Exciting times

Last week was a wet weekend.

Cancelled the intended PD ride but later found out that the gang didnt do the ride due to heavy rain. Luckily, I tucked in bed nicely. Late afternoon, pulled up some weights and went extra length with bodyweight interval training. By night time, felt sore on the body, all round.

On Sunday, joined bacin, dicky, azmar and few other for a brick. Run 16km and swim. I came late and the rest left already. Thus, managed to do 10km only. Running mileage for the week = 6+22+6+10 = 44km. Not bad. Exciting and exhausting. At 9am, we went for swimming. I brought fins, hand paddles and a kickboard. Strength training beb. My body was already tired upon entering the pool but i just felt that i need to proceed to stretch the fitness envelope a lil bit futher. I did 1.3km only but my upper body, shoulder in particular was in tatters. Letih giler.

Training seemed to be good and on track. Though it's tiring, hard and sometimes time consuming but reward to my health supersedes everything. I'm feeling strong, lotsa vigour, fresh and alert at all times.

On top of all these adrenalin related activities, my adrenalin was pushed to the max when the Dr said wifey was going to deliver the baby last nite..!! Gelabah badak gak beb. tapi excited.

However, after further test and consultation, the Dr is willing to postpone the delivery until tomorrow morning..!! So, me going to be father of two in less than 24 hours.

Sigh (in a happy way), Good things are in abundance to welcome the new year... exciting times...

Dec 08

It's been awhile i had such a long vacation from work.

Since i'm on leave today and nowadays, whenever i'm not working, i can no longer wake-up late. My eyes were already wide open at 530am.

I looked out the window. Nice weather ahead.

I prepped up, did my dawn solat and left the house.

The intention was to do a 12km, 2-loops around my neighbourhood. However, driven by excess adrenalin rush lately, i ended up doing 20km. It been awhile since the last time i ran that far but the difference now, i am walking much much less than before. The pain was almost the same but the difference now, the pain tasted much sweeter.

Did i enjoy my run? NO. I have never like running and i am still struggling to enjoy it.

However, running mileage has crept up quite a bit in the past fortnight. Infact, overall training intensity had gone a notched up a bit. I have been training non-stop in the last 9 days without a rest. The craving for training is back. I am not sure why. Must be the many holidays and opportunity to do a bit more than usual.

This month, running mileage, 93km. Cycling mileage approx 420km. Swimming, 2.8km. Weight loss, minimal. Weird.

Eager

Babah and Mama are nervously waiting for your arrival.

We have got everything possible ready to welcome you to the world including minyak telon (i love pronouncing the word telon.. telon. telon.. haha). Mama had been shopping and god knows how many pink dresses she had bought for you.

Every day and every night, we were talking about you and we hope you are listening. Your Lala (means elder brother in Urdhu), is accepting well that he'l will no longer be the only jewel in our family.

This is where you will sleep. Very soon.

Everything is set. Hope you'll like it!! Even your bouncing net is in pink.

Lala helping Babah preparing your essentials. Though Lala Faiq can be a bit naughty at times but Babah know for sure that he will take good care care of you. I am sure, Lala will screen test all your hopeful suitors before letting them see Mama and Babah.

We'll see you next week, ya..!! In the meantime, be a good girl and stop kicking your Mama. If possible, try swimming around and save your Mama from a belly cut.

Happy. Happy. Happy.

Broga, it's a classic

Menu : Broga Pondan
Actual : Broga Jantan

Heard nothing but only nasty things about it.

136.7km. 4IM, 1IM trainee, 2 fatso, scorching heat, 3 lung-bursting-muscle-wrenching climbs, slippery wet going up reverse Peres, superb camaraderie and one objective.

I rolled out telling myself, "I need to tame and rest my fear".

I came back in one piece and did just that.

Top of Peres. We did it.

With IM Shazly, the mastermind. He provides the route overall strategic outlook and the essentials needed to survive the ride.

Kam, our 'guardian' throughout the ordeal.

He provides a sense of safe and security to our mind.

Gulpppp...

Tomoro is my virgin ride to the evil but famous Broga...

Whoever wanna join, RV at BT18 645am, roll-out 7am.. sharp!

Gulppp....

Ask no more, please...

A : U? Cycling?

Upiq : Yeah. sometimes.

A : How far?

Upiq : Depending on the group i ride with. Sometimes more than 100km.

