Merdeka v. 53

Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan to all Malaysians!

Image source : here

I'd like to share what I call my lagu-lagu semangat; they are not your typical patriotic songs, but whenever I listen to them I feel ... the semangat :)

Faizal Tahir - Gemuruh. I first heard it as the theme song to a singing reality show. Then I read somewhere that this was written with the Angkasawan project in mind.

Ella - Standing In The Eyes of The World. Theme song for the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games. I think, sadly, that was the year when we Malaysians were very much happier and spirits were at an all-time high. I loved the Raise Your Flag campaign.

Ella - Gemilang. I love the chorus here, very sing-a-long and lighters alight kind of vibe. Lagu wajib during motivation training.

The next two weeks will see us enjoying lots of Public Holidays - happy people we are!

Videos : all from Youtube.

Wander On.

I want this as a poster.

I Know What I Did ... This Summer?

Hello :)

Lack of updates I know, as I've been staying put at home since returning from my Sibu weekend. No travelling plans till October so I've been spending time falling back into routine and also kicked off some personal projects that have been on my list for a long time.

So bear with me while I share with you my non-travel stories ya?

I've made the kitchen my second territory a lot more often now. Cooking is fun, especially when you don't go by the rules :) Two of my attempts which I remembered to take pictures of before I devoured them:

Green Papaya Salad, Som Tam.

Noodles soup deluxe.

Books - I tried reading new authors like Orhan Pamuk and Jonathan Safran Foer. And got my second Khaled Hosseini (wonderful writer!)

I had a Paul for years and didn't remember until after the World Cup!

Currently reading this. Eye-opening facts about our food.

In short : Eat Food. Not Much. Mostly Plants.

This is for later.

From the library.

Running/walking has taken a backseat in this prevailing bad weather (a convenient excuse, really) but I try to make it up by doing a lot more house chores and lifting my puny colourful dumbells. My motto - better than nothing :P

Recently we had the AirAsia Sale, MATTA fair here in KK as well as the various MAS promos. I just bought one ticket for next year, since in my case I really cannot take the risk of purchasing tickets on a whim anymore. I hope you guys got some good deals! And the ticket I bought hopefully will bring me to :

Resources from my local library.

Finally tried my green tea from Lao. Very fragrant.

My first taste of goat's milk; recommended for those who are lactose-intolerant. It works! So I can probably get my calcium intake from this.

And, this weekend I'll be busy with my new little project, codenamed "Tick" :)

Y'all have an awesome weekend ahead now ! :)

Sibu : (Again) 2010

Who would've thought I'd return to Sibu again within a year of my last visit?

This time I was there to attend an old friend's wedding - which was very interesting as she is a Melanau and the groom is from Valencia, Espana.

To respect the privacy of the event I'm not posting their wedding pictures. There was a very merry entourage all the way from Spain comprising of the groom's family and friends; we dubbed them The Spanish Armada :). (they made a great batch of sangria, and not every Spaniard cares about futbol!)

Most of the time was spent catching up with old friends and you know what they say when you're having a good time - time really flies!

Aboard ATR72-500. MasWings. The last time I was on board this type of aircraft was to Mulu. There was probably about 15 of us on the flight from KK.

Refreshment. Very basic, really. Same thing on the way back, but the sandwiches were not nice.

After lunch we went to the river as they need to perform some traditional Melanau custom for the newlyweds. This involved putting together some soil, seven leaves and nails. This is a picture of the bride and groom.

Later we stopped by the Iban longhouse at Kg Sungai Aup for the benefit of the Spanish visitors.

We were welcomed by the Tuai Rumah; it was quiet as most of the occupants were out to town or were resting.

Posing at the window of the longhouse :)

After the longhouse we went to Taman Bukit Aup. I think I suffered from heatstroke and decided to stop just before the top of the hill summit. Gahhhhhhh. I was melting under the sun! No hat, no sunblock, no water --> I wilted very badly.

Sunday morning at the Central Market - look at these chickens for sale! All bundled snugly, and surprisingly well behaved.

Buah dabai - I kind of liked this the last time and bought some to bring back.

Didn't do much else and the next thing you know it's time to fly back. Bye Sibu!

