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Thursday, December 28, 2006

A Tribute to 2006

Finally, the year is coming to an end. I felt like singing My Way, really. But that's just me, corny as usual.

I did something similiar last year, reflecting on my 2005 and what happened throughout the years with notable memories.

This year would not be much different as i wind up the year!

January 2006
With absolutely nothing to do in January, a couple of us decided to cycle up Cameron. It was my first maiden trip via Simpang Pulai and i was looking forward to it as much as the rest of the jokers that went along. We got up safe, but decided to ditch the idea of riding 70km down via the same road as we were drenched with sweat and the mist. The cold wind would be enough to freeze one of us!

And what more fun than to have a press conference where you are one of the people the press would, err...interview? Felt like a celeb? you bet!!! And seeing my own face in the paper again after so many years!

January was a really hectic month with rides, runs and more cam whoring!

Memorable moment: Terence Penguin was diagnosed with brain aneurysms and till today, he is still racing. How is that for human spirit? Get well son bro!

February 2006
With wedding just around the corner and loads of things need to be done, i found myself prioritising and had to leave the dream of racing in Ironman Langkawi. Nevermind the fact that i've not registered for it, but i have every intention of racing it sans the road bike. Now that i've missed it totally, and gonna miss it again in 2007, i decide that targeting to do this in 2008 would be a better idea. Enough time to save for a road bike and enough time for more preparation.

So, to my 3 heroic friends that did Ironman Langkawi with minimal training and with one of them beating the crap out of some more accomplished atheletes, here's to you...WELL DONE!

Memorable Moment:Getting live update from Ironman Langkawi through Karo and Azmar, which were there to cheer, run, bike and accompany all of them until the finish line. Can't get better friends than that!

March 2006
With wedding just around the corner and a marathon to run. I somewhat felt that i was pushing everything to the limit. I did it in 2004, where i did the Perhentian Island Challenge like 2 weeks before my marriage registration, going into the registrar office with a tan so dark he thought me and wifey had the wrong place to register our wedding.

Accomplishing my first ever marathon (that is 42km mind you) in 5hours 55 minutes was hardly anything to brag about. But the mere fact that i actually complete it when my preparation was jeopordised by me having a viral attack in december and january, i know i should just be glad that i did finished it. And Thank You Adilah, for running with me up till the 34km mark (then you started running faster and i can't catch up!) Will i do it again? Well at that point of time, it's a hell yes! Read on to see if i have the intention to do it again....

Then came the wedding. Where all the effort over the past 2 years of organising it paid off. Iqbal, Karen and Claudia came from a far to grace out wedding. With my friends that grew up with me helping out and doing all the could, and with wifey's friends chipping in to help, it was a good experience for all of us. I must say i was really appreciative of their help and presence!

The saddest part was when Murphy boy went missing. Till this days, me and wifey still hope he is found by someone and well taken care of. It's like losing a family member! Devastating!

Memorable moment:When the pregnancy test kit turned postive a day after the wedding, before the Malaysian F1 GP. Iqbal was the first one to know about the pregnancy. I was excited and wifey kept asking me if the test is 100% accurate.

April 2006
Took a sabbatical from blogging and went missing for 2 weeks. Obviously no one misses me from the amount of comments or site traffic that i saw.

Went off to Bali with wifey for honeymoon. The deed was done, which makes every moment more rewarding (you can't get pregnant again when you are pregnant, right???) It was also my first trip to Bali, but it was wifey's second or third. It was a good break for both of us, especially when everything we planned for went smoothly and she is pregnant.

Memorable moment: Seeing our yet to be born son inside his/her mother's womb. He/She was only a dot wide! (ya la, that time don't know if boy or girl mah!). Anohter memorable moment was finding out that Chipang's wife and Zabil's wife was also pregnant and all of them share the same due date as my own baby. That could only mean that the fertilisation were all calculated to be on the same day, and it was the Ironman Langkawi weekend!

