Daily Chronicles by ehaz

Pengalaman PhD: On Getting Published Workshop

2012-02-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

I attended a workshop yesterday - Getting Published. Not really what I expected. I thought it was going to cover tips and advice on getting your articles accepted to journals, but it was more on the "right" way to publish. I didn't really take notes. My mind was wondering (in and out) to the article that I'm re-writing for a journal submission. But here are the 10 things that I remember from the workshop:

1. Most universities nowadays won't even entertain your application unless you have a journal publication. This goes for teaching universities as well. You need a journal publication to get your foot in the door. Thoughts: Great! I already feel the pressure to publish. This is just adding to that pressure.

2. Be strategic about where you submit your article. As a PhD student you don't have much time. Send your article to a respectable journal that has a good turnaround time. The really top journal (no 1 and 2 in the field) usually takes a long time, and has a high rejection rate. You don't want to be in a position where your article was rejected after 2 years in the review process, and you are out in the job market.

3. Be meticulous in citing your sources. You don't want to be accused of plagiarism, just because you were careless at citing your sources. The academic field is usually very small. You don't want to be associated in any way to the cardinal sin in academia.

4. If you are tempted to plagiarize - DON'T! With the Internet, it is easy to detect plagiarism. The instructor told us about a professor from Monash in Australia who resigned because of a plagiarism scandal. Google "Monash professor plagiarism" and read about him.

5. There are two types of journal model - subscription-based and open access. Don't go with open access. They don't have a peer-review process (that will "tighten-up" your article), and in some cases, they are run by fly-by-night operators. This won't look good on your CV at all.

6. To get authorship on a paper you need to satisfy the following 3 things: (1) Contribute to the conceptual development, data collection, or research design; (2) Critically review, revise or write certain parts of the article; and (3) Determine the final version that is published. Thoughts: This is rather strict (perhaps unrealistic?)... especially when it comes to most supervisor-student dynamic. From the questions that the participants asked, I think a lot of the other students feel the same way as well.

7. Don't waste your time on conference proceedings, or at least be selective about attending conferences. You need to attend conferences to network, and to get "face time" so that others can see your work. But at the same time, you need to have your work in a journal. Focus on the prestigious conferences in your field for the biggest bang for your buck.

8. Make sure you know the authorship convention in your field. In some fields, first author is the most important (lead); while in others, last author is the most important. The instructor told us about how he was royally screwed by a friend because of this.

OK, I said 10... but I could only remember 8... so that's it.

[Addition]

OK, so I was going to sleep... but then I remember 2 more items:

9. Focus on 1-2 quality articles as opposed to a string of weak articles (the instructor used a much stronger word here). If your have a string of weak articles, hiring committee may think that you can only publish low quality stuff.

10. After finishing your dissertation, make sure you make full use of it. Try to publish whatever you can from your dissertation because that is your asset that you've worked on for x number of years. You may think that it is good as it is for journal publications, but most of the time it requires some re-write. Make this your priority.

On 2012 Running Schedule

2012-01-03T16:14:00.000-08:00

In 2012, I will run the following races:

v Valentine’sDay run 5K – February 12

v KGH Trauma10K – April 28

v Mississaugahalf marathon – May 6

v Great EasternWomen 10K (Singapore) – July 8

v Hamilton half marathon – November 3

On 2012

2011-12-31T22:10:00.000-08:00

So cliche but with the utmost sincerity....

I'd like to wish everybody a Happy New Year... Hoping that 2012 brings peace and happiness to all. Lets make it a meaningful year.

Pengalaman PhD: Siri 4

2011-12-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

Cautionary note and acknowledgment: This entry is the longest entry in this blog so far. Some of the side effects from reading include yawning and/or dozing off, among others. I also thank "Ani from Putrajaya" for the motivation behind it.

I received comments from an anonymous reader recently. I shall refer to this person as "Ani from Putrajaya." Mind you, I don't know the real gender of this person because the comments came in anonymously. Despite so, I'll use the oft feminine pseudonym - "Ani" - and feminine pronouns to refer to this person from here onwards. I thought of the more gender neutral "Anu" - but it sounds more like a dirty pun. "Ana" is acceptable, but "Ani" just has that Malaysian-esque zest to it. I was (and still am) happy about those comments. To think that somebody other than Roy and Uteh is reading this blog is rather exciting. Ani from Putrajaya gave some insightful comments on my "Pengalaman PhD" series. I don't agree with those comments a hundred percent. However, I understand where they are coming from and appreciate the fact that Ani from Putrajaya took the time to share her thoughts. There must be something in my writing that compelled her to do so. Even if that "something" is "annoyance," I take that as a positive. **Sigh: Obviously, something like this rarely happens in my blog... that I find comments from a single reader so exciting...**

