Resolutions adelah karipap

Heya,
Before the year ends tonight, I'd better review 2009. I managed to dig up last year's blog entry for resolutions of 2009. Lemme see..

2009/1430 to do list and what I actually did:

1. Be more toned.
I guess I am. And I thought I've reached plateau 5 years ago, but surprise-surprise, I did managed to lose another 1 kg what's with all those running. I'm doing 5-6 days of workouts weekly. So I guess that's not too shabby.

                                                                                                  tapi takdela cam ni..fuh.

2. Save more money
Saved and saving... Important for proper exit strategy

3. Use my passport
Nope. Refer no 2.

4. Run more
You betcha I did. I guess I overachieved this one. I never really thought/imagined that I'd participate in competitive running. I've been working it up in my mind for the last couple of years but never really had the guts to do it until May when I suddenly experienced what you can say an enlightenment. Never looked back since.

5. Do more housework! hahhahhah ( ye la tu, says somebody i know)
Ye la tu..

6. Learn how to goreng on the drums
Yup. Goreng the (chicken) drum stick is more like it. Initially the drums were bought because I wanna look like awesome Meg White ( of the White Stripes). But ever since the purchase of those drumsets, ade la 3-4 months semangat nak main, then the giddiness deteriorated. Those poor drums are now like artifacts in the back room.Sometimes, hub will play for about 5-6 minutes. Occasionally, when the kids somehow find their way to the room, they'll bang on it like there's no tomorrow. Me? I can hardly remember the basics.

Maybe I'll carry forward this to 2010 huh?


3 out of 6? Ayoyo..
But I did achieved some other things that are, well, unintended
1. Got a promotion
2. Got an APC
3. Learned the guitar !!
    I bought my first guitar back in 2002 and tried to learn to play but it made my fingers rough and hurt like anything. So I gave up and kept the thing in my room so my friends would be awed with my coolness (huhu). But when hub left to do some peacekeeping duties with UN in Lebanon for 9 months, I got bored and took guitar lessons on Youtube ( everything is so accessible nowadays on the net). Now I can proudly say I can play..urm..good..uh..sometimes.. Not Steve Vai yet but probably Lisa Loeb or Jewel. Okay, I 'm exaggerating. But I can play. Yay me!

4. Got 2nd in a race! Walaupun bukan dikalangan orang terer2 tapi I got RM200 for it. Terer schmerer.

So 2009 ain't so bad. I got to be the girl who did things and not the girl who dreamed big but was too scared to get off her but.

So for 2010/ 1431, I hope to

1. Run a marathon!

2. Eat healthily ! Cut back the jajans!

3. Be more toned ( TONED not SKINNY)

4. Menerer kan diri playing the guitar and play Karma Police ( yo la tu..power chords pun terhegeh-hegeh)

5. Be a multitasker super mommy ( cheeyyy)

6. Berguru

7. Oh..and learn how to goreng on the drums ( fingers crossed)

That's all for now. I'm off to sleep. LSD this week will be postponed to 2nd January as the Lake Garden will be full of mat rempits still in new year celebration mood, people with bad hangovers and other weirdos who can't fathom the decency of an early morning run.

Happy new year everybody! God Bless.

Of running and crying toddlers

Our weekly LSD today started at 6.35 am. Our attempt today was 18 K. Not much hu-ha there but this was hub's first attempt at that distance barefoot all the way.

Our target was going 5 and a half laps in a 2 mile loop at the Lake Garden which beats going round and round 18 times at the 1 km loop at the Rakan Muda Complex. This may seem taxing to those who hate running in loops but it's all okay really once you psyched yourself really good.
From experience, the first round was ran in silence on my behalf. If it's too cold, or too early or if I talk too much too soon, I'll be wheezing and struggling to catch my breath. So I let hub babble along and try not to snap if he asks me a question. By the 3rd km it usually gets better and I'll suddenly crack jokes and hub will be like ,  " I reckon you feel better?"

To make our run bearable, we like to people watch all the way. We deduct that old people are the best, greeting people with beaming smiles in the dark of the dawn. People in my age group are occasionally friendly but the young ones will almost always have their game faces on. You smile at them and they look at you like you're a nut.
Thumpers ( people who like to stomp while running) will try hard to pace with normal runners and occasionally attempt to overtake them, but will ALWAYS stop half the way. There was this Uncle Power Walker who walks way faster than we were running , and to me , this made the 50K walk world record in 3 hours plus more fathomable ( I kind of wondered how this was possible the first time I read it in the news). There was this chick who was also running 11 miles solo in the opposite direction and never got bored saying hi every time we passed ( which was really nice but commented, " Aiyaa, sakitnya" at my hub's naked feet on the last lap).

