My PB : Standard Chartered Marathon

It's my 2nd time running a marathon and this time round, I am much better prepared. Having been running quite a bit, though I would have hope to have train more...since....the maximum distance I clock was only about 15km but I am running more often this time round.....I expect to better my 6hr40+ timing I did in 2008. Though I am hoping for 6hr30min.

I didn't got my request to collect the race pack at the floating platform in Marina Bay, but that was ok, as I was out of town on that day. This year Official race pack collection day starts on 3rd till the 5th of Dec.

Last year, me and my colleagues actually drove here to collect the pack during Lunch time and the queue really surprises us....and I learnt my lesson, so I came down after work and was pleasant surprise by the turnout....Guess the Marina Bay Early collection helps

I am collecting a few packs on behalf of my colleague, luckily the queue was short and fast...I got everything done within 5mins inclusive of all the goodies collection on my way out of the hall..

Here is what in the pack. Was rather disappointed with this year offering...since like the Economy downturn affected Standard Chartered and NB. They shrink their offering to a sling bag..instead of a full-sized bag...(Consider how much this event cost...I think it not a good deal, Lucky, I only pay 30+ for the Full marathon...)

Manage to take a ride from my Cell Leader to the run and since they are also running the 42km Full Marathon, I thought it would be good motivation to start off together.....Looking at the crowd, it is no doubt this is the Running event of the year, if u only run 1 race a year, this should be the one...

Just the 3 of us....the rest came in at a later time....honestly, when this photo was taken, the starting bell have already rings....but there were way too many people and thus, we took our time....

Pace was good, and I thought I am performing really well, when I clock a 68mins for my 10kms points...but I got the toilet rush...when I entered in to ECP and wasted about 15mins queuing for the cubicle.....Caught up with my cell leader......at ECP.....Pace was still all right....when I u-turn from the 21km mark, I was still clocking a nice 2hr 50mins....my mind was telling me...I have a high chance of doing my personal Best..

Along the way, both my cell mates and leader really give me a good motivation to contining running and catch-up...and also since my bag is in WH's car, it make me want to run faster just to not let WH wait too long for me...lol

I was at the 40km mark when this beautiful Singapore skyline appears...2 more Km to go...I already doing the Walk and run method here and my legs are super painful and look like it might be breaking very soon...

1 more Km to go....I blasted with all my strength here...and my good buddy at work is actually waiting for me at the end-point to take a photo-shot...

I manage to clock a PB of 6hr and 6mins....I make a 30+ min improvement.....Chicken Queen's timing was even more amazing....clocking in 5hr 28min.....its' feather must have help him achieve this....I decided to give this a miss since u need to make a booking and the waiting time is some 30mins....at least..

We Waited for everyone to be back.....alot of people are queuing for drinks....

Here is some of the photos taken by A Nikon SLR Camera...by my buddy at Work....it really very nice of him to stay behind till so late..to do this....I thought I look quite ok here..lol...still smiling at least..

I met up with him after the race...before going to Fitness first to clean-up and head home to sleep....feeling super warm...after the race...

Last by not least, I must say I really enjoy the run alot.... especially with my cell mates running along...really motivated me and make me feel that God really plan thing well ahead for you....everything fall-in so nicely on this day....I will definitely be back in 2010.....this time run to better the timing to bring it down below 6hrs....(Targeting a 5hr45min timing...but See how I perform in Sundown)...yes...I registered for this race already....

Penang Day 3 : The Run

Sunday morning and it "wee" Morning to be exact. The Starting time for the 21Km, Half Marathon is @ 3.30am. What a Weird Timing...I was trying very hard to sleep from 6pm after visiting Perankan Place to no solution, I wasn't sleeping at all....end up.....I didn't sleep and was off to the site at 11pm.

Took a cab (Board it just outside our hotel, Tune Hotel) for MYR20. This event, The Penang Bridge Marathon is quite famous in this part of town...

Reach the site at around 1130pm though.....Lots of people are already at the site....Police are already there guiding the traffic...probably some motorist are still not aware of the road closure...

Since we reach the place so early, We take sometime to walk around and take some photos...Can't really find a place in the cafe to seat through the night....so we sat an a corner to wait...and also to dooze off for a while....Temperature was also unexpected...wonder is it due to the afternoon rain...it feel like 25C which I thought we will never feel this even at night....plus it is also rather windy and feel like it might pour anytime..

The Organiser are still busying setting up the Start and Finish Booth....First time I saw such setup, as back home in Singapore, setup is probably done the night before and race don start so early as well....so we don really get to see the setup process..

Even the bag deposit areas are so empty and u would have guess we are just way too early....for the race...no choice...in order to save on cost of midnight charges.

