Run Azim Run – Part 2

Nike We Run KL 2010 marked my first competitive run. A 10km run. I keep on running after that, albeit not as much as I did prior to the Nike run. Work started to catch up with me. The audit peak period has started by then which means, 12-16 hours of work each day. After averaging 70 hours a week, i hardly had time for proper dinner more over time for running.

With the spirit still high back then, i managed to slot in a few runs each week. Having the sportsband does help. Why? I wanted the bragging right by clocking the miles I ran. Very ‘kiasu’ indeed.

The next competitive run was the Penang Bridge International Marathon 2010 (PBIM 2010). Usually people will take it slow and steady in increasing the mileage for every run. A naive kid I was back then; I registered for the Half Marathon event, thinking that I will do just fine. So after one 10km run, i decided to go for a 21km run. A big jump in mileage. Little did I know that it will backfire.

As it gets nearer to the event day, I ran more often. But the distance ran was never more than 10km. Do keep in mind that I smoke, so the stamina was never there. I was scared, but decided to give it a try anyways. Heck, I paid a fortune to register for the race (It was only RM65 lol indeed), I might as well run it no?

So the big weekend. Hitched a ride with MMU bus to Penang. Apparently MMU does have a lot of runner. I was just too ignorant about it when I WAS a student there (YES, I GRADUATED!). 6 hours ride in the bus and it was not comfortable at all! Arrived on time to collect the racer packs.  Ok, not only I hitched a ride with the MMU team, I even crashed their accomodations. Come on, we arrived there on a Saturday afternoon, The race gonna be at 3am (if i still remember it correctly), and no one is gonna sleep. So I think it was okay for me to crash their accomodation.

So people say, “We run so that we can EAT” . It is true to a certain level. Yes, eat all you want. But you do not eat like there is no tomorrow 5 hours before your flag off time. And I did the exact opposite. Nasi Kandar Line Clear was very hard to resist. No argument is needed here.

The PBIM, in my own view, is the best place to run. A relatively straight and flat course with elevation that is not heartbreaking. Remember I said about something backfired? Let me tell you again, I was not ready for the race. I did not have the stamina nor the strength to run a 21km race. I did not improve my running style, I did not improve my posture or my stride, I just ran. It was a gamble. With 4km more to go, my left knee gave away. I cant bend my left leg at all. Stop over by the medical tent and asked for ice. They sprayed something, didnt know what the hell was it, but it was hot. Soon after, it got worse. Do not think about running; I cant even walk without feeling the excruciating pain. The 4km walk, was the longest walk in my life. I did finish, but there was nothing to be proud of. I was too eager.

Completed my half marathon run/walk in 2hrs 45mins (roughly there). I remember having the certificate somewhere.

So there you go. You can dream, you can be confident, but not too much of both.

I was a kid, I was ambitious.

But anyhow, this is what i got from the PBIM 2010! PBIM 2011 Edition is less than 51 days to go!!!

 

 

Run Azim Run – Part 1

I love running and i try to run as much as i can despite the hectic work schedule. As a fellow runner once put it;

Running is cheaper than therapy.

I somehow find this to be true. Running excites me no matter of the distance. The act of striding along the busy road day or night; whether in a group or alone, excites me. After every run, i feel refreshed. I felt like i have accomplished something. And the best thing of all, its free.

A lot of people run. A lot of people run competitively. The distance varies tho; we have the 10km run, a half marathon (21km) and also the full marathon (42.195km). anything longer than 42.195km is an ultramarathon. Heck, I know someone that ran 100km in 16hrs last June in Singapore. Crazy.

The saying of “I ran a marathon” when you ran a 10km run is wrong. I was corrected once. I was told to

Respect the distance.

A marathon is 42.195km. Period. HOWEVER, unlike some people, i dont really care. Say what you want. Its your accomplishment. Yes, officially a marathon is a 42.195km run. But everybody has to start somewhere. Even when i joined my first 10km, it felt like a marathon. For someone who just started, 10km is a bloody marathon alright. So when someone tells me they ran a marathon, when it was actually a 10km or 5km run, i feel happy. It reminds me of my first run.

