Running like a hunter

You follow your prey. You must not lose sight of it. You have to run it down.

It’s a test of endurance. You have to be relentless. You got to be resilient. Whoever tires first, loses. Whoever outlasts the other, wins.

It’s a calculated gamble. As you are wearing down your prey, you are being worn out as well. In a pursuit to destroy your prey, you are also destroying yourself. Slowly… But you have to survive in order to kill.

How much can you take before your prey is subdued? Will it outlast you? Or will you subdue it before you get subdued?

Mistakes can happen. Miscalculations can be deadly. Make the mistake of being too eager to wear it down, and you’ll burn yourself out before you burn your prey. Wait too long to go for the kill, and you may never get to it at all.

Hydrate. You may weigh yourself down a bit more by carrying water. But you may turn out to be the wiser one.

Your prey crumbles before you. It clutches its calves. It bends down in pain. Its face contorts along with the destruction of its will. Its frame is battered. It has nothing left. You have won the battle of endurance.

In the event of a victory, give respect to the defeated. The kudu may be just an animal. But even the hunter gives it tribute. In the event of a defeat? Next time around, you will be hungry.

That’s the easy part. You wanna know what’s the hard part?

Getting back after it’s all done.

The months of training before. The sacrifices, pain and preparation before. The long journey before. The bus ride, the air flight, the car drive. The hours alone in a hotel room, pondering what is to come. The wait in line for the loo. The effort taken just to get there. Then, the long journey back home after.

The race is the short part.

P.S. Anyone knows how the hunter drags the huge kudu all the way back to his village after an 8-hour ordeal, please let me know. I just cannot imagine. See video from previous post for continuity:

http://www.wimp.com/oldesthunting/

Ancient hunting and modern running

Check out this video on an ancient hunting technique by the Sand People of the Kalahari desert.

http://www.wimp.com/oldesthunting/

There are many parallels between old school hunting and modern running. See how many you can spot. List them down in the comments if you will!

I assumed that the hunter was running bare footed. But I was wrong.

You see his shoes… branded like mad! Haha…

Forefoot running revisited

I tried forefoot running again. I’m surprised at my findings! If you asked me about forefoot running one year ago, I’d say forefoot if you want, heel strike if you want. Whatever works for you.

Today, I’d say heel strike if you have to, forefoot if you can.

In my own experience, I think I’m evolving. Evolving backwards, not forwards, to do forefoot running. Here’s my theory:

Back in the days when our ancestors had to chase down their food instead of buy it from a hypermart, humans had the correct running style. They ran barefooted, and forefoot. If they had heel striked while chasing down deer, the kind of injuries their feet and legs would get would force them to fast until they’ve recuperated. That’s not good. Especially if there’s always a chance that the hairy men from a neighboring tribe may want to spear you down anytime next week.

The cavemen had no problems running forefoot because they did it all the time. They didn’t have cars or public transportation. They didn’t have internet. They had to run to get their food. They had to run to get to places. They had to run to send messages. All that running made their legs, calves and feet very well-developed. Hence, they naturally adopted the efficiency of forefoot running with no problem at all.

Today, we get into our cars to get to places. We send text messages on our mobile phones to someone just one mile away. Many generations of evolution have gone by since the day the wheel was invented. Anthropology will show you how the shape of human bodies changed with time. The neanderthals had bigger limbs and smaller skulls. Modern humans beings now have more refined limbs and bigger skulls. The adaptation of modern man to survive in a modern world makes humans rely more on intelligence than on muscles to get things done. Hence, our heads got bigger and our limbs got weaker.

I do not agree with the monkey part, but just to illustrate a point.

Side remark: Notice why aliens are always depicted as human-like lifeforms with really big heads and very slender limbs? They are supposed to be at a much more advanced stage of evolution than humans, if there ever were such a thing.

Along the same line of reasoning, our legs have grown weaker with every passing stage of evolution. Since we do not normally run anymore, our quadriceps, calves and feet have lost certain muscle fibers that support efficient running, i.e. forefoot running.

So, when modern man hits the street to do running today, our evolved legs make us run the easy way, i.e. heel striking. Heel striking is easier to do than forefoot running, because it needs less muscle strength from the calves and quadriceps to cushion the pounding. Heel strikers let the heel absorb all the shock, and try to roll over to the forefoot in the toe-off phase.

Soon, injuries start to show. That’s where modern shoe companies come in. They make shoes that allow modern man to run the lazy way while minimizing injuries. They make shoes that concentrate a lot of cushioning technology at the heel of the shoe. This encourages the modern man to heel strike even more.

