A Visit to HUKM Pediatric Ward

What? A Visit to Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) Pediatric Ward

Where? HUKM, Cheras, KL.

When? 17 Oct 2010, 3pm - 6pm

Who? A bunch of runners led by Kooky Kash and Allen brought together for this special project.

The aim of the visit was to cheer up children admitted in the pediatric ward. We hosted 25 kids from age just over 1 year old to about 12 years old. All were with Leukemia or Lymphoma.

Some were carted in wheel chairs and some still had IV/ drip tubes still attached. All were accompanied by their caretakers.

We brought food, gifts and medals....our hard-earned finisher medals to be presented to them. But most importantly we brought US. Our presence. :)

Julie, the emcee cum singer cum comedian cum dancer (did I miss out anything?) for the event.

Allen lighting up the candles on the birthday cake. He did more than lighting up those candles. He lit up the everyone spirit with his bountiful of energy and passion! The best floor manager ever! LOL!

Chow time....Generous spread of fried bihun, fried rice, cakes, fruit and snacks.

Yummy cupcakes from Kak Nita of My Little Cupcakes sponsored cakes, cupcakes and T-shirts for all of us.

You can see lots of love has been put into those little cup cakes. :)

Sand art - one of the many activities lined up to entertain the kids. We have board games, magic show, balloon sculptures and face painting too.

The kids enjoying themselves.

A trayful of finisher medals. Donated from runners, who bled, sweated and teared to get them from various road races. I gave my hooHa 10!10!10! medal away. :)

Each of the kid were presented with a medal each. We would like to inspire them and to celebrate their victory so far for being strong despite their medical conditions.

Ijam, a runner turned clown to bring cheers for the kids.....(Insert applause here)

Displaying our hidden talent - singing! LOL! The playroom were filled with nursery rhymes and our croaking voices.

Group photo for remembrance. I'm sure we all will remember this for a long long time. :)

The organising team and volunteers. Great job done!

I wanna thank Julie and the rest for inviting me to be part of the team. It feels good to do good! Thank you to Azza for giving me a lift! :)

Thank you to all present and contributed. Thank you to my fellow runners who donated their medals for this cause. You're the best!

Check out the video clips of our visit. I tried to cram eveything within one song but failed. LOL! So, this is a bumper video with two songs - Count on Me by Bruno Mars and Things Are Gonna Get Better by David Archuleta.

ENJOY!

Do check out posts by Kooky and Allen too.

More videos:

Runners Turned Singers @ HUKM Pediatric Ward

Runners Turned Hoppers @ HUKM Pediatric Ward

Celebrunner: Aaron Aziz @ 2 Alam Movie Premiere

Aaron Aziz was rushing for the "2 ALAM" movie premiere after the official launch of Festival Filem Malaysia ke-23 (FFM) but he was sporting enough to give us his best running pose. Thank you Aaron!

He looks good, doesn't he? Mind you, he was hopitalised for three day a couple of weeks ago before due to Leptospirosis (rat urine virus) infection.

Aaron Aziz plays an ustaz role in the horror-religious themed movie from dR Movie Production. 2 alam will be showing starting 18 November (my birthday..LOL!) at the the cinemas near you.

Check out my other encounters with Aaron Aziz HERE and HERE.

Celebrunner: Sharifah Amani @ Rafflesia Pearl Centre

How do you like our Celebrunner exclusive column so far? We had Fizo Omar and Amirah Ali in the earlier instalments.

This time we are VERY lucky to feature award-winning actress, Sharifah Amani as our Celebrunner. We met her at the Filem Festival Malaysia ke-23 media conference at Rafflesia Pearl Centre on 18 Oct.

We actually requested her to do a running pose after the group photoshoot.

Instead of just posing like a runner, we were plesantly surprised when she took off her high heel shoes and made a dash along the five foot way for our camera! (Insert applause for Sharifah Amani here)

The lady in red...

Run, Nani Run!

Here she looks more glammed up, unlike my previous encounters with her where she was dressed in the traditional costumes.

She is most famous for portraying the character Orked in Yasmin Ahmad's Orked trilogy. Since I am a Yasmin Ahmad die-hard fan, I am naturally a fan of Sharifah Amani as well.