A: Whoaa?! are you serious?

Upiq : Yeah. can be quite intense, sometimes. Cramping and all.

A : U ride MTB?

Upiq : No.

A : U ride with the racing bike? with the skinny tyre? the one you need to crouch you know?

Upiq : Yeah. that's the only bike i have unless you wanna see me riding on my 3-year old son taiwan-made bike.

A : are you sure you can ride the racing bike?

Upiq : Yeah. i told you oredi. (upiq dah start bosan)

A : the racing bike, you know? are you serious? tak pancit ker tayar tuh? (i knew he will ask this question)

Upiq : Yeah. tayar pancit? It happens.

A : What do you wear? T-shirt and shorts?

Upiq : Yeah. Cycling jersey they call it.

A : U mean, those tight fitting clothes with sponsors all over it.

Upiq : Yeah. (upiq dah bosan nak jawab soklan2 camni.)

A : Ko bleh muat ker jersey tuh? (again, i knew it. Some people just can resist it, huh?)

Upiq : Habis tuh?! (Upiq dah makin bosan)

A : I dont believe it, larr. U and this cycling thingy.

Upiq : Mampus ko larrrr. Pedulik aper aku. Nak tanyer sgt, biler dah bagitau, tak nak caya plak. (Upiq dah tak tahan ngan mamat nih and terus blah)

to that special person, nahhhhhhh... tengok sendiri.. naik bukit lagi!! and this photo was taken only yesterday.... i know i'm fat tapi kalau berani jom arr naik Peres.... kalau tak berani, get out of my life!

Dahhhh... Upiq dah malas nak jawab soklan2 camnih... buang masa aku jerr...

However, to those who genuinely wants to know more, i dont mind answering those questions. Infact, please ask more. I'l share with you.

tapi kalau setakat nak tanya, pastuh nak tunjuk tere... tak payah larr.... nih contoh orang dalam Category D.

Im sorry if the posting sounds a lil disturbing but i need to let it out from my system.

Also today is 26/12/2008, Boxing Day, Friday and there's only 4 people out of approx 40 in the ofis..!! urrgghh...

Do you think you CAN?

Most people when you ask this question, highly likely they wont be able to give a straight answer.

If this is the first time you are asking yourself the question, i bet 99% of us will not have a concrete answer. Even if one has an answer, he will either have a tiny doubt over or he hasn't got a clue of what he is answering.

There are 4 category of people :
A. Those who know what they kow
B. Those who know what they dont know
C. Those who dont know what they know
D. Those who dont know what they dont know

Those in category A, will give a simple and direct 'Yes' or 'No' to the question. They normally know what they want, what drives them to keep moving forward, what it takes to achieve their target and humbly yet brave enough to commit a 'No' if they are not ready for the challenge. However, some of them will even say 'Yes' even if they are not ready because they know they can achieve something by having certain strategies to nail the objective. Not many people are in this category.

Those in category B, these are the risk averse people. Most of them will not proceed or take up a challenge if they havent covered all angles needed for them to achieve the target. They will practise, train, simulate, have contingency plan, analyse time and time again, just to be sure that they will know whatever they dont know before. People in this category will take some time before giving a 'Yes' or 'No' answer.

Those in category C, normally they tend to under rate or over rate themselves. Those with self-confidence complexity tend to under rate themselves even though people around him have seen their potential and the success within their reach. They need people around him - friends, loved ones, coached etc to keep telling them of their true ability and how far they can go. Normally, they will take a long time to think of the answer or not answerning at all. However, there are also people in this category whom had over rated themselves and due to their perceived self-confidence, they tend to take up the challenge without knowing that they will fall hard on the ground. It not a question whether 'you never know if you never try' rather it is a case of trying insensibly just a like me being a matador without knowing what it means. These people will give a 'Yes' answer faster than those i Category A.

Last but not least, those is category D, is the most dangerous position you want to be. Clueless. Blur. Oblivious. Sometimes brainless. Can be cocky and arrogant at times. et cetera. These people will never know the answer to the question.

Back to the question, regardless of which category you are in - the one element that will make you achieve what you want is passion. Passion will drive you towards your goal. Being passionate of what you are doing will eventually change you to be in Category A.

Hence, to answer the question - tell yourself that you CAN. Repeat it again and again.

Eventually, whether you believe it or not - you will CAN.