Those who say I CAN..

The best tonic i badly needed.

Hang Tuah Fail SPM

nak tergolek wa gelak.... mmg kelassss....

Beef Macaroni

I have an Iftar potluck gathering tonite in Sg Buloh at SK's house.

Everyone has to bring something and i told wifey what should i bring to the gathering. I had a few options already but considering the people coming are mostly triathletes and food concious people, i was down to bringing healthy food.

Wait a sec, healthy food? nahh... what the heck.... let's carbo load. That would be a better choice. The guys wanted satay kambing but i just dunno where to get it during this fasting month. I will try to get it later anyway.

In the end, we decided to cook beef macaroni. Carbo loaded protein with vegetable as fibre. Healthy enough larr...

This ws how it was done.

Simple ingredients.

Tomato puree, chilli boh, blended garlic and onion. Eggs for finishing touch. Salt for taste.

Thinly sliced cabbage for fibre.

500gm macaroni. boiled with a pinch of salt. Strained.

Tumis all the ingredients together gether and add the mince meat. the aroma is heaven. Fasting make more challenging.

add salt and keep stirring the mix. let it simmer. The smell will invade the whole kitchen.

Add macaroni and stir until well covered with the beef sauce.

Add two/three eggs depending on your preferences. Cover the eggs with macaroni and let it cooked underneath. Stir well.

Add cabbage and stir well. Keep the heat low. You just wanna let the cabbage wilt in the heat. not overly cook it.

Beef macaroni with eggs.

Wahllahhh.....

Enjoy.. Le Tuang...

Weekend ride : 25/7/2009

Menu : Bt14-Bt18-Genting Peres-Kuala Klawang-Bt18-Bt14
Actual : Bt14-Bt18-Genting Peres-Kuala Klawang-Bt18

Big group today. There were easily 12-15 riders at Bt14. Another 4-5 waiting at Bt18.

The train from Bt14 left around 745am. We met the Bt18 train around 20mins later.

By the time we got to Simpang Tiga, there were easily 23 riders going up Peres.

From Peres, when i thot most of them were going to Klawang, it turned out to be most of them turning back to Tekala. Special note to Senn, "You conned me again.. and again.. and again..!

Only 10 of us were stupidly brave enough to head to Klawang. And most of them were Ironman. IM Azwar, IM Bacin, IM Dicky, IM Ishsal, IM Abu, IM Adeline, Dek Dush (not sure an IM or not but he's damn strong), Alwin, Vicky and me.

Ride to Klawang was smooth. But riding back was not. It was hot, humit, hazy and hell.

While the rest were blazing up reverse Peres like Contador, Vickey and me were left behind to suffer. Well, i for one, has gottten used to being dropped by these mutants.

Anyway, on the way down from Peres to Simpang Tiga, Vickey alerted that my rear wheel was wobbling. We did a quick check at the Simpang and it turned out to be that one of the spoke had gotten a bit loose. As we were riding towards BT18, the wobbling got worse. It made me worried, now.

We catched up with the rest while they were having a drink at one of the stall 7km frm BT18 town. Alwin examined the wheel again and the news was not good. It was at that time i decided to search for a rescue. Luckily, Mac was still having lunch at BT14 and I SOS him for help. Mac being the ever helpful guy, had turned back came looking for me. He rescued me at a bus stop 500m before BT18 near the bahulu shop. Thus, my ride ended there.

Not the kind of ending which i had wished for but it's better to be safe than sorry. I was told that if the wheel condition deteriorated further, i could risk an accident should the wheel collapsed all together.

By then, i had covered 114km. The first long ride of the year. I'll take it anytime.

The Klawang ride and the torturous reverse Peres climb stood true to its name. I wish to conquer it outright, one day. Perhaps, one day i will but until then, it will always haunt me.

The lads are in town...

Awesome...

So does a Red Devil....

Muahahahaha....

PDIT - From sista's eyes

My lil sister did this wonderful tribute. Nak nangess wa tengok....

I love you, Jan. (She's the one wearing the blue Superman T-shirt)

PDIT 09 race report - from her eyes

The unexpected race report. I guess i have the unofficial team manager to do it for me now.

