A SOHO Mama's Diary

And I Keep Forgetting That I Have A Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 06:24:00 +0000

I just watched The Words starring Bradley Cooper (if possible I would only watch movies with good looking people in it yes I know that's kinda tak baik sorry) and so I was inspired to write.

Even though it's about just random uninteresting stuff and typing it out on my phone.

The last time I wrote here, it was after SCKLM 2014. And now SCKLM 2015 is just around the corner, wow a year of dust over here.

Memang banyak sangat benda berlaku dalam masa setahun. Good, bad, sweet, sour, bittersweet (or just plain bitter)....lots.

UPSR for my second born Izzo is finally over on the 10th of September. As usual we parents should not put too high a hope on his results, but he did put a lot of effort & he has shown lots of improvement...usaha tangga kejayaan kan.

The day after UPSR, I had to head over to Tm Convention Center....to carry out my duty as the one in charge of Hiasan & Dekor for the annual gathering for MRSM Jasin alumni, which my batch SPM '89 pulak yang kena organize kan tahun ni.

Back to back 'work'...but with the help of my dedicated sub committee & other members of the organizing commitee, the hall looked lovely, the event was a success and I was a happy (and tired) bunny by the time everything was over.

Mana tak penat nya, we the organizing committee spent 10 months planning for this thing hahahhaa....

Photo credit Din Razak, my schoolmate & also one of the photographers during the event.

By KLPhotobooth :)

I was never been put in charge of a hall that sits 400 people! Nasib baik lah simple Rumah Sukan theme..

Rental of plants (100 pots big & small!) credit to the PR skills of my friend Irene...who got it at a dead cheap price! Love you Yeen...

Part of the organizing commitee...dah nak sayur malam sebelum event. Posing infront of our photowall poster, those brick colums were a very prominent feature at MRSM Jasin & a few other MRSMs as well..

The name tags for the committee...which went mysteriously missing a few hours before the event. Tapi muncul semula beberapa jam selepas event...hmmm..

Halfway through the event, Jatt (Black Dog Bone) & Nash (Lefthanded) & Maisarah (upcoming ukelele star) took the stage sooooo hmm ada jugak videos yang our seniors & one of my Cikgu rakamkan showing some of the commitee yang turut serta naik stage ala2 lepaskan stress #lupadiri #yeaydahhabiskerja #zapindanjogetbagai

A 42.195km Run for a 42 Year Old

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 08:47:00 +0000

*dusting blog yang agak bersawang ini*

Forty-two & 42.195km - geddit? Geddit? Hehe.

It was my third full marathon. Sunday 12th October 2014. The Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2014. The mother of all marathons in Malaysia.

My SCKLM history:
2010 - 10km (first 10km run, ever!)
2011 - another 10km
2012 - registered for my first 21km but had to back out due to injury
2013 - kenapa tak register ye? I forgot why. Maybe just didn't want to...(why??)
2014 - 42.195km, my third full marathon & first one with SCKLM

Confession:
I was ambitious. I wanted to try follow the 5:30 hour pacers, the orange balloons. Siap dah target which pacer to ikut jengjengjeng... I knew it was a long shot, tapi cuba je lah dulu kan.
The timing for my first marathon was 6 hours 12 minutes. My second was 6 hours 40 minutes (yeah blame the never ending bukit Millie and not on your lack of training).
So now boleh lah faham kenapa dikatakan ambitious, kan?
But....as usual, we started at the back of the pack & couldn't even see the red 6:00 hour pacer balloons, yet alone the orange ones! So, yeah :P

Anyway the first 5km was good, bumped into several people from the clubbing scene hehe...5am pun music masih belum stop lagi ye sekarang. Well, been there done that which ended about 20 years ago with no regrets but it's interesting to see how parts of KL look like during the wee hours nowadays...

Stopped at Balai Bomba Jalan Jelatek just as we heard azan Subuh. Alhamdulillah my #krazirunner sista Fairy left her telekung there for us ladies to use. Ada khemah solat yg organizer sediakan kat KM11 tapi alang2 dah ada kat balai bomba tu, selesaikan je lah dulu. When I passed by that khemah solat which was on AKLEH & near a toll plaza, some men were even praying at the toll booths. Which shows that sebenarnya kat mana2 pun boleh solat, asalkan bersih & convenient. Tak kira lah tengah marathon ke apa. What a sight!

Once I was on AKLEH, it was a looong stretch. A few days before the race I watched the official route video for full marathon....aduhai tengok video yang dah di-speed up tu pun makan masa 15 minit! Kalau lari dengan speed makcik, lagi lah kan?
Dan tiada pokok, tiada shade. Tapi allhamdulillah pagi Ahad tu walaupun agak berjerebu, tapi cuaca tak panas.

Sedar tak sedar tiba-tiba nampak my childhood friend Turie who, true to his words, was waiting at KM23!

Turie was supposed to do back to back marathons (wow) that weekend, BSN-PNM on Saturday night & SCKLM early Sunday morning (see why I said wow..?). But unfortunately he had a mishap on Friday which forced him to rest, so there he was taking photos of all his friends running. I'm sure everyone was grateful of his presence because he has been in the running community for many, many years....and nearly every runner seemed to know him!
(if not for the support from my #krazirunner sistas & him agreeing to being my pacer during my first full marathon during MWM 2013, I probably wouldn't have had the guts to run a full marathon until now).

At KM25, I just realized that I managed to potong the 6-hour pacers a few km before.
So the ambitious search for the orange balloons bearing "5:30 Pacer" continued...

AKLEH & DUKE combined took up more than 21km of the marathon route, I think. It was bland & mind-challenging.
No kedai runcit by fellow runners (who didn't run that day), no entertainment, still no trees or shade.
Just water stations every 2km++, small groups of volunteers who cheered us on (thank you guys, without the ample water stations & crew & cheering squads, some of us would have probably bonked) and views of residential & commercial buildings below the elevated highways....and yes the sun was still hiding.

And why did I suddenly picked up my pace at KM26...?

Terus cuba lari dengan konsentrasi...until someone caught up with me and said "Kak Millie!!". A tall gentleman running on my right now, tapi siapa? Then I recognized him - it was Es, another anak askar whom I last met when he was still in high school with my younger sister! Sekarang dah pun ada anak 2. We managed to 'meet again' on Instagram & I think he recognized me that day from my orange scarf (banyak gambar Kak Millie pakai orange scarf dalam Instagram lah ni agaknya).

Maybe I was excited to have met him again itu yang terlaju sikit kat KM26 haha. We ran together until the KM30 water station, then he picked up pace & I lost him altogether.
Good to know that we had the same strategy though - iaitu lari lari lari untuk sampai ke water station yang seterusnya. :P

By that time I have been running for 4 hours & 10 minutes, including a 11 minute stop for solat Subuh back at Jalan Jelatek much earlier. Oh my, still 12 km to go...

And then the highway route came to an end.....thank GOD!!

KM31 - imagine my relief sebab nampak a few more familiar faces! And free hugs some more! Lega sungguh masa ni.

My #krazirunner gals, Ejah & Pisha. Kedai runcit dibuka bersama2 KZ & Eina & Mr. Photog dari Gaited Community. Aiskrim 100Plus oh my...! Thank you guys.

I was actually surprised at how I felt at that point. Not really out of breath & no severe aches & pains. And timing was still okay. Alhamdulillah.

But then, nothing comes free & easy...right? Jengjengjeng.

I began to have leg issues at KM33. Leg cramps, started with left quad..which went away after some walking. Phew. Okay lari.
Then right hamstring threatened to cramp...stopped & walked again. Started running when the pain went away.

Basically macam contractions nak beranak jugak lah, kejap sakit...pastu hilang. Pastu sakit....pastu hilang.
(but of course labour pains are muchhhhhhh moreeeeeeeeee painfullllllll than leg cramps okkaayyyyy)

Finally approached the Bukit Tunku area, which had nice shady trees & beautiful houses....but kinda nasty inclines...! Which I sort of welcomed because one of those voices in my head said "jalan je naik bukit ni tak payah lari, conserve energy lah gitu."

Photo credit Lini Kazim...a recently crowned Ironman, which probably explained why I had my game-face on. Hehe. I do not know Lini personally but she I must say is one of my idols!

Sambil lari-sakit-stop-jalan-stretching-laribalik tu, I kept a lookout for a kedai runcit that was supposed to have red velvet cake...

Inner Voice 1: "Kamon Millie bila nak start push yourself ni? Patutnya dari tadi lagi dah pick up pace la kata nak kejar brader belon oren?"
Inner Voice 2: "Hey tahu tak kaki ni krem kat semua tempat? Left right quads, hamstrings, calves...they take turns okeh! How to push la?"

Oh dear. Demented.

"Ada ke kek lagi kat bawah meja ni...."

Thank you PACat team, the ice-cold drinks were a godsend tapi tak sempat nak merasa moist chocolate cake pulak sebab belon merah dah nak sampai masa tu..

Yes I was frustrated when I saw those red balloons. Those balloons that bore "6-hour pacer" on them.

Darn leg cramps.
I downed ORS & isotonic drinks every day a week before race day tau.
Not enough mileage? I admit I didn't train as much as my first marathon last year but I did have variety & even did two sessions of 30km runs.

Newbie. Sigh. Frust sebab:
1) Bila pancit tak terhingga, kaki badan semua tak sakit krem bagai (RJM 2013)
2) Bila tak pancit & rasa steady, both legs totally did not cooperate towards the end (SCKLM 2014)

But like they say, just keep on moving & you'll surely get there.
By KM37 all the 6-hour pacers dah potong I. Keep Calm.

They were still ahead of me at KM40 & I still kept my run-walk pace. Because I didn't want my legs to suddenly jam up on me just when I approach the finish line. Dah berkilometer jugak berdoa macam tu...

And as suspected, the 6-hour pacers ada yang sengaja ke depan sikit so at the last KM they could patah balik & encourage & push us for sub-6..
"Come on come on you can do it...sub-6 come on sub sixxxxx....!"
"We still have 7 minutes come on let's go sub sixxxxx..."

One of the 6-hour pacers, Choi & his red balloon. Photo credit Ch Leong.

It was my first experience seeing pacers in action, performing their duties. I can't describe the overwhelming feeling I felt at that point. I felt like I wanted to go hug them. And I will definitely do more shopping at Choi's blogshop after this!

And so with another doa that my legs won't go keghah kejung on me, I broke into a run again about 500m from the finish line. All runners who had finished & waited by the curb were cheering for all of us. Undescribable feeling, again. And with another #krazirunner sista Mira who suddenly came to me (I nak peluk tapi I terpaksa ke finish line hehe), and also Lina, Fairy & Niza whom I met on the way....those final steps became so much more memorable.

No the ambulance wasn't following me just in case I jatuh or something. Phew.

Sikitttt lagi. And some friends were wondering eh kenapa Millie lari sorang2? ;)

Thank you to all photographers too...without you guys, life-moments like these would never be captured.

And so there it was, my third full marathon which I completed in 5 hours 55 minutes.
It didn't really feel like a personal best to me, somehow. Sometimes you feel that you can do better but other things get in the way.

100m from the finish line & thank God muka-tahan-krem tak teruk sangat...

Alhamdulillah, still, sebab dapat jugak sub-6 & no serious injuries. Quite a number of running friends said this year's route was tougher than last year's...


At first I bought the water permeable & wudhu friendly nail polish to cover my ugly & sometimes blackened "runner's toenails"...but before race day I went on to paint my finger nails too. Running with nail polish. #fefeelingglamer. Check out the distributor's Facebook Page, Hessa & Me. They're on Instagram & Blogger too.

I always think that running a marathon is like giving birth. The pain & agony of the process is something that makes me question myself & say "I am not going to do this ever again".
But after all has ended...the pain is quickly forgotten and soon after you'll be thinking on when to have your next 'baby'.

(nampak sangat kategori veteran yang nombor bib bermula dari huruf D, metaphors pun berkaitan dengan beranak je).

:P

Finally...Homemade Peanut Butter!

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 11:04:00 +0000

I have a lifelong love affair with peanut butter.
I could eat it out of the jar with a spoon (seriously, my recent witnesses were my sisters...as I happened to find an almost-empty-but-not-quite jar of peanut butter at my parent's house about a week ago).
I can eat it with bread, cream crackers, banana on toast....
I love Reese's peanut butter cups...

By themselves, peanuts are pretty innocent— it’s the process of turning them into butter that crosses into dangerfood territory. To make peanut butter, the nuts are roasted, cooled, shelled, and ground. When other ingredients like salt, hydrogenated vegetable oil, dextrose, corn syrup and honey are added, the trouble starts. They may make the peanut butter smoother and lengthen its shelf life— but at what cost?
Source: greatist.com

So macamana ni. Apa itu trans fat tu?

Trans fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation, which makes the oil less likely to spoil. Using trans fats in the manufacturing of foods helps foods stay fresh longer, have a longer shelf life and have a less greasy feel.
Scientists aren't sure exactly why, but the addition of hydrogen to oil increases your cholesterol more than do other types of fats. It's thought that adding hydrogen to oil makes the oil more difficult to digest, and your body recognizes trans fats as saturated fats.
Source: www.mayoclinic.org

(expect a lot of food jars to have trans fat...tapi nak elak 100% pun payah jugak kan)

Jadi apa kata kita cuba elak yang mana boleh dielak..? Like, maybe a peanut butter lover like me should try make her own peanut butter?

Smooth & creamy, just the way I like it...

I got the recipe from Desserts With Benefits but I did also look at one from Gimme Some Oven.
But basically the ingredients are roasted peanuts, a very teeny pinch of salt & stevia. And some coconut oil, if you have some (kat Farmasi Cosway ada :P)

Very important note to self: Next time please buy peeled peanuts. Itulah bab yang tedious dalam kerja pembuatan mentega kacang ni.

Gigih betul Amilita kupas kacang (after they were roasted).

And because I don't have that fancy food processor thingy, I grind the roasted peanuts first...

