Day Trip Malacca Trip 12/12/2008

Day Trip Malacca Trip 12/12/2008

We departed from my home at about 8:30 am to Malacca on 12/12/2008 to visit Eric Yee (whom I also known from Melbourne University). We arrived in Malacca about 10:00 am and had our early lunch about 11:30 am.

We had lunch in one of the Nyonya restaurant known as Nyonya Mak near the Dewan Pahlawan. Here are some photos of the food served in that particular restaurant:

1. Omelette with small shrimps


2. Curry prawn. Oh crap, I can't eat this.


3. This was one of the famous Nyonya cooking but I can't really remember the name of the dish.


4. Lady fingers with chilli, really spicy and pungent.


5. Eric and Damon having a good meal.


After having a hearty meal, we then proceed to the Portugal buildings in Malacca. Also, I can't remember what's it called but it was recently declared as a world heritage area. That is probably why Malacca is a lot cleaner and modernized since the last time I was here.

Here are some photos of the entire ordeal:

1. The sign before we head into that area


2. Me and Damon somewhere in that area


3. Me and the fountain (which I called the pissing fountain, since the pillar looks like you know)


Thereafter, we visited Jonker street where it is a small street with lotsa stalls and food around. We walked non stop for that day. Also, we ate non stop as well hahahah. Here are some photos of that:

1. Weird statue at the start of Jonker street


2. We ordered some coconuts in the pub (it was in the afternoon)


3. Me drinking coconut, hmmm delicious.


4. Immediately after walking, we had pork satay, interesting......


We headed back to Kuala Lumpur immediately after that. The entire journey took about almost 2 hours. By the time we reached Kuala Lumpur, we were hungry yet again. This time we had our dinner in the Original Kayu restaurant in Chow Yang. Here are some photos of the food we ate:

1. The infamous Roti Tissue from Kayu (really fattening haha)


2. Me and Damon at the Curve.


We arrived home about 11:00 pm if not mistaken, a day well spent in enjoying life to its fullest. Non stop eating, walking and taking photos. My new digital camera has definitely served me well this time.

Me and Damon will be heading off to Jakarta on 13/12/2008 and Soenaryo will pick us up from the airport.

Damon And Andison's Visit 10/07/2008

Damon And Andison's Visit 10/07/2008

Andison arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday while Damon arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. I was not able to showed Andison around Kuala Lumpur as my long leaves from work has yet to begin.

Nonetheless, I was able to treat them a meal of roast ducks with Ing Hoe (whom I knew from Melbourne University as well).

1. Beijing Roast Duck Dinner with Andison, Ing Hoe, Damon and myself.


2. Me and Damon stayed with Andison after the dinner in his hotel and had breakfast there.


3. Since the hotel was closed by to the KLCC Twin Towers, we headed there. (Me and Andison)


4. Me and Damon with the Twin Towers


5. A nice swimming pool near the hotel.


6. We had to send Andison off soon after


7. This is Andison in the LCCT Airport before take off.


8. After sending Andison off, we had satay lunch in Perhentian Dengkil which was on the way to Mid-Valley.


9. We had Ice Kacang in the Mid Valley foodcourt. Ing Hoe seems occupied with the phone while having dessert.


I reckon the photos above would give a general idea what we did that day. After all the above, we had dinner at home with my family. My mum's cooking is still the best. Thereafter, we planned for the next day Malacca trip.

Weekend Gym Session 07/12/2008

Weekend Gym Session 07/12/2008

I hate working out on the weekends. I rather spend most of time during the weekend getting more rest, play computer games and watch movies or tv series. After an entire week at work, I would much like to have some ME (my enjoyment) time.

However, due to the fact that I have only pull a single session this week. I decided after talking to my old friend Boon Yen in Adelaide, I should at least do two sessions per week. Thereafter, I proceed to the gym in Damansara Uptown as per usual. I arrived at the gym about 2:40 pm and left the gym about 4:00 pm. Total time spent in the gym = 1 hour 20 mins.

