Me, Biggie and My Backpack

Saturday morning. Woke up without Amelia's wake up call. She didn't join us at Batu Caves this time and had gone to Malacca to run some errands. (One of it is registering for Malacca International Marathon which I have asked to sign me for the 21km event). This time I did 4 laps only as Woo wanna leave early. He dropped me at the Kepong train station. Took the train the Sentral then the monorail to Bukit Bintang. Was a bit early for the Biggie registration. They were just setting up the stage and tents when I arrived, so I decided to have breakfast at Coffee Bean, KLP. Mocha Latte and Blueberry cheese cake. Yummy. Went up to Tower Records. Nothing new there. Left KLP at 11:30am to Bukit Bintang Fiesta Walk. Crowd is growing. Managed to wrestle my way to be third in line. It was sizzling hot and humid. Overheard some veterens grumbling about the entry forms. This year we have to buy a copy of the Malay Mail to get the form. It was free the previous years. Approached by some reporters because I was looking absolutely irresistable in my last year's Biggie T-shirt. Mundane interview questions like name, age, occupation, since when I have started to walk in Biggie (5 years now) etc. Another ploy to make me buy another copy of Malay Mail tomorrow. Collected the goodie bag - 3 cans of drinks Milo, Ginger Ale and Livita. A far cry from last year which was filled with many samples and vouchers. Went to Midvalley to buy my backpack from TearProof. Sale is on! Got one under RM200. All ready for Kinabalu and beyond!

How do I rate Passion?

I braved the rain to board the bus to Asia Jaya LRT station. I still feeling feverish. Should be home resting as instructed by my doctor who gave me an MC that morning. But it was something too good to be missed – a FREE screening of the no.1 Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ on BIG screen! I was surprised when Kevin told me that he got some free tickets for POTC. Christian movie like this would be banned from Malaysian cinemas, fearing will shaken the belief and faith of non-Christians. The screening was held in a former old cinema turn assembly hall for a church in PJ. So, I guess the church people would have gotten the permit to screen it. Initially we were seated on the ground floor but we decided to “upgrade” our seats to the balcony seats upstairs. It was an old cinema, pre-cineplex era style where the ground floor were for the common people and the upstairs seats were for people who can afford to dish out more dough so that they can be on top of everyone else and throw pop-corns from the balcony. It sure brought back some memory. The show supposed to started after some brief words from the man who I think was the pastor of the church. I was told by friends who have watched POTC on pirated VCD/DVD that it contains graphic violent scenes. Having watched Kill Bill earlier in the morning, I thought I could handle possibly all the blood and gory scenes. Boy, I was wrong. I was cringing in my seat watching Jesus being beaten, flogged and finally crucified. I cried. It was painful for me to see the amount of pain and suffering that we human can inflict on another. Why they want to watch him suffer? At the end of the movie, the pastor got up again to the church and preached. We were ready to leave but the pastor asked everyone to close his or her eyes and reflect. Those who accepted Christ were asked to go on the stage. We quietly sneaked out from the back of the cinema. Hey….I was there for the free movie, nothing else but why do I felt like a thief sneaking out. A very effective “recruitment” drive for the church, according to Adrian. Whatever it is, I was moved by the movie. I can’t say that I enjoyed it. I cannot bring myself to enjoy other people’s pains and sufferings. I can’t rate it. How can I rate the pain and sufferings that people inflict on people?

Caves and Charity Run

6:45am. Saturday. 10 April 2004. It was still dark when we climb up the stairs of Batu Caves. This time I was prepared for it. Did some light stretching and some warm-up before I start the climb. I glad that I did as my calves and thighs are feeling fine today. Last week, it took me 3 days to recover from sore legs. Did 9 laps compared to last's week 5. Lai outdid all of us by making a 10. Woo vomited after his 7 laps. I think he pushed himself too hard or maybe the he cannot stand the guano smell that polluted the air. I didn't notice the smell the week before but last week, it was eugh!!! Managed to coax an ex-colleague out of bed to buy us breakfast ? Segambut Seafood Noodle. What a treat. Succulent fresh prawn, seaweed, squid, fish, clams drowned in thick curry. Yummy! Stay home for the rest of my Saturday, watching the Sxx and the City DVD- The Complete Season 5. Wonderful! 8:00am. Sunday. 11 April 2004. Started to run Hong Leong Charity run. Took me 38mins to complete my run. I think it is definitely more than 5km as what they claimed. I don't quite enjoy the run, I supposed the lactic acid from the Batu Caves climb was still accumulated in my leg muscles. Had lunch in Oishi in Midvalley. Promo, buy three get one free. The buffet spread was not that impressive. Somehow the standards have plunged during promotion time. Hang out at Strudels, listening to Joan recent Japan trip stories. She brought some cute Pooh Sweet, Mickey Mouse Madeleine cakes and sweets she bought when she raided Tokyo Disneyland Gift Store. Wonderful!

