Sundown Marathon here i come!!

approximately 24 hours to go..

Adidas Warehouse Sales!

As early as 9.30am we were already qeueing outside atria mall in PJ. I don’t remember the last time i went to any warehouse sales. I’ve never been to adidas warehouse sales or any sports warehouse sales. I used to opt for perfume, lingery or branded item sales but this time around i really need some sports activity attire.. erm in a mark down price tags!

Crowd was massive and growing each minutes. Aren’t they supposed to be at work at this hour??? I bet hundreds of lame excuses comes out this morning to their bosses.. and maybe MCs too. As the mall’s shutter opens at 10am, men and women embushed and chase themselves to the warehouse area. Gosh! buruk betul perangai.. we just walked in grace tanakla tunjuk gelojoh sangat!

We were released into the sales area batch by batch. The security was quite strict. I saw some familiar faces among adidas sales people. Hey i used to photoshoot them before for an adidas event! Ok, back to the sales.. items were piled based on sizes. Well, they will all be messed and jumbled up in less than an hour! Since we were among the first batch to come in, the items were still in order. In less than 30mins my XL plastic was full with tops, bags, caps and tights. Thats the way.. grab first, decide later!

I’ve got myself a nice techfit running tights and 3 vests for running, a nice stella mccartney blouse collection, arm pouch for my ipod, sling bag, cap and a hat. Everything for RM220.Thats after unloading 3/4 of the things i grabbed earlier. I intended to buy only the things i need. It was a good purchase!! The techfit tight itself costs more than RM200 at normal price. Me happy bunny! Adidas warehouse sale was really worth our energy and time!

Can't wait to test my tights at the singapore sundown marathon!!

A nice 8km run.

I was supposed to shoot our PM launching the FELDA rally this morning. That means i had to wake up super early to make sure i reached Dewan Felda before Najib arrives. Unfortunately the shooting was canceled at a very last minute. Bummer no pocket money for me.. but yay! i can sleep in again today. However, regardless no early morning shoot, the weather this morning is too good to waste. 7.30am i was getting ready to have my morning run. Since i only manage to push for less that 3km yesterday (my body felt so weak yesterday, the sweat taste weird and my ankle still hurt), i decided to run more today..

The moment i reached my run spot, lots of cars filling the parking area. The space was almost full, but most are apeks and nyonyas enjoying the morning breeze walking. Most of 'em were familiar faces. Greeted each other and exchanging smiles among new faces. I didn't see any solo runners besides myself. I am used to running alone. What i need is my ipod and good music.. Most friends are working at that hour.. But i don't mind, seriously. Running is my self-therapy.. I don't have enough stamina to run and talk at the same time anyway. I'll be a passive listener when i am running with a talkative runner! lol.

I ran slowly at a constant speed.. as time passed by, people became lesser and lesser. Maybe went back to continue their routine life. A group of veteran men went back to their wives, the young one went to their offices.. all with different lifestyle and routines.

On the other hand, i myself continued my run. Knowing that i have nothing to look forward to at home and to go back this soon and waste the beautiful morning.. I'd rather stay a lil longer and continue running. After a while, i didn't see anymore joggers except for lawn mower,lake maintenance people and some fishing addicts. The same indonesian lady i see everyday sweeping dried leaves.. and the same middle-aged male foreign worker trimming trees and shrubs. Wow, it takes stamina too to maintain the lake area.

I enjoyed the view of the scenic lake, the smell of fresh grasses being mowed, the sound of bird chirping, the same lil buddy crossing in front of me at the very same spot - the baby alligator that freaked me out the first time we bumped into each other. Now, i'll be like.. "hey lil buddy!". The smell of fallen frangipani along the path of the track was strong.. even stronger at night. I never dared to walk there at night again after creepy rumors from one of the runners some time back. "Tempat ni keras sikit.. dulu ada org penah kena bunuh kat sini.." (this place is haunted. someone was murdered here before). The story got my neck hair stood still and hell it was eerie! During day time, i'm okay with it. Like now.. i'm enjoying every moment of it. My ankle is fine today.. no more blisters on my right toes.. the injinji socks helped a lot except for the one on the left. It was torn and one of my toe keeps rubbing against the inner shoes. I am going to buy one toe socks.. but injinji seems to be overprice! $50 for a pair! I'll get one from sox world for less than $20.

