Tapering Week

I have been running low mileage this week to taper for the Singapore Half Marathon.

Monday : 5 km, 4 laps at KLCC park sub 7 minutes per lap pace. Ran alone except for 600 m with Ronnie

Tuesday : 5 km, 4 laps at KLCC park, 2 laps sub 7 minutes pace and 2 laps with Jamie, Newton and Draco at comfortable pace.

Today : Will do 5 km on the treadmill. Now it's raining.

Thursday : 5 km.

Friday : Off to Singapore.

Saturday : Pick up bibs , meet other runners etc.

Sunday : Race!

Tapering Week

I have been running low mileage this week to taper for the Singapore Half Marathon.

Monday : 5 km, 4 laps at KLCC park sub 7 minutes per lap pace. Ran alone except for 600 m with Ronnie

Tuesday : 5 km, 4 laps at KLCC park, 2 laps sub 7 minutes pace and 2 laps with Jamie, Newton and Draco at comfortable pace.

Today : Will do 5 km on the treadmill. Now it's raining.

Thursday : 5 km.

Friday : Off to Singapore.

Saturday : Pick up bibs , meet other runners etc.

Sunday : Race!

Azwar's Open House and My Left Leg

I did not take any photos at Azwar's open house today. I had left the SD memory card at the photo shop last Monday. When I went there on Wednesday, the shop was closed! The sign pasted on the door said they would be closed for one week for renovation. I was p***d off that they didn't tell me on Monday they were going to be closed for one week. I am definitely going there tomorrow to pick up my photos and camera memory card.

This afternoon was Azwar's open house. it is wonderful that he has graciously decided to hold an open house. Thank you dude!.

When I reached his house at 1.30 pm, almost everyone was there. Unusually for me, I ate more food than normal. I had 2 bowls of Soto minus the chicken, some nasi himpit and slices of watermelons. A few of the runners PM19, PM5 etc asked me about my injured hip.

Status ? This evening, I ran 6 km (34 min) with Albert. It was sore in the beginning but after a while there was a sensation of tightness at the injured area. I felt some pain when running uphill but fortunately the Singapore race route is virtually flat. I think I won't have too much trouble during the race.

We had a good time at Azwar's open house among friends who share a common passion and love for running and leading a healthy lifestyle.

For photos , please visit Ronnie's and Azwar's site.

A final note : There were some attractive slim Malay girls/women who came to the open house. I think they were Azwar's sister' friends. I am so used to seeing "generously" sized Malay girls/women in the LightR ail Train (LRT), at KLCC park and everywhere else, it was a surprise to see a parade of an unfamiliar shape.

Back to the Carpenters!

Preparing for the Singapore Half Marathon and Vietnam Holiday

Two things have kept me busy over the past one month.

First preparation to run the Singapore Half Marathon. All I can say is I have not done much. Last weekend I ran 2o km at the usual Bukit Aman to Sri Hartamas route. I haven't done much running during the weekday. It was not due to a lack of desire but my right knee has been intemittently sore. Together with the accident on Tuesday, I have more or less accepted that I won't be well prepared for the SIM.

Secondly for my Vietnam holiday, I have been reading Lonely Planet's Vietnam travel guidebook and news about Vietnam on the Net. I also ordered some books about Vietnam from Amazon which I will bring to read while I am there. I hope they will arrive before I leave. I also have my air tickets ready. I have everything ready except for one thing: My leave has yet to be approved but never mind, I will be going regardless.

I have signed up to Flickr. There are more photos of Tasik Shah Alam here.

Currently listening to : The Best of Spyro Gyra, Keiko Matsui Live and Carpenters Greatest Hits
Curretly reading : National Geographic Field Guide 'Secrets to Making Great Pictures'

Drug Crimes

I had an accident on Tuesday night.

When my bus reached Klang on Tuesday night, I walked on a public square area near the post office. It was raining and the area pitch dark. Suddenly I felt my right foot sinking underneath me. I glanced downwards and saw a black square hole. I had stepped into an uncovered drain. I managed to avoid going stepping deeper by balancing on my right leg but as I was still moving forward I stumbled. I lost my balance and fell forwards towards the ground. I instinctively extended my arms and landed on the palms of hands. I was able to prevent my body/face from hitting the ground too hard.

