Interesting People

Its always makes office a fun place when you have colleagues from different countries. Ppl share their experiences, their backgrounds & believes whenever there's a time for tea.

I've two quite buddy Iranian friend in the office, both occasionally shared their stories during days back in Iran. Just like yesterday, we were talking bout war during lunch. Two of them looks a bit disturbed during the conversation. Apparently, two of them witnessed war when they were young.

This is what they recalled...

Friend A : "u know, their used to be a army airport behind my primary school. It was Iraq & Iran war.. one day during the class, the airport was bombed. The glass window of the classroom just shattered & out of sudden everything was in a mess." "best part, the teacher ran away without checking our safety. I've to rush out from school & ran home myself. It was scary..."

Friend B : "My dad used to be in army force, most of the time we have to seperate from him & worry bout his safety until we moved to Teran. It was a tough time, my mum has to take care of me & my two younger brothers. Everytime the siren sound, she will drag us into the underground tunnel to hide. sometimes 20mins, sometimes even longer" "I've seen dead ppl lying infront of me, it was sad."

I've seen documentary about war, heard my popo & elderly ppl talking bout war during the 40's. It takes a lot of courage to talk about it & often see the sadness in their eyes....Same goes to these two friends of mine...I guess this is something we cant imagine how difficult it was for them to let things behind & move forwards. That makes them more humble & treasure what they have now.

Perhaps we dont need to witness war like what they have seen & learn how to be humble, but through these ppl we should learn how to love and honor of what God has given to us.

2011 Running Calendar

Hmm....how to begin this....I noticed the registration fee for running events in M'sia is getting more expensive over the years. As a comparison - I registered for one in year 2008, it only cost RM30 (the most), and today one annual race will cost easily RM 50 & above.

Well, I can't complaint much. These figures are not simply added up for the sake of "following the trend, ppl increase...v do the same".

Organising a run is not as simple as ABC, which I personally got involved in some of the small scale race organised by our own running group. It requires alot of coordination & logistic planning. I know some ppl might think "what's gonna do with the RM50 we have paid??? Dont they already have sponsors for drinks, running vest & goodies???"

The truth is, a part from all these freebies they get....somehow fund is needed to cover things such as meals for volunteers, medals, prizes, rental for event venue, advertisement, local authorities fees charges for road closure & safety....and the list goes on.

So, what's my proactive action then??? I'm keen to run....yet the fee is eating up what's in my pocket. I took a step back to look at the running calendar again for this year and concluded these few run in my list. (perhaps if i've a little extra, i might consider a bit more later on.)

1. Energizer Night Run (ENR)

2. Borneo Run

3. Standard Chartered KL Marathon (SCKLM)

4. Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM)

(further wish list i plan to achieve)

1. Gold Coast Marathon

2. Bangkok Marathon

Happy Running!! ^_^

See The Best in Everyone

This morning while i was waiting at Gloria Jeans' at Kenanga, i read this article in The Sun newspaper which i find worth while to read.

It's written by Bridget Menezes (a 70+ guru)...This is how it begins...with a beautiful quote : "You Don't pursue happiness.It comes to you when you give it to others."

Happiness can be spontaneous and natural but it also requires nurturing and development. What brings happiness to many of us is the simple sharing of our lives, done with pure love.

People are always happy when they are with the ones they love, especially in the absence of conflict. Some have little material wealth but are happy. Children are good cases in point.

The quality of happiness depends on how receptive we are internally. Small things like a beautiful sunset or a child's smile can make us happy. If your happiness spills over into the lives of others and uplifts them, you can consider that true happiness.

Imagine you've been asked to speak at a special occasion in celebration of someone else's life. Get help from others. Write their virtues out to make an uplifting gift. Instil in yourself the habit of seeing the best in everyone. Focus on the positive and help others to be the best they can and you will remain happy.

When we give happiness to the world, our stock of happiness increases. It creates zeal and enthusiasm, creativity and adventures! Great work is done when we are happy.

Happiness is not in things, people or physical comforts, but it is in the mind.

Farewell 2010

2010 to me is a bonus track in friendship..these ppl below are some i would like to give credits.