...lepas grind kita pindahkan pula ke dalam my trusted Tefal blender (it's main task is to produce my daily Glowing Green Smoothie). *untung laaa sesiapa yang ada food processor besar tu*

The texture changes as you blitz along. You may need to scoop the sides from time to time. (what la is wrong with my camera ni...)

Looking more and more like the peanut butter that we buy right...? (maaf fokus kamera macam semacam)

Coffee and a slice of bread *sayangnya kali ni bukan roti homemade*, anyone..?

Banyaknya sapu peanut butter kat roti tu ya. But...isn't it meant to be that way? Kalau sapu sikit-sikit nipis-nipis macam err tak kena je. :P

Next task...homemade almond milk?

*nak buat ni sejak setahun yang lepas...tapi belum buat-buat lagi*

Using The Right method In The Kitchen...

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 04:12:00 +0000

method blog entry no 4! :)

My apologies for the not-so-good photos this time, it has been raining quite frequently *alhamdulillah* so less natural lighting for photo taking...

"There are billions of cooks in this kitchen"....and I'm probably not one of them.

Tak lah. I do cook. Just not every single day. But most parts of the week, I do. Simple dishes for the family to eat. As long as they say my cooking tastes good, as long as my family merasa jugak lah I masak, as long as there's nearly zero waste after every meal....that's good enough for me.

"Sooner or later, everybody's gotta eat. Which is why the kitchen, more than any other room, is the heart of the home. You could argue that the kitchen is the new living room - it's even OK to have a couch there now."
Source: squeaky green Book by Eric Ryan & Adam Lowry, the founders of method

*actually my mom's 'dry kitchen' does have 2 couches in it...and a TV...*

Yes the book said it right. The kitchen is the most popular room. I noticed that since I became a SAHM nearly 4 years ago (although at times I do miss being a WAHM...urm well maybe not so much :P), the kitchen is the place that I spend most of my time in.
Not that I'm always cooking or baking away like Nigella or Martha, though.

My 'workstation' during busy times...

I did warn you to expect a 13-year old kitchen in my previous blog entry, right? Hehe.
(tapi white modern kitchens with subway tiles memang idaman saya)

"Because it's the most popular room, the kitchen is ground zero for a healthy home. Yet the way we use it is full of contradictions. While we store, prepare, and eat food here (when we're not eating on the couch), we also store, heat, and re-heat food in some of the scariest chemicals around. We're conscious about buying organic to keep pesticides out of our bodies, yet we're spraying pesticides (in the form of certain cleaning agents) all over the kitchen. And we freak out about dropping food on the floor (unless you're a proponent of the five-second rule), but we clean that very floor with chemicals that kill things."

Ouch. Dirty little secret indeed!
The squeaky green book says that the kitchen actually has issues....and it needs therapy.

Let's start with therapy for the 'piling work at my workstation'.

Oh my, what an OCD's nightmare. And the one typing this away has OCD traits...argh urgh cepat basuh semua...

That other brand of dishwasher liquid has a very strong green tea fragrance. I didn't really care before but a few weeks ago I noticed the strong scent lingered on my KeepCup. Trying to enjoy pure coffee with a fake green tea scent is...mighty confusing.

Now this, is something else:

method Dish Soap...one pump of this will get you pumped to wash dishes I tell you. Packaging pun sleek & sexy & makes me feel like Bree Van DeKamp, again...

Concentrated. Biodegradable. Less is more! Tak perlu picit banyak-banyak.
Squirt it directly on dirty pots, pans, plates. Or on the sponge. Or in the sink.
(I've tried all...but because for as long as I can remember I've been squirting dishwashing liquid in a small container of water, that's what I did with the method Dish Soap, too)

It's okay to pretend that you're on a mini vacation at a water chalet somewhere while washing the dishes in the mini kitchen while your kids are either snorkeling with their father or collecting sea shells on the beach...the scent of sea minerals does that to me, too...

Maaf, fokus gambar tersasar sedikit..objek yang nak ditonjolkan (span & bekas) tak terang pulak.

One and a half pumps and the following were nicely cleaned with a fresh scent during the process too. I cannot exactly describe the scent of sea minerals...it's actually bergamot, lemon & rosemary with a crisp marine notes...memang terapi jugaklah walaupun tengah basuh pinggan.

And the funny thing is, while we could enjoy the therapeutic scent during washing, it didn't linger on any of the crockery, dinnerware, silverware. They all smelled, well, neutral. Amazing but true :)

My KeepCup no longer has a fake fruit / healthy tea fragrance stuck to it...even Amsyar said in approval, "Owh! Bau dia...!" when he washed his plate. (hopefully the kids won't forget washing their own plates & glasses from now on...)

Tupperwares, Dwink Box, ice cream holders, my green smoothie blender...were all cleaned well. If they could talk, they would say "please do NOT use other dishwashing liquids other than method okaythanksbye"

Less suds doesn't mean it doesn't clean well. Less, not zero suds.
In fact it does the job really well, cutting grease from pots, pans & plates.
Makes glasses clean & clear.
Rids the milk curdles (and the masam-ish odour) from Zuleyka's bottles easily, if any. Specifically in the mornings when the bottle was left uncleaned after her before-bedtime-milk.

I like it much better that way because I don't have to spend too much time trying to rinse the suds & soapiness off of everything. Apatah lagi waktu musim catuan air ni kan, where the water flow is not as strong as usual.

And as usual, I will spot dirt & grime in between the countertop tiles & of course the OCD-ish me will always feel compelled to clean that, too.

Left: Eeuwwwww!? Right: Phewwwww.

I probably should not repeat my love for the method All-Purpose Natural Surface Cleaner (especially the one that smells like freshly-cut cucumbers) because I've said it one too many times already in my previous posts.

(oh by the way what I did was I just sprayed the All-Purpose Cleaner on the counter top & rubbed the grime away with a scouring pad - it never fails to amaze me how a biodegradable cleaning agent with corn & coconut as it's ingredients can clean so well...okay okay cukup cerita pasal cleaner tu dah)

Aaaand as usual I spot another item that needed some 'therapy' - the kitchen sink itself.
Sebelum ketibaan method ke rumah kami, I used a mixture of bleach + water to clean the sink & the grime in the grout between the tiles. Memang lah cepat je hilang kekotoran tu tapi cepat jugak datang balik...and the smell (or fumes..?). Oh my. Sorry kitchen sink (and sorry to my nose, throat & lungs too)

'Before'. Oh sometimes I use baking soda to clean the sink, too. Termasuk dalam kategori 'natural' jugak tak agaknya ya...?

'After'. method Steel for Real for the sink and All-Purpose Cleaner for the borders & tiles. I think the sink & countertop is breathing a sigh of relief when this picture was taken.

I'm going to try cleaning other stainless steel items with Steel for Real later, but for this entry I bersihkan sinki dapur ni dulu lah. Kasihani lah sinki dapur, pinggan mangkuk & periuk belanga semua kita cuci kat situ...and why is the sink itself not getting the same treatment? :P

After using the apple orchard scent of Steel for Real, the sink came out shiny & ready to take on more dirty pots & pans & whatever else! It's non-abrasive formula was as usual kind to our skin and no more blotches & streaking on my sink. Puashati tuan punya dapur ini.

All the cleaning while it was heavily raining outside with the occasional cool breeze entering my kitchen. Wah macam mini vacation kat tropical island je rasanya. Walaupun sebenarnya memang kita kat kawasan tropika pun #eh

Baru lah workstation Mama bersih & kemas. Legaaaa.

My main kitchen. Does this type of kitchen decor even exist anymore...? Hehe.

The usual coffee break was enjoyed after a good & successful chore completion session.
Dinner was mee rebus! Not from scratch, because I've never had the 'interest' to try cook mee rebus from scratch. :P

...aaand I forgot to sprinkle some bawang goreng. Sigh.

Anyone want to try method products at a discount? Because I have 5 discount vouchers to give out! All you need to do is to be the first 5 commenters here to mention that you'd like to try out some method products & also email me at amilita_zaini at yahoo dot com so I could email you back the voucher + T&C of usage.
*jika terlepas, takpe nanti ada lagi blog entry lepas2 ni with another 5 vouchers up for grabs*

These vouchers are valid for online purchase at WMS Marketing, where you will be amazed on how you can make your home happier & healthier by using natural cleaning solutions with biodegradable ingredients!

Alternatively, boleh juga beli di kedai-kedai terpilih :
Jaya Grocer stores, B.I.G Supermarket, selected AEON Big, Cold Storage, Village Grocer, AEON, Tesco, Isetan (KLCC & Lot 10), Hero, Presto supermarkets & ACE Hardware outlets.
You may not be able to use the discount vouchers here but if you like Method Malaysia's Facebook Page HERE then you'll be updated of some good deals, promotions & discounts and such :)

Jenguk-jenguk lah ya. So we can all clean in style, with method ;)

Malaysia Women Marathon 2014...Challenges And All...

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 10:02:00 +0000

It was a race that I was hesitant to sign up, surprisingly so because my first full marathon was during the same race last year....and me & the Krazirunners were more than excited for this year's edition.

But apparently the excitement didn't last long.

Due to family commitments & planning / other race commitments / injury / other matters....most of my running sistas opted not to join this time around. Ala sangat berbeza lah dengan suasana tahun lepas yang amat seronok.

And I was thinking:
1) Nak masuk full jugak ke? Mesti lah kot, anniversary tu.
2) Nak lari dengan pacer jugak ke? Bila nak lari sorang-sorang ni?
3) Route Shah Alam tu banyak naik turun, sanggup kah?

But I signed up anyway, one day before the early bird deadline :P
And I trained, maybe not as diligent as my first full marathon last year, tapi buat jugak lah short / tempo / fartlek / long runs...and that dreaded 30km run yang melengkapkan Syarat-syarat Training Full Marathon.
I even did a 10km run (and walked also la of course) up Kem Lolo at Nuang, a week before the race.
*okay lah maybe this is not so gempak lah :P *

But then the on & off haze became really bad during the week of the race. And my husband had to go to Jakarta for work, again. So no running or exercise at all for me that final week sebab macam extra letih dengan house chores & layan kerenah anak-anak. And I actually believed that MWM2014 on 16th March 2014 would be cancelled due to the haze. *kenapa entah terasa lega pun ada hahah*

AND because I did not jenguk my favourite running shoe for like a week...I just noticed the right shoe tip had a sompek. *nasib baik cobbler boleh tampal, RM5 saja*
AND because the wind blew away the smog a day before the race, the organizer announced "yes ladies it's all systems go for tomorrow!"

This photo does not show the severity of sompek on the shoe.

Alamak. Jadi pulak nak lari 42km esok? I had to psyche myself up that evening...like my youngest daughter always say, "Laats dudis!!" (translation: "Let's do this!")

Psyched! Pumped! Excited! (especially after chatting away dengan kawan2 Krazirunners kat whatsapp). Laats dudis!!

And so there I was driving along Federal Highway at about 3.15am Sunday morning, looking for the exit nearest to the race venue when suddenly....I noticed that the haze is back. Complete with the smell of something burning.

Oookaaayyyyy.

During my search for the porta-loo during my compulsary-toilet-visit-before-running, I saw Ina (Being Mom on The Run) and quickly we greeted each other. First time jumpa tapi recently I began reading her blog...and boy she's one fast lady!
True enough, during the run, she inched away further and further ahead of me...until I lost sight of her completely. (I really need to work on my walking breaks) #excuses

However, a few minutes before the full marathon category was flagged off at 4.45am, the race director made an announcement that MWM 2014 was to be a non-competitive run instead. If we think that we couldn't take the smog, we could turn back whenever we wanted to. There would be no winners, no ranking. It was us to decide how far we wanted to run.

And at that point my pacer & I still had 42km in our minds. Wahh. #ambitiousnyaaa

Start je lari, my friend May Cheong caught up with me & said she'll be running a few km only also & turn back. I think the last time I met her was during race pack collection MWM2013...huh setahun? Sigh.

Around KM13, I think, I began to feel slight chest pains. Aduh tak pernah pulak rasa macam ni masa berlari. It was the haze lah apa lagi. #degillaginaklari
I was hoping the route I was on would end at KM21, which it was of course since full marathon runners kena lari one more loop of the same route to complete a 42K.

Around KM15 I was already thinking to myself "Oh mannnnn I don't know if I could repeat this loop all over again!" Tapi masa tu takut nak cakap kat Pacer.

And so sebab jerebu & memang tak larat nak lari lagi, I decided to end the journey at half marathon distance. Terus terlaju sikit bila dah buat keputusan tu.

Muka happy sebab yeayyy 21km pun jadi lah!!! (Photo credit Enaikay)

Then I met another Krazirunners sista ,Nannoor. She registered for the 10km category but looking at the bad haze, she decided to join the 5km fun run instead (hari tu macam sesuka hati sukasuki je semua nak lari berapa jauh..best! Hehe). I didn't expect her to say, "Jom Kak Millie, teman i lari!". Kak Millie yang masih adrenalin rush gitu tiba-tiba kata "Okay!"

Dah lama tak run dengan Nannoor. I still miss the days when we ran our 10K's...which were a very big deal to us back then. (Photo credit Run & Explore)

But we cut it short to 3km instead sebab my calf macam ada 'tangkap' sikit & the haze was really quite bad. Kesian si ibu mengandung.

Very very nice shot of the preggy runner :) . Nasib baik non-competitve run. Kalau tak mesti disqualified sebab bib full marathon tapi lari half marathon & lepas finish line lari fun run pulak...(Photo credit Chan Wk)

Selesai berlari, minum milo 5 cawan & 2 cawan Nescafe panas & makan semangkuk Fitnesse cereal, kita bergambar pula.

Met an long-time-no-see friend, Islah, who I first met in year 2000, masa baru kahwin & kerja sama2 kat Technology Park Malaysia. She did her 10K that day! Still looking stylish & vogue like before :)

Such a nice event, where all women runners get to meet. Ada lagi yang jumpa tapi tak sempat pulak nak bergambar.

