Run For A Cause - Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010

Fahrin Ahmad wants you to RUN AS ONE!

What? Official Announcement of "Run for a Cause"

Where? Opal Room, Mandarin Oriental, KL.

When? 29 April 2010, 10:30am.

As a charity-driven initiative by the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010 (SCKLM 2010), the ‘Run for a Cause’ segment of this much-awaited marathon had officially announced its 5 charity partners at an exclusive media event.

The event started with a video montage preview and followed by a speech from YB Dato' Seri Ibrahim Saad, Advisor to the SCKLM 2010 Organising Committee.

The five charity partners of SCKLM 2010 are....

The Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB)

Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) represented by Marathon des Sables runner, Ralph Dixon.

National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) represented by Miss Malaysia/ world 2009, Miss Thanuja Ananthan.

Chidren's Environmental Heritage Foundation (YAWA) represented by Aishah Sinclair.

Standard Chartered Trust Fund (SCTF)

Back for a second year, the SCKLM 2010 is part of the Standard Chartered marathon series held in nine cities around the world, providing thousands of ordinary people and opportunity to be part of an extraordinary community-centric event.

SCKLM 2010 is set to become Malaysia’s premier sporting event, with a goal of building a healthier and happier Malaysia. Yay!

The 'Run for a Cause" initiative will see participants selecting one of the charity partners of SCKLM 2010, pledging to raise a minimum of RM500. Entry fee for the participant will be waived upon raising RM500.

The event saw many local celebrities attending in support of their charity of choice.

Here's a photo of Fahrin getting some running tips from Marathon des Sables runner, Ralph Dixon.

Zainal Abidin being interviewed by ESPN. Not sure if he is running the SCKLM but I am sure he will support it in anyway he can! :)

Raring to go! Amy Mastura, Atilia, Zainal Abidin and a very pregnant, Aishah Sinclair.

TV Host, Rina Omar and Happy singer Amy Mastura.

Meet Thanuja....One of the most beautiful girls in Malaysia. She won the Miss Malaysia/ World last year. This year she will be running for a cause, for National Cancer Society of Malaysia.

According to Thanuja, she will be putting on her running shoes in the memory of her aunt who had succumbed to cancer. (Insert applause here!)

Aishah Sinclair is looking radiant.

She won't be running with us in SCKLM because by then she will be 8 month pregnant! She promised that she will be at the start point though (as long as she haven't give birth by then).

Aishah said the money raised for YAWA will be used to plant trees! You do the running and they do the planting! Heheh!

This guy? No need intro anymore lah! He will be running 10K in SCKLM.

So girls....please join SCKLM 10K and get sweaty with Fahrin Ahmad, OK? :)

Zainal Abidin is showing us how to look taller in a photo standing by Miss Malaysia, Thanuja. The secret is to stand on a chair. LOL!

This is Rex, from Lite FM. He's an avid marathoner!

Where is Fahrin Ahmad running to?

Chicken Briyani and shish kebab buffet after the press conference! (Not your ordinary runner's diet. Heheh!)

I think they want us to eat more so that we could have more calories to burn in the SCKLM. Kidding! The briyani was absolutely delicious!

Wanna find out how much is the $$$$ goal for Run for A Cause?

The answer is in the video. Please click play.

ENJOY!

For more info about Standard Chartered KL Marathon and Run For A Cause, please click HERE.

Acknowledgement:

Thank you to my running buddy, Tey for helping me with the invite for this event. Also to Golazo (Mr. Rainer Biemans) and G2.

If you like this post, you might wanna check out last year's SCKLM treadmill challenge.

Photo: Bidor Half Marathon 2010

Now that you have seen the video, get ready to see some funky photos from the race. I rarely post process (PP) my photo because I am lazy quite happy with what my camera can produce.

This time I got a little bit creative and with few clicks on my computer...Viola! HRD-esque photographs. Heheh!

Half Marathoners waiting to blast off!

Crossing the North - South Highway...

Agatha, looking good in the race. The route provide lots of opportunities for me to snap my fellow runners coming from the opposite directions.

The route took us into rubber, banana, oil palm and fruit plantation, which is nice and cooling. But sometimes I couldn't stand the smell from the fertilizer at certain stretch. Heheh!

Lawrence looks as he is suffering from the fertilizer smell. Heheh!

YES?

Thumb up for Bidor Half Marathon. It is a fantastic road race, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. About 2 hours (if you drive really really slow) from Kuala Lumpur.

I called him "AdiNation". Heheh! That's Mr. K from Adidas.

We ran through a Orang Asli (aboriginal people) village, called Kampung Chang where the 10km runners made a U turn back.

Here, I stopped briefly to capture the photos of these girls (with permission of the adult guardian, of course)

My little road race spectators.

Kenny Tan of der Pacemakers.

Saya Lau giving Bidor Half Marathon a thumb up! Heheh!

The greeneries sooth the tired eyes.

I think this is the best photo from the lot. En. Sharafi giving Bidor Half Marathon a thumb up!

All smiles for the camera. :) Thumb ups too!

Yay! Yin can't wait to have a cup of Milo Ais at the end of her run...But wait, the drink sponsor was Vico! Vico is good too! :)

More stories from Bidor coming soon. Please come back for updates.

Click HERE to see the Bidor Half Marathon video.

Video: Bidor Half Marathon 2010

I'm posting the video first.

I ran the 10K event. I had fun running and putting together this video. I hope you have fun watching it too. Do let me know if you manage to spot yourselves in the video. :)

ENJOY!