Ani from Putrajaya made me think. She mentioned that "When I read the post, there are hints on some parts of it that you see the [North American] NA system as much better then the UK/Malaysian way of doing things." A hint refers to an implicit suggestion. I like to state it explicitly here: I DO see the NA system as much "better" that the UK/Malaysian way of doing things. There... there's no hinting there. I'm not even going to be politically-correct about this. I'm not going to try to "hint" neutrality... because I'm not. I am human. I have opinions and beliefs... and being [appearing] on the fence on an issue when you have formed an opinion is tiring. Call it a bias... or misperception... My writings for this blog are emotional, and in some cases are (will be) judgmental. Come on... don't you just feel good when you buy imported goods as opposed to locally made ones? Don't you think that the imported goods are somehow "better" than the locally made ones? Aren't we all at some point bias, with opinions leaning to the left or to the right. Therefore, I acknowledge my un-kosher view. Saya muhasabah diri. Please note however, that I do not "parade" this opinion as Rosmah Mansur parades her Berkins. I am not ashame of it either. When asked... I tell.

Nevertheless, I have a few points to clarify. First, I limit this opinion to PhD programs in business. I mean that what I have to say here is limited to PhD programs in business. I do not include PhD programs in other fields, nor do I include undergraduate- or master-level programs. I do not have any strong opinions on PhD programs in other fields. And as for undergraduate-level programs, I see NA versus UK/Malaysian systems as breadth versus depth. I see the pros and cons of both systems... Lets leave it at that. Personally, I'm a big fan of the Fachhochschulen from Germany.

Second, I'm not in any way saying that you do not have good research and researcher coming out from non-NA systems. Good research and researchers transcend geographical boundary. I hope that I'll be able to identify good research when I see them. Perhaps this is why the double-blind review process in publishing is vital - to try to eliminate as much as possible biases in the publication process. The truth of the matter is that if somebody said to me "I want to do a PhD because I want to learn to be a researcher," than I will tell this person to apply to a reputable PhD program in NA.

And third (perhaps this is the most important point), I equate the word "better" with being more rigorous and comprehensive. I don't think the NA system is perfect. Some major criticisms include: stiffles creativity, higher barrier for entry makes it more difficult to attract talented individuals into research, and I've even heard of those saying that the dissertations produced are of "smaller scope" than those produced in UK/Malaysian system. Nevertheless, most programs are structured... and more importantly, structured as rigourous and comprehensive. There's nothing like leading a PhD-level seminar course and dissecting research articles with fellow PhD students and professors. Or, going through the grind of preparing for the comprehensive exam... Some people might be able to whizz through it... but the experience broke me down for quite a bit. My guess is that this rigor and comprehensiveness are the reasons why NA grads publish at a higher rate. Also, there's a tendency for universities outside of NA to hire NA grads and not vice versa [I read this somewhere in the Chronicles of Higher Education].
[Note: I'm not alone in my opinion, read here. This particular entry is worth a read. It is written by somebody who is inside the UK system, much more senior, and has been "in the field" for a while. In addition, when you try to prepare for a competitive job market, the PhD program becomes even more onerous because you are working on building a portfolio - journal publications, teaching, reviewing, and perhaps trying to write for research grants - on top of working on your coursework and dissertation.]

I don't really know what or where this [Pengalaman PhD] writing will lead to, if it does lead to anything. For me, it is a simple and inexpensive form of catharsis. Ani from Putrajaya pointed out that it might lead some readers to apply to PhD programs in NA to satisfy their vanity - i.e., having a person applying for PhD programs in NA because they think (or I might lead them to think?) that these programs are harder, and this particular person wants to show to others that he/she will be able to make it through. It is hard for me to swallow this line of argument (as difficult for me to swallow dark chocolate with 95% cocoa)... but I can't say that it will never, ever happen. I would focus on the flip side of it, such a person is not simply vain, but also confident and gutsy - confident with his/her abilities and wanting to challenge him/herself. I can only hope that both of us will make it through and one day become collaborators.