Took sometime to explore the area, here is a tentage setup for runners to rest....most runners stay here to wait for the race to starts. It was pack to the brine expecially as the time to start approaches...(Photo taken @ 12am)

The Row of Toilet, though there is plentiful, we still need to queue up for it..

There is also a fun run category which start at 7.30am....still a long way to go..those folks are probably sleeping now...

One of their sponsor arrive...that they are not ready to serve yet...would have been good that they start serving out the Milo....3hrs is a long time to past....but do understand the organiser concern, they may not have enough to distribute at the end of the race if they start giving out so early.

The Winners tent-age, this is probably the area for the Top 10 or 3 runners of each categories to wait in for their price presentation.

There is suppose to be a concert around, but since it still so early,,,,no-one was actually there...Looking at the list of singer coming on board....I don recognize a single name.....it's more for the Malaysian I think...

Since still got so much time, 3hrs to be exact, I took time to read up on the exhibition on the History of the Penang Run.....Looking at the picture, make me wonder whether this run is tougher than those 21Km I did back in Singapore....the Slope are super high...lol

Penang Bridge Marathon have been held since 1985 and it's the only time where the bridge is closed for a few hours to accommodate the race.

Photos showing the starting point of past races..not sure where this place is...does not resemble the place I am at now?

Lots of Rubbish on the floor...common is all races.... especially with fruits and water being distributed..

Look like support along the run is GREAT....

The slope of the bridge look intimidating....Are they really that high?

Down slope should be easy.....it the up slope I am worry....

This is the proof...of how crowded the place can be as the time to flag off get closer, especially at he tentage area.

Photos taken at the starting point of the race....the 42km run have a cut-off timing of 6hrs....way beyond my previous effort.....

Looking at the "crowd" behind, these must be one of those faster runners....

The 21km is the event where there are more runners....the queue from the starting point is long....compare to the 42km event..probably due to the fact that the cut-off time for 42km is 6hrs whereas the 21km event's cutoff timing is 3hrs...which is still manageable.

This is the 42km Flag-off situation...alot lesser runners...

Overall the run was not as tough as I thought, my IPOD went dead (no charge) due to my mistake of not checking whether it is full charge back in Singapore. I have to rely on my Hand phone's radio to accompany me during the run....and I got to say Malaysian Radio station do play good and catchy music..make the run enjoyable

I enjoy a great part of the run when it was on the Penang Bridge, the wind was especially refreshing and cool making the run bearable....and the water points are well positioned...though I find it wasteful that they give out full bottle of water instead of cups...it would have been much more environmental friendly this way....cos I just drank a few mouthful and throw the bottle way...as I don want to carry it along when I am running (Already carrying a phone and a camera)

This is the part where we are climbing up the tallest point on the bridge...it is funny how the slope look when it is far away, and when we approach the area, we can hardly see the slope up....just feel that the pace slow a bit due to the climb....(look at be deceiving)

The duration of on the bridge though not long, but we cover about >10km on the bridge for the 21km run.....about 10km spend running to the bridge and back to the finishing point and the rest on the bridge itself (11km)

Finish the race in 1 piece, though not my PB, I did clock a normal pace, the one I am used to, 2hrs 37min....the same as my 2008 timing.....and faster than my 2009 Safra Timing...my timing are not fantastic, alot of the folks are already back...resting...

Me, posing with my medal....tired and definitely worth it...thinking hard whether to come back here to run next year...but probably I would stay someplace nearer...(Let's see how things go...it still a long time to decide).

I miss my photo moments at the finishing point due to a long queue at the finishing line....I am surprise that the Malaysian Sponsor are really generous as they provided the photos FOC....a rare gesture in Singapore

Before I left, the runners are still coming in....and we still have the 42km folks yet to come in....(i don mean the 2hr + 42k runners, but those normal ones...clocking 4hr +)

Malaysia is 1 place nearer to home where u can flag a cab on the Expressway...I Did it here in desperate ways to get back to hotel to sleep...super tired....I didn't sleep for the whole 24hrs...and "Chicken Queen" is already fuming mad...during it's morning mood swings....We got a bargain price of MYR20 back to hotel....MYR10 cheaper than last night's trip....

Anyone...game enough for 2010's race? Let me know.....

Penang Day 2 : The Perankan Place - Little Nouya

Since the "Queen" want to visit the Perankan Place in Penang, and he highlighted that this is one of the filming place of the Popular MediaCorp Drama Serial, Little Nouya, I gladly agreed.

