CNY suggestion

Guys,

it's been awhile since the last time we met for makan2.

We normally stage a Puasa-Raya theme get together, how about if we meet for CNY plak?

Kulup, would like to host the event?

Let's go Jungle Bashing

Dear all...

As you know, I'm a hopeless romantic.. there's many things I miss about my carefree days in Sg Besi.. When waking up at 0600 was a norm rather then chore, eat as much as you can without the fear of gaining inches, a running 2km was actually a sprint.. yup when you're in that shape, life was indeed, carefree..

Anyway, wouldn't it be cool if we could re-live an element of those days.. remember the fun we had when we went for compass marching and jungle trekking.. and those road runs during annual camp! (yes, i am be sarcastic- hoping that reverse psychology would work on you!)

here's my sales pitch..

LETS GO JUNGLE BASHING IN JERAI..

it's simple really-
....leave KL on 19 Dec (Friday)
.... there'll be 4 of us in the car
.... camp fire at pantai murni
.... sleep under the stars
.... Saturday morning, we enter this competition (4 pax per team)
.... we're suppose to run/jog/walk/crawl 42 km
.... in the jungle
.... one of our check points will the PEAK of Gunung Jerai
.... we have to do it within 10 hours
.... we go home

Entrance fee- rm100 per team!

common guys.. it's gonna be fun! I've convinced one of our juniors to set up a team for his batch.. let's set up a team for the Royal 8ths..

any takers?

Total distance: Approximately 40 kilometers

The race will be divided into 2 categories:

Open category team of 4 persons, male or female, will cover the complete distance of 42 kilometers. • You must be at least 18 years old at time of registration

REGISTRATION & RACE DATE AND TIME

1.	Registration is open from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm on Friday 19 December 2008 at Pantai Murni, district of Yan, Kedah
2.	The race for the adult category, will start at 7.30 am on Saturday 20 December, 2008 at Pantai Murni, Yan, Kedah.
3.	The race for the students category, will start at 8.30 am on Saturday 20 December, 2008 at Pantai Murni, Yan, Kedah.
4.	There will be no late entries at registration or on race day.
5.	On the day of the meet, a substitution can be made for medical reasons only. The team must provide a letter from a doctor indicating the name of the sick or injured runner, the medical reason, and the name of the substitute runner. No additional entries can be made on race day
6.	All entry fees must be submitted to us before 7th December 2008.
7.	All race bib numbers, goodies bag, t-shirts, confirmation of participation letters will be picked up during registration. There will be no collection and distribution of these items during race day.
8.	MAXIMUM TIME of the race is 10 hours

An Evening with Jepun

Dear all,

IR Jepun is back in town.. we're meeting up tonite at NZ Corner, Wangsa Maju, 2030hrs.

So far, there's 10 who said they'll be coming..

Regards

We're still here..

Hi everyone..

A quick note to inform you that we're still here... we're still ALIVE.. however, there has been little group events.. hence minimal postings were made..

Speaking of group events, 2 'minor' events include- POWERMAN LUMUT.. Bean and Kam were scheduled to due the FULL POWERMAN- 11km run, 60km bike and 10km run.. however, Kam had severe food poisoning (muntah etc).. hence only Bean managed to qualify.. the Big Boys (Upiq, Boot, Budin and myself) were committed to do the Half distance.. Budin burnt out (having to climb Kinabalu for his office a few days before Lumut), and Boot was sent on an overseas assignment by his office (periuk nasi kena jaga).. so only Upiq and I crossed the finishing line..

The other event was the Penang Bridge Run(marathon).. Doc Hisyam and Kam went- both completed sub 6 hours, hence achieving Merits for the run.. ok.. translated into layman's term, go on the treadmill, pace yourself at 6km p/hr.. and do it for 6 hours!

Don't foresee any major events coming up till the year end.. most of us will be busy with the school holidays, finishing annual leave, family weddings, Raya Haji, Christmas break etc, etc..

Anyway- hope it's not too late to wish our Hindu friends a happy Deepavali, especially to Kums and Gegek.. I know Gegek (like on any weekend break) would head north to Taiping..

That all for now..

SELAMAT HARI RAYA

UCAPAN SELAMAT HARI RAYA DARI KAMI, KAUM ROYAL 8th...SEMOGA TERHIBUR HATI KETIKA ORANG YANG TERSAYANG...

MAAFKAN SEGALA SALAH SILAP, TERMASUK APA-APA YANG TER-FLICK, TER-KIBAU, TER-KENA HELL SEMASA KAT CWG PUTERA DULU....

KITA BERJUMPA SEMULA SELEPAS RAYA.... BANYAK AKTIVITI YANG DI-PLANKAN..

Old Song

Trip down memory lane.. SP ACUNUNUKS sang it as Melati, and the rest of us prefer to use Sejati... (TQ SP CLEO UPATRA FOR THE PICS)..

Sejati
Itu yang kau ucapkan
Bila janji kugenggam
Bawah pohon kemboja
Yang sekecil kita

Menanti
Di mahligai mainan
Kita bina bersama
Dari dahan yang rapuh

Usia perangkap kita
Remaja kita tinggalkan
Namun aku masih
Menggenggam janji

Tinggal kenangan
Gagal segala impian
Tinggal bertanya
Erti sejati

Kenangan itu
Hanya mainan bagimu
Tinggal bertanya
Erti sejati
Yang telah engkau janjikan dulu

Guess who became the RMAF fighter pilot, the MAS pilot, Saudi Air pilot and the Helicopter pilot.. Guess who is with AG's Chambers and who is with Shell Petrochem?

Genting Royal8

Taking the cue from Bandit, the Genting adventure was dominated by the rebellicans.

Stage 1 - Genting Sempah to Goh Tong Jaya.. approx 10km
Stage 2 - Goh Tong Jaya to Genting Highlands... approx 11km

Bandit may have covered most of the stories and i would just like to add some spices.

I was told taht this year the event attracted the biggest turnout ever. Approx 30-odd nutheads young and old, male and females, came for the event. The option lies on the person to bike, run, walk, crawl, roll etc. One guy even ran down to completed a chilly marathon.

I have to salute the first timers who'd braved the challenge when many of us who'd have preferred to sleep rather than torturing oneself late into the wee morning.

