25 November 2008

24 November 2008

The Wonderful Cross




When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown

O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless
Your name

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all

21 November 2008

Bell Sweep R

Look what arrived from the USA for me today! A Bell Sweep R race helmet! Same as u seen it on TV worn by pro cyclists. ^^

Front looks really nice. Paint scheme is cool as well. 20 vents for superior ventilation.

The rear GPS fitting system to fit any head size n shape. Rear fins design is awesome.

Side profile looks so-so but its stil a great helmet.

Size : S (51-55cm head circumference)
Weight : 282gms Size s
Ratings :-
Appearance : 9/10
Design : 9/10
Vents : 8/10 (prefer bigger holes)
Aerodynamics : Yet to be tested by me!
Price : RM550 (For sale!)

19 November 2008

Send Me

Sending things to loved ones is fun and fulfilling. Sending loved ones elsewhere is a hard thing. So now i learned.......

Well WHC has been growing in many areas. Gods special grace is everywhere, not just WHC. But His special plan for every individual in every church is even more special. There are 6.4billion people, God has more than 6.4billion plans for everyone of us to know Him more, love Him more, experience Him more and extend His kingdom more.

Having said that, it is at this timing in this season that WHC has been somehow guided by got to send forth like we have never sent before in WHC history.

Last week it was announced to everyone that Ps Kenneth Kang and Ps Sharon Kang will be moving to Penang to plant a new church.

To many this will be seen as a wonderful move to expand God's kingdom. It is infact. And the vision of WHC spreades north.

But the hardest part is always letting go. Ps David has been talking abt sending ppl out to evengelise, to the whole world. Now that prophecy has come to pass. God's ways are always full of mysteries and unexpectedness but its for good. Gods plans never are meant to be for the worst. Otherwise we be ditching God long ago.

It was emotional when they were presented before the church members. To say goodbye and to rekindle past memories. But Gods ways are higher and they responded to God's call. It took alot of prayer and confirmation on their side. Leaving KL for Penang with nothing more than faith, it is a bold step to depend totally on God for providence. And little Sophia will tag along. And i though i get to see her grow up in WHC's arms.

I wana take this opportunity to thank Ps Kenneth especially coz he was the first to reach out to me when i first came to KTAR. In fact in the first 3 days i arrived during orientation week in college he was already there, introduced to me. I didnt know he was a pastor at first. He took me and few other frends out to familarize with Wangsa Maju, took us for dinner, and futsal. =)

That little bit was all it took for me to feel the warmth of being not alone. And it was all in God's train of plans by then.

Will miss Ps Kenneth's preaching and his stories. Love them. Will miss worship practise with Ps Sharon coz thats always fun.

May God prepare the way for Ps Kenneth n Ps Sharon and Sophia into new frontiers. Blessings and grace upon them always. We will see each other again for sure. Amen

10 November 2008

Powerman 2008 Official result

This is my official result from the timing chip :
Sprint Category (5.5km run - 32km bike - 5km run)

Overall position : 17
Category position : 14
Gun time : 2hours 00 minutes 52 seconds
Run1 : 28mins 41secs
min/km : 5:13
T1 : 1min 57secs
Cycle : 58min 16secs
Avg speed : 32.9km/h
T2 : 1min 32secs
Run2 : 30min 33secs
min/km : 6:06

Not bad at all..... didnt expect this. 4 more places to top 10!

Next year im gunning this one!

Powerman 2008 Photos

I kidnapped these from Aini and a few other facebook sources. Hehehe

The cavalry has arrived!

I was about to overtake that guy but.......

Me suffering on the bridge........

Sayuti pushing hard.....

U turn for 2nd lap of bike

Transition from bike to run...

One big group.....

Racers up and down the bridge.......

I wonder wat was going tru this mind.....

Race mode!

On the Bainun Bridge......

Mac, tired.......

One of the pro riders No.003........ nice bike.......

Socializing......

Mariana Mohamad, Malaysia's top female duathlete.

Al coming into transition

Passing number to cousin to do the final run......

Shahrom Abdullah

Having fun on the bridge......

CM lagi.......

L-R : Sayuti, Darren CM, Al

09 November 2008

Powerman Malaysia 2008

The big final duathlon race of the year for me and my last big race of 2008. Another event ive been laying eyes on since last year. Now im joining it! The Powerman Duathlon in Sri Manjung, my lovely home soil. I registered under Sprint category (5.5km run 32km bike 5km run). And im proud to say its an international level event with world class athletes. Cool!