I am reaching 8km and decided to complete that loop and go back. I guess its a good achievement for me. From 3km - 5km - 6km - 8km. All within less than a month. I am pretty happy that i am able to gradually increase my distance. Not drastically! I don't think i can increase my speed for now. What matters to me is endurance and to be able to maintain a constant speed. Good enough.

My running top is soaking wet. Its time to go back, freshen up and recharge.

new look!

white or black.. I am still me..

(i actually screwed my old template! darn!)

Pacesetters' Putrajaya Night Run

I would call it a fun run or mingle run. We reached putrajaya almost 8.30pm and most runners had already registered. Some were warming up. Some were already dripping sweat. Wah.. didn't look like a fun run to me. They are serious runners and familiar faces among pacesetters members. There were kids too, so it shouldn't be that hard. Frankly, I was a bit nervous. Haha! Its not that its my first time running. I've been doing 6km everyday alone or with a friend but this would be my first run with a bib! Whats the difference? Whats the big deal? I can't tell.. really. Maybe its just my first time before i prepare myself with more serious run events in the future!

The registration fee was quite cheap, so what the heck! For a $5 registration fee and you get a goodie bag worths over $50, why not?! The food and refreshments was good too. Lots of kuihs. A friend asked if i want to do 5km or 10km. I'd go for 5km fun run with the kids... hahaha.. chicken out, huh? I asked him couple times.. "You tak seganke buat 5km?" Yeah for an ironman and for someone who has done full marathons.. 5km would be just a warm up. But he didn't mind at all. Actually i wanted to proceed with 10km but i don't trust my ankle. It was slightly injured during my evening run the day before, so i didn't want to push it too hard. I can hear clicking sound on my right ankle each time i thump my feet.

goodie bag!

The run began at 8.30 and I ran and ran slowly.. passed by few runners. There was a group of runners who didn't stop talking from the beginning of the run till i don't remember when. They were cracking jokes and laughing all the way. Wow, they must have lots of stamina to do that! That makes the run more fun! The night was clear and calm even though we thought it was going to rain in Putrajaya. It rained in KL all the way.

Regardless my aching feet, i tried to run all through 5km. No walk. I was holding my pee at the same time. I wanted to pee badly. I made it. Reached the finishing in 33mins and ambushed the loo to answer some nature calls. Not a good timing but i wasn't aiming high. I'm a slow runner. I know that. But i enjoyed every bit of it.

A friend refreshed my mind by quoting my phrase months back before i started running. I used to say this to him.."I can never run 1km.. not even 100m without grasping for air!". I smirked. He said.. "Look now, you can run 5km non-stop!" I laughed.. and i'm proud of myself.. i want to run more. I'll do 10km next time. I think its doable for me.

a great morning starts with a great workout.

Its been ages since i did run+swim. I haven't been swimming for weeks now. Since i own the nike ipod, i got addicted to running and keeping records of my mileage. I've been running for almost everyday eversince. Not too distance, just an easy 5km per day to keep my skin pink and to release some toxin. The clock was 8.15am when i woke up this morning. On every other day, 8am is considered quite late to start a morning run. I was a bit frustrated i didn't wake up earlier. I looked out the window hoping the sun won't show up yet, i heard birds chirping and the color of the sky looked grey and calm after the rain. It was a nice breezy morning. Brushed my teeth and put on my running attire and quickly head out to the lake before it gets hot.

There were few cars parking at the lake. Some went to fish and some veterans just enjoy the morning walk. Spoke to one indian yogiman (i call him that because he always does yoga after his massive runs. Man he can actually run, fast.) He asked me in his indian dialects.. "you.. run marathon?" i just gave him a smile. what? me a marathoner?? am a noob la. I said "no la, i just run for fun.. to relax". He replied "Oh same! good.. good.." That was the longest conversation we had so far. We used to rub shoulders couple times during our run but never spoke to each other. Just rasing eyebrows, waiving hands and smile. He left and i began my routine.

