SCKLM - Interesting Photos

PHOTOS FROM AROUND SCKLM '09
Just sharing some interesting photos taken by laiwah during the run. :)


#1926, that's the bib number for Muniandy Ramadass who's the first local finisher for the Full Marathon. He clocked 2 hrs 31 min for this run. That's about 36 min for 10km (it's a 17 kph speed) sustained over 2.5 hrs!!

The overall winner is a Kenyan clocking in at around 2 hrs 17 min! :O


#2516 is Ruburn Kummar (MAS) who's first in the 10km category. He completed in 36.5 min.


Some of the Kenyan runners coming in for the 42km finish.


#1246 Georgine Beech was the winner for the Women's 10km category. Her time was 44 min.


Running is not all about winning. You also need to do it with style like our young fren here. :P His time is not bad though at 52+ min for the 10km.


I like #0439; she's a half-marathoner (see her blue bib tag) and she's clocking in at 2 hrs which's impressive. I like her running posture/form where she is a forefoot strike runner (vs "heel strike").

The runner next to her #2480 is also a forefoot strike runner. He's from the Pacemaker group, easily recognizable with their red running vest. They sent in quite a large number of runners.

What is "forefoot strike" running?


Never too old to run... and the grandma (above) deserves a bow from all of us! She not only completed her 10km run but did it in around 60 min!! That's a good 10 min faster than my finishing time.. aiyoh!

Next time anyone tells me he or she is too old to run, I'll pop this photo as my response, hah!


Interesting "twist" she has on her calves as she ran... looks dangerous to me oh.



Saw a few of these pairs of runners. Basically a runner leading another runner who's visually impaired. Warms the heart. Pity the photo is out-of-focus.


Turning into the Big Walk now... :P


Yes, that's the way to finish - smile and wave!


Okie.. now let's come to the "baby strollers". Firstly, how did the organizer allow non-registered runner to get into the route? Only those who clearly displayed bib numbers shud be on the running route, no?

Secondly while I understand why they are doing this ie strolling the babies - must be all nice and warm to have baby running along with daddy towards the finishing line - but HELLO, this is an International Marathon. Do they not realize they could be road hazards to the other runners who are coming in strongly to the finishing line either for their personal best time or position??


ah.. see.... #1240 is a Full Marathon runner and he's almost going to crash into the stroller as he tried to wriggle his way past the crowd.


Ah... eye candy :) The #0002 kid is super cool... btw I was not referring to the kid as eye-candy ;)


This is Peter Lee (#0169), who's leading his visually-impaired fren for the kids dash. Good for you, Pete!


Luv the way kids run... with such abandonment and stamina!! Go Kiddo Go

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The full set of 170+ photos can be viewed at my Flickr site - click here. If you find your running photos in it, email me and I can send the source file to you.

SCKLM - Run for a Cause!

Sunday, June 28. Finally... Run Day is here! After weeks of anticipation, THIS IS IT!



A sell-out crowd of 12,500 runners... from over 30 countries. All converging this day to Dataran Merdeka to run a good race, be it the full marathon at 42km, the half- at 21km, the quarter at 10km (which is what I'm taking part in) or the fun run at 5km (which turned into the "amazing race", but more of that later hehe).

Woke up as early as 4.30am, quick breakfast of banana, oats, milk/soy and after checking to take sure we've all the necessary items - bib number, GoGear, ID docs, running shoes, some cash - off we left for Menara Olympia. Laiwah's following us along as "official" photographer with her 450D. Her first time shooting marathon/running event. :P

Reached Menara Olympia (where my office is located) just shy of 6am. No road block along the way to detour us. Intention was to park here and then walk to Dataran Merdeka as I do not suppose we'll be able to get any parking near the Dataran area since the full- and half-marathon runs flag off at 5am and 6am respectively, while our 10km starts at 7am.

Met up with the Datacomers - Ron, SuE, Daren, Wong, Patrick (and his two frens Yeoh and Chin). Two FFKed last minute - Aaron and Nicole. :S A quick change of clothes/shoes, bib numbers and off we strolled towards Dataran Merdeka.

We did not reach Dataran as early as I'd wanted and we ended up at the back of the block. This means we'll be slow off the block. Started with some warm-ups and stretching while waiyan seemed more busier catching up with many of her "long-lost" frens whom were taking part in the run. Anyway her category (5km) only starts at 8am.


The customary "Before Run" photo of the Datacom Team (from left) - Patrick, me, SuE, Ron and Daren

We were flagged off at 7am sharp... but from where we were standing/waiting.. we were still stationary. Duh! The front block took a rather long time to disperse up the route.

We did finally make it to the Starting Line (which is where our bib registered itself with the timing device to indicate our net start time). I glanced up to the digital timer and close to 4 min has elapsed since gun time. I knew it'll be slow to get off the block if we stayed at the back but I didn't realized it's THIS slow... aiyoh.