SLFC - Guys & Gals...u all r wonderful & caring ppl, many occasion touches my heart so much...without u guys, life in Gym must hv been a monotonous time.

Special tribute to Steven, Gan, Lea, Baby, Steph & CK...

PMR & running group - thou chances of meeting up is lesser, due to pack schedule with kids, family & work...but i'm glad the relationship remains strong as ever.

Sisters of 20yrs - Gals, v sure going to hv a nice reunion & anniversary next year,k....love u gals always.

Those in overseas - Alden, Huey Ling, Ray, Kevin, Noris & many more...u know who u r...haha. Grateful that u guys still r'ber me whenever u guys r back for short stay.

As i'm writing this & bidding farewell to 2010. I wish u guys well & be happy always. Love u guys.

What is ahead for me in 2011? haha..10yrs anniversary, 20yrs anniversary....and 1st surprise, 8th January 2011.

Disney Christmas Song

This is such a cute christmas medley....cant wait for christmas. ^_^

I'm tired

I'm tired...

Christmas Present

hmm....what can you get for a christmas present with the price of RM30???

New Home....

I've officially moved in to my new apartment since last week. Is kinda excited & sad at the same time.

Excited part - I finally have a place of my own called "Home" where i dont have to worry when people will asked me to leave & ended up on the street. I can decor my place the way i wanted, my little library & etc.

Sad Part - I have to say good bye to a place i've stayed for 8years. A place where I've had so many good memories.

New Blog

I started a new blog yesterday with a friend about cooking...haha.

find out more in SI KiTc

Neither This nor That

I had a conversation the other day over the phone...interesting. Both of us ended up in a bet on something...ironically, i hope i'll lose in this bet coz it means he pass. I'll be more happy than me winning the bet eventhough i've to spend for the meals as a result...haha.

Sometimes is not about winning, rather is an encouragement for us to move forward. Sprinkler a little of joy & excitement within the serious stuff we are doing will put away some of our worries & stress...isnt it? ;p

Want to know who wins in the end? stay tune...haha

Approaching 2011

Entered 4th Quarter of year...planning for 2011...feel like settling down & starts a family..will i get my lady luck nxt year??? i wonder, cause is harder than planning a trip or find a new job...haha

2010...yet to end...but the months passed were eventful....sometimes things happened too fast till i've no time to digest. Just when i thought life can be just like that, somehow a bunch of new ppl filled in the gaps & push me to try out many new things. of course the old ones still staying strong.

Followed by that....job, i changed 3 companies...& it got better...this one i've currently...a company trip was planned even before i joined....i ended up 7days in Taiwan with ppl i barely know. ;p just hope i can stay foot for long in this one.

what else? hmm...to be continue....haha.

Thank God for all these...u heard my prayers.

A House is Not a Home - Dusty Springfield & Burt Bacharach

Love this Song, is so meaningful...

Eventful August & New Beginning for September

I finally broke the chain of updating my blog once a month..technically dont hv time to structure my sentences.

I guess, August to me was an emotional month...in short 4+1 farewells...but good things came along the way too...i'm coping them well.

blame it to Facebook...hahaha...nah, just joking. will blog out more soon.

Instructor, Mentor & A Great Friend

I remember the first time I stepped into his class was back in early 2009. My 1^st class was a disaster…haha. I hardly can follow the moves.

But then I kept going back since then, thanks to his charmingly patient and guidance make those classes interesting & full of dramas. His favourites lines in class.. “Tiga, dua, satu…”, “from the top”, “what do we say?” hahaha

Our friendship did not starts immediately..It was nothing more than hi & bye. Slowly we started talking about running & gym. The funny part was, somehow the topics just about that for almost a year, until one “fine” day after CNY, I fell and twisted my ankle in the class.

Being a responsible instructor, he managed to get my contact to check on my recovery status from the fall. I still remember one of the messages was: “report, report…ur leg pain from 1-9, which level?”...hahaha. That was how it lasted for another month until I get back to class.

We constantly chat on MSN & on the phone most days apart from classes together with Rinaz. Eventually outings were arranged practically every week while the group gets bigger.