Started with a 1.2km of brisk walking. Passed by some pakciks and apeks. All veterans.. no youngsters. Those younger peeps are busy in their formal attires in the office by this hour. I was thinking, i hope i will still run when i turn gold. Leading healthy life with soulmate and friends. Thinking bubbles leads to another, and brought me to my second km. I did a slow 2km (to be exact 2.4km) run non-stop which equivalent to 2 loops of the lake. Proceed with walking on the 4th loop while catching up my breath. sigh. i wish i could go more running non-stop. Sweat was dripping non stop, heart was jumping. I continued my final loop(the 5th one) running again..slow and easy. Total workout this morning approaching 6km. I stopped at a nice spot under a big tree for yoga. Its a good routine to warm down and to reduce musce sore especially on the hamstrings and shins. Sweat started to drop more and even more. My running top was soaking wet. My throat felt very dry. I don't remember having a drop of fluid before running. After few routines of tunggang tertonggeng + squating i head to my car and had a large bottle of water at a single go. Dahaga beb!

Saw my swimming suit at the car seat behind. It'd be a good idea to swim as well. Just to relax my calf and to have a nice dip in. I detoured to the public pool and the bloke at the guard house approached me, "I didn't see you for some time.. where have you been?". I smiled and just reply.."outstationla" malas nak citer panjang. Wah everyone seemed to start making conversations with me today.. sometimes dissapearing makes heart go fonder.. in a way.. it is.

Changed my suit and jumped into the pool. The water was a bit chilly. But my body was already being warmed up with a 6km run before so it should be fine. Someone told me it feels good to swim after running. I argued at that time. Don't you feel tired after running that the only thing you can think of is your bed?? But after trying it, I have to agree with that. It actually felt great. I had a slow and relaxing breaststrokes. After 500m of swimming, people (again veterans) started to fill the pool. I feel content today. The feeling is great. I feel fresh. It was a nice morning of relaxing workouts.

The shower facilities at the pool is superb. The moment i turned the shower i can feel the high pressure of water rubbing my back. It feels like standing under a waterfall. The shower head is large enough to cover the whole body without effort of moving back and front. Seriously i don't mind paying $2 everyday to shower in a nice volume of water like this as compared to my home bathroom. Macam kedekut air je.

I love today. I head home smiling feeling so positive and forget about all the problems i have at home. The amount of endorphin today is sufficient enough to keep me happy the whole day. Shall i run again this evening? hmm...

What's up with lolly?

Its been a while since i updated anything about lolly. She was sick a week ago. I blogged about her here. It had been hard for us taking care a sick cat. I shall rephrase that. Not just a normal cat but a super fussy kitty. She refused to cooperate during medication time. And she even refused to eat. It takes two person to feed or give her the medicines. It ain't an easy task to do. Mom had to hold her still and i, cum the in house non-certified veterinar had to feed her the medicine. Don't ask how but we did everything we could to just thrust the pills and food into her throat. It may look violent but i had to do what i had to do. i was a bit worried that she had not been eating anything for 3 days. The doctor recommended me the "Hills Science Diet Plan" canned food. It is tasty, suitable for indoor long fur kitty and super fussy ones. And one small can (1 day consumption) costs $7.50! Damn thats expensive. But anything for her now. As long as she's eating i don't mind spending more on her meal than mine! She needs the nutrients for fast recovery and not to mention she is so damn light now. If its not the fur she'll be one anorexic kitty! Regardless that expensive treats i got her, she still refuses to eat. Again, I had to thrust 'em down to her throat then she began to swallow bit by bit. Toldcha its tasty, lolly!!!
That was then when i had an extra hand. The process got harder when mom had to travel to hometown for a week. That means, nursing totally depends on me alone! Ouh I forgot to mention about the wound. Feeding medication was one thing, dressings on the open wound was another disaster. The first day, the bandage managed to stay for a day as she was still weak to move too much due to the anasthetic. She looked funny yet pitiful with the bandage wrapping half of her face. The doc gave me a handful of medications, ointment and creams for the wounds. That means I have to handle her dressings on my own. The doc suggested me to leash her neck with Elizabethan Collar to avoid her scratching the wounds. I tried before when she was neutered years back but this breed is naughty and they are intelligent cats. In less than an hour she managed to escape herself from the E Collar better than the way David Copperfield escape himself from a glass tube. The 2nd day, i attempted on putting on dressings on her wound with mom's help. It looked like we strangle her but again we were having trouble putting on the bandage around her neck. It looked messy and the bandage didn't actually cover the wound properly and i know she wasn't feeling comfortable with it. In less than an hour, she managed to escape herself from it. I gave up. Called up the same doctor and we decided to let the profesional do it. So i send her to the clinic everyday to do her dressing for approx $10 a day per dressing. This is ridiculous! After 4 days, she began to rebel and refuses any dressings. So why bother paying $10 for a bandage that only last less than half an hour. I stop sending her to the vet anymore, plus i don't really like the doc myself. Mom is still back in hometown. I have to figure a way how to feed her medicine. She refuses to eat dry food. So, instead of paying $10 for her dressings, i spend on good canned nutritional food. The meds? I mash them into powder and mix it with her food. It may look like i'm drugging her but thats just the only way left. Bought a bottle of gamat drink and feed her using a syringe. Sounds like a serious nursing, huh? I really want to get her fully recovered soon.


