It has been ages since the last time I'd actually blogged. Life is but miserable, cruel and cold-blooded, but guess what, we could actually see it from a brighter perspective!
I joined my 3rd penang bridge run last weekend, with some non-local friends.
Event Results
17KM CheckPoint : 2:10:41.59
ChipTime : 2:47:50.74
GunTime : 2:47:57.49
Ranking : 1731/4509
I know by the ranking itself, it seems extremely unhealthy for a 18 year old, how unfit i am.. heeeeeheeee xD:)
After all, it is not about how fast you finish your run, but how and whether you complete the marathon or not. A fruitful run indeed. A run in which I made it a social hub to meet old friends, to make jokes and free 100plus sessions along the bridge with old buddies. What's more when Allianz group hired a team professional massagers which will make you feel like in heaven for 3minutes massage after exhausting 21km run. perrrhhh, TERRRrrrrbaiK!
Still, I got my finishing medal!
Though I couldn't break my own record, 2hours and 18minutes in 2009, I enjoyed the scenery and had an unprecedentedly awesome stroll on the bridge. Back in 2009, I ran my heart out to get good timing, so I didn't actually feel Penang. Imagine the cool breeze playing your hair while you're entering Penang Bridge, with who-know-which-school 24-season drum members adding a mystic aura to the serene atmosphere pumping more adrenaline to assist you to run better, THIS IS PENANG, my heart told me, and I'm proud to be born and breed on this lovely island.
Wooohoo, and for Penangites, we'll feel home whenever Penang Hokkien is spoken, be it Chinese, Indian or Malay, which overwhelmed the Penang Bridge International Marathon- add an ALLIANZ for legal purposes.
Life after all is not blind competition, with Penang located way far from Singapore, we are free from the viral kiasuness, not so.
I've noticed few i-call-it mentality problems, which are proliferating within my contemporaries, including me for instance.
First, we tend not to believe what we believed in.
No further explanation is provided, interpret it yourself. But being liberal is a good thing, yet many are moving backwards. Poor them, not me!
Second, we no longer proud of what we've learned, i.e mother tongue, but trying so badly to cling on English, yeah, I know I know, English is important in this globalised world, but when you're back in your hometown, use lah something familiar, something everyone feels comfortable lah, amboiii. If not, what's the purpose spending years back then to pick up this language?
To mothers and fathers out there, if you speak lousy broken Manglish, try not corrupt your sons and daughters with it, speak whatever you feel comfortable with, as long as it is authentic and proper when grammar is concerned. Using more Manglish-lah, it will only counter-productive. Your kids might find hard to adapt to proper English in schools or further down in their life. Expect your kids to say: "Excuse me, can you please wash your hands before you have your meal?", while you use: "Go, go wash hand!" even before he knows how to walk. Allow your kids to learn an extra language, this will arm him better in the future. After all, Lim Goh Tong only know Hokkien and Malay, but see how's Genting today. It's not about which language, but attitude! And learning a new language without prior knowledge from a proper authentic speaker will ensure a higher mastery.
Third, attitude.
Auntie ar, is it very hard to say 'thank you' 'terima kasih' 'kam sia' or even a smile? Don't lah so kedekut, will a smile causes you more wrinkles and cost you more on botox? PUUUhh-les, our mother already taught us, 'say thank you' so many times and be friendly like 'say bye bye to uncle' when we were small.
Do offer help, even if someone doesn't demand, they might be embarrass, but what's wrong to just approach an old uncle and say "can I give you a hand?", do this to nullify the notion of Malaysians are no longer friendly.
Kiasu kiasi won't bring you any far brother!
As the youths nowadays just simply don't know what it is like to be poor. Thus taking everything for granted.
Imangine when your friends wailing they couldn't sleep because "no air con", "too hot".
Or complaining to you, the heater is down, the water is too cold for shower in the morning, thus they would rather not shower. EEEewwww.....
Or worse case, I'm not going to use public transports, taxi excluded, as immigrants use them, buses are dirty, time-consuming. So, these people only got three means to commute, flight(air-asia, i'm telling you, if you seriously want to brag how rich you are, why not MAS?), taxi, and their parents' car.
How civilised of you!
Anyway, I'm glad I could bring friends around Penang, although only few which stayed in my house got the chance to really feel what life as a Penangite is with RM2.80 hokkien mee, laksa, penang road cendol and also, jackpot, lottery and 4-D. Those who chose to stay in hotel, go ahead, Penang economy needs your kindness so that our tourism could prosper even more.
Mr. Lim Guan Eng, Penang Road food prices have gone up too high for a local like me, I prefer RM2.80 char koay teow compared to a RM6.oo one.
Li Ren (a sarawakian) and me before run.
