akira's valley

Viva La Vida!!

2009-10-19T21:05:00.003+08:00

i'm having a moment of weakness, i spell it D.E.P.R.E.S.S.E.D. just a moment, nothin serious, lotsa peeps have emo status in FB and i do not wish to contribute to the statistics, there are enough sad ppl in the world so i try to put up cheerful and positive updates =P i wanna be like Bree despite goin thru so much tough times especially being a single parent having to bring up Kainoa (her little cute son) and all the challenges she faces, continues to impact lives by being so encouraging and positive!
anyways here's my current 2 favourite bands and songs at the moment, Viva La Vida by Coldplay and Use somebody by Kings of leon!!! they both is RAWKS!!!!! lovin them both!!!

Viva la vida!!!

Kings of Leon!!

by the way Coldplay also performed at the Brit Awards 2009, to my lovely friends who are in UK and Europe, i suggest u try to go for the 2010 Brit Awards! it looks awesomenessss!!

Every grey gloud has a silver lining

2009-09-16T01:07:00.006+08:00

It's midway thru September! So much has happened! A string of unfortunate events, or rather stringS of unfortunate events but GOd's grace is abundant, He never left me alone, in fact He sent someone to help me sail through the storm, i'd like to call it a miracle, coz i couldn't really believe it happened, as the saying goes, "Every grey cloud has a silver lining". God sent me a new friend, her name's Bree Wee! THats the miracle i'm talking about! The timing couldn't be anymore perfect, well.. but of course God's timing's always perfect. I love triathlons, IM races, swim cycle run kinda stuff, i've seen Bree on trimags and she's appeared on other magz too! (see pic above). A quick google search and you'll find tonnes of info about Bree, she's also Hawaii's hometown hero! Professional triathlete and Ironman.
At the 2007 Ironman World Championship, Bree carried her son James Kainoa together to cross the finish line, its super tough finishing it alone, what more carrying her son across the line! super amazing! PLUS Bree was 1st in her age group and 13th overall, she set the 25-29 age group record in 9:47 and broke Kate Major’s overall amateur record set in 2002!
She like superstar to me, like your favourite Hollywood celebrity to you for those not into triathlons or your favourite sports hero that you're a fan of!
I can't keep silent, God is awesome, God is wonderful, God is so good! He's helped me go through some really dark moments through Bree Wee, I could hardly believe it when she said we're friends hahaha i'm totally flabbergasted! THanks so much Bree! You're so inspiring and caring and... really funny :P
Besides Bree, i have some really amazing friends to thank also, ya'll know who you are, thanks so much! ya'll are like my guardian angels!

Told u she was funny!

wake me up when 2009 ends

2009-07-04T10:29:00.003+08:00

there's a song by Greenday called wake me up when september ends.
"....seven years has gone so fast, wake me up when september ends..., here comes the rain again, falling from the stars, drenched in my pain again, becoming who we are. As my memory rests, but never forgets what i lost, wake me up when september ends..."
someone i know used to like this song alot and said its a very sad song and told me not to listen to it, ironic i know. but now i'm being tested again. now tell me... on this earth... if good things ever lasts. God please ... wake me up when 2009 ends.

MJ - You are not alone

2009-06-26T13:59:00.002+08:00

MJ passed away today, not really a big fan of him, but no doubt he has impacted the world and the music scene in a big way, here's one of my fav songs by him, wah emo after listening again, God have mercy on his soul.

Angels on the moon

2009-06-03T23:25:00.003+08:00

I dedicate this song to a good friend who passed away of cancer last year, rest in peace my friend, there's no more pain and suffering for you now, i'll meet you on the other side one day

Journals

2009-06-02T11:21:00.008+08:00

I've finally started writing journals. Been going thru gloomy days (see pic above) and they don't seem to go away. As much as I keep encouraging frens who are down that the sun always comes up and brighten the day after the gloomy night, the night doesn't last forever. My "night" has been a very long one. one thing after another. now another thing has come up. God i need a break. at this rate i could be exporting mushrooms to japan. its okay if you dun understand that.

