Gentlemen, start your engine... Because the most awaited race is sooo near... See you guys at ENR tomorrow. Wish me luck readersssss.... And best of luck to all esp to Kak Julin,(her first 42km), and to Soraya (her first 10km).
On another related matter, I am contemplating to register myself for the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 'Run For A Cause'. But can I get the RM500 minimum donation? Heheheheh. we'll see about that.
Ouh ya tomorrow will be the Earth Hour 2010. I remembered my Earth Hour 2009 experience with booTak.
Earth Hour 2010 takes place on Saturday 27th March with the objective of raising awareness of climate change issues. Switching off the lights is a symbolic gesture to make a call for action on climate change.
Official Earth Hour celebration will take place from 8.30-9.30 pm (local time) on Saturday 27th March 2010. Landmarks worldwide will turn off their lights to commemorate Earth Hour, including the KLCC Twin Tower, Bintang Walk's Lot 10, JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Empire State Building (New York), the Sydney Opera House (Australia) and the Forbidden City (Beijing). Staffs are urged to switch off their lights at home this Saturday from 8.30-9.30 pm and heed this global call to stand up, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Switch off our lights and vote Earth!
*mind the blurry image
p/s: Since its Earth Hour tomorrow, do we still need to on our headlamp?
So, the most awaited week (huh...) is finally here... No, we are not talking about any engagement, wedding or what not (huh, I met with one banker today and he congratulate me on my coming wedding. Huh? bilakahhhhhh...pandai2 je specu)
But I am talking about the Energizer Night Race 2010 Yes, Thats the one As what my friend quote the race as; 'Apa nama lari malam yang korang pakai lampu macam nak naik Kinabalu tu?' Heh????
Anyway, as usual not much preparation...lack of time, absence of semangat juat as well as work constraint. Yah yah same old same old excuses. The only training I did was one 8km run with Fara and 6km run a day before that. Obviously it was not enough for 21km race but what to do...(again, lame excuses).
Whatever it is, I am still running the race. Despite the chaos during race kit collection, yah I will still run the race. Not complaining much but I think with the amount of money used for registration, the least that they can do is to let runner indicate earlier their preferred size. Poor booTak had to take women 'L' size vest as the only size left for men is 'XXL'. apakah.....
When I arrived at Melia, it was already 7pm. Yah I went it late due to Hot Air Ballon yang very disappointing. But that was totally my fault for not checking the event schedule earlier. As I entered Melia, I saw a few empty spaces and i directly parked my car only to find out it was actually for Valet Parking. Hhahaha...no wonderla Im the only kelisa there, others were Merc or the least was Honda Jazz.
One uncle came to me; Uncle: "Miss, you cannot park here. This is valet miss. Where r u going?" Me: "Err, I want to collect the race ticket la. Err, Errr (sambil lap lap rambut basah). " Uncle:"Okaylah u park there but make it quick aarrr"
Hahaha, nice uncle. So i save on parking. When I reached the collection room, it was rather empty. The collection for Bib number was breeze, butttt....cant say the same for running vest. The only size left for women was XS and M. Okay I maybe small but not so small to fit in XS. Huh...suddenly i felt so down under when they said "you better take M, XS is too small for you" Haih...try to prove them wrong, i put in the XS still then when it fit, the only thing that came out from me was " Ha see, can fit whatttt"..then they burst into laughter. Hahahhaahha. Okay at least I gave them some entertainment kan? *wink*
For Men, haihhhh...I had to collect for booTak and also Harizal. and both of them are SMALL. When I said SMALL means SMALL. They are really skinny ok. So when I saw the only sizes left for Men was XXL and XXXL, my eyes were almost popped out. Haiya, how la like dis. I consulted the man attending, and he asked me
Men: "how small is your man la, cannot be too small right?" Me: "SMALL!!!" Men: *bulat mata*
So, it was rather funny. I ended up taking 2 women vest for Harizal and booTak. Theres no way they can fit in that XXL and XXXL. Poor thing. Takpelah tak payah pakai la the vest kan.
