Celebrating The Extraordinary - 28th SEA Games 2015

"It's never meant to be easy 

when you're trying to be more than ordinary."

Celebrating the Extraordinary

The main venue for the SEA Games 2015 - the brand new Singapore National Stadium.

My recent vivid memories about the SEA Games was the grandstand finish of 111 gold medals by Team Malaysia at the 21st edition in 2001, when Malaysia last played host, and also defending the gold medal in men's football event at Jakarta in 2011. Being a sports avid, I never had a chance to watch the event live. It was all seen though the TV screen down the years.

But this year, in 2015, I finally broke that duck by watching it live from the Singapore National Stadium. What made it even more special is that I saw two golden returns from our national hero - Nauraj Singh Randhawa (high jump) and Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin (discus throw). Both of them, favourites for their respective events, did not disappoint the small contingent of Malaysian supporters and their coaches.

What's more special is to watch them competing together with their family members, and we joined together in giving motivational cheers to these boys. Here are some shots I managed to capture at my first SEA Games experience.

This world-class stadium hosts a few sports such as athletics, soccer, as well as the opening and closing ceremony.

Billboard of the games mascot in different kinds of sports. There are 36 sports contested at the 28th SEA Games this time.

The 55,000 capacity National Stadium has a retractable seating capability making it the only stadium in the world custom-designed to host a multitude of events such as rugby, cricket, football, athletics, concerts, family entertainment shows, national and community events. 

The 19.2 meters high cauldron, which was lit by Singapore's favourite football son, Fandi Ahmad and his son, Irfan Fandi. This elegant sculptural showpiece incorporates the thematic essence of the SEA Games and its primary design motif of the show - The DNA

Flags of the 11 participating nations at the SEA Games.

Happening at the sidelines of the venues, the SEA Games Carnival is perfect to keep the visitors and the family entertained.

Another section of the sports village at Sports Hub.

Here you are, the mascot for the 28th SEA Games - Nila. The name finds its roots from Sang Nila Utama, the founder of Singapore.

Looks familiar? Getting free Milo drinks from the iconic green van.

Meanwhile, back in the stadium, the Malaysian coach giving some tips to the national discus throw athletic.



Congratulatory hug from the coach after the gold medal was confirmed.

Irfan led from the start and did not disappoint with a gold in his event.

Celebrating his victory with the supporters.

At another corner, the parents of our national high jumper, Nauraj was there to cheer him up too.

Clearing 2.13 meters at his second attempt.

The medals and mascot for the podium finishers.

Khairy was there to present the medals to the winners.

Tears of joy from a Mom. Irfan was surprised to see his Mom there, who kept her presence at the stadium from her son.

Both Malaysian athletes in the high jump event finished on the podium.

A great moment to hear the Negaraku played at the Singapore National Stadium.

And again, our Sports Minister was there to present the medals to the winners.

Khairy even took a selfie with our golden boys hahaha!

Ehh, see who I bumped into.

I guess all sports avid in Malaysia will know this familiar face - Dato' Sieh Kok Chi, who has been the Secretary General of the Olympic Council of Malaysia since 1992 and still going strong at the golden age of 76. He used to be a national water polo representative at the SEAP Games in 1965, 1967 and 1969.

Also managed to have a photo with our national high jump athlete, Nauraj Singh Randhawa. He is certainly a new star in high jump after Loo Kum Zee and Lee Hup Wei, and lets hope we can see he can do us proud in the Asian Games and possibly, Olympic Games as well!

The local crowd cheering the home team at one of the tracks event. Three more days to go until we reach the end of the SEA Games!

Thanks for reading.

Iftar With Marina Mahathir In Tokyo

 I am dying for someone to go to my Dad to say, 

"How does it feel to be Marina's Dad?"

on question about her relationship

with Dr. Mahathir

Malay Asian Cuisine, a Malaysian restaurant which was opened early this year and recently officiated by Tun Abdullah.

I first come to know about Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir through her bi-weekly column in The Star newspaper when I was in high school. At the same time, I also enjoy reading her articles on her blog at Rantings byMM. This bubbly, vivacious woman has no problem talking freely about sex, drugs or religion. That was more than a decade ago. Last night, I was lucky enough to join about 80 other Malaysians for a buka puasa (breaking fast) and dialogue session with this towering Malaysian at Malay Asian Cuisine, in Shibuya, Tokyo.