Kam the 2009 Ironman-trainee ran up while the rest opted for a stroll in the dark. I heard he had cramps just before reaching the top but just thinking about him running up the steep terrain sent shivers to anybody's spine. Cayalu...

Boot had initially planned to stop at Goh Tong Jaya but eventually pulled himself up and completed the whole distance albeit muscle cramps and mental pain but armed with a bucket full of determination.

Budin who'd stopped at Goh Tong Jaya, caught up with us on the way up in the support car and maybe he just got inspired looking at us walking in pain decided to walk the rest of the journey. He got cramped inside the last km but managed to complete the challenge with a mighty courage.

Bandit - the pioneer, the one who started all these adventure craze among Rebellicans reached Goh Tong Jaya with renewed spirits and rejuvenated. He then took the role of a support car to ensure the rest of us reach the top safely.

Ala came a bit late and had to race to Goh Tong Jaya. From there he tracked back downhill in search of us and kept cycling up and down tirelessly. For once i felt safe seeing him around knowing if there's any incident, we have Dr to rescue us back to life.

Bean the twice Ironman came a bit late too but completed the walk with ease. Probably not enough challenge for someone as fit as him. He maybe the only Rebellicans who hasnt morphed into plus size since RMC days.

The most suprising of all was Zam the sailorman. He'd volunteered to be the Rebellicans support car crew; an equally important role for the night adventure. Seeing him waiting for us by each blazing corner give us motivation that we have watchful eyes covering our arses should there be any mishaps along the way.

All in all, we had a blast from the past. Terasa cam jalan lasak masa camping dulu minus the celoreng, M-16 and spike boots. tired like hell, torture like shit but satisfied as a moon.

Bandit upon reaching Goh Tong Jaya. Happy giler.

Budin kat starbucks Genting Highlands.

Boot and Zam chilling out with hot coffee.

Rebellicans. Bean was still walking.

March up to Genting

OK.. seems like the posting on the batch list is a bit stale, considering that everyone’s who went for the Run/Walk/Cycle up to Genting had already written about it in their private blogs.

Cut story short, the following went up to Genting last weekend (mode of getting up in brackets):

1) Doc ‘Ala’ Hisyam (cycled his way up) blog report: http://opdochisyam.blogspot.com/

2) Bandit (crawled, drove, cycled and ate his way up)

3) Budin (marched)

4) Mat Lebet ‘Bean’ (strolled)

5) Zamri (marched)

6) Kam (RAN)blog report: http://kasturie.blogspot.com/

7) Upiq (marched)

8) Boot (marched)

We also had OP Stupe, OP AJ, OP Shazly and 3 handfuls of the leTuang gang going up! In fact there was this one guy, Yip, who ran up and down Genting!

There’s nothing much to write about, except that we had fun.. it was BLOODY COLD.. Kam and Zam suffered from cramps but still managed to march on.. Upiq showed ZERO pain as he marched.. Boot went up at good speed.. we're quite impressed by his fitness level.. doing the full 178km on the second stage of the interstate, and almost running up to Genting.. the guy's improving.. Doc was simply tooooo happy to see the guys taking part... there’s a few going again this weekend.. but for most of the Royal 8ths, we’ll most likely being doing it next year..

Fancy pics from Kam's blog page. Wahhh our friend sudah ada awek sit on his lap! hebat.. hebat..

Budin & Bean.. back view and front view.. note of how much Budin was sweating.. Yeahhh Malaysia Sihat!

Arrival @ Genting.. chap sitting with arms stretched is Yusran.. the birthday boy.. what a way to celebrate another year of aging- run up Genting

OP AJ, OP Shazly, IM Ishal and OP Stupe. Bandit opting for another mode of getting up to Genting

View from the top... 6 of the 8.. Kam, Ala, Upiq, Budin, Boot and Bandit (Zam pergi Kuchil-tak tahan sejuk, Bean still strolling up.. tak larat, pasal masa berbuka makan banyak sangat)

Welcome back Zam.. FYI Zam no longer sails.. he's grounded for good..next on his list is buying a bike!

Royal 8ths would like to thank the leTuang gang for organizing such acivities..

INSYAALLAH, NEXT YEAR, THERE'LL BE MORE JOINING..

GATHERING FOR 13

"Mr Darah Manis" - Mat Gan.. Opppss.. I meant Mat Kong

Yesterday we had a small gathering at NZ Corner Wangsa Maju.

In attendance:
1) Bear
2) Mat Gan
3) Bandit
4) Mick Stone
5) Papalatz
6) Wan Jack
7) Bean
8) Faiz
9) Kam
10) Zamri
11) Mat Kong
12) Joejo
13) Boot

Met up at 2215hrs (and everyone was PUNCTUAL!).. left at 0130hrs!

Check out Zam's hand gesture..

Total damage: 32 glasses of teh tarik, teh o ais limau, limau panas, nescafe etc.. half box of Taiwanese Moon Cake and Korean Biscuits (thanks to Mat Kong).. 60 sticks of satay.. 2 roti telur and 1 roti canai (ironic isn't it, Mick, whose been overseas for so long, earning ex-pat salary, living ex-pat life style, comes home and craves the humble roti canai..).

Today, Ala, Upiq, Boot, Kam, Bean, Zamri and I will be marching up to Genting at 2200hrs.. RV at 2130hrs at Genting Sempah..

Pics posted is a bit crappy.. sorry, our usual photographer (Kam) tak bawak camera, so I took the pics (on life lah Alpha Company)

Our Guest of Honour- Papalatzs

MAT KONG.... Congrats..!!

Majlis Pertunangan Mat Kong dan gefren nya

The celebrated stud. Senyum habisss..

The lady who'd won Mat Kong's heart.

The arduous negotation process.

AMIN. Selamat semua.

(Mat Kong, lesen besar ko blum dapat tau? Keep it ringan2 jer.)

AUDAX

holla me hombres..

el feedback from the Interstate ride: VERY POSITIVO..

and almost every one is itching for another AUDAX (refer to wikipedia for long winded definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audax_(cycling) )..

el plan: start on Saturday.. arrive at destination in the afternoon.. have a REALLY good dinner.. sleep.. on Sunday, ride back to starting point. ideal distance is 100-120km (one way).. Maybe slightly after PD? Cycle up to Sg Besar?

common guys, start throwing in your suggestions? andele! ariba!

adios, muchachos..

