SCKLM 2010

(oooh, this was in my draft, not sure why it wasn't published!)

as you know, SCKLM 2010 was held on 27th June 2010...

it's our first anniversary of the 10km run for both YB and i, but this time, we didn't run together. we both clocked a much better time compared to our first time, so, hmmm, i guess it was alright!

i was hoping to clock a sub-60 min but i knew from my pace for the first 5km, i was going way too slow. oh well. i'll just have to shave off 5mins at my next 10km run and it'll be a new Personal Best!


a crazy cousin completed the half-marathon. she's contemplating doing a full marathon next year, i think. =)

i'm not sure whether we look better this year or last, but in terms of fitness, we're much better now!

now to lose some weight ... ack!!!

The Last Official Run for 2010

And that, ladies and gentlemen, refers to the Malakoff 12km, Kuala Lumpur 2010 on 19th December.

I can't believe I'm done for the year! There's just so much more to learn, improve and achieve so I have to say that I am quite gutted that the year is ending without a bang!


Last Sunday, I told myself to aim for a better time compared to the Shape Night Run in July. If I achieved it at the Malakoff, then I would have managed to improve by a significant margin (even two minutes less than the last run of a similar distance is a good thing!) in terms of speed. Whether there are any improvements in my technique, posture, endurance, etc, well, it is still a long way more to go.

However, I do admit that halfway through a run, niggling doubts will set in. For example:

"oh man, it's too humid! i can't run in this heat!"
"hmmm, i'm not feeling too good. it's ok if i don't meet my target, eh?"
"man, this is tough! perhaps i should lower my target to a more reasonable one ..."

I am such a hopeless case of optimism, I tell you. It iritates the hell out of both YB and I as it makes me sound like such a quitter!

And then some time near the end of a race, I'd finally snap out of it and tell myself to stop making excuses, GET GOING!

You see! I am a procrastinator through and through. =D

~
It was a quiet event for both YB and I as we had no one to hang out with as a group. *sniff* We felt so lonely!

We bumped into Azri, Raymond and Michelle before the start of the run. After the run, I bumped into Amy, Nik, Adam and Olivia. Yay! I finally managed to speak with Olivia in person. =D


For the first part from the start line until the set of traffic lights on top of the slope from the Securities Commission, I did my best to keep my pace and made sure I wasn't huffing and puffing from going too fast. That was the first slope of the route where everyone would take it slow in order not to run out of steam so early of the race.

I checked my watch and thought I did OK, more or less at the target I had set. Without giving in to temptation to walk to catch my breath, it was then the beginning of the first of two loops along Jalan Beringin.

I saw the same uncle taking his golden retriever for a walk and I was so tempted to wave at the dog as I normally would do but decided otherwise this time - didn't want the runners to think i was an oddball.

Arriving at the first slope somewhere after the Shell station near Manulife, I slogged on uphill. I still felt good so I was pleased. Took a ribbon at the checkpoint and started pacing the hot Santarina ahead of me by 10m. (You should know by now who the hot Santarina is. *swoon* I have a crush on her! heh. Well, if you must know, I have a crush on TWO female runners. =P)

Right after the school, it was a matter of keeping a consistent pace and making sure I wouldn't go too fast and die on the second slope. I started chatting to a lady who encouraged me to run after the Santarina but I declined. She told me that two years ago, the route for the Malakoff was much tougher than this one.

Arriving at the 2nd slope, I mustered up whatever strength I had trained/prepared for and embraced the steep incline. Knowing that there could be papparazzi waiting at the top, I had to make sure I wasn't grimacing or panting like an ugly cow - you should know by now how unflattering I look while running!

At the traffic lights, I checked my watch and was surprised to find myself a minute and a half earlier than my target. Oh crap, I thought, it's going to be hard to stick to this pace!

The second loop saw many men increasing their pace and overtaking most of the ladies. They really revved their engine so early for the finale!

There were no hitches for me until the second check point when I started suffering a bad stitch on my right side. Oh gawd.

I tried to make it go away but it refused. I didn't want to stop, knowing that I would be able to achieve my target time but it was so bloody painful - I think it was a muscle cramp!

It was really painful.

