Re-activating

It's been awhile... the blog has gone quiet... no news... no reports... no stories... it suffered some kind of a natural death.

In the past 6-months, work has taken over my life. I'm not giving any excuses.... but that's the reality.

I'm a wage earner. Working for people. Taking instructions from the top. Slaving for a big capitalist corporation with gigantic appetite for nothing except profit. Balancing work and life is a constant difficult act, more like fighting a loosing battle. When pressing deadlines looms, i dropped everything and pinned my butt, facing the emotionless IT monitor, forcing others to be become paid slaves too.

The long hours spent in the office has done nothing good to my mental and physical health. I have gained some kgs too. I have lost the vigour and motivation while never managed to stick to a solid training regime or a routine, something which i have no problem adhering to just awhile ago.

My normal 6-days-a-week-1-day-rest training schedule has dwindled invariably. Let's not go into intensity level, it fluctuates as wild as the Composite Index in recent times.

I blame it on myself... me and me...

i let 'it' take over my life... I have forgotten how i was 3 years ago... a man weighing 160kg with a 60 inches waist-line who can hardly breathe after a few flights of the staircase...

I got complacent while conveniently using the work pressure/work stress as the prime reason for slacking off.

(hitting my head on the wall.... very hard)....

I dont want live the life i had before...

I have to manage my work. I have to work around it. I have to deal with it.

All is not lost.

Despite the ups and downs , I ended 2009 season with some encouragement - hitting PB for Mizuno Wave run followed by another PB at the Powerman 2009 (albeit sprint event only). It baffled me, how the PBs were achieved despite the erratic or less training during th eperiod. The intensity and motivation, however, were not sustainable. It was easy to turn down training invitations when i used to breathe and eat with it not long ago. The adrenalin flow swells and contracts as quickly as Tiger Woods popularity.

Picking up where i left off, I started 2010 with a some encouragement too. While others were reaching their peak especially the Ironmans, traditionally, Jan-March are my low down period. Nonetheless, by completing NB30km (my longest ever run race) and Putrajaya Night Half Monty, i did something which I've never done in the past. Hence, there's still hope.

As usual, i would easily get pumped up after reading the many Ironmans race reports. Their stories and experiences inspired many others including me. These guys are warriors in their own way.

I have pondered and procrastinated over it for quite awhile and i think the time has come.

It's time to take action, change and take charge of my life.

I'm re-activating all systems.

I'm back.

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...

The lads are in town...

Awesome...

So does a Red Devil....

Muahahahaha....

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.

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....

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...

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?

Rain, Rain, Rain

I am currently staring at the KL skyline from the office.

I see the same thing for past few weeks.

Rain, rain, rain.

sighhhh.....

3rd day

It's been three days he's in hospital. I slept here last nite to keep him company.

His temperature was 40C but now down to almost normal.

Initial assumptions of lung infection, dengue or partial pneumonia were unfounded true.

It's actually ear infection with some mild effects on nasal flow and itchy throat. That's good news to me.

Hopefully, Dr will allow my son to be discharged by end of today.

Easing in

It's been more than a week since the Ironman Langkawi 2009 had ended but the euphoria and the joy are stilll very much in the air. Much of the celebrations remain in a very specific minority group cum family but i felt privileged to be able to sit around these bravehearts and listen in awe to the many inspiring, courageous and heroic stories/videos/photos which the world out there has no clue at all.

Truly, The IM bravehearts deserve all the credits and my utmost respect, tabik spring for they have achieved in Langkawi.

Anyway, i am glad February is over now. Many things had happened (mostly good things) but i dont wish to share in here. I have gained 4kgs over the past two months. I take it as a sign of prosperity to start the year and not all is gloomy or bleak like the economy. At least i have something to cheer and look forward to each i come back home. The house is getting merrier, busier and happier.

After a long break, March 09 is where i will re-ignite the whole journey once again.