Click here.

My race report will come, soon.

Recovery

After a two full days of resting, i went out for a short run today. A recovery run, sort of.

Recovery rate has been better now. By mid-day today, i felt fresh again which in the past it would normally take three days to reach similar condition.

Most importantly, there's no sign of injuries or pain. I dont even need to pop up Ponstan (pain killer) pill which normally i would. I dont even take any recovery or protein drinks this time around. Body, legs, shoulder and mind are responsive and alert. Very good sign.

I'm spending quality time at home with my precious loved ones. Taking my mind off triathlon and SBR for awhile. Race report had taken a back seat as ive been collecting PD tri photos from various sources and will piece everything together when the mind is ready.

Training may start again tomorrow before picking up the pace as the weekend comes nearer.

In the meantime, im enjoying the rest and the body deserve its reward.

Odyssey

I've been waiting for this magical moment ever since i started doing triathlon....

At this point of time, i was the happiest man in the world....

Believe in your dream and it'll come true.

The odyssey continues...

Meal plan - PD tri

Early morning:
2 glasses of low-fat milk
2 raisins bun
1 banana
1 cup black coffee without sugar
Water

30mins before start race :
1 Powerbar
500ml water

Swim:
Gallons and gallons of saltwater

Bike:
1 bottle 100plus
1 bottle Nuun electrolyte drink
2 pieces of dates
Half Powerbar

Run :
1 Powergel
Loads of water at the water stations

All systems go

I did a quick what Yusran called Body System Testing (BST) yesterday and today.

Yesterday, i went for a quick swimming practice and except being slow as usual, i dont foresee any major problem.

Today, woke up at 530am (that's how the biological weekend clock works now) and went out for a quick ride (approx 10km) around the house to check and ensure that the bike is in good condition. More importantly, reminding the muscles what they're suppose to do tomorrow.

Got home, i swapped the bike with the running shoes and hit road approx 3km.

After all this, i felt fine and good. I passed the BST. Now, resting and enjoying some quality family time. This is also the best time to do mental conditioning and visualize how the race would tomorrow.

Personally, speed is not my concern. I not competing with anyone nor the time. Im competing with myself. Defeat myself, i shall.

Finally, good luck and best wishes to everyone. See you at the finishing line..!!!

PD tri 2009

I am looking forward to this year's edition.

It's not because it's an international event. It's not because this is the biggest local OD tri event. It's not because many celebrities grace the prizing ceremony. it's not... it's not.... it's not...

Then, why?

Because my loved ones will be there. It's their first time witnessing me in SBR. The thought of having them together for race day makes me overly excited. I can feel the adrenalin rush as i am wirting this. I feel like i am doing it for the first time.

Wifey, kids, sister and sis-in-law are riding in the bandwagon to join the PD beach party.

What more motivation can i ask for?

I promised myself that i will do my best and cross the finishing line.

I do, I tri.

Xterra, Malaysia 2009

This is long outstanding post. Only pix report
Venue : Teluk Cempedak, Kuantan

Race briefing with ol' skool mates

I will cross this finishing comes race day.

People behind the scene. You guys made it happened..!!

carbo-load.

Race day. MTB, for a change.

My humble weapon (so-called).

Can you see the break pad? It was worse during the actual ride.

Re-enactment of the finishing run. I made it in approx. 5hrs15mins.

Bravehearts.

You survived..!!

Penangan Xterra

Sebelum.... suci bersih

Selepas.. suci dalam selut

Muahahaha...

X-terraminated

On a wet Sunday, 7/6/2009
Teluk Cempedak Kuantan
After 5hrs 15mins 53sec of painful racing
1.5km swim, 30km mountain biking and 10km trail running was conquered.

X-terra Msia 2009, terminated.

Brick... sort of

Sunday, 31/5/2009

Fasek (uni buddy) got hold a road bike after four weeks toiling with the old work horse, my legendary MTB.

He came with a brand new pair of shoes and cycling jersey. He came not knowing the overall menu yet.

Weather was fine. Yeah, fine as in searing hot and you could even cook an egg on your helmet.