Sure in the middle of the run it got a bit tiring going through the same scenes over and over again but I try to psych myself with some encouragement. Instead of thinking, " Oh man, it's this hotel again. If I'll pass it again I'm gonna scream", I 'll say something positive out loud like, " Hello Hotel, I'm here again. See you later" or "There you are Zoo. How are the animals holding up? I'll be back". I know it sounds corny but it helps. And to catch a glimpse at people's faces when I say this is such a gas.

And by doing all these distractions, sedar-sedar our run was over. Hub's ankles and knees weren't acting up and all is well. The only downer was when I called Dad and he told me Adik was having a tantrum when she woke up. Tapi yang kelakarnya , bila ditanya " Adik, mama pegi mana?" , tau pulak jawab ( in between sobs) ," Mama kami pi lawi"

Aiseymen, kesian la pulak.

What's wrong with you?

From the book Rules of The Thumb : A Life Manual it is said that "To determine the size of your brain, put your fists together so that your wrist touch and your thumbnails face you side by side."

Well, I found out today that some people, when they put their fists together pun agaknya they'll still get half the size. And it's not a congenital defect or anything but  rather something they acquired over the years of their sad little lives.

Peristiwa no 1.

We plan to start early  for our LSD at the Lake Garden, so we figured we'd do our Subuh  at a nearby mosque. When we arrived, the  azan had just been recited so I was in a hurry to follow the rest of the saf. I took my telekung from my PBIM Digi bag. Usually, at some other places, at some other time, I'd put my bag in front of me but because there was nothing else in the bag except some product brochures from the run, I chucked it behind me. When we were in the 2nd rakaat, I heard some shuffling noises behind me and I thought it must be some other woman getting herself ready for the prayer but even after we've finished the qunut, I was still alone in the women's saf.
After the salam, I turned to get my bag but  what's weird was that it was on the floor 4 meters away from where I last placed it. My first thought was : the wind must have blown it away. But there was no wind, and the bag was too heavy to be carried by the draft. It eerily dawned to me finally that somebody must have tried to take something from my bag while I was praying. The nerve!! I was so disappointed.. and mad. I was appalled that someone had the audacity to try to steal in a mosque! While everyone else was praying! Is nothing sacred to them anymore?
I can't imagine somebody can go around like that with no conscience whatsoever. Please la...

Peristiwa no 2

So we ran at the Lake Garden in our attempt to do a 15K LSD. It was clearly stated on a BIG signboard at the entrance of the Lake Garden that on weekends and Public Holidays, the two way road will be turned automatically to a one way road in favour of the runners, walkers,etc. Tapi yang hanginnya, banyakkk vehicles tak ikut and risk running over people just because they're too damn selfish or maybe just plain stupid. Nak kata tak reti baca, ramai je bawak big, expensive cars indicating that presumably they're professionals and are head honchos at work. Tapi why la why so dumb in that way.

So I guess it's true that some people can be summed up like that.
Put two fist together, oso get half.
Bladiful.

I'm bored and there's nothing good on TV

It’s only Wednesday and I’m up to my nose with things around me. Here are some

Workwise : I managed to climb up a step that ladder. I’d like to say I nailed the promotion but truth to the matter is, there wasn’t much nailing to be done in the first place. Then, there was this rumor going around that I might have to take charge of another clinic, which means I have to haul the whole family to another location, which I hate because I hate to be forced out of my comfort zone unwillingly. Finally, got a phone call from the Big Boss saying that all is well, stay wherever I was staying and do whatever I was doing before ( but with slightly more perks).

Runningwise : Dammit! No races post PBIM and pre Pacesetters 30K. But I’m training well ( please don’t ask “ define : well”). I read in FB that the Pacesetters 30K will be moved to Padang Merbok, wherever that is. So will this mean there will be no mosque along the way like the previous planned route at Putrajaya? Ok, ok I will not whine. And this new route will involve double hills! I basically train on flat surfaces so this will definitely be a challenge.

I’m doing a different training regime. Yes, I’m all about fad training regimes. Before, I used to log in my accumulated mileage weekly. This new regime says “ Screw that!” and I go “ Okay!”.

I’ll tell you guys about it once I get that sub 5 marathon…haha..tu dia aih..berangan baik punya.