Now we come to the near end... I do hope that readers will solicit alternate views. For those who are planning to apply for a PhD program, I'm sure you are intelligent enough to do so. I mentioned before that you need to read this blog with a grain of salt... but perhaps a healthy dash would be more appropriate. And for those who do have alternate views, you are more than welcome to send me feedback. I will publish them. I do not believe in self-censorship for this blog. For that reason, I don't write on things that I cannot spill my guts for this blog... The only form of self-censorship that I adhere to is no use of profanities... no cursing or cussing... surely, there is a more civilized way to explain ourselves. I won't even bother to entertain such comments. On a final note, when push comes to shove... I make no apology - I think of what I write... and I write what I think.

On the pretty red shirt

2011-12-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

This pretty red shirt symbolizes stubbornness, vanity, and determination...

I went back to Malaysia for 3 weeks, from Nov 28 to Dec 19. This conversation occurred during my short break, when I was shopping @ Britishindia, 1Utama...

Me: Cantik baju nie... saiz 9 ada tak?
Salesguy: Saiz 9 nie saiz paling besar kak, but cutting dia kecik. Akak nak try jugak ker?
Me: Ya, saya nak try jugak.

After trying out the shirt... and coming out of the changing room...

Salesguy: OK ker kak? Errr...nak ambik ker?
Me: [Trying to sound as nonchalant as possible] Ya. saya nak ambik.

The truth of the matter is that I can't even get the shirt through my arms (read: it doesn't fit wokey). I spent money on something that I can't even wear... and it is not like I have money growing on the backyard tree... or ibu duit for that matter **sigh**. But then again, the surprised look on the salesguy's face was simply priceless...

On Preoccupation with Sex

2011-11-19T23:46:00.001-08:00

Note: This blog entry was written about three days ago... when I was working until very late (I think 2am), and couldn't go straight to sleep afterward. I ended up surfing and reading news, and drafting this blog entry.

I was reading the news on the latest stupidity from Saudi Arabia here (I do not apologize for my choice of words... they deserve this... I am even too kind perhaps). The same news is also reported in several local Malaysian newspapers. This is the state of Muslims around the world today... where we have clerics who are preoccupied with sex. They cannot think of anything else other than sex such that women cannot even go out in the streets without attracting lewd thoughts leading to stabbing, even women who are covered from head to toe in black garbs. Women need to cover everything... like walking tents. Seriously... I think there's something wrong with people like this... suffice to say that they have a disease.

I am angry and sad at the same time. I think our behaviors as individuals are driven by values and beliefs... what we think as important will be emphasized, and can be seen in our actions. For those in positions of power, their actions will have more significant consequences to society.So what happens when we have clerics who are preoccupied with sex? Well, we have laws that prevent women from driving (so that women do not drive themselves to commit sins), turn women into walking tents, and segregated cashier lines based on gender. Obviously these clerics cannot think of anything else other than sex... and women are always the victims because women are the objects for sex.

These people often say that they are protecting women, trying to protect their wives, sisters and daughters? Don't be fooled... they are only protecting themselves. They'll lose face in their communities if something happens to their women... (think: weak men who cannot protect their properties).

Anyway, I think I'll be more forgiving if they take a more 21-st century approach. Hubby suggested that you need to make special glasses. When men wear these glasses they'll see walking tents instead of women. Ahhh... it is good to be married to a man from the 21-st century....

Pengalaman PhD: Siri 3

2011-11-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

Caution: As in my other blog entries, this entry contains uncensored thoughts. Only continue reading if you are comfortable with feeling slightly uncomfortable.

I think it is hard for people to understand the life of a PhD student. It is not just about studying, though there's definitely a lot of that going on. For me, everyday is a struggle of trying to balance between my work, family and self.

It is also very difficult trying to explain to people what I do (and go through) on a daily basis. So, I decided to journal my activities and thoughts throughout a full working day. Here goes...

7:30am - Did the following in sequence: Woke up, showered, woke the kids up, heat up leftovers for kids' breakfast (curry chicken from last night that they ate with bread - Arman's favorite breakfast), and prepared the kids' lunch boxes. Today is not so hectic because they have hot lunch - pizza - at school). I packed each one a juice box, chewy, a slice of banana bread, and half a cup of fruits - Melur gets watermelon (her favorite) and Arman gets strawberries (not his favorite, but at least he'll eat them). Also, packed myself lunch - half a cup of brown rice with a piece of leftover chicken curry, half a cup of strawberries, and tea in that nice thermos I bought in UK.

8:50am - Kids left for school ("I love you... and have a good day!"), had breakfast (oatmeal and skim milk) and a bit of prepping to get ready for school. Basically, the prepping involved changing to "acceptable PhD student attire" (read: jeans and sweater) and brushing my hair; no make-up is required... hmmm... maybe lipstick... yeah, that looks better.