After a few seconds of shock, I got-up. My clothes were dirty. I felt my palms throbbing and it became reddish in colour. I was sure this was a temporary injury that would heal overnight. A more serious injury was to my left hip which had hit the ground. I felt a sharp pain there and had to walk with a slight limp. I may have some minor tears in the my left thigh muscles.

As of this morning, I have a 3 inch long blue coloured bruise on my left thigh. I still have some pain on my left thigh when walking.

Last night, I checked out the place where I fell. All three drains had missing covers. It is likely that the metal covers had been stolen by drug addicts.

I also noticed on the way home, the metal cover on the street lamps were missing. I noticed ALL lamp posts had missing covers . No doubt it was caused by theft, the likely culprits are drug addicts.

The power of drugs over a drug addicted person is extraordinary. Nothing else matter even a basic need for food and water is overcomed by the urge to get high.

I won't be be running for about 3 to 4 days to allow a complete recovery before the Singapore Marathon 10 days from today.

As for the drug addicts, I will be going after you. How will I do this?

The company is implementing Drug and Alcohol (D & A) testing program. I voluntered to be one of the D&A testers last month.

Training Update (Real One)

A busy weekend for a change.

Saturday : I watched Harry Potter "Goblet of Fire". Definitely the best of the Potter movies, much darker in story and appearance with a constant feeling of menace/evil from throghout the film. The movie was very lengthy (2.5 hrs) - I found nyself peering at my watch 2 hrs later in the dark wondering how long I was going to sit in the cinema.

Sunday : 6.00 am , my first 20 km run in six weeks. I was a bit worried that I would not be able to last the distance but my first fears were unfounded. We (me and Yong) ran the first 10 km to Sri Hartamas in 62 minutes. The return run of 10 km to Lake Gardens took Yong 63 minutes. It took me longer as I stopped 500 m short of 20 km because of very sore legs. This was a sign of lost conditioning after not doing long runs for the past six weeks.

After the run, we went to nasi lemak Tanglin to have some drinks. There was a long queue of people lining up to buy nasi lemak. I could not eat any because I have used up my nasi lemak budget for the week - not more than two nasi lemak per week. In any case, I was in a hurry to drive to KL to meet my friend.

I took a shower at my friend's hotel before we went down for breakfast. After breakfast, we left KL heading towards Putrajaya. Traffic was heavy on the KL-Seremban highway. The main purpose of our trip to Putrajaya was to go for a lake cruise. We paid RM 20 each and boarded the wooden boat "Dondang Sayang". The cruise went around several landmarks around the Putrajaya area. The cruise was OK as far as service is concerned but I guessed I would have liked to see more natural trees and plants around the lake. For those who don't know, Putrajaya used to be a palm oil and rubber tree plantation. Other than the few left standing, all other trees and plants were "imported" into the area.

After the cruise, we spend some quality lepak time near the lake. I became a bit hungry, so it was off to lunch at the wonderfully varied food at the food court in the Alamanda shopping centre.

Sometimes, when I see the spot on the car floor where I had placed the 'cat', the memories come flooding back. I think it will be a while before the same feelings dissipate but I don't think I will ever forget the experience.

Training Update

Training Update that is the title but frankly I have nothing to write about my recent running training. Since Tuesday, I've had sore thigh muscles (quadriceps) the result of sprinting between trees during the paintball game. I am just not made to run sprints.

I am currently listening to this CD : Overtime by Lee Ritenour. I have been listening to Rit since 1989. The first album by Rit I bought was Earth Run. Other Jazz artistes whose latest albums I often buy are Fourplay, Urban Knights, Keiko Matsui, Yellow Jackets. David Metheny and Spyro Gyra.

I also listen to New Age music. Sad to say, many of the albums are uninspiring and not worth listening to nowadays.

I am currently reading this book : A History of Thailand

Singapore is only 15 days away.

A Cat's Story : Letting Go

I am not sure how this post will come across but I need to write it.