My workout routine as follows:

5 mins on rowing machine @ effort level = 10
* Resulted in 41 calories burned

Dumbbells bicep curls + Standing dumbbell triceps extension (Super-set):
2 (2x10) @ 13.63kg per arm, total = 27.27kg (biceps)
2x10 @ 29.54kg (triceps)
1 (2x10) @ 15.90kg per arm, total = 31.81kg (biceps)
2x10 @ 31.81kg (triceps)
1 (2x10) @ 11.36kg per arm, total = 22.72kg (biceps)
* Nothing special about this super-set as it was pretty standard for me.

Pendley Rows + Dumbbells shoulder fliers (Super-set):
1x10 @ 32.5kg (pendley)
1x10 @ 11.36kg per arm, total =22.72kg (fliers)
2x10 @ 42.5kg (pendley)
1x10 @ 9.09kg per arm, total = 18.18kg (fliers)
1x15 @ 47.5kg (pendley)
2x10 @ 6.81kg per arm, total = 13.63kg (fliers)
* I am doing the proper form for the pendley rows exercises, I managed to breeze through the Dumbbells shoulder fliers though.

Lat Pulldown - fixed weight + Legpress - fixed weight (Super-Set):
1x10 @ 40kg (pulldown)
1x10 @ 190kg (legpress)
2x10 @ 45kg (pulldown)
2x10 @ 210kg (legpress)
1x10 @ 50kg (pulldown)
1x10 @ 220kg (legpress)
* Nothing to yell about, legpress was pretty easy workout. I definitely could have done better for the lat pulldowns.

Barbell shoulder press + Dumbbells row (Super-set):
1x10 @ 32.5kg (shoulder)
1 (2x10) @ 18.18kg per arm, total = 36.36kg (rows)
2x10 @ 42.5kg (shoulder)
2 (2x10) @ 20.45kg per arm, total = 40.90kg (rows)
1x10 @ 47.5kg (shoulder)
1 (2x10) @ 22.72kg per arm, total = 45.45kg (rows)
* I used the Smith machine for my barbell shoulder press workout instead of the benchpress one. Frankly, I don't really like using the Smith machine. However the free weight choice was to use the benchpress which had no back support, so my choices were limited.

29 mins on treadmill with intervals
(eg. 2 mins @ effort level = 10 and 3 mins @ effort level = 8)
1 min on treadmill @ effort level = 11 (final sprint)
1 min on treadmill @ effort level = 5.5 (Cool-down)
* Resulted in 390 calories burned and about 4.6 km sprint and jog.

I may have to pull another gym session tomorrow as I believe I am unlikely to get another chance in doing two gym sessions next week as both my friends from Australia will be coming over for holiday. Fortunately, today I did a light to medium intensity workout and tomorrow is a public holiday anyways. As such, doing a two consecutive gym session would be my best bet in staying fit before going to Jakarta.

KPMG Annual Dinner 05/12/2008

KPMG Annual Dinner 05/12/2008

Today I was able to get off work earlier than usual. By 12:30pm, I was on my way back home. Due to the fact that I slept quite late the day before, I took a 1-2 hour nap after having my lunch. KPMG Annual Dinner was scheduled to start at about 7:15 pm, however, it started about 7:45pm to 8:00 pm when almost everybody was seated.

This year's annual dinner was a lot better than last year's. The acoustics of the stage was a lot better and the seatings were slightly more spacious than before. Also, I reckon this year's annual dinner was rather well-planned compared to last year.

Here are some photos of the dishes served on that night:
1. Five Happiness Dish, I think. Can't really remember the dish name though.