Venue was Putrajaya, mosque carpark tobe specific. We decided to do the Powerman route plus two loops criterium around the big roundabout with a park on its hill.

We ended up cycling for approx 50km or so. A mixture of interval, speed and pacing training all in one. Fasek was cursing like mad. The hot weather pushed his temperature even higher and when he thought switching to a roadie would be easier than the MTB, he was greeted with the unforgiving scorching heat.

As we reached the car park again, all were not done yet. We changed to our running shoes and hit the road towards PICC. He got his first taste on how does it feels to be running after cycling. His first transition.... sort of. We turned back at the roundabout as the heat was a bit to strong on both of us. We did approc 3km or so. I thought that was enough as an introduction to duathlon.

For me, it was good to be back into serious training and the brick session reminded the muscles of what to be expected in the coming months when the season starts.

To Fasek, it was a gallant effort and watch out guys... he'll be around sometime soon.

Keeping active

Since the NB15k, i have re-focused my training away from running. Im giving my feet the well deserved rest after piling up the mileage of more than 100km per month prior to the NB15km. It might seemed a lot to some but it's actually just an average of 25km per week and approx 3.5km per day. If you break up your training into small portions, you will gain the mileage and base volume without even noticing it or suffer the agony.

Ive heard too many stories about plantar fasciitis, knee/ankle/heel pain etc and whenever i felt my body needs a break, i will listen to it. Infact, resting is a form of training too.

Anyway, for variety sake, ive switched to playing sports such as tennis, badminton, squash and golf in the past two weeks. This is also to kill the boredom and keep my mind away from swim, bike and run. Nonetheless, cycling is a permanent workout during weekends thanks largely to the reunification with an old uni buddy who'd recently being hit by the cycling bug. After 4 weeks, my buddy manged to cover on average of 60km per session on his sleek tyre MTB. I think the distance is not too much neither too little. Just nice to keep the body system active. Due to the volume of training, ive also lost another 4kgs in the last month. Every pound i loose, im a pound nearer to my target.

From my experience, running is one of the most effective way to loose weight. So, if you wish to shed that extra pounds, get a reasonable comfortable shoe and start walking/brisk walking and eventually run. It doesnt cost much and you can do it almost at all places.

There are a few races coming up this month but the ones that i may participate are Xterra (off-road triathlon) and Stan Chart (running). I havent decided yet (yeah, working life been taking my training time away, a lot) but i wish i have the can at least participate in one of them.

Above all, let's not keep ourselves glued to the tv or the couch. Force yourself out of the couch and get the butt kicking.

Will the real you please stand up? Please stand up.

Race Report - NB15k

This is a long-outstanding post. Didnt have time to update immediately. enjoy reading it.

I had only slept for slightly more than 4 hours before the alarm clock woke me up at 5am. Groggy head and body was tired. Maybe I havent fully recovered from the hard cycling training i had the day before and the lack of sleep and insufficient rest made it worse. My butt and right thigh were still tight. I felt a tinge of pain on my right knee as well.

I was contemplating of ditching the race until a reflection flashed in upon me on all the efforts that i had poured into training. The mileage, the hours spent, the agony, the pain, the recovery and many other sacrifices that went into preparing for the race. Can this be pre-race nervous attack? Sometimes one can easily forget all the hard work when facing adversity and choosing to quit is always the easy way out.

Anyway, after a quick breakfast - we left the house and got to Lake Garden at around 630am and it was still dark. Pitch black. As this was my first road run race, i was amazed with the number of runners at the park. Ramai giler siol.

Walking to the park, i had visualised the kind of run that i would do but it didnt help much as i know even know the actual running route!! Yeah, my fault. I should have asked people about the actual route then strategize my run. Anyway, it didnt matter because i didn't have any lofty target. I knew i had done enough training and personally, i just wanna finish the run. No matter how long it would take me to do it.

Race started at precisely 7am. I saw the Kenyans lining up in front and as the horn went off, within minutes they were gone already.