And so regarding journals, having conversations with a few ppl have finally CONVINCED me of writing journals. notice word emphasized "convinced". some friends i know are religious in writing journals but i never bought the idea till now. I enjoy reading Vicky Campbell's blog, top triathlete and poster pin-up girl for some ads, Nike, H2O, etc, if ur in Singapore u might just be able to see pics of her in posters in MRTs etc. Below is a pic of her in an interview in Elle Mag March 07 issue. now ain't she GORGEOUS!! :P

After she told me her blog's jus her rambling on bout life's misfortunes, i thought maybe i should start writing journals bout my life, be it misfortunes or blessings. Yes as u can tell i'm a big fan! :D but she is such a nice and wonderful person and friend to have! even tho to me she's a celebrity!

Then few days later I had dinner with a friend and jus poured out my life's misfortunes. My friend encouraged me to write journals and i could end each day's post with a prayer. So i finally started yesterday. I know some of you make your own journals/diary but i was wondering how your journal/s look like, i'm considering buying a nice one in the future, i just bought a simple one from jusco yesterday in case i give up or got lazy keeping up with the journals :P if ur thinking of a present to give me you can always get me a nice journal!! :D

need help

2009-05-05T00:00:00.003+08:00

hey all you awesome and lovely ppl out there, pls pls pray for me, i need God's wisdom, i need wisdom in making decisions, i need to be discerning, strong hearted and i need confidence, i have some major major decisions to make and i'm simply lost. please please keep me in prayers,
love ya all

Race Calendar 2009

2009-04-16T09:32:00.003+08:00

[edit: I got inside info that the distance tis year was actually about 18km]
Started my first race of 2009 with the KRI10mile (16km) race on 12 April 2009.
My timing - 1hr 50min _secs (i forgot how many seconds). Slower than last year i think but it felt like the distance was longer than last year. Not much training, just couple of 9km n 10km runs here n there, few days a week for the past month. Last year's 10mile i had NO sleep at all, at least this year i had ..... about 1hr30mins sleep hahahah coz of UCL Heineken Party the nite before which got my legs pretty worn out already! it's all good!

Upcoming Races for 2009
07 June XTERRA Malaysia 2009
1.5km swim 30km mountain biking 10km trail running (i'm doing the swim, the powergirls will do the bike n run)

28 June SCKL Marathon 42km run

11 July Port Dickson International Triathlon

17 July KRI Century Ride (160km roadbike race)

02 Aug. Hat Yai Nature Run

August (date TBC) OSIM International Triathlon Singapore

08 Nov. Powerman Malaysia 2009 - Run 11km.Bike 64km.Run 10km

29 Nov. KRI Annual 12.8km Road Race

06 Dec. SC Marathon Singapore

Angels

2009-03-27T11:32:00.009+08:00

[edited @ 3.20pm]
I was tired... more like exhausted last night, went to bed at 10pm, but couldnt sleep, got up and went back to bed few times, still unable to sleep, but i was exhausted. Doesn't quite make sense, i had no energy to even walk to the front door of my house yet i couldn't sleep, and i had a good 6hour sleep the night before, i didn't do any sports or exercises or workouts that evening even. in the end i think i fell asleep at bout 3.30am.

I have some really amazing friends, they're like angels to me. when i had that insane back injury pain, Cat who is so far away kept giving me words of comfort and encouragements, always assured me with the words "it's going to be over soon", "it's gonna end, just tahan awhile more", "it's gonna end soon". those words don't sound too magical, but in my moments of intense and severe back pain those words rang loud in my head and i can only cling on to it like a lifeline. at that point I couldnt see how it could end, but those words rang loud in my head. thanks Cat! thanks to all who prayed for me also and supported me too, Dr. Julian, Jan&Pang(very dear friends), James, Cord, Grace, Page, Jen, Dr. Basel, Dr. Kim, amazing ppl, the list goes on and on, sorry if ur name not here ah, doesnt mean ur the least, not at all! Also that Guardian Angel who looks after me =)