Sharifah Amani has two FFM awards under her belt, 18th Malaysian Film Festival 2005 - Most Promising Newcomer Award (Sepet)and 19th Malaysian Film Festival 2006 - Best Actress Award (Gubra) * the youngest winner of the category (20 years old)

Pretty amazing, eh?

Let's double the hawtness in the form of Liyana Jasmay. You get two award winning actresses here. Liyana Jasmay won the Best Actress Award (Papadom) - The 22nd Festival Filem Malaysia in 2009.

Both Sharifah Amani and Liyana Jasmay will be decked with pearls from Rafflesia Pearl Centre for the coming Festival Filem Malaysia on 24 October at SACC.

Check out my other encounters with Sharifah Amani - MUALLAF PREMIERE, GUBRA MEET THE FANS SESSION and YASMIN AHMAD's FILMS BOOK LAUNCH

Watch the video clip of Sharifah Amani, Sharifah Shahirah, Liyana Jasmay, Nasha Aziz, Farah Asyikin, Vanidah Imran and Diana Danielle @ Rafflesia Pearl Centre HERE.

Rock to Rock Run 2010, Hard Rock Hotel Penang’s First Charity Fun Run Sold Out in 2 Weeks!

Wow! This rocks! For those who had registered, have a rocking run! :)

On 1 October 2010, Hard Rock Hotel Penang officially launched its first Rock to Rock Run 2010. The one last year saw Hard Rock Hotel Penang’s extensive commitment to various charitable causes. This first charity run, sponsored by AMD, co-organized with the Penang Amateur Athletic Association (PAAA) and Lions Club of Penang Gold Coast in conjunction of the Penang Beach Carnival 2010 aims to raise minimum RM30,000 to build a new kitchen and to purchase new kitchen equipment for Rumah Kebajikan Seri Cahaya.

“The response towards this run has been overwhelming. Despite the closing date on 10 November 2010, we have officially closed our registration. This is indeed beyond our expectation and kudos to all passionate runners for your support in this good cause. Our partners, sponsors and Penang State Government have been providing so much support and we would like to take this early opportunity to thank them,” said John Primmer, General Manager of Hard Rock Hotel Penang.

Hard Rock Hotel Penang is expecting about 1000 runners to be present at Rock to Rock Run 2010, scheduled on 28 November 2010, from 7am till 11pm at Hard Rock Hotel Penang. Registered runners are required to be present at 6.30am for registration. Despite the closing of the runners’ registration, Hard Rock Hotel Penang continues to welcome any contribution in cash or kind to be channeled towards Rumah Seri Cahaya in conjunction with this philanthropy effort.

Tips for Running Safely from Dave Nuku

Last Sunday, a thirty-something runner died at the 3rd kilometer of the Mizuno Wave run at UPM Serdang. There were several other death casualties reported in road races in Malaysia earlier in the year.

In 2009, I even witnessed a runner collapsed at the end of a race and then passed away a day later. Read about it HERE and HERE.

I am saddened and shocked by those incidents but what can be done to prevent this from happening again?

As runners, we should take responsibility of our own health and educate ourselves on how to run safely. It is easy to play the blame game after the incidents but that is already too late.

We asked Dave Nuku (Blue Team Trainer for The Biggest Loser Asia TV show/ Regional Fitness Manager of Fitness First Asia) for some safety tips for running in an on-line chat session organised by Watsons Malaysia.

Our question:

There was a death reported in the Mizuno Run11 km road race last weekend. There was another death reported during the KL Marathon last June. What is your advice (safety tips) to runners, before, during and after race?

Here's Dave Nuku's reply.

‎

Your questions regarding tips for runners in relation to the tragic accidents that occured in the Mizuno 11km race and the Stan Chart Marathon is valid.

My advice is firstly to consult you doctor before entering the race if you have any medical conditions that may put you at risk.

Also know your limits and prepare for a race by doing the training, looking not just at running the distance but by also planning your meals pre training, during the run and post run.

On race day you should be in a familiar pattern which will help calm the nerves. Keep hydrated and depending on the race length you may need additional calories / carbs, again you should have trained this into your strategy.

Thanks to Dave Nuku for the tips and permission to publish it.

In line with topic, I would like to share some tips which I have taken from blogpost by a fellow runner/blogger in The Philippines, The Bull Runner.

She did a very useful blogpost on running safely by getting tips from a team of experts in Manila.

