:Caerdydd Marathon 2006: Another milestone:

The statistics:
Time recorded: 04:11:10 hours
21km split time: 02:04 hours
Position: Overall 709/1243
Men's Senior 390/549

(click here for the full results)





*Race report shall come soon. Currently aching like hell. A round of thanks once again to all who made this a very successful run! Greatly appreciated*

: Of being colum9-sed & attempting the Caerdydd Marathon:

Joined the mamak gang at the colum9-sed house for my first time, and boy, now do i know why the ladies are always complaining of not being vigilant weight controllers! Gotcha! But it was great fun eating (a 'lil) and keeping myself from being too thoughtfully preoccupied with the impending marathon next morning...


For the record, this would be also my first time ever attempting a full marathon; everyone thinks i'm bonkers, but hey, it's actually a fantastic experience to actually knowing one's physical limits and from there you use that as your yardstick for further crazy attempts in the future! Belum cuba, belum tahu! Rite?


As you can see in the topmost picture, bananas has been my best friend for the past 3 weeks or so. It's pottasium content is supposed to prevent one from getting cramps after long runs. Been taking that fruit supplement daily. May bring some for tomorrow as well, just in case. 2nd picture shows a banana-flavoured PowerBar & a PowerGel; the former, taken before the run packs 25 grams of complex carbs supplying nearly 240 calories to deliver sustained energy level while the latter feeds "fast fuel" to the body during intense exercise. Will be taking that along , hoping to consume it at the 30km mark. If I don't pengsan by then yet.


Oh, and I do have a weird feeling that the number 1157 will be making someone rich, if she/he makes a serious effort to place a bet on it on Magnum or even Da-Ma-Cai. *ps: don't tell anyone k: & if you do strike the jackpot, p/s don't forget my share ya !*winks*
That's my official running number, so do check my positioning on the following day's papers. Will also be another large number i reckon.

The white circular plastic thing in the last picture is actually the ChampionChip, where you tie it onto your shoelaces and it's supposed to record your splits at various checkpoints in the race. A pretty nifty device to keep track of all runners. And it's a Holland product! Interesting souvenier to boot.

Ok then, i think that's all for now. It's exactly 8 hours to flag-off time. Been stuffing myself with loads of rice past 2 days. Gonna have to load myself with more food in the morning; 2 eggs, 4 slices of bread and some really thick hot chocolate would hopefully suffice... but i still have a hunch that tummy growls will kick in probably at the 25km mark though....
Rest is good. Sleep is even better. May this attempt spur me on for more marathons in the future!
~~Thanks for the support guys and dolls! Hope i don't dissapoint any of you all yah!~~

::This is HotelWarden signing out from ColumRoad!::

My room:: Another cetak-rompak posting ::

Ha hA.This posting can be said to be inspired by fellow Colum-roaders saudara WeiKang and saudari ShuLi too. I think i remembered posting up some room visuals last year as well. Ditto 2006. This year no more small room. Upgraded a bit.Well, kind of larger than while living at Senghennydd then. The downside is it's facing the mainroad, and I can't open my window as i always do, as people may just nick whatever they want from my humble window. Nevertheless am enjoying my new-found space freedom. Gotta get used to cars whizzing past by at 7am and people returning from clubbing at 1am. But it's really near to the Biosciences. No complaints about that. Give and take too.

As you can see too, maybe it's time to ditch the Sinbad duvet cover for a polka-dot bed warmer. Feels more homey. And comfortable. And don't worry, i'll be more hygienic this year too. If you know what im saying. ::There's also stalks of lavender which I replenish often, as according to Rose, my designated 'granny' where I'm based, it's supposed to help me to a good-night's sleep. Really need that sometimes. Been 'stoning' in class nowadays. Literally.

View from my room door. A wider centrespace for visitors. Oh, and i ditched the halogen 'fireplace' heater for more proper one this time. Cold.



The still-bare noticeboard. Any willing interior decorators?



The Euro currency poster.



My workstation. Drawers could have been larger though. Me got a new bike too! And the signature IKEA PS fangst storage drop-down basket.



The bottom window is tinted. No view. Though as you can see, the top overlooks Aberconway residences and Julian Hodge building. A pretty buzy road indeed. Especially every 5 minutes by the hour in the morning where you witness the mass migration of human beings to their respective classes. Cuci mata.*grins*



My worldly posessions; another angle of the bike. It's actually a ladies' one. Sigh. And its lock cost more than it....BOO! bike was free though :P



Colum Road during lunch hour. So, this is my humble shack for the year! Door is always open whenever you guys wanna come for chocolates. :)

::temper management::

The one thing I've learnt so far is that there always has to be some give and take in any situation. The world is physically designed and rhetorically described as round whereby whatever goes around comes around eventually. There's never a one way thing in any relationship, be it on a friendship platform or even moreso in a working environment. Especially while at work. And that your workmate is the person whom you will be dealing with on a daily basis. *Ouch. There's no point coming out firing someone from all cylinders, trying to question other's sincerity or circumstancially going all out to embarass someone, knowingly or unwittingly, only for her or him to approach you later to clarify up tangled matters which in fact should be have been crystal clear if one did'nt jump the trigger too fast. Indeed, being overly in-the-face-character, blunt and unmincing may be inappropriate sometimes, well actually most of the time. I've faced the brunt from my many well-documented cases of recklessness; may the past not repeat itself. Not this year. Also, learning to have faith in others making independant decisions may take awhile too. It's not too difficult, just that maybe i'm overly cautious ( to put it in a nicer way), or is it paranoia?; I always seem to want to have my hands in all decision-making actions, I mean, I have to. Literally. And it beats me too. A disease in the name of Insecurity perhaps? Trusting, not? These ugly habits need early intervention before it reverts to a full blown chronic disorder. Still not too late though. Hopefully. And this is what sets the tone for the Year 2 MBBCH course, continuing one's journey of self-discovery, controlled recklessness and acts of unexplained randomness, while not forgetting nicking one's life security floormat (the degree of course!) at the end of the day. A round of toast to the new semester! ^^

"No point burning bridges when we can still be friends"
-one wise angel-