Some don't even know me well yet cared for me, one friend bought me medicated oil for back rub, another who found out wanted to treat me to a back massage! (i didn't go tho, paiseh lah), all the prayers, sms, some friends gave me chocs, another gave me sushi! when i was craving for it! the Amazing thing is this friend is my student's Mom, take note that her son and her are NOT in FB, but that morning when i posted that i was craving for sushi in FB, that very afternoon when she came by to pick up her son after drum lessons she gave me a box of sushi... walau... unbelievable! Grace, thanks for your cards! so inspirational and encouraging! Sze made cupcakes (i lurveeee em so much!) and then wanted to come to my house deliver the cupcakes to me (but i wasn't home). Just out of the blues bake cupcakes and deliver to me some more! then after that go back to Sg. like... i cannot understand lor such kindness and goodness, what I can understand is God is good!

So many challenges and setbacks and a string of unfortunate events, frustrations and all that would have turned me into one of these..

but then God sends His angels to touch me and show me His love, so amazing, unconditional, I cannot understand. who can fathom, the depths of His love. So many things in my mind. If i murdered or did something horrible to someone today, even if intentionally, i wonder if i'd still have these wonderful angels by my side. I for one, will never be able to be such an angel, as much as humans have great capacity for good works, there's also capacity for evil. As good as one can be, there's still a judgmental nature in our minds whether we're conscious of it or not. most often, not. it comes so naturally to judge someone who did wrong, a criminal, an offender, i'm so often guilty of that, yet I wish for someone that will listen and that will not be judgemental. I never fail to be amazed and touched by the story of the Prodigal Son. His Father's love so amazing, NOT judgmental, not condemning even after all the wrong the son has done. I'm amazed by those who are in prison ministry, who can still love the criminal and find redemptive value in each of those criminals and show love to them. such are Angels sent by God.

Yesterday I didnt feel like eating lunch, so didn't get myself anything for lunch. The same morning i read some devotional that says that I'm under God's favor, and "His favor rains down on you like dew on the grass every morning!". After lunch hour ended i came back to office and saw a McD Set meal on my Desk!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD... HOW AWESOME YOUR NAME IN ALL THE EARTH!@!!!@!!! my colleagues told me somebody gave it to me!!! .....

A quick and brief search for the word Angel from the web got me these results, here's an excerpt:
Angels - (a) In the widest sense they are agents of God's providence (Ex. 12:23; Ps. 104:4; Heb. 11:28; 1 Cor. 10:10; 2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Chr. 21:16; 2 Kings 19:35; Acts 12:23). (b) They are specially God's agents in carrying on his great work of redemption.

THere's a "higher level" of "angels" I'd like to address and thank, those who supported and encouraged me by being anonymous. words really cannot describe lah. You're really like Angels in heavenly beings that are God's agents of providence but are never seen or heard, no names, nothing. just Blessing and portraying God's love thru tangible and intangible things.

The giver and the taker

2009-03-22T11:55:00.004+08:00

...to give or not to give

In this context, there are 2 kinds of person in this world. The giver and the taker.
There are those who gives and gives and gives, its their nature, some give unconditionally, some with conditions

There are those who are takers, its all about taking and taking, its never enough, or most of the time it's not enough (self-centered). most of the time its about me, me, and me, you? who cares bout you as long as i get what i want...

I've had alot of experience of giving and giving and giving, i always believe in unconditional giving as portrayed by my Father God in heaven, well He is God, I am not. It's draining, exhausting to be always giving and I'm NOT talking about monetary or financial issues. But of the other aspects of life, emotionally, mentally, physically, giving of your time and giving encouragements, care (emotions) etc. you can add to the list. Where do u draw the line if one were to give unconditionally, or do u even draw a line when u give unconditionally?

It sucks, it hurts, especially when you've given, and then u get stung or bitten in return. I've tolerated alot but i've been stretched quite far this time. i think i have a phobia now.

Food for thought and quote of the day (applies to me too)
"Actions lie louder than words"

Theresa

2009-03-14T17:26:00.005+08:00

I'd like to share a true story...

Theresa Briones is a tender, loving mother. She also has a stout left hook that she used to punch a lady in a coin laundry. WHy'd she do it?

