Larian Mesra Bersama YB Koay Teng Hai 2012

Distance: 3.12 KM

Date:24th November 2012

Starting time:7.45 PM

Time: 13.17s

Speed: 4.26 mins/second

Position: 6th

For those of you new here this is not the first run in my life.I’ve been running for 2 years already but never really thought blogging about it. Now I felt the urge to write about it. In fact after this i'm gonna document all my runs (kalau sempatlah), so STAY TUNED!This run was one in a series of runs in the month of November, and since i’m back in Penang,I “participate-lah”! Besides, it was also my first “NIGHT RUN” and of course I was very excited about that. We started from Padang Brown, a place one would usually relate to good Chinese food, but we were there to pound our feet and sweat it out instead!
The torrential rains seemed to dampen the mood of everyone gathered there but soon enough but 7.45 the heavens cleared and the run began. I would assume there were 100-200 participants for the night run, both young and old. We were given cool glow in the dark wrist bands because it was already
The run began, and as usual I had a slow start, moving through the crowd while keeping up my pace. Soon enough I realised I was ahead. Couldn’t notice the people in front of me because of the dark (the ones behind I didn’t really bother-la)so I just maintained constant pace till the end. Little did I know I came in number 6th (WUHOO! Syukur kpd Yesus!) until one Uncle came and told me the card the race judges gave me at the finish line was the placing/position card.
Soon after all the participants were done with the run,the prize giving session commenced. The medal was one thick,heavy metal medal!! My head almost dunked forward because of the weight when YB Koay gave the medal. LOL.
Once that was done, the time everyone was anticipating for came. LUCKY DRAW!! In fact I joined this run in the first place because of the lucky draw. Most of the prizes were kitchen utensils and two or three helmets!! I was expectantly waiting when suddenly they called my number, “0005”!! I won a water filter/dispenser!! I have to say this run was well worth the investment.
Congrats to PISC and YB Koay for organising a successful community run for the “rakyat”, but a small piece of advice, do get someone well versed in English to prepare you're certs.Sorry to say, but the English was appalling!!

Reblogging again!

It’s been a while since I’ve last blogged (In fact one whole year :P already).Every time I try to get myself to blog, something just tends to make me feel that I’m malas la(lazy),that I got so much to study etc,etc. Well finally after such a long break from blogging and after much thinking, here I am typing out my first blog entry for the year! Well this blog is gonna be a bit different from now though, i’m gonna focus on my core interests alone!!The coming blog posts are gonna be mainly on running, a bit of hiking, and oriental interests. Stay tuned. The best is yet to come!!

PENANG BRIDGE INTERNATIONAL MARATHON 2011-A Marathon of Perseverance

42.195KM.My heart never really felt perturbed as I clicked the “REGISTER” button on the Full Marathon page. Soon enough I was going to learn that this was to be the journey of my life.

Never have I ran this long a distance, and never have I ran with this much emotion. The marathon as I now see it, was not just a battle of strength and stamina but in fact a psychological war which had dimensions I never knew existed.

Pondering about this “great challenge” which left me with sore legs and an overwhelmed mind, I decided that I should write an account, the experience of my heart journeying this distance.It all began in an early morning on the 20th of November 2011.In the stillness of that early morn; I knew that I was at the going for a great test of mental and physical endurance.

After having an extra early meal, I hastily drove off to Queensbay where the marathon was to begin. Sharp 2.00 AM the marathon began and the sea of participants started moving albeit, slowly. I kept telling myself “Slow pace, slow pace, Rexy!” so that I won’t speed off and wear myself out early on.

Going at a slow and gentle pace of 10KM per hour, I was able to sustain myself well for the first 20KM.Then as everything seemed to go very much uneventfully, I decided to slow down and finally start walking. A regretful decision indeed! At first the feeling was, AHH, finally some rest for my legs!

Soon as I kept moving forward at my “Starwalk” like pace, a subtle pain started manifesting itself behind my knees. I realised it was not a pain that would go off immediately. After some time, my legs were just crying out in pain asking me to stop. Succumbing to this pain, I sat by the pavement to massage my worn out legs.
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As I sat down there relieving my aching legs, I glanced at the fellow marathoners passing by. Looking intently at their faces, I realised I was not the only one in this mental tug of war. Distraught and embattled faces outnumbered those who had some kinda cheer. Turning a deaf ear to my leg's relentless cry, I stood up and kept marching on.

As I descended the Bridge a thought of relief filled my mind.”Finally some rest for my legs!”Little did I know the journey was far from over. It would test me to my farthest limits.


This last stretch from Penang Bridge to Macallum and then back to Queensbay was about 12-15KM , a distance very much fine for a seasoned runner. But after covering 30 KM,I felt very much exhausted. Every kilometre seemed like a huge hurdle. As time ticked away, I knew it was a losing battle to reach my goals.

Confidence ebbed away. Finishing the marathon in 5 hours was the first aim; soon it was 5.5 hours and then 6 hours. The thought of not going back with the finisher medal and T-shirt haunted me. “What if I don’t complete in 7 hours?” “Will I get my finisher medal?” These questions raced back and forth my mind.