Why doesn’t modern man like to run forefoot? It’s because our legs are no longer ready to naturally run forefoot in our evolved state. We need to be taught all over again how to run forefoot. And that, is a painful process. I know, because I’ve been through it.

When I first read about forefoot running, I tried it. It hurt like mad! I found it to be much more tiring than heel striking with my highly cushioned shoes. I got injured, recuperation time went up, race times went down. I thought I will never run forefoot again.

After one year of consistent running, my legs have evolved backwards in the hunter-gatherer sense. Through consistent conditioning, my quadriceps, calves and feet are now ready to do forefoot running.

I tried to run forefoot when I was  doing my intervals. I sustained some pain in my lower leg area. But it recovered pretty fast, in just a couple of days or so. Maybe I’m not ready to run forefoot at high speeds yet.

However, I tried to run forefoot today when doing my 18 km LSD. Here’s a surprising find. I find that:

1. I didn’t grow tired as fast.
2. I wasn’t getting out of breath the entire run.
3. I felt like I was activating the correct muscles when I run.
4. I felt it was easier to maintain an ongoing rhythm.
5. I did not feel the need to consciously push forward.
   
6. My cadence improved.
7. My effort level decreased.
8. My lap times were faster.

Back home now, I don’t think my legs are injured at all. I have a great feeling that I can wake up feeling springy the next morning!

This is clear evidence that forefoot running is the correct way to go. I’m experiencing it first hand. Now, I can run forefoot slowly for long distances. Given more time, and I think my legs will be ready to run forefoot at high speeds and at prolonged periods without sustaining pain… in the near future, I hope.

From what I observe, shoe companies have a very big battle ahead of them. It boils down to consumerism versus correct running. If you want your shoes to sell, you got to make those that allow heel striking. That is what the masses of modern humans do. If you want to propagate correct running by making or bringing in correct running shoes for forefoot running… your shoes may not sell.

Re-education on the correct way to run will be a painful process, both for the runner and the shoe company. But will the pain be worth it? Serious runners may see the advantages of converting. But will shoe companies feel that a paradigm shift is worth it?

I have a feeling that consumerism will still win.  In a battle of truth versus money, the dollar bill usually wins. The dilemma continues for dealers and shoe shop owners, especially those who double up as running enthusiasts. As for shop owners who are in it purely for the business? I don’t think they will see a dilemma.

PSKPP Selangor 2009 – Saling grind-mengrind

Grind. That’s the word for PSKPP Selangor 2009.

It started super late, as usual. The race was scheduled to start at 7:30 am. At 8:00 am, the officials were still having breakfast at the canopy area. At 8:15 am, the officials were still being briefed. 8:30 am, we were finally marshaled to the starting area.

I think it’s safe to say the race started for real at 8:45 am. If it wasn’t a cool, rainy morning, it would’ve been a sun-baked run. The culprit was one of the districts, who came at 8:30 am.

Well, maybe it was not the organizer’s fault. But still, by right, late means out lah! If late by 5 minutes, it’s one thing. Late by one hour? Haiyoh…

But then again, maybe it was the organizer’s fault. If the race was scheduled at 7:30 am, how come breakfast was being served at 8:00 am? If, in the rare event that everyone was punctual, does that mean we have to wait until breakfast is over? Haiyoh x 2…

The starting time determines everything. It determines what time you sleep, what time you wake up, what time you eat your breakfast, what time you start your car, the calculated travel time, the allocated time for getting lost, the time you down your PowerBar, the time you warm up, and of course… the time you race.

If the starting time is just an imaginary one, it’s a big jam, really.

It’s almost pointless to warm up. You’ll get cooled again. Then you have to warm up again. And get cooled down again. Re-heat and re-cool a couple more times, you’ll be cooked and ready to be eaten.

I really hope the state level PSKPP steps up the standard. At the very least, the part on the starting time. It’s way too ridiculous.

Ok, cukup liao. Into the race…

I did not feel a need to do an early rush. I’ve got my race pace rehearsed pretty well. I did just what I had set out to do. No need to panic. The crowd will thin out sooner than you think.

True enough. Without changing pace, a lot of runners were getting dropped as soon as we hit the main road. By the time we hit the 2nd kilometer, the top 3 were already determined. I know because I was at number 3.

It was a hard-fought effort to grind down number 2. I can see him right in front. But he does not seem to be getting any bigger, or any smaller. You have to out-grind him. Match his foot strikes, step for step. If your stride is half a foot longer than his, you will catch him. It will take time. But you eventually will.