Its been a week and the wound is drying. The wound radius gets smaller and she begins to eat like normal. It feels good to being able to see her eating again. But i still qurantine her at the backyard. She's still dirty, messy and stinky but i can't bathe her now till the wound really dries up and recovered. Obviously i don't want her to mix with other cats and get into another fight no more. Backyard is the best place for her now. She can sleep, and play behind pots and bushes, eat and drink by the fountain. She hated it but its better than a cage.

She'll get used to it.

Ouh did i mention that the doc shaved half of her face and it made her look like a freak cat! No more whiskers. I heard cats lose their sense of directions when the whiskers get removed. So backyard it is! You ain't going anywhere untill i see whiskers growing!

running fever.

So i did my run this evening. The watch shows 6 but the sky was still striking bright as if it was 3. I decided to wait a lil more hoping it'll be less sunny. The whole effect of global warming wears me out easily. I hate running in hot sunny day. I just can't. My body can't tolerate with it.

Started my 1st loop at 6.30. Still too bright. I was looking down with my cap on half way through the loop. It was more like a brisk walk just to get my body warmed up. 1 week of not running, my hamstrings surely need a good stretch before i start being a nagging bitch again complaining on muscle sores.

I started to run on my 2nd loop. Had a good pace.. breathing was good. No coughing nor sneezing. Same goes on my 3rd loop. 3/4 of the 3rd loop still doing fine and steady. Going to loop 4, i started coughing. Breathing became harder. Me heart was jumping and felt like bursting. I slowed down, but still maintain running. A friend passed by and said i looked so pale. My lips looked as white as my skin. Not a good sign. I almost faint for not having enough oxygen in my blood. We sat down for a bit. It wasn't a good idea to stop and sit. It felt even worse so I decided to continue walking. I took a deep long breath and walk the rest of the loop and made another to complete my 5km for the day.

I set the target and i met it. I didn't expect too much today but to be able to run approx 3k and 2k of walking is good enough for me. for a sick person. for a sick stubborn one. like me.

later at night i feel a bit better. perhaps because of the run. No muscle sore, so far.

New addiction. I need it!

I haven't been running for a week. I miss running. I miss the pain on my shins while thumping on my soles. I miss complaining how tiring it is doing the loops. I miss catching my breath and slowing down my heart rate while running. Sometimes your heart is pumping and jumping so hard it feels like bursting and that point of time you slow down and take baby steps and tune back the rythm. Some people say running is a torture. Why? because running is tiring and makes you sweat like a pig. True. I couldn't agree more. Then why run? The feeling of post-running effect is satisfying. To feel every drop of your sweat on your forehead and the pain you bring back after running is indescribable. Then comes a new you. You'll feel better and you want to do it again. Running is my new addiction. Blame to whoever has dragged me into this.

Breathing is hard since my flu doesn't seem to go away. Its been a week now. There's too much going on this week. Being sick does not mean i have to be in bed all day long. I am going to run this evening. Or if i can't run, i'll walk. Just to get rid off some toxic in my brain.

poor lolly!

