JUST BRING IT!

Kit set up, hydration pack loaded. Time to sleep. Tomorrow, WE BRING IT!!!

Route Recce di KK.

Sampai KK semalam. Stay rumah kawan.

Pagi tadi pegi recce jalan. Ikut route map yang post sebelum-sebelum ni.

Jalan memang flat habis. Peluang yang sangat bagus untuk ditinggalkan di belakang sekali.

Half marathon starts at 5:30am. By 6:15am, sini dah terang. 7am dah terik gila baban.

So? So panas la! Route tu only about 20%-30% je covered dengan pokok. The rest is jalan togel.

A 'short' stretch between KM 7 and 8 is a 3-lane highway.

Probably the best thing is at just before KM 14, at the Tanjung Aru Resort entrance. Sana ada man-made waterfall. So tengah-tengah panas, boleh mandi situ.

The hardest part is probably the last 2km. Memang not covered. Time tu mesti dah panas gila. Pasang booster left, right, center pun, ntah bergerak ke tidak.

Aih. Biar betiq aku ni. Bawak kereta pun naik penat. Kalau lari, ntah apa la yang naik.

Apa-apa hal, Abang Rock cakap, JUST BRING IT!!

Abang Rock pun nampak tak convincing jek. "Iye ke dop, mung ni, Mang? Keng yu smel wak de rok is kuking?"

Worldwide Pants

As I was (still am) packing for my trip to KK, I came across something I had not seen for quite a while.

My pants before I began my 'Final Frontier'. With much malu tersipu-sipu, those are with a 46-inch waist. Got a few pair of those before coming to Sandakan.

I use to fit snuggly in them. Colours pun buleh tahan. Black, beige and brown. Konon jejaka terkini lah.

Taadaa! Sekarang sesuai dibuat pakaian untuk anak-anak yang baru berkhatan. Roomy dan anti-friction.

I think it is time I let go of my past and brace for a better, healthier future.

Good bye pants. I will miss you, I wish you well and I hope to never see you again. :)

To those who are geared to change your life, I endorse it 100%. Borrowing from what Simon Cross has said, don't wait for Monday, don't wait for a new month, DO IT NOW!

And get ready for a brand new discovery! Hahaha. Gambar ni memang WINRAR capub kuasa dua. Haha.

To Kota Kinabalu with a mission!!

You Are Always On My Mind

Tiap-tiap hari, sebelum tidur, aku mesti spend at least seminit dua pikir pasal benda ni. Boleh ke habis? Sempat ke habis? Habis tu nanti berdiri ke merangkak? Or naik lori sapu? Or naik teksi? Ahooo!

Dan setiap malam jugak, aku akan jawab semua persoalan tu dengan "Ah, bedal aje lah!" Atau dalam bahasa omputehnya, "Just bring it!" Heheh. Perasan The Rock kejap.

Hari ni sepanjang hari tak senang duduk. Logged on to mapmyrun.com and did this:

Borneo International Half Marathon Route.

Map is available here for public view.

Elevation is negligible. Total gain is 56m for the whole stretch of 21km. Any flatter, it can be used as a landing strip.

3D flyover map tengah loading.

Malam ini mungkin tidur dibuai mimpi (ngeri).

The Final Frontier World Tour, Finally

Terlupa pulak nama blog ni azmanrocks.

Yaaa. It means Azman listens to Rock. Ini kali rock yang keras sikit. Keras sampai jadi besi. Dan besi itu logam, dan logam itu METAL!!

This has been delayed far too long, but the excitement of that night can still be felt.

The Iron Maiden.

I saw them live. It was surreal. It was unbelievable.

This is an account of the trip that started it all. In some ways, this journey changed my life.

15 Feb 2011. I will never forget that date. The day started with a super smooth taxi ride to KL Sentral. Smooth sebab hari tu public holiday. Journey partner is metalhead Ismail, member sekolah, juga ahli geng Meggi Goreng Bukit Indah. At the airport met Doc Hisyam, who was also flying to Singapore to catch Iron Maiden.