Confidence, strength and stamina were all at an all time low but I knew if I kept pushing, perhaps, by the grace of G-d there would be some hope.

As I approached the final 5KM of the journey it became almost a hellish experience. Almost every 5 minutes I would sit down to massage my overstrained legs and then hastily get up to brisk walk again. Soon it was down to the final 1KM.

I knew the pain, torture and misery were coming to an end, and so with every bit of energy I had within me, I sprinted to the finish line.6 HOURS 16MINUTES 44SECONDS.I was satisfied :)

Bukit Relau Forest Reserve Video Part 2.

Experiments In Floral Photography

A newbie to the world of Photography,I thought I would start of with floral photography,which I guess is one of the easiest!Enjoy the collage of colours!

A night of Fiery speeches and "Political Bashings".

10/6/2011 was the day PR flags were raised high with the banner "KE ARAH PULAU PINANG HARMONI" gleaming at the Gelugor juntion.Knowing well that my destiny is going to be with this land I call home,I decided I should exercise my full right by going to this Opposition meet up and hear the "Alternative Voice".Guest Speakers were Siti Aishah Shaik Ismail(PKR),Jeff Ooi (DAP) and Mohd Mujahid Yusof Rawa(PAS).

Scheduled at 9pm,the talk only commenced at about 10pm with a warm welcoming note by Rayer (DAP Bkt Gelugor)followed by fiery speech by Siti Aishah.Her guns were very much aimed at Najib and Rosmah with incessant insults from the very beginning(Najib,being the top man has a tough job).Half an hour of charisma mixed with a tinge of humor was followed by a well prepared speech by our Jelutong DAP strongman,Jeff Ooi.His too was no less fiery but his aim was mostly at UMNO rather than Najib himself.

Bravo to him for making it clear that DAP was not in pursuit of a Christian State,as its very much unthinkable for him a DAP Stalwart and a Buddist,(He disclosed his religious affiliation during the session)to fight for a "Christian State".It was almost 11pm by the time Jeff was about to close his speech,so I decided I'll call it a day.Mujahid would have been good to listen to especially his religious stance on issues.Anyway I hope the video will do more talking.Enjoy!

Unedited.

The recent letter I wrote to THE STAR got published in the METRO NORTHERN REGION on the 7th of June 2011.I'm not really sure how many would have seen it as the theme,Environmental Protection doesnt really resound with many in our populace.

Well,happy as I was with the article being published in the paper,I was dismayed by the extent of editing the printing press did before it published my article.(I understand its part of THE STAR's policy to edit articles sent to them and its legally right for them to do so)

The editing undertaken did not in any way upset the content of the article but it did make the article lose its personality and story like continuity,a trade mark of my writing.
Well I guess an article in the newspaper has to be devoid of excessive emotions and be very much factual.
But I did note that they made one little grammatical mistake in the process of editing too!FORGIVEN.

Anyway, I decided why not I post up the original article up here for all of you out there to see.Here it is!



ITS ABOUT TIME WE STARTED PROTECTING OUR FOREST RESERVES
I wholeheartedly support and applaud the Penang Forestry Department’s plans to mark forest reserve boundaries in Penang, (Clearer demarcation-The Star, 27th May) but there is much more we can do in saving our natural treasure troves. Penang with its long history of human colonisation has seen much of its forests fall to the wrath of chainsaws. All that is left are now tucked away in some of the many hills that dot the state. I consider myself lucky living in Penang, as a short drive from the hustle and bustle of Georgetown, I would be greeted by the greenery of the Penang Botanical Gardens and the surrounding forests, a luxury many don’t get to enjoy. But are we at the brink of losing our natural heritage?
Being an avid hiker myself, I have seen much encroachment into gazetted forest reserves on the island in the past few years. One example I would like to highlight is the Bukit Relau Forest Reserve, along the Tun Sardon Road, the main artery that connects Balik Pulau to Relau. Development and clearing has encroached well into the designated boundary of this forest reserve, with much destruction along the way. I am very much surprised why nothing has been done thus far, to stop the clearing activity as this forest reserve is located along a very accessible and well connected area. So, being a proud Penangite and a nature lover myself I too wanted to share a few ideas on what else can be done to curtail illegal encroachment into forest reserves

1. Forest Rangers should be deployed from time to time to monitor forest reserves, especially the ones which are close to farms and human habitation. This not only ensures our forests are protected, but also helps in the effort to crack down of illegal immigrants who occasionally make forest reserves, their hideouts.

2. Create an easily accessible platform where nature lovers and hikers can report illegal encroachments to the authorities. We Penangites are ever ready to help out in the effort to protect our natural heritage. Penang Forestry Department should work on creating a website or a hotline primarily to enable the general public to report incidents of encroachment in forest reserves.

3. Educate farmers on the importance of preserving forests and do let them know about the penalties they face if caught encroaching into protected forests.

Yet again I would like to applaud the Penang Forestry Department’s timely decision, but let me remind you there is much more which can be done. With enough effort from all sides, we will be able to effectively protect our forests. Together we can make Penang a cleaner and greener state.