El Bandit..

INTERSTATE 2008

THE EVENT
Budin, Boot & Bandit went for the PCC Interstate Ride..

It was a 3 day event.. started on Friday (29 Aug 2008) Kajang to Rembau (133km). Day two saw us riding from Rembau to Rompin (177km) and on the final day Rompin to Kuantan (155km)..

Before we carry on with our report, a note of thanks to the guys at PCC- WELL DONE GUYS!! THANK YOU FOR ORGANIZING SUCH EVENT!!!

THE CYCLING
There's nothing much to say about the cycling bit except that it was hot.. the route was hilly on the 1st day, but on the 2nd and 3rd day, it was as flat as Ron's crew cut! Traffic was not much of a problem on all 3 days.

There were several types of riders, ranging from hardcore to the casual tourist. It gave Budin the chance to sprint with the second pelaton on the final day.. going at an average of 28km/h over the distance 90 km! He could've gone further, but for the promise that he was to take over the driving duties from me! He said the experience was just like what he say on TV at the Giro or Le Tour or LTDL (except that on TV, the professional riders were averaging at 45km/h, and the bike the used were 10 times more expensive- hint to Sue to let Budin buy a better bike!)













Boot in AERO POSITION..



















Budin riding uphill..


Another highlight of the ride was Boot doing the full long stretch on the second day- 178km!! What I admire here is the fact that he rode at around 20km/h... you can look at the glass half full and say that he was at a relaxed pace, or you look at it half empty.. the slower you ride, the more time you endured under the sun.. Boot started his journey at 0630hrs and arrived at the Rompin Hotel at 1730!! 11 hours on the road.. minus the 1 hour break for lunch etc... that's 10 hours on the bicycle saddle!! pain in the arse is an understatement..































our everyday routine- getting ready to ride at 0600hrs

and since we carpooled, it meant that at any one time, one of us drove while the other 2 cycled. In total, we each cycled 300++km over the 3 days.

ACCOMODATION
The accommodation in Bahau and Rompin was good. They didn't put us in any dodgy rumah tumpangan.. The rooms were air conditioned, there was TV and fridge.. all was well except for the final day. THUMBS DOWN to De Rhu Resort in Kuantan! There, we checked-in was at 1730hrs!! Very bad service! Imagine those who arrived at 1330! They waited 4 hours for their room! Sorry, but I had to make a mention when the service was wayyyyy below standard! Have you ever heard of a hotel/resort, where the check in time is at 1730??

The delay at the hotel didn't effect us much.. on the last day of the ride we pulled the brakes and took it REALLLLYYYYY EASSSYYYYY... (except for Budin going hardcore with the pelaton!)...
In my case, I had the pleasure of taking a well deserved nap by the sea side after drowning 2 biji air kelapa muda.. and no, we are not talking about 2 gelas, we are talking about 2 biji!! Boot on the other hand was accompanying our new acquaintances who also decided to take it easy on the last day..














How cool is that, unloading your bike at 1500hrs for a seaside ride, last leg to Kuantan

















And Bandit assisting Boot with his cramp.. next to Boot is Eddy.. at 1500hrs, after over 7 hours of riding, who wouldn't be tempted to just lay down for a few minutes..

MAKAN
Part makan, memang BEST.. Bandit found the PERFECT Chendol, which he described " the highlight of the ride was the best chendol i've ever had.. not because it was cooling, but the chendol was PERFECT.. the santan is creamy yet light.. and the gula melaka was so thick.. it stuck like ceramel on the firm chendol! Chendol has never been so sexy..

".

We had: steak, mee mamak, roti telur, nasi lemak, keropok lekor, sweet & sour fish, fried chicken wings, nasi goreng and to end the trip.. a beach side seafood dinner with steamed TIGER GEROUPA, lemon chicken, garlic baby kailan, teochew chillied lala, battered fried squid.. we also had ais kacang, lencheekang, air kelapa muda...

FRIENDS
Speaking of acquaintances, we totally enjoyed the time spend with le Tuang gang.. Mac, Ish, MaySen, Ariff.. Thank you for the support and tips. And to our new friends, Eddy of Klang, En Raja, Joanne, Tuan Haji and of course the bubbly Anne.. it was a pleasure to make your acquaintances..














Noticed ex-RMC have a similar pose

















Star rider- Mac! We salute Mac because this guy can REALLY RIDE.. (and he always have the ladies hanging out with him!)

We were also glad to have 3 days to hang out together. You can say it's quality time spent.. we were busting our lungs when we recalled the mishaps of 'Hantu Tinggi'.. we spoke of topics ranging from politics (or more precise Politically related Frustration), kahwin 4, private schools for kids, career options etc..

Our only wish was that we could have more Royal 8ths joining the ride.. Imagine a weekend ride with the likes of Mat Kong as your support crew.. imagine ke-dajal-an that he could inflict.. maybe do a "George" (i.e. letak air laut dalam water bottle orang!).. This year, we missed the Royal 8th cyclists like Ala, Kam, Upiq, Achot and Lebet.. maybe next year guys..

We also missed the LeTuang riders.. it'll be cool to have crazies along.. imagine the places we'd eat with you guys around!

Good ride, good food and good friends...

Seiring dan sejalan: Interstate 2008

Dear all,

the 3 Bs (Boot, Budin & Bandit) will be going on a road trip this weekend.. we'll be heading south to Rompin.. on our trusty steed.. Yessir.. 3 studs, 6 legs, 3 steeds..

basically, we're joining the PCC (cycling club) in their annual 'Interstate Ride'..
the trip starts on Friday, from Kajang to Rembau.. overnight in Rembau.. (the major hurdle for this the hills.. )

on Saturday, we ride from Rempau to Rompin.. over night at Rompin.. (on this day, the major hurdle is the distance- 170++km)

on Sunday, we're expecting cooling sea breeze, pit stops at EVERY air kelapa muda stall as we head to Kuantan..

we should be back in KL by Sunday evening.. ride report should be posted by Monday..

3 guys, friends since 1987.. after 21 years of friendship, they're off to a road trip.. yeeehaaahhh..

