Colours of Life

Recently, I've personally encountered with numerous non military "crisis".

the world was about to tumble down last week and I have no idea how to handle it. with Powerman just 2 weeks away, I need to gain more mileage. I'm running out of time.

coz of depression and no appetite, i got gastric. now still in recovery process. I put all trainings on hold, right now I have no choice but to put Powerman aside. Initially I aimed to score my biggest game of the year. But now, the hope is fading. Been day dreaming in the class with piles of assignments undone. I'm in deep shit.

colours of life.

The worthy winner will wear the yellow.

Young and energetic Best Young Rider will put on white.

Best overall sprinter deserves the green.

The Pokka Dot is meant for the King of Mountain.

this morning I unintentionally clocked my personal best for 7km.

In the evening I accidentally hit the highest average ever.

It shows that there're still room for improvement and I'm not working hard enough.

I'm not in the mood right now. rather lie low...

current life is caused by the past karma.

military physical training

It has been months since my last PT. weeks of racing and exempted from military trainings allow me to improve my performance to peak my performance at the right time. So this morning, I'm back to my officer cadet's life and follow military training. Being a duathlete, my imbalance strength of my upper and lower body made me hate push ups and love running. My lower body is anytime stronger than my arms. Friends especially those gym boys with giant biceps will laugh when they see me doing knuckles, after 30 reps I'll be struggling to continue. Similar situation happen when come running, I'll Sprint from the back and smack their asses when I overtake them.

I'll give u an idea how it feels like to do PT. The only time u get to rest is during the 5 minutes warming up. After stretching all major muscles groups, u will never get to rest till the one and a half hour session ends. Normally we will start with 30 push ups. Then instructor pointed at the rugby goal post and shouted "Go!!!". Then start counting. We will sprint like mad man and try our very best to get back to him as quick as possible. The more he counts, the more push ups u will do next. Good runners normally get to rest a little before the crowd gathers. But still, before heart beat reaches zone 3, u will be commencing another exercise.30 reps of jack knife is more than enough to make my stomach sore. What I had in mind this morning was "I'm being paid to do this, just do it." Then the instructor made us sprint again, and again. It is exactly like intervals, with exercises in between. No rest! Before u could catch your breath, u will be running another round, doing another exercise. Prepare for the worst! I rather do normal PT than carry logs or Eco challenge or obstacles course. So today, I feel very grateful. Despite the pain and challenges, no body dares to complaint. All of us serve the Malaysian armed forces, under the command of His Majesty. thumb print of 10 fingers on our agreement has changed military to become not just our career, but is a life we have to bare with. We dont practice democracy, we preserve it.

The first 15 minutes of PT is the toughest. I was still very sleepy, moody, totally unwelcome this morning torture. Later on when the body warms up, it'll become ego unleashing time. Ruggers doing perfect push ups while looking at their proud big biceps, rowers keep starring at their tan lines on their arm while doing sit ups, and the triathletes anxiously waiting for the run. The girls, will look like zombie, about to die already. In the military, all for one and one for all. Collective punishments is how they cultivate cooperation and comradeship. One man cock up, whole squad take the punishments.

It is the instructor's dirty jokes that keep us cheerful.=p we love to listen to their career experiences, very interesting. Furthermore, we get to rest a little while waiting for then to finish talking. One thing I always hold on to, which I always remind myself when I'm struggling, "I will not die. Human body can do more than this". At the end of the session, we all go home with muddy dirty camouflage uniform. This weekly military training is a big factor how we maintain our BMI and fitness. Tired, cuts and bruises are very normal.

It's not the end of our Saturday yet! Within 30 minutes we gotta change to camo uniform, clean one. Then present ourselves for the next military theory class till evening. Academic assignments, no excuse, still have to do. Who is willing to undergo this kind of life? No wonder board of engineers think we are superman.

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Happy Birthday Jamie

I'm writing this for my prettiest friend...

Dear Jamie Ng Pui Zjin,
For 6 years we have known each other but this is the very first time I get to celebrate your birthday with u. May all your wishes come true and a year older will make u wiser in making serious decisions.=) no more tossing coin okay? =) we had a great time yesterday, I enjoyed the Korean food and frozen yoghurt in midvalley. However, having u sitting next to me watching our 2nd movie the 3 musketeers was a big distraction. I don't even know what I was watching. Knowing u for 6 years but we watched only 2 movies? That's weird. We gotta watch more next time.=p we have gone through thick and thin along the way, arguments and period of not talking. whatever it is, thanks for everything, especially your moral support during MUDS 2011. U are part of my success.

