Hidup ini terlalu indah untuk dipersiakan

Err, i wasnt being philosophic, it was a contest by Skuad 1 Malaysia and my picture got selected as one of the winner. Yay!

Kinda fit the theme and submitted the pic with a little help from Super Lame for the conversation 'balloon'.
Comping has been kind a hobby for me. Really. From online to radio contest, the urge to take part is always high, and winning something is always been a motivation somehow. I wish i could win those i have in my wishlish :P

Tschuss!

Eco Photo Hunt @ Sabak Bernam 2012

Where / To : Start at Sabak Bernam, Selangor, ends at Shah Alam

When : 8 December 2012 (Saturday)

Time : 7.30 am - 9 pm

Fee : RM 60 (team of 4) 

Calling all shutterbugs and Hunters alike!

The journey will take you more than 120 kilometres via beautiful costal roadside of Selangor and stopping at 5 different towns along the way. 

You may wish to refer to the picture for more info.

The Run where (almost) everyone walks

We Run KL 2012 was held last Saturday, 13 October 2012. It recorded as the fastest selling race ever in Malaysia, sold out within 5 hours or something. Although much of it has been grabbed by Uni students during their Road show, the remaining slots were pretty much sought after. And many were left disappointed not being able to take part in this year's run.

i was waaaayyy back! :P 

*photo credit to its rightful owner*

I did manage to get my spot this year after trying for 2 hours for the online registration. Although evening race in the middle of the KL city seems kind a weird, i can imagine motorists were cursing because of the dread lock due to the road closure. morning run is always the best thing to do in this crowded city.

Being a reputable brand organizing a big run, the expectation is already set to the highest. With race clinics and smooth collection of race kit, the last minute change of the finish line and the unpredictable weather is beyond the organizer's control. but what is more frustrating is what i have to share below.

The Run and the Good part first :

Its phenomenal to see runners in the black and yellow colored shirt taking the LRTs and making their way towards the starting line in front of the Zouk in KL. Its good to see runners utilizing the public transport to get to the race venue. Alas, driving there probably not a good idea too :P By the time i reached the gantry, atleast 5k runners were already there, squeezing trying to get to the front of the pack.

The race started 10 minute later from the time its suppose to, or i think it took me 11 minutes to get to the starting line. JJ and Ean of Hitz.FM were seen High Five-ing runners (bye bye medal, i wont get to hold u at this point). From the junction we turn right and run towards the AKLEH, where there's people start walking even from the 1st miler!. its tiring  to run zig zag-ing in the sea of walkers, and i suddenly have to shout here and there for them to make way. i dont care. its a run. u dont get to hold hands and have a time of your life in a run. People running.

I had to run that way until we reached the u-turn right before the 2nd toll. Soon after i get the chance to actually enjoy the run. Crowd getting lesser and more running space from now on. Exchanged claps for volunteers cheering for us along the way. I stop every now and then for few sips at the water station, and we exited the AKLEH towards Maju Junction, into Jalan Sultan Ismail, then Jalan Kuching, making our way towards Padang Merbok. Traffic were busy as usual at Jalan Kuching, and i even shouted to few runners who ran outside the cone, as the speeding motorist is just next to us. This route shouldnt be used for this run.

By the time i reached Padang Merbok, few hundred runners where already queuing for their finisher tee, some were queuing for the 100+ counter on the left and right side near the finish line. so everyone kind a cramping there not knowing where to go really. atleast the queue for L size isnt that long.  I met my buddy Hidayat who volunteering for the run, handing out tshirt as we move. Thank U! Always wanted to try volunteering one day. Once i got my tee, grab some icecream and ChaTime drinks, a cup of cold coffee and heading back towards Masjid Jamek LRT. Yup, with muddy shoes naik LRT. :P

Credits for : 

Fastest selling run in Malaysia's Running event history!

Free race clinics and shoes tryout. But i couldnt join any of them due to work/family commitment.

Friendly reminder/calls about the race kit collection, weather forecast and emails (asking about bib number and race tag, although i dont know for what purpose they are asking for all this).

Smooth collection of  race kit.


Rewards for dedicated runners like High Miler and such. (best tu habis lari dapat makan free kat Nike+ Lounge)

Another tee for finishing the run


The Not so Good : 

Limited spots for public. 


Sending too many friendly reminders actually confusing people. Post them on FB and ask everyone to follow your FB for updates, thats it. im sure all 15k runners has FB account. :) 

Too many Walkers! This is a run, not a walking event. 

Black shirt for evening run? Hot. and cramped in a crowded gantry wearing black shirt? super hot!! 

Narrow route with road markings that could be hazardous.

No one cares about the music, dancers what so ever. Waste of time.  The money spent should have channel towards more medals (for instance)

Chaotic bag service handling.

bad choice of running route? or running time? (morning run is better. if you wanted to do a night run, do someplace else like F1 track or something, seriously, runners would sign up anyway).

UV stamp? for what really? those volunteers should been out there manning the race instead. takde faedah.

Shuttle bus was no where to be seen.

Limited medals! If u wish to give the first 100 runners only, then dont give at all. There's 15k of us, you should have given out atleast 1.5k of medals. Thats something i would run my lungs out for! :)

Overall this run could be more enjoyable like what i had the previous year. By adding the number of runners, they should have anticipated all the possible 'hiccups' and plans to overcome it. Many were pissed, and thats not how you want your potential 'customers' to feel right? 


I dont know whether is it just me or no one cares wearing a tshirt with We Run Tel Aviv on it. Thats supporting Israel indirectly kan? i know its part of the race around the globe, but they can always 'accidentally' forgot to print it on our shirt, considering how sensitive the Israel issue here, right? i could be wrong. someone commented on FB saying, it just a sport, i shouldnt make a big fuss about it.

