Tragedies Not Justified

Updates on the tragedy from the KL Marathon

29/06/2010 Article from The Star.

I think it's just absurd! Why would Toh Yit Meng lie about the ambulance reaching only in 15-20mins? Obviously the ambulance could not have reached in 5 minutes! The man was lying there for quite a long time. It must have been more than 5 minutes! Though I wasn't there the whole time with an official timer, but it felt longer than 5 minutes, from the moment I saw a man lying at the sidewalk from far, to the time when an ambulance sped by. They're seriously trying to cover up their mistakes, and taking no responsibility whatsoever! The statement released sounded so ignorant! They refuse to admit that the situation could have been handled in a better way, then Lim would have a brighter fighting chance!

And I was considering about participating again next year. Now I'm seriously doubting it. Why bother, when the organisers wouldn't give a damn about your safety anyway? Yeah true, we should know our own health conditions firsthand, but when complications occur, that can be overcome, what's the harm of extra precautions from the organising part?!

It's sad that Lim did not get the justice he deserved. And the way the article was written in that "Oh well, just another dead person..." kind of tone is sooooo aggravating! They didn't even mention that they would improve on the medical facilities in future events! BAH!

This is what happens when you live in a country where people do not take these kind of issues seriously! They absolutely couldn't care less even when someone loses his life!

STUPID IDIOTIC TIDAK APA ATTITUDE THAT WOULDN'T CHANGE IN MILLION YEARS!

I Need That Adrenaline

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010 is ovverrrr...!

Ah... I'm having post marathon syndrome. Symptoms? Ache. Boredom. More aching. And more boredom. I feeling like hitting the gym, and leap on the threadmill. But my legs ache like crazy. Tricking my body into thinking it's tired. Which tricks my mind into thinking it's sleepy. Causing me to feel sleeeeeepy! *snorts*

Anyhoo...
The run was great :) Had a blast, and I surprised myself. Indeed. Though I missed my secondary goal by 3 mins. Nope, I didn't have to kill myself, thank God :D Finished in 1hr 33mins. Primary goal was to finish within an hour. When an hour came, I realised we still had about roughly 2.5km more. Then shifted to my secondary goal :D Missed it by minutes. Pfft. But I wouldn't have made it without the boyf. He literally had to drag me through the last 50m. Never ever run next to a guy in a marathon. No matter how fit you think you are, the guy is ALWAYS fitter than you are.

At the starting line...
The boyf : Naah. You'll finish before I do. I haven't been working out... Cross the finishing line first...
Ms Air-headed : Really? You sure? Don't have to wait up?
The boyf : *Nods nods*

Midway into the run...
Ms Air-headed : *Pants pants* I can't... *Pants pants* Go ahead without me...
The boyf : *slows down* It's okay... *jogs jogs* ARE YOU OKAY?
Ms Air-headed : *shakes head frantically*

Yup he had that grin on his face, although not throughout the race. He had to stop for me a couple of times... Told him to go ahead but he wanted to cross the finish line together. Which we did... :)) Now I'm desperately looking for the photos taken by the photographers at the finish line. Seems like many of them were flashing their cameras when they saw us cross the line hand-in-hand xD

10km! Wasn't as tough as I thought.
Then again, it wasn't a piece of cake either!

Decided to take a few pictures when I was "big" walking to catch my breath. The last few kilometres were TOUGH! First 5km were surprisingly easy. We were like OMG! 5km already? Whoooot! *sprint sprint* (Sudden adrenaline rush) 15mins later... "OMG ARE WE THERE YET?" I was tricked by cheerleaders as well. Thinking that we were really close, I had a sudden adrenaline pump! God, I love that feeling. Made me feel like I could do the impossible! Like as if I was floating in thin air! I felt sooo light! All the aching suddenly disappeared! But the adrenaline rush disappeared as soon as it came. Lasted for a few seconds only. Then felt like hell again xD

It's actually a good thing that they don't tell you how far you've ran. Knowing that you have barely a few kilometers left makes you sloppy. Well, at least that's what I felt. My second 5km was sloppy as hell. Slowed down so many times to catch my breath. When I walked, my legs hurt so bad... It's easier to keep jogging. But when I jogged, my chest hurts. The boyf says I need to train my breathing technique.