Well….after such a long introduction, I’ve yet name this person…He’s an instructor, a mentor & a great friend – Steven Lim. If you don’t know him, you might think he’s not easy to approach. In actual fact, it was the opposite of the common misperception by others. Hah!

Hmm…to me, this is how I describe about him. A great instructor yet sometimes go a bit over the top on some combos when he’s too excited in the class (hahaha…admit it) ;p A great friend whom I can talk almost everything yet no cynicism view among us. Often likes to make practical jokes yet sensitive towards other’s feeling. A person who likes to have fun yet can’t resist an afternoon nap whenever he gets a chance to do so…haha.

Now that he’s leaving for Australia to starts a new phase of his life, the gang & I surely will miss this good friend. We know friendship doesn’t end here even though he has redirected his path. May the Lord give him the courage & strength to overcome all the doubts, fears & obstacles that comes. Take care my friend. ^_^

2nd Attempt in SCKLM (2010)

In March, i decided to sign up for 21km again in SCKLM. It was an impromptu decision, in mind was telling myself : "well, i did last year...why not doing it again!" That was it...didnt think much after registration and started training only around mid May. (haha..that's also I didnt manage to hit the millage during training)..But thanks to a group of friends pulling me week after week to train with them at Desa Park City.

Race day..with a lazy body & sleepy head..i dragged myself up for the run. It was raining heavily a long the way to the city. Darn! i was saying to myself : "running in the rain?" Haha...i guess God probably heard what i've said. The rain stopped just at the time i reached Dataran Merdeka.

6:00am - Getting ready, saw Little Khoo, Pat, Dr Siew & few others at the starting line.

6:15am - Flag Off...After saying good luck to Lea, Steven & Mark...we went off with our own speed. First 5km, weather was cooling...kinda easy to keep my pace even though have to keep an eye on potholes as we have to run through some road construction near KL Sentral.

7:13am - Somewhere in between 6km - 7km marker. Traffic control in Loke Yew a bit disappointed. At one occasion, cars were behind & next to me while i was running. (So dangerous!) Anyway, both knees started to pain. Thank God, i applied deep heat before the run..i didnt feel that much pain as expected. Sufficient water to keep me from dehydration.

8:10am : KM11.5....i told myself : "halfway done! yes!"....wondering if some of my friends already reached the finishing line. Dont care...continue running. Had a banana from the water station & some water..continue running. Saw a veteran guy at the edge of the road semi-conscious while the st. johns busy attending to him.

8:50am : KM15...I was tired, thought of continue walking instead of run but my legs wobbled the minute i started walking....no choice, forced myself to continue running to keep the body balance...haha! This time round, i mumbled to myself : " i did 34km by walking, i can do 21km of running too...dont stop!"

9:30am : Final 1km...i can see more crowd infront of me now as approaching to Sogo area. I caught up with Jennifer & Kei Meng (both did their full marathon)....Tried my best to pace with them before they speed off towards the last 100m. It was fun! Saw frens like Keat Seong, Houn, Gary, gym frens & the regulars already done with their run. Praise God that i was back in one piece...really feels good.

Best of all...No power gel, just purely water, 100plus & one banana,i did few minutes better than last year. Though exceeded 3hrs, I dont mind coz i've completed my run. ^_^

What I did over the weekend

Another great weekend has ended...potluck with a group of great people& a fun experience in J&J amazing explore hunt.

Saturday...Potluck. It was initiated by Steven to have potluck at his place..It was a great night. We cook, we eat & had game session.

Frenmily Portrait

win,loose or draw time

me & my mayonaiseinei pie..haha

The dishes

Sunday...J&J Amazing Explore Hunt. A crazy day...driving & running around under the hot sun. Not only to answer the questions along the way, we have to perform tasks such as Paint ball, climbing up KL tower, picture hunt, walking hunt, underwater puzzle, transferring maggots with mouth & searching pebbles in a tank of snakes at certain pit stops.

Four of us formed a team (Steven, Gan, Mark & i)...even though we were exhausted after 10hrs of torturing, all ends well...we managed to get 10th placing among the 94teams.

Oya, i saw familiar faces there too...ppl from gym...few from running - Pueh Tian, Amelia & few others.