2 hours 31 minutes. All in all, a good run.

And a good event. Met an old friend, made new friends...it's always good to be among friends, kan. Met some #krazirunners Mira, Ejah...but missed quite a few of them, including Lina (and her husband Zaini yang selalunya eveready dengan kamera & we would always have good running shots if he was around).

Would I be running MWM2015? Hmm. Maybe :)

#laatdudis!!

"People Against Dirty", By method

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 08:48:00 +0000

A book arrived in the mail last week..

"squeaky green, the method guide to detoxing your home" book by Eric Ryan & Adam Lowry, the 'proud brainparents of method', founders of this awesome home cleaning product range simply known as method.

We think that home cleaning is something natural that we should know about, should be capable of.
We think that reaching for the normal products that we find in the supermarket & cleaning our home with it & stashing those products under our kitchen sink when we're done...that's just the thing we do.

But a little knowledge goes a long way. As mentioned in the book:
"Contrary to popular belief, what you don't know can hurt you."
"Because no one knows the long-term effects of most of these chemicals." (which are in those home-cleaning products that we normally buy)

Sorry mom, but the truth hurts...

You don't only find hard facts in this book, but there are lots of handy tips on how you can make your home a healthy & happy one...

Part of the book. Many, many more tips & information. And who is still guilty of unplugging those 'suckers'? *diri ini mengangkat tangan secara segan*

In my previous blog entry on method products which I used to clean my living room with, I mentioned that I was out of the method Glass + Surface Cleaner. Buying it was easy peasy because all I had to do was click here & there at the WMS Marketing Online Shop and wallahh the stuff will arrive via courier in 1 or 2 days. *Hello. I'm Millie. And I love online shopping..*

And now I present to you the Designated Glass Cleaner of our household, doing his job:

Cermin-cermin ni kalau dibiarkan je, akan berhabuk & nanti tengok muka sendiri pun macam kabur & tak bersemangat...

Mama's mirror to 'check herself out' before going to the kitchen..."why does she need to do that, I have no idea.."

"If you’re under the impression that in order to attain a gleaming, streak-free shine on your glass surfaces ammonia has to be involved, you’re in for a real treat. There’s a green, clean alternative. our new plant-based powergreen™ technology eliminates dirt, dust and pesky handprints—with no streaks or chemical stank. As we’re fond of saying, there’s a time and place for streaking. It just shouldn’t involve your glass." True to every word. No more streaks on our mirrors!

"Kenapalah banyak sangat kaca2 kat rumah kita ni...." is what he's probably thinking about. But hey surprisingly he never complains. With that fresh mint fragrance the method Glass + Surface Cleaner has, I don't think anybody would complain. As usual, I look forward to the refreshing scent every time we use this. Haha...

"This ain't no mouthwash! Windows & mirrors clearly agree: the invigorating aroma of cool, crisp peppermint accented by a refreshing fusion of eucalyptus leaves & icy wild mint is a breath of fresh air."

And that says it all. Try it, in order to believe it :)

I personally think that not only mirrors & windows are entitled to such invigorating treatment....any form of glass should be, too. Hehe.

Does the job well, comes in simple yet sleek packaging, natural ingredients...and amazing fragrance. Amsyar likes it so much that one day he asked me if he could bring this to his school's gotong-royong / hari membersihkan kelas event. Errr. :P

You can go over to method Malaysia Facebook page HERE to find more information & current happenings plus discounts *yayy* on products.

Speaking of discounts, there are current promotions going on now...between 20% to 25% off from the normal price! Okay jom klik & beli di SINI sekarang! ;)

I'll write up a review on these in my next method blog entry... :)

In my next method blog entry, I'll be writing about the method products that I use to clean my kitchen with.

"Why eat organic but clean with pesticides?" Ouch.

Nak tengok dapur rumah teres dua tingkat yang berumur lebih kurang 13 tahun ni? Not those shiny swanky modern 'subway tiles' kitchen, that's for sure. *but sigh how I love those subway tiles*

Till then...clean your home in style, with method!

"Let's Keep It Real About Our Bodies" #keepingitreal

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 10:25:00 +0000

Early this morning when the kiddos have gone to school / had breakfast / showered etc and I had like half an hour of breakfast time, I glanced through Facebook and saw some friends sharing a link from Runner's World Facebook page, with this as the main photo:

Lauren Fleshman, details about her HERE (runner, US track champ, marathon PB of 2 hours 37 minutes!)

"Is this another one of those before-after photos?", I asked myself.
And so I clicked on the link that brought me to a blog entry she wrote a few months ago that, according to her, went viral as it was about "revealing the truth about my glamorous runway shots".

That caught my interest...and I'm pretty sure it will catch yours, too. Here's what she wrote:

Let's Keep It Real About Our Bodies - by Lauren Fleshman

In reference to one of her good runway photos, she wrote:
It showed no evidence of all of my imperfections. That picture was what we all want to feel about ourselves, myself included.

And when she was telling about her workout photos which she uploads on her social media, she wrote:
As I was looking through my photos from practice I caught myself doing my usual thing: “Ugh, skip, delete, my butt looks big in that one, my stomach is pooching out there. Oh there’s a good one!”
(oh aren't we all guilty of this too....nasib la US track champ pun rasa macam tu jugak rupanya...)

Then I went on to read her earlier blog post, the one that went viral.
It was a great, interesting, real-life-story post, probably life-changing too....no wonder it went viral!
Click the title below to read it. MUST read it... :

Keeping It Real - by Lauren Fleshman

Dah habis baca?
Did you see how she REALLY looked like, off the runway, no doctored photos, no bronzing effects on the body, no sucking-in-the-tummy...? Her 'cheesy thighs', as she calls them?

I suck my tummy in all the time. Like, ALL the time. When I walk around (when I'm inside & definitely outside the house), when I cook, when I shower (alone!), when I solat, when I sit and type this blog entry.....

What the....?

As Lauren Fleshman wrote:
What the hell is wrong with us? We have this one body we are born with, live inside of, and move through the world in.

So she has challenged us to post an unflattering picture of ourself. Okayyy macam susah sikit sebab semua unflattering pictures of myself (agak banyak sebenarnya) telahpun saya delete se-delete delete nya.

Why?
Because I've had four babies pop out of me. I breastfed all of them...the longest was Kaka, I fully breastfed her until she was 2 years 6 months old. I run frequently & do strength training regularly *ehem ye ke* but I don't have toned dancer-legs. I'll be 42 years old in 2 months' time so whether I like it or not, age does have an impact on the body.
Jadi mestilah rasa tak best bila tengok gambar diri sendiri yang tak best. :P

But there was this one photo taken last year that was..urmm...well if it was my call, it would not be a photo for public viewing. Hehe. But as it was taken by a very nice photographer & I had a rather nice smile in that pic, I did not hide it from my Facebook timeline (it was a tagged picture).

I wore a running skirt that had buttons for you to attach your race bib. Though I love this skirt but somehow it never fails to make me look 3 months preggy. No I was not pregnant in this picture. A friend thought I was wearing a pouch underneath my baju. Tummy pouch kot :P (photo credit Mr Koko The Running Bear)

The photos of me *in running attire & which are 'approved' for public viewing* usually look like these:

Just because I suck in my tummy all the time...

Just because I look shapely in this photo whilst in real life I have a banana type figure / boyish figure with not so much rampingness.

Just because the pants that I wore in this photo made my legs look lean & long...

After reading Lauren's blog entry...I actually felt ouch insecure-nya saya. And because I loved her sincerity SO much (I am now part of the gazillions who calls her brave, a hero, etc etc) that I sent that blog link to my husband via whatsapp.

Less than 30 minutes later, The Hubby replied my message saying:
"Yup. It was a good article full of the truth. Check out the latest comment in the blog."

(the latest comment at that time)

So I pun scroll down kat blog tu cepat2 nak tengok siapakah omputeh punya komen yang Hubby beriya suruh baca tu.

That comment made my eyes well up with tears.

It was my husband. He who rarely mentions me especially in the social media, he whom I thought did not notice what I've been doing in the hopes of becoming a better wife & mother, a better runner.

I do always wonder if I'm fat (dah lah frame besar kan). Dan selalu jugak rasa semua cermin mengejek. Cellulite? Of course lah ada kan.

He got a big hug from me, of course. The best wedding anniversary gift ever (walaupun anniversary tu 2 hari lepas), walaupun bukan actual physical gift pun.

Though I will probably not let myself go & pig out on pizza or pies which I love or nasi kukus ayam goreng berempah hari-hari after this...I would probably try to be less uptight about my body. And how I look in photos.
The body that I was born in, bak kata Cik Lauren.

#keepingitreal

Once You Go method...

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 08:14:00 +0000

...your question on "hmm what to buy to shine those wooden furniture / clean those icky stains / mop the living room floor with" are all answered. *hoping this would rhyme with the blog entry title*

(If you're feeling slightly confused about where this blog entry is heading to...take a quick glance at my earlier entry on method products HERE)

Or read on and probably you will be getting a discount voucher for method products ;)

I live in a 24' x 75' terrace house (since nearly 14 years ago I think...?) so it's a not-new-not-swanky-modern-designed kinda house. For example, my living room floor is broken marble...not so trendy looking lah if compared to the new types of ceramic tiles that you may see in the newer homes nowadays.

Our living room did not go through any extension of any kind, so it's still the cozy (well, to me lah hehe) sized living room that we have since Hubby & me were parents of a 6-month old baby back in 2001, when we first moved in here.

The good thing about having OCD traits is that my living room appears somewhat neat (note the 'somewhat') most of the time...and particularly when I'm at home. Trouble starts when The HouseKeeper a.k.a The Mama a.k.a Me goes out & leaves the home in the care of The Papa. #eh #oops :P

Now we are parents to a 13 year old, 11 year old, 7 year old...and nearly-6 year old.
Two adults & 4 kids in da house.
This means The Mama needs to keep the house clean. Preferably with natural cleaning products. Because we don't want kids to stumble upon things with terrible chemicals in them....

Okay back to the living room.
Old broken marble or not...floors must be cleaned occasionally, no? Yes, of course.
Having kids who roll around in the house in times of crankiness & happiness...oh yes the more reason for swishing the mop frequently.

Though I rarely, rarely polish my floors, mopping them at least twice a week is a must. The small living room which adjoins the dining room is a blessing...because, if I have a big area downstairs, mopping would be something I dread! Well, it was still something I dread.....

...until I found method Squirt + Mop Hard Floor Cleaner!

"method Squirt + Mop Hard Floor Cleaner"...the name of the product says it all. Tak perlu instructions lagi dah.

Usually my second child, Izzo the 11-year old, is the one who likes to help me with the mopping but sometimes my eldest boy helps me with this, too. We decided to do without a live-in maid for nearly 4 years now so I find that any form of help from the kids are extremely useful. And I think it's very important for my kids to know the basics of what to do around the house...

The then 6-month old baby helping his Mama. Senang je. Squirt. Mop. Done. Can relax.

Notice how nifty method's Squirt + Mop packaging is? How even a 13 year old boy can easily hold it (while his other hand is occupied some more...?).
Compare this with the usual 1.5kg or even 2kg of floor cleaner that we usually see or get - you would need to:
1) Take it down from the shelf in the supermarket
2) Lug it in your car
3) Take it out when you reach home
4) Pour the cleaning liquid into the bottle cap
5) Pour it into the mopping pail
6) (Oh you need to fill the pail with water first......)

Wah type itu je pun dah penat. How long can a mopping process be? No wonder I sometimes dread it.

And remember how we always read that when we use the conventional way of mopping (with the water & pail & all), the action of dunking the mop in & out of the pail and mopping the floor & repeating that process again...is just us 'pushing' dirty water on our floor.

Now that is definitely NOT good.

With method's Squirt + Mop...you just squirt & mop. No need to dunk mop in a pail of not-so-clean water.
(you may rinse the mop in between the mopping certain 'floor sections' as I always do...if it makes you feel better...okay enough with the OCD traits Millie)

It contains no wax, it's non-toxic & it's biodegradable. When you enlist the help of your kids for this kind of work, as a parent you surely wouldn't want them to be fiddling around with things laden with chemicals and artificial fragrances (method Squirt + Mop Hard Floor Cleaner has a light lemon & ginger scent...click HERE for more details on this snazzy floor cleaner).

The bonus is when Hubby notices how smooth & clean the floor feels. So...mopping is not so terrible after all huh terutamanya bila Encik Suami puji :)

And because there is quite a number of wooden furniture in my living room (mostly dark coloured pulak tu hmm I wonder why), it was a blessing that I received method's Wood for Good Polish that, true to what it says, really conditions & revitalizes my furniture! Serious tau.
(and it's non-toxic & plant-based properties are such a match with my 'plant-based' furniture)

"Rich. Nutty. Good with chocolate."

Can you guess the fragrance already? Macadamia? No, but close. Willy Wonka? Well, I don't know how that chocolate factory owner smells like....
This wooden furniture polish smells like almond. Like real, sweet, almond oil...not those overpowering almond-wannabe smell.


The soft almond-y fragrance from the Wood for Good Polish* does make cleaning much, much more pleasant.*

A scratchy old coffee table doesn't mean it should be neglected! A nice regular sheen is all it needs...

My apologies for the quality of this photo that just doesn't do justice to what you should be seeing in real life. Photo on the right is after I used the Wood for Good Polish...I wish you could see the sheen properly & smell the pleasant fragrance!

Click HERE for more details on method's Wood for Good Polish. How I love non-aerosol packaging for wooden furniture polish.

Oh and there's another cleaning product from method that I absolutely love love love. Not only for the living room...but for other areas of the home as well.

The method All Purpose Natural Surface Cleaner. I have one in french lavender fragrance (nope the fragrance is not overpowering at all...just pleasant to your nose, I assure you).