Step for step. Grind and grind. Still same size.

Continue the grind. Step for step. Maintain pace.

Still same size!

Keep going. Grind and grind. Step for step. Wear him out.

Soon, he got bigger. And bigger. Finally, he was overtaken.

The thing is, even when we were running side by side, he still had the breath to ask me which district I’m from, and if I’ve been running frequently. Nuts?!

Anyway, after I overtook him, it’s his turn to grind me down.

I can hear him, man. Every time I step on a puddle, I hear him splash. Every time I pound on gravel, I hear him hitting it too. Step for step, splash for splash, crunch for crunch. His foot strikes echo mine.

Uphills. The signature dish in Shah Alam. I kind of like hills for a reason. If you’ve trained for it, the hills are where you can drop your opponents. It separates the the real players from the rest. Hills become an opportunity, not an obstacle. Think of hills as your friends. Make friends with them months before you race. Or else they can switch sides and become your obstacle.

The hills at Shah Alam were my friends. But apparently, the they were friends with my opponent too. Haiyah…

Towards the end of the race. It’s psychological now.

One thing important about having a NOS tank is, you know you have an ace up your sleeve. No matter how grinded you are, you have this little secret hidden within your beat-up chasis. It’s a psychological edge. You can even allow yourself to slow down a little… let the opponent catch up on you a bit… charge your NOS rockets…

When the time is right, press the turbo button. Usually, if the NOS button is well-timed, you won’t get out NOS-ed. When your opponent is burning precious fuel to catch up, you are charging your reserves . While he is burning out, you are charging up. When you press the turbo button, he’ll be too shocked to respond. You won’t lose. You cannot lose. You normally won’t…

Unless his NOS is bigger than your NOS! Then, you will die lah. Haha…

2nd place finish. I’m Sabah bound! 19th – 22nd December. Free flight, and four days holiday in the land below the wind!

It was certainly worth the grind.

The return of the running gurus

It’s the PSKPP 10k again! State levels, hosted by Petaling Perdana. Once again, I qualified as Gombak’s representative. Menang tanpa bertanding

The nostalgia.

Last year, I was running with my New Balance 767. Bought from the discount bin.

This year, I’ll be running with my Adistar Salvation. Sponsored by the Adidas Shoe Seeding Program.

Last year, Team Miracle Mile was not yet born.

This year, I have a Miracle Miler’s baju semangat juang.

Last year, I didn’t really have a strategy.

This year, I do.

Last year, I finished 4th, clocked 48:43, and qualified for the national levels in Penang.

This year…

I’ll let my running do the blogging.

I’ve been quite silent for a while. But I’ve been quietly logging in my monster mileage, diligently working the core after every long run, incorporating hill sprint repeats into LSDs, pushing my intervals and adding repetitions to it, refining my race pace, experimenting with forefoot running, finishing each run with a stretching exercise, logging my runs into my little blue book, and watching my weekly mileage increase and my average pace decrease.

With all the work done, I’m looking forward to see the pay-offs.

God willing, I’ll pull of a PPP. Paula’s Perfect Pace.

Petaling Perdana. This  Saturday.

HUAT AH!!

Should education be made free for all?

I say not. If they can’t pay school fees, block them at the gates.

Ok. I really need to explain myself.

I believe that everyone has the indiscriminate right to education. Yellow or brown, black or white, Indonesian or Salonese. Education is a basic right. It should be made accessible to everyone from all walks of life.

A country fails to provide this basic right for its people if noticeable minorities start showing up in their statistics for being unschooled, for the sole reason of not having enough funds. Money shouldn’t be a barrier that denies people from getting a basic education. The people should be provided avenues to hone their skills, and hence, become a contributor to one’s own welfare, and to the benefit of the country’s economy.

So, in a way, private schools violate this basic right to a certain extent. Schooling fees in private schools shoot up the roof, in comparison to public schools. Therefore, only the rich get the rights of passage into quality schools. Vast majorities are denied this avenue that can skyrocket their potential to the superhighway for wealth and success. That is, if we give the assumption that private schools provide better quality education that public schools in the first place.

But that, I reiterate, is an assumption.

However, private schools are not to blame if they really do provide better education. It’s willing buyer, willing seller. If a parent believes that sending his children to a private  school can give them an edge that other children don’t normally get, and if that parent can afford to do it, then let the parent do it. That in itself is an exercise of that parent’s right, based on that parent’s own value judgment, isn’t it?