Selangorlicious Eat Out

I drove with an empty stomach towards Kelana Jaya for an outing by Tourism Selangor and Selangorlicious. This is a different kind of outing, it involves food. Like a food tasting for food critics, except we are the judge of our own taste :P Yup, apart from running, i do a part-time carbo-loading as well :P

 

We visited Restoran Jamal Mohamed, located at Jln SS5A/9 Petaling Jaya and believe it or not, im the first one there. Puzzling whether this is the right place, familiar faces shows up one by one. Its kind a more like a catching up session for some of us, while the rest probably wanna enjoy their breakfast, eat all u can style!

We were there simply because of this one stall that served something typical, but yet different malaysian food. With kangkung as a add-on, Nasi Lemak Kukus Kangkung is the talk of the town and the highlight of this outing.

 

 

The ambient of 1 Malaysia is so there since stalls offering Mamak’s, Chinese and Malay food all under one restaurant. By 9.30 am, the chairs slowly being occupied and we were then about to start the food tasting session.  We can try any of the food for free, as Renuga of Tourism Selangor in charge of the payment.  Its pay as you eat style. Theres Penang Fried Kueh Teow, hot plates menus (with mee udang and tauhu bakar) mee curry, wantan mee, nasi lemak, rojak and typical mamak’s food.

I didn’t rush towards the nasi lemak stall, as few other stalls were there offering from Char Kueh Teow to Wantan Mee. I decided to try out the Auntie Gemuk ‘s Char Kueh Teow first.

 

 

My review : its different, not that spicy, and just right, suits my appetiate. minus the gravy like they usually prepare it.

While eating, I asked my buddies whats their opinion about the food they are having, here some of the comments :

Nigel said on Aunty Gemuk’s Char Kueh Teow :

“ I cannot taste the heat of the wok, it wasn’t the same like it used to be” 

Adam commented on the Nasi Lemak Kukus Kampung + Ayam masak merah : *speechless with thumbs up*

Bond (or Bon, as long it sounds correct) said on Wantan Mee : Good! *with another thumbs up*. 

Dian of Tourism Selangor : Daud, order lagi apa you nak makan :P  

Me : err.. I will, I will :P

The food being served is all halal and with wide variety of choices, I bet you have to make a comeback for a second (or third). The recee team from Tourism Selangor had to spent 3 hours to try out all the menus few days earlier. 

 Pick your choice

 Wantan Mee

 

fellow bloggers

 

 Tourism Selangor n Selangorlicious team

For my 2^nd menu, I decided to taste the famous Nasi Lemak Kukus Kangkung that we are here for. A plate of nasi lemak with kangkung and ayam rendang costs about RM6. The sambal (sauce) is not that spicy and portion wise is tummy full. Its kangkung is well cook while the ayam rendang compliments it. What I can share is that Nasi Lemak Kukus is different from typical nasi lemak that I usually eat . To kill my curiosity, I decided to have a brief conversation with the stall owner’s son, Wan. 

 

Kangkung anyone? 

 

 selling out fast

 

 yummy! (and its actually is!)

According to him, they have been in business since 6 years ago. Choices of dishes are ayam rendang, ayam masak merah, ayam goreng, with sambal sotong, alongside hati, paru and pedal goreng, telus rebus and telur goreng. 

So I ask him, “What makes your Nasi Lemak so special?”

Wan replied : Kangkung! And that’s not the only thing. Actually, a lenghty process needed to prepare their nasi lemak every day. It tooks about 4-5 hours to kukus (steam) the rice, so the process starts around 2 am and the rice should be ready before they begin their business. This process produce a steam rice that is soft and rich in texture.

patience is virtue :)

It’s a family business and operated only by his family members, including both his parents.  The stall open everyday from 7am to 2 pm on weekdays, and 7 am to 11 am on weekends. Expect a long queue if you came after 9, and do come early to avoid disappoinment. The only time they will close is during the month of Ramadhan. They also take orders, so you can call Wan at 012 655 9055 for that matter. 

It started raining around 10.30am and the best thing to do is to order more hot drinks.  I took a break for a while to give my stomach a rest before continue eating. I think the idea next time is to order few selected food on the menu, and share it. That way, we got to taste all the food and share our opinion about the food. What we did was ordered the same thing and gulp down everything ourselves, and end up being full after our 2^nd meal.

I stop after my 3^rd meal, a plate of Wantan Mee with chicken. Its as good as Bon first mentioned, and I kind a always a big fan for Wantan Mee, so I tend to be bias for this kind of meal. Except maybe they can add a halal dimsum to it, I think it might be enjoyed differently. This is the first time that I eat 3 different heavy dishes for a breakfast and I was lucky to have a 10km run that same evening to justify my guilt :P 

Err, I didn’t really stop at my 3^rd meal. Someone ordered a plate of Tauhu Bakar and you know what, I end up finishing it! Its crunchy and sweet taste was addicting, but my stomach cant take any more of it. Lulz

All and all, I think this is one place a food lovers must visit. Clean, affordable, choices are aplenty. Service time is fairly quick, only they pick their plates according to the stall, so it tends for the plate to stay there longer, waiting to be picked up by the stall’s helper.  Noticibly clean floor (and toilets too) impressed me. With 2 big screens, this is definitely a hang out place for kaki bola (football fans) alike. 

 

and who said food outing something boring? 

(this probably what happened if you eat too much :P )

Now im full to the fullest. Time to head home.  Thanks Tourism Selangor and Selangorlicious for this outing. They planned for another outing next month, so if you have a suggestion(s)  for a place to have a great breakfast, do share. Or you yourself could join and meet new friends on a lovely morning. 

Whats Selangorlicious is all about? Click here

More on tourism activities around Selangor, visit Tourism Selangor here.

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