"This enchanting medley of lavender, bergamot, purple sage + chamomile is like a brief respite to the French countryside." Don't we mommies need a bit of escapism? It also comes in Cucumber & Pink Grapefruit. I've bought the one in Cucumber and err I'm getting another one really, really soon (self-explanatory on How Much Millie Loves This)

It say 'all surface cleaner'...so I used it to clean the icky switches & the grime on the walls surrounding them. We have 6 people in this house, 4 of them are minors who have yet to understand the meaning of cleanliness & neatness & how the violation of these two could easily drive The Mama crazy.
So imagine how many times those switches gets touched...which explains the stains. Again, euwww....
(I'm trying hard not to think about the 'non-visible stains'....)

"Its cleaners, derived from corn + coconut, break down dirt naturally, so every spray leaves nothing behind but a fresh scent + gleaming clean. Knock out dirt with the power of plants."
Source: www.methodhome.com

Yayyy to the cutting-edge Powergreen Technology! (only by method)
Click HERE to know how much power this cleaning solution has to offer in every spray...

Confession: Much earlier on I purchased one in cucumber, and I must say that the clean cucumber fragrance is love at first scent for me. Sometimes, I had to restrain myself from squirting more & more of it...just because I wanted to sniff the cucumber scent.

My unbiased opinion(s) after using the above products from method for my comel-sized living room:

1) True to what most will say, good products do not come cheap. Though method products are priced slightly higher than the other household cleaning brands, it is not ridiculously over-priced, definitely not, and commensurate with the Powergreen Technology that you would never find in any other brands.

2) Don't be fooled by the subtle fragrance & liquid-y appearance of it's cleaners...they really clean well. Really, really well! And I've been cleaning my home for yearssssss so I know one good cleaning product from another.

3) When you have 4 kids & in your early-forties like me, you WILL need help from your kids from time to time. And I just don't feel good letting them use stuff with lots of chemicals. If one could buy nice bags & clothes for oneself...why can't one spend a few extra ringgit to get products that everyone in the home can use. The home is for them to live in, too.

4) I particularly LOVE the quirky quotes & captions method has for all their products. I think it makes everything more....fun! From the moment I purchase them (we do read the labels...especially for things we need to pay for, right mommies? :P) to the time when I use them.
Who says everything has to be so serious, anyway? Thank you method, for putting back the fun of cleaning our home for our family!
Confession: I read those fun captions quite regularly. They are my picker-uppers sometimes.

5) I will never glance at any other brands again when going through the cleaning product aisle in supermarkets...hehe.

As I type this....I just realized I ran out of method Glass + Surface Cleaner. Mayday, mayday! But wait, I can still use the method All Purpose Natural Surface Cleaner untuk bersihkan kaca, kalau terdesak. Nama pun 'all purpose' kan? Penyelamat.

Before I hop over to WMS's Marketing online shop...I'd like my dear readers to experience some of method items, too. method Malaysia has been kind enough to provide me with some discount vouchers for you to use when you purchase method products!

(That's how I started you know...by using vouchers given away by my friend Lina...and I was hooked...in a good way lah...)

What are the discounts like?
It's a discount of RM10 & free delivery (T&C applies) for 10 readers. The codes are valid until end of March 2014.

How would you qualify for free or not-free delivery?
1) A minimum postage charge of RM10 is required for purchases valued at less than RM20 (after all deductions & discounts) – West Malaysia
2) A minimum postage charge of RM15 is required for purchases valued at less than RM40 (after all deductions & discounts) – East Malaysia

How much would you pay in the end?
Example:
When a reader buys 1 bathroom cleaner @ RM14.80 + 1 body wash @ 18.80 + 1 toilet bowl cleaner @ RM18.80

Total purchases valued at RM52.40

Minus off the discount of RM10, total payable amount will be RM42.40 (with free delivery)

Another example:

When a reader buys 1 gel hand wash @ RM13.80

Total purchase valued at RM13.80

Minus off the discount of RM10, total payable amount is RM3.8.

Have to add postage charge of RM10 (West Msia) or RM15 (East Msia)

So final total is RM13.80 (West Msia) or RM18.80 (East Msia)

Boleh tahan jugak tau...pendapat ikhlas dari saya seorang pembeli produk method. Tunggu je courier guy deliver, tak payah drive pegi kedai beli. Easy peasy!

HOW to get those discounts...?
I'll give 4 discount codes to the first 4 commenters who indicated they want it here in my blog.

I'll give 2 discount codes to first 2 comments from insta-friends who want it over on my Instagram.
I'll pass 2 discount codes to 2 Facebook friends who mention they want it over at my Facebook (on this page link).
I'll give 2 discount codes to 2 twitter followers who tells me they want them.

First come first serve ya.

If you comment here, mention it on FB and also twitter; and if there's more than 10 commenters/friends/followers who want it, you'll only get one (1) code. I hope that's fair...?

Sorang dapat satu code lah kiranya :)

Offer for these codes ends by midnight 19th February! And you'll get the voucher code soon after.

You can use it for online purchase at WMS Marketing HERE, before 31st March 2014.

The 7-year old seen here chillaxing in the living room...ewah. Betapa leganya hati seorang ibu bila rumah bukan hanya kemas tapi bersih & bebas dari segala habuk, kekotoran, daki.... #eh

Remember, clean your home in style....with method.

Clean Your Home (In Style) With method ....

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 05:40:00 +0000

method.

It's a name of a cleaning supplies product brand (by a San Francisco based corporation) which is nontoxic, biodegradable & natural with a focus on minimalist product design.
*source - Wikipedia

Nontoxic + biodegradable + minimalist product design = exactly what caught my eye when I first bought one of their products, about 2 years ago.

Apparently...that was when method first made it's way to Malaysia!

Okay back to 2 years ago, location - Tesco Kajang. I was casually strolling past the aisles that displayed the locally-made products. I don't get much stuff from that section but one product DID catch my eye...

I thought, "waah cantiknya packaging ni!" I don't think that I've ever found a 'squirt & mop' type of floor cleaner so I was quite drawn to this concept. The price was slightly higher than the normal floor cleaners that I was used to so I mistakenly thought that this must be one of those Malaysian products that was targeted for the export market (sebab diletak di rak barang-barang buatan tempatan).

Oh method. As a mom who has been separating her household's trash (and sending them over at the recyclables collection center since 2002)...you had me at "safe for the planet". Hehe. Proceeded to put one bottle in my shopping cart.

However, due to very limited range at Tesco, and I kept procrastinating to find out more retailer info for method....that was the only item I used at that time.

Until my friend Lina promoted some method products on her blog, as she just became part of the happy healthy home by method malaysia blogger project. And somehow I got some vouchers from Lina...and I got really excited to know that I could buy method products ONLINE. Me, who *formerly* owned an online shop & does quite a bit of shopping online...was doing virtual cartwheels when I knew about this!

I clicked and clicked at WMS Marketing's online shop....and these arrived the next working day:

Then, somehow....I became involved with the happy healthy home by method malaysia blogger project, too :)
*well, it was with Lina's help & recommendation...thank you my dear friend!*

So my first batch of the lovely method products for this project arrived a few weeks ago.
(a delayed 'before cleaning' blog entry...my apologies)

When they say it's non-toxic, it sure feels like it...the products smell extremely natural. And these are household cleaning products, mind you. And they are tough when they're doing their job.
*this is a true statement dan bukan bertujuan untuk membodek sesiapa* :)

I have started using them...and will blog about them soon ya.

My eldest son Amsyar's favourite. Because he is the designated "glass cleaner" in this house.

Much needed because we have a lot of wooden furniture. And I just love their quirky captions!

I wish you guys can smell this...the fragrance is french lavender. It smells soooo natural. Tak fake & tak menyesakkan hidung langsung.

I hope there won't be more delays in me writing about the results 'after the challenge'.
In the meantime head over to method's Facebook page and click LIKE !

Now off to another mommy duty....jemput anak dari sekolah.

Those Last Few Days of 2013....

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 14:03:00 +0000

....were spent doing these:

Two long runs within a week. One solo 15km on a Sunday...and another 16km on a Christmas-Wednesday.

Ran through places that I've never ran in, in Putrajaya. And forgetting to bring along some sunblock.

Witnessed my no. 3, the lil rascal named Armand, starting primary school.

Noticed how big the little sister look next to her year-older brother....oh tidaaak. (well actually gambar ni macam nampak Zuleyka TERlalu besar lah pulak).

Realized that we just cannot take the rascal out of Armand. After the Year 1 orientation day, he dashed off on his own, trying to discover new things about his new school. Jenuh jugak kita mencari / mengejar.

Did an engagement hantaran for my Delivery Guy. Yes I am still malas to do gift baskets & hantarans & flower arrangements and such...but Muz has been delivering stuff for AZ Gift Baskets (on a part time basis) for years. And he did a very good job at it, too. So I just couldn't say no to him. He even booked me to do up his wedding hantaran in June 2014 :P

Simple creations by a simple sempoi person.

Bersyukur & gembira sebab tengok Muz happy dengan hasil sentuhan The Boss. (yes he calls me 'Boss').

A split-second Kodak moment that Hubby successfully captured. Jarang-jarang sangat Izzo & Armand macam ni. And they apparently felt very brotherly near the peak of Bukit Kutu last Sunday...(note to Hubby: Please observe the barber whenever he is cutting Armand's hair. Habis rambut K-Pop dia).

The lil rascal who was not advised to go up the peak of Bukit Kutu by some veteran hikers. It was very, very windy on the peak...his small frame could easily be blown away...


Their first hike in months, after The Papa recovered from his broken clavicle from a motocross incident. Dah lah first time diaorang naik Bukit Kutu, tak join group pulak tu, nasib baik Hubby read a few hiking blogs & managed to not get lost. (disclaimer: I did not go with them..tengok dan upload gambar je hahahahahaaa)

Izzo's first attempt at making capati. Sedap! I have a nearly 11-year old who can bake cakes & cookies, make doughnuts, and now he can make capati too. I feel blessed. I also feel like a failure as a woman sebab saya kurang berminat nak buat kek biskut bagai...

Loving my coffee-time even more with my new KeepCup. It took me a loooooong time to realize that I can also enjoy drinking coffee from this nifty reusable cup, at home, using coffee from my french press....and not necessarily being out and about and getting a barista to fill it up.

The last day of 2013 was spent going to Amsyar's Form 1 Orientation Day. Dengar taklimat, got his books, visited his classroom, checking out where he needs to park his bicycle...and feeling happy that he is looking forward to life in secondary school.

Made a simple New Year Eve's dinner (padahal bukan lah kita sambut sangat tahun baru ni kan...). Angel hair pasta aglio olio with shitake mushrooms, my version of mayo-free coleslaw, tempura fish fillet (kedai mari), and some dried shrimp chilli paste sebab I must eat pedas. Hubby said everything on the plate tasted good. *yayy*

Happy New Year everyone!!

*bunyi fireworks...throw confetti....tengok TV series kat macbook....lipat kain....mengantuk....terlelap ZZzzZZzzz....*

I Come Across "Clean Eating" Nearly Everyday...

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 09:15:00 +0000

....but what IS clean eating?

It is NOT a diet. It is a lifestyle choice.

(says Angela Hattaway, a Nutritionist and a Personal Trainer)

Clean eating has been quite a trend for the past few years. But now, I see that Malaysians are quite taken with it too. It's a good thing, and it's good that we know the better choices that we can make for our body.

Though I am not 100% eating clean...tapi memang cuba sedaya upaya lah. Tryyy to. I started to 're-engineer' my meals *yet again* about 2 years ago when I noticed that tanpa disedari berat saya telah bertambah sebanyak 5kg...ke 6kg macam tu lah. Tanpa disedari? Haha what a joke.

Many of my friends think that because I run quite frequently, and do strength training once a week (walaupun kadang2 kantoi tak buat)...I get a big ticket for eating whatever I want to, how much I want to.
Sadly, this is not true.

When I had an injury more than a year ago and I had to rest from running for 6 weeks, I didn't jaga my makan. Especially the portion of my meals. I kind of forgot that being physically inactive means that one has to restructure one's meal & calorie intake as well.

So I put on a few kilograms. Tanpa disedari, of course. Some jeans became snug. A friend said my face was berisi sikit. In a reunion dinner photo, I noticed my face was yes, roundish. I felt heavier (according to the weighing scale, I WAS heavier). And when I started running again, a photo of me running in the first race after my injury was proof that homaigad yes I am biggg.

Dah la badan memang big-framed...

So....I had no choice but to revamp my food intake, my meal portions, and also my running & training routine. And coincidently I was training for my first full marathon then, which meant more running and more calories burned.

Though I try to eat clean, it is impossible for me, at the moment, to eat entirely clean. Banyak faktor - price, unavailability of foodstuff, others in household who can't stomach this lifestyle choice..etc. Notice that I still eat store-bought bread, use sauces....and the fruits ain't organic y'all.

Since then, I have lost all those nasty extra kg. I am not as light as before I had my kids (I do not want to be skinny...err maybe because it is impossible to be like that now!), but my BMI is still within normal range. I have not stepped on those canggih scales that calculates one's muscle mass, fat %, metabolic age etc etc for quite some time now so I cannot say that I am healthy as a horse though.

The Glowing Green Smoothie (GGS!) has been a daily thing for me for several months now. With friends, I refer to it as Air Sayur. Hubby sometimes call it Air Rumput.

Another excerpt from Angela Hattaway's article about Clean Eating:

Simple Guidelines for Success, in comparison what Millie and her experiences:

1. Eating small frequent meals 5-6 times per day to level blood sugar and prevent hunger
- checked! Millie loves to eat frequently...

2. Include lean protein, complex carbohydrates and heart healthy fats in each meal choice
- Yes I still try to. And I must also try to read again (and understand...and remember what I read) before I cook anything or put anything in my mouth.