I continued running and three girls overtook me (bugger!) and even the lady whom I had a small chat during the first loop managed to overtake me as well. Oh bugger. I had to force myself to move on and eventually managed to cover up the distance between the lady and one girl and then came the second slope (the last one, YAY!), i managed to overtake the two remaining girls.

But as I reached the traffic lights again, I slowed down a bit to ease the pain on my right. And dang it, the last two girls I overtook shot off downhill towards Securities Commission and finish line. I sped up as well but only to find myself in more agony, so I had to forget it. I couldn't even keep up with Santarina anymore!

Checked my watch to find that I was back on track and the 1.5minutes I had saved from the first loop were taken up by my 2nd loop. Half pleased and half disappointed, I gave a mental pat on my back and moved on. I was within my target time.

Ignoring the pain, I quickened my pace from Securities Commission and all the way to the finish line. YAY!

It was such a dull crowd at the finish line. There was no loud cheering as the runners crossed the finish line, just instructions to head on to collect your goodie bags. =P

So I was -1.05min from my target time. Awesome!
(But if you must know, I was still secretly dissatisfied. If I wasn't in pain, would I have shaved off a minute? =S)

I was queuing up for Revive when I heard YB call out to me. Aiks, I really didn't expect him to be back so soon.

So both of us achieved our personal best for the last race of the year and we were ecstatic. *smiles happily*

Don't mind me. I just look like shites!

Part of the goodie bag allowed runners to redeem either Tau Foo Far or Mee Mamak or Roti Jala AND a bowl of cendol. We chose the Mee Mamak and Roti Jala.

We didn't feel like eating then and there so we headed back at 9am after hanging out with Adam for a while. I reheated the food together with some rice and beef rendang and that was our brunch. Basically our carbo loading came after our run. =D

Some facelift crap for the women. Geez. Men get the shower gel.

Anyway, our next competitive run should be the Bareno Run 2011 in March. That's a long way to go but who cares, at least I have a run to look forward to!

~
p.s. I sent a message to the hot Santarina that evening to tell her I was pacing her and that I think she's awesome! =P

p.p.s. Am secretly bummed! Apparently it's not 12km, but it could be only 11km+.

p.p.p.s I also read on someone's blog that a few cars parked at the darker corners of the car park outside Securities Commission were broken into! I KNEW it!! I wanted to be early so we could get a spot nearer to the entrance or guard house but we were fairly late and had to park in the middle row. While we were walking out towards the main road, a young man on bike was driving out and I asked YB, "hey he doesn't look like a marshall or volunteer, right? he could have been checking the cars out to plan for burglaries."

The Last Weekend of November

(old pics!)


At some coffee shop in Taman Sri Sinar, Segambut. YB wanted beer and he hadn't had dinner so it was the only place i could think of. The plate of wan tan noodles is KYK's which wasn't great. The curry mee wasn't that great either. =P

We decided to eat at Udang King Cafe at Bayu Walk before we headed to Ipoh to celebrate YB's dad's birthday. Its hot Nescafe came in a pot and a cup which looked more suited for serving tea.

I had the Kampung Fried Rice at RM11.90. Big portion and it was good enough to fill the stomach.

YB was craving for Fish Head Noodles and his bowl looked really huge! Priced at RM15.90, it would definitely be enough to fill your tummy. Taste wise, it was nothing to shout about.

Back in Ipoh, YB told me about the wan tan noodles at the row of hawker stalls at the Indera Mulia Stadium so we headed there after he and his friend finished their game of tennis. Check out the baby wan tan!


Dinner that night was at someone's baby's full moon party where the most popular dish was the roast pork sliced/cut right in front of you! yum yum.

Everyone was gushing how easy it was to drink the wine and so I went to check it out. It was because it was Lambrusco. =D

For breakfast before we left Ipoh, we tried the fish noodle soup somewhere ... just because YB was having a MAJOR craving for fish noodle soup that weekend! sheesh. Nothing great, I suppose.

More Merienda de Eva

This is Part 2.

Yonks ago, I decided to try their carrot cake (RM8.00). Every time I was there, I'd eye it, imagining the taste of cream cheese in my mouth.

But I was so wrong.

Perhaps I should have heated it up? Because it was hard and dry and I didn't enjoy it.

My colleague had a small slice which was part of a set lunch and she said it wasn't too bad - as they heated it up before it was served.