* our number(s)
*my number
Even though they mentioned that organizer is arranging for more new running vest with more 'acceptable' sizes, I rather not putting the risk there. I think M will work for me. :)
To all runners, Good Luck and see you at Cyberjaya
So, it is still Day 1 story, Only it is Part II :)
After we took a nap for about 2 hrs (that was after we reached the backpackers), our tuk tuk drivers came and fetch us. Ouh ya, time difference between KL and Cambodia would be an hour late (meaning we are ahead of them by 1 hour)...sekian
Our Tuk Tuk driver namely Usop and Hanafi i.e BungFi are two nice and friendly fella. Really nice until sometimes you feel like you want to give them thousands hug everyday. Wait let me see whether I have their picture with me yeh... Hurm....
* * * * * * * * * * * * Ahuh... Yah this is Usop
So if you are looking for a tuk tuk driver who can speak Malay well, he is your guy then
* Usop the man. Mind the blurry picture
Not sure whether I have his contact number or not. But if you wish to have him as your driver, you can book him in advance by writing to his 'ketua' i.e Ustaz Musa at musasoleh@yahoo.com. Ustaz Musa is the one person that provides cheap accommodation for Muslim travellers as well as food and driver. Well, since its cheap dont expect 5 * treatment yeh. Hehehe
So we head to our first destination for the day, MAKAN. Stomach has been producing some funny noises since morning and I think its about time to fuel us up. Irman suggested this one Indian Cuisine Restaurant name Maharajah. So off we go to Maharajah.. weehooo...
* the restaurant Maharajah
"Excellent new Royal Indian restaurant offering a wide range of delectable, fresh, authentic, hygienically-prepared Royal Indian dishes - vegetarian and non-vegetarian and uniquely spiced North Indian offerings with an emphasis on meat (chicken, beef, mutton, fish) dishes. The Indian breads are also excellent. The chef uses high-quality, authentic Indian spices. Very attentive service. Very reasonably priced"
It is located at Street # 7, Siem Reap. Theres a lot of indian restaurant actually in Siem Reap but words has it that this is the best. So Che Tat ordered this...
* the Prawn Beriyani(USD4.35)
Quite nice I must admit, but dont be fool by the portion size, it is actually quite small as all the prawns are hidden under the nasi.
Well, myself and Tot shared our meal due to stingy-ness as well as Tot dont eat much so might as well share it.
*chicken Masala (USD3.75)
We shared this together with 2 types of rice, Onion Rice (picture not available) as well as Brown Rice for the price of $0.75 each. Quite cheap huh. and we also had some Plain Lassi together with Lemon Juice. Awesome. So if you ever come to Siem Reap, do find this restaurant even though the owner is not so friendly. Huh...
After makan-makan, we went for some shopping spree. We were told to only 'window shop' at these shops as the price are like 4.5x than what it should cost you. Yeiks!!...
But one thing I noticed was that these people wont get mad at you if you ask for the price but you end up not buying it. In fact they even serve you with some cold drinks and fruits. How awesome is that. So not like malaysian salesgirl who only treat you once you look like you have money to buy their stuff....FAKE!
*more poseeee
So the right shopping place to be is the Central Market. Its basically more like our Central Market also but us is nicer. Hehehe. The famous stuff sell here are mostly scarfs, pashmina, cambodian silk, clothes as well as decorative items. Yah. There are other stuff too like fridge magnet which we 'borong' like crazy. So for souvenirs we bought lots of pashmina for girls and fridge magnet for guys.
Their goods are really cheap. But us being cheapo obviously you would want to bargain for great value. A normal pashmina usually cost around USD5. which we managed to get it for USD1.8 per pashmina, that is like 64% reduction. Hahaha...and us being bankers, calculator was always be around us. And it gave the seller a helluva creeps.