Good To Share : Robin Sharma

I'm back to reading some non-fiction recently.

And because I like love lists, this was timely. Read and accept what is applicable to you :). Or at least, think about it. Not rocket science at all.

My education continues.

1. You can really Lead Without a Title.
   
   
2. Knowing what to do and not doing it is the same as not knowing what to do.
   
   
3. Give away what you most wish to receive.
   
   
4. The antidote to stagnation is innovation.
   
   
5. The conversations you are most resisting are the conversations you most need to be having.
   
   
6. Leadership is no longer about position - but passion. It's no longer about image but impact. This is Leadership 2.0.
   
   
7. The bigger the dream, the more important to the team.
   
   
8. Visionaries see the "impossible" as the inevitable.
   
   
9. All great thinkers are initially ridiculed - and eventually revered.
   
   
10. The more you worry about being applauded by others and making money, the less you'll focus on doing the great work that will generate applause. And make you money.
    
    
11. To double your net worth, double your self-worth. Because you will never exceed the height of your self-image.
    
    
12. The more messes you allow into your life, the more messes will become a normal (and acceptable) part of your life.
    
    
13. The secret to genius is not genetics but daily practice married with relentless perseverance.
    
    
14. The best leaders lift people up versus tear people down.
    
    
15. The most precious resource for businesspeople is not their time. It's their energy. Manage it well.
    
    
16. The fears you run from run to you.
    
    
17. The most dangerous place is in your safety zone.
    
    
18. The more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.
    
    
19. Every moment in front of a customer is a gorgeous opportunity to live your values.
    
    
20. Be so good at what you do that no one else in the world can do what you do.
    
    
21. You'll never go wrong in doing what is right.
    
    
22. It generally takes about 10 years to become an overnight sensation.
    
    
23. Never leave the site of a strong idea without doing something to execute around it.
    
    
24. A strong foundation at home sets you up for a strong foundation at work.
    
    
25. Never miss a moment to encourage someone you work with.
    
    
26. Saying "I'll try" really means "I'm not really committed."
    
    
27. The secret of passion is purpose.
    
    
28. Do a few things at mastery versus many things at mediocrity.
    
    
29. To have the rewards that very few have, do the things that very few people are willing to do.
    
    
30. Go where no one's gone and leave a trail of excellence behind you.
    
    
31. Who you are becoming is more important than what you are accumulating.
    
    
32. Accept your teammates for what they are and inspire them to become all they can be.
    
    
33. To triple the growth of your organization, triple the growth of your people.
    
    
34. The best leaders are the most dedicated learners. Read great books daily. Investing in your self-development is the best investment you will ever make.
    
    
35. Other people's opinions of you are none of your business.
    
    
36. Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.
    
    
37. Measure your success by your inner scorecard versus an outer one.
    
    
38. Understand the acute difference between the cost of something and the value of something.
    
    
39. Nothing fails like success. Because when you are at the top, it's so easy to stop doing the very things that brought you to the top.
    
    
40. The best leaders blend courage with compassion.
    
    
41. The less you are like others, the less others will like you.
    
    
42. You'll never go wrong in doing what's right.
    
    
43. Excellence in one area is the beginning of excellence in every area.
    
    
44. The real reward for doing your best work is not the money you make but the leader you become.
    
    
45. Passion + production = performance.
    
    
46. The value of getting to your goals lives not in reaching the goal but what the talents/strengths/capabilities the journey reveals to you.
    
    
47. Stand for something. Or else you'll fall for anything.
    
    
48. Say "thank you" when you're grateful and "sorry" when you're wrong.
    
    
49. Make the work you are doing today better than the work you did yesterday.
    
    
50. Small daily - seemingly insignificant - improvements and innovations lead to staggering achievements over time.
    
    
51. Peak performers replace depletion with inspiration on a daily basis.
    
    
52. Take care of your relationships and the sales/money will take care of itself.
    
    
53. You can't be great if you don't feel great. Make exceptional health your #1 priority.
    
    
54. Doing the difficult things that you've never done awakens the talents you never knew you had.
    
    
55. As we each express our natural genius, we all elevate our world.
    
    
56. Your daily schedule reflects your deepest values.
    
    
57. People do business with people who make them feel special.
    
    
58. All things being equal, the primary competitive advantage of your business will be your ability to grow Leaders Without Titles faster than your industry peers.
    