This is how it looked from my view while waiting for the other runners to disperse... (Photos taken from another site (c))

MY RUN
Anyway once I was past the Starting Line, slowly got into jogging pace. There were ppl everywhere!! Last I heard, the 10km category has about 4,000+ runners. It can be really difficult navigating your way past the sea of runners, each running at their own pace (some just walking along, aiks at just 500m off the starting line?)

I quickly picked a "pacer" ie someone who's running at a pace slightly faster than me whom I can follow and pace myself until I'm ready to move up a gear. I did not get this man's bib number but I would like to appreciate him for pacing me during the early part of the run.

The first water station was at 3km. I saw a huge crowd jostling for water so didn't bother to stop. I did see SuE going into the crowd to join the water-jostling. So she was keeping up with me then. :)

I continued to follow my pacer till close to the 5km point when I thought the pacer might be going at a pace that's too slow for me. After getting some water at the 5km water station I started to break away and picked up pace for the last 5km. Later SuE told me she saw me overtaking her at the 5km mark. Hmm.. so she was even ahead of me till the 5km point - not bad wor!! :P

Continued at a brisk pace till we reached Bank Negara. That's when we were approaching the last 3km of the 10km run. It was about 5 min to 8am then and I knew I was not doing fast enough splits to finish this race in my target 60 mins.

Picked up a faster pace hoping to finish strongly. Towards the last stretch along Jln TAR, I found I was even able to sprint towards the finish line! If I can "sprint" at the end, it's definitely poor pacing by me. :(



Here's how I did for SCKLM run:

Category: 10k Run 10km (Men)
Position: 766
Net Start: 07:01:40
Net Time: 01:08:53
Finish Timing: 01:12:28.03

DATACOM
Here's a quick snapshot of the other members from the Datacom team. Happy to report all of them completed the race, yeah!




Datacom Team (from top): Daren, Ron, SuE, Patrick and Wong

The Datacom team with our 10km finishers medals. Missing in the group pic here is Wong. I did meet him at the finishing line and asked him to join us at the rendezvous point... but didn't see him around.


The Datacom Finishers (from left): Jeff, SuE, Ron, Patrick and Daren

THE AMAZING 5K RACE
waiyan signed up for the 5k Run together with a few of her frens. She has been training and pacing for a 40+ min finish and imagine her surprise when in the actual run today, she ended up back to the finishing line in just 20 min!!


waiyan doing her 5km run ;)

Turned out there was some miscommunication and the runners were misdirected to a shorter 2km route!! What a downer!! Imagine signing up and paying for a 5km experience and getting shortchanged becoz someone didn't do their job properly (I'm blaming the organizer Octagon, and not the volunteers).

You bet there's plenty of talk about this "Amazing 5k Race" at the SCKLM Facebook page. Is it too much to expect the organizer to put up proper signages at each turning point in the route to direct the runners properly?

And when she approached the Race Director wanting to find out why they had such a "short run" - well, he was wearing the t-shirt with the word "Race Director" boldly printed on it - the answer she got from him was downright rude and shocking... that I chose not to print here.

A BADLY ORGANIZED RUN
While my 10km run was relatively without incident, it was not so for the full- and half-marathons. In addition to the Amazing 5k Race (above), the marathons were plagued with water station problems, traffic control, dangerously placed mobile toilets (imagine placing the mobile toilet on the opposite side of Mahameru highway such that when runners need to pee, they have to play "Why did the chicken cross the busy highway" game), marred the experience for many of the runners.

All of these have been widely cerita in the SCKLM Facebook page so I won't want to repeat them here. Go to the Facebook site if you wish to read about the hoo-has. :)

They even made a boo-boo about giving the first prize to the second placed runner during the prize giving ceremony. Aiyoh!

RUNNING FOR A CAUSE - Nature, Our Heritage, Ours to Protect
Part of our involvement in this run is taking part in their Run for a Cause event where we use this event to create awareness and raise funds for one of five selected charity organizations. I picked Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) http://www.mns.my/ as I wish to help create more awareness for MNS in their effort to preserve our natural heritage.

The result is a total of RM1,200 raised from my personal contacts and Datacom. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have generously donated to the MNS cause. And a note of appreciation to all the Datacom runners who took part in this charity run. :)


Group photo of both 10km and 5km runners. Congrats to all of you... you've successfully Ran Your Race!

Special thanks to my sis laiwah for coming along to take all the nice photos you see here.. The problem being the photographer is that your face doesn't end up in the album! So I searched for other marathon blog & photo sites, hoping someone would have taken a photo of laiwah in action.

Lo.. I found it at Winnie Wong's photo site. Thanks again, laiwah :)


(c) Winnie Wong

SCKLM - Pre-Run Days

Friday, 26 June (T-2). After weeks of preparation and anticipation, the day is almost upon us. The Run Day is just a couple of days away and today's the first day for the collection of our Race Pack!