3. Avoid ALL processed and/or refined foods (sugar, baked goods, candies, white flour, white rice, etc)
- I've eliminated sugar from my coffee for nearly 2 years now. BUT kalau minum kat luar, hmm...kopi manis. *fail*
- I take the rest i.e baked goods, candies, white flour in moderation. And how am I supposed to survive without rice? White rice? I can't. Smaller portions, boleh. Skip nasi sekali-sekala, boleh. And it took time for me to get the hang of that, too.

4. Avoid saturated and trans fats
- Why do I always forget what is what and which is which... #pleasereadmore
- And I try to make food-label-reading a habit before chucking anything in the shopping cart.

5. Avoid sodas, high calorie juices and other drinks that give your body no nutritional value and lots of unnecessary (unwanted) calories
- Since I had my first child, I don't keep soda in my fridge. Nor juices or other sweetened drinks. Once in a blue moon, yes lah ada. My family mostly rely on air kosong. Nampak kejam? Takpelah....jimat sikit pun. Haha..

6. Avoid high calorie, non nutritious foods (i.e. junk food)
- I used to love junk food. Like, I-love-you-long-time-kinda love. When I was still single, I start to open a can of Pringles...and I will have that once you pop you can't stop effect.
But after married life and 4 kids, I found out that these are "what you eat in secret will show in public" kinda stuff. And we, women in our powerful 40s...we don't want to show anything of that sort in public.

7, Drink at least 8 cups of water per day
- Ookkaayyy I don't actually count how many glasses I glug down every day BUT I think it is quite sufficient as I always frequent the bathroom....


Top left: Tapau nasi kukus ayam goreng berempah. Yes, so sinful & un-clean so I took 1/3 of the rice only and topped the dish with cherry tomatoes & cucumbers. Masih tidak pasti jika ianya menepati konsep clean eating. On the other dishes you might notice some yellow sauce...yes that is mustard. fail

The photos shown here are the food that I eat half of the time. It's obvious that I do not eat clean all the time ye.

The other half are normal not-so-clean food. Oops. And I shall not share those photos here. Huhu.

TAPI portion kena jaga lah, walaupun makan nasi & lauk-pauk.
Kevin Zahri kata, makan karbohidrat sebesar genggam tangan kan?
(tangan kita sendiri ya, a fistful...bukan segenggam tangan King Kong)

Sometimes when I am really rajin, I pre-cut & separate fruits with vegetables for my daily GGS. Letak dalam plastik, letak dalam freezer. Oh dah lama lah tak buat begitu = Millie Malas Sikit. And bottom right pic shows my most frequent breakfast of rolled oats soaked with milk, and topped with raisins + pumpkin seeds + sunflower seeds + sometimes banana. My Hubby calls it Makanan Burung. (notice that he is good in giving names to my so-called clean food).

At times, I do get bored with so much green on my plate. Not much gravy (saya sangat suka kuah kari, gulai lemak......). Oily food is a big no-no (how I sometimes miss eating sambal tumis everyday).


Tekak Melayu memang lah suka nasi. Nasi PUTIH. Which sadly does not have a place in the Clean Food Directory. It is in fact in the "Stay Away From..." list. Sigh. So, as mentioned before, I reduce my intake. I can't completely eliminate it, no. Please don't make me do that.

A few months ago, I started following EatCleanKL on Instagram. The lady behind this cooks the food according to guidelines of clean eating, and she does lunch delivery too (for certain areas in KL only). Though I don't buy food from her because I stay way way out of her delivery area, I get good info and ideas on food preparation and meals from her instafeed.

Very recently, my sister's former colleague also started a clean eating food business. You can follow her instagram Healthy Kitchen By Mimie. Be amazed with the weight she has lost so far...just by eating right and of course, exercising. (lokasi - Melaka)

And of course there are countless websites on this topic that we can read & learn from.

And implement, the best that we can, from what we read & learn.... :)

The Short? Race That I Didn't Want To Run In...

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 02:52:00 +0000

....because I was rather scared to.
Right after I realized that for a 4 x 3.86km relay event, I would need to run fast.
Right after I realized that it will be held in MAEPS, Serdang. Which it's undulating route is rather daunting...especially for me yang tak pernah masuk dalam MAEPS pun.

It was the Mizuno Pacesetters Relay, held last Sunday 15th December 2013.

I don't do fast. Though I love relay runs....BUT my last one was in 1989, for 4 x 100m (sebab 4 x 400m pun tak berani masuk sebab rasa jauh), when I was 17 years old!

I've never been to MAEPS, let alone run in there. I've heard of the ups & downs of that place. And to do a fast nearly-4km run there? Sebab itu lah rasa macam nak chicken out.

I was still trying to get someone (anyone!) to replace me even a week before the race...! Talk about a panic attack.

Tapi dalam dok mencari sesiapa yang 'berminat' nak ganti tu, buat jugaklah training apa yang patut. A few weeks before the race, my runs were short ones..not more than 7km. But not so regular. Usually 4 - 6km, and I tried to run the Neighbourhood Loop more sebab kat rumah I ni route pun up & down. And I forced myself to do more strength training, especially legwork. Kata nak pecut? Huhu. *lame*

So getting to MAEPS was easy, thanks to my GPS. I arrived just before the baton-collecting time & was grateful that parking was ample. Apparently there were 147 teams altogether.


I am pretty sure this was a 'before' picture. Because I looked so fresh. I'm the second runner, Lina is third & Khairi is the last runner. Our first runner, Bro Bac, is missing from this shot...probably he was getting ready near the starting line. jitters


The first runners bearing the bib 'A' being flagged off. Look at them go! Ai takut oh tengok. I, with the other 'B' bib-wearers / second runners, were already on stand by at the baton-exchange area.

I scanned through the second runners who were waiting for their turn. Half of them looked like otai runners which made me nervous...but at the same time I was glad that this was my last race for 2013. The other half appeared like recreational runners, macam saya...which made me rasa lega jugak la sikit.

The first to complete his lap came blazing through just under 12 minutes! (he's the one wearing a blue vest & yellow shoes in the previous photo..the one next to the red-headed boy). Oh my.

Then there was a steady flow of first runners coming in...their team numbers being announced by the MC about 50 meters from the baton-exchanging area, so the second runners could get ready. *saspennn*

Then I saw Ejah, a fellow Krazirunner, getting ready for the arrival of her first runner. Off she went..and that increased my suspense-mode even more.

About 2 minutes after Ejah was gone, I heard the MC say, "Fifty-five...Fifty-five!". Wow Bro Bac finished 3.8km in 18mins!
Okay, I'm up next... *perasaan takut nanti semput / krem / nak pitam masa lari sudah mula terasa*

Khairi & Bac waiting...and waiting...for me to complete my lap.

Start-start lari je dah kena tackle the first incline.
1km into the race, I was already thinking "oh my whyyy did I register for this??"
2km into the race, I was already breathing heavily and thought "oh pleaseee no more inclines after this...okay2 I'm halfway already kamon kamon..."

Berangan je lah kalau taknak ada inclines kalau lari kat Malaysia ni kan.

Just before the final incline, which was fortunately not that steep. I would never be able to pass Ejah (131-B) if she wasn't struggling with an injury that day. A cili padi speedy runner, that lady. Gambar ni macam cantik..sebab semua pakai warna sama hehe. Photo credit ET Tey.

And I walked, twice, for less than 10 seconds each time. I know, entah apa-apa je kan? Ni relay lah apehal nak walking breaks. But I really, really had to catch my breath at that time! Really.

If not for my team-mates whose faces kept appearing in my mind, I would have refused to push myself.
(I know Bac trained hard to get a sub-5min per km...and he did, during the race!)

If not for Ejah who came behind me and said, "come on Kak Millie..." and also to the other first runners waiting for the team members about 300m away from the last timing mat, I would have probably just walked until I needed to pass the baton to Lina...

Drama je kan.

I think the best feeling that I had during the run...was when I finally heard the MC's voice announcing the team numbers. "Fifty five...fifty-five!". Oh yes I am quite done, finally!!


Right after crossing the timing mat but had to run beberapa puluh meter untuk pass baton kat Lina. I saw my team members (those 2 guys in black, far left) but I guess I was focusing on seeing Lina & didn't notice that they were actually cheering for me. Thank you so much Bac & Khairi!!

I waited for Lina & ran with her about 100m before she finished. I knew exactly how she felt masa ni because I myself felt like oh-my-god-bila-nak-habis-niii at this point.

And on to our last runner, the fast Khairi!

(Read about Lina's experience at her blog HERE)

Our Team #55, was ranked as 55 out of 147 teams. Sedondon pulak nombor ye :)
Distance for each runner, around 3.8km.

1st runner: 18m 10s
2nd runner: 20m 28s (okay lah for a newbie relay makcik like me kot)
3rd runner: 24m 15s
4th runner: 18m 11s

Well done Team #55!!

Seperti biasa, all that stress before & during the race just vanished...after the race. EVERY time like dis. Hehe.

Lepak-lepak after the race...I saw Khairi opening his nasi lemak & I wished that we could take more than one nasi lemak each...

It was a well organized event. Everything went smoothly, location was nice, the weather was in our favour, the light breakfast after the race was good...and though I missed some of my Krazirunners sisters this time around, I still managed to have a good time *err AFTER the race hahaha*

Will I ever run a relay again?
Only if the distance is 3km each, and on flat route.
Only if I have team mates like Team #55 yang takde nak pressure pressure pasal timing.

Oh don't push your luck lah Millie.

Hehe.

That Once A Week Routine....

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 02:47:00 +0000

...that I am obligated to do.
(note I used the word 'obligated'...in this case the synonyms are 'terpaksa', 'terpaksa' dan 'terpaksa').

Circuit Training.

I don't do the exact same ones all the time, terpaksa variety sikit kalau tak macam takde keberkesanannya.
I have yet to renew my gym membership, so usually I just have to make do with my living room...
I don't have any free weights (except a measly pair of pink dumbbells I got maybe 10 years ago, which have not been used for oh probably 7 years now) so I just have to make do with bodyweight exercises...

Before I started running, I actually do these on a regular basis also. Sebab dulu memang tak suka lah long distance running ni (well, it's still a love-hate thingy now also...) and also anything cardio. So I break into a sweat doing these circuit training workouts. It was something my father also taught me looooong ago.

Semalam ingatkan nak lari sikit lah around the Neighbourhood Loop *walaupun ada sikit menyampah bila teringatkan ups & downs loop ni*. But it rained...until 9.15pm....until I lost that gung-ho feeling of All Weather Runner that I had just half an hour before that.

Jadi *terpaksalah* buat circuit training. Why? Because I remembered this poster I saw some time ago...

Image from Pinterest

Macam dangggg in-your-face je kan? Sigh.

So I looked through my my memo pad in my phone to find the routines I did a few weeks ago.
(because I am not disciplined and don't really plan my workout routine... #badbad)

I started with whole body & some legwork:
Star Jumps 60
Jump Burpees 15
Prisoner Squats 15
Jump Squats 15
Jump Lunges 15 (each leg)
Mountain Climbers 60

Apakah itu mountain climbers....? Begini:

2-minute break...then continued with core-strengthening *laa sangat*:

Plank 90 seconds
Russian Twists 60
Crunches 20
Sit Ups 20
Side Plank 40 seconds (each side)
Leg Raises 15

Apakah itu Russian Twists? This:

Image from Pinterest

Then another 2-minute break before continuing with just a bit of *atau yang mana2 terlarat je* upper body workouts...

Push Ups 15
Tricep Dips 15

Another 2-minute break before repeating everything once more.

Usually after the second set, I tak sanggup nak buat third set dah....my legs usually feel jelly-ish by then and just by looking at the word 'burpee' makes me cringe.
And I never bother timing myself either. Apa nak jadi ni. #trainingsesukahati

Image from Google Image

Nasib baik kita takde Hunger Games tau. Seriously!

Little Tots...The Only Preschool That My Kids Know..

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 03:35:00 +0000

Back in 2005, I sent my eldest son, then 4 years old, to Little Tots. Amsyar was the first batch of this brand new preschool. It was opened & handled by my neighbour Roslina Saleh, it was close to home..so I trusted it was a good choice for our firstborn.

By the time my second child Izzo was 4 years old 2 years later, I sent him there too.

2011, I sent Armand there. 2012, after talking to Roslina about Zuleyka & her condition & whether it was okay if I send her to Little Tots too...I registered my youngest child for the 3-year old playschool at Little Tots.

My three boys all spent their time at Little Tots for 3 years. Armand just graduated a few days ago & will start sekolah rendah next year. How time flies.

Two of my nephews also went to Little Tots.

So sometimes during the year end concert, my parents will also come along sebab cucu diaorang ramai yang perform hahaha...(sampai teachers pun dah faham).

My husband, my sisters & I are all very, very happy and satisfied with the early education that Little Tots has provided for our children.

Armand putting on a controlled-smile face sebab dia taknak nampak gigi rongak dia.

By now, Little Tots has grown from a one-unit preschool to an establishment with a few branches.

Saujana Impian, Taming Impian, Bandar Tun Hussein Onn and Kajang Putra.

(I think Puncak Jalil & Seri Kembangan are coming soon....kalau tak salah)

Not only my kids & nephews go to Little Tots....but recently, my sister too! Bukan sebagai anak murid lah. Sebagai cikgu :)

She now handles the KAJANG PUTRA branch, suitable location for kids staying in Bangi or Kajang.

Here are some photos taken during their open day a few weeks back...

Mengaji (Al Baghdadi)

The play area

The science room

Parents inquiring about registration & fees....

The reading corner...

Nice & full of light...

One of the classrooms...

Play area again...

One of the classrooms, they will have Ednoland learning program too.

Registration is still open for 2014 intake! Where? Check out for their full details at their Facebook page HERE.

Meanwhile, Armand kata dia dah rindu kat Little Tots. He wants me to take him to "belakang Tesco" next year when he turns 7 years old. "Armand nak tengok apa jadi kat sekolah Armand." Sayu pulak dengar.

Nasib baik Mama & Izzo pun tak beli t-shirt concert..kalau tak mesti sedondon.

So It All Boils Down To How Many A's You Get...