Pre Race-Day report : Saturday 8/11/08

Al picked me up from my place (admist communication problems) and his lovely cute cousin tagged along as she is joining the race as well as Al's teamate. Mix Team event. Shoot towards home at abt 3.30 and reached by 6.30 to collect the timing chip and other stuff. Then went home. Al met the family. Then went to find CM and his gang to take them go makan. IN the hotel room i saw his new Look 595 frame. Dayemmm. Cis.....Went for dinner at Teluk Batik. Ikan siakap masak sweet n sour. Best n recommended. Cost u RM3.50 per 100g. Worth it. Then I slept at about 1.30 am. Late rite?

Race Day Report : Sunday 9/11/08
LATE!!!!!!!!!!! Alarm rang at 5.30....tutup balik tidur......woke up at 6.30am! OMG OMG! I tot this time really kantoi. I ask Al he din pasang alarm kah? Al : "Ada......but i heard yours so i off mine." T_____T"

Thank God we did all out packing n stickers n numbers n preparation the night before. We did super fast cleanup and bike up. Left at abt 6.50am. Reached by 7.00am. Luckily still many havent checked into transition area. And thank God this isnt KL. Otherwise i be dead. Sitiawan is next to Manjung.

So quickly check in and warm up for the race. What a way to start the morning race. Zzzz. Saw many of my good cycling/running frends there. Mac, Jaja, Aini, Arif, CM, Adeline, Michelle, Clarence, Jason, Kenny, Vong, PK, May Senn. And it was always lovely to hear Adele's emcee voice in the morning. Lovely gal. Then my dad came along to give some support.

7.30am
Individual (Long distance - 11k run 64k bike 10k run) racers went off. Headed by Jason Spong of South Africa, Andy Sutz of Switzerland (current World Champion) , and other top duathletes. Shahrom Abdullah (Malaysia's top duathlete) was there too. Very nice guy n very soft spoken.

7.40am
Relay Team (same distance as Individual) goes off.

7.50am
My turn! First 1km the legs felt good. Same cant be said about Clarence struggling to follow me and Patrick. I paced myself. Didnt want to run after the next guy/lady that overtakes me. Cant be bothered. I didnt train much so i wasnt expecting much. Running my first race on my home turf in the morning mist was just so nice. I miss home =)

Almost finishing the 5.5km first run. Legs still were good. Time was good too. 27 minits when i reached the stadium. Heard dad holler my name. Gave a quick wave then went on. Bike transition i took about 2minits. Wanted to calm down and not get another cramp for going too fast. Put on my helmet and cycling shoes. Went off with the ultimate mission : BURN the road of Sitiawan/Manjung with my Look frame. Maiden ride on home ground in a race. How wonderful.

I used high cadence and light gearing at 30kmh to warm up the legs. Worked well. After about 2km i got into the high gear TT ring and went aero tuck for the rest of th journey. Cyclist were all over the road. Some used ultra cool freaking bikes while some used down to earth simpler ones. I just blazed the road. First 5km was trying to find the best cadence and position. Kept at 34-35kmh steady pace and i planned to do 38 on the way back.

Cant help but hearing all the noises from the disc and aero wheels. Sounds exactly like a fan running beside you. Marshalls checking riders they dont draft. And in the far ahead distance.... the elite guys returning for their second lap. Amazing.

By the time i got to the Tunku Bainun bridge i went flat out on it. 28kmh up hill. The U-turn back was smooth. No one fell. More riders still behind me and still see an endless beeline of 500 cyclist on the road. The headwind that greeted me after the U turn prevented my to stick to my 38kmh plan. So i just rode 34 all the way back. And the right calf was going "Hey hey.....slow down.....i wont hesitate to pull the trigger." Had to unclip n stretch it for a while.

Thanks to all the marshalls on the road taking care of traffic.

Got back to the stadium. Got off and transitted to the final run. By this time i was 70% spent. Barely had enough to finish the final run. I took a powergel and water just incase. And the run was slow. I guess most were like tat. I was jogging the first 2.5km. And i found myself suddenly alone. No one infront and at the back in sight. I didnt wana push to save the legs. By 4km i started hearing footsteps behind me.....the last 1km seemed the longest last km (sounds familiar dont it?).

After the final traffic light junction to the stadium my watch showed total time of 1hr 59mins 40secs. I WANA REACH IN 2 HOURS!!!! I was just 200 meters away. OMG am i going to make it? Adele excitedly called my number and name while i sprinted to the line.....