I hope u will keep your promise to run with me wearing your new balance Barringer. I will always remember that. Walk your talk. Don't waste the birthday present, run with it on the treadmill and exercise more. We don't know what will happen in the future, right now u are one person I care very much and I really enjoy your company.

Last but not least, enjoy to the fullest while u can. I wanna see u happy! =)

Regards,
Jun Shen

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Keystone

Keystone is the wedge-shaped piece of stone placed at the peak of an arch, which will be the very last piece to be placed during building process and will locks all stones into position making the arch incredibly strong.

how it works

very often, engineers will make the keystone as artistic as possible.

for me, keystone is my feelings and emotions. emotionally unstable, the structure will collapse.

evening run was nice and cooling. it was raining heavily after lunch and I was planning to ride on trainer if the rain doesn't stop. lucky enough, it stopped 15minutes before training. I had Bak Kut Teh and Yau Cha Kuai YESTERDAY! I was expecting poor timing for my weak will to refrain myself from unhealthy food. Somehow, I clocked my personal best just now. 2 minutes faster than my normal time. Isn't that amazing?!

capstone

Pyramid's Capstone

For the past 7 days I've been pumping myself with lots of good food. KFC, cold drinks, red meat, oily fried Yau Cha Kuai, and also the infamous Bak Kut Teh. To be very frank, I don't blame myself. It's people around me who dragged me along with them wanting me to enjoy my life. Haha.

Yesterday I hanged out with a bunch of really friendly and funny people. It's totally different compare to my military environment. Having fun in life is a must, but right now I'm performance oriented kind of person. I wanna make good use of this young and energetic period to achieve glorious moment in life. I'm putting aside joy, and work hard to gain life experience so that I'll have lots of stories to be shared when I'm old.

As a competitive athlete, reduction of risk and uncertainties is the key to great performance. However, one thing still yet to be mastered. I'm extremely vulnerable when come race period. Without mental toughness, I can never win any game. When I'm highly motivated, u will see outstanding performance.

Emotions is like a capstone of an athletes' pyramid. The gigantic structure of pyramid, has got a weakness. At the topmost of a pyramid, a capstone is placed to provide pressure strong enough to hold all other stones down under it. Despite being one of the tiniest stone, capstone can never be neglected.

Like an athlete, brain is at the topmost of a body. Brain must be in top form to do well in races. Probably this theory doesn't apply to all people, this applies to me.

U will be shocked to know my capstone. Trust me.

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Pantun MUDS 2011

4 minggu yang tegang,

juara bertahan rasa tertekan,

atlit lemah akan kecundang,

andai gagal sahut cabaran.

siri pertama kenangan pahit,

tumpas dalam gelanggang sendiri,

walau kaki berasa sakit,

pantang kami berundur diri.

akhbar THE STAR besar terpampang,

juara lepas gagal bertahan,

tidak mampu bersuara lantang,

hanya team mates saja yg paham.

siri kedua serangan mengejut,

dua roda pantas berputar,

nombor satu berjaya direbut,

pulih kembali semangat yang pudar.

siri ketiga Uni Malaya,

tempat selalu aku kecundang,

atas usaha kalian semua,

4 Piala dibawa pulang.

Chan Jun Shen

3x Ironman Finisher

2x Duathlete of The Year

1x Johan IPTA Sayembara Deklamasi Puisi

Tears of Joy

UPNM Endurance Sports Club

Beware of who u are drafting

Final leg in University Malaya.

I came in 2nd to Amirul and slightly ahead of Tarmizi.

after working so hard on the bike and came in far ahead of chase pack, I was so touched knowing that it is very very possible for me to win this game. I nearly cried when entering transitions. Only spectators saw how far the gap was, and only 3 of us feel the pressure of becoming race leaders.

I have lots of ugly pictures during MUDS, Melody was right, we gotta smile all the time despite in pain. U see cameraman by the road side snapping u doing dangerous descend and snap attack capturing racer's emotions.

saw the result today. wanna cry already

UPNM won best university by 4000 over points.