    
59. Treat people well on your way up and they'll treat you well on your way down.
    
    
60. Success lies in a masterful consistency around a few fundamentals. It really is simple. Not easy. But simple.
    
    
61. The business (and person) who tries to be everything to everyone ends up being nothing to anyone.
    
    
62. One of the primary tactics for enduring winning is daily learning.
    
    
63. To have everything you want, help as many people as you can possibly find get everything they want.
    
    
64. Understand that a problem is only a problem if you choose to view it as a problem (vs. an opportunity).
    
    
65. Clarity precedes mastery. Craft clear and precise plans/goals/deliverables. And then block out all else.
    
    
66. The best in business spend far more time on learning than in leisure.
    
    
67. Lucky is where skill meets persistence.
    
    
68. The best Leaders Without a Title use their heads and listen to their hearts.
    
    
69. The things that are hardest to do are often the things that are the best to do.
    
    
70. Every single person in the world could be a genius at something, if they practiced it daily for at least ten years (as confirmed by the research of Anders Ericsson and others).
    
    
71. Daily exercise is an insurance policy against future illness. The best Leaders Without Titles are the fittest.
    
    
72. Education is the beginning of transformation. Dedicate yourself to daily learning via books/audios/seminars and coaching.
    
    
73. The quickest way to grow the sales of your business is to grow your people.

The Only Way is UP.

Move over, Indy. Here comes Russell.

He should be the new poster boy for adventure :)

"With my Wilderness Explorer GPS, we'll never be lost!"

Happy Friday (+ weekend) everyone!

SHAPE Night Run 2010

My very short weekend in KL was for the SHAPE Night Run 2010, my 3rd event for the year.

Here's some pictures to tell the story :

Arrived just after 6 pm, via KLIA Transit and Nadi Putra bus. As expected, the atmosphere was kinda festive - music, booths, etc.

My first ever experience using a Portaloo. Claustrophobic! Just like on planes.

A clown doing what he does best - clowning around.

Goodie bags galore - pink for ladies, red for the men. As long as you finish you get one.

I wish I had them roller blades!

These friendly kids wanted to camwhore so I obliged :)

'Official' pic?

Waiting - not long afterwards they started the warm up session with instructors from True Fitness. The upbeat music was from BEP and we wound it down with Jason!

MCs - Jay, I-don't-know-who, and Ferhad. I think they ran the Fun Run 5 km.

Pole dancing! Thankfully more of the athletic kind, rather than the erotic ;P Crazy limbs. Very strong core.

No mantra this time (the ink wouldn't stick) so I had my pink ribbon instead.

Waiting in the pen.

Off we go!

Crossing the bridge towards the UFO-like PICC and around it.

The first marker I noticed. I don't know who that is, I just snapped a pic and ran on. And ran and ran and...then walked. From 4km onwards I adopted a walk-run strategy. The night was cool from a nice light breeze. We ran past buildings and bridges, no pics though.

One more!! It's so close already! We had to go around another building for the final 2 km. I was almost cursing.

Posing with my goodie bag and cert - didn't even bother to wipe my sweat, haha. Later I found that I was covered with a thin film of dust all over. Hmmm.

Impromptu 'friends'; took pictures and then they said 'See you next year!' and I said Penang! Penang! :) We laughed.

Goodie bag was okaylah - pink towel, pink razor, 6(!!!) small bottles of CLEAR shampoo, apple snack, Perskindol, TruDTox, a can of Revive, 2 granola bars, NTFlam, Rilax, vouchers (Kenko, LabSeries, Juiceworks, True Fitness, Mierica). Bottle of water and green apple after the race.

Good Things :

• good accessibility.
• goodie bag! :)
• (warm) water stations every 2 km I think - but no isotonic.
• good markers, traffic control, marshalls.
• smaller crowd :)

Not So Good Things :

• weird flag off. A non-event.
• 'Aunty' doing part of the emcee-ing. Huh?
• no cheering teams.

Overall I had fun and definitely want to be back next year!