First meal dekat Singapore. Nasi Beriyani Zam Zam. Naik MRT, lepas tu jalan kaki semata-mata nak makan kat sini. There is a mosque opposite the restaurant, so singgah semayang Zuhur + Asar jama'. Elok tengah pakai kasut nak chow, azan Asar berkumandang. On the way out ada pakcik tegur "Jom semayang sekali." Errr... macam mana aku nak jawab kat pakcik ni aku dah semayang. Ah main jawab je la. Dengan baju hitam Iron Maiden berkepala syaitan, aku tak rasa dia percaya. Haha.

At the stadium, met with this crazy group of metalheads. They have been lining up since the previous night! Nampaknya bukan aku sorang je Iron Maiden fan yang juga merupakan seorang geek tersohor.

Haaaa. Benda ni aku memang tak puas hati. LAMC (the organizer) apparently managed the entrance for Pen A ticker holders (read: tiket yang paling mahal malam tu) very very poorly. Mula-mula kitorang dah beratur dekat satu area, which in the end memang entrance yang sebenar pun. Tapi signage merapu-meraban. No one had any idea where to line up.

So they make us tukar tempat beratur lagi. Semua rushing nak line up depan sekali.

Lepas tu tukar lagi! Suruh pulak beratur belakang barricade kuning tu.

Tunggu punya tunggu punya tunggu. Berapa lama mau tunggu daaa.

Mael pun dah naik bosan.

Still waiting. Sampai botak brader depan aku.

Lepas tu, suruh lagi tukar tempat beratur kat luar!! Anak harun betul.

Last-last sekali, with all the beratur and shifting, ORANG YANG BERATUR BELAKANG YANG MASUK DULU!!! Aku rasa metalheads kat Singapore and Malaysia ni memang dari breed yang sopan santun ah. Kalau tah, memang lama dah kena hentak organizer nih (pergh, ayat ganaz!).

But all the frustrations subsided once we got into the concert hall. The opening band was already playing. Rise To Remain, headed by Bruce Dickinson's son. Tapi tak layan la metalcore ni. Can't even make out the lyrics. Vocals semua bunyi 'OOORRRRHHH OOORRRHH ORRHHH OOOORRRRHHHHHHH!!!!!!' je. Masa mula-mula masuk, agak terkebelakang jugak la.

Punya ramai makhluk!

Mael dah penat tunggu. Sesi karaoke masa lining up kat luar, sape tak penat oi.

Tapi kepenatan tu hilang once Satellite 15 started playing. Satellite 15 was played from a recording track. Can't help to think how majorly awesome it is if it was played live. Semua start angkat tangan, falshing the devil horn sign.

Few moments later, THE IRON MAIDEN HAS ARRIVED!! Surreal. Bruce, Steve, Adrian, Janick, Dave and Nicko were right in front of my eyes! First song was The Final Frontier. What an epic opening.

Look closely at Bruce. He loves that spot, right in front of the bass drum. Agaknya best rasa gegaran kat situ.

Dance of Death. The first song that made the crowd go 'OOOOO OOOO OOO OOOOOOO!!!' This song is like an incantation. Macam wiseman atas bukit tengah baca jampi.

The Trooper! Nah!! Makan bendera nih!

When the Wild Wind Blows. Intro yang mellow, siap boleh duduk lagi. Lagu ni best. One of my favourites from the new album.

"Yaa.. Yaaa.. Tima kasseeyyy!"

This is as close as I got to the stage. About 10 people away. I can't push any further. Steve Harris looking good!

"Scream for me, Singapore!!"

This picture was taken close to the song "Fear of The Dark". By far, the best song from Iron Maiden to me. The sing-a-long "OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OO OOOOOO!!!" makes you feel you're a part of the band. No pictures taken during the song. Too busy melayan head banging.

This was during encore. Hallowed Be Thy Name. Excellent excellent excellent.

Mael akhirnya muka puas hati.

Bersantai kat Changi Airport. The most comfortable reclining chair I've ever sat on.

Photos from Mael's camera:

Jumpa je group pakai baju Maiden, stop amik gambar. Diorang ni dari KL.

Bruce Dickinson

Steve Harris.

Dave Murray

Janick Gers!!

The only picture with Nicko McBrain's face. Tuuu ha belakang drum set tu.

