Mama is back from HKG/SGP

Mama came back to KL last Monday. Alison brought her back home. As usual, I was the driver fetching my sister everywhere she wants to go. She had gone back to Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Mama and I had a big quarrel. I am adamant that I was not in the wrong. Knowing mama will be feeling very sad because it was a double blow to her. I feel disheartening seeing mama sad and crying. I backed down and apologized yesterday morning. However, we are still not in talking terms. We didn't talk much during dinner yesterday night. My mood was really lousy.

I called darling yesterday. Somehow, I was unable to contain the build up pressure and I blew everything out and threw it at her. I felt lousy after that. I kept rehearsing the apologizing sentence in my mind "sorry darling, I shouldn't have release my tension to you" before I said it to her.

Darling felt dejected that I didn't want to let her know what had happened. She has sensed something was not right from the tone of my voice. I just wanted to be alone and I didn't want to talk about it.

Darling, if you read this. I'm sorry.

I had 4 consecutive days of Gym Sessions

It has been quite a while since the last time I blog. I have a few things to blog about. I will start with my gym session.

I always blog about my gym. Why? It is important to me. I have a goal I want to achieve. I need to note down every records I had broken to keep myself in track. 42.2km is a very long distance. But it is not impossible. Impossible is nothing.

Anyway, let's go back to what I had achieved this week. I had 2 achievements:

- 4 consecutive days of gym sessions.
- I broke my 30min run record. I ran 4.86km with average speed of 9.72km/h.

I never had a 4 consecutive days of gym session after I left Menara Maxis. I consider this as an achievement. The adiStar Cushioned running shoe is really good. I can continuously run everyday without worrying about the pain at the hill of my right foot. I am very satisfied.

On the 30min run. I recognised that it is getting harder and harder to break record. I ran 12km/h in the final minute of the 30min run. I felt as though I was sprinting on the the treadmill. I almost wanted to collapse. I hold on to it and counting every second till I finished the 30min run. I felt satisfied knowing I had broken the record. Tomorrow is Saturday and I will take my deserving rest.

I was Gasping for Air

After my 3 successful attemps to run more than 30 minutes at a slower pace. I suddenly found out that I'm having difficulties in the 30mins interval run that I was so used to last month. I had attempted twice on the 30min run of 6min interval with variable speeds, I can only complete 2 intervals. The 30min run of 6min interval looks like this:

Total time: 30min
Each Interval: 6min
Total intervals: 5
Run speeds @ each interval: 9.4km/h (2min), 9.6km (2min), 9.8km/h (1min), 10.2km/h (1min)

I need to slow down to 9.4km/h and run for 2min for recovery after the 1min run of 10.2km/h.

I need to concentrate on the 30min interval run for upcoming 2 weeks. Once I'm able to complete the run, I will attempt to increase the speed until I reach my target speed of 10km/h for a 30min run. I will only make another attempt to run more than 1 hour next month.

I Did It

I did it. Check out the statistic:

Running:
- Total run time: 60min
- Distant covered: 9.25km
- Total kcal burned: 744kcal

Stepper:
- Total workout time: 12min
- Total kcal burned: 203kcal

Total workout time: 72min
Total kcal burned: 947kcal

I am damn proud of myself today. I have planned for an hour run next week instead I did it this morning. One week earlier.

After the run, I was soaking in sweat. Not a spot in my body was dry. My legs are sore but I'm satisfied. I can't walk at my usual speed but it is ok.

Have a great weekend.

My Gym Workout Target for this Week

I am taking a rest today.

I am targeting to run 20km in 4 days. I ran a total distant of 9.36km already on Mon and Tue. The target is to run 10.64km in coming 2 days, 4km on Thur which I will emphasies on speed and on Fri, I will run at least 6.64km.

Saturday is my rest day. Then, on Sun will attemp to break my 30min run speed. I ran 4.84km last week in 30mins.

Increasing the weekly run mileage and speed is one of the way to get fitter and enables me to run further. I still have a long way to go before I'm ready for a marathon. With my current workout and gym programme, I believe I will weight 65kg when I'm ready for a marathon.

I'm not so Ambitious as I Thought

I thought I am an ambitious person when I started to work 17 years ago. As a matter of fact, I'm not as ambitious as I thought.

I knew I was better than everybody the same job with me. When I started working as a teller in Pacific Bank, I always wanted to compete with my fellow teller colleagues. I wanted to count money faster, I wanted to process more transactions than them at the end of the day. I always like to compete with them without them noticing. The competition instinct was very strong.

As time passes. I sensed that winning is not everything. Deep inside me, I knew this is not what I wanted because I wasn't happy. The excitement of winning wouldn't last. I learned this lesson when I was working as a Computer Operator in Pacific Bank. I started to learn to tolerate. I was even more sure about it when I changed job in 1997. I had a bunch of great colleagues and friends. I'm accepted to be part of the team. I feel closeness among them. They never looked down on me when I was only riding a "cup chai". During that time, I had better income comparing to the days in Pacific Bank. Because of the feeling of being accepted, the urge of always wanting to earn higher income had diminished.