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 16:35:00 +0000

...for UPSR.

(results were out Thursday last week but I am being consistent in lagging behind in posting up entries)

My eldest son's result: 3A 2B

Which I thought was very good for him. He has shown improvement from all his past years' exams & tests.

Not too shabby for a boy who has mild dyslexia & who has been going to Saturday classes at Persatuan Dyslexia since he was 8 (which was when we found out he had it).

*kecuali tahun ni lah dia tak pegi kelas-kelas tu...sebab sibuk dengan tiusyen & kelas tambahan kat sekolah*

Not too bad at all.

But of course not everybody thinks like this.

There are a few family members who thinks that he should have gotten 5A. I'm pretty sure my son studied as hard as he could, aimed for straight A's...siapa lah yang tak nak kan?

But my son was never a straight A student. I kinda was, waaaay back during sekolah rendah. And Hubby too. But Amsyar is a totally different individual. We prayed, we hoped, we reminded him to study & do his homework, sent him for tuition etc....

But if we don't get what we prayed so hard for...then it's just not meant to be.

I always believe that there's a reason for everything.

My son was a bit emotional when he first found out about his results. He really wanted to know how life in a boarding school feels like, jadi takde peluang lah kalau keputusan bukan 5A.
He then became more emotional after seeing how disappointed some family members were.

I would never forget my son's reaction to that. I know he felt like a failure.

I did talk to him after he calmed down. I just wanted him to know that I was happy with his results. Of course, because I was the one mostly with him, since he started primary school...at home, after-school ...taking note & reminding him about his tests & exams, homework, tutoring him a bit whenever I can...

So I do not appreciate comments from others, wondering if he went for extra classes or not...or why he was being emotional now after knowing his results and not before sitting for the exam.

Sheesh.

And with his condition, at least he got more A's than B's, right?

At least he has reached the peak of Mount Kinabalu and the peaks of a few other gunungs & bukits before he turned 12, right?

Eh, ke situ pulak. :P

Okay lah cukup dah meroyan. I'm okay with his results...but not okay with others who put too high expectations on him & made it obvious that they were disappointed with him.

I found some old pictures of my kids that I'd like to share here. These are important for me, to remind me how far they've come. Never mind if they're not adults yet & none of them are over 12 years old hahaha....!

Six year old Amsyar & 4 year old Izzo.
2007.

Amsyar & Izzo, Tasik Kenyir (I think).
2008

All four of them...cuti sekolah, Golden Palm Tree at Sepang Gold Coast.
2010

Izzo & Amsyar, at the Ugly Sister Peak, Mount Kinabalu.
2013

Izzo, chilling out (or dah tak larat sebab sejuk sangat kot) at South Peak, Mount Kinabalu.
2013

Whatever their academic results, I know & I saw their effort.

And I am proud of them.

I've Only Ran 3 Half Marathons....

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 09:35:00 +0000

First during BSN Putrajaya Night Marathon 2012.

Second time during Penang Bridge International Marathon 2012.

Third time during BSN Putrajaya Night Marathon 2013.

Which happened about 3 weeks ago.

I really need to adopt Lina's discipline & diligence in updating blog.

I've tried, but failed.

19th October 2013...it was rainy & windy (sama jugak macam tahun lepas). A week before the event, me, Nannoor & Bett went to a sports shop...and we also had a mission to look for skirts. Not running skirts but skirt pendek biasa yang agak-agak sesuai untuk pakai waktu berlari.

"You've never worn a girly skirt when running Millie...err are you sure you've thought this through??", asked my inner self.

But I saw how nice the girls of Krazirunners looked with skirts on, running full & half marathon during SCKLM2013...I pun terasa la nak try. Something like belum cuba belum tahu gitu. Hahahaha..! Oh well belasah je lah kan.

(while I was using the ladies room before the race, ada runner tegur skirt cantik. "Beli kat mana...?" :P)

At the starting pen with Niza, Fairy & Dr. Mimi.
Photo credit, Fairy.

It was a rather breezy night, and at times I could feel the rain during the run. Sikit je lah. It was kind of refreshing....ye lah semua orang saspen lari kat Putrajaya malam-malam sebab ianya sangat panas sebenarnya. Humid.

Did the first 5km in 34:11. I felt good.

Then did 10km in 1:07. That was my fastest timing for 10km actually. I've never ran 10km under 1:09 (during a 10km run, that is).

I still felt good, along the way I passed by a few of my friends....Nannoor & Kak KZ, Fairy & Niza, Bett Zul Hilmi, Gai...

Nike+ showed my fastest pace was 6'17", at KM14. Ran 14km in 1:34. Must be all the carbs I had a few days before...?

Putrajaya has a lot of ups & downs. My training ground was the route infront of PoJ, MoF...which was actually flat as a pancake but on some days I would try to go around PICC at a speed that I sometimes feel like I can trip over my own feet. Naik turun pusing PICC sampai kat traffic light Taman Empangan balik.
I am a bit phobic every time I approach PICC now. Hehe.
But this incline speed training helped. A lot.

Back to the race, did 15km in 1:40. The last time I ran this distance (race) was the Perodua Run, which I completed in 1:48.
So I still felt good.
But...my right calf began to show signs of cramping. And after a while, my left leg felt slightly wonky too.

Like last year, KM15 had a u-turn. I scanned the opposite lane, I was trying to find my friends. I wanted to see some familiar faces. I remembered last year, I was with Nannoor during this u-turn & I met Mira, too.
I was going faster than usual I guess, I couldn't talk much & my scanning-for-friends ability wasn't working well.

Walking breaks were minimal & limited. Stops at water stations were mostly touch & go, though ada jugak I took my own sweet time to makan energy gel...pisang...yada yada yada.

I felt the weather that night was on my side, it was cool & breezy at certain parts of the route. And I was comfortable in my attire, the new skirt. I felt a sense of empowerment running past all those men *especially* hahahahahaaaaaaaaa...

Oops. Sorry.

I think I had another cramp-threat during the final 2km but just slowed down a bit and said sikit je lagi & thought lepas finish line nak krem ke terbongkang ke ikut suka laa.
Oookaaayyyy.

Finally did it, with my personal best.
2hours 24minutes 46sec

L - R: Nannoor, Hanim, me, Betty. (photo credit Kam Kasturie)
Except for Betty MakYong, the rest of us all completed 21km with much better timing than our previous half marathon. Weeehuuu kepada mak-mak ini.
#itmustbetheskirt...haha...

Lepas rilek-rilek kejap, the moms in the above photo proceeded to KM35 of the full marathon route. We all nak tunggu Lina & Zaini :)

We had some food & drinks with us...jadi dengan secara tak sengaja, kami 'ter' bukak lah kedai runcit.
Read all about it at Nannoor's blog. There's a picture of me 'charming' the runners with my grapes heheh.
Okay that somehow doesn't sound right.

With Mr. Ironman Kam Kasturie...muka familiar yang mula2 kita nampak masa sampai kat KM35 tu.
(kedai runcit pun tak sempat set up lagi)
Photo credit, Nannoor.

With another friend, Isaac.
Muka staff kedai runcit segar bugar je kan. Still ada running high kot hehe...

With Aizat...ni semua back-to-back events, sama macam Isaac tadi..
(they ran Adidas KOTR the following morning!)

Kedai Runcit Ikhlas telah mula menarik perhatian cyclists...

...dan semakin ramai cyclists yang bertandang untuk berehat di kedai runcit kami. :P

Our initial plan to was to give support to Lina, Zaini & Malek (Betty's husband). But it felt really good to be able to offer support & whatever food & drinks we brought along to other runners as well. Best jugak rupanya.

Us with Lina & Zaini! The 'Hare & Tortoise'. Sporting sungguh husband & wife ni....costumes & all.

After Lina & Zaini continued their journey to the finish line, we quickly packed up whatever was left so we could wait for them at the finish line pulak.
We had to leave all the abang-abang cyclists. :P

It was a fun night. Well-organized event. In the company of fun loving good people.

#itmustbetheskirt

;)

The Weather Got To My Mood..

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 02:01:00 +0000

It's a nice breezy, redup kind of day. It rained earlier today & actually yesterday night was quite cool too. It's supposed to be a nice sejuk-sejuk kinda day. It is. But the gloominess just got to me since early morning.

I'm staring at my front lawn...weeds are appearing. Two flowering plants are not striving. Padahal hujan? Must be the weeds.

If I don't call Sayyad Pemotong Rumput slash monthly gardener on time, or if I don't have time to tend to the garden myself...this happens. Ugly looking garden it shall be.

If I forget to water the potted plants yang tak kena hujan...well you know what will happen.

If I don't sweep the floor & 'forget' to dust...habuk akan jadi makin tebal & kemungkinan besar nak lap pun tak lut dah.

Yes my dear, kind readers...this is one of those times when I feel that the entire universe is against me.

If I don't scrub the bathrooms...urgh.

If I don't do the laundry or forgot to ask the older boys to put dirty laundry in the washing machine...penuh gila lah laundry basket.

If I am too tired for my daily late-night-lipat-baju sessions....then baju nak lipat akan multiply dengan cepatnya bak gremlins terkena air.

If I don't masak...err I can tapau food? Hehe.

Tapi tak boleh la nak menapau je kan. What kind of a SAHM am I if I don't use the kitchen?

I do think I cook often. Just not every day lah. Pengsan kalau macam tu. Haha...*gelak paksa*

Maybe a nice kitchen like this would make me more bersemangat to be like Jamie or Nigella:

Image from Pinterest

Or maybe a nice big kitchen that could fit a table for my kids to makan-makan or do homework under the watchful hawk-eye of The Mama:

Image from Pinterest

Eh. I'm supposed to rant & rant in the blog entry. Letting off some steam, you know? Blergh.

If I don't make the effort to browse through the internet & make time to spruce up the home a bit...then the house will be absolutely spartan. Zen is not in my home-decor vocabulary.
Maybe this is just me finding an excuse to plonk myself infront of the macbook....and look at the nice photos in Pinterest.

If I overlook some of those monthly utility bills *yes there are times when I actually did*, akan bertambah lah jumlah yang perlu dibayar di bill bulan yang seterusnya.

(If I pay some of them on the date they are due....sometimes masuk jugak kat bil bulan seterusnya as 'due'...and that makes me just grrrrr)

If I don't remind the boys to clean up their study corner....I can probably cry at whatever state of disorganization they always manage to create. Yes, seriously.

If I don't remind the bigger boys to pray....they sometimes don't. Sigh.

If I don't run or workout...I feel F.A.T. #runnersprobs #masalahdoniawanita

No amount of repeats on the following video can help my malasness to workout at the moment:

Yes, maybe I should close one eye, take a chill pill *as the youngsters say*....and just put my feet up, browse the internet for images of Henry Cavill, drink lots of coffee, watch TV episodes on the internet, chat with friends (err whatsapp groups?)...etc.

If I do that....then the house will be in a much, much bigger mess and my OCDness will hit the roof!

BUT..if I do have the luxury to put my feet up & be alone, it would be really really nice if I could do it here:

Image from Pinterest

My imaginary-dream-outdoor-room will have a sign on the door that says "No Kids Allowed".

I am Cruella de Mama.

Aaaaaannndd it's time for me to snap out of it.

Back to reality.

Back to the dishes piled up in the kitchen sink hasil dari makan sarapan pagi.

Back to all the things I ranted about...back to pulling myself together & remind myself that at this very moment, there are people out there who are getting it much much worse. And I should be grateful.

What Happened to the "Only 4 Races in 2013"...

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 03:49:00 +0000

Yes, Millie. What happened to that? I didn't do a whole lot of gift baskets this year...so I try to fill the loop-hole with running more izzit?

The races that I planned to do in 2013:

1) Malaysia Women Marathon, 42km

2) Bidor Half Marathon, 21km

3) Borneo International Marathon, 21km

4) The River Jungle Marathon, 42km

The races that I did not do in 2013:

1) Bidor Half Marathon, 21km - not even a month after the MWM and I had recurring injuries. Did not start. Did not go.

2) Borneo International Marathon, 21km - it somehow coincided with the General Election, things got messy (kesian organizer), I decided to postpone my registration to next year instead....then me & ex-schoolmates moved our schedules & changed our tickets so we went jalan-jalan to Kota Kinabalu instead :)

The races I actually went for in 2013:

1) Malaysia Women Marathon, 42km - my very first full marathon, an important ordeal, done!

2) Mizuno Wave Run, 16km - because I used to love my most expensive running shoe, and it's by Mizuno. Eh?

3) Perodua Run for A Cause, 15km - because my injury was almost gone and I was loving running again. Like finally the love for running was more than the hate. #Millie'sLoveHateRelationshipWithRunning

4) Viper Challenge, 20km with 20 obstacles - because I always wanted to try all these obstacles (though I've never ever joined bootcamp)..and because I had friends who racun me to join a race that is only one week after Hari Raya :P

Viper Challenge video compiled by Bett Zul Hilmi.....*awesome!!*

(and I felt awesome too....sebab berjaya complete the monkey bar obstacle...which was during 1pm and gave me bad blisters on my palm...)

The ladies, before the challenge started. We did this in a team...guys pun ada....all super supportive!

The only obstacle that I didn't even try...I gave up & rela jatuh masuk air lumpur teh-tarik. Balancing is something I fail at.

Oh besides all these obstacles.....the other main obstacle was the HEAT! I didn't have sunblock on sebab pagi tu mendung & hujan. But hey the sun came up just before we were flagged off. I had to deal with sunburn...for a good few days....

Memang lega masa nampak ni...because this was the second last obstacle.

Great teamwork! We waited for each & every one & crossed the finish line together.

5) The River Jungle Marathon, 42km - my second full marathon...I was slower than my first one but I loved, loved the route. Scenic sungguh.

6) Reebok One Challenge, 18.95km with 9 obstacles (or was it 7....?)

- because I realized that I like obstacle races...and I had friends who racun me to register yet another one

- this was harder compared to the Viper Challenge. It was a race (Viper takde time limit), and we had to run 9km first before we start the obstacles.