Something weird happened to lolly. I wasn't at home to spend enough time to play with her for the past few days. Sis and brother in law just moved to a new house. We were busy shifting stuffs, packing and unpacking. I gave lolly less attention lately. She started to sleep outside and came back next morning.

One morning, i sensed a weird smell on her and she looked wet. Ahh, it must be the nights out she spent these few days.. I thought she really needed a bath but i was pretty hectic with my work. I didn't pay much attention to it. I shoo'd her away as she loves sitting on my desk while i'm doing my work. Lolly, u stinky pussy cat.. go away. She left with a sad look. I was busy back then and promised to bathe her once my work is done. Later in the evening, i carried her and decided to bathe her and i got really startled seeing a big round patch of blood on her left cheek. I held her and a large patch of fur came off. Damn! That explains the weird smell. I took dettol to clean her but the thick dried blood was hard to be removed. I wiped with a cotton and another patch of fur came out. I was freaked out! and i didn't dare to check further. I took her cage and and decided to bring her to the vet. Poor lolly. I am sorry darling i ignored you. I am sorry i shoo'd you away when you were trying to tell me that you were sick. Oh poor baby! The wound was huge and it already late. The vet was closing and the veterinar suggested i left her overnight.

The next day, she undergone a minor surgery. The doctor couldn't explain the cause. Maybe it was a catfight. Maybe it was an infection. But it didn't happen in a day or two. How didn't i notice any lump nor scratches on her?? Well, she acted weird lately by choosing a place like inside the toilet or behind the shaded bush to sleep. And she usually show up each time i call her name, but recently she seemed to ignore my call. Cats start acting like this when something is wrong with them. But didn't i get enough sign to discover her unwell conditon? i was too busy. damn!

The medical fee cost me $250!! anything for you lolly. The doc removed the rotten patch from her cheek and there's no skin for stitching so it was left as an open wound. The doc gave a set of medication for her for 10 days. And the best thing is i have to do her dressing on the wound everyday. Gosh! Looking at the wound itself enough to almost make me pass out at the vet. To attend to it everyday.. Oh god pls give me enough strength. I feel so helpless looking at lolly's weak condition. Not to mention the fresh red wound that looks so painful! She was still under anasthetic with a big gauze covering partial of her face. She looks motionless being held up by the doc's helper who looked like a butcher to me! Aww! She looks pretty bad.


My dear lolly, pls be strong.. seeing you like this makes my knee so weak. You appear in my nightmares every night. I am sorry i cared you less these past few weeks..

More on lolly's condition will be updated.

knocked out!

I am cruel. What happened to me? I'm be coming ignorant each day. I don't remember when was the last time i watered it *sigh*

Work has not been as productive as last year. I don't know where and how it went wrong. I need to get back in track. However, no one has complained about my reputation yet. Clients still love my work. I delivered the same quality sometimes better than what they expected. But I seem to take more time to accomplish each task. Am I becoming more fussy? If its for better i really don't mind. I'm just afraid of losing competency and efficiency. As I said, I need to get back on track and manage my time well.

Health has not been on my side. Its been a week now but the fever doesn't seem to get better. I finished the antibiotics but the cough is still strong with green phlegm. erkh! i hate being sick (who doesn't). Having days without physical activities makes me hate looking at this pale zombie like in a mirror. I miss running, swimming or yoga. But those make my breathing harder for the time being. A friend got me a nike ipod and i was so excited to give it a try. I went jogging with it for the first time at damansara perdana. Managed to do only less than 5km and i was already grasping for air. Sweat tastes weird. The exhaustion was too great for just a 5km run. What happened to me? What happened to my stamina? The area was a bit polluted with dust and debris from constructions. Not a good place to run. Approximately 5km and we decided to head to the pool to cool off. I did some swim just to relax and enjoy the sunset. My head feels lighter, the view was awesome but the silent virus in my body started to strike. Thats how the fever turned worse. Maybe swimming is a no-no now. The influenza virus is everywhere..

I was bonked in bed for days. The next day, i slept for 12 hours. The drugs from my flu pill and cough syrup were the cause. Come to think of it, atleast i had decent sleep. The last time i had a good decent rest? I don't remember. But this time.. Too decent perhaps? Hope i will get better really soon. I miss thumping on my new shoes.