ON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

COACH JIM S.: If you feel some form of pain during your run, slow down and have a feel of how bad it really is. If it seems to be going away, then go ahead and resume your regular pace. However if the pain persists and/or even increases in pain as you continue to run, seriously consider stopping and getting some help. Pain is the body’s way of letting us know something is wrong. No race is worth the risk of hurting yourself by continuing to run and causing a minor injury to turn into a major setback.

COACH JIM L.: Be smart. If you’re feeling poorly or sense “something is wrong”, a pain or sensation that’s new to you, TAKE A BREAK. Its not worth the risk and better to run again another day. I’ve seen too many runners trying to “push through” and they either ended up in extended injury, or worse.

COACH RIO: If you feel something is wrong, such as difficulty of breathing or pain in the chest, slow down. Stop and look for a medic or ask for help from fellow runners.

Do check out the rest of safety tips by clicking the link below. http://thebullrunner.com/2010/07/07/tips-on-running-races-safely-from-the-experts/

I hope you all can go through the tips not once but a few times so that you can remember them. Share the tips to other runners. It may save your lives too!

Let's run safely together!

10 Good Reasons Why hooHa 10! 10! 10! Fun Run @ Lot 10 is the Best Fun Run on 10.10.10!

Why must it be 10 good reasons? Because 10 is the magic number. Heheh!

Reason 1:

The magic number 10. It's a 5.5km (5+5=10) fun run, starting at Lot 10 on 10 Oct 2010 (10.10.10). Flagged of by yours truly at 8:20am (8+2=10). And it cost RM28 to register (2+8=10). :D

Reason 2:

It's the first run ever to start at Lot 10, in the centre of the Golden Triangle, Bukit Bintang. We proposed Lot 10 for an obvious reason...

Even though in the original proposal, we suggested a 10K run but due to police traffic recommendation, it was shortened to 5.5km (5+5=10), more to the benefit of recreational runners/ joggers.

Reason 3:

A runner to flag of a run? Another first. Usually we get VIPs ranging from politicians to celebrities to flag off a race. But hey, this time WE get the honour to flag off close to 4,000 runners. Thank you to hooHa.asia for the great opportunity.

And that Mexican waves at the start line. It was our idea too. Heheh!

Reason 4:

The technical stuff of the race was under the good hands of Twenty First Century Sport.

Reason 5:

It's the run you can take your babies and grandma/grandpa to.

The distance 5.5 (5+5=10) is not too tough to conquer. It's fun for the whole family. But some prefer to sleep through the run like the baby in the stroller. LOL!

Reason 6:

Runners got creative.

That is Jenny, a familiar face in local road races, especially fun runs. There were runner who donned hats made of balloons in the run too. Check out the video later.

Reason 7:

Fun entertainment from the balloon clown and Dr. Freestyler Crew. But I think the clown is abit humsup...LOL!

Reason 8:

Even the runners from the other race wanted to run the hooHa 10!10!10! Fun Run.

Many of my friends did the Nike City Run (flagged off at 7:15am) and then run to Lot 10 for the hooHa Fun Run (flagged off at 8:20am). Two runs in one morning! Well done peeps!

Reason 9:

Vouchers galore in the goodies bag...Thanks to all the sponsors.

Reason 10:

Everyone who crossed the finish line get it! It's a solid, unique gold coloured bling bling medal that can last more than a lifetime! Better than any plasticky toys, eh? Huhuhu!

I would like to dedicate this video to all the people who donned the orange or blue Brooks T-shirts that say "hooha 10!10!10!" at Lot 10 on 10!10!10! morning. You showed the world that running is not a chore and running is great fun. Everybody can enjoy running!

ENJOY!

Acknowledgment: Thank you to hooHa.asia for taking up my idea and the great opportunity to flag off thousands of runners on the special day of 10.10.10.

Was the run fun for you too? Please feel free to leave your comments.

Press Release: NIKE unviels New NIKE+ GPS App

Cool app. If only I have an iPhone...LOL! Read on.

New iPhone App for Runners Uniquely Motivates, Maps, Tracks and Connects to a 3 Million Member Community

BEAVERTON, Ore. (September 7, 2010) – Building upon its growing array of digital training tools for athletes, Nike (NYSE:NKE) today announced the availability of its new Nike+ GPS App on the App Store. The app is engineered to operate seamlessly between GPS and an accelerometer for an accurate, motivating and entertaining runner’s tool.