I didn't have a drastic change in lifestyle since 1997 eventhough my income has doubled. But, I didn't have a car back then comparing to now. I still make a lot of calculations and thinking when I want to buy something that I feel expensive. Imagine that I visited Isetan, KLCC for almost 6 months just to take a look at a 600ml Thermos that costs almost RM100.00 before I decided to buy one in Jaya Jusco? Also, I thought for almost 3 months before deciding to change my 4 year old running shoe. And recently, I ran in the new Nike shoe in pain for almost 3 months before deciding to get a pair of cushioned running shoe. I believe being prudent is the way.

Because of my prudent self. (Haha.... of course there are exceptions lah especially my new Mazda 6. I bought the car on impulse man. But of couse, I had thought of owning the car for almost 2 years already.) I don't think earning a lot of money will make me happy. What makes me happy is to be happy with what I have. I have a great mum and sisters, a great wife, great family-in-law, great friends and a great job. What else can I ask for.

In my last 17 years of working. I only changed job twice and worked only in 3 companies.

Pacific Bank - 8 years
Sema Group - 1 year 9 mths
Atos Origin - > 7 years

I don't intend to quit my current employer. My boss is a great man. I have a bunch of great colleagues. The company's business direction is changing from product base to service and consulting base which provides challenging prospect. Then, my office is only 30min away from home, no traffic jam. I can still see sunlight when I'm home. And, I'm looking forward to break my 8 years service with Pacific Bank.

Onsite @ DiGi, Glenmarie on 13 & 14 June

I will be onsite at DiGi, Glenmarie for 2 days. We are preparing the test environment and test data before commencing test next week.

I'm actually quite ok with going to DiGi, Glenmarie. I don't have to pay RM4.00 LDP toll. I can enjoy different type of lunch other than those Deli Cafe, Cyberjaya, Dengkil, and the oh so far places of Puchong, Sri Kembangan and Serdang. And, it is much nearer to home. I can save up more than 50% of daily travelling distant.

My Weekend vacation to Penang and Bkt Mertajam

I Drove 855km on June 10 - 11. Of course, I drove with my new Mazda 6. Damn satisfied with the performance and the handling aspect of the car. The engine is very responsive. Haha.... again, praising my new car. Oh man.... I have not washed my Mazda 6 for 7 weeks liao. Gotto wash and wax the car by this weekend.

Ok ok. Back to Penang and Bkt Mertajam.

I went to www.wotif.com to book a hotel in Penang before departure. It is Mingood Hotel, 2 star rating. RM85 + RM10 booking fee for a room with 3 single beds. The hotel is just 5 minutes walking distant away from Komtar. If you ask me to go to Penang to look for a hotel room less than RM100 a night for 3 person. I can guarantee you that I would not be able to find any. The hotel has only the basic stuff. It is clean and sufficient for us to stay a night.

However, the best part about Penang is not the sub RM100 hotel. It is the hawker food. You can find hawker food everywhere. Everywhere means, everywhere. I had "ice-kacang", Indian Rojak, Fish Ball Kueh Teow soup, carrot cake, kopi-o & the famous Kayu Nasi Kandar.

Later in the evening on 10 June, we left Penang to go to Ganesh's wedding in Bkt Mertajam. We started our journey from the Hotel at Argyll Road and headed to Penang Bridge. I can't believe we actually got lost. We needed the map to guide us to the Penang Bridge. There were another car waiting for us after the Penang Bridge. So kind of them. They had waited us for more than 30mins. I don't know how to get the place where Ganesh was having his wedding ceremony. We needed them to lead us to the hall.

It was the traditional Indian Wedding ceremony. Very noisy. We left at about 9pm, heading to pubs to watch the football match between England and Paraguay. Ganesh dropped by and paid for our beers. We were really surprised to see Ganesh and Jasmine. We were wondering how the hell was he able to break free from his wedding. I thought he should be busy having some intimacy sessions with his wife. Hmm..... :-?

We headed back to Penang Island after the England and Paraguay match. My friends continued to watch the 2nd football match at a pub and I went back to the hotel to sleep. I was too tired.

The hotel package was with breakfast for 3 person. But, the Penang's hawker food is too good to miss. We didn't have our breakfast at the hotel instead we walked out to have our another round of Penang hawker food the next morning. That tells you how good is Penang's hawker food. The carrot cake is yummy.

After we had our lunch at Kayu Nasi Kandar, we headed to Tg Tokong to meet up Kim. It has been a while since the last time I met her. The apparent change to her is since the last time I know lah. She "phak thor" already. His boyfriend is such a nice guy. It was nice to meet both of them though.

Then, it is all the way back to KL. We had a few stops. Bought 4 bottles of pure honey at RM100.00 at Sg Perak rest area. The honey was priced at RM45 per bottle. I learned the bargaining trick from my mum... :D

Reached home at around 6:15pm. I had dinner with darling. I was very tired. I slept early as usual.

