Another first

Only last week i was raving about my first nite run. i'd always wanted to run through the streets of shah alam with its pretty blinking lights and never ending flow of people.  the students of UiTM and MSU play a big part in making sure that the place is kept alive.   but sadly with no one in the family actually sharing my predilection to running, my wish had to stay buried.  although not of faint heart, i wasnt about to venture out alone at nite, no sirreee lol.

Yup running at nite turned out to be exactly as i pictured it.. absolutely smashing hehehe.  it gets progressively cooler as the nite moves along unike the day when it gets hotter & hotter. heat has never worked for me...  in fact its my mortal enemy.

Last wednesday not only did i complete another nite run, i also did my first 14k!!

 14k Route - From Sek 13 to Bkt Bandaraya & back.

 I may have been running consistently for well past 6 years but truth of the matter is, i only average 4 - 5km per run, my longest distance being 12km.  so i was understandably, a teeny weeny bit worried to be running with the group.. they're mostly a bunch of hyperactive young 'uns with their age going for them lol.  me, i'm the makcik who could suddenly, out of the blue run out of steam and subsequently hold everyone back!!  gawd i didnt want to be the oddball who should've known better and just stayed home baking cookies hehehe.

 The ladies just before the run.

The men in action 

The me huffin' & puffin' lol

Completion of first half - another 7k to go.

Thankfully i made it.  oh there were a couple of wicked hills alright but it turned out ok. and by breaking the run up into 2 parts with a short break in between, our coachie also managed to turn it into an enjoyable experience for all of us.  with members of varied capabilities,  such a move kept the team spirit up & the members cohesive from start to finish.

Mission accomplished!!

aNR shah alam rawks... come join us peeps ;p

Beyond the beaten path

For the past 6 years i have generally stuck to the 3.8k loop of the shah alam lake gardens.  that route would take me past the 'popular' spots (mainly the 3 taichi areas and the playgrounds) as well as the lonely stretches.

Theres also the reflexology hut that not only offers a mini path for use but also serves as a meeting place for most of the taichi practitioners. its a popular place and sometimes its quite difficult to find a spot of your own.

Many tend to forget or overlook the fact that there actually is another reflexology path at the extreme end of the tasik (the one beside kedai kopi dua).  its bigger and actually better bcos it consists of 3 separate paths, one of which is specifically catered for the senior citizen.

 

Its where i spend my mornings whenever i'm on a running break.

After about half an hour of walking through the path, its feeding the turtles & fishes then on to my favourite spot for a little stretching and practising my asanas or yoga poses.

A great way to start any day believe me ;D

Taking down a pop-up

Late last year AH managed to coerce her daddy into buying her a sugar glider.  she wanted a pet when she was away at casa.  and of course i couldnt, wouldnt let her take nicolei. he was undoubtedly the darling of the family.

Milo has long since grown from a timid little fury ball into a good size horny male pining for a mate. the poor sod is already showing signs of balding, an indication that he's more than ready to start a family.  the plan that AH had cooked up with her friend was actually pretty sound... they were both getting sugar gliders of different gender to be paired off when the time was right. unfortunately, up till now her friend has failed to deliver his side of the bargain leaving poor milo high & dry.

In an attempt to make milo a little happier (and bcos AH & me actually like 'main pondok2' lol), i bought a pop-up tent from tesco so that we could play with milo to our hearts content in a controlled environment outside of his cage.

The first day the tent was up guess who claimed it as his own?

Well, mr nicolei, king of the heap of course lol.

He made himself comfortable and slept in there throughout the day... and nite hehehe. and was delirious when AH decided to join him with her pillows & blankets.  looks like milo will have to make do with his cage after all. and truth be told, i was actually a little worried about him peeing all over the tent, rendering everything soiled & smelly.

But after a week i was pretty tired of the tent occupying almost half of my bedroom.  i wanted my space back and it just had to come down.  i can always pop it back up again in a couple of weeks for the fun to start all over again.

What i didnt bargain for was my inability to fold it back down to its storage size... and the instructions that came with it didnt help in any way at all!!!

I twisted it this way and that but it still refused to cooperate and was more than willing to pop right back up again.

Help!!!

Even the kiddoes couldnt figure it out and after hours of not getting anywhere, we decided to abandon the whole thing and leave it for another day.  i even deliberated about going back to tesco for assistance. but i then got caught up with more pressing matters and the stubborn tent became nico's sanctuary.

But as the days rolled by it was getting more and more on my nerves.. until one morning i decided right then & there i was going to get it down even if it killed me (cewah,,dramatic la skit kan hehehe). and in that instant that i reached for the steel frames, i suddenly realised this was the one thing that i'd forgotten to google!!!!  hehehe, me the self professed google slut maniac forgot all about googling?

So, to cut the story short, i found out i wasnt the only one having major problems with the pop-ups and that there're more than a dozen vidoes on utube giving step by step guide on how to tackle the stubborn tents lol.



Thank God, i have my room back :)

A first of many

I finally did something i should have done a long time ago... join a running club.

Adination of runners shah alam has actualy been around for quite some time and although i'm aware of its existence, i just didnt feel it was for me.  there i was, a makcik who knew nuts about running, with no targets and nothing but her love of movement going for her.

And the thought of being with all the strong young runners was pretty scary lol.

But then i guess like most things in life, it was actually a matter of the right timing.  my break from work has given me the freedom to explore a lot of areas that hadnt been accessible to me before and i can now pursue the things that i love,  running being a big part of it.

One thing led to another and before i knew it, i was doing drills lol.  it doesnt matter that i'm probably the oldest makcik in the group,  it doesnt matter that people are throwing me funny looks..  i'm just happy that i now have the opportunity to better myself and be with others who share the same passion.