9:15am - Bus to office and saw another Malaysian there... also a PhD student and mommy... smiled but could not talk to her because the bus was rather packed and I was far away in the front and she was at the back.

9:25am - Arrived at office, set up computer, clean up desk (it was very dusty), and got the idea for a day journal for a blog entry... started making this list. Also made a list of things to do today (more like things that are due: funding application for 2012-2013 and teaching observation notes). **Sigh: Have to work on that topic analysis for PhD dissertation later**

Pictures of my office space... I have my own (small) desk, but I share the room with three other students.

Pictures of the kids at the back and my really old laptop that I got for a birthday gift from Roy.

My big second monitor... I love this, and friends ask me how I can have a movie on while working. Well... when I have a movie on that means I am working and I tune off the rest of the world. When it's Bridget Jones on... that means serious business.

Overall view... small area but workable.

The whole room... small but comfy.

9:30am - Checked email accounts... nothing important there. But got sidetracked a bit with this Groupon promotion for a week long vacation to world resorts hotel for half price. So tempting... I wish I have the time. Darn, I wish I have the money!

9:33am - Sorted out midterm grading for the class I'm lead TA. Almost four hundred students in five sections, with six TAs to handle. OK, so now who has graded what... and who has what pile to grade. Emailed all TAs with the latest updates... I hope they read and look at this...

10:09am - Start working on funding application. Filled the forms yesterday... but now need to double-check, especially on the formatting. And printing.... target to finish this in one hour.

10:57am - Met with one of the TAs to exchange grading pile.Gave me this idea to set a deadline for updating the Google doc so that everyone has the latest information. **Sigh: I hate telling people what to do... but it needs to be done**

11:10am - Started updating the grading information again and emailed all TAs again. SK and PG (both share the office room with me) came in and we chatted about the formatting for the funding application. Margins should be set to 1.87cm on header, footer, and both sides. SK borrowed my ruler to measure his applications, his was 0.1 cm more... SK freaked out... yikes, talk about precision!

11:20am - Submitted my application to the PhD office. They double-checked and found some mistakes. Had to fix those... finally, after an hour or so... submitted again without more fixes. I am free!!!!

12:17pm: Started to work on the teaching observation due today. I give myself an hour to finish it off. I did the structure yesterday... need to summarize my observation of PG's class session.

12:34pm - Checked email... and got diverted by the news on Penn State scandal and Kingston's (dis)honor killings... Explained to PG that (dis)honor killing is cultural and not related to the Muslim religion, we do not have (dis)honor killings in Malaysia, OK.

12:55pm - Bathroom break and filled in flask with water from the water fountain in the printing office. Felt chummy today and said hi to an unknown guy... talked to him about his funding application that he was printing. **Great, everybody else is stressed about it as well... it's not just me**

1:09pm - Started working again on the teaching observation... Decided to leave for Zuhur and Asar prayers at 2pm.

1:43pm - Took a short 5-minute break, walked around the office room. Good thing everybody else left already.

1:48pm - Took pictures of the office for blog.

1:49pm - Started to work again.

2:07pm - Stopped for prayers. Went to the Musolla (across the street from office)... love it here, everything is so close... the Musolla... the gym... the house. Prayed Zuhur... waited for a few minutes for Asar... prayed Asar.

2:35pm - Heat lunch... chatted a bit with another PhD student... she's pregnant... ask how things are. **Sigh: I think she looks pale. Oh sweetie, go lie down and rest... you look so tired**

2:47pm - Started to worked again... when is this teaching observation going to be done anyway.

3:10pm - Finally... lunch. Already so hungry I could eat a horse.

3:21pm - Done with lunch... Skyped Roy to give instructions about turning on the slow cooker. Trying out this chicken noodle recipe, which will be served for dinner.

3:24pm - Set up meeting with PG to talk about conference presentation and final paper for teaching course. Meeting set up for Tuesday next week.

3:25pm - Teaching observation... tak habis-habis ker benda nie?