3 days after race.

I'm still over the moon, been pampering myself with lots of junk food and cold drinks.

As I've said before, this is a race for bragging rights!

I worked very very hard together with my team mates to bring all 4 trophies back.

From The Eyes of University Duathlete of The Year

Athlete number A111, just another nervous athlete standing at the starting line waiting for Mr Yusof Rashid to flag us off. The running track and infamous Bukit Cinta are both disadvantageous to me. I never liked uneven running route coz i'm not very good in it. I'm a flat course specialist. The fact that Ong always beat me in UM has lowered my confidence, I started this game WITHOUT the winning thought. I was imagining how to tell people after losing this game. I told Amirul "whatever will be, will be. I just wanna end this as quick as possible."

the fact that I'm the UPNM athlete with highest points but overall standing 2nd, I feel extremely pressured. Even when Kannan wanted to interview me, I didn't talk much. However, I reminded all racers to check their brake calipers which is the utmost important safety check before riding up Bukit Cinta. I don't like to talk before race starts actually, because I want to focus on my game. There's a tornado going on in my mind, so please don't give me another hurricane.

Tips : safety is paramount

Took a picture with Mr Yusof Rashid 30 secs before gun off. I poured whole bottle of water on my head and started sprinting. Ong went to the front very quickly, I saw a few of my team mates also leading the way. Like the Iron war between Dave Scott and Mark Allen, now is happening in University Malaya between Ong and Chan. we were both winners of Power Bar University Duathlete of The Year. His strength on the run and my advantage on cycling spiced things up, making the competition more and more intense. That's what spectators want to see!

Haha. I wonder if anybody bet on us. If I'm the spectator, it'll be fun to watch. But now I'm the horse that u guys are betting on and I'm struggling! =p

Tips : everything went wrong, change to damage control mode.

never underestimate this humble looking guy. he will smoke u if u try to pace him.

Tips : Don't judge the book by its cover. Respect all athletes.

I was running with Gan (Ong's Team), and was confused with his moves.

He was running at unstable pace, one moment overtake me and slow down, and the next moment in front of me again. Then I ignored his pace and started running with my comfortable pace. Ong has become smaller and smaller, further and further, then disappeared.

Tips : run at your own pace if couldn't get a pacer.

Fly mount and slip on my shoes. My transition skills have tremendously improved and I went out together with those wearing shoes. I'll be racing with very minimum tactics this time, coz this track will really test whether can your muscles survive the hills. Put aside attacking and sprinting, all I had in mind was very tiny hope of finishing slightly in front of Ong.

the very first climb, I saw Ong pedalling at low cadence. I did my training, and I know this is my strength. Legs felt fresh and I just kept pedalling without looking back. There's no need to look back, because I can't do anything if Ong stuck at my back. Previous years, I couldn't get rid of him when he paces me. At the top of the hill, I look back and saw Red Jersey. wasn't sure if that was Amirul or Tarmizi, but I was relieved. Suddenly Amirul came to my side and said "Go Fast!". I was gasping for air and he sprinted down the hill. I will ride to drop dead disregard what will happen, bike is my strength. we overtook all relay riders, we are now the RACE LEADERS again!

together with Tarmizi and Amirul, 3 mad men went down the hill more than 60km/h.

He reads my mind and understands my condition, very familiar with my tactics and style.

repetition of ups and downs Bukit Cinta can be mentally demanding. I drank very little to prevent stomach bloating for my final run. The very last climb I worked together with Tarmizi, and Amirul was the King Of Downhill. I think he gone crazy when see downhill. I have confidence with him though, because we train together and I know his bike handling is very good.

He scored the fastest bike split. I was so sure that we were ahead by more than 400m.

Again, I heard Kicap's voice shouting and yelling at us.

maximum speed 64.5km/h

the word on my handle bar, is my motivation.

Aiman got his girl friend's picture on the handlebar.

Amirul will be rewarded by his girl if he gets Champion this time.

As for me, no girl will reward me and I do this to entertain the crowd who wants to see tough fight =p I'll reward myself with KFC Snack Plate if I win this game.

the last run was super duper torturous. my legs were flimsy, my body couldn't go any faster.

FINALLY, 3 of us crossed the line in one pack. Amirul and I crossed together, but his leg was slightly longer than mine making him the overall champion. Mek was there right after I crossed the line, I felt like fainting. I didn't bend down, just kept walking till my body feels slightly better.

