Bridging the Pain
I have actually run the half marathon in the Penang Bridge Run before... way back when I was 15 going on 16. I remember it was after PMR and I had some time to kill, so I thought why not?
Finished the 22.3km then running non-stop in a time of 2:12:xx, averaging 6 mins/km. Now 12 years later and 15 kgs heavier, I doubt I can even get near that timing. Did a training run/jog/walk.... crawl/lie down and cry session last night of 15km, and it took me 1:49:44 to finish that. Judging from that and assuming no loss or reduction in capacity and speed (sound like engineer only), I would finish the Penang Bridge 2007 Half Marathon come June in 2:44. That's very very close and borderline to the 3 hours finishing time qualification. Malu sial if I go there and see white haired gentlemen and ladies sprinting past a huffing and puffing pot-bellied me to the finish line. I can't even begin to imagine the humiliation
Shucks. Damper damper. Spanner into my hopes. Nonetheless, I still have > a month to go. It looks like I'll be doing the half this time around. Don't wanna kill myself this young. Wouldn't want to do the full and start flagging down the ambulance at km 35 now would we? That would be a disaster... running so far and not finishing. I'd rather lie down on the road and let the crowd trample all over me. Twice.
So wish me luck. I'm not going to update my training times, but a week before the run, I'll be putting up a target finishing time. Gambate!!
Half or Full?
Waist down is practically numb today. Woke up and couldn't feel my .... errr... ummm... toes (not what you think)... That one sure can feel one...Ehem. Whole lower body practically felt like it has been thru a washing machine.... and dryer.... on extra strong.
And why la this sudden lack in senses in my lower regions you ask?
Well.... rewind to yesterday evening.... J has yoda (i mean yoga) sessions every Thursday evening so I was left all alone to entertain myself after getting home... I the decided to do some soul-searching and was wondering how I could make my mudane life more exciting (and pleasurable) and ..... suddenly it caught my eye.
"PENANG BRIDGE RUN 2007"
And since I did a no-show in my previous attempt to run the
Shah Alam 10km run.... I thought what better way to redeem myself than go for the FULL MARATHON itself?? All 42 glorious kilometres of it; and its 4x longer than the puny pitiful Shah Alam kiddie run.
So, with that decided.... and with time to kill till J gets home, I decided to lace my runners and head out .....
I hit the road running at 7:50pm.... at 8:15pm, I was still running.... 8:30pm passed... Still sweating away....
8:50pm came and went...... 9:10pm.... stll pounding the pavements.... 9:25pm.... throat parched, t-shirt drenched, nether regions numbed....
9:29pm... I finally gave up and stopped.... And in that 1 hour 39 mins, I logged 13.2km.
OK, I admit its a wee bit slow, and its nowhere near even half the distance I'm supposed to run.... but that's what you get for lazing on the couch and watching House and American Idol at night. But its still ok la... cos I have like 7 weeks to go ma... I think. "Still got time to train...." I told myself in between the pain and suffering this morning...
So now I'm undecided.... 42km or 21km? Full marathon or just the half will do this time around?
I'll let you guys/gals decide for me.... I'll do what the majority tells me to. And I am definitely not going to get sick this time.
Darren & Cindy
Last weekend was J's mum's brother's son's wedding; aka J's cousin brother's wedding. It was a fun, yet hectic weekend, particularly for me as it was my first time really shooting a wedding ceremony. Not exactly shooting as in literally shooting, but taking photos of the unfolding events la....
It was a rather low key affair, sort of like a private wedding mostly made up of family, relatives and a spattering of close friends. Guess it was a blessing in disguise for me as well, cos I didn't have much memory space (only 2GB) and 4 AA batteries for the event.... Hehe..
Nonetheless, it all came out pretty well, tho we did end up reaching home at 11.45pm on a Sunday night!!! Here are some pics of the event to share (in no particular order)....
Some decor and conceptual shots...
1 love...
Decor....