THE NIKE CITY RUN, WE RUN KL 2010.

My first competitive run. A 10km race. My first 10km. Bought a brand new running shoe and also a nike+ sportsband just to celebrate the fact that I registered for a “marathon”. It was fun. It was tiring. It was a fucking 10km. Running with my friend does help. We help each other to finish the gruelling 10km run. Yes, 10km was gruelling for us back then; even now actually. Imagine running uphill along the AKLEH highway. I was gasping for air!! Back then, i have zero knowledge about running. I ran like how we always run.

Results: 10km in 1hr 11mins 47secs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

what i got. A race tshirt, a finisher figurine and i bought a shoe and a sportsband. Rabak weh poket!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, Nike City Run made me a runner I am today. Thank you Nike.

I need a favor. Can you help?

Hey guys, Azim here.

I’ll be running a full 42km marathon in June, its organized by Standard Chartered. Instead of asking for volunteer cheerleaders (which i still welcome btw ) im pleading for your kind donations. I’m gonna be running for a cause, so every cent which i collect will go directly to the National Cancer Society of Malaysia.

If you are lucky enough to not know anyone who has been affected by cancer, suffer from the side effects of cancer, or lost loved ones through cancer, maybe you wouldn’t know that there is currently no cure for this usually fatal, and very painful illness.

Please help in any way that you can, to aid the pursuit of the never ending search for a cure. Every cent counts, so please give generously.

Donations can be made through my runner’s profile here -> http://www.kl-marathon.com/profile/43897

Deep from my heart, I thank you all. And please help me to spread the news.

Err

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870), A Tale of Two Cities

A letter to a wife.

Someone told me that there is more to life than work. When I read through all my old blog post, I couldn’t agree more. I was fun, I was enjoying life, so why now it seems like I’m working all the time, missing out on life? Well not entirely, I still have fun sometimes, its just not as much as I’m used to.

I’m working hard right now, sacrificing everything, for the future. You ask me why is it so important?? Here are some of the reasons I can think of:

So that when you finally meet me, you can feel safe about us.
So that I can provide for you, and for the family.
So that when you want to shop, you don’t have to feel guilty about it.
So that we can buy the house with the nice lawn and invite friends for a barbeque on weekends.
So that your parents will approve of me.
And lastly, I’m doing all this so that you can be proud of me.

Yours truly.

Auditor or Prostitute?

There is this viral e-mail that has been circulating at work for the past few days. all this kind of things tend to happen during the peak period; where auditors started to feel the pressure of losing out on life and they try to make their life somehow meaningful by coming up with funny e-mails.

the email is funny alright, but at one stage does make one wonders, what or who we are actually?

So are you a prostitute or an auditor?