With Datacom sending a team of 8 ppl for the Run for a Cause event, I took the team out for a pre-race lunch at Hoong Hoong Yong Tau Foo at Ampang before we adjourned to Dataran Merdeka to collect our race packs.

It rained while we were having our lunch at Hoong Hoong but by the time we reached Dataran, the rain had stopped and it was a cool nice Friday afternoon while we waited in the queue for our race collection.


We'll be starting off against the backdrop of this historic building

As expected there was a large crowd... hmm, dun all these ppl got to go back to work? Then again I suppose they would be asking the same question of us. hehe....

I'd expected a long queue since we've 12,500 runners all coming to collect their race packs in only a 2-day period (today and tomorrow). Can't understand why SCKLM didn't spread the collection into more days or (even better) offer to have the race packs delivered to your doorstep (like what HooHa.asia is doing for the Putrajaya Night Run).

I think we started to queue around 1.30pm and the queue didn't seem to move much as the hot afternoon sun slowly started to trickle back, and the afternoon was not so cool & nice anymore. :(

The queue didn't seem to move AT ALL... the ladies in our group were starting to hide behind umbrellas, shades or watever cover they could find! A few started calling back to the office to make arrangement for their backups as it did not look like we'll be able to get back to the office anytime soon.

When it reached our turn, we finally understood why the queue moved so slowly.. the volunteers have to search for our running vest by size, and they also have to locate our bib number (ie the runner number we attached to our chest on run day) as the system already pre-allocated the bib number for us.

haiz... you can guessed what can turn wrong in such situation? Some people asked for change of vest size.. some bib numbers cannot be located... Murphy's Law cropping up everywhere.

In the end, six of us managed to get our complete race packs but two couldn't find their bib numbers! Another colleague who's collecting for two of his frens also hit the same snag - no bib number.

We reported the bib number issue to the Info Center and not surprisingly there was already a long list of runners who did not get their bib numbers too. I was told someone will call us back once they sorted out our bib number. Nothing much we can do but to leave Dataran and hope someone "will call" us back. It was already past 3pm when we left.

That was for the 10km queue. My colleague who's collecting for the 5km race was stuck in the queue till 4.30pm!! For his patience he got two bonus events - afternoon rain and computer system down.. kaka.

The irony was not lost on us that we actually spent more time waiting in-queue to collect our race packs than we would have spent running our race! haiz.

And on that evening, the SCKLM page on Facebook were bombarded with complaints from runners facing the same problems as us! tsk tsk....



As to the contents of the Race Pack, I like the quality of the material for the running vest, and the bag looks nice. Other than that, it's quite "bare" with only promotional brochures from StanChart and the sponsors masquerading as "contents". Aiyoh...

Saturday, 27 June (T-1). I'd tapered off my training runs at the gym since last Sunday to give my legs the proper rest before run day (I'm not 18 yrs old anymore la). To get my body back into readiness for tomorrow's run, I woke up early in the morning and went for a slow easy 3km jog at KLCC with waiyan. Nice to have a spouse who shares your luv for running. ;)

I usually do my on-the-road runs at KLCC in the evening.. and a morning run was so .... different. The air was very refreshing and you could almost smell the morning dew. Must make a note to do more early morning OTR runs.

At noon, I returned to Dataran to see if the missing bib numbers from yesterday were ready. I was expecting a large crowd at Dataran since the SCKLM page at Facebook said only 5,000 runners collected theirs yesterday.

Well, I was surprised to find that Dataran was rather... empty. Hmm.. did they get super-efficient in disbursing the race packs today? Or did the 7,000 just gave up after reading all the ceritas on the SCKLM Facebook? hehe...


The "empty" race pack collection counters that greeted me at Dataran

Anyway I quickly got the missing bib numbers sorted out, and can even leisurely walk over to check what the other booths were promoting. MGIS was doing their sports insurance and Reebok's there as well with their sports attire/gear. Bought a box of Powerbar at 50% discount and signed up for the Adidas King of the Road run (which is on Aug 2).



The lesson of the story? Pick up your race pack on the 2nd day la!! LOL

We met this couple who came all the over from HK to participate in this run! I should have asked but I supposed they took part in the StanChart HK Marathon as well. I really admired their dedication to running.


Yeah, the 1-Malaysia thingie... hehe

Guess what? I forgot to ask their names or to introduce ourselves. Duh? Where were my manners... sigh.


This is where we'll start (and finish) the race tomorrow...

Alrite, race pack collected, bib numbers ready... get an early nite's sleep and we are all set to Run our Race tomorrow!

p/s If you want to know more about all the hiccups on Race Pack collection days, drop in to the SCKLM Facebook site. :P

To view the full set of photos at Flickr, click here.

Love & Suffering

Saw this from a fren's blog.. haha.. I luv the convoluted humour that's Woody!

