1,119 Days of Forward Motion: Why I Haven’t Missed a Run Since Jan 1, 2023

It’s been over 1,200 days since I last hit “publish.” Since my last post in August 2022, the world has felt like it’s in a state of constant, dizzying flux. Digital spaces have grown quiet, and even the air seems to feel different. For a long time, I didn’t know how to bridge the gap between who I was then and who I am now.

But while this blog sat still, my feet did the opposite. On January 1, 2023, I made a quiet, personal pact: Just show up. Rain or shine, I would run at least one mile every single day. Today marks Day 1,119 of that unbroken promise.

“Everybody’s Changing, and I Don’t Feel the Same”

Lately, I’ve had Keane’s “Everybody’s Changing” playing on a loop during my morning miles. There’s a particular weight to the lyrics when you’re deep into a streak: “Trying to make a move just to stay in the game… I try to stay awake and remember my name.”

In the years since I was last active here, I’ve watched the world shift. People reinvent themselves or fade away. Sometimes, I felt like the only one trying to hold onto a single thread of consistency. Running every day became my way of “remembering my name.” It wasn’t just a workout; it was an anchor.

The Data of Discipline

If you follow me on Garmin Connect, you’ve seen the “green sea” of my calendar. Since the Run Streak badge was introduced in October 2023, I have earned it 28 times. That is the maximum possible for anyone on the platform—proof that I haven’t blinked once. I’ve reached Level 6 with 662 points, but the numbers are just the surface. Underneath is a set of principles I’ve lived by:

1. Life isn’t measured in minutes, but in moments. 2. What we do in life echoes in eternity. 3. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.

A Full Circle Moment: Day 780

These principles came to life on February 18, 2025. I was on Day 780 of my streak when I stood in the National Hockey Stadium in KL to see Green Day. I’ve been a fan since my boarding school days, and hearing them live was a moment I’ll cherish for a lifetime.

When the acoustic chords of “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” began, it felt like a tribute to those first 780 days. Every mile run in the dark, every early morning—it all built toward that one perfect moment. It reminded me that even if “everybody’s changing,” the choices we make today—what we do—really does echo long after the song ends.

From the Deep Blue to the Maxwell Trail

This journey has taken me beyond the pavement and into the open water, swimming through the currents of Langkawi, Tioman, Perhentian, and Kota Kinabalu. There is a peace in the ocean that teaches you to trust the flow—to believe that if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.

But the biggest test of that belief is my return to the Malaysia Ultra-Trail by UTMB in Taiping. My first attempt in 2024 was cut short by a red flag and a torrential downpour. At the time, I had to accept that it “wasn’t meant to be” that day. But “meant to be” doesn’t mean giving up; it means waiting for the right moment to strike again. I’m going back to Taiping this year to finish what I started. I have more grit in my soul and 339 more days of running in my legs since that Green Day concert.

The Choice to Stay

People ask why I bother with a “minimum one mile” rule. It’s because that one mile is where I find my moments. It’s where I create the echoes that I want to leave behind.

1,119 days down. Day 1,120 starts tomorrow. The world will keep changing, but I’ll keep running. It’s something unpredictable, but in the end, it’s right.

Is there a moment in your life that you’ll cherish forever? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below.

The post 1,119 Days of Forward Motion: Why I Haven’t Missed a Run Since Jan 1, 2023 first appeared on pilotHans Logbook.

Malaysia has so much potential and should already have been a developed country by 2020. What went wrong? Is it still on the path to a developed nation with high income GDP? Some say that Malaysia’s economy is on not on track because of it’s rampart corruption. How far is this true? As the economy for the year 2022 is projected to expand 5.5 percent which sounds reasonable considering the inflation in 2022. With a GDP of 315Billion , Malaysia is ranked # 37 from 190 countries 

Economies that are afflicted by a high level of Corruption are not capable of prospering as fully as those with low level of corruption. Emerging market economies like Malaysia tend to have much higher corruption levels compared to developed countries. The hurdle to jump from a 3rd world country to a develo #ped country can’t be gained unless some politicians remain in power. The people need to realize that a country can’t progress with the current policy makers that have no will power to change the corruption perception or even best practices with shady deals and miss use of power. Constant reveal of missuse of power over and over again has put Malaysia on the map of the world for the wrong reasons. As a result, corruption in a nation’s political and economic operations causes its entire society to suffer.

Effects of corruption that can be seen in the short and long term are as follows :

1) Undermining the Sustainable Development Goals.

The nations fail to eradicate poverty, address hunger, secure good health care and high quality education for their citizens, guarantee gender equality and other human rights, reduce inequality, and so on. Vast sums that are lost to corruption could have been used to improve living standards by increasing access to public housing, health, education, rural acess roads, bridges, footpath instead of car centric roads, bike paths, cheap internet access etc.

2) Economic loss and inefficiency.

