#6 - No Facebook

People still look at me weird when I tell them I don't have Facebook account.

My existence is the only thing that matters because I AM real. Facebook is not.

Eh, a full review of the Cloudsurfer is coming very shortly...

#5 - An Imaginary Place in the Future, Part 1

You... I hate you... McBooger Fuzzballs

So here is an article about atheism and religious tolerance, two words that goes together as well as Mentos and a bottle of Coke, or sugar with sulfuric acid, or the Roman Catholic church with young boys, or Najib with the electronic media - they should never tango along.

It was initially a minor nuisance, an issue that I have the least of any vested interest about even if I have got to the bottom of list of things that I should occupy myself with. Watching the 12-hours version of the Nyan Cat video is among the bottom-list occupier. But a piece of poop, when flung into your general vicinity, and had been done so continuously for so long, you can only ignore it long enough before you give in.

Tonight... we dine in HELL!

People with religion, especially Muslims, are among the most hostile and close-minded and hateful and illogical and devoid of critical analysis capacity bag of meat.

And the worst thing of all: it's the religion actually that compels them to behave in such a way in the first place. Religion made them hostile. Religion made them hateful. Religion made them close-minded.

Or it's the other way around, I don't know.

There is this small, very faint, almost whispering voice that says religion is a matter of choice.

But at the end of the day, hostility and close-mindedness and hatred trumps over good sense and logical deduction. We are still, after all, an animal. Barbaric animals.

And for my next move: Jumping Love Bite Attack on the Neck!

#4 - Malaysia's football, hah!

So, full time at the National Stadium Bukit Jalil, the first game (for Malaysia) at the AFF Suzuki Cup, they are (trying to distance myself from the team) three goals down without any reply.

In Malay language, if a team (any team), or person, or things, that is/are poor, or of poor quality, we refer to them as 'ayam'. English word is 'chicken'.

When the same said 'chicken' got his/her/its'/their ass handed to, it can also be referred to as being 'grilled'. So, here's an appropriate picture to the Malaysia football team:

Hardee harhar

Better *luck next time, boys?

*because technically speaking, we were never good. So a win to Malaysia is total fluke.

#3 - On Cloudsurfer, the first impression

So, here's my initial review of the *brand new On Cloudsurfer, as purchased at a discounted price at the truly cool Athlete's Circle.

Huzzah!

Saturday, 24 November 2012, 0600 hours, Desa Sentosa Fasa 2, Bangi, south of KL, north of Nilai, east of Putrajaya, west of... err... a thick rainforest? Never mind, does not matter, a new day awaits, and more importantly a *brand-spanking new shoe is waiting for me.

So I walked out of my room, switched on all the lights, and walked to the kitchen sink to brush my teeth. (No, the house's bathroom is devoid of the sink) Then I woke up the housemate (he the one with the other pair of Cloudsurfer), then took my shower.

If On Running uses this picture in their promotional material, sales worldwide will definitely triple

Twenty minutes later, we're both ready - eager, no, raring to go. It should be an exciting Saturday morning run at the track, we both thought. But then...

BAM! Herpes. No - rain. Rain.

The rain lasted for two and a half hours before I resolved that we should just drive down to the track and see if it slows down to a light drizzle. So we did. And thankfully by the time we made it at the track in Seksyen 15, the sky cleared up. Perfect!

And so we did finally go for a, no, not run, a slow jog. 6 rounds, 2.4km, that is all. I thought: "Bah! Humbug." But from that 2.4km slow jog, I did manage to get something for my initial initial review of the shoe.

Business in the front, party in the back...

The first thing that I notice with my first few step was that they are 'bouncy'. And so avid runners all around Malaysia let out a hearty guffaw as they see me using that word to describe what the gods of Swiss marathoner have bestowed runners the world over with this neat technology called Cloudtec.

That's where the traction, the cushion, and the 'bounce' comes from - the rubber pods, or clouds as the marketeers at On Running like to refer to it as. I suspect the sky over Switzerland must be very clear all year round so they had to imagine how a real cloud actually looks like. Ah, those poor Swiss.

But those pods makes for a really interesting-looking bottom for any running shoes currently available in the market.

And when I read that line again for a second time, the very subtle innuendo is inescapable.

Alas, a proper full review of the shoe should come in later post as I try to put in more mileage in her... Ooh, look at the shoe...

Until then...

*as per my purchase

#2 - One thing led to another...

It's payday.

Which led to a 40 minutes drive lunch at the HS cafe in IIUM Gombak. Sounds crazy, right? Yeah - deliciously, finger-licking-ly, sumptuously crazy. Erotically... errmm...

Boom! Mandi chicken.

That there you see is a plate of basmathi rice, with a selection of mixed vegetable, and a quarter (A QUARTER!) of a chicken, seasoned with pepper, roasted, then steamed slowly with the rice. With a sambal side, that's a plating for one person. The picture may not do much justice but believe me, when I say the serving size is very generous, I do mean that it's huge. Along with a glass of hot mint tea, that's RM10 for you. Cheap is subjective so I'd say it is well-priced.