Bandit

GATHERING FOR MAT JAID

We last saw Mat Jaid 8 YEARS AGO!!!

Recently he came back for a 3 weeks break..

Anyway, just to keep you up to date:
Mat Jaid is based in Detroit.. he's serving the Emergency and Trauma Unit at a hospital there. seems to be enjoying himself.. involved with the state level tennis circuit and have a few triathlons under his belt!

Basically, America is treating him well... but I wonder, with all the money he's earning, why couldn't he invest in a decent pair of braces.. as you can SEE, his trademark guSEE, is very much visible in the gathering pics..

Gathering was held on 24 July 2008 at Kopitiam Restaurant in Tmn Melati. In attendance: Mat Jaid, Boot, Wan Jack, Upiq, Cicit, Kam and Bandit.

On behalf of the guys, it was a pleasure seeing you again old friend.. God knows when well see each other again, or in fact if we ever will.. take good care of yourself over there..

PD International Triathlon 2008

 Many OPs turned up for the recent triathlon event in PD.

from right (back row): OP Shazly, OP Chipang, OP Kam, OP Stupe, OP Bandit, OP Upiq, OP AJ, OP Chief Kutu, KOP.

from right (front row) : OP Chan (Msia's youngest Ironman) and OP aper ntah (tak ingat nama)

There were other OPs who werent in the photo like OP Sofian and a few others.

The OPs entered the Olympic Distance event as individual and as a team relay.

Batch Dinner esok

Dear all,

please spread the word around- Esok kita buat batch dinner..

time: 2000hrs

venue: SABAK STEAMBOAT & BBQ, TMN MELATI (off MRR2 , between Genting Highland/Kuantan and Ulu Klang/Tmn Melawati exit)

price: RM25 per pax

Apa-apahal.. call me: 012 7760655

Antara yg dah confirm:
Ala Usat
Upiq+wife
Joejo
Papalats
Bear
Bandit + wife
Cicit + wife
Kam + awek
Boot
Achot
Isma (perut)
Abeng Colby Laxman
Nazril (late & not eating)
Faiz + wife..

There are a few more names.. aku tulis kat notebook aku.. lupa nak bawak..

Regards

Bandit

Update on Cikgu Adnan

Dear all,

Just to inform you that Cikgu Adnan has passed Khorat Region.. this means that he's almost at the Thai-Laos border! Hmmmm... close you eyes and imagine..

KL to Ipoh..(200++ km)

Ipoh to Penang..(100++ km)

Penang to Alor Setar.. (100 ++ km)

Alor Setar to Bkt Kayu Hitam.. (100++ km)

Bkt Kayu Hitam to Surath Tani.. (200++ km)

Surath Thani to Bangkok (400++ km)

Bangkok to Khorat (300++ km)

And now, with every downward push of the pedal, he gets closer to the Loas border!

Hmmmm.. around 1500km.. Makes you wonder, how much can a 60 year old body take? How strong, his desires must be..

Now, one thing I find facinating about this ride is that Cikgu does not use a speedometer.. this means that (with the exception of the sign boards and mile stones), Ciksu does not know how much further he has to pedal.. to totally different concept of cycling then what we are used to.. during the PD ride, we had the luxury of knowing that we were 10km to the next check point cum water station.. 10 km means 25 minutes..

I guess it's the journey, not the destination! The route is not marked by towns or check points, but instead, but memories of stalls he stops, of bus stands he shelters from the rain, of the curios questions that was asked by road side hawkers as he stops to refill his water bottle.. the journey.. an interesting concept..

If we were to apply it on our daily lives, it's not that I stayed in the office till 8 or 9pm.. it's more of, I submitted this report, I solved that problem, I closed this deal, I attended that meeting...

Sounds like the Aerosmith song.. Amazing:
Life's a journey - not a destination
And I just can't tell just what tomorrow brings

Cikgu, a toast to you who is THOUSANDS of kms away.. maybe resting your tired legs after another day of riding.. or maybe you're carbo loading to prepare for the next day..

May the journey be a good one..

Bandit

Untukmu Uppiq

Dear friends,

It was with great pleasure and joy when I read the triumph of our Rafiq Khan in completing his first triathlon recently in Melaka. I was away in Kelantan and Bali and somehow managed to miss my favourite traithlon. Upon returning, I sent Uppiq a congratulatory SMS and he was joyful! I was extremely happy for him. Also to the fact that according to him, he did gain some aspiration and "semangat" from the rest of our batch be it being moral support and at times from my cerita dongeng that I write at times. He asked me to write a story. Well, I wasnt there to write about it. But I do have the story of my very first triathlon done just about three years ago. The theme is the same as what you achieved big guy, its the average guy just outdoing himself.

I won some money writing this story back then. (USD 25), so here's to you Uppiq! Currently my number one idol!

Warning: long story. Possible time waster in office!

Doc ala usat

Tasik Kenyir International Triathlon

3rd April 2005

Tasik Kenyir

Terengganu.

On the 3rd april 2005, the light and easy team comprising of three average Joe's in me (doc), azman and steve competed in the first triathlon of the year in Malaysia. And by doing so managed to prove that despite being average regular guys, with a little bit of training and perserverance and a bit of gung ho attitude, even average Joe's could complete what seems to be an impossible task....the triathlon. A few days ago, even I thought that the discipline of swimming 1.5km followed by a 40km bike ride and to top it off with another 10km run was way out of my reach. Happily, I was proven wrong.Here's our story...

I really cant recall when the decision was made to enter the triathlon. Probably it was one of those light and easy running or biking days we've had. I guess it was probably Steve that promoted (boasted maybe) heavily on doing the Triathlon. (he's done one before last year in Port Dickson). If we can do running races and are competent enough with bikes...why not do the whole monty of swim-bike-run? Anyway you survived the marathon, did the Duathlon in good time. Why not? Yeah man ...why not? And so it was, without knowing it I made the jump 2 weeks before the race date. We had the duathlon coming in the week and followed by the actual Triathlon the week following. Not a great deal of time to train but what the heck...here we go! According to Azman, he had always wanted to compete in the Triathlon but never had the gang and motivation to do it with. So here we go Man.