Inefficiently Allocated Resources.In a corrupt economy, resources are inefficiently allocated and companies that otherwise would not be qualified to win government contracts are often awarded projects as a result of bribery or kickbacks. Terms like networking/ cable are common in this so called muslim country. Some have no shame at all as long as their protect their personal interest.

3) Poverty and inequality.

Imagine 100 people with total wealth of 100 Million.95 people share is RM1 Million which is a total of RM10,526.31 each

5 people share is RM99 Million which means each one has around RM19,800,000. (million)

yet the average will be counted as 100 Million devide by 100 people = 1Million each.

This is inequality and gap between the rich and poor.Unequal opportunity in which advantages arise only for those within a corrupt network. It’s always who knows who. Policitians in this country become multi mullionaires as soon in an instant yet nearly no accountability

4) Rigged economic and political systems.

5) Rising illiberal populism.

Corruption increases inequality, decreases popular accountability and political responsiveness, and thus produces rising frustration and hardship among citizens, who are then more likely to accept (or even demand) hard-handed and illiberal tactics. Those tactics shift the blame for economic insecurity and political decline onto immigrants or other minority groups.

6) Impunity and partial justice

They will be a time when the people can no longer count on prosecutors and judges to do their jobs. The powerful may escape justice. And citizens, especially those with few resources or few powerful allies, may be unfairly accused of crimes, deprived of due process, and wrongly imprisoned. This has happened countless times.

7) Personal loss, intimidation and inconvenience

Retirement funds are lost to fraudsters or tied up in a money-laundering scheme. While the victims of corruption suffer personal loss, intimidation and inconvenience. Scammers are mushrooming and there is less the police can do. Have you ever made a police report and the feedback you get is its just RM300++ or whatever amount. There is a threshold and total number of reports to trigger the police action. This will lead to the public misstrust on the enforcers.

8) Public and private sector dysfunctionality

Empoleeys become demoralized. People begin to doubt the value of hard work and innovation. A surfey has even shown that the young in Malaysia have no hunger to continue/further their studies and jobs like influencor/youtuber are more appealing then underpaids jobs like engineers and officer hard work workers. Why study if you end up in a overpaid/overworked staff. A recent study has even shown that Kuala Lumpur is the 3rd highest over worked city in the world! Why is this? Employers get away by enforcing modern slavery. Yes, Modern slavery is real in this country. People working the corporate sectors 8-5 office hours are expected to stay back to 6pm++ 7pm or even night. Workers going back sharp at 5pm are seen as slackers. Productivity is not measured well and the work life balance culture is not appriciated. This leads to public/private sector dysfunctionality.

9) Failures in infrastructure.

Remember Terengganu sports complex /swimming pool collapse? On and on again, public funded infrastructure are failing.

10) Organized crime and terrorism

The causal arrow goes in both directions. Not only does organized crime cause corruption, but opportunities for corruption left open by a weak, negligent or incapable State can also lead to organized crime.

11) Diminished state capacity

12) Increasing polarization and unrest

13) Climate change and damage to biodiversity

UNESCO sites having rampart mining and logging along its shores. Forest reserves being raped. Places like ROMPIN that were a jungle in the early 2000s, now has no forest at all.

14) Human rights violations

15) Armed conflict and atrocity crimes

16) Public frustration and cynicism

People lose trust in leaders, in social systems .Widespread and corrupt actors are not being held accountable makes the country look weak in the eyes of the world. Corruption perception increases.

In the end, only a goverment with Zero-tolerance of corruption would be ideal. Is it too much to ask from a country that self proclaims itself as a country with Islamic and upper morals? Is it too much to ask?

Remember, when the Goverment Fears the people, there is liberty.

The post How Corruption Affects Emerging Economies Like Malaysia first appeared on pilotHans Logbook.

What are the minimum requirements to keep being healthy and covid free?

1. Always think postive, and do what’s best for ourselves and our love ones.
2. Take the vaccine available to us ,plus booster shots if necessary.
3. Wear a mask in public, yes the usual stuff!
4. Learn to wear it properly, plus how to hold it, how to dispose it. These are the minimum precautions.
5. Try to avoid unnecessary crowds. If u can’t take a bath as soon as you arrive home

What can we do when fatigue comes in?

1. Since it’s a big world, let’s go outside, the outdoors where one can be free.
2. Take a deep breath and self-reflect
3. Be thankful of what we have today as things changes fast these days.
4. Treasure all the moment left. (as you see people dying every day and the numbers keep stacking up)
5. Watch a good movie or some series in your free time.
6. Make time, everyone needs some “ME time”.
7. Plan ahead in your travel trips on Insurance/policies/to do /not to do.
8. Do some running or swimming to keep on staying fit.
9. Always be cautious and think ahead.

These maybe basic things but what do u think. Please share your experienced with handling the pandemic in your place. As the world has become closer and humanity being tested at these tough moment, true colours can be seen. Good and bad leaders appear during these moments. May humanity finally prevail.

p/s Rule no32 : enjoy the little things.