After leaving the Dr Ee's animal clinic yesterday, I suffered from pangs of regret for the whole day. Firstly I want to mention the clinic was quite basic, unassuming and maybe I should say "rural" like. It was located along a row of old shophouses. I did not see much equipment like an X-ray machine. I was used to seeing the vet clinics in the Klang valley. These urban clinics were attractive looking with large glass doors with animals painted on neon lighted signs. They probably have better diagnostic equipment but not necessarily a better veterinarian.

While driving to Seremban, I was thinking of what if the vet said the cat can be saved by an operation and long term care. What would I do? I trashed out the complication of this scenario in my mind. I came to the conclusion that I was prepared to give the necessary funds to save the cat. I also thought what would I do after the cat had fully recovered? He could have been someone's pet or maybe he was a stray. If he was a pet, how would I find the owner ? If I could not find the owner, I may have to keep him- this was a big maybe. If he was a stray cat , I would release him back to the same area. These were difficult choices to make for which I had no immediate answer.

I did not have to make the above choices, I had agreed to the vet's suggestion to put the cat to sleep. Yesterday I wondered if had I brought the cat all the way to the "better" clinics in the Klang valley, would the outcome be different ? Could the cat have been saved from being put to sleep? I knew from past readings, that when a when an animal makes a circling movements, it is an indication of brain damage. The vet's diagnosis was correct but it is impossible to say for certain if recovery was possible.

This morning I thought through my actions again. Did I do make the right choice by bringing the cat to the "basic" clinic ? Did I make the right decision to put the cat to sleep? The vet made the suggestion based on decades of experience. There is no 100% certainity and there never will be.

I need to let go of these burdening thoughts, my guilty conscience and the "What if" questions for which there are no certain answers. I made the best decision I could under the circumstances at that time.

Rest in peace, cat!

Port Dickson : A Cat 's Story (Very Long Post)

I was in Port Dickson for 3 days for a workshop.

Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), I went through a team building session exercise. The exercise was playing paintball. It was a lot of fun. There were four teams with two rounds of competetion. My team won the first round despite the other team's better cover behind a thick trees and bushes. We attacked agressively and they had to defend but it was to no avail. We "shot" all seven of them in just 15 minutes. I managed to "shoot" two opponents.

The 2nd round was the final match between us and the the winner of the the two teams who battled it out. This time it was tougher. Me and another guy was assigned to attack from the right flank. The attack route consisted of jumping across a small stream (3 feet wide) , running from tree to tree and trying to get behind the other team. I managed to get behind a tree and traded shots with the "enemy". Alas, I was hit and had to return to base. After another 15 minutes furious action, our team emerged victorious again.

After finishing the game at 5.15 pm, I headed back to the hotel. I was planning to run at Tanjung Tuan, (2.5 km away from the hotel). Afer a short 5 minutes drive, I reached the Tanjung Tuan forest reserve. My plan was to run up the hill to the light house located 870 m away. I started running at about 5.45 pm on a steep surfaced road. It was hard going but a pleasant run among the trees and plants lined aloong the road. After 5 minutes, I reached the lighthouse. The gate was locked so I walked along the narrow strip of path behind the lighthouse. For my effort, I was rewarded with a magnificent view of the Straits of Malacca. The sea seemed endless and shimmered in blue-green colours from the reflected sunlight. After about 5 minutes I ran down back the base of the hill.

I decided to do more running. This time I ran from the entrance of the Tg Tuan reserve (base of hill) to the main road. The distance I had earlier measure from the car meter is 1.6 km. The route was undulating with four steep hills. After about 10 minutes, I reached the main road and it was time to head back .

Now comes the story of about a cat.

Somehere at the 1 km mark, I noticed something laying flat on the road. It was near the centre lines on my side of the road. It looked liked a piece of wood. As I got closer, I was able recognise it ; it was a dead cat. As I approached; I saw the cat was still alive. It had a dark grey fur with white stripes. The cat lying on its side, possibly severely injured from being run over by a vehicle. I ran past the cat, it had no chance of live anyway.
As I was about 5 m past him, I looked back. I saw the cat raising its front paws, waving them in the air and his lifting head trying desperately to get up. I paused and wondered what to do. Should I continue to run or walk back to help the cat. If I leave it on the road, the cat would surely die from being run over - it would be a terrible thing to happen. I saw the cat twitching, he was trying to get up again. I walked back to help the cat.