The biking and running was not really my main worry as I've done longer distances before. But the swimming was my greatest fear. You have to ask Mat Gan about how blatantly crap my swimming was(still is). The honest truth is Mat Gan just thought me how to swim 1 or 2 months back. After just beginning to be able to do 200metres of breast stroke, my weekly swimming with him at Bukit Jalil was put aside as work commitment for him and other training preparations for me took over. I was involved with the biking group and even though we call ourselves bikers, we seem to be doing a lot of running lately. So my swimming remained really poor.

Without knowing it,it was 1 week before the triathlon! After just completed the Duathlon the previous week, I had no time to train! The Tuesday pre race weekend was supposed to be my proper train and planned for a follow up on Thursday with a combined swim and bike. I only managed to swim that tuesday! With Azemy, Zabil, Steve, Azah (zabil's wife) and their daughter we made the training count. Zabil and Steve did 40 laps non stop in an hour. That was free style mind you. I had Azemy who havent swam in years to keep me company." Lets do 2 laps at a time", was my suggestion to him hoping that we could do 30 laps which was the distance required.After stopping and puffing at every stop, we barely made it....in almost 1 and a half hours! Oh dear....I was in real trouble. I really dont want to be out of the water last during the race. That would really demoralise me.Off course not to mention the bike and swim that followed. And to make it worse the following Thursday on which was planned the swim and bike had to be cancelled as I was stuck in the hospital till 8 pm! Shit! there goes my careful planning...off course to make it really complete, I hadn't touched my bike sice the Malakoff Duathlon race. I guess this is how average Triathletes train....in chaos!

We travelled the day before from KL on Steve's pick up. I picked Azman up at the LDP and ferried our bike and stuff to Taman Tun to rendezvous with Steve. Steve wasnt feeling too good the past few days being down with a viral infection of some sort, and Man due to work, couldnt train as much as he would like. How very average of us all!

Anyway after waking Steve up and unloading our stuff on his pick up, we were off.1030hrs saturday morning. The drive to Kenyir was smooth. I volunteered to drive. We followed the new Karak Kuantan east coast highway. On the way passed trough Sg Dua, Bentong and other places where we have ridden before. I brought my CD's and obviously the theme of the journey would be retro 70's with songs from The Eagles, Police and off course the driver's favourite...Alleycats. After repeated hearing, Im sure Azman and Steve would have memorised the lyrics by now. After a heavy lunch at Temerloh R and R, we proceeded on. Took the exit at Gambang before Kuantan and headed North. We diverted away from the coastal road and followed the in land route following Bandar Bukit Besi and in the process passing trough Agricultural settlements of KETENGAH. Some of those places had funny names like Ladang Gajah Mati, Sg cetek etc. The in land route was less busy and we saw a lot of heavy vehicles.After some time we were getting worried that we werent seeing anyone with bikes heading our way. Were we on the correct way? Is the race today instead of tommorrow? Man theorised that the race may have been held on the Saturday as Friday and Saturday was the weekend holiday in Terengganu. Oh dear...here we go again. I also forgot to confirm our hotel bookings. It wasnt until the town of Kuala Behrang that we finnally saw a car with 2 bikes on its roof. Ok guys we were on the right track. For such a large tourist attraction, Lake kenyir sure didnt have too many signages to direct tourist. We finally entered the Lake Kenyir compound and was immediately terrorised by the endless undulating hills as we approached the lake proper. Just like that, the weather which was hot and humid earlier turned into heavy downpour. After the long 7 hour drive, we were glad to finally reach the Hotel car park to unload our bikes. The first thing that greeted us was a nearby parked car with Pacesetters stickers.We drove all the way to meet up with our good friends! Next to us was a Thai registered van offloading a couple of very fit and toned girls.Oh shit, we were in enemy territory.After looking around like fools, we managed to find the registration area. The area was in the Kenyir Lake Resort. We were by now tired after 7 hours of travelling and were getting wet in the rain. Equally distressing was the hotel lounge was filled with very fit looking triathletes wondering around almost naked with their tight attires. The three of us....The overweight mat salleh, the under weight doctor and the construction worker from kelantan strolled into the lobby no doubt looking very miserable. "Which way to the Triathlon registeration?" I asked the reception. With a shocked and amused look, she directed me. As we lined up at the registeration, the girl at the counter immediately took out the sprint relay list, no doubt expecting all three of us average Joe's to be in that race and not in the triathlon proper." Race category sir". said the shocked face at the counter. " Men. Open please." The whole registeration counter stopped doing whatever they were doing then and we were instant celebrities.The sight of us three really made their day I guess. T shirt size? Steve: extra large please. Sorry only L. Doc: S please.Sorry only M.

We shared a chalet of some sort with an extra bed for Man.It was quite a comfy place overlooking the lake. In the evening, you could see the waves crashing into the lake shore. Azman and Steve apparently saw some big fish, Toman maybe and fortunately didnt tell me about it till the race ended. We had our dinner at the local eatery....carbo loading of some sort. One plate of nasi ayam goreng followed by mee rebus. The rest of the triathletes were carbo loading at the hotel buffet and here we were eating in the rain at the road side stall. How very ordinary.

We were all in the chalet by 2130hrs. After getting our stuff ready and cracking a few jokes after attending the race brief, we couldnt believe it when we saw this Mat salleh dude running in the dark. Obviously this chap was one of the pros. This guy was training and we were on our way to bed. Man was very informative telling us the who's who of malaysian Triathletes. That guy there, he did the Ironman 5 times. That chick there, ran for malaysia in the Marathon. That guy there....Me and Steve was only interested at the fit looking girls around. Some of them were quite pretty, but some of the hard core ones really looked tough and beefy. With well toned bodies and hard core looks......I surely wont be fantasising about them tonight. Some of them really looked outright scary!

After warning Steve not to snore and man watching TV, we were settling in bed. At this time my panic attack and fears regarding the swim surfaced. " Dude, You really think I can do it man?" I asked Steve repeatedly that night. Perhaps lying to make me feel better or maybe just to make me shut up came his not really convincing reply " yeah , sure you can".........Steve didnt snore that night, but he woke up a few times to clear his nose and was tossing about in bed all night. I dreamt of finishing last and being rescued by the race officials.