Moral of the story : It is nice to have longer legs=p

lady rider fell before entering transitions. good experience, she'll be a stronger and better rider next time. anything that doesn't kill u will only make u stronger. take it positive.

Tips : when u fall, leave the bike and protect your face first. especially girls. =p

Polygon Helios 700 is a very good bike. Replacement tires from Mr Danny shows their concern for customer's satisfaction. This bike served me well. I've been leading all 3 series on the bike leg.

Tips : Invest on a good tire. It is better than buying many many tubes.

this is our Team's achievement.

They offered 4 trophies and we won all of them.

I told everyone, if we can bring back all 4, this will be the golden era of UPNM endurance sports club.

4 from UPNM.

as I've said before, the game wouldn't be interesting without Ong's tough competition.

Aiman Champion Men Open

Amirul Champion Men Uni

Me Duathlete of The Year.

we just set a bloddy high benchmark for the juniors.

3 times podium finish and accumulated rewards.

this is really sweet

this will make me diabetic =p

I just wanna thank everybody who supported me along the way. especially those who never lose hope on me even though i was injured and running out of time to regain speed. I appreciate and can never thank u guys enough. Mr Tey, thanks for the super nice photographs. Snap Attack also, I'll buy those pictures when I get my pay, hope to get student price.=p

Mr Tey : "wei, don't forget to thank your parents when press interview u!"

Me : Yes......

Mr Tey : "no parents, u cannot buy 2xu and all your equipments!" jokingly scolded me.

Me : EXCUSE ME... I bought my race gears myself okay. not even a single bolt on my bike is sponsored by my parents. But still, I have to thank them for supporting me.

Jamie, Jasmine, Jaspreet, Michael, Ethan, Henry, Ahmad, ABANG ALANG(huruf besar sebab badan besar), and everyone who personally sms wished me luck for this game especially my classmates and batchmates, THANK YOU very much. I know I missed out a lot of people, just want u guys to know that I'm so thrilled right now and u guys are always in my heart.

My parents were there early morning till the end of the race. didn't really spend time with them coz I was busy with press interview and lots of sms-es coming in. I have really supportive parents. Obviously they will never understand this sport unless they really join, but they've done their part to support me=)

not forgetting superb organizers Melody, Adele and the gang. Small team but super efficient!

thank u to the sponsors Malakoff and Power Bar, and media as well =)

Press interview by BERNAMA and RTM

video of the interview.

it's time to bring it to the next level. my next race will be Powerman.

almost triple the distance of MUDS but not even half the distance of IRONMAN.

I have my aim for Powerman.

"KITCHEN" is a powerful word =p

now Athlete A111 get to rest a little. I'll take a break and come back stronger.

now that I've won the game, I still don't get my KFC SNACK PLATE!!!!

Final Leg MUDS University Malaya

it has been a really long week.

this weekend will decide whether my training throughout the year is effective or not.

undeniably, quality of race for MUDS has leaped to the higher level over the years.

the competition is greater, faster cyclists and runner come with the winning thought.

as the saying goes, "champion will rise and stars will fall"

No matter being competitive or simply recreational, this event is for everybody. U can choose to walk and even push your bike throughout the sprint distance. As for me, I've watched this event grow since my young and naive junior years representing UPNM. I was given penalty for going into the wrong junction, had fever and DNF at Uniten, and the sweetest part when I was awarded the Power Bar University Duathlete of The Year.

I've never cheated.

there are times when I feel the competition is so intense that I couldn't bare with the pressure of wanting to win. Many people enjoy their race, but I will only enjoy if I can bring back medals. I push myself very hard, mainly to bring up my team's name. In order to get better allocation, we need good race results to prove to UPNM that worth sponsoring out team. Achievements don't come free, it requires months of preparation and volumes of trainings.

a friend asked me how was the race:

me : I lost

friend : what's your ranking?

me : 3rd

friend : F*ck you la. U liar.

I've tried to reduce risks and uncertainties by reading lots of books on endurance racing.

But still, I got myself injured 2 months back. I was wearing my uniform walking to the elevator and I felt sharp pain at the side of my left knee. till today I don't know why. Lucky enough, after I changed my running shoes, I slowly recovered. Though not fully well, I've made up my mind to be competitive. Theoretically, reduce training load and stop when u are not well.