The cat had some abrasions on the head, near it's ears. His mouth was bloody and there was also blood inside his mouth. There were no visible wounds on the body. I could not determine if there were any broken bones but there were no obvious signs of a broken limbs. Perhaps his injuries were not so serious. There was still hope perhaps. I looked at his hind legs- they were not moving, possibly injured ? Then I saw a white-greyish tube emerging from the cat's anus. My heart sank as I thought that could have been his intestines. Around and underneath the cat, there were spots of fresh bright red blood. I realised he had suffered internal organ injuries. Perhaps he would not survive long. All this time, he was silent, not making a single meow or sound.

But I should at least try to give him a fighting chance to live. I decided to move him to the side of the road on the grass. I crouched down and tried to figure out the best way to lift him. As I moved my left hand towards his shoulder (uninjured) and my right to support his body, I looked at his eyes of green colour. There was a look of complete trust in his eyes. As gently as possible I lifted him moving him barely above ground to the side of the road. He lay flat on the ground and tried to get up again unsucessfully. I lingered over him for a while to observe. A bit later, he seemed to have become unconcious but breathing.

I walked back to the car some 400 m away. It was now past 6.45 pm. I drove back to the hotel hoping the cat would recover overnight. I knew his chances was very slim indeed.

Today (Wednesday) was the last day. Just before the mid morning tea break at 10.00 am, a light rain started to fall. I knew the cat would become wet and if he had survived the night, he would suffer from the wet and cold conditions. I decided to drive to check him. I drove slowly to spot him. Was it my imagination that I saw him sitting up and licking his face? He had recovered. As got closer, I had imagined it what I saw. I noticed he was sitting on a his front legs with back legs folded behind, head slumped down. Was he dead? The rain was falling heavily now.

I made three passes and then parked my car. I walked towards him for a closer look. Somehow he had managed to move a bit further from the road. He was quite weak and did not respond when I made some "cat noises". His fur was quite dirty and wet but he was still alive. Again I pondered what to do. First I had to protect him against the rain. For this purpose, I had a plastic bag which I used to cover him. Secondly I decided I had done enough and made up my mind to leave him to his fate. I have done all I could. I drove back to the hotel to attend the rest of the workshop.

The workshop ended at 12.00 pm. I had lunch and left the hotel at 12.30 pm. The heavy rain had abated and there was a light drizzle. I thought I would check the cat for one last time. So I drove again to the spot where I saw him before. This time it was easy to spot the plastic bag. I parked the car and walked towards the plastic bag.

When I was 10 m away, I only saw the plastic bag. Where was the cat ? Had he recovered and moved away? For a a while I hoped this was the case but when I reached the plastic bag, I removed it and saw he was underneath. He lay fully curled up - he looked cold. I looked for signs of life. I saw his body was still moving - he was still breathing weakly. He was still alive but I was eager to return to KL . Should I leave him here to die?

I thought I have done enough for him under the circumstances.

When I think about it now, it was the first few moments when I first saw him laying on the road struggling to get up that prompted me to decide; to do the right thing for this cat. I decided to look for a veterinarian. I must make a final attempt to save him. Leaving him behind would means a slow and suffering death from starvation over several days. Or maybe he would try to cross the road in his weakened condition become immobilised on the road.

I covered the cat with the plastic bag and drove to Port Dickson. It was now almost 1.30 pm and I w0ndered how to go about finding a vet. in an unfamiliar town. My first stop was to find the ostrich farm which had been advertised on a signboard that I noticed on Monday. Surely they would have a vet but when I asked an employee, she said they did not have a vet. What now? I considered going to the Port Dickson hospital to ask but had a better idea to call Telekom Directory Assistance (no. 103) and ask for the tel. number for a vet. in Port Dickson. I found out there was no vet. in Port Dickson with the nearest vet. in Seremban town, 40 km away. I called the vet in Seremban and told him I was going to bring in an injured cat. I mentioned I wanted to put a cat down to sleep but asked him to check the cat first.