“… To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; to not love is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness.”
- Woody AllenAmerican Actor, Author, Screenwriter and Film Director, b.1935

11 Reasons Top reasons why ladies today are still single??

Saw this from another blog... funny... like to share it here. :P

11 Reasons Top reasons why ladies today are still single??

1. The nice men are ugly.

2. The handsome men are not nice.

3. The handsome and nice men are gay.

4. The handsome, nice and metrosexual men are married.

5. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men, have No money.

6. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men with money think we are only after their money.

7. The handsome men without money are after our money.

8. The handsome men, who are not so nice and somewhat metrosexual, don't think we are beautiful enough.

9. The men who think we are beautiful, that are metrosexual, somewhat nice and have money, are cowards.

10. The men who are somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some money and thank God are heterosexual, are shy and NEVER MAKE THE FIRST MOVE!!!!

11. The men who never make the first move, automatically lose interest in us when we take the initiative.

"Men are like a fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it's our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you'd like to have dinner with."

Adizero Ace

Since I've had the Tempo (trainer shoes), I've increased my mileage to 10km per session in the gym without "killing" my legs. :P There was a day in May when I happeend to be in Gardens and I thought I might check into the Adidas Performance shop and have them do a scan of my feet to determine my foot type and what type of running shoes would fit me.

I've done the standard "wet foot test" and it showed me as having a normal feet type. The foot scan at Adidas Gardens confirmed I've a neutral foot type - except it showed I'd a slight overpronation on my forefeet when I land (but that's getting technical) - and thus it'll be easy for me to pick up running shoes off-the-shelf.

The shop assistant was very helpful and knowledgeable. He explained the types of running shoes series produced by Adidas - AdiZero and Supernova - and since I already have an Adizero Tempo as a trainer he suggested I get my running flats from the same series.

He recommended either the Adizero CS or Manna since all I'm interested is running 10-15km races. However I couldn't seem to find either the CS or Manna in stock at most of the Adidas shop. Was told by the shop assistant at Adidas Performance Pavilion that these shoes tend to come in "seasons". Duh....

A google thru running forums said Adidas is replacing the RC, CS, and LT with new models; the Ace and Adios. Anyway I saw both these new running shoes at the Adidas shop in Times Square - one black/yellow shoes (Ace) and the other a striking yellow shoes (Adios).

The Adios is a little high-end for me - but it's best if you are doing the half or full marathon (nope, that's not me hehe) - so I settled for the Ace. At 7.5 oz (that's 3.5 oz lighter than the Tempo), it's a very lightweight running shoes. Not to mention being fashionable in black, hehe (and not the boring conventional white).



The downside with the weight is that it has less cushioning than the Tempo so it's more suitable for use in Run Day itself rather than my regular training runs at True Fitness.

Have been breaking-in the Ace for a few weeks at my Sunday KLCC on-the-road runs... and just now did a full 9km run using the Ace. Feels great and everytime I picked up pace, the shoes' "quickstrike" (on the forefeet as you bounced off) felt good! Took me 57 min though (that's a slow time).... need to learn to tackle the "hamburger hills" more efficiently. haiz.

waiyan came along with me and did about 3 rounds (that's 3.9km) in preparation for her 5km run for SCKLM. Think she went over the pace in the 1st round and had some problems with side stitch. Need to help her to pace properly.

Will be going back to the gym over the weekdays to do speedworks for one more week. Need to push my 5km time down to 25min and that means a solid 12kph from start. :P

Two more weeks to SCKLM...

Running for Charity

It's not always that we get to combine our passion for life with charity work. When I first saw the StanChart KL Marathon (SCKLM) event, I was not sure of taking part. I've been increasing my mileage at the gym but a 10-km run is still a mid-distance run and if you intend to finish the run in reasonably good time, then you need be ready for it.



However once I saw that it has a Run for Cause (charity) option, that made up my mind. Yes, I'll run for charity and I'll get myself prepared for it. :)



The SCKLM event supports 5 charities;

• Standard Chartered Trust Fund
• Shelter Home for Children
• DHRRA Malaysia - Development of Human Resources in Rural Area
• NASOM - National Autism Society of Malaysia
• Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) - Protection of Malaysia's Natural Heritage

Since GREEN has often been a recent topic of discussion, I picked Malaysian Nature Society (MNS). Would have picked WWF if it was on the list *wink*

The deal is simple:

1. I sign up as a charity runner, select the non-profit org I wish to plege my donations to and then promote the charity event to solicit donation.
2. Those who wish to donate can just do so at the SCKLM website where each of us charity runners have a page of our own.
3. Once we managed to raise RM500, we'll get to take part in the run (Jun28).
4. All dollars raised by this initiative will be donated to the nominated charity organizations.

Of course, I could just sign up as a normal runner and paid RM50 and not have to worry about having to raise RM500 donations. I suppose being able to help raise some funds for one of these non-profit organizations would make the run much more meaningful.