Superbabe here finished in 1hr 30mins. "Shit I haven't been working out..." KONONNYA! :p

We went in a group. In the end we lost each other. The only reason why I wasn't alone because someone decided to wait up for me :)) <3

After all the exhaustion, we had to line up for 45mins, under the scorching sun, to collect our bagpacks. I was sooooo hungry and my legs were wearing out! I rather do another 5km than to wait in line! It was agonizing! After all the waiting, we had to walk allll the way to the "nearest" station : Masjid Jamek, to head home. Took a 4hrs nap after that xD Was dead exhausted!

On another sad note :

A man passed away from that marathon on that day.
Article from The Star
Toh Yit Meng's personal experience of the whole ordeal.

The boyf and I saw the man unconscious on the sidewalk when we were closing in to our final 2km. I saw several participants surrounding him, and a man tending to the guy (Lim) yelled out for them to space out so that Lim could get some air. Later, the boyf claimed that he heard the guy yelling "No pulse! No pulse!" We couldn't do anything, so we continued running. A few minutes later an ambulance sped through, and I could see someone inside trying to resusitate the unconscious man. But I guess they came too late. Read the personal experience note to judge for yourself. In my opinion, the organisers are the ones at fault. The ambulance came late and there wasn't any medics around. I personally did not see any medics throughout the run. Only DBKL officers on motorcycles and Standard Chartered volunteers. The man was only 25years old! Many said he should be aware of his own heart condition before participating in such event. But come one! He's so young. Who would expect a young man at that age to risk a heart attack or seizure? He looked pretty fit to me! So, I seriously think it's the organisers to blame! If the medic could have responded earlier, Lim could have a brighter fighting chance! They took 20mins to respond! That's absolutely absurd! Lim's family should seriously sue the organisers! Even Toh Yit Meng intends to boycott any event organised by them. Not Standard Chartered, but the event organisers, whose names I'm not sure of.

A clear prove that life is short, and we'll never know when our time has come. I still feel that eerie chill down my spine. The fact that I was there... Feeling very helpless, that I couldn't do a thing to help. I do hope that the organisers would seriously do something about it.

My deepest condolence to Lim's family. A brave man whose goal was to finish the race. May he rest in peace.

Run Like the Wind

*Gulps!*
The marathon is tomorrow morning!
Gotta get up at 4am or so, be there by 6am.
Start running at 7am.
Hope to finish by 8am.
But would most probably drag till 8.30am.
Worst case scenario : 9.00am.
After 9.00am can just go kill myself xD

Why did I put myself through this again?


I'm pretty excited about it, albeit the awesome nervousness!
Got all my gears ready!
PUMP PUMP!
I hope I don't get cramps, or worse, FAINT!
Not exactly prepared physically, as in training and workout.
Been constantly in shape, didn't exactly have the time to couch potato & sleep.
So, I hope it will go on smoothly.
Definitely not gonna even try and race with the fast lot.
Just hope to finish without embarassment xD
Fingers crossed!

Let's cross that finish line! :D

Off to bed now...
*snores*

White Sand & Blue Waves

Back from the beach!
It was b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l!
I can fall in love with the beach, any day!
The trip was great, though I left the island with a sore heart.
Just gonna brush that off, cause it doesn't matter, and everyone is leaving.
Bah! It was so emotional at the airport last night.
Tears were shed, goodbyes were said, and everyone knew what lies ahead.
As daunting as it may be, somehow we all knew it had to be this way.


I took a lot of anger and disappointment out on a lot of people for the past few days.
The boyf got most of the blow, which I felt really guilty.
Maybe that's the way I choose to handle the fact that everyone is leaving.
Or maybe I am truly disappointed about many things.
I do admit that sometimes I wish too much that things go my way.
But then again, things almost NEVER go the way I expect them to.
And I usually never get what I expected to.
Like for instance, I expected the trip to be an emotional one for me.
As in, I expected to burst out in tears at the airport when we bid farewell.
But I didn't. Instead, I felt rather numb inside.
After the night before, I just lost that feeling.


I just realised that as much as one wishes his/her exsistence to be noticed,
he/she would be just as invisible as thin air.
Or one's opinion would just fall on deaf ears... even when it's most vital.
Because sometimes, if not always, one is insignificant.


Maybe I'm just silly to expect so much from people.
I realise that when I do, I get far more disappointed.
And I should practice what I preached to MunBoy...
Expect less, and you'll (almost) never be disappointed.