May 2006
My schedule race in Explorace Season 3. Me and bandit raced and managed to win the race with a very comfortable margin. To our opponents, James and David, thanks for the memories! We raced in Kota Tinggi in our frist round! I recalled Abang Jebat telling me that my hands were shaking when i open the clue envelope..and he was actually shooting with the camera like from 50meters away (for dramatic panaromic zoomed in effect la...)

The same month, i entered the first edition of MMDS at Dataran Merdeka. Recalling my knees getting weak the year before, i was more determined to finish the race in better timing. Afterall, i'm supposed to be fit and just finished my first ever marathon!

The same month too, a friend passed away. Rest in Peace Bro!

I too had the privy to cycle into National Park via Kahang with a bunch of like minded buggers. The ride was enjoyoable and fun. Some of us also caught sight of the Pigmy Elephants; a whole herd!

That trip was also the last i saw OP Tahir (The late, he passed away a week before christmas). May you rest in peace sir!

Memorable Moments: Seeing Bandit almost drown in Rompin and being saved by Superman Puzi. I almost lost a friend and a partner but i am just glad he is all safe. Since then, Bandit has tried to follow whatever Puzi does! Hahahah!

The other memorable moment was when i got my middle finger snapped by the mud crab's claw. The claw broke, but my finger was intact, abeit throbbing throughout the race in Kota Tinggi!

June 2006
Explorace Season 3 Round 2 brought me and Bandit to Thailand. To be more specific, Bangkok. We lost the race due to our luck with the local taxis. I felt really bad as it was me that has caused this mishap (i was in the taxi la!) and when i saw Amazing Race Asia Episode 7, where they raced in Bangkok (same route: Ayuthaya to Bangkok), i realised that Bangkok Taxi Drivers are a bunch of Morons!!!

The same month, because of frustration of not being in contention to grab the RM100K, me and bandit joined Eco-X in Hulu Langat. We did a last minute teammate change to balance out the group and my team, consist of Steve, Bacin and Me, were the only team among the LnE members that completed the race ranked.

June was a sad month too as Dr. Poon lost his daughter. May her soul rest in peace.


Then, Engelbert Humperdinck came to KL for the RMC-OPA Charity Dinner/Concert. The whole do was almost disastourous when Engelbert was down with bad sore infection. Cancellations and crowd control was the main highlight and kudos to all the volunteers ( that has the choice of walking away), that handled everything really well!

Memorable Moment: The excitement when Explorace Season 3 finally started airing on TV3. That could only mean i would be seeing myself on TV for the very first time!

July 2006
Went for my first unoffical race marshalling duty with Nomad Adventure for the 3R season finale.

Then coming out in the month's issue of Galaxie magazine of me and Bandit cycling when we were in Kota Tinggi for Explorace.

Then it was the first Triathlon race for me in 2006 in PD!!! Of which i did not do as well as i did the year before. Not sure why, but i'll definately train harder!

One week after, it was MMDS race 2 at Putrajaya. I managed to finish it of course, as usual. Timing was somewhat similiar to what i did last year. But there is no exact benchmark as the race was in a different venue compared to last year. Anyhow, it was a good race!

Then it was me and bandit on national TV!!! But of course, that morning, we were also on MHI!

Memorable moment: Being a wannabe TV star in July!

August 2006
August was more of a time to rest and reflect on what has happened over the year so far. I bought myself a Phiten product, which was supposed to eliviate pain and improve my atheletic performance(at least now got tools to blame if my racing sucks!).

But August was also the very first time i blogged about Ryan. Bringing my blog readers from him, being just a tiny cell in wifey's womb to showing the world his face. :)

August was also the month when me and Bandit finally won something BIG. We were the champ for AXN Amazing Mall Challenge!

On the 31st August 2006, a bunch of us actually went cycling around KL. We were at Dataran Merdeka when some reporters came up to us and snapped our pictures.

Memorable Moments: Seeing Ryan's face via 2D Scan! And Iqbal telling me that his wifey is expecting! Such joy! And of course, winning the cash and hamper in AXN Amazing Mall!!!!