First leg in UPNM, I lost in my home ground. A place where I've never lost to anybody (other than my team mates). I finished 3rd. wrong strategy. I wasn't feeling well that day, and I held the gap too close with the chase pack. I didn't push hard enough at points where I'm supposed to. probably I know the route too well, I think too much.

Second leg went well in UPM. with my team mates, we swallowed all race leaders. I gave my all, really nothing left in me. I could only maintain the gap I built on the bike, and finished the race 1st.

tomorrow is the final leg in UM and today I'll be conducting the pre-race clinic.

deep in my heart, I hope to delay this week's duathlon. On the other hand, I want to end all stresses. I need some rest. transition from long distance to sprinting is really not easy.

Physically, I've done everything to improve. what is left is just motivation and mental toughness. this is a sprint game, there's no room for mistakes. I don't even have time to drink! an hour of sprinting really pushes your body to the limit. I respect all the podium finishers, and also participating athletes from all walks of life. those competing for podium, are equally strong. it is just a little extra motivation and zeal which make an athlete the overall champion.

Right now I'm feeling empty and lousy, no idea why..

to be a champion, be EXTRA-ordinary.

good luck to all and race safely. tomorrow's descent can go up to 70km/h the sharp 90 degree left bend. please make sure both brake calipers functioning perfectly.

RACE FAIR, DON'T CHEAT.

it's a race for bragging rights.

RIP TSB...

Putrajaya Training Ride

Saturday morning.

A day after Adam's bike crash, everyone in the club still not in the mood to talk about our training plan. I care more about our training than his injury, because if he wants to be a good rider, he must be able to endure pain. Juniors made paperwork and our cycling training has been approved. Putrajaya will be our destination.

Before ride, one of the rider recited prayers after my briefing on how to group ride. they're a few juniors in the peloton, i was kinda worried actually. traffic will be busy, so riding in formation is very important so that we can conquer the left lane escorted by Sarjan Jasmi with 2 ladies cameraman in the car. as usual, no spare tube means no ride!

average of 34km/h when we reached Putrajaya.

tongue out =p

photo courtesy Zurul and Syaika.

they ran up to peak of Bukit Besi for morning training, then we just realised that we need some nice pics especially for those first timers who didn't have the chance to take pics at Putrajaya.

even before the ride I've told them many times, no breakaway please! safety always come first. stronger riders can stay at the front slightly longer, we must ride in group. at certain p

oints where the juniors started to slow down, I shouted at the peloton telling them to slow down so that the juniors can catch up. Some just try to show their ego by pulling at high speed ignoring the others. There is no need to unleash your ego when come to group ride, why wanna breakaway when the peloton is waiting for the rest to catch up? u think u are a fast rider? when u are supposed to pull, your legs become flimsy and weak, body swaying left and right like a worm? I seriously got annoyed.

many of them get scolding from me during the ride, especially those who turned on music and plug in ear phones. we have cameraman in the support car, some riders got excited when they saw the car pass by the peloton and started to wave like a mad man. we are riding in a big group and drafting one another, if your front wheel rubs with the back wheel of the front rider, u will surely crash! so please pay attention. Lots of bad words came out from my mouth within that few hours. That's how we always communicate during trainings anyway.

I see the need to teach them a lesson so that other riders will not complaint about them when they join mass start. My seniors didn't teach me all this, I learned through experience. Many great riders outside and we can always learn from them.

2km kayaking.

rode to Presint 5 to support the UPNM rowing team. my rowing friends showed me a guy who looks like Edward Cullen the Vampire. they told me rowing requires lower body strength, I'm gonna try their rowing machine next 2 weeks at Pusat Marin. who knows if I'll found my new talent? =p haha

water sports

our way back to Sungai Besi was much easier. Juniors understand the formation better.

However, most of them already exhausted and struggling to keep up with the pace. Double file went above 45km/h on the highway, still not too fast for the seniors. some of us have even reached 60km/h on flat highways, that's where we show our ego. Most of our riders, I can see they have the potential to go faster, just need a little training. Come on guys, BUCK UP!!!

Hope they learn something from this ride.

All about love

I never loved martial arts.