~~
Remember what I said about their takeaways? No service charge!

Set lunch of roast chicken set, and opted for their macaroni salad for the side. Enjoyed my meal tremendously. I didn't take a picture of the dessert, though. It wasn't picture-worthy, I think. =D

Each set lunch includes Iced Lemon Tea.

~~
Erm, yes.

You can tell that I eat a lot of cakes. This was their Mocha Praline (RM8.00) which I must say was the 2nd worst of the lot. Although it was nutty with bits of walnuts and other sort of nuts (yes, I am not a food blogger so my description is horrible!), the cream was too sweet (coming from a person who has a sweet tooth!) and the layers too dry.

~~

This should be the Grilled Chicken, I think. Each set comes with Iced Lemon Tea which is crazy sweet!

I didn't take a picture of the dessert which probably wasn't picture worthy. Hmmm. It could have been a small slice of Caramel something (too sweet) or Tiramisu (very good! It's non-alcoholic)!

I think I prefer the Roast Chicken. =)

~~

Besides their set lunches and main courses, they also serve some savoury bites like apple strudel, tuna puff, lamb pie, beef pie, chicken pies, etc. I tried its mini Chicken Carter Pie for RM1.80! That's the takeaway price! If y0u eat in, it will be RM5.00.

Recently, they have the large Chicken Carter Pie for RM5.00 takeaway.

~~

This was my lunch last week, I can't remember which day. I decided to eat in as the air-conditioning in my office was fekking cold!

Roast Chicken set, served with a side of coleslaw(ish) and potato salad. It was good. I mean, I enjoyed the chicken and the potato salad. =D


A small slice of apple pie to complete the set lunch - all for RM14.90.

Didn't like it. It wasn't warm enough and once again, it was too sweet.

~~

Not knowing what to have for lunch on Friday, I found myself in their shop. I wanted the chicken pie but they were out.

I spotted a new cake on display, the Banana Toffee Cake. So ... I couldn't help myself but to order a slice to take away (RM8.00).

It was as good as it looks, its layers reminding me of Secret Recipe's Chocolate Indulgence but not much mousse in it. It was still a bit sweet but it's toffee! I can forgive. =P



Unfortunately, I have to admit that I had a tummy ache that afternoon and not too sure whether the cake was the root of the cause. =S

Merienda de Eva

This is Part 1.

Since they opened sometime in August/September, I've been frequenting this place at least every fortnight for their cakes and/or set lunches.

This post has been in my draft for months now, and it's best I get it out of the way this instant!

My first visit was with a colleague in September.

She ordered a slice of Rocky Road Mocha something(RM8.00) for lunch. =)
She enjoyed it a lot. I must admit I can't recall much about it as I was saving space for my lunch.

She ordered a side of macaroni salad for RM5.50. It was pretty good and we both agreed that we'd come back for more of it. =)

Recently, they revised the price to RM6.00 per serving.

I had the set lunch of grilled chicken with two side dishes for RM11.90.

As they were still learning the ropes, most of their customers had to wait a while for their food to arrive. They even got some orders mixed up, which annoyed the starving customers!

I waited for almost 30mins for my food to arrive and man, I was starving.

I'd say that the buttered rice was a bit bland to my liking, so I was thankful that the macaroni salad was good. It has a tinge of sweetness (from relish, i think) and a hint of celery.

~
The following week after my first visit, I paid them another visit for some cake.

I tried the Moist Chocolate Cake (RM8.00) and it was heavenly. Ooooh all these years it has been hard for me to find the right kind of 'moist' chocolate cake in KL!

When I was younger, my mum's friend would always give us a whole Moist Chocolate Cake for Chinese New Year and my sisters and I would just devour it as much as we could, so that mum wouldn't give half the cake away to her colleagues. We didn't want to share!

~
The next time my colleague and I were there, we decided to share a meal.

We opted for chicken lasagna (or beef, I can't remember) for RM12.90 (if it's chicken, it's RM11.90) which came with 2 slices of bread.

We found the pairing strange as there was nothing to complement the bread with, no balsamic vinegar and olive oil on the side. Hence, it was rather dry.

The mashed potato (RM6.00) was the bomb. Awesome!