If you wish to support me (and MNS) in my run for charity, you may donate via Stanchart at this webpage.
http://www.kl-marathon.com/charity/profile.asp?id=7&ch=5

On behalf of Malaysian Nature Society and our environment, I thank you in advance. Your kind support will go a long way to helping MNS achieve their conservation goals and help preserve the environment for our future generation. You can read more about MNS and their activities at their website: http://www.mns.my/

NATURE - Our Heritage, Ours to Protect!

Note: Stanchart can issue you tax-exemption receipt for your donation.

Adizero Tempo

They said you won't appreciate the value of a good trainer (running shoes) until you've had one. How true! I've been using an NB cross-trainer picked up at budget from Isetan a few years back when I started gyming at Fitness First.

In all fairness, the NB shoes have served me well... following me from Fitness First in 2006 to True Fitness in 2008 (till now). Obviously when you are at the gym and doing only a 2km run, any shoe would probably do as well.

Recently (as in Mar this year) when I started running more seriously... increasing my mileage to 5km per run... I started to feel "pain" in my feet. Initially I thot that's probably due to me pushing myself on the run and just told myself to take it easier.

The idea of taking part in a quarter marathon (10km) happened only when I chanced upon Stanchart's KL Marathon event (schd for June 28 this year). I was spurred by their Run for a Cause where you sign up, get ppl to support you by donating to a non-profit of your choice and you run for them!

Getting to take part in one of the more popular marathon in Msia and running for charity at the same time - can't miss this opportunity, right?

This would mean I need a proper running shoes as I'll be increasing my mileage to 10km or more as part of my training. With my feet already complaining at 5km, a good running shoes is essential.

A quick google told me I shud be looking at two choices: the Nike Lunar Trainer or the Adidas Adizero Tempo. Nike seems to have discontinued the Lunar Trainer, so it's the Tempo for me.



Bought it from the Adidas shop in Berjaya Times Square who happened to be having a sales; got 20% off for the Tempo. Still set me back about rm319. But it was worth the investment.

Even though I increased both the mileage and the speed at my next training runs at the gym, my feet no longer feels the "pain". The ForMotion cushioning is superb, and the shoes is incredibly light for a trainer.

It seems Adidas has come out with Tempo II now. If you are looking for a good, lightweight trainer and your feet type is neutral, give the Tempo a try. :P

Running under the Twin Towers

Have not really appreciate the simple fact that one of the modern wonders of the world - the Petronas Twin Towers - is just mere minutes away from us. Not until one of my colleagues from Sydney who was here a few months ago commented how she would luv to work in the Twin Towers!

Since I've always wanted to hit the tracks again, what would be better than running under the Twin Towers? :P

Have been doing some time on the treadmill at the gym but as a (recreational) runner, you know the treadmill is just a preparation for the actual run on tracks. It's been a long time since I last ran on the KLCC tracks but I'll always remember how "soft" they are. They are laid using a special rubber track (the actual name is Ethylene Propylene Deine Modified, not that it means anything to me) but I enjoyed running on them.

The track is 1.3km long and my plan was to do four rounds (5.2km) and compare my time with the treadmill. I would have been able to cover 5km on the treadmill in about 30 min.

Note: 30min for 5km is not exactly "great" timing as those top marathon runners can probably complete 5km in 12min. For "unka" like me, 5km in 30m is pretty good time hehe.

Reached KLCC Park around 6.45pm and it was still drizzling. Been drizzling since late afternoon and we saw a few runners braving the rain to run on the tracks. Well, if they can do it, so can I (hehe).

A quick change in the car, some warm-up and off I went. It was already 7:09pm when I started off and dusk was falling.


The view of the Twin Tower (and Maxis Tower) when I started.. dusk's here

The one thing I forgot to adjust when switching from treadmill to tracks was "pacing". On the treadmill, you get all those nice readings in front of you to help you pace yourself.. be it for 5km or 8km.

Unlike sprints - where you aim to burn yourself out to run as fast as you could - in a longer distance run, you need to pace yourself so that you can hit your timing goal.



I didn't pace properly. :(

I kicked off pretty fast... probably too fast, at a pace I knew I won't be able to sustain. I completed the first lap in 6 min. That's a 4.6min KM. :O

True enuff, I couldn't sustain that after the 2nd lap...

Overall, I did the four laps of 5.2km in 32 min - an average of 6:15 min per km which is as good as my treadmill time. For this, I'm happy. :)

Need to remind myself to work on the "pacing".

After a rainfall when the air is oh so fresh, it's nice to get to run in the outdoor. Will be back to the gym again during the weekdays to build up endurance and also work to improve my timings. But will certainly come back to the KLCC tracks again next weekend and hope to do 5 rounds!


View of the Twin Tower around 8pm

SCKLM (Standard Chartered KL Marathon) where I intend to run for charity is only 3 mths away... are you ready?