- one of the obstacles was incline running at Taman Cabaran Putrajaya. I literally had to look up at all the fast runners who were doing those inclines..."oh my are we going UP THERE?".

- and I couldn't do the monkey bars! Apakah. I blame it on the bars. It was bigger than the usual ones. Serious. And it was slippery! #betultaktipu

Me & the Viper girls who also did the Reebok One Challenge...*lepas ni kita panjat wall mana pulak ye girls?*

Okay dah no more races.

The Stay-Away-From-Smartphone Challenge. ..?

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 02:18:00 +0000

About a month ago, my 6 year old Armand had homework. Below is a portion of his homework:

Which generally translates to "mak bapak kantoi".

And last night, as I was looking at my phone yet again (I don't remember..maybe I was looking at Instagram notifications? I do try to multitask..eh), the following transpired:

Hubby: "I have a challenge for you...24 hours without looking at your phone."

Me:"Haah? Err I don't think I'm able to take up that challenge lah."

Hubby: "Aiikk...Viper Challenge & Reebok One Challenge boleh buat....takkan The Samsung Challenge tak boleh...?" *with a slight smirk*

Me: *oh darn kena sebijik*

I think the reward was RM10 for every hour without the phone? Or was it RM100 for every hour...(okay over sangat pulak I don't think so lah kan).

It's actually just a phone. Why is it so life-line-like nowadays?

I was offered monetary reward and at the moment I'm still not considering it? I must be slightly mad. It's only for 24 hours. I don't think I would have problems staying away from Facebook & Twitter (my accounts are kind of sunyi nowadays pun), Instagram, Whatsapp chats & chat groups....

Kalau terdesak sangat nak cakap dalam phone, I still have one fixed line in my home & another phone line in my home office. Right?

This morning I came across a blog entry by one one of the blogs I sometimes go to in search for natural products for personal & home use. The post was about 3 Days of Silence. Electronic silence. No TV, no electronic gadgets....and apparently there were 3 categories of 'silence', in which one of them is NO TALKING! Wow. *boleh pengsan*

Like anything else, it just needs us to start then pejam celik pejam celik the 24 hours (or 3 days) are up. And most probably we won't be missing that much anyway.

Then why am I still hesitant to take up this challenge...?

"Hello. My name is Millie & I'm addicted to my S3."

I Liked the Name "The River Jungle Marathon"....

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 18:02:00 +0000

...so I registered, a few months back, to run in it.

By now I guess many friends & readers know my liking for the outdoors (kalau indoors tapi in the comfort of my own home, takpe, I like...) so the name "The River Jungle Marathon" (RJM) was pretty enticing. I've heard of it since last year, and I knew it was still a road race...not wading through any rivers or entering any jungles for that matter.

As stated in the Runner's Guidebook:
"The trees, the mist, the hill and the dam is what this run is all about. Run along the villages of Hulu Langat to witness these amazing sights yourself!" - Yes! That's what I'm talking about. I have had quite enough of building & cars by now.

"Technically, this isn't a race - because there is NO TIME LIMIT." You are free to beat your personal best. Or, if preferred, you can take your own sweet time." - Could this get any better...? :)

So a day before we had a nice & filling makan-makan Raya at my cousin's house in Ampang. Setelah perut kenyang tapi hati tak berapa nak senang mengenangkan RJM keesokan harinya, I asked Hubby if we could recce the route. Nak cari surau untuk solat subuh esoknya jugak. Found one at KM8.4.

Hubby was familiar with this Hulu Langat area. Though he is not a roadie, he knows that Genting Perez is popular among cyclists.

What I noticed during the route recce was...up, up, down, up....ohh.
Nothing that wasn't mentioned in the Guide Book, though. Okaay.

Before Proceeding to the Starting Line

Cheerful bunch of runners on a Sunday morning, waiting for the 5am flag off.
I was still emotionless. I did not have the why-the-heck-am-I-doing-this feeling.

KM0 to KM10
The only fresh-face photo of me during the entire race. About 100m after the starting line.... :P

Nasib baik lah Turie runs with a camera. Every time I spotted him, I made sure he snapped at least one picture of me hahaa. Thanks, Turie.

It was a slow & steady pace for the first few kilometers. Normal 3km warm-up for me then I found myself itching to go faster. But had to I tell myself that this is a 42km marathon...and not an 8km tempo run on the treadmill!

Photo credit V YenCheng Ang

Flat, dark route. Very cool. Serene. Pleasant. I was liking it very very much!

Solat subuh break at KM8++...and continued to 'look for' the T-junction where we would be turning left and go up, up and away...

KM11 to KM20
The sun was up but not shining brightly. Alhamdulillah. I didn't bring that small sunblock I had (banyak benda tak bawak...kalau ikutkan hati nak bawak barang I probably would end up carrying a small backpack urghh) so couldn't reapply any. So I was kind of hoping it wouldn't be a sunny day.

The nearly 5km climb here was not too cruel....but challenging, yes of course, and it was a still a test to my calves & hamstrings & whatever else there was down there. Maintained small steps because I have never ever ran uphill that far & that long. Ada la berjalan of course but I was pretty sure I ran more than walk up those inclines (either that or I suffered from temporary memory loss).

Me love water stations very much.

Bumped into Khairi & Suzie (who ran with her husband, Arman). Khairi is rather new in the running scene...but he sure is fast and I think in one year he has double the number of medals compared to mine during my 4 years of running :P

I felt okay, right leg didn't show any signs of manja-ness, and I was still in high spirits.

Maybe because we were only halfway through....

KM21 to KM30
So this is where the real deal is.

This year's RJM has 2 u-turns. So again, saw the fast & elite runners running back while we were still far far away from the u-turn.
At this stretch, those runners who passed by me kept saying, "ada durian ada durian!". I like durians but I am not such a big fan. Tembikai takde ke..? Heh.
Durians were finished by the time we got at the water station / fruit stall. Oh were we that slow? :(
Tapi ada manggis! I ate 4...err maybe 5.

There were also some other fruits..was it buah rambai? Langsat? Not duku, sebab tak la besar macam tu.
*temporary memory loss due to running high*

There was another water station opposite the fruit stall...for us after we reach the u-turn and head back here. It had AIR KELAPA MUDA. Now THIS I like! Bila lagi nak merasa lari marathon yang ada air kelapa muda kat water station?
So off I went in search for the u-turn...so that I could turn back to minum air kelapa muda.
*I really do love water stations*

At the u-turn around KM25.
After a few cups of Gatorade, and half a banana...Suzie & I were ready to do the Flashdance.

We were not spared of ups & downs here either. Yes, I can now vouch that RJM is well known for their hills.
Note to self: Choose a flatter route for next marathon. Please.

After the u-turn, I walked a lot when going uphill. I wasn't feeling that exhausted, though. My legs were still okay...kot. I did try running uphill, tapi tak sangat lah.

So what's with the walking?

Mental injury was starting to kick in. Get ready for it, Millie. It's going to get worse.

KM31 to KM42
Oh hello, sunshine!
I have not fully recovered from the 'tan' I got from the Viper Challenge yet and and at this point I was pretty sure RJM would give me another layer of sun tan.

This final stretch was what I was looking forward to...we knew it would be a rather flat route so it should be easier, right? Not so. I was already starting to feel urgh-why-did-I-sign-up-for-this. I felt that quite a number of times.

Most repeated sentence in my mind: "Screw the 6 hour target."

It was already hot and I felt a cramping coming up on my left thigh. Both of my feet were starting to hurt around the major ankle bone (talus). I wanted to walk, ONLY.

But of course tak boleh jalan je kan nanti pukul berapa pulak nak habis.

Tapi memang malas nak lari.

Nasib baik takde blisters, I can't imagine how I would feel then. Mungkin tahan je safety car VW GTi & tumpang balik sampai Pekan Batu 18. I have been pretty fortunate so far, setakat ni berlari in trainings or races memang takde blisters sangat.

Anywayyyyyy.....
I did finish it, finally! Timing was around 6 hours 40 minutes. True to what was written in the Runner's Guide Book, I truly took my time to enjoy the scenery, the company, and the whole RJM ambience. Hehe..! *alasan*

Aizat always notices how sunburnt I look...oh tidaak.
Of course all pain sort of went away after crossing the finish line. (I hope I'm not the only one who feels this..every time?)

With the speedy Rashid, the always-friendly Aizat, and the beautiful & fast Karen Loh.

Post run...my body didn't feel as achy as my first marathon last April. I could get out of the car easily upon reaching home (yeap masa balik dari MWM2013 dulu tu, nak keluar kereta pun satu cabaran...no kidding!). Leg muscles felt slightly sore...but it was not too different from the normal feeling after I finish long training runs.

Why? Maybe because I did not push myself hard enough. Or did not push myself at all..?

Sigh.

BUT the good thing was, I felt almost normal the next day. Naik turun tangga macam biasa and not like a struggling crab making it's way around the house :P

On Tuesday I was already wearing my high-heeled wedges.

My second marathon.
Just Did It.

But I truly did enjoy RJM. The cool & misty early morning air, the trees, the awesome view, the quiet almost-no-vehicles road, the friendly runners....everything blended together to make this something that I would most probably do again, next year.

So, when is my next full marathon?
We'll see.... ;)
*but not this year lah...pengsan*

#Syawal2013

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 16:10:00 +0000

#Syawal2013.

My hashtag on instagram. But I didn't even post a lot of Raya photos there :P

This blog has been dusty, yes I know. Instagram is to be blamed. Dulu, the blame was on Facebook & Twitter. Hahaaa...not funny.

Kesian blog kan...padahal dia ni yang paling lama bersama-sama ku.

Tu lah Millie, bila dah jumpa yang baru, yang lama ditinggal-tinggalkan. Bila dah boring dengan yang baru, terhegeh-hegeh pula mencari yang lama.

(tiada maksud tersirat di sini :P)

I know it's a tad too late...but to everyone I know out there, saya sekeluarga ingin mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri & maaf zahir batin jika ada terkasar bahasa atau tertulis apa-apa yang tak sesuai ditulis atau dibaca di sini.

I lost around 4kg during Ramadhan. I wasn't trying to lose weight...I think I've been starting to lose weight, slowly but surely, since more than a year ago. I needed to be a bit lighter if I wanted to continue running. Really. Betul. Hehe.

But I didn't go all strict on myself to lose more weight during Ramadhan. I am not a crash-diet kind of person. I've seen many people go on crash diets...but when they reach their so-called ideal weight, they start to let go and that's when all the weight came piling back on. Sometimes more.

Anyway I think after all the delicious Raya food (and me being quite the foodie, actually), I have gained back some of the weight that I lost. I don't know how much sebab secara tiba-tiba weighing scale kat rumah ni rosak pulak. Macam tahu tahu je taknak bagi tuan rumah stress.

Actually, I don't really care about the number displayed on the weighing scale. However I DO care about the muscle, fat & water content in my body. If I have more muscle, berat tak lah kurang tapi my clothes fit better...itu lagi bagus dari berat turun tapi badan flabby. Skinny fat...I do not like. Heh.

Okay let's not talk about boring stuff like muscle percentage, visceral fat etc etc etc & let's take a look at some of our Raya photos ya :)

Our mismatched balang kuih raya. The theme is Reduce Reuse Recycle...and Upcycle. :P

While the boys went for solat hari raya...I went downstairs for a while & noticed waah pokok yang Izzo tanam ni lebih mekar dari the same one that I planted in a different pot. Hmm. How can that be.

Perempuan Melayu Terakhir ber-selfie sesudah siap berpakaian lengkap di pagi Raya.
*warning - this photo has been heavily filtered...this woman in her 40s is not as flawless in real life*

At this point, Izzo was saying to himself, "ermm macamana nak menangis ni..."
*the boys started crying during salam minta maaf since 3 years ago*

She doesn't even know what's going on, but of course she wants to join in the fun :P

Zuleyka dengan penuh konsentrasi melihat abangnya, Izzo, memohon maaf sambil menitiskan air mata.. I think she is trying to imitate him next year.

Armand pun lebih kurang tak tahu nak guna script apa. It's a short maaf zahir batin from him. Jadi lah, the effort is there :)

Izzo, the one who has the most tears. What he said got me to cry, too. Always.

Me, after a teary minta maaf session with Amsyar, Izzo & Armand. Then this lil girl suddenly came & babbled something that I couldn't understand. Dia ikut abang-abang dia :)

After everybody wiped their tears away....

At my Nenek's house in Kg Sg Machang, Lenggeng. Armand mengetuai segerombolan kanak-kanak menghambat ayam. This pic was snapped by my cousin. I didn't even know what he was up to. Selagi dia tak kacau Mama, okay la tu. Haha..

This was supposed to be a pic of us cousins with our Nenek...tapi pakcik makcik cicit semuo tak tahan tengok kegembiraan kitaorang & decided to join in...
*pic courtesy of my cousin*

Second day of Raya at my Mak Uda's house in KL. My nephew Razzan, Armand & Zuleyka. Apa ni ber-gadget waktu Hari Raya. *tak sesuai*

Fourth day of Raya at Hubby's auntie's house. In Terengganu. Of course si Armand tak boleh duduk diam & main tanah...of course Zuleyka duduk diam kalau jumpa keropok.

Hubby's Mok Su & Ayoh Su...duduk berborak kat beranda sambil angin pantai bertiup manja...best. I've always loved the beach. The sea side. Maybe it's because I was born in a hospital by the sea....*dramatic*

Sixth day of Raya...balik rumah!
Travelling with kids to Terengganu & back always, always has it's dugaan kesabaran...

Tenth day of Raya....I am all tanned (sunburned la actually) because I skipped the sunblock (dah pagi tu hujan & redup!) for the Viper Challenge. Five hours under the hot hot sun, ran & walked 20km on tarmac & trail & did nearly 20 obstacles....mana tak terbakar kan. Waiting for photos from my friends before doing up an entry on this :)
*lesson learnt - kalau hujan sekali pun, apply sunblock*

I'm sure this weekend everyone will be busy attending open houses....and I'm kinda glad that our weighing scale rosak. :P

Ran in the Haze...under the Men's Open Category. ?