Dates & DVDs

Watched 50 First Dates at Pyramid last Moday and collected my DVDs from Ken. Adam Sandler plays a man who falls in love with Lucy (Drew Barrymore), a woman with short-term memory loss. Therefore, Lucy never remembers Sandler and this proves to be a pain for him as he always has to gain her back every day. Sean Austin looks completely different from the fat and meek Frodo-worshipping Samwise Gamgee in LOTR. He plays a trim and fit steroid-taking brother of Lucy, complete with twitching chest muscles. Wonder what he eats. I never liked Rob Schneider before but in this movie, he is a riot as Ula, Adam’s sidekick. The walruses and penguin add the fun cutesy animal factor to the movie. Don’t miss this one. Some new DVD for my viewing pleasure. Sxx and the City (Complete Season 4 & 5), Infernal Affair 1, 2 & 3, Golden Chicken 2, Running on Karma, Irreversible (Monica Belluci), Something’s Gotta Give, Kill Bill Vol. 1, 2Fast 2Furious, The Hulk, Down With Love, City of God, The Girlie Show and BabyFace Video Collection.

Thunder and Hail Storm

I am stuck in the office. I should either at the gym, sweating it out or at home, slumming on the couch watching DVD. The girls in the office (and the she boss too) were excited, shrieking like they have discovered orgasm when they saw some ice bits on the ground. It rained solid ice just now. Just a few second. I heard the roof was bombarded with kacang. They were not big ice cubes. Just as big as M&M, except that they melt in my hand. Now it is still pouring outside. The weather is a bit peculiar nowadays. It never fail to rain at 5:00pm. Not at 3:00pm when I am still in the office, having my afternoon teabreak with Mrs. Pang's kuih. Not at 8:00pm when I will be at home, slumming on the couch watching the 8:00 o'clock news. It HAS to be at 5:00pm when I am getting ready to pack my stuff and leave the office. Why? I don't know. Must be some kind of forces that try to keep me in the office....... The rain has subsided. Just received an SMS from a friend who just got back from Penang, with my DVDs. I sent him a list of DVDs that I wanted him to buy in Penang. They are slightly cheaper there and quality is assured since my friend is a regular customer. Hmmm...will write about that next. Gotta go now. Bye.

The Eye on Magazines

It’s Monday again. Five more days to the weekend again. Last weekend was a movie weekend. Watched midnight show of THE EYE 2 in TGV Pyramid. Was not as scary as the first one but nonetheless creepy. A new interpretation of reincarnation process. The spirit has to float into the pregnant mother’s birth canal (they did that in slow-mo) when she is ready to go into labour. This would freak all the would-be mothers out there. Woke up about 6:15 am on Saturday morning. Almost overslept if not for the call from Amelia. As schedule, Lai picked us up at Project before setting of for another adventure in Batu Caves. This will be our first training session for Mount Kinabalu climb next month. There was a jam on the LDP near Westen Digital, pretty odd for a Saturday morning. Saw a motorcyclist sprawled in a pool of blood on the roadside. That explained it. Choy! Choy! Arrived in Batu Caves about 7:30 pm. There were many devotees around. Praying and walking shoeless up the caves. The stairs (272 of them) didn’t appear to be intimidating from afar. But after several rounds of ascend and descends, my knees started to turn wobbly. My quads shook as I trotted down the stairs. Not easy at all. Should have done some warm up before shooting up the stairs. There is still a tight pull on my calf even after two days of rest. Sigh….Hope next week’s climb will be better. Went to KLCC for lunch with a friend. Watched THE GATHERING at TGV KLCC. Couldn’t get tickets for Scooby Doo 2 or 50 First Dates. It was a slow paced horror flick stars Christina Ricci. It was OK. Nothing spectacular. Watch it only when you have nothing else to watch. Dropped by at S&M shopping mall on my way back. It’s the place I go for cheap local original VCD and DVD. Bought 2 DVDs – Dinotopia (Hallmark Series) & Dark Water (a must watch Japanese Horror flick, from the creator of The Ring) and a Thai VCD about a Muay Thai warrior. Sunday was a relaxing day. My right calf was still bothering me. Have to walk with a limp. Kevin came by to collect the Janet Jackson's Damita Joe promo disc and passed me some of his DVDs (Fantasia, Zoolander, Phone Booth, Thelma & Louise, Janet Live in Hawaii, Battlestar Galactica- The Movie). Went for a swim at my gym and joined the yoga class. Stuck at Wisma Thrifty PJ due to heavy rain. Went shopping at Pyramid. Spent an hour browsing in MPH bookstore. Came a cross a magazine called Ah Moi, targeting singles in Malaysia. Bought a copy. It was quite interesting to know that many singles out there are like me who enjoy their own company and will not succumb to the nuptial traps. This mag will be placed on my subscription list. Other magazines that I enjoy reading tremendously: V Mag – This is the best magazine in the world. I cannot find a magazine with freebies (Starbuck Coffee, Nando Chicken) inside that cost more than the magazine itself. The ultimate magazine for all the Kiasus. Different colourful theme every month. Men’s Health – A macho mag with great health tips and great colour pictures on how to work that body! Feng Shui World – What else but Feng Shui. Get the latest flying stars charts on the month to know what are my affliction and lucky sectors. Where do display my three legged toad, gold ingots, dragon tortoise or crystal balls. Runner’s World – expensive (RM20.90) but worth it. Everything about running. Tips, diet, stories, shoes, gears etc. Must read for people who dare to call themselves runners.