After the emotional conversation with the boyf last night,
I just felt really really really numb.
And silly to feel upset but way too many things.
But I can't help it. Though I wish a million times that I could.
I burried my soaked cheeks in his arms,
hoping that things would just go back to the way they were...
That time wouldn't end.
That change didn't have to reoccur.
That I didn't have to be strapped on this rollercoaster ride of emotions...
AGAIN.


I realised there're more issues behind why I was rather upset and cranky.
The fact that I'm unsure about my next step.
Where will I be, when everyone's so certain where they'll head to?
My next step is controlled by many other parties.
And it sucks when one can't exactly decide where one would love to head to.


A fresh new start is approaching.
Usually I would anticipate it.
But now I just don't see a point.
When it failed the past two times.
And I'm wondering if the third would be the charm?

I am grateful for the promises you have made me, my love.
And I do hope with all my heart that they would come true.
I never really believed that LDR would work out.
By all means, prove me wrong. Surprise me.
Though I dare not promise that it would be easy for me.
But I promise that I'll never let it go easily.
I will cherish whatever time we have,
and I am always grateful for the moments we have.
Sorry if I hoped for more, cause' after thinking about it again...
I realised, there's nothing more I could wish for.
Because I have you.

And as for you, who are as important to me.
I can't help but feel I don't matter to you as much as I assumed I did.
Because it matters to me that we remain honest to each other.
No matter how ugly situations may get,
there shouldn't be a hesitation to confide in each other.
Maybe I thought wrong? Maybe I misinterpreted our last emotinal spill out?
Because I am confused.
And the only way I know how to deal with it now, is to run.
Since you're leaving, I'm not sure whatever happens matter anymore?
So where does it go from here?

Looking back, there're so many emotional chaos.
I wish things would have gone on smoothly...
But life doesn't grant you silly wishes, does it?
Nevertheles... I am truly grateful for all the important people in my life.
The past one and a half year has been great!
And the past 3 days, have been wonderful.
The great times would be remembered,
the sorrows will somehow fade (I hope).

And what remains in the end, are sunny memories.
Beatiful as they were, sweet as they came, memorable as they pass.
Thanks for the emotional ride.
Of both thrill & fun.
May you all have a wondeful journey ahead.
And I hope we shall cross paths once again...
Whenever, wherever, and however.

With love,
Steph :)

D'ya Wanna Oil My Back ;)

Whoot! I will be at the airport exactly 12 hours from now!
ZOMG so excited! Can't wait for SUN SAND BEACH SEAAAA!!!
The rest of em are leaving tonight, by bus.
Thanks to moronic FireFly that rescheduled their flight.
I'm so gonna flood my camera with lots and lots of pictures!
Unlike the last time, only came home with 15 photos.
I've checked my bag for like the millionth time!
Still having the hunch like I'm missing something.
Ah well, hopefully it ain't nothing important.

England's final hope will be on the 23rd 10pm.
Which means, I'll be on that island.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that they have Astro there!
I've packed along my England jersey.
ZOMG I'm a moronic fan -.-
They better surprise me!

WHOOT!
Hiatus for 3 days!
Stephay is going on a HOLIDAY!

*hops off with sunblock*

(:

Munch! The Evolution of the Cookie Monster!

I feel soooo guilty after a binge.

Like super super guilty.

Like I could gag myself, but I won't.

Heh. More like I can't do it :/

But anyhooo... Had a great Hi-Tea at Atrium, Sunway Tower Hotel.

It's Father's Day :))

Brought DaddyDearest for a binge :D

I ate more than DaddyDearest! Eeek. I scare myself :/

He who ate the least! And who whined the whole waaaay through while we were shopping. Pfft! Pipsqueak!

That smile is soooo deceiving!

And now for the foooooood.
Beforehand I should apologise for the amateurish photos.
Most of them did not do justice to how the food tasted. HEE :D

First off, dived into a spread of LAMB! The T-Bone Lamb chop, which wasn't as good as it looked. A lil too dry and tasteless... The lamb curry, however, was splendid! Would have been fabulous if they had Roti Canai to serve with it, YUM! The noodles looked pretty normal, but it tasted really good. Served with juicy prawns :D Mom liked it. The sate was too dry & SWEET for my liking. Not meat sweet, but sugar sweet. Kinda artificial...

Lil bro's plate of Cocktail Sausages, Sate and Potato Wedges. The wedges were goood. Can really tell it's "homemade". As in, not the frozen ones they just heat up.