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 01:22:00 +0000

Bett was kind enough to pick up my Perodua Race For A Cause racekit. Maybe the volunteer crew on duty was having a busy day atau salah pandang registration details...and issued me a bib under Men's Open category instead. Takpe lah.

And I did not run (or cross-trained or performed any sort of exercise) for a week prior to this run. Sebab kaki sakit especially lepas LSD dengan Le Sabuns seminggu sebelum tu. It was an okay-belasah-je-lah run.

Perodua Race For A Cause was a 15km run, my Nike+ SportWatch GPS recorded 14.96km. As I looked at my splits....

....I realized that it's similar to the Mizuno Wave Run 2 weeks back. Second half, pace merudum. Sebab walking breaks lah ni. Me & my walking breaks.

Target 5km in 35mins, did it in 33mins18sec, okay, suka.
Target 10km in 1hr10mins, did it in 1hr9mins55sec...kiranya on time lah.

I probably have to re-strategize my pace. Current strategy is "takpe lah kalau terasa nak laju sikit first half ni..second half boleh jalan sikit!"

A not-so-good strategy.

Lari Mizuno Wave Run kat Putrajaya jugak...route je lah terbalik sikit.

Right after flag-off.
Saya bukan menjeling / curi2 pandang jejaka berbaju biru. Actually I did not notice him...much to my surprise. Oops.
Photo credit Zaini & Lina.

Just before KM7, I felt slightly lightheaded. "Was it the new supplement I took this morning? Alahai go away lah, not now lah...already halfway through mana boleh give up...EHH photographer!"
And as I slowed my pace a bit, the lightheaded-ness went away.

Around KM7.5 Water stations were on the dot at every 2.5km...I didn't use much of my handheld water bottle. Tapi macam saspen kalau tak bawak, especially after the no-water episode at one of the WS during Mizuno Run.
Photo credit Calvin Toh.

Official time, 1:48:17. Tersasar sikit dari target 1:45. Dah tu, walking breaks lama sangat.

For a registration fee of RM30, it was a good event, good-enough goodie bags & as usual I see familiar faces and had a good time lepak a bit with friends. Though the haze got worse, I somehow felt okay lah pulak. How come lah.

With Nita (bertudung kelabu) who ranked 5th in the Women Open Category!!

With Has, Lina, Raimie (Lina's son), Bett & Malek (Bett's husband). A few Krazirunners missing here...ada yang pergi Vietnam bercuti, Tioman ber-diving...etc.

With Ultra-Ray & Eena who clinched 4th place in Women Open Category.
*duduk dekat2 diaorang yang laju ni dengan harapan boleh ambik berkat*

I came home with a slight limp. Biasalah kaki kanan ni lately kan.
Hubby just came back from breakfast with the kids & saw me with that walk...and looked at me dengan muka agak berkerut sambil tunjuk kaki I with an expression "what happened..?". Okay, not good.

I told him that I met a former uni-mate at the Perodua Run, and she offered me her friend's 21km bib for SCKLM on 30th June.

Of course looked at me with disagreement written all over his face. "Dah lah lari pagi tu dalam jerebu, balik kaki berdengkot sikit, pastu ada hati nak lari a half marathon in one week's time...?" was what probably went through his head.

But I got his message, without him even saying anything. Macam mind reader gitu. I myself was 50-50. Takkan nak rest seminggu lagi kot & lari je 21km hari Ahad depan? Another not-so-good strategy, it seems.

Then last night SCKLM organizors announced that due to the haze, the most popular marathon in Malaysia will be postponed! Mixed feelings, though (macam lah dah confirm sangat nak lari 21km?) but overall it was a good move. Tapi kalau diteruskan jugak, I'm sure runners will decide for themselves, nak lari ke tak nak.

Anyway, the new date for SCKLM is 29th September 2013. And if some things go on as planned, I will be running with another friend's bib.

Cuma tak sure lagi macamana, sebab saya telahpun register untuk lari half marathon Larian Jambatan Sultan Mahmud, Terengganu, on 28th September 2013.............#runnersprobs

Fifty Shades of.....

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:25:00 +0000

Okay. I just finished reading all 3 books of Fifty Shades...Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker & Fifty Shades Freed.

All done last week, in between resting my right leg while worrying about the Perodua Race (last Sunday) & not-so-much of cooking & slightly neglected (though not starved) kids...I finished those 3 books.

And yes I had Matt Bomer & Alexis Bledel in mind, as the main characters Christian Grey & Anastasia Steele. Sebab sangat sesuai gitu.

Very sesuai, right...??

I'm sure everyone is like me, can't enjoy the story properly if we don't put a face (or faces) to it. And once I get a good read, it's hard for me to put it down. And it had 3 books! My husband was fortunate that he didn't come home to starving kids, unkempt wife or a home that looked like a tornado just went through it.

At first I thought the movie for Fifty Shades dah nak buat dah...ye lah kawan2 rasanya semua dah habis lama dah baca buku ni, I je yang tertinggal keretapi. Rupanya casting pun belum.

Well, you guys know who I like as Mr. Grey ;)

Okaythanksbye.

*photos & poster are from Google Image*

"Encouragement For Tired Moms"

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 06:31:00 +0000

Today, Aina posted this link on my Facebook. She was reminded of me when she came across this.

Oh yes it is very me indeed. Hahahaa

"For the days that we are running on empty."

"For the days that we think everyone else has it altogether." *except us, of course*

The tired mother’s creed

1. I shall not judge my house, my kid’s summer activities or my crafting skills by Pinterest’s standards.

2. I shall not measure what I’ve accomplished today by the loads of unfolded laundry but by the assurance of deep love I’ve tickled into my kids.

3. I shall say “yes” to blanket forts and see past the chaos to the memories we’re building.

4. I shall surprise my kids with trips to get ice cream when they’re already in their pajamas.

5. I shall not compare myself to other mothers, but find my identity in the God who trusted me with these kids in the first place.

6. I shall remember that a messy house at peace is better than an immaculate house tied up in knots.

7. I shall play music loudly and teach my kids the joy of wildly uncoordinated dance.

8. I shall remind myself that perfect is simply a street sign at the intersection of impossible and frustration in Never Never Land.

9. I shall embrace the fact that in becoming a mom I traded perfect for a house full of real.

10. I shall promise to love this body that bore these three children – out loud, especially in front of my daughter.

11. I shall give my other mother friends the gift of guilt-free friendship.

12. I shall do my best to admit to my people my “unfine” moments.

13. I shall say “sorry” when sorry is necessary.

14. I pray God I shall never be too proud, angry or stubborn to ask for my children’s forgiveness.

15. I shall make space in my grown up world for goofball moments with my kids.

16. I shall love their father and make sure they know I love him.

17. I shall model kind words – to kids and grown-ups alike.

18. I shall not be intimidated by the inside of my minivan – this season of chip bags, goldfish crackers and discarded socks too shall pass.

19. I shall always make time to encourage new moms.

20. I shall not resent that last call for kisses and cups of water but remember instead that when I blink they’ll all be in college.

Thanks, Aina...it did help to make me feel a bit lighter...I still have baskets of laundry to fold but yeah that can wait for a little while. After all I did sweep the floors, mopped, did laundry, cleaned kitchen, bathed Kaka (and asked the other kids to bathe themselves), got them food....

And now I hope they don't kacau me because I just finished 50 Shades of Grey & now I'm into 50 Shades Darker ;)

Diary of A Wimpy RunningMom

noreply@blogger.com (Amilita Zaini) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:03:00 +0000

Me & my love-hate relationship with running.
I do like running, but I don't think I can bring myself to say that I "absolutely looooove running".

The usual suspects, after completing the 16km Mizuno Wave Run 9.6.2013. from left....me, Nannoor, Hanim & Aina.

The friend who took the picture asked us to beratur mengikut ketinggian. Hehe. No lah.

After MWM in early April, I took a few weeks off from running. I started to have this nagging pain on my right leg about 2 days after the marathon, which was the day I did my 3km recovery run+walk. I couldn't point out the exact spot of the pain at first, but it wasn't the strained calf that I got during training.

I knew it wasn't muscle soreness or fatigue because while the rest of my lower body was slowly recovering, that pain stayed.

Because Borneo International Marathon (I registered for 21km) changed their date because GE fell on the same day, and because I gave Bidor Half Marathon a miss because of that stubborn nagging pain...I had an extended rest from running. But I did go to the dancefit classes, did cross training & also continued with weights & resistance training. The Boys had their mid year exams so elok la kot mak diaorang ni rest kejap, boleh jadi cikgu bedah buat revision dengan they all. Stress tau jadi cikgu bedah :(

In between that I went to Kota Kinabalu with my schoolmates (they wanted to tag along for BIM but we all changed our tickets to the following weekend, after GE), I hiked up Bukit Tabur with Hubby & the boys (I'm the newbie, Hubby & the boys are regular hikers), registered for Mizuno Wave Run 16km, and went on a one night camping trip hiking up to the peak of Gunung Ledang.

Bila entah nak blog tentang KK trip, Bukit Tabur, Gunung Ledang.....
*bagi gambar sikit dulu lah*

At Jesselton Point, Kota Kinabalu, after nasi padang lunch...no island hopping this time because weather was on the rainy side.

At the peak of Tabur East. My sons have been up here once before & Tabur West once, too. I am the hiking newbie in the family.

On our way to the peak of Gunung Ledang, Melaka. I think this is parts of Batu Hampar...after KFC (Killer For Climbers, not the restoran ayam goreng). The route was quite tough y'all.

The other hiking photos are in my instagram :)

(Resting + no running + do other things besides running) x a few weeks = pain went away.

Yayy!

I started doing short runs about 3 to 5km...and they were all pain-free. Alhamdulillah.
And no pain after completing Mizuno Run! Clocked in 1hr 58mins for 16km, which was good enough for me. Considering I had toooo much rest & so-so last minute training.

I felt good. I registered for the 15km Perodua Run after that. I felt like I was on the roll.

Oh. Baru beberapa km jadi masih ceria.
Photo credit Zaini & Lina

Ah hah! Walking *again*...and this is at the final 400m. I have this thing with walking just before the finish line.
Photo credit AShe Ek / Vivien Tay.

Happy face because it was a few meters before the finish line :)
Photo credit ET Tey

Apart from the finished water at water station KM9 (nasib baik bawak handheld bottle, walau tinggal sikit air tapi boleh lah menyedapkan hati & melegakan tekak) & the slightly chaotic line during the collection of our 'self-assembled' goodie bags, everything else about the Mizuno Run was okay lah.

Nasib baik dapat jumpa dengan running friends, which was the highlight of the event haha.

Oops I'm sorry for my watermark down there...this photo was actually by Zaini & Lina so credit goes to them :)

Two days after Mizuno Run, I did an 8.3km tempo run. The pain came back. Sigh.
Was it because I pushed myself through the up-down Neighbourhood Loop?

Gagahkan diri jugak join LSD session by Le Sabuns Ultra last weekend, Saturday night. I could only bring myself to run 13km. I thought I 'covered up' the injury well...until Lina ran next to me and asked if I was in pain, sebab nampak macam sakit. Oh no.

I was back to limping the next day.

It was that same part below my right calf, most likely the achilles tendon area.

To those who never had any injury, you are one lucky lot.

I wanted to do a short run last night, but the 'time of the month' this time is extra exhausting & painful, so I threw in the towel...and joined the family for dinner instead. (selalunya I get their dinner ready then I go run while they're eating).

So I woke up earlier today, at 5am, dragged myself to get ready for a run (ke powerwalk pun jadi lah?) so I could be done just before the kids needed to get ready for school..but I was too darn tired from my after-midnight lipat baju session. Tak habis pun lipat baju tu, terlelap, penat!

My goodness. I have SO many excuses!

And it didn't help that Hubby told me last night that it's okay if I didn't run, told me not to run this morning either. "Don't be a slave to this.", he said. I know he's trying to make me feel less guilty about slacking on training. But it's also the first time he said this since I started running...which makes me wonder about a few other things. Have I been slacking off in wifey & mommy duties as well...?

I hope not. Hmm.

Or probably he wants me to do go hiking more often...he did say that I'm probably better off hiking than running. That was right after he saw me run while still having that nagging pain. He said I was kind of limping. Okaay probably not a nice sight.

Yes this is a whiny blog entry.
Of a wimpy running mom.

I just want to stay at home, not go out, lipat kain tengok TV & tidur.
But I probably still have to go out because I had difficulty registering my address at Tesco's e-shop (kenapa jalan area rumah saya tak jumpa padahal jalan2 lain kat Saujana Impian ni ada pulak? haihh).

Oh nasib baik ada kopi kat rumah, if not then I would go extra crazy. Or extra depressed. Mandom. Merudum.

Okay back to the story about the wimpy runningmom.

Whenever I feel like a wuss, injured sikit tapi alasan banyak...or whenever I feel out of breath or like giving up during a race or training run, I think of a few people. These people also started with nothing some time back, also had their down-days, their injuries both physical & mood, also had not so good timing during races...but they didn't give up & they're still running. Some of them also cycle & swim & climb! :)

I need to improve myself in setting priorities. I always forget to go back to basics. What is my main role now, actually? Sendiri yang tentukan.

When I was busy with gift baskets, I always say that I'm "a wife & mother first, a businesswoman second".
Tugas pertama tu tetap sama...jadi yang lain-lain tu, kedua.
So tak mau stressed out sangat2 kalau sakit la tak sempat la tak larat la dan macam-macam lagi.

Yang penting, kena berusaha. Can't be resting on my laurels and expect to have a smooth run in the next race.
Wait a minute, what laurels? Mengarut dah Millie ni.

Okay I need to continue lipat baju 2 bakul penuh. *cringe*

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