American Jendol

Now, Asians can also cast your vote to determine who's gonna be the next Idol. Asia has spoken.

NOT!

Yes you can vote alrite, but your vote doesnt count. It is purely daylight robbery. So where does your vote(s) goes? In the pockets of those filthy, intelligent, money-making SMS-thingy entrepreneur translated into money.

Oh, did I mention they're intelligent? Baca lagi!

Adoih. What on earth happened to Malaysian drivers??  Baca lagi!

Distortion, reverb and echo...

Lepas melepak kat site Azwar, teringat plak kisah dolu-dolu....

Dulu-dulu masa zaman study, malam weeknights yang takde aktiviti mesti ada satu/dua kepala yang ada idea.

Antaranya pergi 'jamming' kat studio.

Dulu aku dengan satu geng ni selalu jugak masuk studio. Tapi takde keluar album la. Kitaorang akan 'jam' lagu rock kapak from Metallica to Kembara. Antara lagu favourite ialah For Whom The Bell Tolls, Sweet Child O mine, Mentari Merah di Ufuk Timur, Bujang Senang dan Hati Emas. Pergh.. lagu tu sumer wajib main tuh. Sumer lagu-lagu lama. Jamming la kitaorang kekadang sampai 2-3jam. kekadang bila main sampai 'near perfect' ada la penonton mengintai kat pintu tu tgk siapa yg tgh main. Fuh! kembang!

Dengan bebudak ni sempat gak aku gi audition untuk jadi band Dewan Budaya Uni aku tuh. tapi tak dapek sebab penyanyi kokak. hehe..geng kitaorang gak. aku plak main drum masa tu. sebabnya sumer orang reti main gitar, tapi takde yg tau main drum. nasib baik aku ni ada anugerah telinga peka (cewah!) so dapat la belajar sesikit main drum ikut lagu. bak kata omputih, play by ear. fuyohh!

Lepas beberapa tahun, ramai bebudak band nih dah takde sebab melingkup tak abih study. So aku pun join ngan bebudak lain.

Ngan bebudak lain nih, kitaorang layan Grunge (bukan Mohd "Grunge" Fadzli) macam Stone Temple Pilots, Foo Fighters dan lagu-lagu indon yang gempak. Biasalah gua sebagai peminat muzik sumer gua layan beb! Diana Krall pun layan!

Masa kat uni gak la aku jual gitar Gibson aku. takdela Gibson yang gempak. biasa-biasa jek. Jual sebab nak pakai duit la. Ngan gitar tu la aku belajar meng'goreng'. tapi tak jugak terer-terer. kah kah..
So sekarang nih takde dah jamming. main sensorang jer ngan gitar kapok kat umah. haih.. Baca lagi!

Terjerumus ke lembah...

Penat, tekanan, tension. Rasa down sikit la minggu ni. Sepatutnya hujung minggu aritu aku pergi bangsat ke Cameron. Untuk pengetahuan anda, bangsat juga bermaksud mengembara atau merantau, selain dari memberi makna pencuri atau miskin.

Tapi dah la Cameron pun tak pegi, Kedah pun tak pegi jugak. Dapat tahu last minute takde hotel yg dekat. Kalau tak, aku dah berkursus Sains Sukan dah.

Ada orang nak tolak beskal Scott rm1,500 jer. Hmm rasa cam murah. Tapi nanti tgk beskal tu camna.

Cuti Khamis aritu, pegi JB n Singapore. Hahaha korang! Aku pegi dulu! Tapi takde sale lagik. Bulan May start. saja gi jejalan. sensorang jer. tapi kat JB tu yg tak tahan tu. boleh pulak aku pergi kat rumah si anu nih. tapi tak masuk la. jumpa pun tak. hehe..gilak!

Ada orang kena langgar-lari masa tgh jogging kat kl. kesian. buduh betul la drebar tuh. tau la kitaorang tak bayar road tax, tapi tak payah la langgar orang. aku pun dah takut nak lari kat open road dah. nasib baik putrajaya tak banyak trafik. tapi accidents can happen kan...touch wood....

Smalam ada kawan aku call sebab teringat kat cheesecake aku. hehe kalakar gak. nanti la bila aku rajin aku buat lagi. Whole-lotta-cheese y'all! Baca lagi!