2. Shark's fin soup, no fine dinning should go without this


3. Something I hate, prawns and lotsa prawns


4. Scallops and broccoli, good combination of healthy food


5. And finally, this lovely buttery fish that we all dig in very quickly


Additional photos with regards to what happened during the stage time and before commencing our dinner:
1. A costume contests among the staff


2. Everybody giving every other person a massage, including me.


Photos of my team members who attended the KPMG Annual Dinner
1. Table 70 with my boss and my team members


2. The entire Transfer Pricing team members who attended the dinner plus a pirate


3. Two beautiful girls, one from Transfer Pricing Unit and the other from Tax Risk Management. Take a guess.


After having a hearty meal, I had some beer and dance a little before I went home. By the time, I got home it was about 12:30 am. Too bad Darryl couldn't make it to this year's annual dinner as I believed it was one of the best.

Work Day Gym Session 04/12/2008

Work Day Gym Session 04/12/2008

Time passes very quickly, within a short moment this entire week almost lapsed. I find myself drown in my job, continuously finishing one assignment after another. Today, I knew that I had to go to the gym no matter what. This is because that I have been feeling fat since Tuesday for unknown reasons.

3 days has lapsed since I ran 6.2 km in TTDI on Sunday. Most of the pain from my hamstring and my calves were gone. I arrived at the gym about 6:45 pm and left the gym about 8:30 pm, total time spent in the gym = 1 hour 45 mins.

My workout routine is as follows:

5 mins on rowing machine @ effort level = 10
* Resulted in 41 calories burned

Standing barbell bicep curls + Skullcrusher (Super-set):
1x10 @ 18.18kg (biceps)
1x10 @ 18.18kg (triceps)
3x10 @ 22.25kg (biceps)
3x10 @ 22.25kg (triceps)
*I felt alright doing this today, also I think I have a lot more energy left after this super-set unlike the usual.

Flat barbell benchpress + Dumbbells chest fliers (Super-set):
1x10 @ 50kg (benchpress)
2x10 @ 11.36kg per arm, total = 22.72kg (fliers)
2x10 @ 60kg (benchpress)
2x10 @ 13.63kg per arm, total = 27.27kg (fliers)
1x10 @ 65kg (benchpress)
*This was also slightly lighter compared to the usual weights I do, possibly due to the need to recover from the run?

Triceps Pulldown - fixed weight + Pullovers (Super-set):
1x10 @ 25kg (pulldown)
1x10 @ 25kg (pullovers)
2x10 @ 22.5kg (pulldown)
2x10 @ 29.54kg (pullovers)
1x10 @ 20kg (pulldown)
1x10 @ 31.81kg (pullovers)
* This is the first time I did supersets with one fixed weight exercise and another free weight exercise.

Squats (full) + Pulley - fixed weight (Super-set):
1x10 @ 60kg (Squats)
1x10 @ 40kg (Pulley)
1x10 @ 80kg (Squats)
1x10 @ 45kg (Pulley)
1x10 @ 90kg (Squats)
2x10 @ 35kg (Pulley)
1x10 @ 70kg (Squats)
* I found that the 60kg and 70kg full squat was quite easy to pull off. Therefore I will be intensifying my squat in the next gym session.

30 mins on treadmill with intervals
(eg. 2 mins @ effort level = 10 and 3 mins @ effort level = 8)
1 mins on treadmill @ effort level = 6.4 (Cool-down)
* Resulted in 385 calories burned and about 4.5 km sprint and jog.

After the gym session, I went over to the bookstore and bought the new PC Gamer Malaysia magazine. I waited in McDonalds for my dad to pick me up while reading the magazine. Due to my hectic work life, I have lesser time to spend on both my hobbies that is PC gaming and gym sessions. In the long run, I definitely have to make a choice between playing games and exercising.

Weekend KPMG Community Run Day 30/11/2008

Weekend KPMG Community Run Day 30/11/2008

I woke up about 6:30 am today despite the fact that I slept like 12 the night before. I hate waking up early to do exercises as it was definitely not my style. I had some light breakfast which consisted oatmeal,milk,500ml tea mix with milk, 1 tablet of multivitamin and 4 capsules of omega fish oil.