Twilight of a life

Haven't been updating my blog lately (and also late on those BGC sessreps). Really all hands on deck workwise especially given end March is the end of our FY and there are appraisals and increments and wat-not for so many ppl to sort out. Sigh.

Anyway came across this blog of a really long-time-no-contact fren - in fact a senior from my St John's Ambulance Cadet days - and it so wowed me that I felt I need to just put up a simple entry to write about it. Here's the article.

I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi.
I honked but no one came out.
I honked again, nothing.

So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice.
I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened.
A small woman in her 90's stood before me.

She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase.

The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years.
All the furniture was covered with sheets.
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters.
In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.
I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.
She kept thanking me for my kindness.

'It's nothing', I told her.
'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.
'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'
'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.

I looked in the rear-view mirror.
Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued.
'The doctor says I don't have very long.'

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city.
She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds.
She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up.
They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.
The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.
'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.
She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she
said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.
Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift.
I drove aimlessly lost in thought.

For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.
What if that woman had got an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others
may consider a small one.

......From the pages of Zorro-Unmasked

Thanks to NCK's blog http://www.visitcheekeong.blogspot.com/ where I first read this touching article. The moment I finished reading this article, I recall a love song.. perhaps the lyrics kinda reminded me of the old woman above who were nostalgically re-visiting all the places her love used to spend time with her.

ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME
Naked Eyes

I walk along the city streets you used to walk along with me,
and every step I take reminds me of just how we used to be.
Well, how can I forget you, girl?

When there is always something there to remind me.
always something there to remind me.

As shadows fall, I pass a small cafe where we would dance at night.
And I can't help recalling how it felt to kiss and hold you tight
Well, how can I forget you, girl?

When there is always something there to remind me.
always something there to remind me.

I was born to love her, and I'll never be free.
You'll always be a part of me.

If you should find you miss the sweet and tender love we used to share.
Just go back to the places where we used to go, and I'll be there

Well, how can I forget you, girl?
When there is always something there to remind me.
always something there to remind me.

I was born to love her, and I'll never be free
You'll always be a part of me.
'cause there is always something there to remind me.
always something there to remind me.
always something there to remind me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2nUtpv0IAQ

Because I don't do slow

Back to the gym after the longish Chinese New Year break where in addition to not getting my regular workouts, I had so many CNY dinners that were just "excessive". But the food's good though. :P

Didn't see the usual crowd at the gym (True Fitness Pavilion), guess most of them are still in CNY mode. Then again, I like TF here becoz it's usually never crowded and you get plenty of space and room to do your workout.

Glad to know I can still complete the first 3km with a sub-20min timing (and 5 secs to spare!) Having a run is such good therapy after a long day at work.

Reminded me of the Adidas tagline I saw at their store in Times Square -
Because I don't do slow.

Rubik II?

Just read this from Guardian. The inventor of the Rubik Cube - Prof Erno Rubik - is back, and everyone's tipping his next release to be as groundbreaking as the Rubik Cube.


Dan Harris, Rubik champion trying the new Rubk 360

Some interesting facts on the Rubik Cube:

• It has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible combinations on its six faces
• It has only one solution
• More than 350,000,000 Cubes sold worldwide
• Invented in 1974 but not exported from Hungary until 1980
• A standard 3x3 Rubik’s cube measures 2¼ inches (5.7cm) on each side
• It has 39,600 entries on YouTube
• The first international 'speedcubing’ championship was held in Hungary in 1982 and was won by Los Angeles student Minh Thai with a time of 22.95 seconds.
• The current British 'speedcubing’ champion is Breandan McElhill, 16, from Ayrshire with an unofficial personal best time of 7.9 seconds.
• The current world 'speedcubing’ champion is Dutch teenager Eric Akkersdijk with an official time of 7.08 seconds.
• Variations on 'speedcubing’ include solving the cube with a single hand, with feet, blindfolded or underwater in a single breath.
• The British blindfold 'speedcube’ champion is Joey Gouly, 17, from Leeds with a time of 48 seconds. The slowest solver is thought to be Graham Parker, 45, a builder from Portchester, Hants, who finished his Cube earlier this month 26 years after he bought it. “When I clicked that last bit into place and each face was a solid colour I wept,” he said.

Source

The Phantom of the Opera

Have been hunting for the 2-CD original cast recording for The Phantom of the Opera musical (the one with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman) but couldn't seem to find it. Tried Speedy, tried Tower etc.

Saw the 2-CD once (a long time ago) at Popular Leisure Mall, but didn't buy it then. Been regretting since.

When the movie came out in 2004 (IMDB), watched it, enjoyed it and then wanted the 2-CD original set even more! :(

Yesterday while at Amcorp, just decided to drop in to Victoria Music Centre for a look-see. Guess what? They have both the Original Cast Recording 2-CD and the 2004 Movie Soundtrack also 2-CD editions!