Then we - oh, I should mention that I went there along with a friend - went for a brief walk around the campus, possibly from the guilt of downing a quarter (A QUARTER!) of a chicken in a single seating. I mean I've seen countless episodes of Man vs Food, and I don't intend to walk down that line anywhere in the near future.

That line is somewhere beneath the table...

Anyway, after giving him close to one hour guided tour around the campus, we left Gombak for Athelete's Circle in PJ. That was the original intent anyway because I've been wanting to buy a new shoe for training. The original plan was the Puma FAAS 250. Lightweight, minimal cushioning, and I assume close to zero heel drop, which was perfect. But then I came across this:

It's an interesting shoe, this: On Cloudsurfer. It's an old model, from 2011, so it was offered at a discounted price of only RM269 - three hundred less from the original retail price. I have to say this is quite the moment for me because I've been wanting to try and run in one of these 'on cloud' shoes.

The friend too bought a Cloudsurfer.

Make no mistake, I absolutely love my Saucony Triumph 9. It is still my 'race day' shoe because I am very thankful of those lavish cushions which helped me a lot in that sweltering Penang Bridge Marathon. Besides it has only clocked in 62km, so it is still relatively virgin. Err... fresh. No, new, I mean. Relatively new.

Regardless, I can't wait for Saturday morning for a session at the track with the Cloudsurfer. I'll write an in-depth review of the shoe in the upcoming post.

Bitches dig hairy legs too, am I right?

Right?

#1 - Blogging is still not dead, eh?

So, it took me a good 24 hours to carefully decide that I should start blogging again. It feels like a century has passed since my last post (false - just one and a bit year) so I thought for my very first post to this pokey self-absorbed blog that contains random... things, I'd do a quick recollection of things that have transpired while I was away, not existing on Internetland.

Presenting...

THE ULTIMATE LIST OF HAFEEZ IN ONE YEAR (OF RELATIVE OBSCURITY; MOSTLY SELF-INFLICTED)

Tadaa...

1. I'm into running now. Like, seriously, full-on hardcore mode running enthusiast. It started in February 2011 with the PKNS Bangi Run 10km. Then the SCKLM in June, also 10km. Then the MMU Run in December, also 10km. (Well, I was a newbie) Then the Mizuno Wave Run in January 2012, also 10km. Then the Mines Charity Run in May, which was only a fiver. Then the SCKLM 10km again, in June.

Then I graduted from the fun run category and into the serious running bracket, starting with Seremban Half Marathon in July. Which I have to add is not the best place to be introduced to Half Marathon-ing. Then came the PJ Half Marathon in September, and finally the Penang Bridge International Marathon in November. Is there more? Oh yes...

Enjoy Green Challenge, Bukit Gasing PJ, 9 December 2012, 15km
Newton Challenge, Taman Bukit Kinrara Puchong, 30 December 2012, 25km
Multi-Purpose Insurance Run, Padang Merbok KL, 6 January 2013, 12km
*Dragon Back Run, Meru Klang, 20 January 2013, 10km (in support of a friend who is just starting to get into running as well)
*Brooks Half Marathon, Bukit Jalil, 3 March 2013, 21km

Bitches love skeletal males, am I right? Right?

2. I'm 22kg lighter (and thinner) now. That probably as a result of all the running that I have been doing. I mean, all of my former students who took class with me between 2009 and 2011 will express utter disbelief looking at a skeletal me of today. It was reported that the amount of oxygen inhaled by people in Bangi tripled from the usual.

Look at the stupid cheerful face. I hate you.

3. Alien Blue has become my staple nightly reading. Before that, while tucked away under a blanket, I would have either a V.S. Naipaul, or that-other-guy-who-wrote-a-book-about-his-trips-across-South-America-whose-name-and-book-title-I-have-completely-forgotten in my hand, right before I go to sleep. Ever since I came across the app, now though it's my iPod that I'm holding.

Which incidentally means it will take forever for me to finish reading Christopher Hitchens' collection of essay, let alone starting reading The Cleanest Race.

Crud.

Err... no thanks, Tyler. Not hungry. Anymore.

4. I'm starting to 'get' rap music. That was back in late 2010 if I'm not mistaken when I came across Tyler, the Creator and the OFWGKTA collective. But Tyler especially, the first two tracks from Bastard somehow just resonated well with me at that time. I 'get' what he was rapping about. People say he's homophobic, misogynistic, and labeled him under Horrorcore. He wanted to stab Bruno Mars in the esophagus. Then he, uh... I have no idea what the Hell is going on with this one.

Then seemingly out of nowhere (to me at least), Hopsin disses him on Ill Mind number 4. Where Ill Mind number 5 for me is straight ass dope. Y'know what I'm sayin'? Droppin' that line about kids sayin' "Fuck school" and bitches bein' all nasty and cock-thirsty and not worthy of Romeo. That shit is so cash, fool!

Bad. Ass.

5. I have embraced Atheism. Yup, there I said it. It's not like there will be anyone reading this stuff right?

Until then.