So, it’s not fair to point a finger at private  schools.

But that’s not what I’m keen on discussing. I wanna discuss about public schools. And why it doesn’t have to wave a free ticket to education to just about anybody and everybody.

In Malaysian schools, education is dirt cheap. In the school I teach in, school fees come up to RM50.50 per year. If you include the PTA fees, that will be another RM50. If you include the purchase of the school annual yearbook, that’s another RM15. Grand total: RM115.50.

Can every parent afford to pay RM115.50 for his or her child’s education?

Hmmm… Ok. In the name of humanity, let’s assume that not everyone is that fortunate. Maybe for certain pockets of people, cash flow is worse than a stagnant drain. Maybe they really cannot afford RM115.50 per year.

Nevermind. Let’s take away the PTA fees then. The PTA’s  role is to serve the disadvantaged students anyway. I’m sure they’ll understand if the underprivileged can’t pay PTA fees. That’s RM50 less.

Maybe they can’t afford the luxury of buying the school’s annual yearbook. It’s not fair to make that a compulsory purchase for everyone as a blanket policy. Ok, let’s exempt them from buying the annual yearbook. That’s RM15 less.

New grand total for the disadvantaged and underprivileged: RM50.50.

RM50.50 per year. That’s RM4.20 a month. Equivalent to 14 cents a day! I’m pretty sure that’s not too much for ask.

Here’s how it is really like, in real-time service.

We teachers, are called Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Siswazah. In English, it means Graduate Educational Services Officer. Our main role is to educate. But in our context, we also double up as administrators. We also do things like collect fees, send them letters if they don’t pay fees, and call up their parents if they don’t pay fees. It’s our responsibility, although we don’t delight in it.

“Well, if it’s really that cheap, why don’t you pay on their behalf? It’s a charitable thing to do. It adds to the nobility of your profession”.

Yes, of course. But you see, there is a difference between those who can’t pay fees, and those who won’t.

There are certain pockets of people who really can’t pay fees. They probably come from widowed families, the single parent is uneducated, and they literally scrape by to get through each day. They send their kids to school. The kids actually try to study. They may not understand whatever is going on in class, they may never pass. But they display, at the very least, a sincere interest to try.

For these people, I don’t mind paying for their fees. Actually, I don’t have to. The school’s Badan Kebajikan (Welfare Department) takes care of such cases. If they are somehow overlooked by the Welfare Department, it is a pleasure and joy for me to help these kind of people.

But then, there is a group that won’t pay fees.

Here are their arguments:

“Education is free! Our government pays for us! Why should we pay the school?”

“I don’t have money today. I will pay tomorrow.”

“I will pay next week.”

“Salary did not come in yet”

Whose salary, theirs or their parents? Usually they didn’t even ask their parents. It’s either they never asked their parents in the first place, or their parents have given them the school fees since day one, and they have squandered  it somewhere else. So they cannot ask their parents again. One phone call to their parents, and everything becomes clear.

“Expensive lah…”

Yet they are the ones who can buy cigarettes at 70 cents a smoke. 14 cents a day, that’s enough to get you through your school fees. That’s all I ask of thee, all ye pockets of citizens that work at night markets at RM50 a night and buy the trendiest handphones and bring them to school, only to get them confiscated!

“I forgot.”

“I will bring next week.”

“After the holidays, I will pay”.

“After June.”

“After July.”

It’s now one month away before school ends, and you still get nothing.

Procrastination, forgetfulness, projecting a false sense of poverty… all that I can stomach. But take a look at some of these audacious questions:

“If I don’t pay, will I get kicked out of school?”

“If I get kicked out of school, can I still sit for SPM?” (SPM is a public examination for secondary school students).

“If I don’t pay school fees, does that mean I won’t get my report card and leaving cert?”

Ok. How to deal with those kind  of questions?

Will I get kicked  out of school if I don’t pay fees?

Yup. If you ask me, if you don’t pay, you deserve to be kicked out of school. If it’s because you can’t, that’s one story. If you won’t, that’s a different story. And you guys are supposed to know the concept of halal and haram, don’t you? You get in a bus. Can you say you don’t pay? You eat in a coffee shop. Can you say you don’t pay? What do you call it, if you enjoy a certain service or a certain product that comes at a fee, and you refuse to pay? I believe that is called haram. So that’s what you are when you come into this classroom. Your very presence is haram.

You can be sure you won’t get my blessings in whichever exam you take. No need to come and kiss my hand and all. You do what’s right. Then God will help you.