September 2006
Considering myself lucky when i chance upon a Paradise Tree Snake, and a rare one at that when i went climbing with the usual suspect at Damai.

One day after i blogged about the snake, news has it that Steve Irwin passed away. It was indeed a sad day and a lost for the wildlife world. Rest In Peace bro!

September is also the month where i looked forward to. As it's also when the Desaru Long Distance Tri will take place. This was also the race where i beat ONE profesional triathelte! hahahaahah! My race time aside, it was indeed a really fun outing, and most probably my last before Ryan comes to the world.

I had my first taste of being a official marshall officially alongside Choco and Soulpop in Perhentian Island Challenge. Being a marshall and racing as a participant are a totally two different set of experience. It is easier to race than to marshall! Trust me on this!

September also marks the 4th year that i know my wife. Such bliss and joy! Thank you baby!

September was also my parent's wedding anniversary!

And to cap off September, i joined the crazy bunch to cycle up Genting again. It seems and looked like a yearly pilgramage for me! The immortals did it every week during the fasting month.

Memorable Moment: Eating the road going down Genting...ouch...

October 2006
October was when my mum gave me a blender old enough to be older than my youngest sis.

It's also the month when Wifey and partners opened yet anohter branch of their shop! Well done. 6 years down and they have 4 branches.

This month too, i realised that i totally forgotten to renew my Kancil's roadtax and has since been driving minus the road tax for the longest time. Getting old, but i had fatherhood to blame!

That also meant i had to say goodbye to my trusty ride and had gotten myself and wifey anohter new car!

It's also the month where my sister celebrate her 26th Birthday. happy birthday again sis!

And officially, i was allowed to tell the world that Iqbal would be a dad!

Memorable Moment: Saying goodbye to my old ride and getting a new one...

November 2006
With Ryan coming anytime soon, i decided to write a letter to him.

Then, it was my granma's 80th birthday celebration. By now, she's already a great-granmother!

Then it was my sis turn to be famous in 3R! Obviously getting more airtime than me..hahahahah!

I ran the Subang 10K as well. I did not break my own personal best time which i did last year. Maybe due to loads of inactivities over the months by spending more time with wifey.

My birthday came, then Zabil's daughter came, then Chipang's son came. Still no sign of Ryan coming out though. Would be great to share the same birthday as me, but like my mum said, he will come out when he wants to come out!

And finally, on the 18th November...Ryan Ambrose Lim Jo-Hann came into the world!

Memorable Moment: what else? Ryan of course

December 2006
With baby in our arms and taking up most of our time, wifey had a slow, but good birthday celebration.

Ryan grew pretty quickly and he seems to be the joy in both his paternal and maternal family side.

Then, Surin got married. Which was the highlight of December!

December are usually slow for me and family. With no races in sight and no rides that i've done since the last race in Desaru, it sure felt like ages. I recieved an entry form to run next year's KLIM on the 18th March 2007. I'm signing up, not to take advantage of the early bird discount, but to race again.

Hence, i was back on the threadmill yesterday, running a painful 2 mile (or 3.2km) in 15 minutes. Got to start somewhere, no?

Speaking of which, i enrolled in the Google Adsense. Got to try to find ways to earn some extra pocket money to buy milk for Ryan, no? So, readers, click on, please! :)

We had our first christmas as a family with wifey and Ryan. I must say, Fatherhood is rahter rewarding. Nevermind the sleepless nights and sleeping while feeding the baby, it's all worth it, especially when you see them smile and reacts to your action.

Memorable Moment: Surin's wedding. It's like seeing a brother getting married.

So, with December ending in 3 days time. Here i am, wishing all of you a very healthy, merry, happy, properous new year 2007. Many good tidings and many more good wishes for the years to come.

I won't have any new year resolution, infact, i never did have any for the longest time. I just hope that 2007 will be more exciting than 2006 in all the good way and manner!

Bring on 2007, i should say!

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