FAM fumble?

I just burst into laughter when I read about FAM wants to create a 'special' national squad as a way to have a strong team to compete in any competetion.
A special team with players that have no ties with any clubs in Malaysia? That bloody vice president must be out of his mind! How in the world did he (or they) coined this stupid idea? I seriously there's another country in the world (at least those with great football history) are implementing this ridiculous method.

He said that because of the ever changing player line-up, the national team is not strong enough. Argh..what kind of stupid statement is that? First, he needs to know why the ever changing line-up. First, because of injuries. Second, because of the players are below par. Which will mean that even we have a special full-time squad, but the players are below par, we still gonna get a hell of a trashing by the opponents.

Plus, if the team is created, you think the team will train year-long for 4-5 major competetions? So what the heck they will do when there's no competetions? Get bloated on food? Increase the size of their arse? Hey that's the taxpayers money you know!

Then there will be this dilemma for players. Say that a player is selected to join the 'special' team. That means he has to quit his role at the club as a player. What happens if the player suddenly lost his form? No more surging run from the midfield or no more brilliant diagonal pass to the forwards from him. Just plain kampung football. Will his previous club take him back? If his former club wont, then that's probably the end of the road for him. Who wants a player that is out of form?

I seriously think that football wise, the VP is very, very stupid. A decision such as this would not only hinder the development of national football, but also will embarrass us if we lose in a game. Why? Simply because we have a full-time squad that faces a team with players who are club tied, and yet we lose.

Oh my God, I think I'm gonna switch allegiance if the proposal goes. Football-wise, that is. Indonesia maybe? Baca lagi!

No place like home

Ahh..its good to back. The weekend in Kemaman was okay. But I miss my running. Eventhough I was 'forced' to run 2.4k with others, I just miss my long run.

Funny thing about my 2.4k run was, I managed to be in the top 10. Haha! Joy! Joy! Never before been on the top 50, then suddenly top 10. Well, this doesnt count la, bcoz not all of them are runners. But anyway, hihi...

So this week Im back to training lah. Berapa jauh ek minggu nih?

Pastu next week Im off to Aloq Star for some kursus. 5 days. Lari kat Stadium Darul Aman la aku. And since my car is in need of blardy maintanence, I think I have to cancel the trip to Cameron la guys. Takde budget lah! Baca lagi!

Blessing in disguise?

My trusty lil' car broke down. Usually it will sound like a screaming rocket launced by the US army. But now, it sounded like there is a team of mice playing football inside the engine. Blah..

Now, I'm like amputated.

Going Kemaman this weekend for something important. Just wish me luck.

That stupid people at KMPR also havent paid me up yet. Apala bisnes. If you do that to big companies ok la. Small-small fries like me how to survive.

I have plans to catch 'The Beautiful Washing Machine' at GSC Midvalley. But car rosak, how? That film also one thing la. Why la cant screen it like other normal films? Easier for people to see la. Last time I saw an indie film (besides Sepet) was back in 2000 - I think. It was 'Dari Jemapoh ke Manchestee'. Some folks at the School of Commn brought the film to campus. Only in the next year, the film was on screen for public. But only at GSC cinemas.

I like indie films. I like film noir. Remember 'Memento'? It kinda presents you with something almost surreal sometimes. I saw 'Fall' on Starmovies last night. Very, very romatic indie movie. Now, although I'm not a romantic person, I'm quite moved by the storyline. Of course, the theme was sappy love but the way the directors put it. Monologues, what-ifs scene (minus the flashy thing) and of course, good dialogue. Ahh..movies. I don't like Yusof Haslam's. Baca lagi!

O' Radio

At a mamak stall near Ampang...

Aziz: Do you hear the fuss about a radio station this few days?

Meng: You mean the RIMA station that has been changed to Klasik FM ka?

Kamal: Ya that one la. Eh it has even attracted the attention of few ministers, you know.

Aziz: Indeed. A top minister wants it to revert back to its style before, airing 100% Malay oldies. But the thing is, he wants to bring this matter to the Cabinet you know.

Meng: Waa! So serious ah this matter? Don't they have better things to bring to the Cabinet?

Kamal: What other things? Even the state of our football quality also been brought to the Cabinet what. I think its because one of the minister doesn't like the new contents of Klasik FM la.