But of course, you can’t say that. The correct answer is…

No. You cannot get expelled from school. You can only be expelled if you are absent for more than 60 days, or if you have severe disciplinary record.

If I get kicked out of school, can I still sit for my SPM?

Yes, you may. But I say, what a waste of time. You’re doing nothing even while you’re in school. You hand up blank papers in every, single exam. You bring an empty bag to school without a single book or stationery inside. Yet you are the ones who make the loudest noise when you don’t get the SPBT textbooks, or when we are late in distributing them. And when you get those textbooks, they never see the light of day, God knows where they went, and you don’t return them at the end of the year. So every year, the government has to spend more money on buying for textbooks to supply to the SPBT storerooms, those textbooks keep ending up in your hands, they keep getting lost… and you keep not wanting to pay school fees.

(*SPBT is a scheme that allows students to borrow textbooks for free.)

So, yah. You can sit for SPM. Since SPM fees are already paid for you by the government. It’s a free exam. Come if you like.

But if you ask me, I say… Go home, you blockhead. And don’t bring your firecrackers with you.

But that is not the correct answer. The correct answer should be:

Yes, you may sit for your SPM. It’s your right to sit for your SPM exam, as long as you are registered. You can do it at any age. You can do it twice in a year.

If I don’t pay school fees, will I get my report card and my leaving cert?

Well. Sure, you will get your report cards. Which I have probably bought on your behalf. Which are probably all filled with red ink. Which I spent more time filling in your marks then you spent doing your exam. I don’t know why you even want your report book. It’s a reminder of what you are, so I really don’t understand. Why do you want your report card?

And, yah… You can have your leaving cert too. Which I have spent days preparing for you. You know why? It’s because you don’t even provide me with your basic information like your Identity Card number, birth certificate number, address, etc. I had to play private investigator to dig out your personal details from the inner recesses of office files. Only to find that your details may not necessarily be true anyway. Usually, they are phoney.

So, ok, here you go… Your leaving cert. I dunno which employer would wanna look at it. I think you’ll stand a better chance at landing a job if you just say “I forgot to bring it”.

But that is not the correct answer. The correct answer should be:

Yes, of course you will still get your school leaving cert. If you do not get expelled from school before your schooling year ends, it is our responsibility to provide you with a leaving cert. And your report book as well.

And so, my friends, fellow educators, my students who are reading this, and the general public… If you ask me what we should do, when we are sipping our teh tarik while swapping stories with one another…

I say, bar them at the gate.

Sometimes, certain small things are just a matter of personal responsibility.

They say your eyes are the lamp of your body

Here’s a weird thought.

Lucie Jones, 18 years old, from a super small village of a couple of hundred people. She’s got her eyes on the bright lights. She takes her shot, at the X-Factor auditions.

Take a look at the video. You see first. What are the thoughts that come to your mind? You see first la. Don’t see my comments yet. You see first…

Ok. What are your thoughts?

You wanna know what were my thoughts?

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Wow, those calves! With lower legs like that…

By the way she runs off the stage… I bet she can sub-50 you!

I know. I’m weird.

House hunting is an extreme sport

Really, man… It takes diligence, determination, and discipline. You must use your stamina, strength, and strategy. Got to stay hydrated. Got to stay nourished. It’s just like running!

At first, Sri Damansara was my choice area. After surveying the whole vicinity, I zeroed in on the apartments. From all the apartments in the neighbourhood, I zeroed in on Paradesa Rustica. In Paradesa Rustica, I exhausted every search engine on every available unit for sale – via property websites, through housing agents, and even by walking around Paradesa Rustica on foot to jot down phone numbers.

From there, I zeroed in on one unit that I like. I called the agent, and called again. Called again, and called again. He say the owner is in London, very hard to get word. After many calls (he never even called  me once throughout the negotiation process), he suddenly told me the owner did not want to sell. He say he dunno why.

Pigi lah… I smell a rat.

Anyway, the hunt continued in Penang.

Tarak. Cannot touch. Can smell only. Dog also agree. Enough said.

Back to Selangor, the search continues.

The search led me to a landed property in Sri Damansara. There, I learned one new thing. Sri Damansara is different from Bandar Sri Damansara! Gila, just beside a TNB powerhouse. Here’s  a scary thought: In one of the episodes in The Practice, a group of residents tried to get compensation from the developer. They got cancer for living too near the power lines. Dunno how far that can be true.