I was sent for martial arts class since I was standard 2. Being a kid, I had no choice but to listen. My Sunday morning's sweet dream will be disrupted and groggy me will unwillingly drag myself to the basketball court start doing punching and kicking. I quit taekwondo as a blue belt coz I had to move to Alor Setar. years later when I joined UPNM, taekwondo was compulsory and all cadets must get black belt before being commissioned as an officer. I got no choice.

As I said before, I join UPNM to be an Ironman. I love swim bike run more than anything else in my cadet's life. So I've made up my mind, go all out and get my black belt fast, then I can be exempted from martial arts. Finally I got my black belt, and months later UPNM came out with new policy saying that all cadets will start Tempur Tanpa Senjata, the previous Taekwondo belt is no longer valid. So, from black belt I turned white belt AGAIN.

How can it be possible to keep doing something u don't love for many years?

I've tried to focus, tried to love Taekwondo. I always tell myself this is for my own good. My bitter experience of getting snatched is a good reason why I should buck up my self defence. However, it didn't come from my heart. That thought came from my logical thinking. Something u don't love with all yr heart will never last long, trust me.

today's TTS, I was day dreaming all the time. I couldn't remember patterns and taegeuk.

because I never loved TTS but I'm forcing myself.

Many years of endurance racing, my passion didn't fade at all despite all the pain and bitter but meaningful experiences. I love endurance racing even deeper over the years.

some people tell me, channel your spirit and energy to your goals just like how u do in Ironman.

Left brain will do the analysis, then says that the statement above is theoretically correct. Some goals in life, we pursuit because we need to achieve it. that doesn't mean u love it. It is like somebody telling u to like Jessica Alba because she is so damn hot, yea u might like her for her hot body but u don't love her.

today's bad news, one of my rider crashed his bike.

days ago I posted on how to crash your bike skilfully to minimize the damage, and today one guy crashed horribly. all riders will surely fall, it's just a matter of time, so learn to minimize the damage. But still, juniors are so stubborn. I told them like a million times to read up and gain more knowledge so that they don't have to learn the hard way, but they will never listen. this is why seniors tend to manhandle the juniors, because they couldn't stand it anymore. I'm still keeping my clean record for not manhandling the juniors, never even once.

Be patient.

basikal mahal disangka hebat,

budak mentah baru belajar,

berbuih mulut beri nasihat,

mungkin perlu aku yg ajar.

today is my aunt's birthday. How i wish i could go home and celebrate. too bad I won't be home for 3 weeks, gotta attend Solidworks class. sigh.

I'm Fat

I wasn't caught hell striking, guess my running posture has improved.

I told Amirul, when I was running to the finishing line, I felt like the whole club is standing on my shoulder. It was a heavy responsibility to win, everybody passed by cheer for u, scream their throat out hoping u to go faster. this week I'm free, get to rest a little. Next week's final leg gonna be super steep climb all the way.

Heavy training high calorie burn must be replaced with good food. Everyday's lunch, I feel sad for all my comrades. I wonder if they know what are they eating. Many of them told me why I eat a lot but still very lean, that's because I eat a lot but my meal is low fat and high carbs.

for now, all cadets who exceeded the BMI limit will undergo special training program to slim them down. increment of 100g will result in 1 ringgit saman =p haha. I even told one of them, why not u join triathlon training, sure u will slim down.

he told me "I rather die than join your training"

makanan goreng katakan tidak,

tidak sihat penuh lemak,

Berat badan berat lemak,

disuruh berlari jerit "alamak!"

It's not easy to follow cadet's routine, then score good grades in academic, and at the same time actively involved in sports. It's really VERY tiring. I always go to bed exhausted, and often doze off with piles of assignments undone on my tables especially when come race seasons. For this semester, I will cut down my races and pay more attention on my academics.

Next week I'll be conducting Race Clinic on Science of Injury Free Running at University Malaya.

very inspiring Ironman video

days ago I went for a simple body fat percentage test. I saw the digital display blinking then got a cartoon moving up and down, then only appear the result. according to my online search, Cyclist 5 - 15%, Sprinters 3 - 5%. I was so disappointed with the result! my body fat percentage is 15.2%. I'm too FAT to become a cyclist. sometimes knowing too much is not a good thing. I'm not good in ball sports coz of my slightly slower respond. by the time I put out my leg to stop the ball, the ball already passed me.