While i was treading slowly amongst the mortals at the back, I looked around and it was inspiring to see pakciks, uncles, oversized guys participating in the event. Running is for everybody - all ages, shapes and sizes. All you need is a sports shoe and you can grab anything from your wardrobe to wear as long as it is comfortable to you.

From starting point, the route took us to Memorial Tun Razak - Masjid Negara - Bukit Aman car park - Bank Negara - Tijani - Double Hill - Tugu Negara - Lake Garden.

In the first km, i was kinda warming up (yeah, i should have warmed up earlier) and people kept zooming and flying through leaving me behind like a sad tortoise. At times, I felt pathetic for not being able to catch up with them. But who cares, it's not about beating others. It's about beating yourself. I kept reminding myself not to be influence by the pace of others even if he's your friend. Azmar, Laif, CK, Juli, Adeline, Jamil, Mac and a few other LeTuangs passed me too. I kept the speed to my own capability.

I ran so slow and upon reaching the foot of double hill, i had resigned to walking only. Double hill had many others walking or running at walking pace. I guessed once you walked, you tend to walk again. I did just that. haha... sakit sket jer, naik bukit sket jer, terusss jalan kaki...

Anyway, I had two mini packs of Sunmaid raisins (one each at 6km and 10km) and Powergel (at 12km). Two water stations served plain water. i was like ?????? paid RM45 and they gave plain water only ker? Dah larrr, wa dapat singlet size M. Haiyaaa... at least they could have served isotonics at the 10km mark.

As we were approaching the hill before Tugu Negara, i paced myself against this one slightly bigger built guy. I noticed he was consistent all the way. I walked and jogged but kept telling myself that i should never loose sight of him. He practically became my target and followed his pace.

Upon entering Lake Garden, my legs were still good despite the stress pain which popped up once in awhile.

By now, i could hear the noise at the finishing line. In any race, every time i hear the loud noise coming out from the speaker, I would get pumped up. Suddenly, the adrenalin rushed right to the brim and the legs got the energy from i dunno where.

Wifey waited patiently from his man to cross the finishing line. Her first time she's withnessing it.

After almost 2 hrs (i didnt time the run cos i left my watch at home), very slowly - i crossed it. I lifted both my hands in the air while saying my quiet prayer to the divine. To some people, maybe there's nothing to shout about in completing a 15km run but not for me. For somebody who weighs more than 100kg, it was a big deal. It makes more emotional having wifey and lil sister waiting at the finishing line. I kept telling myself, i have my loved ones waiting patiently at the line and i must finish it. No two-way about it.

I punched my hands into the air. The feeling and satisfaction was unbelievable. I'm addicted to it. My inner self simply exploded in frenzy and no words can ever described it (or at least, i dunno how to put it in writing). The sense of achievement was in its purest form regardless whatever position you came in the end. Best....

My biggest fans.

After the race, i went round the plaza and met some familiar faces. Here, Jamil... fast runner

Arif... two-time Ironman

Letuang office bearer, Chomel. Juli, Ironman - another fast runner.

Letuang chieftain. Chief Kutu. Dont play2 with this old man. He can put anybody 20 years his junior to shame. Easily.


Zul, Triathlete Cap Ayam - Ironman oso. Very fast runner too.

One for the album. The slow coach.

NB15K 17/5/2009

It was my first official i.e. registered and paid run in KL.

My first run on the infamous double hill route.

I was not the last person to reach the finishing line. It was just awesome.

Race report and photos will come later. Letih beb...

Break

It's been awhile since the last time i had a proper family break.

Wifey has somehow regained her normal strength since the child birth and now perhaps, we deserve our very own time together away from the city.

Our family are in love the combination of sun, sea, sand and seafood, thus, obviously we chose a destination with those three elements complete with authentic local food options.

Haha... My son had been harping non-stop "Yeay, nak pegi pantai. nak pegi pantai" and his father is eager as a beaver too.

Kuantan is our choice. We will be spending the next three days basking in the sun, chomping fresh seafood delivered straight right from the boat and saviour quality family time at our own pace.


Happy Labour Day, y'all....

She's down

Now, wifey had got infected.

Bad bad eye. Bad bad bacteria.

The name is...