Meng: If he doesn't like it then switch to other channel la!

Aziz: Easy for you to say. He thinks that the new contents doesn't help to promote old Malay songs, thus promoting the culture.

Kamal: Promote old Malay songs? Hah! Bring me one guy in his 20's or 30's that listens to old Malay song! Sure don't have one.

Meng: Hip hop and rock more happening la! [giggles]

Aziz: I guess you're right Kamal. In fact, probably those who listen to this station are in their 50's or more. Soon, they also would be gone and no one will listen to the station!

They all broke into laughter.

Meng: I think it's just a matter of preference and it can be compromised la. If he doesn't totally like the content, he shouldn't use his position as a minister to influence this matter. Surely RTM does have their own motives in doing so.

Kamal: I agree. Otherwise, for everything that a minister doesn't prefer, he will bring it to the cabinet and we are all forced to like what the minister likes.

Tank: Maybe one day some minister will totally dislike the traffic jam in KL and do something about it.

Baca lagi!

Stay-at-home mom

I cant help but to write this. Yesterday, while I was reading The cyclist Companion by John Howard, I heard Mike Reilly said (yes, I was watching Ironman Arizona live on my computer as well) "Welcome home Katherine Bell, 34-year old stay-at-home mom, you are an Ironman!"

I was like, what? Quickly I turned my attention to the screen. Damn. A 34-year old stay-at-home mom finished an Ironman in 14 hours. I'm sure if we have a lot of mommy like this, Malaysia wouldn't be the Malaysia I know anymore.

But the question is, Malaysians always perceive involvement in sports should be at a competitive level. So, there goes the fun in it. When you invite a friend to run a charity 5k run, they will almost immediately decline and say, "Mana larat. Kalah aku nanti". Duh.

I think because of this mentality, most Malaysian shy away from doing simple activities such as walking or running, because its embedded in their mind that they wont be able to bring home the prize at the end of the day. So why bother? Yeah, to win is something but winning isn't everything.

The runs in Malaysia, not much colour in it. You will definitely see people clad in running vests and split shorts, armed with their Timex 50 lap memory or something. Can you see people in costumes? Can you see people making fun of themselves during the run? Its the biggest running event in Malaysia FCOL! I doubt it. I tried. But I couldn't find any costumes.

Ahh...I'm fighting a lost cause here. Baca lagi!

Bowel movements

Since I missed out my LSD last weekend due to a housewarming party hosted by my friend, I was looking forward to this week's run.

Arrived at the usual spot around 6:15am. Solat Subuh at the mosque and went to get my self ready. But this time, I had some peculiar bowel movements that needed my attention. Argh..bugger. Due to lack of fruits I guess, Im having a hard time at the loo. Damn. After I'm done there (or so I thought) put my shoes on and had simple warmup. As I was about to start, two 4-wheeler with bikes mounted on top pulled to park a couple of metres besides me. Complete with aerobars and all la. Hmm..looks like they're having a group ride. It was 7:15am and I need to start right away coz the sky is still dark despite the sun coming up. It will probably rain la.

Down the usual route, which takes me about 1h34mins to reach the KPDHEP building. Ah, it was Saturday and the offices are having their aerobics in front of their respective ministry buildings. Kinda funny though. Looks like they're bouncing to the tunes of J'Lo and Aqua. I decided to go longer today. So instead of turning right to head to my car, I turned left and cover more km's before turning back.

At this moment, more bowel movements occur. Oh, cant it please wait till I get to my car? I thought it would go away, be drowned by fatigue that's about to set in. By the time I reached PICC, my bowel finally had enough patience with me. Well, you gotta go when you gotta go. I will leave the details out coz its not too pretty. Hah.

But it kinda dissapoint me coz I have to stop for almost 6 minutes. You know la, to get going back with tired legs after 2 hours of running, its kinda hard. Wished there was a taxi or bus that I can just wave and hop in. But sorry, I'm almost at the edge of Putrajaya and even if I dropped dead there, nobody would've noticed me.