The quality of the scarfs are really good. But cant say much for the USD1 (initial price) scarfs. All in all I must say that their goods fit my requirement.
Ouh ya, if you wish to shop for souvenirs, this is THE RIGHT PLace. cheaper than Old market and Night Market, yes!
*the cambodian scarfs
* berwindow shopping
*berjimba di jalanan
*the Siem Reap streets.
*the Old Market
After a tiring window cum real shopping sensation, we treat ourselves for some pampering session. Went to a massage centre located at one dodgy street that I cant pronounce it, only to find out that the place is NOT DODGY at all.
We all had an hour Cambodian massage that was really good. and it only cost us USD6. Yah USD^ which is equivalent to RM20.40. Believe me, I am a spa person, a massage person and there is no way you can get that kind of price in Malaysia. With nice ambiance, friendly staff, it just worth it.
*basuh kaki sebelum berurutan
For dinner this time, we went to D'Wau restaurant. Owned by Malaysian people, dishes served here are mostly Malaysian food. You can get Nasi Goreng Kampung, Ayam Masak Lemak, Chicken Curry and many more.
The restaurant was featured once in of the Astro Channel for the Kembara Halal Orient Kemboja ke apa ntah. The show that hosted by the cute Fara. Yah...
Located at 02275, National Road 6, Banteay Chas Village, Slakam Commune, Siem Reap.
Ouh, they even have website k. But I think the webbie has been hacked recently. Sigh
So, that was it for the first day story. err no picture of food sbb dh penat and lapar.
I had the opportunity to visit the Khmer Land early this month. Trip that was organised almost a year back and only materialised recently. Initially, it was supposed to be yours truly, Miza, Irman, C.T, Ila, Lab and Nisha. But things happened, shit happened so Lab and Nisha were out of the picture and the remaining spot was filled by Tot.
We arrived at the Siem Reap Airport after 1hr 45mins journey. Clean airport, friendly crew as well as fascinating interior of the airport. Nothing fancy like ours but it has some heritage elements that they preserved in the design. The airport has already pleased me...
As we stepped out from the airport, 3 'tuk-tuk' driver (or perhaps we should call them rider) were already standing in front of the main entrance, with the name 'Mr Hussain' on the waiting card.
I've ridden a tuk tuk before, but certainly not this one. It was actually a tuk tuk body but carried with a motorcycle. Certainly something new, at least to me...
* me and tot
* weee...sexcited!
* pakcik permotoran
So, this is the Two Dragons Guesthouse. Since opening in 2004, Two Dragons Guesthouse has built a solid reputation for providing the finest in service, information, honesty, and cleanliness. It is operated by the owner and author of one the most respected and straightforward Cambodia-focused travel websites, talesofasia.com.
Being the hardcore backpackers, I would consider this as a luxury accommodation for me. Hehehe...You wanna know why? Because Ive been to those with shared toilet before where you had to wait in line for your turn, where you actually paid for bunkers instead of room. So this is 'heaven' for me. Cant say much for others.
The reason why we chose this because only me and Irman had the backpacking experience before. The rest, NONE. So we dont want to shock them to their core by renting those $2 bunkers. Hehehe...So, with 2 single bed in the room, spacious bathroom (attached with toilet), this is considered acceptable for the rest.
*Irman with his obsessive compulsive disorder.
* some ground rules.
While waiting for our tuk-tuk driver. We took a nap ZzzzZZZzzzzzzZzzzzz...
I am a huge fan of The Biggest Loser, US version or even Asia version. Every season (US version) I have never missed it and when its finally came to Asia, the chaotic is even more.
Every Tuesday, I will ensure my ass is glued to my cheap couch. I have to admit TBL was my biggest motivation when I started my journey to my own "biggest loser" experience. Even thou the amount of weight I have to lose is really tiny bit compared to these people, the effort, the agony were pretty much the same.