The post Pandemic Fatigue, how to be happy first appeared on pilotHans Logbook.

First, whenever i hear a song, sometimes it triggers memories of different parts of my life. Just random songs that represent each moment of sadness, glory, or milestone. Imagine your in ur 40s and there a song for ur teenage years, ur university years, ur early 20s, 30s, mid 30s, 40s etc. No matter what stage your in life, songs have a vital role in just bringing up the mood and capture those memories.

Now, imagine a timeline in your life. A straight line (I know life is full of junctions, but just assume its a straight line for imagining sake) There’s always a song that reminds us of different times in our life. I call it the photographic memory + song that I capture with my eyes during big moments/happy times in my life.

He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the best times

He sings songs bring back memories, and memories evokes #NOSTALGIA.

p/s Just celebrated my 38th Birthday recently. Time flies indeed.

The post Songs that accompany our life’s journey first appeared on pilotHans Logbook.

The WORLD as we use to know has changed. Imagine being in Rick Grimes walking up from a coma in a hospital.

If you cast your minds back, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) was struck down while out on duty with Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal) and was taken to the facility where he was put into a medically induced coma. It’s unsure how long he was asleep, however, the star of the show woke up to the building completely overrun by zombies. Read more:

AMC

2020 has stormed our lives with no warning. It seems like a nightmare to some. It indeed has effected so many lives around the globe in so many ways. As World Health Organisation(WHO) declared on 11 march the new name of then virus COVID-19 which somehow originated from a wildlife market in Wuhan. As many lives has been destroyed, children displaced, death toll climbing up, and most people directly effected are not able to say that last goodbyes. In some parts of the world, bodies are even left lying around. Governments engaging lock-downs and closing international borders. The aviation/tourism industry is in near standstill. People are out of jobs. Unemployment hits the roof as people are not able to go to work. Humanity is tested to the core. Is this really just a test? Is this the end of our normal lives? Indeed to some, life will never be the same again. We humans adapt to situations and and in these dire moments creative ideas solve common basic needs of people. As staying at home is the new norm to flatten the curve by medical agencies, staying indoors to some are different from others. For parts of the world like India, Indonesia, Ecuador, this can simply mean, no food on the table hence speedup starvation. Humanity is been tested. Different countries follow different methods, but its good to synchronize between countries in fighting this common enemy.

THE SCIENTISTS :For the first time in modern history, scientist come together putting their minds. It is awesome to see the extent of global scientific cooperation from east to west to examine and understand the virus that has engulfed us, how it has spread, and how to work together on potential vaccines or antibody-test that might help us discover and fight this virus once for all.

LEADERS :As they say leaders are born in crisis. People show true color during these moment. Indeed some leaders take advantage of the situation. The people need to stand up and fight their rights while practicing social distancing. In some parts of the world people are even organizing demonstrations against lockdown which is amazing. Leaders are tested and patience of the people are also tested. A lot of things are at stake. Life’s are at stake. Humanity are at stake. Will we strive to fight this common enemy ? During these dire moments they has even been some political change (which is amazing) as priority is indeed to fight the global pandemic that has swept the world. Leaders are put on the spot light. It’s either do or die situation. People lives are at stake. The rich might be comfortable hiding in their bunkers but the normal person on the street is effected together with the many front liners of the world.

NATURE IMPACT : On another note, it is said that the ozone layer has healed. At least some good news there.The ozone layer protects Earth from Sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. It is found in Earth’s stratosphere, a layer of the atmosphere around 10–50 kilometres above sea level.Scientists had attributed the forming of the hole in the ozone layer in march this year, and recently it’s said to already heal by it self. Less Air/Water pollution has been observed around the globe. Here are some before and after pictures from insider.com. We hope smuggling of wildlife species will also be looked into once its a bit calmer. Time wil tell. At least the world is healing.

FAQ : How Does it spread?

UNPRECEDENTED moments in history :

1. Millions of people around the world ordered to stay at home
2. Places of worship across the world are closed
3. Pollution level decreases due to less human activity
4. Ozone layer hole heals by itself
5. War are put on hold and war against invisible virus are witnessed
6. Scientist global cooperation for a potential vaccine.
7. Illegal wildlife trade is a health issue

Strange times indeed. Will we ever recover from this? Is this the time to say our prayers and goodbye with our love ones before it’s too late. Let’s just prayer together as people of the world. As social distancing, increase of hygine,work from home become a norm. Someday, all this will be behind us.

As our lives are put on hold, remember the less fortunate people, those who lost their jobs, those who are starving, those who lost the battle to covid-19, those who never had the chance to say goodbye to their life, the front liners ,our family and the unnamed unsung heroes that support the global chain of humanity. Remember, always be #STAYSAFE #BeSTRONG. Come to think about it , this is not the 2020 that we dream of !

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