The alarm was set at 0500hrs, complete with a wake up call....however we only managed to rise at 0530hrs, with me and Steve struggling to the breakfast buffet. Man, cleverly stayed in bed and asked us to tapau something to eat. Once again, Me and Steve made our dramatic impact by entering the dining area full of beautifully toned athletic bodies. The watermelon and the pair of chopsticks made everyone stare. Steve was clearly overdoing the buffet bit by grabbing all that was on offer. I sneaked in our water bottles and filled them all with orange juices. Steve grabbed some pancakes and bread for Man....no doubt making some people whisper in amusement. Out we went the back door with our grubs trying our best not to look foolish and being caught when out of the blue we bumped into the mat salleh dude just coming in from his early morning jog. Oh dear. After the usual pre race banter and again asking man and Steve if they thought I could make it safely around the lake.....we were off at the starting line. The place was buzzing with activity. People jogging around, doing their stretching etc..I was more concerned with the water.

The lake was calm. It looked rather green and murky. We went in for a test swim and were immediately struck by the fact that the water was warm. Expecting our balls to shrink in cold, it was a pleasant surprise. We were body marked with our race numbers and was told to wear the given race cap. Steve told me to get my cap numbered too just in case.....I did the extra thing by walking around the rescue team with my race cap on. "tolong tengok nombor saya ye 143.....Kalau lemas....."

To be honest, even up to this point, I was still undecided about my chances of finishing the swim. I wanted to ask the race marshall if I DNF the swim, could they allow me to continue with the run and bike........suddenly the horn went off! And we were all away. Shit! Hearts pumping, We jumped into the water. Steve could sense my anxiety and he offered to swim with me to the first bouoy and let me take it from there. Within a few minutes, we were already at last place. It was only me and a few people who swam the course using breast stroke.We were immediately fighting for last place. The swim was in the lake around a triangle 250 metres on each side marked by a bouoy. Do it 2 rounds and you get 1.5km. Easy...

I finally reached the first buouy, and Steve with good nature told me that I wasnt last.....almost last. ..and he was off. I continued with my breast stroke slowly trying hard to remember what Mat gan and steve told me. Glide longer, keep your butt up and look down. Or was it look at someones butt and keep down? I cant remember. I do remember that the lake was dark and you could only see a few feet down. Good I suppose, as I dont want to see any Toman having a go at my organs. I was swimming alone. Calm and serene especially when everyone was way ahead. At 500meteres, i felt waves crashing next to me....a human torpedo with effortless motion sped past me. Shit! I was being lapped! Turned out 5 to 6 of the fast ones lapped me before I could reach the turn. I continued onwards. Passing the 2nd round, the swim was calm again as basically I was one of the last few in the water. At the last 250meteres, I was "escorted" by a lady in a kayak (my would be rescuer) till the end. "Am I last?" I asked while gulping in lake water........"No....almost last" came her answer. She was very supportive giving me shouts of encouragement. She was my mermaid angel. I wanted to kiss her for keeping me afloat. Without realising it, I was nearing the jetty and the cheers from the crowd was getting louder. Come on Doctor! were they cheering me on? I hope so. Nearing the jetty, I thought that i saw soft ground and stopped swimming and tried to walk.....I sank and suddenly was gulping water.Dumbass! Belum sampai lagi la! Sikit lagi!. Shit! I finally brought myself out of the water in the deafening ironic cheers and claps from everyone there.44mins. The VIP who started the race was still there. Come on. You can do it. With cameras on me and everyone looking, I needed a smart ass answer to look cool (not stupid). "I guess I can kiss my 1st prize money good bye huh" was all that I could muster. Everyone thought that was really funny. Sure..it wasnt really. I looked behind and saw two other people coming out of the water.......Alright! Im not last after all! I felt really pleased with myself till I saw that the 2 person were Patsy my friend, who is a 68 year old ironwoman, grand mother and a 71 year old man who was the oldest competitor that day. Oh No!......I was immediately brought down to earth....

On with the bike! The interchange was smooth, especially when your the only one there. The TV cameras was focussing on patsy and the old guy and i was left to fend for myself. I took off my yellow swimming cap, dried my feet, gulped down some fluids, put on my helmet and was off. I was still pounding from the swim but i was still a bit confident as I knew biking and to a certain extent running was my ok point. Immediately after the first turn, the bike course went up a steep gradient of a hill! Aduhh!! I was cursing my luck then but i would later realise that the hilly course was to be my "leveller" with the others. The bike course is designed around the lake compound with bikers having to pass 2 loops of 8km length smooth tarmac road with another few km coming out and in to the transition area. the view was fantastic! The sky was blue with low set clouds. What a relief after the long hard swim. At the end of the loop, the road ended next to a waterfall. Beautiful. Oh yeah. Did I tell you that the course was hilly? Thats the beauty of it. At first i was cursing but after realising that most of the roadies especially those with expensive bikes and drop down aerobars arent really good climbers, I began to feel good. Coming from a mountain biking background, those hills were treated with disrespect. Even Man and Steve who were the only 2 out of 3 persons on mountain bikes felt good. They (and me) managed to overtake many of the roadies. I caught up with my first roadie after 3km on the road. I felt good. From 3rd last, now Im 4th last. without realising it I was overtaking people. I was really speeding now. I managed to pass Man and Steve as they were coming on the opposite direction. As always, the light and easy team was the most cheerful lot with shouts of encouragement to everyone and anyone willing to look at us. We found that the average joe's out there were more responsive, some smiling and waving back. It was wonderful to see familiar faces .....faces you see at the jogging track, like Bernard Ho 60plus age who's a regular at Taman Tun. The pretty girl you often see at KHS but never had the guts to say Hi to. The uncle who swam past you and kicked some water in your face. Suddenly the biking was enjoyable.