Race report and more action-packed photos coming real soon. Please comeback for updates.

Trance is Life Because....

....we are all trance dancers!

Some dance in unison. Some dance to their own beat. But we all dance to the beat of life!

Effective 7th May 2010, the music policy for Friday nights at Euphoria - Ministry of Sound will be Trance music! Headlining the launch of TRANCE NATION will be trance master, DJ Andy Moor from UK.

This pic is a screenshot of his gig schedule...

Grammy-nominated DJ, Andy Moor is one of the world's most credited trance and progressive producer-DJs. Recently nominated for the 2009 DJ Awards, Andy is rapidly scaling the DJ Mag’s Top 100 and is currently at #15.

Personally I love Trance music and use it regularly when I go for a run. Trance music is generally has a tempo of between 130 and 155 BPM which is excellent for my easy pace. :D

The name - trance music is undoubtedly linked to the ability of music to induce an altered state of consciousness known as a trance.

The effect of some trance music has been likened to the trance-inducing music created by ancient shamanists during long periods of drumming.

But so far, I have not been lifted to that state of conciousness when listening to trance music during a run. Maybe I am not running fast enough? Heheh!

Learn about trance music HERE.

Back to Andy Moor.....

Moor has produced and remixed artists Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Paul Oakenfold, Brian Eno, Tiësto etc.

Andy Moor's last remix, Nadia Ali – Love Story reached #1 on the Billboard Breakout Chart, the Billboard Dance Chart and Beatport Trance. Woohoo! Hope he will play this track in his coming show!

THIS 7TH MAY 2010, WITNESS THE LAUNCH OF TRANCE NATION AT MINISTRY OF SOUND – EUPHORIA WITH ANDY MOOR PRESENTS JAYTECH

CELEBRATE THE RETURN OF GLOBAL CLUBBING PHENOMENON IN KL WITH THE BIGGEST CLUB, BIGGEST BRAND & BIGGEST DJS!

WHAT: The long-awaited moment has arrived! Experience the ultimate in Trance as DJ Andy Moor fires up the dance floor at Ministry of Sound – EUPHORIA with non-stop blows of supersonic trance ....

WHEN: Friday, 7 May 2010, from 9.30pm till 3.00am

HOW MUCH? RM60 per person, inclusive of one (1) selected house-pouring drink

MORE INFO? CLICK HERE.

Trance is life because in life, we are all trance dancers! Some dance in unison. Some dance to their own beat. But we all dance to the beat of life!

Video: Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted Tour Live In Malaysia 2010

As promised here's the best bits snippets from the concert! I can't be taping the whole show. :D

Watch Kelly romped barefooted on the stage and had the Malaysian concert goers to sing with her in "Behind These Hazel Eyes".

p/s. I love the "balloons shower" before the show and the way Kelly said, "Welcome to the All I Ever Wanted Tour. Ta da!"

ENJOY!

Click HERE for pictures from the concert.

Still want more of Kelly??? Click HERE and HERE please.

Photo: Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted Tour Live In Malaysia 2010

What? All I Ever Wanted Tour Live In Malaysia 2010

Where? Stadium Bukit Jalil, KL

When? 25 April 2010

Who? Kelly Clarkson, American Idol (First Season)

All I Ever Wanted is...sing like Kelly, but God made me a man; so the next best thing is singing along at her concert!

That was my winning slogan that clinched me the third prize in a competition by the organiser of the concert!

And sing along in the concert I did...with thousands of screaming fans at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

This is Jaclyn Victor, our very own Malaysian Idol (First Season)

I love Jaclyn! A Malaysian Idol as an opening act for American Idol! I love the idea but it would be awesome if two of them could do a duet on stage or something! Anyway, Jac whizzed through like 300 Malay hit songs in a medley! Heheh!

Then, came Suki (The girl who won a million ringgit in One In A Million reality show) dressed to kill!

I read somewhere that her red dress costs RM15,000!

But we think, Suki should have spend the RM15,000 bucks on more violin and vocal lessons rather than on a beautiful dress. (re: her performance kinda suck egg la!)Heheh!

Learn from the sifus, Jac and Kelly. They don't need those frills! Just blow them away with power-pack lungs!

Kelly opened her show with "All I Ever Wanted" from her latest album.

Yes. She is on the plump side. Can't stay away from those pork chop and hamburgers I guess.

The simple stage. With lots of blinking and flashing lights but devoid any backdrops.

Kelly and her back up singers.

Kelly rocked the stadium down with hits from her four albums, Thankful (2003), Breakaway (2004), My December (2007) and her latest All I Ever Wanted (2009).

Kelly was sweating buckets. Heheh! She said, "It feels like some kind of gospel revival and the Lord is sweating out of me!"

ROTFLOL!

She sang and sang, taking no breaks in between. No costume change. No shoes even!

Kelly did a couple of mash-up/ cover in the show. I love they way she blended Alanis Morisette - That I Would Be Good and King of Leon - Use Somebody.

She did a Kylie too - I Can't Get You Out Of My Head.

‘I made it, I’m 28′! Kelly Clarkson (April 24, 1982) celebrated her birthday in Malaysia the day before!

Kelly doing a Mariah Carey "Vision of Love" pose? Heheh!

The show ended about 10:00pm. Kinda early for those who used to Asian act concert that can run into 30 costumes changes in an 3 hours extravaganza.

It was alright! I enjoyed myself. It's the quality of the performance that counts, not the length of the concert!

Kelly! You go girl! :) WE LOVE YOU! Fats and all. :D

Click HERE for the best bits video clip from the concert.