Wedding cake....
Stacks of wine glasses...
Cake knife..
Lovingly....
Evening gown...
Traditional offerings...
Symbolic mirroring....Some bride and/or groom shots...
Entering the ballroom....
Can't wait to get married....
Popping the cherry... oops.. i mean the cork
Sharing a joke?
Yamseng rounds....Candid...
Big hugs all around...And my J, with her sister and eldest uncle...
These are just some of the photos I got... all in all I got close to 400 shots...
To Darren & Cindy, hope you like the photos, consider it to be my wedding gift to you. Have a good life ahead. YAM SENG!!!!
336 months
ago, today, a legend was born.... And the world would never be the same again.
It was cold and dark on that particular morning; the winds were absent and the air was still. The first burning rays of the morning sun was about to slice the horizon when a piercing scream cut thru the early hour like a thunderbolt. It was time. He had arrived.
"Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh...... Wahliu eh!! So painful la!!!"
"Wah, auntie... sure la... this one damn BIG leh.. and FAT also!!"
"Ya ka? Next time if I pregnant again, must not eat so much alledi lor... Beh tong la!!"
7.89kgs of legendary fat and (muscle) was born. As he took the first breath of air in this world that he was destined to conquer, he coughed....
"Ack ack ack.. uwekk.."
and cried.
"Waaaaa.... waaaaa..... waaaaa....."
Over the years, he grew..... in stature, in height, and especially in weight. He was trained by the elders in the lost art of dragon claw nipple pinching, tiger strength ear twisting and monkey style hair pulling. Of course he perfected these arts while training and practising on his brother and sister. At age 7, he was ready and his parents who had high hopes of him, sent him to war.
"Son, you are destined for greatness. In this life that you are about to embark, you will face lots of enemies, some will stand in your face, most will cucuk your ass.... you have to be strong. Make us proud."
And with that, he strode off to his first battlefield in a war that would rage on for 11 years. In the war-torn country of Stanthonys, he made his mark. He rose in the ranks and swept aside his enemies. Victories rolled in, but the war changed him. He became reserved, a loner, a tactician always playing mind-games, always plotting his enemies' downfall. His allies were far and few, and he only confided in his 2nd man, General Acu #3241.
At the tender age of 17, he waged his last battle in Stanthonys against the Strong Powderful Man (SPM). The SPM was known to have taken down even the most powderful of generals and commanders, and few have been victorious against him. He fought and fought, but in the end, SPM prevailed..... and the legend was humiliated.
Broken and torn, he crawled back to his domain, where he would weep and cry and wallow in despair for months. His parents, who had been disappointed, decided that he should not continue to lie in self-pity, and decided to enrol him in a training program in Kem Babes United (KBU) for 4 months to return him to his former glory.
KBU gave him back the confidence he needed. With babes all around him swooning and swearing undying love to him, he felt like the legend he was destimed to be. 4 months passed and he was called back to duty.
"Son, your life has seen you thru ups and downs. It is these lessons in life that make you the man you are about to become. Go forth, and conquer. Remember, you are The One."
"I shall not fail you."
With that, he embarked on another 54 months of war, this time in the region controlled by the Ultimate Test Men (UTM). There were many tests throughout the 54 months, some easy, some hard, most death-defying. He aced some tests, and he scraped thru most.... and in the end, he returned with his dignity intact.
The years of war and battle and tests had prepared him for the next 350 months of his life.
"Dad, mum.... I am prepared to go forth. With my dragon claws nipple pinching, monkey style hair pulling and new skills learnt in the UTM like BSICM101 (Back stabbbing in corporate world); I am well equipped to make my mark on this world. I guarantee you.... The World Will Know My Name!!!"
.......60 months down the road, he is still nameless in this vast world. But he persists; because he knows he is destined to be a legend. And he believes it, cos he was born BIG and FAT.... and screaming.
Pass this messge around. Warn the world. He is coming. Whisper his name.... "
Eugene"
