beyond Level 3, the terrain was flat; possibly, one can even run there.
.

L-R: Cynthia, Sharifah, Hamdan, Rose, Chee Sum

Total trekking time was about 2 hours 30 minutes. For our fitness level, it is considered a little short.

Back at the base, the group ordered fruit juice, 'tong sui' and cocktail of fruits for refreshment. The group later went in a convoy to Cheras via short-cuts (lead by Derick) for brunch. The coffee shop offered unique and 'kaw' (strong) teh and coffee.

Next trekking is scheduled on this Saturday 15 March at Gunung Datuk.
.L-R: ChongYF, Chooi Lin, Shirley, Mak, Carol

Note: The name Gunung Apek gave me a wrong impression after seeing many elderly folks walking up and down the hill. “Apek” in Cantonese mean ‘old man’.

However, according to Chiew Hong (one of the trekking members), the original name is called Bukit Putih. The equivalent in Hockien is called Apek Sua. Somehow the Hockien pronunciation for white (Pek) was further transformed to become Gunung Apek, that gave different meaning from its original name.

Posted by KC

The Waves of Change

“This is shocking news indeed!” said the beautiful event coordinator of NTV7 in her fluent English and pleasant voice that can rival the newscasters of CNN. “Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Datuk Seri Samy Vellu and Datuk Seri Shahrizat were all defeated in the election.” Well, that was really shocking news to me! I too, was stunned to hear the defeat of the big guns at 10:30 p.m. yesterday, Saturday 8 March 2008.

It was a night of double excitement waiting eagerly in front of the TV for the results of the 12th General Election of Malaysia. To make matters even more exciting, the BWF Badminton Super Series All England 2008 was telecasted live simultaneously at RTM2.
.

Night of the Underdogs - Hannah Yeoh

I have to switch channels just like the election coverage tossing from command centre to the various counting centres. Lee Chong Wei and veterans Chong Tan Fook – Lee Wan Wah were all crashed out in the semi-finals of the All-England badminton championship: just like the big guns in the election.

At 11:05 p.m. Datuk s. Kayveas (BN Taiping) lost
At 1:20 a.m. Jeff Ooi, the Blogger, won the Jelutong Parliamentary seat with a 16,246 votes majority.

From the huge turn-up in those ceramah conducted by the opposition parties during the 13 days of campaigning, we know the waves of change were strong. But mere turnouts can not transform into votes, the opposition candidates were wary of the repeat of past elections. However, one indication of strong support was that the donation received from the ceramah was very encouraging. As ChinYH (a pacesetters runner) said when I met him at the ceramah at USJ 12, he donated RM50 in the earlier ceramah, and that put my donation into shame.

In my constituency (Subang Jaya), as predicted based on the strength of the waves of change, the two new and young electorates won.

P104 – Loh Gwo Burne http://lohgwoburne.blogspot.com/
N31 – Hannah Yeoh http://hannahyeoh.blogspot.com/

Election ceramah - unfazed by the rain

Saturday 8 March afternoon (Election Day)

When I pumped petrol at one of the Shell stations, even the Bangladeshi attendance said, “Good afternoon Sir, you vote already?” Well, that was an excellent ice-breaker used once in every four years.

When I went to service my car at one of the Goodyear outlets in USJ, the boss just came back from voting. When we struck a conversation, he automatically and excitedly made known his full support for the opposition parties.

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Source of photos: http://www.mycen.com.my/malaysia/election2008.html

The Lesser of the Shocking News:
Extracted from Wong Chun Wai’s column in today’s Star newspaper (Sunday 9 March, page N12):

As at press time, PKR secretary-general Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is expected to be made the new Selangor Mentri Besar and almost likely, his predecessor, the outgoing Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, the opposition leader.

By now, most results would have been known. With the rakyat’s endorsement, the waves of change have evolved into a tsunami. After discharging our duty to vote, we must continue to be vigilant, and ensure that our elected representatives account for their actions, and make good their promises on good governance – accountability, transparency and integrity.

Okay, election fever and euphoria is almost over, we shall return to running and trekking... :-)

Posted by KC

Trekking at Gunung Datuk

The group is going for trekking this time to Gunung Datuk (Rembau, Negeri Sembilan) on Saturday 15 March 2008. If you are interested to come, please contact TonyQ or KC Leong latest by Wedn 12 March to confirm your participation.