I drove 10 km back to the cat, lifted him carefully and placed him on the floor it front of the back seat. For a short while, he moved around in fear trying to escape but he was quite weak and finally settled down quietly on the floor. While I was driving to Seremban, initially I heard shuffling sounds but later there were no longer any sounds. He had settled down.

At 2.30 pm I reached Ee's Animal Clinic. I entered the clinic and informed a woman that I was the caller who had called in earlier about an in injured cat. A few minutes later, Dr Ee, a short robust Chinese man in hist 50's walked in. His son also a vet asked me to bring the cat into the clinic. He gave me a cage for this purpose. I walked back to the car, opened the door and saw the cat had woken up. I carried him carefully placed him into the cage and returned to the clinic.

After a short wait, I carried the cage with Dr Ee walking beside me towards a room. There was a large wooden table covered with newspapers. I briefly told him how I found the cat. Dr Ee lifted the cat by the the neck onto the table. We observed the cat movements as he tried to walk/move - it was always towards the right hand side (looking from the rear). Dr. Ee said the cat was "circling" or making movements in a specific direction - an indication of a brain damaged he said. He also pointed out to the right paw which he said was "not effective".

He saggested perhaps it was best if he put the cat down and after a pause, I told him to go ahead. He asked me I wanted to bury the cat afterwards but I told him it was not my cat and that I had found him on the road. He said he will take of it. He will put the cat to one side until he had time euthanised him. As I left the room, Der Ee said putting the cat to sleep was the best thing to do to relieve the cat from more suffering.

I paid RM 50 at the reception and left the clinic. It was now 2.45 pm and it was time for me to go home. The cat was going home too but he returning home for good.

I do not know if he was someone's pet who had loved him (he was clean and well fed) or a just a stray cat. Hopefully during his short life, he had been loved and cared for by somebody. I hoped during the last day of his life, he knew someone did care for him and tried his best to save and comfort him.

Vietnam Embassy :Conversation with a Beaurecrat

I've booked my flights to Vietnam. I called the Vietnam embassy to ask about the tourist visa. The conversation between me and the embassy beaurecrat (Be) goes like this:

Me : Hello, I want to apply for a tourist visa.
Be : (Grunting noises)
Me : I want to apply for a tourist visa.
Be : photo!
Me : How many ?
Be : 1 photo and passport!
and then he puts down the phone before I can ask more questions.

I called again as I did wanted to ask some more questions about the types of visa and fees.
Me : Hello, it's me again. How long does it take to get a visa?
Be : (grunt) and (pause) and then he puts down the phone.

3rd Tel. call
Me : Hello
Be : (breathing noise) (pause) Puts down the phone.

Maybe they don't want tourists going there, spending money and contributing to the local tourism industry.

BTW, if you called the Myanmar embassy as I did in 1999, more or less the same thing happens.

Maybe I should go somewhere else.

Preparation for the Vietnam Holiday

Now that it is confirmed I will be going to Singapore, there are still other things I have to prepare for the trip to Vietnam. So far, I've done three of them:-

• Bought a new digital camera, Casio Exilim EX-Z750 (a review here) 1 week ago. The amazing thing about this 7 Megapiexel camera is the functions available in such a small body. There are even a full range of manual functions available.
• Practice using the camera. The photos taken at Tasik Perdana, Shah Alam were taken with this camera.
• Bought a camera tripod from a shop in Sungai Wang Plaza.

I hope to take good photos while I am in Vietnam. My interest in photography started when I did a photography subject in high school at Australia. The subject was taught part of the Physics course. I learn the various technical functions of a camera, things like aperture size, shutter speed, focal length etc. We even learnt and developed photos in a dark room.