The new Nike+ GPS App allows runners to use their iPhone to visually map every run while tracking pace, distance, time and calories-burned as well as stay motivated with instant feedback during and after each run from athletes like Paula Radcliffe and Lance Armstrong, and comedian Tracy Morgan. The app also connects runners around the world or just down the street through www.nikeplus.com, the largest running community in the world with more than 3 million members.

“We are so excited to introduce the true “Runner’s App,” for iPhone combining the dynamic power and community of Nike+ with the user-friendly functionality of GPS and accelerometry,” said Stefan Olander, VP, Nike Digital Sport. “We will continue to evolve the digital options we provide to runners so that their running experience is always unique and inspired.”

The Nike+ GPS app for iPhone allows runners to:

Run Anywhere: From indoor to outdoor, track to treadmill, this new app combines the power of GPS technology with an accelerometer to map and track a run from anywhere. Even if the GPS signal is not available, the accelerometer will allow the user to continue to track pace, distance, time and calories-burned.

Map Your Runs: GPS technology allows runners to keep track all of their routes including a breakdown of pace and distance at different points during a run. Runners can even tap the screen during a run to see their current location.

Challenge Yourself: The “Challenge Me” feature allows runners to challenge themselves to run farther, faster, or longer than a previous run already logged. The app will also track run history to be able to personalize challenges.

Stay Connected: Runners can wirelessly connect with www.nikeplus.com after each run to instantly save the run and share it with friends via the site, Twitter, or Facebook. In addition, they can view their progress on goals, participate in running challenges and download coaching programs.

Stay Motivated: Runners receive motivating messages from top athletes and celebrities when specific customized goals are achieved, challenges are won, or when a personal best is achieved. Runners can also tap the iPhone screen to receive in-run feedback.

The Nike+ GPS App is available for $1.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch at www.itunes.com/appstore. The Nike+ GPS App is compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch although the app will function only through accelerometer technology on the iPod touch.

Video tutorials for the Nike+ GPS App are available at:

• http://videos.nikemedia.com/NikePlusGPSApp_1.mov

• http://videos.nikemedia.com/NikePlusGPSApp_B.mov

Since the 2006 launch of Nike+ in partnership with Apple, a variety of Nike+ enabled devices have been introduced to help runners reach their full potential including the Nike+ iPod SportKit for iPod nano and iPod touch for runners who enjoy training with music, the Nike+ SportBand for runners who prefer not to run with music, the Nike+ Heart Rate Monitor, and now the new Nike+ GPS App for use with the iPhone.

Altingsburg Lighthouse Run 2010

What? Altingsburg Lighthouse Run

Where? Kuala Selangor Nature Park

When? 23rd October 2010 (Saturday); 7am.

How much? : RM 5

How far? 8-10km

Why? In conjunction with Festival of Wings.

Download entry form and info HERE.

Note: Free T-shirts for first 100 runners, cash prizes and fireflies watching voucher.

Check out my fireflies watching experience on MY SELANGOR STORY HERE. Please vote for me, OK? Thanks.

Celebrunner: Fizo Omar @ Lord's Tailor

I am introducing a new exclusive "column" in my blog. There are not enough celebrity runners in Malaysia. So, I have to resort to asking the celebrity to pose as runners! LOL!

It's just for fun! Hope you like it. Comments are appreciated. The first celebrity featured as Celebrunner is a young and talented actor, Fizo Omar. Fizo is currently starring in TV3's Siti Kelembai.

Run, Fizo Run!

Fizo will be wearing this Lord's Tailor purple tuxedo down the red carpet at Festival Filem Malaysia, our own local film industry award show equivalent to the Oscars.

Looking good, eh?

The rest of the actors who will be wearing Lord's Tailor for the Festival Filem Malaysia. See if you can identify all of them.....

(From Left) Rusdi Ramli, Syamsul Yusof, Kamal Adli, Afdlin Shauki, Zizan Raja Lawak, Fizo Omar, Que Haidar, Zamarul Hisham.

Hahah! Afdlin pretending the mineral water bottle as the FFM award.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the smartest of them all? But if you ask me, anyone wearing Lord's Tailor suit can look like a million dollar! :)

Check out the video too. Nope, no Fizo running though. :D

ENJOY!