They call this Pom Pom Potatoes (or something like that) xD They look pretty simple, but taste good. Though it's a little too oily on the sides... Lil bro LOVED THEM. He ate more than 15 of these!

Hong Kong Wanton Noodles. A must try if you dine at Atrium. The noodles have a rather unique texture. Mom mentioned that you can never get that kinda texture at a regular wanton mee stall. Or not that we've tried. The wanton was goooood! Filled with meat and a huge juicy prawn. Though I have to say the soup is a little bland. Like something is missing!

This was the only dessert I tried. Bread & Butter Pudding with Vanilla Cream. It sounds a lot nicer than it tastes, or looks. A lil too jelak for me. The bread was too hard, not crispy. The pudding did not have that sweet smelling aroma that it was supposed to have. But I liked the Vanilla Cream though :D

Dad's Green Salad with Thousand Island dressing.

But I prefered to have mine with Vine-grade & Olive oil dressing :D Overstuffed myself with olives and capers! Heee... Bliss!

The ice-cream spread was a little disappointing. Just regular Neapolitan flavours. But they did provide chocolate chips and walnuts. Could have been better actually...

That's all :D
Didn't take much... Was too busy eating.
That's why I can never have a food blog.
I won't have enough pictures to prove for it xD
Mentioned this like a MILLION times HEH :p

Pictures I missed out :
Japanese spread - salmon sushi, prawn sushi, some egg custard, Kimchii (not very nice). Overall, kinda disappointing. Then again, it's not a specific Japanese buffet, so can't exactly expect much.
Salad spread - Caesar Salad (bacon was waaay too dry and DID NOT taste like bacon :/), Chicken Salad, Prawn Salad, ALL KINDS OF SALAD. I went crazy at this isle! Heh. I'm like super healthy with all the GREENS floating in me stomach :D
Hong Kong Dim Sum spread - Ultimately disappointing! Didn't even taste good. Tasted weird. They shouldn't even serve it.
Local cuisine dessert - Which was impressive, but I don't fancy it so I didn't try. All the nyonya kuih with all kinds of Jeruk. Looks pretty good...
Fresh seafood - Lots and lots of OYSTERS! The table next to mind totally snagged multiple plates of them sea creatures! Didn't try the oysters, so I have no clue how fresh they were. I tried the fresh shrimps tho. Err... Huge prawns, but er... Rather tasteless I would say :/
Briyani rice, Seafood fried rice, a few types of Crabs, Tandoori Chicken, all sorts of cakes and chocolate pudding...

They have a pretty wide spread I would say. Give them a 9/10 for spread. But only 6.5/10 for quality and taste. The Salad spread really impressed me. And the main course. But many were disappointing as well. Dishes that made an impression : Hong Kong Wanton Noodles and Curry Lamb. Must try!

Oh, I need to mention... It was RM55++ for adults and 50% off for children. But that's the Father's Day promotion. Should go check out how much they charge for regular periods. If I'm not mistaken it's RM60++ and above...
It's worth the try for the spread they have, if you're not too picky on the taste.
I come from a family with really really picky stomachs, so I might be a little to strict on the reviews :D
But ah well, we all came out really stuffed!
And I should hit the gym tomorrow!
MUST MUST!

Bounces off :D HEEE....

Those Darn Red Stripes

After years of supporting England, it has finally hit me why people where sniggering when I proudly declared that I'm an England fan. Pfft. Now I stand as an embarrassed and disappointed fan. They played like crap this morning. Even that would be an understatement! For crying out loud. Before it was even half time, I began to doze off. Which is rather unusual for me, cause I'm usually on the tip of my butt when I watch football. It was that boring! I got sooo frustrated by their mediocre passing skills, then decided to head to bed waaaay before the half-time whistle blew. I doubt they will even make it to the group of sixteen round, I'll be damned -.-

Well, thanks, MORONS! For making us look like bloody clowns! They better live up to something, or this year's World Cup would by far be the worst of the century! Bottom line, I just don't like this year's WC. Although I'm not one of them morons who have been losing lots of money by betting on the big Euro teams, but watching those big teams lose to other teams which you would least expect, does cut the fun off cheering. I've barely even started staying up reaaaaal late to watch matches, and I'm already losing interest. Must be the South African voodoo! Heh. I kid :D


