Friday, July 31, 2009

JULY: a review

Can't believe it's already the end of the month! Where have my JULY went to! Firstly, I have to apologize for the lack of updates. I know I had promised to do the write-up on my Vietnam trip but I find myself lacking the time and patience to actually sit down and start writing. Plus, I'd figured that I'd upload all my pictures on Flikr first, but the uploading process is long and trecherous!.. which made me give-up eventually. If I'm on your Facebook friends list, you can view it there. It's open to all, so I'll try to post a link to my photo albums here soon. And... yes... Vietnam will be coming your way soon enough. Just.. bear with me for a little while. Ok?

On the other side of the spectrum...well... after 6 weeks of study leave + 3 weeks of courses... I am back at work. Surprisingly, I do not grumble as much as I had expected. In fact, I - for once - like my work. It's nice being back in the thick of events, meeting clients and learning more about their business. And there's a power of being at work that I, at times, relish.

But now, I am back to being unproductive. **sigh** No more jobs until next week and I don't know what to do with myself anymore. There's just so many times that a girl can play truant! And it's not much fun when I'm doing it alone. I've also been neglecting my runs and gyms. I have actually been forced to miss out Siemens Run and Shape/Men's Health Night Run, due to other commitments, which bums me out. I was honestly determined to make it for Siemens Run but my friends threaten to tie me up in bed just so I won't go. Bargh! I've Adidas King of the Road run in Shah Alam this Sunday... and I haven't been training. I'm worried I might not make it to the end... or more specifically... not make it within the qualifying time. I think KoR have one of the most challenging qualifying time out of all the runs I've registered for. I'm wincing just thinking about it. Btw... orange?? O-bloody-range??!! I suppose it's good enough that it's an Adidas vest.

All in all, I suppose JULY have been an eventful month. And it's time to hit the brakes for Ramadhan in August. Actually, I am itching to go on another travel but have to see if I can get any weekends free-up.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

An Ode to a Friend

I'm in a reflective mood today, and my thoughts turned to an old friend whom I hardly talked to anymore. And I find it a pity because I remembered having such great conversations with the person, simply because both of us have a lot in common. Music and movies played a significant role and we bonded well discusing over new music, up-and-coming musicians, debating over which movies are classics in the making and which are not. It was an easy friendship that had ended abruptly when emotions get tangled-up.

It was not easy for me to recover from such a loss. It's been a year and I'm still pining somewhat. But for what it's worth, at least it did not end in bitterness, for which I am thankful. I may have lost a friend but I've gained such wonderful memories and had the chance to have known such a person in my life.

~It doesn't take much to make me smile
But you made me happy when it mattered most
Thank you~

Friday, July 3, 2009

Desperate

I feel like I'm grasping on air here. Clawing desperately at something intangible, yet expecting something tangible to appear in my hand. After having an eventful June, I suddenly have stretches of days of... nothing. And I am uncomfortable and uneasy with this. I feel like I should be doing something, instead of stewing away in last night's pajamas and flailing around the house like a wingless duck (and no... I don't mean a headless chicken). I want to get back out there and travel, even if just for a short weekend. I want to go hiking. I want to go camping. I want to go out and play futsal. Just... anything! Something!


BUT... I also know that my attention, energy, presence and credit cards need to stay put at home to handle some... 'details'. And yet, I chose to be ignorant of these 'details' and go about as I please. I am, after all, a fully-fledged licensed Procrastinator. Ack! Somebody should put a leash on me and drag me around KL to do my chores!


PS: Vietnam write-ups are one of the 'details'. Forgive me but I will work on it this weekend!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009


Standard Chartered KL Marathon (SCKLM) 2009 began early Sunday morning of the 28th of June. Hazlind came for a sleepover and basically we were up till 2-ish am. And even then, I was too excited to get any proper sleep. Set the alarm clock at 5-ish am... blearry-eyed got ready... had a quick oatmeal breakfast (fiber for long lasting energy!)... and we were out of the house by 6-ish am to catch the LRT. I've never been up so early taking a public transport before, but there were already a crowd - which, I noticed, were mostly fellow runners donning the SCKLM uniformed white vest.




There was already a huge crowd at the starting point, all raring to go. We hung around at the back, fearing of being trampled by the rush of the shoot-off, and watched in quiet earnest at the clock tower, joining the crowd in counting down the seconds to 7am. And then... we were off!


For a first, I find the entire experience quite exhilarating. Being one of THE marathon of the year, SCKLM had garnered a lot of popularity and coverage locally. Many virgin runners (mua included) and fellow gym-bunnies have decided to take the plunge and test out their endurance here. For me, it was the perfect venue to kick-start a running habit (which I have a horrible aversion to) as well as to challenge myself - mentally and physically. And I do not back out of this challenge so easily.


As you've noticed (or not), I've been training. And I've been keeping track of my runs in KLCC Park as a note of my progression (see RIGHT column). Some people say that I'm being competitive, and I take that as a compliment. But in honest truth, it's just a coping mechanism to ease my anxiety of the probability of failing to finish the run. And I do want to make a good first impression, mostly on myself, for my debut on the running circuit.


So.... how did I do? What do you think?


I am more than pleased with this result, although I felt that I could've done better. My favourite part of the circuit was most probably after we got off the highway, and was passing in front of JKR Building and along the green-topped roads of Jalan Sultan Salahhudin, heading back towards Dataran Merdeka. The visualisation of the finish line, coupled with the view of green trees, blue morning skies, and the city skyline matched to the perfect song on my mp3 (which I now can't remember), gave me the strength to pick-up my pace and lengthen my strides.




My least favourite? After passing Bank Negara and realized that instead of going straight to Dataran Merdeka, the route took us along Jalan Raja Laut for the biggest U-turn in my life. It was a killer because I'd spent my energy prior to this leg, assuming that it was the last. I was not expecting this. To make it worse, the path was straight, with only concrete buildings in sight, and not much else to inspire me. But once I rounded the last corner and knew that the road ahead will take me to the finish line, I suck up my gut, pick up my pace and forget the pain that was thudding bluntly at my sides.


And crossing that finish line made it all worth it. Finishing it within the qualifying time just made it even more worthwhile. I am more than elated and proud of myself for this achievement. I also have to mention than Hazlind finish the run too!! For someone who only had 1 week to train, I am very proud of her for sticking it out to see the end - even without her 'energiser bunny' next to her.



Yay! We did it!

And a huge CONGRATULATIONS to all runners!! May we meet again in the next run!