B-Haemolytic Streptoccus conjunctivitis with haemunutgiz (i cant read the Dr's writing) membranes.

If you've been diagnose with this bacteria in your eyes, go and see the eye specialist immediately.

I'm warning you already.

Bad eye

Just when everything looks good, disaster struck again.

Last weekend, it was my family's third visit to the hospital in 2009.

1st - wifey gave delivery to our apple, Syamima Aira. She's a gem.

2nd - son had hi-fever and end-up being diagnosed for ear infection. Yeah, ear infection n 40C?

3rd - severe conjuctivitis. Both son and daughter got admitted due to a vicious bacteria that was spreading throughout the Khan's family.

We spent 3D2N in the hospital nursing our two babies. Faiq (son) got infected earlier and after two visits to the GP with no concrete results, we decided to take him to HUKM. His sister joined him as well after her eyes got swollen. Dr diagnosis was not good. Their eyes were attacked by a unique bacteria which spells longer than Arnold Susahnakeja. Infact, at least 20 of my family members were attacked by this vicious bacteria.

At that point of time, my wife and I were spared and waiting to be infected. Thus, on Sat - we went to Pantai Hospital to get some kind of second opinion and soon enough than we thought, our babies were admitted for severe conjuctivitis. The Dr had to scrape a layer of membrane from the lower eye lid of my daughter to lessen the pain and extinguish the inflamation (i dunno whether this is the right word and stand to be corrected). There's no doubt that she's got infected from the brother. Kesian beb... berdarah mata wehhh... Listening them crying in pain sent shivers to my spine and wept silently in the heart.

Anyway, we had to packed and camped in the hospital. Weekend in the hospital. Woohooo...!!

I had also quietly slipped my running gear just in case i got bored. Truth be told, like any other Sunday, i was awake at 530am and i felt restless. I waited for the nurse to treat my babies first. Soon after the nurses had done their duties, i socked up, wear my shoes and told my wife "I'm going out to buy you breakfast." but i didnt tell her how am i goin there. Haha... managed to conjure a concrete reason to get away from the hospital.

At 715am, i was on the road already, running around the Bangsar hills. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. Continuously. Actually, the Bangsar area provides a good training ground to strengthen your running legs as the continuous uphills and downhills can send your lung bursting to max heart rate within minutes.

I ended up at the Sunday morning wet market behind TMC at Lucky garden for glass of non-sweetened soybean drink and a taste of local lifestyle. I love walking in a local buzzing market while witnessing buyer and seller haggling for local produce. I bought nasi lemak sotong and curry puff for wifey.

Anyway, both my kids got discharged late yesterday as their conditions were improving. I hope they will recover soon. It's been almost two weeks now since they first got infected.

However, Dr had warned us that this particular bacteria is highly contagious, can easily mutate and stubborn to kill. You can be easily infected after recovery if you are not vigilant of the counter measures.

As of today, my wife had got infected already. It'll only time before i'l get the bad eye too. So, stay away from me.

BTW, the hospital bill was a bomb. &*%$?@..... bad bad eye...

Kapas-Marang 2009 : Report

WARNING: This post is long and can cause brain damage. The writer bears no responsibility nor accountable for any hazardous impact towards the reader. Read at your own risk.

I wanted to do this. I wouldnt say that im dying to do it but i will give it a try. However, there's a small part in my lil' heart kept holding me back again and again. Maybe because swimming is my worst discipline. I had poured many training hours in the pool increasing training distances from 1km, 2km, 2.5km and whenever i had the chance, i will try and attend swimming classes with IM SK and the gang.

I wasn't really sure whether i really wanted do it until the final week before the registration closed. Once i decided to give it a go, everything else doesnt count anymore.

IM SK, IM Azmar, IM Kam, IM Stupe and me drove to Marang. We left KL just before midnite and reached Marang half-past 5 in the morning. We stopped at a Petronas station, had jamban break, solat and a delightful early morning breakfast at an el classico terengganu styled makan shop.

I had nasi briyani, nasi lemak, akok and ketupat palas. Perrghhh... sedap giler beb... I love race day because i can eat a lot more than any other day. Important for glycogen and salt build-up mahhh.... haha....