Some kids were making fun of Theresa's daughter, Alicia. Alicia is bald. Her knees are arthritic. Her nose is pinched. Her hips are creaky. Her hearing is bad. She has the stamina of a seventy-year-old. And she is only ten.

"Mom," the kids taunted, "come and look at the monster!"
Alicia weighs only twenty-two pounds and is shorter than most preschoolers. She suffers from progeria - a genetic aging disease that strikes one child in eight million. The life expectancy of progeria victims is twenty years. THere are only fifteen known cases of this disease in the world.

"She is not an alien. She is not a monster," Theresa defended. "She is just like you and me."
Mentally, Alicia is a bubbly, fun-loving third grader. She has a long list of friends. She watches television in a toddler-sized rocking chair. She plays with Barbie dolls and teases her younger brother.

Theresa has grown accustomed to the glances and questions. She is patient with the constant curiosity. Genuine inquiries she accepts. Insensitive slanders she does not.

The mother of the finger-pointing children came to investigate. "I see 'it'," she told the kids.

"My child is not an 'it'." Theresa stated. Then she punched the woman.

Who could blame her? Such is the nature of parental love. Mothers and fathers have a God-given ability to love their children regardless of imperfections. Not because the parents are blind. Just the opposite. They see vividly.

Theresa sees Alicia's inability as clearly as anyone. But she also sees Alicia's value.

So does God.
God sees us with the eyes of a Father. HE sees our defects, errors, and blemishes. But he also sees our value. Our GOd is a loving God, that's why I call Him Father in heaven.

Now there are friends who have told me they look forward to reading my blog posts, some find it humorous and hilarious, some told me its amazing how i can be transparent and be myself, despite my short comings. ANother close buddy Dr. J.T. smsd me to confirm with me that indeed.. VOLTRON ROCKS!! i agree bro! totally agree! hey buddy careful tho, sum might think ur a small kid, summore the doctor told me "Go black lion!" :P and he also affirmed me with the correct name of the painkiller is VOLTAREN :P I'm in no way an angel, if anything i be the devil (hey u there stop laughing i know u are :P) but if my posts sounds like sum small kid, well if it has affected some of my frens in good ways then i've made a difference.

unlike ppl who hide behind the securities of a fake identity or name and throw unconstructive criticisms, how c....... i'm sure most of u can guess that word that starts with "C", and so yea.. how c-onvenient is the word i'll use, no need to mention the obvious. and i wonder what your intentions are. That question you asked sounds very familiar, i've heard it before. now i'm asking,where is your sense of humor? you must be too matured to read my posts eh. well if it is, then i wonder why do u still read it? its funny, no one is forcing u or forced you to read my blog i hope!? :P

chillax! and have a break.. have a kitkat!

And now presenting you...

2009-03-11T12:00:00.002+08:00

Tenji Buffet promotion!!

Gimme a break LoRD!!

2009-02-26T10:47:00.004+08:00

UPDATES!! FINALLY!! the internet connection in ipoh can drive u nuts! unless ur already nutty and crazy like me then dun worry just be happy! :P

This year didn't start off too well for me, so I been crYing out to GOd pls gimme a break!!!

then the answer came..

um okay, thanks God, but next time can pls gimme dark chocolates??? =D

stay tuned for my next post! God is awesome! its about angels on earth! oOooOooOooo

Updates

2009-02-07T13:46:00.002+08:00

"HELP!! the aliens have captured me!! i thought they were physiotherapist!!"

"shucks.. think they're putting spots one me now (think giraffe)"

"i need CHOCOLATES!! somebody give me chocolates!!"

"back to the giraffe maker"

Note: All pics were taken by me on my hp

Voltron Defender of the Universe

2009-02-05T21:09:00.003+08:00

This pain is killing me! its insane! its like paul's thorn in the flesh, just that what i'm feeling is more like a 2 edged sword in my nerve system ouch ouch ouch ouch

so the doc gave me painkillers called voltron. okay i think it should be volTEron(according to grace) . but no power one?? after eating still feel the crazy pain! and i can't take more tablets coz it'll cause gastric problems so i have to follow the doc's dosage sigh at least if doc gave me voltron (the defender of the universe) also i be much happier can distract me from the pain

the worse part was when doc said those most dreadliest n dreadest words that i dread most dreadly ... um u get my point

doc: "keon u must rest and stay away from any kind of sports and exercise"
keon: "....." (thinking, this must really be the end times, the end of the world has come. i'm an exercise addict, a sports freak, a fanatic!! arghh)

i mean cmon, haven't u heard of that commandment "Thou shall not tell Keon not to exercise" ?? no? me neither but anyways leme assure u these are challenging times we're going thru ...

i might as well be a

Slippery Disc?