The search also led me to Kepong Vista Mutiara. There, I learned another new thing. When an apartment is too big and the price is too low, it usually means it’s leasehold! Hahaha… kena con. Drive all the way there, drive all the way back. Waste time nia…

Tomorrow, the hunt shifts to Bandar Menjalara. In all of Bandar Menjalara, I”ve zeroed in on Menara Menjalara. Just you wait, I will sniff you out. One by one, unit by unit, agent by agent. There are 10 on my list.

It has become a habitual behaviour. After school, go see agent. Bell ring, go see agent. Everyday, go see agent. Aneh gai…

As I said, it really is an extreme sport.

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I did an approximate 12 km run today, in 1:14. I may be quiet in my blog, but I’m still miracle mile-ing.

Wherever you are, whatever you do. The miracle miler never dies.

How come X Factor’s auditions are better than American Idol’s?

When this girl talks, she sounds like she just got out of school.

But when she sings…

This cikgu pula, so hebat!

Aneh ho liao…

Houses-I-cannot-afford run

It’s super nice to be back in Penang. I feel like I’m perpetually fueled! Good food all the time. No need to think about when I should eat, what I should eat, or where I should eat. It’s there on the table, anytime!

I also feel like I’m perpetually rested. Great bed. The bed is 1-foot thick here, compared to the half-foot thick mattress in Selayang. When I sleep, I konk off, unconscious.

Proper fueling + great sleep = paranormal running strength.

On Saturday evening, I went for a point-to-point run. From my house, to the busy uncrossable Relau junction, and  back. Google map results: 12.7 km, 1 hour 13 minutes 29 seconds. No pain at all. So gila. Imagine what it can do to you if you get good food and great sleep, 365 days a year!

Monday. I took Miracle Miler A and Miracle Miler B to the USM stadium. The program: 100 m NOS repeats. After the 4th repeat, I heard Miracle Miler B pecah ekzos pipe. “‘Phhuaaaahhh!!!”

Miracle Miler A ran until he kena pukau and pukang. When walking back to his house, he had  to lie down on the floor to recover. Twice! He kena pukau so bad, he wondered how is it like to see visions. Miracle Miler A gave new meaning to the word “lari lintang pukang”.

Tuesday. Good lunch, good nap. Woke up, didn’t know what to do. So I went out to do a Houses-I-Cannot-Afford Run. The plan: Run by all the houses and condominiums in Sungai Ara. Just to smell nia… smell only…

Sungai Ara is called or lai in Hokkien. Don’t let the phoenetics fool you. It has become a high end area, no longer touchable by middle class people. You wanna buy a house in or lai ? You got to serve three governments, man…

First one, I pusing masuk. The security guard at the entrance walkie-talkied another security guard further inside. The second security guard managed to stop me.

“Encik pergi mana?”

“Saya dari sebelah saja, Mutiara Perdana.”

“Sini tak boleh masuk”.

Mah ok loh… I *go stunt and ran out. (To understand what go stunt means, wait till the end of the blog post)

Aisay, jogging also can kena halau by security guard. When I run in Desa Park City, tak kena halau pun… Nevermind. I am reminded of my social status. Cheh.

The next one I pusing masuk. Wahlau, the wild dogs came and halau me. Aneh gai. Anjing also higher class than me… Chiak lat…

Pusing masuk another one. This is the area where all the hills begin. I never knew Sungai Ara has  so many hills! After you go up, can go up some more. After you go up some more, still can go up some more. When you think you cannot go up any more, there is still more up to go! Wah… Bukit Aman people also can scared ah.

Anyway, I attacked the hills, hills and more hills until I ran out of water rations. Then I turned back, got lost a bit, and hit home at 1 hour 44 minutes.

I don’t know how far I ran. I don’t think I can retrace my route in Google Earth. Haha…

The conclusions I can make from this run:

1.  It has become impossible for a normal wage earner to buy property in Penang. If you are a government servant, you can do it when you hit 50. Either that, or serve three governments simultaneously… then you can get a loan big enough to do it.

2.  Don’t try too hard to be who you’re not. If you forget your social status, the security guards will remind you. If you still don’t get it, the dogs will remind you.

3.  You don’t have to fear Bukit Aman people if you train in Penang. Go to or lai. Make sure you always have enough NOS for the dogs.

*Go stunt is a colloquial Hokkien phrase for make a reverse turn. It is taken, mangled and repackaged from the sailor word, go astern. When you ride in a car with a Penangite and he suddenly yells “go stunt go stunt!” don’t worry. He is not asking you to Jackie Chan out the window.

Penang Hokkien…. you gotta love it!