After breakfast about 7am we went straight to Marang jetty to register. Unfortunately, Mr Chan came 3 hours later and started the registration process at 10am. Shisshhhh..... what a waste of time and the waiting game made us lethargic.

We reached Pulau Kapas about noon and checked-in. the room was cosy enough for five of us. The weather was scorching hot, humid and unkind, so we took a short nap. At about 2pm, we woke as our stomach was growling already.

However, IM Azmar nih gatal sket... he suggested we take a stroll to the other side of the island and claimed that we'll have McDonald for lunch. Haha.. Nice try buddy... he also forgot to tell us that the journey to heaven include two very steep climbs and most of us were equipped with selipar jepuns only. Urgghhh... hungry, hot and selipar jepuns were definitely a concoction for a disaster.

After almost 40 mins of trekking, we decided not to continue and turned back. Well, we failed to get McChicken for lunch and instead of training for swimathon, we got an extra dose glimpse of what Xterra could offer.

We got back to the chalet and set-up the kayak. The kayak was specially brought here so that IM Kam could accompany/escort me personally throughout the swim. hahaha... anak manja... kena babysit larrr...

the kayak is super cool. the design is so immaculate that no matter in what condition, it wont capsize. All five of us decided to give it a try but IM stupe and IM SK get to try it first by kayaking to Mak Cik Gemuk stall for lunch. IM Azmar swam. IM Kam and me walked.

We had a simple lunch and chit chat while analysing the landing point for tomorrow's race and strategize our approaches. Met Nurina and family at the makan place too.

After makan, IM Stupe, IM SK and IM Azmar swam back and IM Kam kayak. I had to walk again. Honestly, i started to feel the butterfly in the stomach after watching the distance from the island to the mainland. Quite a distance i tell you. It did rang in my mind that whatever i am going to do tomorrow was a nuthead act. Simply crazy. It a case either i am sure about the challenge or i am just oblivious with the challenge ahead. i guess more of the second one as i have no idea how does it feel swimming in an open sea.

Anyway, the boys challenged me to take a dip and head for a buoy which was located about 300m offshore. IM Azmar, IM Kam and me had a body system test (BST). We headed to the buoy and turned back. I came out from the water feeling good. No muscle strain, no anxiety attack and no fear feeling. Good sign. Morale boosting.

Later, we had a briefing with the organiser followed-up with carbo-loading dinner. IM SK checked his iPhone 3G.. yeah, his proud new iPhone 3G for weather forecast and it did not sounded good. Weather was forecasted to be raining for the next three days in Kuala Terengganu which is a stone throw away from Marang. Thus, we should expect added challenges should the weather turned bad, sweeping current, bigger waves etc. It was making me more nervous. haiyaaahh....

i slept very early. 830pm dah masuk gol. I really needed the rest cos i know my body require at least 8 hours of sleep before any long distance event.

I woke at 5am. After 2 rounds of toilet visits and solat, we prepped up for the race day. We had a quick breakfast, lined up our bags at the jetty and had our body marked. Me, no 272.

Photo at the starting line is a must. Haha.... Mejar kalam, Nurina, Danial, Azmar, SK, me, stupe and azmar's friend. During the race briefing, we were told that two of the six buoys had been swept away last nite. Jeezzzz... i thought... you can see many of them were smirking or surprised to listen to the news. Something ugly was brewing in the sky and under the sea. haha...

We were told that there will be about 230 participants at the starting line but i have a feeling it's less judging from the number of people there.

The horn went off at 733am and all swimmers were running and splashing into the water. I let them go first. I knew the distance was far and there's no point rushing in. I am not going for podium finishing anyway... haha... I just wanted to know whether i have the courage to swim in the open sea and stay in the water for as long as possible if situation permits.

I started quite well i think, by my standard larr... The waves were also kind as it was not as bad instead i was riding over it going towards marang. The 1:30 hr was good and i think i covered about 3km and truly believed that i could just complete his challenge. However, my lil whisper spoke too soon.