However, the mood of the "Chicken Queen" was extremely volatile and soon got angry and sulking along the way, blaming me for not contributing to the trip (How Weird, since these are the places it wanted to go and he didn't ask me to lead....why complain now? Cannot ask properly one meh...probably the way chicken culture are so different)

But Anyway, I wasn't prepare for this and me being the lousy map reader don help....(So the Chicken got extremely volatile....and sulking as he try to find a way....which was actually a big loop to find the place)

We eventually reach the place in time....(The Map showing the Opening time was not accurate, it states that it closed @ 3pm on Saturday)

Cost RM10 for Entry

We were lucky to be in time for a narrated tour, conducted by the museum. Alot of people are starting to come in now...

Here, the museum create a typical home of a rich baba from century ago, allowing us visitors to catch a glimpse of their lifestyles, customs and traditions.

This building is build during the end of the 19th Century by this person "Hai Kee Chan" who once served as the residence and office of apitan Cina Chung Keng Kwee, not sure what is place is about though. (FYI, he wasn't a baba)

3 main places to explore, the main staircase up to the 2nd floor.

At the Ground floor ware the Dinning Area. Kitchen and their so call, entertainment areas.

Main Hall....

Entering to the Kitchen Area, there is this table....probably an area where the servant prepare food here and also to have dinner...Do the Rich Owner have their meals here, I doubt so....thought I saw on TV, that they usually have it in their main hall outside...

Traditional Tea cups, we don use this anymore in modern day Singapore except maybe in traditional style restaurant?

Old Kettle....and container to store food, I seen these during my kids days when I stay with my granny.

More Cups of different designs.....only the Rich can afford so many similar looking cups with just the print that are different..

The Olden Day Grinder? Having enough strength is a minimum requirement to work in the kitchen....

All the utensil to prepare Food, some of these tools are still use in the "Zhi Cha" stores...in Modern Day Singapore.

Steamboat anyone?

Beside the kitchen, which is a place for meal, they also keep their plates and utensil in the cupboard, in a separate corner.

The Ground floor is also where the richy baba have their meal as well, this is outside at the main hall area. European style though.

Detailed layout, and very westernized

Another Long table at the main-hall area....probably another meal area table....seen this also in the drama serial...or a place where the men discuss business...

These look like wedding stuffs...where they brings...goodies to the girls home....to ask for her hand...

The main-hall is also where they entertain guest with their luxurious furnitures

Very Traditional designed seats

Displayed Cabinet...

And an Entertainment corner, in those olden days, gambling probably is the only fun thing around...during those days.

Time to head upstairs to see the bedrooms.....the view from the 2nd floor....this building is actually very luxurious... especially during those time when it was build.

The 2nd floor consisted of mainly rooms where the owner of the house and relatives stays...Notice there is always a small table in the rooms, like the one above. This is probably area where people can seat down in the room rather than on the bed to chat....

Another one in another room, the decor here is different.

Yet another one...All different in design...and at a different room....

In the olden days, bedroom wardrobe are unlike modern wardrobe that is long and have lot of spaces in it. Traditional Nouya wardrobe are usually simple and just for hanging of clothes.....

These bed look like a typical wedding bed....even the clothes are on the bed.

Make-up Corner...make-up in olden days are less sophisticated...but probably more env-friendly...

There is also another room which appear to resemble a room of the newly weds....Take a look at the bed...decorations...

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It was say in Chinese tradition, the way they put the pillow down to the colours and who should go on bed first matters...

Down to even the water basin the couple will use the next morning...

In This Room, the Wardrobe are huge, storing all types of different clothes and cloths...

I think this corner, you can actually ask for your photos to be taken in traditional nouya clothing.....but no one was here...They do have a huge collection.

They even put on Display , the male Head Accessories used during the Wedding

And the Female Head Accessories as well

As well as other Accessories such as gifts and the musical instruments used during the wedding

The Main Hall on the 2nd floor is very similar to the ones on the ground floor, they have long tables, tables place in the middle of it..

And seats for guests...(here, probably meant for tourist to take photos)

A olden days Camera placed just outside the hall, this fellow only took B&W

The Hall have this very special Arc make from longans.....designed....I forgotten what they represent though...need to refer to that "Chicken Queen" travel blog to find out more...will update it's link here once it updated his version.

This is one tool, the nouyo use to make those "seed" fruit they eat.....as seen in the drama serial.

Handicraft corners......they make their own shoes as well

Bags....

A View of the top.....

The show that came over here to be shot....Our Mediacorp Drama was one of them...and they are feature here alot...(Hard not too, that show make people in Singapore took notice of Nouyo Culture)


A Few photos of me...at the Perankan Place

A Funny shot I am Attempting to...lol


Before leaving the place....