Did I mention that there were hard core, dumbasses, arrogant bums out there? Oh yes they were as off any race, you get the PROS who are well behaved and get on with their job and also the Pros wannabe who are slightly better than us but dont have a chance in hell to win. But still they behave like they own the race. These are the guys who wear those tiny gayish suits, swear to tell you to get out of their way, ride those expensive carbon but climb like a dog up tree. I hate them! Bloody hell, some were outright rude.Drafting (allowed in the race) dangerously and overtaking from the left. Dicks. Anyway I got my revenge up those lovely hills. Though they were short lived as they drafted down the hill past me at 70km/hr. Never mind, see you at the running section. 1 hr 20min 55sec later, I completed the biking and was entering the running section. I passed a lot of people by now and was enjoying myself. I could see Steve leaving the transition a few minutes back. Lets go man! A quick change to my faithful asics and I was gone in a flash. I forgot my power gel. I forgot my cap. I forgot to drink. Dumbass! 500metres into the run, I started to feel the hunger pangs in the stomach. Headed to a nearby water station for the bikes and grabbed a cup of water.Gulped it down and felt the pangs go away.

The running is a 2 loop round a 5km hilly and winding course. As I was starting my run, The winners were finishing their race. The MC at the finish line was this Indian dude whom I suspected had a few drinks too many the night before. He was introducing the runners who were finishing and those passing by for the second loop as each runner passed the line.Finisher from Maalaaysiiaaaa Eugene Chaaaaaaaan! Coming for the second lap...from Singapoooooore.....Willliammm tannnn. You can do it! But give credit to the dude as he did his homework well. He would give additional info on the runners like 2 time Ironmen finisher.....Razali. 5 times Hawaii ironmen. The youngest competitor. The oldest competitor. etc etc.. When my time came , all he said was From Maalaysiiiiia dr Hisyam.........! Go doc! I stopped by him and whispered " Dr Hisyam Salleh: 2 time woodenman finisher" The dude immediately followed " From Maalaysiiiaaaaaa Dr Hisyam 2 times woodenman finisheeeeer!" Everyone there laughed. What a dick head. He had no clue what he was talking about.

During the run, I managed to overtake Steve. "shit doc, next time I'm not gonna give you any more swimming tips!" I continued with my pace. The watering station was at every 2km and the weather was now overcast. Not a major problem as far as hydration goes. But could my legs take it.? Surprisingly they could. I stumbled with a group of Pace setters from KL whom I've seen before....not very friendly people. They were clearly struggling even with their Impossible is nothing t shirt. I gave them as much support and encouragement and told them not to stop. Those familiar unfriendly faces became warm smiling beings. I ran with a navy commando(paskal)...Shah ..and we talked a bit. Apparently the Navy sent a few teams there as part of their "leisure activity". Aktiviti riadah. Hmm. Anyway Shah was completing the 2nd round and I was still in my first! With that he was off. His target was a sub 2 and half hour race. I think he made it. My next company was this fit looking Thai girl who spoke in halted English. She was ok. I think she wanted to concentrate on her brathing rather than talk with me. The course...well it was full of hills. Many people walked and I used it as my opportunity to overtake people. Approaching the finish line I could hear the MC dude in full action. "Coming in to finish is the youngest competitor age 13....... "me? I thought he was making a mistake. I looked to my left and there was this Punjabi boy running next to me. Oh No! I dont want my finishing to be spoilt by a boy! Azman who had finished the race shouted from the side "come on doc! budak kecik tu nak potong" I was almost beaten by grandparents and now I was about to be beaten by a kid. No Way! I sprinted the last 200 metres and left the boy....he he he From Maalaysiiiiaaa......Doc........

I crossed the line at 3hrs 3 min 07 secs.

Grinning all over. I managed to wave to everyone like I was the winner. I asked the MC if I could intoduce Steve as he ended his race. Sure doc, ok by him.

"From Canada. Average Joe. Steve!" I wanted to say fat ass but decided against it. Me, Azman and Steve huddled together enjoying our achievements. Without realising it, it was time to go home.The long drive back.

" I never thought you could do the swim doc" was Steve's honest remark. Sure man. Im a swimmer now. And I have a bright yellow cap to prove it.

Azman Swim 35.25(116) Bike 1:17:32(94) Run:57:46(86) 2:50:43

Doc 44(144) 1:20:55(106) 58:12(89) 3:03:07

Steve 32:06(101) 1:24:32(113) 1:10:08(124)3:06:46

PS: Its been 3 years since that first tri, and im proud to say a lot of OP's (our batch and others- bean, kam, stupes.....now Uppiq) have been encouraged to do the same. Some have even done the Ironman. Sadly too, we lost a fellow OP last year during the swimming leg of the port dickson tri.

Whatever the outcome, I hope to encourage more people to be active and adopt a healty lifestyle. Now we have a big guy to look up to.

Doc ala usat

RMAF Half Marathon 2008

Cikgu Adnan's Ride

I few months ago, I made a pledge to send off my teacher, Cikgu Adnan Osman. Cikgu will be cycling to Beijing. I was under the assumption that Cikgu will be cycling to Beijing in August.

Two days ago (26 May 2008), I got an SMS from Mat Licin (Cikgu’s cycling partner during the Malaysian section of his ride) that they’ll start their ride on Tuesday (27 May 2008).. Major misunderstanding on my part!! I had already reserved 3 days of my annual leave to ‘see him off in August’! And I had to clear some stuff at work before I sent off for the BTN course 29 May! Macam mana ni?? I was really hoping to cycle with him for at least one leg of his journey!!

Being a ‘salary-man’, I had very little choice.. I had to forgo my plans of joining them.. maybe another trip Sir.. but I will send you off!! That was the promise that I made to myself immediately after reading Mat Licin’s SMS..

So, on Tuesday, 0330hrs, I left my house, and rode to the RV point (near Carrefour Wangsa Maju) to meet up with Mat Licin. We were going to cycle to the starting point of Cikgu’s ride.

Though I only has 3 hours of sleep, I could not complain, Mat Licin (and later I found out, Cikgu too) did not sleep a wink!! Maybe they were excited over the trip, butterflies or jitters.. but these guys, almost twice my age, did not sleep at all that night, and they’ll be cycling from KL to Ipoh!

Anyway, Mat Licin and I arrived at St Johns Ambulance’s HQ (Jalan Peel) at 0500hrs. Cikgu and family were already there. There was also a St John’s VIP. After a brief photo session and well wishes spoken, Cikgu’s trip to Beijing started!!