Ah. Two more days. I'm so excited :D
I can't wait to hit
SUN SAND BEACH!!!
Not so much of the sun, actually. Since I got a tan already, pfft.
Skin is starting to peel :/
I'll look like I've been on that island for a week, before I even land there.
But still... I CAN'T WAIT :D
I wish everyone else is as excited.
Because honestly, the emo-ness is starting to get a tad bit revolting :/

Diddle doo :p I'm off to prepare DaddyDearest's Father's Day gift.
Gonna make him an album of The Beatle's Collection.
Whoooot! I lovelovelove the 60's!
Dancing off :))

With A Lollipop In Hand

Note to self : Never ever agree to crazy ideas of heading up to Genting during school holidays, even though it seemed like a great spontaneous idea that my parents so surprisingly came up with. Came home with a sore knee and a ridiculous sunburn! Go figure! Sunburn in Genting?! It was so cold till my dad was actually shivering (he ain't got much fat under that skin). We didn't even realise we were lining up under that scorching sun for so long. Till we got home with a bloody tan and stinging skin. Pfft. But it was fun. Haven't gone on a trip with ze family for a long time now. For the past few months, I only got to see them a few hours a day before most of them head of to bed since I get home pretty late from college library. It's nice to finally spend some quality time with them :)

It's FRIDAY! And another week is coming to an end, as goodbyes creep in closer! I hope I don't have to stretch for a box of tissue... I really do. Dreading that day would come. Feeling that sick feeling in my stomach already... I'm not good with goodbyes... Especially among so many people I care so deeply for. *smacks self* Not the time to get sooooo emo. I should keep the hype about the upcoming Redang trip burning! Whoot...

Ah well, gonna try & cheer up by watching Toy Story 3 in 3D with Lil Ben and Mun Boy later. I'm so excited about it like a 3 year old kid would be. HEEE! I missed those nutty characters...! Can't wait! And the 3D better be good or I'll skin Mun Boy alive by splurging RM17 on a single ticket, on my behalf -.-

*hops around like a little kid*

Stephay is officially deprived of childhood fun :D

Teehee... Toodles!

When the End Finally Comes...

The sole reason why I acted the way I did because I'm afraid of losing you. Time is not in league with us, and before we know it, you'll be up and above in the sky heading to a foreign land while I lay here, clueless of where I'll be. I wish you could be less caught up and take things at ease, although it's so darn hard, and seems impossible sometimes. But how am I to be optimistic when all I see is the dim light ahead? I'm trying to be supportive, I really am. But truth is, I'm afraid. Everyone is leaving, again. What's left of me, when it happens? I guess deep down we both know how it's gonna end, and denial is the best way to lay in, I suppose. I just wish that for the next 2 months to be a lovely ride and something for us to remember. This is like a total dejavu of two years back. Will it go down the same road? Because this time around, I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle it.

Once this teardrop falls, who knows where it'll scatter...

Now that the end of the course has come, I wish that it has never ended.

Bring us back to that hell hole again!

That sadistic bliss!

Internal Inferno

Gah! I just finished my exams and my course (like finally!)

and now I have to go through all these unnecessary stress.

Uni accommodation application, scholarship, visa and whatnots!

All these come with pages and pages and pages and pages and EFFING PAGES

of Terms and Conditions, with CLAUSES!

WTF are clauses?

They're making me feel like I'm from a friggin third world country!

Seriously, it's soooo tedious! And I really didn't see this coming.

Yeah yeah, I should be thankful for the offer blaaa blaaa.

But when it's smacked right in your face with that "so close yet so far" situation...

IT'S EFFING AGONIZING!

And the fees! OMFG. It could easily sum up to the whole course itself.

Just for a roof over me tiny head!!!

And they gave me 8 friggin days to response. With agreement of deposit.

Uh? Helloooo? It's a huuugggeeee lump sum of money.

To be accounted overseas?!

Pffttt... At this point, I'm not even sure what they want...

I'm not even given an unconditional offer to that Uni.

Heck, the accommodation is not even ON THAT UNI CAMPUS!

According to GoogleMaps it's FOUR FRIGGIN HOURS walk...

And forty-two minutes drive (I WILL NOT OWN A CAR).

Ahhhhhhhh I'm sooooo LOST!

Truth be told.

I'm just feeling clueless and frantic.

And I don't know who to head to for help.

Gaaaahhh...

SOS :(