But on my way back, there were a couple of cyclist went pass me but they're not the on I saw before. I wonder where they went. If they were taking the Powerman route as well, takkan lembab sangat? All the way thru my run, not a single bike passed me up to this point. Hmm.. Then, a few minutes later, barulah nampak those fellas coming from the opposite direction. Looks like they're leisurely spinning jer. Well, maybe too much money to spend but not enough energy to spend. Haha! It rhymes! I think if they went up Hulu Langat, sure die one. But on the bridge coming to Dataran Putra, they somehow overtook me. We were seperated by almost a minute.

I thought they're going to do another round (since a 2 hour ride on a weekend is kinda nothing, btul tak Azwar?) but they didnt. Waa..muka rilek jer masing-masing. As for me, I'm spent. Not like race-like spent but spent alright laa. I clocked 2h16mins for what ought to be a 18-19km run. I went pass them, gave 'em a nod. They nodded back. I dont even know them. Neither do they. But it seems like we who are in the endurance sports does acknowledge each other. BTW, during my run, I came across two fellas running with Malakoff vests. Woo...gerun. Then a couple of minutes after I'm done, I saw them on bikes. Waa! Doing brick training I guess. Syoknye!

All in all, I think I have the musculoskeletal strength to go distances, aerobic eficiency has improved, but I do need to address this bowel activity though. Surely you dont want to experience this sort of things during a race. Malaysian organisers are a bit kedekut on Porta-Loo you know. Last time at KLIM, there were only 4 of them if Im not mistaken. Kedekut taik idung masin. Baca lagi!

Have you ever bonk?

Or hit the wall? I nearly did today. Shit. Bonking is not good. It is worse during training. All this was due to lack of food for lunch. That's why you have to watch what you eat.

This is what happened:

As I was about to finish my first lap of my run at Tasik Titiwangsa, I felt a bit cold; almost that shivering feeling when you had a fever which in fact, at that moment was a ridiculous feeling for I was running! O'shit. This is it. If I were to continue, I'm gonna hit the ground and say hello to the tar. So I stopped. Wish I had some energy gels lying around the park. This is not good folks.

Good nutrition all day round will ensure that you have adequate amount glycogen stored in your body, especially during a morning workout. Not enough fuel in your tank, and you wont be going far my friend. Generally, a 60kg man with an active lifestyle would require about 2,400-2,600kcal per day. And we're not talking about loading up with nasi kandar in the afternoon and char kuey teow at night. Those kind of calories are not good. What we need is about 40-50% carb, 30% protein and 20-30% fat. Roughly. Its not that hard. Just portion out your meal and watch what you're eating. And your mealtime. If you want to experience bonking, try not to watch your mealtime, and go have your regular workout. I have to say that it is not a pleasant feeling. Not even for a 3k run. Baca lagi!

Power foods

This is one of my favourite dish, especially on one of those dont-know-what-to-eat nights because its so simple, and tasty as well!!

You'll need:

• Pasta. Although any type will do, spaghetti, spirali or penne are best.
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil.
• 2 tbsp salted butter.
• 2-3 cloves garlic. Coarsely chopped.
• shredded Parmesan cheese.
• a pinch or two of pepper.

First, boil the pasta until its cooked 'al dente'. Drain. Heat a pan and pour in the oil. Put in the butter and saute the garlic until the colour turns light brown. While waiting the garlic to turn colour, enjoy the tasty smell of butter melting. Mmmm.. Turn off the heat. Now you have your pasta sauce.

Put pasta in a bowl, pour the sauce on top. Sprinkle adequate amout of cheese and pepper. Toss. Then eat. Best accompanied with salads, to balance your nutritional needs.

Enjoy!

Baca lagi!

My legs are toast..

Yesterday after my routine workout at the KLCC track, I felt a slight sore on both of my calves. This must be caused by my hill repeats the day before.

This is the first time I'm feeling 'loaded' with training. Pergh..

My hill repeats are not that hard (ye ke?) It's a 6x100m steep gradual incline, long stride with time no more than 2"20. Senang je. But by the time I reached the 4x, rasa cam nak tercabut kaki!

So today (Friday), I'm paying the price. Sengal on both calves. Luckily, hari ni cuti training.

If this kinda training doesnt yield good success, tak tau lah.

Hopefully the sengal goes away tomorrow. Saturday n Sunday the best time to run beb! Plus, I'm looking forward to Sundays LSD in Putrajaya. Syiok!

For those going to Kenyir for triathlon, try not but do your best. Trying is for losers. Haha! Baca lagi!