We rode on Jalan Tun Razak, headed towards Jalan Kuching. But at the junction of Jalan Ampang, I had to leave them, and headed for my office… I still have mouths to feed.. I shook my hero’s hand, gave him a final salute, and took a left turning toward KLCC.. I looked back to Jalan Tun Razak and saw the blinkers (safety lights) of their bicycles slowly fading away.. I guess in books and movies, the heroes ride into the sunset after completing their adventure.. Yesterday, I saw two heroes ride into the sunrise to begin their adventure.. Looking at my bike’s odometer, it’s 10km down, 8000++km to go!!

Anyway, you can read about Cikgu Adnan’s adventure to Beijing at his blog site:
http://oadnanxtreme.blogspot.com/

On a personal note: Well Cikgu, what can I say.. I envy you, Sir.. You had a dream, and you got on your saddle and are on your way to realizing it. May your dreams come true.. Have a safe and enjoyable journey.

A'famosa International Triathlon 2008

Dear All,

You can read the race report here.

Enjoy..!!

Training With Soon-To-Be-(God willing)-IronMan

I was inspired by Upiq's Triathlon achievements.. who wasn't? And now I have such a strong urge to get off my butt and do something..

First thing's first.. I'm going to shop!! Yup, some people go to Seremban to by curtain/carpet/ wedding stuffs, I am going to Seremban tomorrow to buy a secondhand compact crank from this Mat Salleh who stays there.. (ye-lah, aku ni kan lembik sikit, mana tahan pakai gear yang besar, so kenalah cari gearing yang compact sikit!- FYI, the ride starts with a ride up to Genting Sepah!!). I'll be back in KL by noon, then I'll be setting up the crank and tuning my bike for Saturday..

coze on Saturdayyyy... I'm gonna be training/riding with IronMan 2009 hopeful, Kam Kasturie!

FYI, the IronMan consist of 3 disciplines- 4km swim, 180km bicycle and 42km run. Kam will be doing all this on 28/2/2009.. that said, he has another 9 months to train..

Back on our ride this Saturday.. we will taking part in the Malakoff Charity Ride.. the ride consist of 3 stages-

stage/day one- KL to Temerloh (150km).

stage/day two (Sunday) Temerloh to Kemaman (160km).

stage/day three (Monday) Kemaman to Kuala Terengganu (170km)

A lesser mortal like myself will only be doing the KL- Temerloh section. But our IronMan hopeful will be riding ALL THE WAY to Kuala Terengganu. (ohhh speaking of Terengganu, just in case you missed it, Kam also swam 6 km from Marang to Pulau Kapas a few weeks ago). And next month, he'll most probably be going to Kenyir for Kenyir Triathlon.. (wehhh Kam.. mungkin ni hint engkau nak berjodoh dgn orang Terengganu!!)

YESSIR!! KAM KASTURIE, WE SALUTE YOUR IRONMAN SPIRIT, DETERMINATION AND DEDICATION. YOU HAVE THE BALLS OF BRASS TO TAKE ON SUCH CHALLENGE.

(p/s OP Shazly Khan (IronMan 2008), OP Fadzil (Cheif Kutu) and OP Ahmad Jauhari (multiple IronMan) will also be riding)

INSPIRATION FROM A FRIEND

People do great things, and most inspiration stories comes from a person beating his limitations to achieve things beyond his reach. The further and more unreachable the goals, the more inspirational it becomes..

Here's one of those stories (I only wish my posting could do the story justice).

Rafiq Khan is the biggest guy in our batch. He's big.. what more with a KHAN's blood and KHAN's diet! Genetics and life style, the odds were against him to slim down.

Although he played a few games (tennis, squash, hockey- games typical of a Khan), people saw his appearance rather then the sportsman. He was often teased and looked down because of this. This was Rafiq a year ago!

Then the training began! His cousin 'dearest', OP Shazly Khan (90-94 Eagle) started a training regime. Such regime often coincides with activities where other royal 8ths took part in. For example, a 'stroll' up to Genting. (Refer to blog report: Lamb and Genting 21/9/07 http://royal8th.blogspot.com/2007/09/lamb-and-genting-2192007-make-sense.html )

 

Note: Shazly with a stick in hand

& they marched up to Genting!

Ni muka yang influence Rafiq naik

ke Genting!!

A month ago, Rafiq took the next step- purchasing his road bike.. and as reported in an earlier posting- the virgin ride was almost 100km!!

So, after the exercising, training, purchasing.. what was one to do? Well, this was where trickery and pressure comes in.. everyone in the group (except for me) went to take part in the A-Farmosa Triathlon. And these guys convinced Rafiq to do the sprint event. On the eve of the race, with everyone phsyced up and eager to go, they pressured (read Shazly pressured Rafiq in public) to do the full monty- 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run. And that was what he did.... I don't think that he was prepared for it, nor did he believe that he could complete the course.. he knew that his body will take an extreme amount of punishing.. he had nothing to lose.. (except hospitalization?).. be if.. a BIGGGGG if, if could endure all the pain, fatigue and survive the ordeal, he could prove to himself and others that all the training and and effort is showing results.. Completing the course would mean that he was actually reaching for heights that he, himself, thought impossible to reach..

Anxiety got the better of him that evening. Nervous, scared, excited etc.. he slept at 3a.m.! After 3 hours of sleep, Rafiq woke up to face one of the biggest physical challenge of his life.

The photos below captured the moments..

Pre-race anticipation

After over one hour, he completed the 1.5 km swim..

then on the bike (40km) and finally the run.. almost at the finishing line, he had friends running along side to cheer him on!

Notice the FINISHER's Medal on his chest?

After Rafiq completed his Triathlon, I've received calls for me to also complete an Olympic Distance Triathlon.. There were the typical "wehhh.. Upiq dah buat.. engkau bila lagi?"..

To date, he has lost about 40kgs!! Please refer to the Bagan Lalang Ride report (April 08) to see how much he 'reduced'

My friend, you have inspired me.. and I will start my training this evening- Fitness First Menara Maxis- RPM Class!! I will be training and I'll keep training, and hopefully, in a few month's time, I be at the same ranks with you- as one of those 34 year old- over weight guys who have completed an Olympic Distance Triathlon- THANK YOU FOR INSPIRING!!

I hope that my report does not steal the thunder from the achievement's of Kam (also first time completed Olympic Distance Tri.. Ironman hopeful for 2009!), Ala Usat, Stupe, Chief Kutu, Shazly, OP Sofiyan...