1. You work very odd hours.
2. You are paid a lot of money to keep your client happy.
3. You are paid well but your pimp gets most of the money.
4. You spend a majority of your time in a hotel room.
5. You charge by the hour but your time can be extended.
6. You are not proud of what you do.
7. Creating fantasies for your clients is rewarded.
8. It’s difficult to have a family.
9. You have no job satisfaction.
10. If a client beats you up, the pimp just sends you to another client.
11. You are embarrassed to tell people what you do for a living.
12. People ask you, “What do you do?” and you can’t explain it.
13. Your client pays for your hotel room plus your hourly rate.
14. Your client always wants to know how much you charge and what they get for the money.
15. Your pimp drives nice cars like Mercedes or Jaguars.
16. Your pimp encourages drinking and you become addicted to drugs to ease the pain of it all.
17. You know the pimp is charging more than you are worth but if the client is foolish enough to pay it’s not your problem.
18. When you leave to go see a client, you look great, but return looking like hell (compare your appearance on Monday AM to Friday PM).
19. You are rated on your “performance” in an excruciating ordeal.
20. Even though you get paid the big bucks, it’s the client who walks away smiling.
21. The client always thinks your “cut” of your billing rate is higher than it actually is, and in turn, expects miracles from you.
22. When you deduct your “take” from your billing rate, you constantly wonder if you could get a better deal with another pimp.
23. Your pimp seems to often abuse you, forgetting that without you, he would not have a business.
24. You do all the real work, but the pimp has a higher stigma and more money, and really just has to “coordinate” the work for you. Sometimes, you wonder if you could just make more money pimping out yourself.
25. You get so brainwashed into the lifestyle, that you don’t realize that life can be better, until it is too late. 
26. Personal time, or a work/life balance, is meaningless to your pimp, all he cares about is satisfying the clients, despite how many times he tells you he loves you.
27. After a few years, you find that all your non-prostitute friends are no longer your friends, because you lost touch and your schedule and lifestyle was difficult to manage, and you find that you associate primarily with other prostitutes.
28. The turnover rate is ridiculously high. Everyone thinks they can do it for a few years, no problem, but after just a few clients railing you, many break under the pressure, or quit for a better life.
29. Most of the time, your job could be performed by a well-trained monkey.
30. You thought college was a waste of time.

 

Again, which one are you; Prostitute or Auditor?

Friday night in Bandar Utama

its nearing the 4th month of my internship here in KPMG. most of the days, its fun to be in the office, but on friday night its not that fun yes? well, i’m starting to play catch up with the workloads i’ve been getting since puasa. keep on piling up. once i finish a job, another once came in. i cant complain much, i know exactly what i’m in for when i accepted the offer to do my internship here.

and so, its friday night, and i have few more sets of accounts to go. but first i’m gonna show you where i work

my department is on the 8th floor of KPMG Tower

and this is the section where i’m seating most of the day

my work station

and this is hell (usher “OMG” playing in the background)

so this is what i’m doing on a friday night. but i’m gonna leave the office soon, need to show people that auditor is fun too, its not all about work. unfortunately there is no photographic proof of auditor being fun. sigh

84 and counting.

as of today, i have been an auditor for exactly 84 days. only now, it makes sense; those stuffs that i have been learning for the past 4 years during my degree. and that means, time is ticking as well.

i have another job offer on the table, a very interesting offer. the money they are offering is huge, and office location is very very good. even my accommodation is paid for, for the first year at least.and i have until 31 Dec to decide.

i’m at a crossroads, but right now….i’m favouring my current job, my current life. everything is going according to my plan; my 3 years old plan. i still have to decide, but right now, i’m just gonna live in the present and think about it later.

because my heart keeps telling me to stay.

laundry day

Its saturday night, and after half of the waking hours spent in helmy and dini’s place celebrating leia 1st birthday, I decided to go home.somehow along the way, I decided to steer my car to the curve without any intention or objective at all.
While I was hunting for parking, I decided to get a new tie for work. I have 3 ties now, but all three was a gift.I wanted to buy one with my own money. Parking was easy to find, get to park right below the bazaar area. It must be my lucky night. Turned out I was wrong.
After 2 flight of stairs, much to my dissapointment, the bazaar area is closing up.
After making one round, I managed to get to the tie shop, only to see the very young not so attractive lady packing up all the ties into the huge red plastic bag. Dejected, I decided to hang around at laundry.hilmi and hafiz not around.as I am alone, I decided to do some cleaning up with my phone.deleting emails, smses, apps that I never get to use and blurry pics.
This is when I stumble into an application I downloaded on the first month I got my blackberry; “wordpress for blackberry”.

So all this story is about me telling you that I’m trying to post a blog using my phone. I’m really bored right now.yeah. Now amuse me!

eros *yes it is a greek word*

thank you for giving me the chance.

thank you santa for making up your mind.

i will cherish you till the end of life.

now you’ve given me my gift santa, go make someone else happy