I should write something about yesterday's run. It was good day to run yesterday after a heavy afternoon rain. For the first few laps at KLCC, I ran with Jamie. Then we saw ChinPg at the 0 metern line. Although a frequent visitor to PM1's chat box, we have never met him in person. He joined us as well and one round later, Newton also showed up. After he joined, on my 4th lap it started to drizzle. Soon the rainfall became heavier and I had to seek shelter under a tree. I waited until the rain eased, had a sort of unsatisfied feeling and rejoined the trio as they ran past me. After one more lap, the rainfall became heavier and I decided to abandon my run altogether.

I have now run for three consecutive days (6 km, 12 km and 6.5 km = 25.5 km). I am supposed to take a day off today but I am tempted to run again today.

Singapore Go!

I must post this news tonight.

I received the confirmation e-mail of my registration to the Singapore Marathon. The e-mail was sent from the organiser at 7.34 pm this evening. I could not check my entry online as I had used my passport number instead of my I.C. number.

After my e-mail to the organiser this morning, they were on the job tracing my entry. On the same day, they gave a reply. A fantastic and a timely respond indeed from them. It showed how serious and committed they are to make the Singapore Marathon the premier road race event in Asia.

Thanks to Kevin and the unknown persons who had traced my race entry.

Now that I know I will be going to Singapore, I can book my bus ticket to Singapore and also prepare for my long holiday.

Singapore or Not ?

I had a shock last night !

I ran 6 km in the evening with Kong at a leisurely pace. He reminded me to check my registration for the Singapore marathon. I had registed on line way back in July 2005. There was a clause in the credit card transaction that said the order (reg. fee) was to confirmed by the organiser (Singapore Sports Council). In fact to date, I still have not received an e-mail from the organiser to confirm my registration.

When I reached home, I went to Singapore Marathon site to check my registration online. I typed in my IC number and race category (1/2 marathon), waited and then it came out "No record found".

What happened to my registration which has already been paid in August ?

I shoot off an e-mail to the organiser 10 minutes later. This morning I called the organiser. I sent another e-mail giving more details.

I certainly hope there is no problem with my race registration. Now I have to wait for a response from the organiser.

Today's Run & Holiday Update

Many people are back at work today after the 4 day Hari Raya break. Not me - I am still on leave :-)

This morning I had a enjoyable run around the Tasik Perdana, Shah Alam. The last time I ran at a this lake was in February with Kenneth who was my long run kaki partner at that time. Today I ran alone and sometimes I do prefer and want to run alone.

I started running at about 7.05 am and despite starting later than the usual time, the weather was really good - cool temperature and cloudy skies. There were a few walkers but I ran pass all of them on my first loop around the lake. I completed the first lap of 4 km in 22 minutes. It was wonderful to run alone while enjyoyig the relative solutide and views of the lake and flowers.

I ran my second lap at a slower pace (25 minutes). There were 2 groups of exercisers around; A Qigong group and a dance group consisting of mainly women. Nothing to see though :-(.

After the run, I stood on a bridge in the middle of the lake. A slight breeze helped to cool me down and evaporate the sweat from my body.

Update on my holiday plan: Checked my Malaysian Airlines Enrich points this morning. I have accumulated 77,000 points which is enough for a Zone 6 travel - up to 7200 miles. For my planned destinations (India or Vietnam), I need to use only 35,000 or 25,000 points. In fact, 22,000 points will expire before the end of the year. So I really have to go away!.

Green and Blue 

Graceful Curves 

One of the bridges at Tasi Perdana, Shah Alam  

Flower at Tasik Perdana Shah Alam 

Tasik Perdana Shah Alam 

Eat and More Eating

I ate a lot yesterday. Lots of food and at many times plus I finished off a slice of carrot cake and Chocolate Banana cake.

I did not run yesterday. All that extra food and no exercise - not a good combination. I will run this evening and on this weekend, I will start doing my long runs.

I've finished reading Lonely Planet's Vietnam travel guidebook. I dropped by Kino bookshop on Monday to check out the LP's India guidebook. It was selling for RM 128!. On Amazon, it was much cheaper at RM 80 excluding the shipping charges. If I am going to India, I will be carrying my old India guidebook (6 years old). It is too expensive to get the new edition

So far, Vietnam looks very inviting- there are still many interesting places to visit.