So, who is Marina Mahathir? Below is an excerpt of her biodata, taken from the website of Sisters in Islam (SIS), whom Marina is one of its Board Members since 2009.

Cute orange elephant and Mandarin duck at the reception.

The proboscis monkey, which is the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 mascot.

Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir began her career in advocacy in the HIV/AIDS sector. A graduate of the University of Sussex, she was president of the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) for more than a decade, and was also chairperson of the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF). Through her work with the MAC and MAF, Marina came into contact with numerous vulnerable groups, such as the transgender community, drug users, sex workers, migrant workers and people with HIV. After leaving her position as MAC president in 2006, Marina went on to focus on issues related to Islam and gender. She was voted into SIS’s Board in 2009. 

Marina is also a prolific writer and has contributed regularly over the past two decades to Malaysian English-language daily The Star. Her current column, Musings, runs fortnightly on Wednesdays. She is also a popular blogger and her writings have also appeared in numerous other print and online publications. Marina is co-executive producer of the award-winning young women’s television series, 3R - Respect, Relax, Respond. She also co-produced the critically and commercially acclaimed Malaysian film Gol & Gincu, released in 2005, and which went on to spawn a successful television series.   

Marina is the daughter and eldest child of Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

And so, we were there for this rare event with our special guest - Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir.

Marina with Siew Fong, who was the main organiser for the evening.

Marina arrived at the restaurant just before seven, and the first thought I had when I caught the first glimpse of Marina was, "Wow, Marina is so beautiful with her sweet smile, greeting each and everyone there". She seems unpretentious and utterly ordinary. Light chattings continued for a while, followed by the buka puasa sessions.

The menu for the night was one of the best I have had in any Malaysian restaurants in Tokyo. One plate set of our national dish - nasi lemak with rendang ayam, ikan bilis sambal, hard boiled egg, ayam goreng, samosa, sotong sambal. And we also have keropok, acar, banana cake, bubur cha cha as side menus. The ikan bilis sambal and fried chicken was simply out of the world.

The menu of the evening. One word - fantastic!

Once everyone was full, the event officially kicked off with a brief introduction of our special guest by Iqbal, followed by a short (10-seconds) self-introduction by everyone there. Finally, it was the climax of the evening - the dialogue session with Marina, who used to spend 2.5 years in Kobe, Japan in 1987. She started of her speech with, "Minasan, konbanwa".

To summarise her talk, Marina basically talked about the civil society movements in Malaysia, anecdotes of her involvements in various non-govenrmental organisations (NGO), how these movements and organisations raised funds to repair a Catholic cemetery in Kuantan, helped to introduced a Protestant church and Catholic church to work together, the recent issue about the soup kitchen in KL, the introduction of the Wall of Hope for MH370, her participant in BERSIH, how she felt about the current state of education in Malaysia, her relationship with her Dr. Mahathir, her hope to reclaim back Malaysia for Malaysians, etc.

Marina in action, speaking her minds out on various issues.

A candid expression of Marina taking a question during the Q&A session.

Here are some interesting quotes from Puan Marina on the evening:

A couple nights ago, the PM and the FT Minister, and the Women's Minister, who actually started it all, went on a SURPRISE tour of the streets - soup kitchens. Must have been terrifying for them; such alien territory.

Apparently, the PM Tweeted up like, "Wow, the poor really appreciate the soup kitchen." And someone said, "Well, duh...."

I think at the moment, we have a big issue in leadership; as if we don't have one.

The fact that you can even have the discussions is wonderful. It doesn't matter if you disagree or it gets really heated. The fact that you can have it is wonderful; because at home we can't. We really can't. 

Somebody had the idea to bring flowers along (to the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang). It wasn't my idea, I just went along. And turned out to be my picture on the front page, handing out these flowers.

After that, we thought, hey look, there are things that Malaysians can do, which are very simple, which represents a different face of Malaysia. Instead of seeing these angry faces all the time, spewing really a lot of hatred, we (Malaysians for Malaysia) wanted to present a different face. So, we started something called "A Walk in The Park".

We got Marina a little present - a cute Wajima nuri (lacquer art from Wajima, Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa)

and two small cute plates with gold fish and water ripple pattern.

In the mainstream national  school very near where I live, the kids, when it comes to sports, they are stereotyped and they cannot get out of the stereotype. They are told to play games according to their stereotype.