2009-02-04T18:24:00.003+08:00

I been having this insane pain like a knife cutting or stabbing in my back till it numbs the most parts of my left arm, its been going on for a couple of days and i thought it would go away but it didn't! Finally went to see a doc, well 2 docs in fact to get a 2nd opinion, and the 2nd doc being a specialist said that i have a slight slipped disc! =S
so i have to go for some heat and physio treatment for a week (at least!) sigh

This machine is the Giraffe Maker, it will pull and stretch your neck and release and pull and stretch again in repetitions for bout hmmmm not sure, bout 15mins? i guess

any similarities yet? =P

a7x

2009-01-21T01:07:00.004+08:00

Father forgive me for i have hatred in my heart. so much anger, so much hurt n bitterness. damn u liar
sigh.

and also to my dear readers, i'm sorry. i'm going thru a really painful period at the moment. i hope to be able to post pics of good food again sometime in the future.

Tell me...

2009-01-09T14:19:00.002+08:00

Forgiveness & nutella

2009-01-06T22:37:00.003+08:00

Mahatma Gandhi was a very wise and noble man, one of his quotes that has plenty truth and wisdom is "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong"

That shows how weak i am. Some of you there wondering what the heck has forgiveness gotta do with nutella? Well you see, to be strong you need food, whether its spiritual or physical food, whatever food is still needed, so when u need to eat, i recommend nutella! nutella is one of the BEST things ever created! i haven't had much apetite to eat for the past few... weeks... months? dunno.. that explains my weight drop from 79kg till now 72kg. some nights i just have some almond nuts and tomato juice for dinner, no supper, and zzzzzzzzzzzz. other nites i have a slice of wholemeal bread with nutella, okay i usually end up eating 2 slices coz nutella is SO SO GOOD! maybe nutella will be one of the keys or ingredients to forgiveness! u gotta love nutella!~

I vaguely remember another quote about Character. "Character isn't inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action."

End of 2009

2008-12-31T14:04:00.002+08:00

It's the last day of 2008 already and i'm not even looking forward to 2009. Shit happens, and alotta shit has happened in 2008. Suffering thru hard and painful times. There were just not enough happy moments to balance out the unhappy times. I just hope 2009 will be better. Pls God let it be a good year! pLSssS!!

Till the day I die

2008-12-17T14:22:00.001+08:00

another one of my fav songs

Salmobelly

2008-12-17T12:01:00.002+08:00

I love japanese food! If ur a fan of salmon belly go try this @ Sushi King, its very tasty, i tried NOT to finish the rice but it was so yummy i walloped everything

reasonably big portion too

FooD glorious FooD

2008-12-17T09:45:00.007+08:00

Ah how do you cure the pain and hurt inside? no one will understand, after our CG badminton session last nite WC asked why my eyes look so swollen, like this? @_@
Food is a temporary solution (i'm open to other suggestions n solutions, email me) mmmmmmmmmmm thank GOd for good food =)
Simply yummilicious vietnamese noodles made by Mary with delicious brownies n cakes!

delicious brownies made by YS, after 3 bowls of noodles i could still have room for the yummy brownies!!

The brownies were quickly vanishing compared to the cakes! soon there be none left! notice there are chocolates on the plate too!

look at the size of the grapes!! HUGE!!

finally we end the dinner with tea and muruku which we finished as u can see, no leftovers in the tupperware

My Hands

2008-12-17T01:02:00.001+08:00

boy can he sing or what? yes he's only a boy and yes his voice is amazing, love this song

JEW

2008-12-16T02:23:00.001+08:00