The entire meal was filling enough for the both of us ladies to share. =)

I ordered the ... uhm ... (crap, i forgot! it's been too long!!) ... it looks like cappucino ... (or was it cafe latte?) which was good enough for me. (I was just reminded that it was Flat White.)

WHY I WOULD GO THERE AGAIN:
1. The variety of cakes changes every now and then.
2. There is NO service charge for takeaway.
3. My favourites: lasagna, macaroni salad, potato salad and mash potato.

~
Other review: Eat Drink KL

Sudu at KL Hilton

So the other sister was in town for work over the weekend and not really knowing where to go, I suggested to try Sudu at KL Hilton. The last time I was there was many years ago *thinks* ... abouve 5-6 years ago.

Google for images of the restaurant because honestly, I was more interested in devouring the food after taking part in the Charity Nature Run.

Except for the ceiling near the entrance of the restaurant. =)

Salmon cocktail, anyone? I don't know what's it called! I just ate it, because my sister took it for me. =)

Ooh, what a lovely scallop!

I just HAD to, y'know? I miss eating fresh scallops!

I zoomed in on the oysters and filled up a plate. This plate was for sharing, - i ate the ones with tabasco sauce.
(But I probably devoured 4, as my sisters wanted to theirs on their own plates. rolls eyes*)

Next up for me was some smoked salmon, smoked duck and scallop again. I remember I didn't quite like the texture of the smoked duck.

I didn't try the smoked chicken, though. They still had loads on display.

What I didn't know was that they didn't replenish the spoons of scallops so my youngest sister was a bit upset when she only managed to have one.

I had 3. =P

Tried the hash browns, a small piece of herb infused lamb loin, cod in tomato something something ... and more oysters!

You can ignore the slices of smoked turkey which tasted like ... hypermarket's own home brand budget products.

We also tried their tomato based pasta and cream based pasta. The tomato based one was bland, so please don't bother! The cream based one was OK, it had mushrooms in it. =)

But then again, both my sister and i were rather clueless. All we did was, "uhhh one tomato based pasta and one cream based pasta. Uhmmm, spirals for cream based and spaghetti for the tomato based one, uhh ... ok." and went back to our table.

I also took a piece of duck wrapped with pancake (?) which i presume was trying to mimic the Crispy Peking Duck Pancake. It wasn't crispy so it was rather forgettable for me.

On to the desserts.

Do NOT try the Chocolate Mudcake as it was dry. The mango pudding thingy was OK.

That chocolate mousse + stuff in a glass was decent. No, the strawberry thingy next to the mango pudding slice was not good.

Nor was the cream caramel.

It's true what the reviews say - the desserts suck bolls to the max.

It looks pretty but doesn't score too high in the taste department.

Overall, I sure hope I ate my money's worth of oysters and smoked salmon and everything else. Sunday's Brunch is RM148++ per pax for non-Hilton members with free flow of juice. If you want free flow of champagne/wine, it will be RM258++ per pax.

Yes, it was very painful on the wallet so I would suggest you go for it's lunch semi-buffet on Mondays to Saturdays for RM99++, RM119++ or RM129++. (Not too sure of this! I just know that I got the raw end of the deal with RM148++ on a Sunday! *phhhbbbtt*)

Christmas is a month away!!

YB and i headed down to town that night to visit a cousin-in-law for dinner. After ten minutes of deliberation, we settled for Celadon Royal Thai Cuisine on the 6th floor.

We ordered the Pad Thai and Thai Pineapple Fried Rice.

Only the lobster's head impressed me in terms of presentation. The noodles were sticky and you couldn't pick up a mouthful with your fork without picking up the entire blob of noodles!

Taste wise, just ok.

The fried rice looked pale and looked unappetising. OK, perhaps the colour was due to pineapple juice or something. Taste wise, I would say that the cashew nuts was its saving grace.

Honeydew and sago for dessert. It was refreshing enough to appease me. =)

After dinner, we headed on to the Rainforest Sports Bar to catch the Asian Games badminton finals between Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei. It was a shame to LCW lose the third game oh so badly!

BUT, I must say that I enjoy watching Lin Dan play as somehow, he just looks so graceful as he moves around the court and his smashes are just powerful! *swoon* Not forgetting his *cough* body ...