So, the Malay kids play football, the Chinese kids play basketball, the Indian kids play hockey.... How to win, like that?

And they wonder why they never win anything. They are not choosing by talent, they are choosing by race. Gosh... You always thought the Brazilians all can play football, right? And now we know they don't necessarily (referring to the 1-7 semifinal lost to Germany). I've been watching a little bit... I know where to hit where it hurts.

Our secondary school kids are in the same level as the primary school kids in Vietnam. It's incredible.

She (Marina's second daughter) started looking at everyone (within few months of enrolling into her school), in terms of what race and what religion they are. And she wanted to know, always.

In the end, we took a very difficult decision, which was to take her out there. The day I had to take her out, I actually cried. I felt so sad because I believed in the (education) system so much and it was really disappointing.

But there are problems with international school too, because it's simply not Malaysia enough.

Her Malay isn't very good. I don't think any of those kids can even name the 13 states in Malaysia. And that is very sad.

 Marina's Tweet on the event on her Twitter at @netraKL.

In many of the (court) cases, if someone overstepping, making a mistake, and overstepping, and then having too much ego to want to step back. And that (Borders bookstore manager, Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz pending court case) is a very typical of a lot of cases that is happening in Malaysia these days, where people (the authority) have made a mistake; they know they have made a mistake but they can't backtrack because they feel that they will lose face. It is all terlanjur sangat dah; cannot pull back already.

If you tell me that it will only gain traction if I talk about it, you are dis-empowering yourself, and that's the problem. Because we keep wanting to put power in the hands of a few, whereas the power is among everybody, it's in everybody. So, everyone needs to take responsibility for their own cause.

Malaysians really got to learn that democracy is not every five years. It is not something you just do every five years. It has to be an ongoing, living process, all the time, all the time.

My husband (Tara Sosrowardoyo, a renown Indonesian professional photographer) blames it (failed in their application to get a Malaysian PR) on me going to BERSIH twice.

I think what we really want is for some sort of sense of rationality, calmness and civility to come back to Malaysia because we cannot carry on like this.

Sleep! And being with my family. (on question about what Marina does to unwind herself)

What's my favourite book? Well, you know, it takes me forever to finish a book because every five minutes, and then I'm asleep.

Actually I think the best way to relax is to turn off Facebook, turn off Twitter.

I was brought up by my father to think, and I think if I didn't think, he would get mad with me. So, it's not been an issue for us. It's been less of an issue for us, than it has been for everyone else.

I get all sorts of nasty things, like, "How can you be like that?" (and I go) "Yea...? (what would you expect?)"

We are so similar. We are both opinionated, we both read a lot, we are concerned about issues; so I think we are very similar. The fact that we have different approaches to things, to me is normal. So it is not an issue at all, we have no problems, we have dinner together, we go on holiday together. It's not such a big deal, but it is a big deal for other people.

They get really like, "Huhhhhh, awat dia buat macam tu???"

I remember once, I just started at the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC), few years in and I had an interview with a business newspaper. We were supposed to talk about the business on running an NGO. And this guy came in, obviously very resentful of having to come and interview me because I'm not some hotshot business person. When he came in, and he sat down, and the first thing he said was, "How does it feel to be the PM's daughter?" And I said, "Get out".

Why? You all have to run home is it? (on calling a close to the dialogue session)

Marina actually left a comment on my Facebook personally. This tells you so much what this towering lady is made of.

I tell you one funny story. My brother, Datuk Mukhriz, he was the Deputy Trade Minister, had a meeting with some foreign trade minister from some other country. And this foreign trade minister said, "Haiz, you know the problem is with my sister. You know, she works in NGO and she's always you know, saying things that are a bit difficult for me and all that". And my brother (Datuk Mukhriz) goes, "I now how that feels".

Malaysians, no matter how far away, or how long they stay away from home, there's a string there that is attached to home. And occasionally that tucks back.

I think, you know, Insha'Allah, one day, I think we will get Malaysia back, but it needs to have everybody working towards it.

It was a great pleasure to meet Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir in person and listening to her inspiring speech.

She is simply a down-to-earth person and there's never a lack in smiles on her face.

Siti Nurhaliza At ASEAN-Japan Music Festival 2013

“Ehh, tinggi-nyer. Umur brape?”

first comments from Siti

upon meeting her

 The program book of the evening.