The Four Blind Mice - not that blind afterall...haha

Final task (1) - transferring atleast 85g of maggot to d weighing bowl

Final task (2) - look for 10 pebbles inside the snake tank

hmm...well, awesome weekend.. ^_^

The Lucky 13

A Bunch of ppl from different walk of life...met each other in pit stop called "Fitness First" for the same reason attending Steven's class & stay healthy while having fun.

Friendship blossom ever since then & one could see us together most days in the gym or outing. Is crazy, is funny yet care for each other. No commitment, no big promises...yet allowing each other to interact freely in the group.

These are the lucky 13 i'm talking about...

Wise Dragon - Rick Gan...Wise, Cool & gentle. like a big brother taking care of us. willingly host us all the time in his cozy place.

Bla Bla Black Sheep - Steven Lim...Energetic, fun to be with & like a "big not enough" as Gan said sometimes. Yet, he's a great instructor who cares bout all our needs in workout.

Baby Dragon - Steven Yong..Youngest among us...mature, easy going yet make one feel like pampering him s'times.

Featherless Chicken - Mark....Timid, mysterious & accommodating. sometimes gave us surprises v can never imagine.

Purple Dog - Stephanie....Pretty, friendly & caring...among the 4 girls, she's the most lady like person. while everyone wearing sport shoe or sandals during wkends, that the time she wears her heels.

Witty Monkey - Rinaz.... Out of the norm..a malay who seems like a chinese. She blend well with us. Sporting & fun loving person.

Handsome Doggy - Ricky...Imported from Philippines. Handsome, gentlemen & a person with little words. Yet his phrases in FB status always makes us ponder on things. A good writer.

Flying Pig - CK Yap....Cute, adorable & funny person u can never imagine. He's charm us with his jokes like Mr Bean. one will never feel bored with him around.

Moo Moo Cow - Arif Edwin Wong - A person who believed in One malaysia...insisted his name with 3 languages in it. Caring & likes celebrations.

Dr Pig - Michael - A doctor who spend most his time rescuing human in the hospital, yet get connected with us via Iphone each day. when without his Dr Cloak, he's just a young man who likes to gather & surprised me with his interest in going for Musical.

Jabar queen - Lea - A girl who can mix around easily with any of us. laugh alot most time...yet her blur blur mind sometimes makes her a cute person.

She-bangs - Terence - A quiet person with hidden talents. Accommodating & soft spoken person. last but not least....

The evil Horse - Irene (me), need not tell...haha...coz is my blog.

Thank you guys...with love & hugs.

Wish List to be added in my book collections

While window shopping in Borders yesterday...found these..now in my pending list.. ;p There's also Alexendra Potter books i'm putting in the list as well.

Updates

I've not been able to write much lately...hmm...partly is because Facebook is too easy for me to shout out & to post photos. Apparently the main reason is that i've been doing many things all together until i noticed that time isnt sufficient for me to do other stuff.

First to begin, I've tendered my resignation letter. Noticed that i've only a month to decide if i want to continue staying in construction line or venture full time in piano teaching. I've started applying jobs as well doing training under a music school now..money is an issue for me as i've commitments need to be taken care off.

Well, gym..haha...now gym is my hang out place most of the time...hahaha..I cant believe that i'm a gym freak nowadays. 5 days a wk apart from days where i need to teach piano & running. I guess what really motivates me is that i loose quite some weight ever since i joined, i've a good instructor in few different classes & a group of very close buddies. Apart from that, it's also a place where i can get rid of whatever unnecessary stress in me.(psst..i've new aim...to loose another 10kgs in 3mths....okok.. abit ambitious..maybe 5kgs)

What else, love life?? haha...that's the biggest empty part of my life which i need to fill up...but currently...luck isnt at my side i guess. But i'm still having hope that one day it will come. Someone who can accept me as who i am.

Oya, my new place....is about time to pick up the keys from the developer. I'm busy planning on things which i need to move over & what are the things need to be done. Positive date to move over? Depends, tentatively somewhere 3rd quarter of the year i guess.

Can u read this?

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed tihs psas it on !!