The Movie Soundtrack comes in a single-CD and 2-CD edition. The 2-CD edition obviously containing ALL the songs from the movie while the single CD has the highlights. One of the highlights of the 2004 movie (compared to the musical) is Gerard Butler's awesome rendition of "The Point of No Return".


Now I'm the happy owner of both these 2-CD audio tracks

Andrew L.W. is also planning to launch the sequel "Phantom: Love Never Dies" to this musical this coming year possibly at Shanghai.

Angkor '08 Day One 19/11/08 - Baphuon

ANGKOR '08

DAY ONE 19 Nov '08 (Wed) - contd.
(previously - South Gate, Bayon, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Tep Pranam, Preah Palilay, Phimeanakas)

BAPHUON
It was close to 6 pm but the sky is not dark yet so we thought we could do one more site before we call it a day. The Baphuon is the (Hindu) state temple to Yasodharapura during the reign of King Udayadityavarman II in the 11th century (that's before King Jayavarman's reign in the 12th century).

Even while the Bayon was in her prime (when she's known as the Golden Tower), Baphuon was known as the Tower of Bronze and height-wise (50m) was actually taller than the Bayon. The Baphuon sits on a five-tier pyramid structure with an architecture that followed the temple-mountain concept where the temple sits on a large base (120m x 100m) representing Mount Meru.

Reconstruction of how the temple may have
looked in the 11th century (by Lucien Fournereau)

Sadly this temple has almost collapsed totally and there have been extensive restoration work being carried out by the EFEO which is still ongoing today. We couldn't really access much of the temple and could only view it from the ground-level. Hopefully once EFEO have completed their work, some of the glory of this state temple can be appreciated again.

The Baphuon - partially seen, behind the gopura of the outer enclosure
- if you approach from the eastern side

We approached this temple from the eastern entrance, having just left Phimeanakas. The first thing you'll come across is the eastern gopura which surprisingly is still in pretty good shape. From here, we have to walk a raised causeway that's about 172m long!

Halfway along the raised causeway, you'll come across a ruined pavilion and small pond. We did not stop at the pavilion but were told later there are some very interesting bas relief carved into the walls of the pavilion.

The small pond which is to your left as you approach the Baphuon

The remains of a pavilion...

The temple itself is enclosed in a very large area of 425m x 125m by sandstone walls (most of which have collapsed now) but the gopura on the eastern side of the outer enclosure are still in relatively good shape. Sadly they've fenced off the entrance via this gopura and we need to go around the enclosure (to the right from picture below) to get back to the raised causeway beyond this gopura (ie. into the inner enclosure of the Baphuon).

You cannot enter this gopura (above) as they've fenced off the entrance
probably due to ongoing restoration work

A close-up look of the gopura of the outer enclosure

Once we are inside the outer enclosure, we cannot go any further with the rest of the temple being sealed off and we can only appreciate the temple from. We did make our way to the western side of the temple to view (what's left) of the giant statue of a reclining Buddha, which is undergoing massive restoration work.

An illustration of the temple showing the giant statue of a reclining Buddha

It is interesting to note this temple started as a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva. It was then converted in the 15th century to become a Buddhist temple, and a giant statue of a reclining Buddha (H9m L70m) was built on the western side of the temple. The whole history of Cambodia is full of this Buddhist-Hindusim-Buddhist conversion, competitiona and sometimes co-existence as in Baphuon and also Preah Palilay.

It was getting late (and dark) so we hurrily make our way back to the restaurant rest-stop in Angkor Thom where Man was waiting to fetch us back to the hotel in his tuk-tuk.

This concludes our Day One visits where we covered nine sites/temples all within Angkor Thom.

DINNER @ KHMER IDEA RESTAURANT
After a quick shower back at the hotel, we went to Pub Street and looked around for a good place to have our dinner. We wanted to try local food so restaurants like Kamasutra, Banana Leaf, etc were not on our radar.

I'd read favorable reviews from a few blogs of Khmer Kitchen restaurant. Problem was I didn't have their exact address so we were walking around Pub Street looking for it.

Since we couldn't find Khmer Kitchen Restaurant and our stomachs were making "demands" after the long-&-hard day of temple visits, we settled for one that sounded closest to it - Khmer Idea Restaurant. :P

shrapnel posing with some of the staff at the Khmer Idea Restaurant in Pub Street

I had this - pork ribs - for dinner and I've to say this is a must-try
if you ever come to this restaurant

A tasty and not-too-sweet local dessert with something like sago in it.

Food here's based on the seemingly standard (tourist) price of USD3 for the main course and USD1-USD2 for the drinks. We spent average of USD5 per person for this meal.

The next blog will be about the 2nd Day of our Angkor visit; where we started off with sunrise at Angkor Wat followed by the Small Circuit Tour of Angkor Thom.