I ran 7.62km in my new Adidas adiStar Cushion Running Shoe

I can't wait to get a pair of good cushioned running shoe. I went to Mid-Valley with my darling. Bought a new pair of Adidas running shoe. The shop owner examined my feet, asked about my weight and my weekly run distant. Then, he recommended me a few pairs of running shoes and asked me to try out. He asked me how I feel after walking on the cement for a few minutes. The shop owner sure knows what he is talking. He knows a lot about getting the right running shoe. After trying out 4 pairs, I settled down with Adidas "adiStar Cushion". The shoe is not cheap, the price tag shows RM499.90. He promised to give discount. And finally, I got the shoe at RM349.93. He gave me a 30% discount. A Nike running shoe will cost more than RM500.00 with the same quality.

This is a great shoe. I don't feel any pain on the hill of my right foot at while I was running this morning.

I ran 7.62km this morning in 50mins time wearing the new shoe. This is the furthest distant I've ever run in 4 years. My breathing was controlled, my run was smooth and I was quite satisfied with my speed. I ran an average speed of 9.144km/h man. This is a great encouragement. I have moved forward another step to my marathon goal.

My current workout progamme consists of:

1. 20 mins of high intensity stepper (inclusive of warm-up)
2. Weight lifting (minimum 2 exercises)
3. 6 mins interval run for 20 to 30 mins (push to break previous record)

This workout programme works. I managed to build my speed and distant. I will continue to do the same for the coming 2 weeks. Then, on 23 June 06, I will attempt to run more than 9km in 1 hour time. I was closed to achieve that this morning. Right now, what I need is a good rest.

Feeling a Little Heavy Today

I felt a little heavy this morning. I wanted to have a "kaw kaw" workout and I didn't make the "kaw kaw" workout happened. The heavy feeling may caused by the "unhealthy" food I had for the last 2 days. Oh man! Got to watch out my diet.

After my 500kcal workout, I met Tee Tai Sun. He was the sales person selling computer equipments to Pacific Bank. We had a chat. From our conversation, he hit me with this:

"Set a goal, you want to achieve something you can be proud of. Something money cannot buy!"

To my surprise, he is preparing himself for Ironman competition. There aren't many Ironmen participants in Malaysia. Just say a name to him, he knows the person. I mentioned Hin Tong's name. Tee told me, Hin Tong already booked an air ticket to a location not known to me (I think it is Hawaii) for Ironmen competition.

He encourages me to run outdoor. I can't run outdoor. The road compound is too hard. My ankle and my knee can't take it. Then, he asked me to look at my shoe. He asked me if my current pair of shoe suits me. From my previous post, I have complained that I need a pair of Adidas running shoe. He taught me more about running shoes. There are many types of running shoes that suit different runners. I need the type of running shoes that suit me.

I have set my sight to complete a marathon. I know I can be proud of myself when I complete a marathon. The conversation with him certainly helps in my preparation. I will visit Mid-Valley soon in search of the shoe that suits me.

To Ironmen participants, it is always "mind over matters". What is mind over matters? You can never understand and feel what is mind over matters until you are in it.

06/06/06 - Iwa and Scott's Wedding

Some say 06/06/06 is a good day. The Hokkien and Cantonese speaking Chinese consider this day, a good day. That's why a lot of Chinese couples chose this day to have their wedding ceremony. To the Hokkiens, the "666" sound like "luck, luck, luck", meaning good luck. To the Cantonese, the "666" sound like "luk luk luk", meaning wealth. To others, this day can be a black day. It is synonymous with Satan. That's why the movie "The Omen" chose its first screening day on "06/06/06"

Iwa and Scott are no exceptions. They see this day as something special. They chose to have their wedding dinner on this day. The dinner was so chinese. Even the waiters and waitresses were dressed in Ming Dynasty costume. They also encouraged their guests to wear traditional chinese costume. They entertained us with Chinese traditional muscial instruments too. Very Chinese lah!

My LP took the opportunity for a small scale gathering. We chat, catch-up, laugh, "kutuk-kutuk" and we had lots of fun. Despite meeting my usual LP gang. I had the opportunity to meet Thevi and Jaime. It has been a long time I meet both of them. I can hardly recognise Jaime. She has a new hairstyle. She brought her husband along.

My darling got all the praises from her friends. Everybody was saying she looks so different. The "different" here means "much better, much more beautiful". Of course lah, the change in how she looks doesn't come easy. She has to change the food she eats, she spends additional money for her facial, she sleeps early and the toughest part is, she takes time to exercise in the gym. How can she is not looking better!

Let's get back to Scott and Iwa's wedding dinner. There are so many types of people. I think 50% of them are LPs. The rest are friends, family members and celebrities. Celebrities!!! Yes, celebrities. Ash, Paula Malai Ali, Yasmin Yusof, Hans Isaac, Harith Iskandar and many more of those I could not pronounce their names. I was kind of shock to see so many celebrities gathered under one roof.

I can't stay until the end. I gotto fetch darling home, she needed to complete her work the same night. Anyway, I had lots of fun.