Adrian Smith.

Muka puas hati plus plus plus.

Pemenang award baju paling unique. No one else wore this print on that day.

Abang-abang metal from Penang. Nampak ganazzssxxx. Baik hati je semua orang ni.

Nasi Beriyani Imam. Kat sebelah backpackers hostel. Mantap. Ehem, notice gua minum air kosong aje ye. Prinsip mesti ditegakkan.

It was the anticipation of this concert that made me start eating healthy, running regularly and generally lead a more healthy, sustainable life. The Final Frontier aptly captures this journey. This is My Final Frontier. It's either this, or nothing at all.

It was an experience of a lifetime. Thank you, Iron Maiden. Through the hardest times and the lowest lows, your songs have pulled me out of the slums of darkness and kept my going further.

UP THE IRONS!!!!

11 April 2011

11 April lays many marks this year.

It's the first time I ran a 6 min 30 sec pace, the fastest I ever run (yeah, yeah. I know people who warm up with 6:30 pace).

It's also the day I accumulatively lost 17kg. 17 is my favourite number, along with 3.142... and 1.618.... No secret I have been weighing myself. Comparing pictures doesn't work as good indicating weight loss when every photos now look almost alike.

And most of all, it's the day I turn 28.

Happy Birthday me!!

The effort of holding a 6:30 pace can be seen with the amount of perspiration.

Okay. Enough of that. Time to hit the road!

Satu Sudah Kena. Lain Bila Lagi?

Di Ampang, Selangor, terdapat sebuah kawasan perumahan bernama Taman Bukit Indah. Di Bukit Indah, ada sebuah restoran menjual makanan ala mamak. Restoran tersebut diberi nama Restoran Bukit Indah Food Corner (dah restoran nak food corner lagi). Salah seorang pekerja di restoran ini bernama Rakesh (atau Arkesh, bergantung seberapa 'high' mamat tu sewaktu bekerja, biasanya waktu lewat malam, dia lebih 'high'). Rakesh ni biasanya menjadi pelayan tetap bagi satu kumpulan remaja yang digelar 'Geng Meggi Goreng Bukit Indah' jika dia bekerja pada shift itu.

Geng Meggi Goreng ini terdiri daripada mamat-mamat sekolah di sebuah sekolah di Kampung Pandan. Ketuanya juga adalah bekas presiden PAISAB. Sebenarnya geng ni takde ketua, tapi sebab dia yang selalu bawak kereta ambik semua orang, dia adalah de facto leader. Dah nama pun bekas presiden PAISAB. Jangan main-main. Dia ada kuasa untuk mengharamkan tarian poco-poco dan tarian yang seangkatan dengannya.

Dari umur 17 tahun hinggalah kini, ahli geng ini hanya bertambah tua dari segi kronologi sahaja. Pada dasarnya, ahli-ahlinya hanyalah lelaki-lelaki gasar moden, yang berkaca mata dan menggunakan peranti teknologi informasi untuk memburu torrent wayang-wayang perang dan siri F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Hinggalah tiba hari ini.

Salah seorang ahli Geng Meggi Goreng telah melangkah ke alam dewasa (walaupun dia telah bersunat berbelas tahun lebih awal). Ahli permastautin tetap Taman Bukit Indah ini telah mempelopori bidang eksplorasi, kajian dan pembangunan rumahtangga.

"Baris! Barissss sedia!!!" pekik ketua komandan Rumah Temenggung.

"Kopi RADIX! Gerenti best!" yakin presiden PAISAB.

Tahniah diucapkan kepada Ikhwan a.k.a. Hadi kerana berjaya melepasi tembok psikologi sindrom tua-tapi-tak-sedar-diri. Sori aku tak dapat datang. Servis sampan Sandakan-KL tergendala akibat sampan bocor dicucuk landak yang diseludup dari Filipina.

Semoga bidang yang diceburi kini mendatangkan seribu satu makna baru dalam kehidupan seharian dan selamanya.

Perhatian: Insiden sindrom yang disebut nampaknya telah mula surut satu per satu. Bulan depan ada lagi ahli geng yang bakal mendaftar untuk program yang sama.

Heh heh heh.