I'm still the target-less makcik who just loves to run and isnt too concerned about racing or PBs..  but at least now i'm more informed lol.

And i finally, finally got my wish of running through the beautifully lighted streets of shah alam.. my first nite run ever!!  and it was great :)

I guess there'll be more running stories after this lol.

Aie's 26

The Cikgu is 26 today.  may his life forever be blessed.

Yesterday we had an early celebration.  his gf made a surprise appearance and after cutting his ever-so-healthy high fibre birthday cake at home, we made our way to dinner.

It coincided with earth hour and turned out to be a merry little affair. and although it would've been more meaningful with AA & AI present, it was just one of those things...  i'm sure they would've wanted to be around if they could.

We luvya cikgu... happy birthday <3

Blogger's block

Heh.

My life feels like its on hold most of the time.  and my thoughts are a jumbled up mess.  its all churning round and round in my head without any beginning or end. which doesnt bode well for any form of consistent writing.  i can only manage a couple of sentences these days and even then its all pretty disjointed lol.

But i still hafta unload one way or another and writing has always helped me think things out.

So, i guess i'll just hang in there and go with the flow.  hopefully sooner or later i'll be able to share more meaningful stuff other than ultra brief recounts of my running lol.

Lately the demons have been having a field day with me so today i added an extra loop to my run just to chase 'em away lol.  all in all i managed to put in 12k in 90mins.  nothing great but enough to send some of 'em packing, for now at least.

And i'm looking forward to a long monkey-ing session later in the day hehehe.  anyone care to join me?

Lets sweat it all out peeps ;p

Oh btw, part of my duties when golfman is away includes...

repairing leaky roofs -_-'

Mashhad

How i long to travel like my beloved.



Keep me close to ur heart.. and please take care <3

Back to the same old.

Damn.

When you go i become....

dysfunctional!!!

I'm hanging up the cape, i cant be superwoman no more.  its me that needs taking care of this time.

There're gaps where there shouldnt be but life goes on and for now i'm filling it up with.. running.

Thank god for my runs. it clears my head.  it keeps me balanced. and its the time when i talk to God the most.

Today i managed to put in 11km.  its the 2nd day with my new adizero tempo and so far, very good lol.

Back to pounding the pavement y'all ;p

Trodding the barren path

- Clocked in 7.5k for my morning run

- Cleared my chores for the day

- Settled some payments at the bank

- Washed & cleaned both his cars

- Checked my emails and updates

- Now keeping up with the latest on astro

Ceh, its only halfway thru the day yet this restlessness still remains.


Everytime you go away....

Lion City

It was a short, short flight (blink blink there already?) compared to the 10 hour butt killer trip to istanbul.  but this time i was with golfman, this time i wasnt alone.. i had him with me :D

Yay!!

By 8.30 thereabouts we were safely deposited into the heart of the city.

The weather was good... and singapore is so beautiful at nite.

The view from our balcony

I'm looking forward to checking out the pool & gym tomorrow.  while he's off doing his thing, i'll be able to make up for lost time.

Yup, its time to pop the boil ekekekeke ;p

The boil

Its been a week since he's been back and all that time i've managed to put in only 1 hour at the gym.  not really complaining since its more than a fair trade.. his presence for buckets of sweat lol.  but for someone who depends on the endorphin rush to feel good, its tough.  in fact i swear i'm feeling more and more like a boil each passing day, one thats close to bursting - all swollen & clogged up.

I need to 'pop' real soon...

(Pic from google images)

Yikes (borrowing from the anak mami hehehe) i need to RUN!!!!!!!

Motivation in numbers.

I have a box of cds & dvds covering a whole spectrum of 'movement' - from yoga to pilates to belly dancing to samba to hip hop to heart pounding aerobics. and usually i end up only partially involved, somewhat distracted, nowhere near the sweaty, smelly animal that i become at the end of my sessions at the studio lol.

Right.

Like most other meaningful stuff in our lives, the mind over matter thingy, well its easier said than done. it only works if you have a will of steel. sadly, mine is closer to wood lol, put too much pressure and it'll more than likely bend & break.

Maybe its the age.  i find myself needing motivation more and more these days. probably thats why i find myself spending so much time at the gym.  the interaction with others equally committed to sustaining a healthy lifestyle is both comforting and motivating.

Or, maybe i'm just lonely lol.

Anyway, exercising is more interesting with friends.  we eventually carry each other thru... thru the sweat, the aches, the pain, and on certain days, the lethargy hehehe.  there really is motivation in numbers.

But having said all that, i still find it easier to run alone. i'm too comfortable with my own pace and trying to match somebody else's, especially if they're faster, just creates tension.  i bet by now you've noticed that i avoid pushing myself.. not unless its absolutely necessary.

I'm more wood than steel remember lol.

Gawd, i'm rambling. i always turn loco the last few days prior to golfman's return.  i go thru months without him with my sanity intact but the nearer it is to seeing him, the more unbearable it gets.  its as if all the feelings that i suppress is rushing up to the surface all at once.

I'm getting too old for this la yang.

The Chosen One

12 rabiul-awal marks the birth of our beloved prophet.  the  maulidur rasul.. a few are of the opinion that its celebration is bida'ah but for me personally, it has always served as a wake up call, a reminder.

He is Allah's beloved, the chosen one and I am guilty of not knowing him as well as i should, even after all this time.

Join me. lets get to know him better.

1. Al-Raheeq Al-Makhthum, the sealed nectar.

2. The Life Of Prophet Muhammad

3. The Characteristics Of  Prophet Muhammed

4. A Blessing to Mankind.

5. Muhammad PBUH in the Bible

6. The Prophet from A - Z

7. The Guidance of Muhammad PBUH











(E-books: courtesy of Islam Future)