Reading wise? : I’m now reading “ Rules of The Thumb : A Life Manual compilated by Tom Parker. Let me share :

1. If your fiancée does something that bothers you before you ‘re married, it will bother you ten times more after you’re married.
   
2. When you are checking a reference and ask someone ‘s former employer whether he/she would hire the person again, any answer but “ yes” is a “no”.
   
3. If a woman can walk around during contractions, she’s not fully dilated ( duh)
   
4. When ants travel in a straight line , expect rain.
   

I could go on for hours but then I’ll lose all of you by then.

Or are you guys already gone?

Hello? Hello?

Helooooooo?

Thank You!

Answer me this? When's the last time you said thank you to that toll gate girl? To the person weighing and sticking price tags to your vegetables in the hypermarket? To your children's caregiver while you're at work?
If you don't remember, then I suggest you start doing so. Saying thank you, I mean.

I find that our society don't express their gratitude much. I 'm not sure whether it's because we're molded that way, or we're shy, or we permanently feel that the other party don't deserve it. I clearly have no idea.

It seems so hard to say thank you to that person processing your business at the bank. Or to that person who cleans your office everyday.  Or your staff who helped you toil through the deadline. Or that telephone operator answering politely to all your ridiculous inquiries. Kenapa ye? Because we think that it's their responsibility? They're already paid to do whatever they're doing? If so, then  why can't we say still thank you anyway? They went out of their way to help didn't they. Paid or not. Tugas or not. Point is, they helped.

As runners in races, I don't think we show enough gratitude towards the volunteers. We pass race officials at junctions without even acknowledging they're there. We take those water bottles/cups ( sometimes grab) without even making eye contact with the person who's giving them out. We don't even bother to smile at the St John/ Red Crescent kids waiting patiently at the side of the road. People, they're there on the road for hours before we've even set foot at race site and hours after we've left. Solely  to cater to our needs and clean up after us. We whiz past like snobs, scattering cups, bottles, banana peels and what have yous with no thank yous, no smile, not even a nod. Is that fair?

My job requires me to meet people from different walks of life everyday. My job is mentally and physically demanding ( teeth don't get pulled out magically, crowns and dentures don't appear out of nowhere, surgery isn't done with a switch of a button) and by the end of the day, I get tired. But it's all worth it when they show me their gratitude.  It's all worth the back pain, the arm fatigue, the mental drain. It's not much, just a thank you and you'll make my day. Even though you were fussy though out the treatment, or with a low pain threshold, or demand an experimental treatment only heard of in Switzerland , you'll make it all better with your acknowledgement that you're thankful for everything. No kidding.

Point is, a thank you goes a long way. I know.

So make it a point next time to say your thanks. I propose all runners to show your gratitude in your next race. Malakoff ke, Pacesetters 30k ke, even at Jogathon Sekolah Rendah Parit Pak Mahat pun, it won't hurt. We're a friendly bunch aren't we? So extend the friendliness to the volunteers. They deserve it.

( for those yang memang dah amalkan your terima kasihs, then I salute you.)

We're back on track

Okay, cheat week is officially over and we celebrated it with much gusto. No kidding.
Cheat week was all about food and travel. As I grew up mostly in the north and spent a few years in the middle part of Malaysia, I never really had much reason to venture the South. So we decided to head way South for this edition of cuti-cuti Malaysia.
And like I said, food was one of our main objective. And I personally got what I wanted. Rojak Singapore, tauhu bakar, briyani Batu Pahat, mee rebus Johor, Wah! A friend also insisted on Kacang Pool.

I'm not a big fan of baked beans but it wasn't bad, no it was quite good, actually.

I only missed out on Johor's famous goreng pisang cicah ngan kicap pedas simply because we couldn't find any stalls along the road ( weird, huh?)And it didn't stop there. When we got back, the food fest continued.
But  guilt got the best of us so we did managed to squeeze in 11K yesterday. Tu pun lepas tu had nasik kenduri at a cousin's wedding and my department's Family Day lunch at a hotel.
And to close cheat week, tonight as the official last day of binge-ing, I've cooked nasi lemak for dinner.With real santan and not the usual low fat santan in a box. Heaven.
So okay, crunch time starts tomorrow. We've enjoyed what we've enjoyed.
Lepas ni back to constant pounding, back to the usual regime, back to training.
And funnily enough, I can't wait.

But now, for that nasi lemak...Ahhhhh...