Here are some photos taken before and after the run:

1. Myself ready for the run about 7:00 am in the morning


2. A pair of Asic shoe that have served me well in all the gym session I performed since early this year.


3. My number for the run, 145.


I arrived at TTDI Primary school about 7:45 am, it was very difficult to find any car park as usual. I had to resort to parking near the Mosque which was about 500 metres away I reckon. The run started about 8:20 am if I am not mistaken, I completed the entire ordeal by 9:15. Total time for me to complete the run was about 45 mins to 50 mins.

My stats for the run is as follows:

Sunday, 30/11/2008, Heavy cardiovascular session
45-50 mins of walking and jogging (unable to estimate speed at all)
* Resulted in 6.2km covered and I think about 500 calories burned or more.

Obviously with that time frame, I did not win anything at all. At least, I know where I stand when it comes to cardiovascular exercises. I may intensify my cardiovascular training whenever I see fit. I will most probably be intensifying the HIIT for runs again, hopefully with better results the next time.

In addition, I think I did pretty alright for this week. This is because if I do the calculation of distance covered for this run and the other two gym sessions, I would arrived at about 15.3km covered this entire week. I may not beat most of the season runners but I am pretty sure that most runners couldn't handle the weight training I do anyways.

Work Day Gym Session 28/11/2008

Work Day Gym Session 28/11/2008

I'll admit this that I was trying to skip gym today again. I'll love to blame it on the bad weather as it was raining before and after I hit the gym today. Due to the fact that I will be required to run 6.2km on Sunday morning for the Community Day Run for KPMG, I reckon that this gym session would served as my final gym training before the run. I am hopeful that I will recover within one day in anticipating the run on Sunday.

I have decided to lift light to moderate weights for today's weights training. This is because I am trying to measure my endurance while running on the treadmill. I arrived at the gym about 7:30 pm and left the gym at 9:00 pm. Total time spent in the gym = 1 hour 30 mins (I'll like to keep my gym session within 90 mins if possible at all times)

My workout routine as follows:

5 mins on rowing machine @ effort level = 10
* Resulted in 41 calories burned

Standing barbell bicep curls + Skullcrusher (Super-set):
1x10 @ 18.18kg (biceps)
1x10 @ 18.18kg (triceps)
3x10 @ 22.25kg (biceps)
3x10 @ 22.25kg (triceps)
* I am doing lighter than usual weights for this as well.

Pendley row + Dumbbells shoulder fliers (Super-set):
2x10 @ 42.5kg (Pendley)
2x10 @ 9.09kg per arm, total = 18.18kg (fliers)
2x10 @ 52.5kg (Pendley)
2x10 @ 6.81kg per arm, total = 13.63kg (fliers)
1x6 @ 42.5kg (Pendley)
1x12 @ 20kg (Pendley)
* I was trying to do the proper Pendley Row with the final 2 sets, thanks to a personal trainer, I managed to learn the right form I guess.

Lat Pulldown - fixed weight + Leg Curls - fixed weight (Super-Set):
1x10 @ 25kg (leg curls)
2x10 @ 40kg (Pulldown)
1x10 @ 40kg (leg curls)
2x10 @ 45kg (Pulldown)
2x10 @ 45kg (leg curls)
* I have tweak this to incorporate a slightly easier work out for this session.

Inclined benchpress:
2x10 @ 50kg
2x10 @ 60kg
* Lighter than usual and without super-set, to conserve my stamina and energy for the run.

Barbell shoulder press:
1x8 @ 40kg
* I couldn't be bothered to do this exercise as I was more occupied in trying to get to the treadmill ASAP.

30 mins on treadmill @ speed = 9.0 kmph and gradient = 0
1 min on treadmill @ speed = 4.5kmph and gradient = 0 (cool-down)
* Resulted in 390 calories burned and about 4.6 km jog. This was slightly higher than the interval training in terms of both distance covered and calories burned. However, I will revert back to the interval training as it is far more interesting and tiresome.

This is my final gym session before the run on Sunday dated 30/11/2008. I am targeting to finish the race in at least within 45 mins timeframe. I should get as much rest as possible prior to the run on Sunday. Wish me luck, guys.......I probably need lotsa of those and maybe some glutamine.