I always tell my friend, my legs can only move one axis which is front and back, I can't play football. They make a big joke out of it saying that this weekend's inter course football, I'll be the super fast winger who dribble the ball out of the court and bring the ball for cycling. I know u guys like to laugh at me.

whatever it is, to all my Aeronautics course mates, best of luck=)

kalian lincah gelecek bola,

saya hanya mampu berlari,

Aeronautic pasti menjulang piala,

hanya juara yg kami cari.

Taylor surprised her mum with this song. Listen to the lyrics =) one of my favourite song.

MUDS UPM - A meaningful one

Pre race night, I went to my stall and sold satay. u must be wondering why we wear so smart =p

a week ago, I was 3rd in my own University. I've never lost in my home ground, that was the very first time. this week, I'll be racing in UPM, a place where we have always dominated.

a night before race, I was anxiously waiting for the punching heart beat to come. that's a very important indicator of my next day's performance.

to my deepest disappointment, I've lost the punching beat.

I failed? yea the media like to spice things up and make it more interesting.

now Ong and I become like Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei.

when everything goes wrong, not as per planned, just don't give up and change to damage control mode. throughout the week, every single thing went haywire! I didn't wanna give up, I planned my game and strategy. Honestly, I've lost my motivation a day before game. what is left is just an ounce of fighting spirit.

3km first run was normal pace. Ong and Gan had about 200m lead, when I went into transition, they have already disappeared. I did a good fly mount and fastened my velcro strap once my bike was cruising at 40km/h. My confidence slowly build up when I had 12 UPNM Team Mates riding in my peloton. On flat we rode above 45km/h, we chased down all the race leaders and swallowed them. UPM is a flat course, but u really gotta be careful of sharp corners, holes and humps on the road. the peloton went crazy, 12 of my team mates highly motivated and hammering the pedals keeping the pace high in order to keep the gap far from the chase pack. we were in a breakaway, no time to slow down, no time to drink too! my bottle was still full when I climbed the final hill.

I saw the Palm Oil Estate in front, and the super steep hill. that's the final climb. I doubted myself, I didn't believe I could do this. I took a quick glance on my aero bar, so many things crossed my mind within that few mili seconds. My very last phone conversation was a great booster, somebody made a very big request. The moment I thought of it, I got out of my saddle and punch! I attacked the final climb and pulled the gap as far as I could!

I kept asking myself "what the hell?! this might be a wrong move!"

2 words on my aero bar.

If he can ride with one arm, why not u?

Photo courtesy Snap Attack

I was breathing so hard, and my legs were really hurt. Remained focus and not wanting to look back what is going on, I didn't stop hammering my pedals. I'm very sure the chase pack is chasing after me. At one point I felt like a little pig being chased by Big Bad Wolves. Remained in aero position slicing the wind all the way back to transition and did fly dismount. Now I'm the leader.

saw my mum and abang alang by the road side cheering for me. Thanks a lot=)

Honestly, I couldn't really hear people screaming when I cycle. But this time, I could hear my mum and Kicap screaming. Kicap has been my faithful lead out man over the years.

Ong is a damn fast runner, I better work harder.

the chase pack consists of 12 UPNM riders and Ong came in together. the gap was closing up. I didn't wanna know what's gonna happen. I just kept striding at high cadence and maintained the gap. it's impossible for me to go any further, any faster, my engine was over heating!

In sports, we fair play.

U give your best, I give my all. The best man win.

Photo Courtesy Mr Yusof Rashid from Malakoff

u can see my shit face crossing the finishing line. It was really tough. Ong came in 2nd, super close! Later Amirul, Suhaime and Tarmizi came in. Aiman got 6th place, but his bike speed improved.

this is a real big favor u know?

Medal is just a piece of metal, Certificate is merely a piece of colourful paper. It's the racing memories that make life colourful.

Ong brought his girl friend to support him, no wonder I lost to him before this. I'm in disadvantage in this aspect=p so I went to get some morale booster a day before. Haha so now we are equal.

Exhausted..

to all the 12 horses in my peloton, u guys rock! Hahaha. people have been commenting how crazy we rode to chase down everyone at the front. U guys simply the best!

Abang Alang treated me with reflexiology.

spent my night with Ahmad, Amirul, Aiman and Abang Alang.