For the past two weeks, i have been taking a lot of small steps gauging my thirst and crave for conditioning, training and dieting. It's definintely hard to initiate the first few steps but it's the most important step of all.

It's hard to get up early and put on your shoes.
It's hard to refuse good food.
It's hard to pack the bike and shove in the car.
It's easy to skip training with current weather condition.
It's easy to wake-up late with the baby around.
It's easy to slack in training when you're drown at your desktop.

bla bla bla bla.... Yes. Excuses, excuses, excuses....

A lot of friends are taking post-IM break (the supporters too) and i guess this is the best time for me to start all over again. Myself and me. Best friends 4eva. In reality, no one will pick up the pieces until you do-it-yourself.

I have started watching my food intake.

- Yes, tofu is on my plate again.

I have started sleepin early.

- Yes, i dont even know that MU won 4-0 until two days later.

I have started hitting the tarmac.

- Yes, hill work. working on resistance training.

I have cycled the past two weekends.

- Yes, albeit leisurely.

I am running out of fresh socks.

- Yes, it's normal when i am active.

I woke up at 545am last Sunday.

- Yes, it's not as difficult as last Sunday.

I have a preliminary programme mentally.

- Yes, a well thought programme.


Basically, i am easing into my training mode. Reconditioning and mental acceptance that the work has just begun.

I have different targets this year. Yes, multiple targets.

I am inspired.

Anxious

I'm not going...

but ....

I am having butterfly in the stomach syndrome
anxious
just couldn't sit still
uneasiness
cant stop thinking about it
and a host of other weird feelings

I wonder how the IM hopefuls are feeling right, now...

IM Hopefuls

Dear Friends,

You have trained hard,
Sacrificed your life,
Endured the never ending pain,
Just for the good mother of all triathlons.

You have swam in thousands of strokes,
Pedalled thousands of miles,
Pounded your knees on unlimited tarmac,
Just to be sacred IM mantle.

So, to all my friends who are gunning for the ultimate... you guys are bravehearts..!!

Good luck, best wishes and just do it...

I will be monitoring every moment of it....

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...

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.

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.

Sick again

The past three weeks had not been kind to me.

was hit down by a bout of tonsilitis, diarheaa and flu.

Needed a few more extra resting days to come to full recovery.

when i recovered, managed to crank in a few good swimming and cycling sessions with extended hours on tennis. But then, the joy did not last long as i succumbed to another bout.

this time around - bad cough complete with slimey greenish phlegm, flu with irrirating blocked nose and fever again.

Worse still, the monsoon is here. Raining almost every evening and sometimes in the morning too. Wet, wet and very wet.

Training routines were affected. Motivation is low.

Foe some reason, kicking my arse out of the bed early in the morning seemed so difficult. I'm hooked on House, Heroes, Amazing Race, Asia Food Channel, late nite footie and slowly i'm becoming a couch potato. Eating appetite is huge - Kudu, weekly fish head curry with extra servings of spicy fried chicken, laksa, maggi mee, nasi dagang etc - you name it, i cant hold it back this time around.

Nothing went right larrr, friends. Off-tangent from my normal schedule.

I guessed when the body system goes haywire, your routines also become a rojak.

I dunno what you call the situation i am in now. I've been searching on the net to decipher it but i couldnt find anything convincing.

If i cant find anything convincing, i can only blame myself for not being discipline to stick to my routines.

Sighhh.....

Out of the blue

Ive been sick for the past 5 days.

tonsilitis. fever. diarrhea. all at once.

At its peak, i was shivering and sweating whole nite long. Eating pattern had gone haywire too. Most of the time, no appetite plus it's quite painful to swallow any solid food. Warm water can be a pain too.

Good thing is.. ive got enough rest. though it can be a painfu and uneasy rest but at least my body has time to recover from all the previous beatings and lost some valuable weights (muscles it is!!) along the way. I must start eating good food again and rebuild what ive lost.

just nice before the weekend starts.