In the beginning of the show, I have my heart locked safe and tight for Kevin. The super big guy from Philippines, he is so big he weigh 215KG if im not mistaken. As the show went along, I also began to fond on Carlo Miguel. The other fella from Philippines. His determination and the way he carried himself is beyond imagination.
But I was totally disappointed when I watched the finale last Tuesday. Well, the whole world (or at least Asian) know now that King David won the competition. Huh. So this is why i 'Huh':
1. It was not really a fair game. The other 2 contestant took unpaid leave for 2 months to resume workout while Carlo had to juggle between demanding work, family and exercising. Believe me its not easy! So when the other contestant had their own sweet time, 2 session per day exercising while Carlo had to be a chef and fight the food temptation itself, it has agony. And to exercise 8-10 hours per day, ?????. even marathoners only run 4 hours a day.
2. He looked frail. By he I mean David. His face especially. He looked extremely different and it is not on a good way. Can't the fiance say something about it? I understand the desire to win, yah but to win it in a way that you actually look like walking skeleton. erm...no thanks!!! And errrr I think he did liposuction. Sorryyyy...
3. To look at it from humanity point of view, he dont even need the money. Did you see his gigantic mahligai house? It was obvious that Carlo need it more. *sigh* I guess God has better plan for Carlo. and did I mention that Carlo look lean, healthy and smoking hot? Hehehehe
4. On totally unrelated matters to David/Carlo, I think Martha is on Ice.
I hope for the second season, the production will monitor contestant's progress periodically after they leave the camp. Well, David said it himself, he is willing to do almost anything to win. And that may include lipo kot yeh? and please, improve on the quality of your finale. Suara Sarimah tenggelam.
Well, this is just my hatred talking. Hehehhe.....
Since I was in the Khmer Land when he celebrated his birthday, so the belated celebration that is from me. After google-ing a few restaurants suggested by my foodie GPS i.e Ida, I chose this restaurant... Yah Sassorosso that is. One Italian restaurant located right smack in the middle of the city centre. With view overlooking the Twin Towers, it was awesome.
being a smoker he is, we chose the outside spot for our dinner. Not so many customers that night, only a bunch of aunties were outside talking about their favorite American Idol contestant. *sigh* Kacau je....
The night started with a complimentary basket of bread which we quickly indulge in about few seconds. Hehehe...lapar okie...if only the bread was a little bit warmer. Okay, nuff complaints from me.
* the basket of bread
Then came our appetizer for the night, some Grilled Scallops with cream sauce. (i think thats the name of the meal. see, I can never be a foodie. I cant even remember the dish name let alone review it in a manner reviewer always does)
* scallop something something
The last 3 date that we went, he always ordered duck. I dont know why. Seriously. But since birthday boy layan kan je la kan. So he ordered this, Duck breast and confit which he said it was better than Cafe Cafe. Hurmmm....
* his duck confit
As for me, initially I was so tempted to try the Aglio Olio Pasta with Lobster but they did not print the price on the menu. So pura2 interested to order it only to find out that it actually cost RM280++ per dishes. Whatttttt........terus zassss cancel! Apekahhhhh smp begitu sekali regenyer...
As a replacement, I had this instead...
* Seafood Casserole with Mussels, Clams, Squid and Giant Prawn
It was rather okay-okay je la kan. Should have ordered any pasta dishes.
The night ended with 2 scoops of ice cream and one satisfaction smile from boo.
It has been a while since my last post updated here in this blog...
A lot of things happened; work, vacation, unexpected illness and much more. With more than 3 sedentary weeks, no workout at all, not even 3km run on threadmill. I am beyond petrified for this coming energizernightrace.
A lot of things has to be fit in to this non famous blog of mine, but time does and lousy internet connection at home did not permit me to do so. Maybe it's about time to engage to the latest technology, the fastest one I must say.
I'll be back with more update soon. (That if I have time lah...hehe)