There is a saying that dreams sometimes come true when you least expect it. And indeed it happened to me a fortnight ago. Thanks to ASEAN Youth Network in Japan (AYNJ), I had the privilege to attend the ASEAN-Japan Music Festival in NHK Hall in Tokyo. This music festival was held in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of friendly relationship between Japan and ASEAN countries, and also to support the Japan-ASEAN Special Summit to be held this month in Tokyo, where the state leaders from all the ten ASEAN countries are invited to discuss about political and economic, as well as cultural exchange between Japan and ASEAN countries.

As such, top artists from participating countries were invited to this music festival, which was more than just music entertainment. The unique culture and traditional costumes of each representing countries were introduced to encourage further understanding between one another. Among the VIP present was the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr Shinzo Abe who gave a welcoming speech at the opening of the music festival. This is the second time I saw a Japanese Prime Minister in real-life, after Mr Yukio Hatoyama several years back.

The best of the best artists from ASEAN countries and Japan graced the stage on the special evening (photo source).

Representing Japan in this music festival were EXILE, w-inds and AKB48. As for Malaysia's representative, it was none other than Siti Nurhaliza, one of the most successful artists Malaysia has ever produced. To watch these world class artists (read: EXILE and Siti Nurhaliza) performing on the same stage is not something you get to witness often. Besides, part of the ticket donation collected would be used to invite junior and high school students from the tsunami affected regions in Tohoku to this music festival, and also to promote the Japanese boom to the international community.

To get the ticket however, was much more difficult than I thought. It was a lottery system and only lucky individuals will get the chance to attend this festival. My entry was did not make the cut. However, AYNJ was my saviour as they have 30 free limited tickets for representatives from ASEAN countries to attend this music festival.

 

The ticket is sold at 6,000 yen, but the experience was unforgettably priceless.

The opening was AKB48 but to be honest, I am not a fan AKB48. Sorry all AKB48 fans. Well, it was great to see them performing live with quite extreme level of kawaii-ism but that was not the show I was anticipating on the evening.

After the artists from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Laos entertained the crowd with their respective songs and performances, finally it was Siti's turn to grace the stage. Light on the stage were dimmed and moments later, Siti stepped into the stage, wearing an elegant-looking dark blue kebaya. I have seen her gracing the singing stage down the years, ever since the years where she ruled the Juara Lagu in the late 90's and early 2000's, but that evening was the first time I saw her live.

 I was lucky enough to get Siti to personally autograph this page for me!

That very moment, you can feel the powerful charisma this singer holds, that people surrounded her are enlightened with her presence. For the next ten minutes, we were entertained by this talented singing queen who belted three songs - "Biarlah Rahsia", "Koibiyo Yo" and "Nirmala". I may sound biased here, but she certainly blew the stage. It just get people of the seat and wanting to hear more from her. With no disrespect to the other singers from other countries, which I thought they were good. However, Siti was simply a par above them. She was simply great.

I am proud to say that Malaysia can boast to have produced such internationally recognized talent in Siti, which is not only limited to singing but she is also a composer and producer, and occasionally a host for talk shows. Yet, despite her immense success, Siti is well-known as a simple and down-to-earth person. Siti presents herself in a moderate manner in public but she still invokes an elegant and powerful charm. Her dressing sense represents the eastern values she holds dearly.

 Havoc at the backstage as we intruded the place in search for Siti after the show lol!

It may sound exaggerative but getting to watch Siti performing in Tokyo on that evening was one of the beautiful things that I will treasure for a long time. But the evening did not stop there. 

Presenting ourselves as the representatives from the Embassy of Malaysia in Tokyo, we managed to sneak into the backstage to meet Siti personally. That was one thing that was not in our plan. And despite not knowing who we were, Siti greeted us with a sweet smile and we managed to have a short conversation with her. As I approached her to have a photo taken, she smiled and commented, "Ehh, tinggi-nyer. Umur brape?" ("Wow, you’re so tall. How old are you?").

 Siti whispered to me, "Hey lets pose for peace sign!" as we were to take this shot hahaha! (photo credit: Cliff)

Thank you Siti for the wonderful performance and arigato AYNJ, especially Ruiz, Chi Wern and Watanabe-san, for giving me a chance to witness a wonderful show on the evening of November 28, 2013.

Yamanote Line Marathon - The Run

"Love it or loathe it, the Yamanote Line rail loop 

keeps the Japanese capital smoothly on track."