.

Tony: 016-274-2213 email: klpenguin3@gmail.com
.

KC: 012- 266 8166 email: kcle3@streamyx.com
.

Gunung Datuk - 2007 file photo taken by yours truly

Itinerary

7:30 a.m. - Meet at Senawang Toll (travelling time from Kuala Lumpur is one hour)

7:45 a.m. - Proceed to Gunung Datuk in a convoy

9:00 a.m. - Start ascend Gunung Datuk (one way is about 1.5 hour)

2:00 p.m. - Lunch at Rembau (delicious food with reasonable price. Speciality: BBQ eel, Pai kuat wong, etc)

Important:

Fairly good fitness level is required.

Note: Gate fee of RM 3 is imposed by Local Authority to climb Gunung Datuk; parking is RM2.

Panorama view at the peak of Gunung Datuk

DURIAN Feast

Come June 2008, we shall have another trekking trip to Gunung Datuk during durian season. WENG will invite us to his father-in-law's durian orchard in Tampin for all-you-can-eat durian feast for FREE. The orchard is only 7 km from Gunung Datuk. Sound good, right?

Posted by KC

So Close, Yet so Far

It was a cool evening after the late afternoon rain on Monday 3 March. Standing at the USJ 12 padang listening to Gobin Singh Deo’s serious yet humorous speech; watching the huge ‘pine’ tree behind the stage swaying gently in response to the breeze; hearing the unique remarks from the huge crowds in cheering the speaker, it was an incredible moment in attending the DAP ceramah before we cast our votes on 8 March 2008.

Unfortunately, while we enjoyed ourselves in Gobin’s speech, it started to drizzle at around 10 p.m. And the rain, slowly but surely, became heavy. I did not bring umbrella, so were Chin YH, Rose and her sister. Desperately, we went near to those spectators that were well prepared with their umbrellas. Despite the rain, Gobin proceeded with his speech and the number of audience did not dwindle. After a while, the whole area was covered with umbrella.

That evening, I was there early 20 minutes before the scheduled start of the ceramah. At that moment, all the seats were taken up and there were thousands of people already standing there waiting for the ceramah to start at 9 p.m. I walked around surveying the area. There were a few mobile stalls operating at the inner side of the field. There was one van that was loaded with iced can drinks. That would be a good idea to have a cold drink when the speeches were too heated up.

While walking around, Chin YH, a Pacesetter runner, spotted me. He actually came all the way from Kelana Jaya. Just like me, he also wanted to listen to Lim Kit Siang’s speech, and I believed most audience shared the same objective too. We later spotted Rose (another Pacesetters runner who live 500 meters away) and his sister.

The other main speakers in that evening were Tan Kok Wai (P123 Cheras) , Jeff Ooi (P50 Jelutong), Hanah Yeoh (Subang State Assembly) and Loh Gwo Burne (Kelana Jaya Parliamentary).

Lim Kit Siang and Jeff Ooi. Photo is from http://www.jeffooi.com/

When the rain intensified, I managed to seek partial shelter under a small umbrella meant for two persons – I was the fourth person. After a while, part of my shirt was wet. When the rain was picking up intensity, Gobin’s speech was eventually halted.

I have heard of DAP’s President, Mr. Lim Kit Siang since I was young but I have never heard his speeches before. So, it was a hard decision for me whether to stay on – to get wet – or go home.

After a while and when the situation was not getting any better, we decided to go home. With the wet shirt and when the wind blew, it was cold. I could never imagine that I actually shivered while walking to my car.

According to Rose, she and her sister went to the ceramah again when the rain had stopped at around 11 p.m. She managed to hear Mr. Lim’s speech. He explained with assurance that the opposition parties, even with the maximum seats, could only deny BN’s two-third majority.

While I communicated with a runner about the recent Ironman race in Langkawi and my repeatable visits to the election ceramah, I was labeled as Ironman also - Election Attendance Ironman. After all, being an Ironman means carrying out tasks repeatedly in order to improve the performance.

Note: Gobin Singh Deo is contesting for Parliamentary Seat P103 Puchong. Part of USJ constituency is aligned into Puchong.

Written by KC