2hrs 00mins 40secs. YAHOOOO!!!! Achieved target!

Cannot believe what i just did. Thank God for everything. Bloody best damn race ive had. Clarence came in later at abt 2hrs 35. Then the rest came in much later. I just lepaked arnd waiting for Al to reach n finish. Meanwhile lots of socializing went on. Met people. Asked about their race. Enjoyed the sun. Adele busy emceeing. Melody busy running around.

Oh yes....... the Mens Elite Champion : Jason Spong. Congrats to him. He did superb in 2hrs 45mins i think. Tats crazy nut time. LOL. His bike? Felt DA with Reynolds disc rear and 55mm front. Dayemmmmmmmm......... Shahrom came in 6th in abt 3hrs. Good job bro.

Bike porn everywhere. Saw Mac later on. Funny story of him getting punctured with tossings of tyre levers and pump. Al also punctured on the bridge. Apparently broken glass on the side. I didnt know also..... heard May Senn passed out on the first run. DNF. Oh well.......next year then Senn =)

I loved the free fruits. They should do it at every event like this! CM and Al's team's got 3rd for their respective categories (mixed relay and mens relay). Not bad.

After much sun bathing, went home to water bathe and come for the awards lunch. Tat was final stop at home. After tat would shoot back to KL. Miss home again =(

Awards Lunch (1pm)
Free buffet lunch. Was good. Fellowship was better. LOL. And i won a lucky draw for one session of fitness training worth RM120. Anybody wants? i dont really go to this kind of stuff. Habis makan by 2pm. by 3pm we all cabut after some photo sessions and final goodbyes.

Along the way saw others on the way home with their bikes strapped to the cars. Mine and Al's were happily enjoying the breeze on the rooftop at 100kmh. Then somehow met Mac Adeline May Senn and Shah at the Ulu Bernam RnR filling gas. Small world eh?

Reached KL by 6pm.

Thanks to Al alot for fetching me to and fro. =)

Next years Powerman i will surely enter again. Hope to improve my time.

1st run - 27mins
Bike - 58mins
2nd run - 25mins

See you all next year!

03 November 2008

Joy

Just to announce and share some wonderful news :

3 new pastors have been ordained in my church, Ps Jason Wong, Ps Monica Lee and Ps Jadeline Lee.

All 3 were ministry assistants under Ps David (Senior and founding pastor of World Harvest Church) , they have proved their calling by God to fulfill a lifetime vocation to serve God and do His works of expanding the Kingdom of God and enhancing the Vision of WHC. They have laid down their lives and showed great faith living under God's providence.

So with them being my friends and esp Ps Jason being my section leader, its great news to hear them being ordained. I pray and bless them with more wonderful years in ministry serving and walking with the Lord. May God grant them wisdom sound, mind, greater expansion of faith, more annointing, more grace, more impartation of the Holy Spirit, more blessings, more love for the lost, more favour and more of just everything they need. Amen

Will have to get used to calling them Pastors but because we are of the same age group usually its ok to just call them normally by name.

The other great news :

Ps Jason Wong and Ps Jadeline Lee are getting married next year! Wonderful. God bless their marriage.

01 November 2008

Back on the bike

Ah.......finally today i got to ride after a long month break. Was really happy to test out the Look frame. And more excited was i was riding with Elaine Wong. First time meet her and shes really a bubbly girl. At least my rides not so boring.

Only problem is i was a little rusty.......no........seriously rusty. And Elaine was seriously the fitter one. Got dropped by her all the time. Humbling? Humiliating? Argh.......kayuh jer lah.....

Went from Batu 14 - Perez - Tekala - Batu 14. And for a start..........after a long long while off the bike...... 121km. Gosh.......

Bumped into Bahri's group along the way and i was so happy to see him. We havent seen each other in months. Miss him alot coz i like to kacau him n he likes to crap alot of nonsense @!$%(^).

At the end of the day, the bike was really really up to my expectations. Light and responsive. But i didnt expect to pick up a knee injury this soon. T____T" . Oh well.....i am really grateful to Elaine for fetching me home. She's really nice. Oh yah, original Hong Kong girl some more. ^^

So gona take a nice rest n carbo loading now. Report over.

UPDATES*
Next week is Powerman Duathlon!!! And on my home turf in Sri Manjung/Sitiawan. Hope to see any of u guys there!

My race no. is 623. So just open your eyes big big for my number if u wana chat or kiss me. Hehe.

O n O.