Tokyo's humble 34.5 km
Yamanote Line

I made it!

I have successfully accomplished one of the things that I have always wanted to attempt to do - to run around the famous Yamanote Line loop. Technically speaking, I did not run throughout the course as I made stops at every stations to take photos, and also pit-stops at convenience stores to refuel myself with liquids. In addition, it was more of an alternation between running and walking along the course, especially during the final third of the course when my body was really worn off. So, here is a short recollection on how the run went.

The starting point, which will also be the finishing point of my Yamanote Line marathon.

I took the 4:40 a.m. train from Kamata station, heading to Tokyo station, which will be my starting point. and also my finishing point. After arriving in Tokyo station around five in the morning, I did the necessary stretching and warm-ups, also pre-run preparations with my equipments like turning on my iPod, running applications on iPhone, etc.

After everything was set and ready, I set off from Tokyo station at 5:20 a.m. sharp, going counter-clockwise around the Yamanote Line, heading to the next stop, which is Kanda station. In the early stages, things went according to plan. I was running for most of the time, keeping the pace at around 7 minutes per kilometer. Throughout the journey, I relied on my trustworthy Google Map to make sure I was running on the right route.

You can see how much I was sweating already.

As soon as I saw the first glimpse of Kanda station, I got excited and increased my running pace. It was still very early in the morning when I finally arrived at Kanda station. Looking around, I spotted a lady at the exit and I had her to take a photo of mine in front of the station. I was sweating profusely and this kind lady offered tissue for me. Just the perfect start for this long journey. Before I left, she wished me all the best and I thanked her. First stop down, and 28 more to go.

The stops along the course would be - Tokyo → Kanda → Akihabara → Okachimachi → Ueno → Uguisudani → Nippori → Nishinippori → Tabata → Komagome → Sugamo → Ōtsuka → Ikebukuro → Mejiro → Takadanobaba → Shin-Ōkubo → Shinjuku → Yoyogi → Harajuku → Ebisu → Meguro → Gotanda → Ōsaki → Shinagawa → Tamachi → Hamamatsuchō → Shinbashi → Yūrakuchō → Tokyo.  

In total, there will be 29 stations, covering a distance of approximately 34.5 kilometers.

Otaku freak lining up at the game stores in Akihabara when it is not even six in the morning!

Tokyo Sky Tree seen on the way from Uguisudani to Nippori.

Arrived at Tabata station at 07:20. Almost one-third of the journey and I clearly looked very much energetic still.

Something I have never knew at all of its existance this while. Tram lines running at Ōtsuka station.

The famous yet mysterious white windowless tower near Ikebukuro. It is actually Toshima garbage factory, and more precisely, the incinerator's chimney

A poster to commemorate Tokyo's successful bid for the summer Olympic Games in 2020.

Finally at the mid-point of the journey. Takadanobaba station marks the 14th stop.

However, after one-third of the run, I began to feel some tight muscle pain on my legs. This is mainly down to my lack of training, so it was something I had expected to happen sometime during the run. Things did not get better as the temperature rises very quickly and the scorching sun did not help either.

As I had consumed my two packets of energy jelly, I started to make trips to the convenience store to grab some drinks I desperately needed. In total, I consumed 3.4 litres of liquids, 3 packets of energy jelly, 1 onigiri (rice ball), 1 ice-cream (this was to keep me motivated to finish off the run lol!).

My first encounter with Shinjuku station was in the Japanese text book more almost nine years ago.

One of the features of the west side of Shinjuku station - the high-rise skyscrapers.

Arrived at the fashion town of Tokyo - Harajuku station.

Hachiko statue, by far the most famous thing at Shibuya station.

This amazing scramble crossroad at Shibuya station is also a well-known attraction.

Ebisu statue at Ebisu station. This marks the two-third point of the journey.

Toko Hotel at Gotanda station. This hotel was the very first stop I made when I first came to Japan in April 2007.

As I arrived at Gotanda station, it was already 11:45 a.m. There are still more than a quarter of the journey to cover and hence, my six-hour target was not achieved. However, the record on Runkeeper showed that I have already covered more than 36 kilometers at that point. So, in some sense, my 30-km-in-6-hour target was actually achieved, although I have not finished my one loop around the Yamanote Line.