Just when i was feeling i could do it, suddenly, Kam told me that i had drifted quite considerably to the left and heading south. The landing site which was supposed to be on the left side of Mt Fuji suddenly appeared to be on the right side. Pulau Kapas was supposed to be right at my back and now it was on my right side. Danger, danger, danger.

Something had gone wrong here. Pulau Kapas was supposed to be parallel with my back, not on my right..!?

My most loyal escort, IM Kam. scanning the horizon and thinking what we should do.

Anyway, i tried battling the current. It was getting stronger and stronger. I got drifted further and further away heading towards the South China Sea..! I could see no jellyfish. Maybe they had been swept away too. haha... All i could hear was the water splashing into my face and the helicopter hovering over me. I admitted that being alone in the vast open sea can be a mystifying experience.

Amidst the severe condition and obstacles, i had the chance to reflect my life while swimming. Believe it or not, my life flashed clearly in my head. My wife, my kids, my mom, my dad i.e. almost all the people i love and closed ones kept flashing in my head. Ironically, the more i see them in my head, the more determined i had become. The power of the loved ones goes beyond your imagination. It can be summoned anytime you want especially when your back is against the wall. It kinda gave you a kick on the butt and suddenly you felt energized and motivated to overcome the obstacles. I could also hear myself talking to me silently.

Anyway, after 2hrs30mins battling in the harsh water, rough sea and sea lice - i stopped for awhile. I assessed the situation. I noticed the sky was getting heavy, the current was gaining strength, i was drifted several kilometres away and practically, i was alone in the water with OP Kam. I decided the situation was getting a bit dangerous though i can clearly see the shoreline already. I could even hear the announcer's voice from the PA system. I must be about less than 2km away from the shoreline. My lil voice said i might just make it. However, I have a choice whether to continue to swim to the shoreline though off target or quit due to deteriorating condition.

I decided to quit and not risk any adverse event. Safety first. I know i sounded like a lame excuse but honestly, the situation was getting worse.

Kam raised his paddle and the rescuers came and scooped me out of the water. I am not sure how far i had gone but the navy guy said that should i had swam on a straight line, i would have reach the shore. Whoaaaa.... that's a blardy 6.5km of swimming distance! However, i stand corrected on this but i believed i had swam the longest distance in my life.

I had no regrets that i didnt finish the swim at the actual finishing line. It was tough. Toughest challenge thus far.

Nonetheless, the feat was definitely a big giant step forward. An inch closer towards achieving my goal.

Personally, i think i've slayed another demon in my soul. I strongly believe the demon is gone forever.

Open sea swim

My first ever open sea swmming experience. 12/4/2009.


At the back of the pix is Pulau Kapas. We started swimming from the island and heading towards Pantai Kelulut, Marang.

Play for him

Somehow Somewhere

Behind the sportsman you’ve become
The hours of practice
The coaches who pushed you
The teammates who believed in you
The supporters who cheered for you
The family who’d sacrificed for you

There is this little boy who fell in love with the game
And he never looked back.

Play for him......

3 months

She is growing very fast. Time really flies. Her weight is almost double already.

She has been very good so far. She seldom disturb her mom at night. Normally, she'd would sleep through the nite without much fuss. Been drinking a lot of milk.

She knows how to react to people. Here, smiling enthusiactically.

With her Lala (Big bro in Pakistani).

Having these two angles in the house makes me one hell of a happy father....!!

Whodat?

Someone asked me how big i was before... honestly, i dunno how to describe and i am tired of describing....

but i think these pictures will provide some clarity...

2006

2007

2007

Whodat?

That's me, me and me.

Yes. People used to tease me.

Yes. People used to give me that weird stare whenever i go especially at shopping malls.

Yes. People used to call me DBKL, MPPJ, tong sampah, tong drum etc

Yes. People used to push all the left overs to me whenever we go for a big makan.

Yes. People always fault me whenever the lift beeps if it's overloaded.

Yes. People always asked me to sit infront if we go out car-pooling.

Yes. People laughed at me when i said i play sports.

Yes. People are bias towards oversized guy. I can vouch it.

Yes. People look down on oversized guy. I can vouch that too.

and many many more....

Yes. Any more questions?