Who is following who?

I dragged the Captain to accompany me to the Pacesetters' Track Meet 2011 at Selayang Stadium this morning. We arrived at 7am, thinking that the first event would kick off then. It only started 15mins after 7am.

I was there to attempt some sports photography, seeing that my camera has been neglected for some time now.

There are two reasons why I love this picture. First, her stride is amazingly long - I aspire to reach that level, the illusion of long legs (for tubby people like me) and looking like a gazelle. Secondly, I love how her daughter is enjoying running as well and her mum is running along with her to keep her going. The girl participated in a few events, if i'm not mistaken, the 100m and the 200m.

*Sigh*

Do you think my kids are going to pick up running as well. if and when I have kids? =D

The First Week of the Year

OK, I'm actually beginning with the last day of 2010 where we were busy with goodness knows what, I honestly can't remember. Dinner that night was somewhere in Kepong where the Captain (of Dutamas Runners) kindly extended the invitation to both YB and I to join his friends.

With a table for ten, it was definitely an excuse to order more dishes. =)

There was tofu, mantis prawn, marmite spare ribs, salted egg chicken and long beans.

Not forgetting the fish and spinach. =D

I don't think I ate much that night, I did my best to control myself, but heh, come late that night, I was peckish.


The next day was the first day of 2011 and I spent almost 8 hours in Pavilion doing some shopping and eating, of course. Ah, it was great catching up with the bff, although we didn't have enough time.

We decided to have tea with Jill at Godiva's and you know when girls get together, it's always necessary to have desserts. We had a slice each of the Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate to share while each of us ordered our own drink.

The Dark Chocolate was very rich and at first bite, I went on a high. It tingled my senses and enveloped me in thick, rich, chocolatey goodness which my Dark Chocolate Decadence drink failed to do.

The White Chocolate was plain OK for me, but I know the bff preferred it since it was less rich.


The problem with indulgence is that once you allow it, sometimes it'll rekindle your sweet tooth craving and then I'm toast. The diet falls back on to square one. Phhhbbt.

On Tuesday I accompanied my colleague to Merienda de Eva just for fun. I ended up buying a slice of Strawberry Cheesecake because it looked fresh, and the thick base was so tempting. The centre was a bit too soft for me, while the outer side was on the dry side. Nevertheless, it was pretty good.

On Wednesday saw my team having lunch with one of service providers at The Ming Roonm, BSC. Dim sum!
Strangely, once again, I didn't eat much. I'm not sure whether it was because there weren't many dishes for everyone to indulge or I was trying not to be too greedy.

My favourite is always the egg tart. I had two pieces, because everyone was shy! =D

Then we headed down to the Gourmet on the ground floor to check out the savoury stuff.

I then felt bad that no one wanted to buy ANYTHING so I decided to buy 3 Chocolate puffs (RM1.40 each) and one Double Chocolate Muffin (RM3.80). Before you judge me and my lack of control, I only had the Double Chocolate Muffin while I gave away the chocolate puffs. =D

I must have had high expectations because I only found the muffin to be OK. It was rightly moist inside but dry on the top. Perhaps I should have heated it up just a tad bit?

Last night, we had to meet up with some friends for drinks so we decided to have dinner first. We found our way to 3 Two Square at Section 19, Petaling Jaya and thought we'd try out Boston.
Not sure what (stupid) noodles YB ordered but it was NOT value for money. Don't be misled by its 'healthy' bland look but it turned spicy once you mix everything together - there was some sambal right at the bottom of the bowl.

I chose the Spicy Brinjal and Fish Fillet baked rice which didn't look baked at all! Regardless, the dish was surprisingly tasty. =)

Besides that, YB ordered the yam milk shake which was HORRIBLE. It was disgustingly milky and sugary sweet.

I'd say to you, please avoid their outlets at all cost. It's like Kim Gary but worse. =P

The Christmas Weekend 2010

It was a hectic weekend with trying to squeeze in as many activities as possible, though I'm sure nothing much (on my part) was accomplished. Seriously, you should know that by now! hehe. I'm good at making great plans but somehow I always manage to accomplish only half of them. =D

I'm trying to crack my head here, what was it that we did on Christmas day. I honestly cannot remember!

All I remember is with Ken and Nur back in KL for a while, we arranged to have dinner together. We first had to wait for Nur to return from Alor Setar before YB and I went over to Ken's place.

We hung out for a while (to play with his darling children) until it was 830pm and we finally headed out to Taman Tun ... STILL indecisive with our venue!

We ended up checking out Porto Romano in TTDI, facing Persiaran Zaaba. It was surprising that they didn't have an additional 30% surcharge, seeing that it was Christmas after all.

Since the place was full, we were given a table outside. It became uncomfortable for me when patrons on tables both sides from us started smoking. I started to fan myself with the menu because the smoke was in my face! *hmmfh*

Thankfully a table inside cleared and we managed have it before other patrons 'chup' it.

Ken had the french onion soup (no picture) which he said was disappointing. He was expecting one which is traditionally served with croutons and cheese as toppings.

YB and I ordered the Hawaiian Pizza and Vongole Spaghetti, while Ken and Nur chose the Calzone and steak something (no picture). The Calzone looked like a huge curry puff, but it was pretty tasty, better than the Hawaiian Pizza.

While the ham slices and pineapple pieces were slightly thick and dry on the pizza, the ham slices in the calzone were juicier, perhaps cooked better?

I'm not sure which steak they had but take a look at the piece of broccolli!

Ken's has fancy toppings while YB and I opted for the fruity ones.

After dinner, we went around looking for a place for ice-cream but couldn't find any nearby. So we decided to try out Tutti Frutti which is situated on the same row as KFC.

You know me, always hesitant in trying new and pricey places! So I guess I finally had the chance to put that aside and be adventurous.

So at RM5.30 per 100 grams, you are to select your flavours from Green Apple, Raspberry, Chocolate, Vanilla, Orange and Yam. Next, you choose your toppings and then it's weighing time.

Both YB and I shared a cup, while Nur and Ken had one each. Our total bill came up to RM38 something! That's probably 800gms between us? Crazy!

I noticed a few parents coming in with kids in tow... I'm not sure if I'd allow my kids to have a free rein of pricey yoghurt - what if they fill the cup with 500gms each and can't finish it?? =P

Raspberry turned out to be my favourite, with Yam coming second. But it make me think, though, how healthy can it be when you can taste the artificial sweetness, espcially for the Yam flavour?

Nur has always wanted us to take her hiking so we woke up early the next day to hike Bukit Tabur. The view was utterly breathtaking ... mesmerising - the day I didn't lug my camera up with me!

But that's ok, I'll just nick it off YB's album. =)

We then drove all the way to Damansara Utama to have nasi lemak at Village Park. Well, both of them had nasi lemak whilst I settled for the soto ayam - I was still recovering from tonsilitis! =(


Now I remember!

Saturday afternoon was spent at Doreen's place in Shah Alam for lunch. I couldn't eat much as most of the dishes were spicy. I'm sure they were great, though.

It was lovely to see both her and Devi again, as it's been a while since I last saw them. My ex-colleagues from many years ago and now friends. =)

Devi's family were there as well and I did my best to capture pictures of her grandchildren but it was tough! As you know, kids don't sit still and if they do, they stare at you so hard that you'd feel embarrassed. It's as if you're violating their privacy! ;)

I would have loved to have more time with them.

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