I left Gotanda and head next to Ōsaki station. At this time, the temperature had rose to thirty degree and that was a real killer, especially when there was almost no shades along the route. As the track makes a sharp curve between Ōsaki station and Shinagawa station, I tried to stay as close to the track, because the route in Google Map suggested a much shorter router. 

However, on the final third of the journey, the combination of muscle pain, lack of training, the heat were too much to bear and I literally walked for most part of the journey. As I arrived at Shinagawa station, I had the thought of maybe I should just abandon this thing and take the train home lol! But my effort would come to nothing and I decided to push myself and finish off this journey irregardless how long will it take.

Arrived at the oldest station in Japan - Shinagawa station. Face is smiling but the leg muscle was actually screaming in pain lol!

Gigantic "Visit Malaysia 2014" advertisement in front of Shinagawa station.

Cute little boats spotted on the way from Tamachi station to Hamamatsuchō station.

Had a tourist to take this photo for me.

Shinbashi is the original terminus of Japan's first stretch of railway, the Tōkaidō Main Line.

Oldies seen playing traditional Japanese board game in front of the station.

Finally! The final traffic light before I head to finish off this long journey!

As I left Yurakuchō station, the 28th stop, I knew my goal was not very far away. The excitement really came in, and somehow, I found that extra energy to make the final surge towards the finishing line. No more walking and it was all about running all the way to Tokyo station. As soon as I caught the first glimpse of the red brick building of Tokyo station, I was screaming in my heart, "Ohh! Finally!"

The song, "I'm Coming Home" just hit me and around 2:30 p.m., I successfully finished this amazing journey.

Could not believe it myself that I had actually returned to the point where I started earlier in the morning.

The total distance I covered was 50.4 kilometer. That is 20 kilometers longer than the Yamanote Line track. I estimated that my run would take somewhere around 40 kilometers, but for unknown reasons, it ended up more than 50 kilometers haha!

Total time I took was 8 hours 48 minutes 15 seconds, averaging about 10 minute 29 seconds per kilometer. This time is almost 3 hours longer than my target. Nevertheless, after considering the facts that I made stops at every stations for about 5 minutes (5 minutes x 29 stations = about 2.5 hours), the time was not too bad actually.

 

Photos taken in front of all 29 stations of the Yamanote Line.

Here are some quick facts about my run:

• Total distance: 50.4 km
• Total time: 8 hours 48 minutes 15 seconds
• Average pace: 10 minutes 29 seconds per kilometer
• Calories burned: 4,180 calories
• Number of stations: 29 stations
• Number of Wards covered: 9 Wards (Chiyoda, Taitō, Arakawa, Kita, Toshima, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, Minato)

A total distance of more than 50 kilometers. Can I now call myself CtC (Calvin the Tokyo Conqueror)? Hahaha!

 

The muscle pain, especially around the back thigh and calf was quite bad, although it was not as bad compared to my full marathon run last year. This time at least, I still manage to walk up and down the stairs like a normal person lol! After my run, I took the train from Tokyo station back home. And in a split seconds, the train has passed several stations. Now I have learned how to appreciate the existence of trains haha!

Just like those people who have conquered Mount Fuji and swore that they would not climb it again for the second time, I don't think I am going to do this crazy run for the second time. But who knows, if anyone is interested to give it a try, I might join the fun (and pain lol!) together.

A few things to note after finishing this run:

• Bring along wet tissue to clear your face and body from the salt that appear after your sweat had dried off.
• This might sound wrong, but it is recommended to stick plaster to your nipples because the friction between the shirt and nipple will be very painful after some time.
• Check the route on Google Map from time to time, to make sure you are on the correct route.
• Never use your instinct too much, because running to a dead-end will make you lose quite some time.
• Make sure you take sufficient amount of liquid after the run. No matter how much I drank, I still find myself thirsty on the first day lol!
• Get a warm (cold, for my case) shower and proper rest after the run to get the body recover faster.

Some of my friends actually asked me why I did this; whether or not it has to do with the Chiba Kun Ambassador thing. To put it simple, it was just for my personal satisfaction. I find that through this run, I have realised the importance of setting a goal, and how to work hard towards achieving that goal. 

Now that I have successfully conquered the Yamanote Line, I already have a new plan in my mind. A much bigger plan and more detailed preparations is required for this one. If everything goes smoothly, I will try to accomplish it by the end of this year. Anyone fancy making a guess what would it be?

And by the way, a big Happy 50th Birthday, Malaysia. You have came a long way and this is my little present for you :D