DAY ONE Index - Photos & Blog

• Khmer Inn Guesthose: 12 photos
• South Gate to Angkor Thom: 72 photos, blog
• Bayon: 154 photos, blog
• Lunch at Angkor Thom: Lunch at Angkor Thom
• Terrace of Elephants: 56 photos, blog
• Terrace of the Leper King: 8 photos, blog
• Tep Pranam: 8 photos, blog
  Preah Palilay: 17 photos
• Phimeanakas: 10 photos (2 vids), blog
• Baphuon: 17 photos, blog
  Khmer Idea Restaurant: 8 photos

Angkor '08 collection of over 2,300 photos at Flickr.

Angkor '08 Day One 19/11/08 - Phimeanakas

ANGKOR '08

DAY ONE 19 Nov '08 (Wed) - contd.
(previously - South Gate, Bayon, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Tep Pranam, Preah Palilay)

ROYAL PALACE
After Preah Palilay, our journey took us to the Royal Palace area. Unfortunately due me missing out the fact that the Royal Palace would have been constructed mainly of wood + gold (and not stone) most of its structures would have decayed or in the case of gold, be stolen by now.

Meaning there's not much of a Royal Palace to see. :P

But within the enclosures of the Royal Palace, there are two sites which are still very much intact; Phimeanakas and Baphuon.

PHIMEANAKAS
This site can be visited either by exiting the Terrace of Elephants via its western exit or coming here from Preah Palilay (which was what we did). This site was built in the late 10th century, before the Bayon and is of Hindu origin. It's the tallest temple with steps that you can climb within Angkor Thom.

This temple was where the King (and not God / Buddha) was worshipped. It's located in idyllic surroundings (much like Preah Palilay). The highlight of this site would be the central sanctuary / temple where it was rumored has a top of gold.

The central temple comprised three levels, and there's a long & steep stairways on each cardinal side, leading up to the top of the temple. Firstly the stairs are really steep.... and secondly the temple is about 36m tall. There's no break in the stairways so if you feel dizzy while climbing and fell.. it's gonna be a good 100 feet roll-down. Am sure if that happens, a few limbs would be broken. And this is just Day One of our Angkor visit!! :O

The Western side of the temple with the "tourist" staircase :P

For that reason, the Apsara Authority (or whoever maintains this temple) decided to built a modern staircase with supporting rails on the western side of the temple to help us poor tourists get up to the top of the temple.

But if you are gung-ho, agile and feel lucky, you can do what this dude did! And he was wearing slippers! Bravo!!

Note: For your info, that dude managed to get up to the top of the temple safely.. no 100 feet roll-down, no broken limbs etc. But do this only if you are at that stage of your life where you felt you always need to prove something to the [world / peers / girlfren / ..... ] otherwise do consider the staircase on the western side of this temple. You know, when someone makes the effort to build staircase there must be a reason, right? :P

Just to put things into perspective, if you do wish to attempt the gung-ho run-up the stairways here (like the dude above) and if (unlike that dude) you did not succeed in your attempt, this is probably the last view (above) you see before you wake up at the local hospital. :P

Me at the top of Phimeanakas, and no, I used the "modern staircase" hehe

Given this temple is also set in similar idyllic surroundings with lush forest around, and after the immensely entertaining Palilay Dance, we were half-expecting to see the Phimeanakas Dance.

Unfortunately, young ladies + silk scarf = distraction of the highest order.

Our chief dancer was too busy consorting negotiating with these lovely young ladies who were trying to sell him some silk scarves. Now why did he want so many scarves for?

In the absence of the Phimeanakas Dance, we present to you some video clips of the Scarf Bargaining act.

The Lure: The delicate balance between "Five for Eight" and "Six for Ten"
click here for the video

Length: 26 sec
Size: 5.5 MB

The Close....
click here for the video

Length: 64 sec
Size:13 MB

Note: For some reasons, can't seem to embed Flickr's video directly into Blogger posts so have to use external links to send you to the videos.

We spent close to an hour here (no doubt a large part of that was spent doing scraf bargaining hehe) and it was already close to 6pm when we leave for our next (and last for the day) destination, the Baphuon, the Tower of Bronze.

Next is the visit to the last site for the day - Baphuon - which would then complete Day One of our Angkor '08 trip.

DAY ONE Index - Photos & Blog

• Khmer Inn Guesthose: 12 photos
• South Gate to Angkor Thom: 72 photos, blog
• Bayon: 154 photos, blog
• Lunch at Angkor Thom: Lunch at Angkor Thom
• Terrace of Elephants: 56 photos, blog
• Terrace of the Leper King: 8 photos, blog
• Tep Pranam: 8 photos, blog
  Preah Palilay: 17 photos
• Phimeanakas: 10 photos (2 vids), blog

Angkor '08 collection of over 2,300 photos at Flickr.