3:29pm - Met with another TA to swap the grading pile. She said she has an interview in Toronto on Friday, and a midterm on Monday... so could not give pile back to me on Monday, but will give it on Tuesday morning instead. I told her that's OK... you need to find work after graduation... and you need to do well in your exams... we'll be handing this in late to the profs, but I'll handle them. **Sigh: We won't meet the deadline for grading... am worried... what do I tell the profs????**

3:40pm - Saw beaver tail van in front of JDUC. Called Roy... and asked where he is. He was on his way to pick up kids from school... Asked him to drop by campus in front of JDUC because will get the kids a beaver tail bread. Got in line and ordered chocolate hazelnut beaver tail, waited for order, and saw Roy and kids waiting in car nearby. Gave kids the treat... awww, they look happy. **Smiled: I will always try to be a good mother**

3:52pm - Started to work again... yes, you guess it... on the teaching observation. Got a Skype message from Roy about RSVP-ing for the Islamic Eid-al-adha dinner on Friday night. Back and forth on going or not going... flipped a coin... heads go, tail no go... heads. **Nice: I don't have to cook dinner on Friday night**

3:57pm - Working...

4:18pm - Left for aqua fit class... determine to exercise on a daily basis from now on.

4:35pm - Aqua fit with a substitute instructor... Darn it, she's tough! It was fun though... great class.

5:20pm - Quick shower and went directly to the Musolla for Maghrib.

6:10pm - Working... YTC (senior by one year) knocked and came in to ask about PR application. Answered his questions as best possible.

6:20pm - Something that YTC said made me go online to look at PhD placements... job market not bad. Some schools are recruiting. Email TAs again for update...

6:34pm - Back to work

7:53pm - Completed the teaching observation. Quickly emailed it to prof and PG. Did not even double-checked... **What the heck, it's a pass/fail course anyway**

7:54pm - Looked at Google doc to see latest update from TAs. Grading is in progress... so maybe we can still meet the deadline.

8:05pm - Clean-up desk a bit before leaving home. Roy was waiting outside with kids.... Errrkkk, where's the MaxTrade paper that I need to read for next week.

8:15pm - Found paper... turned off lights, and left office ("See you tomorrow")

8:20pm - @Home... unpack kids lunch boxes and bags... no notes and lunch boxes empty (great!). Washed dishes... so much dirty dishes to wash...

8:45pm - Dinner... chicken noodle soup wasn't that great. So bland! Can't believe that this recipe got really high ratings. I think Mat Salleh punya taste buds are numb... **Sigh: Kesian Roy, he's fasting today. Can't believe he got bland chicken noodle soup for dinner/buka**

Dinner tonight... chicken noodle soup... This recipe received high ratings from fifteen people. Unfortunately, those fifteen people have dead taste buds.

Roy... excited to try the new recipe... looks therapeutic (in a good way) he said.

9:40pm - Checked on update on Google doc. Compiled and emailed info to all TAs.

9:34pm - Done with work... need to rest.

10:10pm - Clean-up after dinner, washed dishes again... so much still... how did this happen???? **Thoughts: So tired... If tomorrow I cross the street and get hit by a big truck it won't be the worse thing in the world**

10:35pm - Checked the kids school agenda again, and signed-off on the agenda for the day. Pack kids and my own school bag for tomorrow... Played fruit ninja on Roy's phone... love this game. Roy is folding laundry. Thought of helping him... but decided not to... I'm tired physically, mentally, and emotionally. I deserve to play fruit ninja....

10:50pm - Got ready for bed, brushed teeth (I need to start flossing) and washed face... prayed Isya'... end of the day... in bed with "You don't have to be thin to win" book. Read a chapter before turning off the lights. **Sigh: Tomorrow is going to be more or less like this**

What a tiring day...

Pengalaman PhD: Siri 2

2011-11-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

I'm spurred by the positive feedback to my previous related entry. Granted that the feedback was given by the only person who actually read my blog... still, hope springs eternal... and thank you Uteh for reading.

Anyway, I've decided to talk about PhD funding. If you are a Malaysian, you probably know that there are a few scholarship opportunities to further studies abroad. These scholarships are offered for studies across different levels, from undergraduate all the way to doctorate. I think the most common PhD funding is offered by the Ministry of Higher Education, specifically for university lecturers. Most of these scholarships go to those going to the UK (we send them there in truckloads). I do think there's a tendency now to make sure people explore other options including other European countries, NA, Korea, and Japan.

The one thing that's great about NA universities is that they offer funding for PhD programs. This funding is also available to international students. Prof Big (old supervisor) once told me that when they take in a student, they consider the student as an investment... so they are very careful in selecting those they want to invest in... it is about "developing a scholar." They expect you to go into academia afterward, and be a good academic. A single student can definitely survive on this funding package. Don't get me wrong... you'll be living near poverty level but you'll survive. If you're with family, then things definitely get more complicated. Your spouse would probably need to work, or you'll need to have some other resources... e.g., savings or other supplemental income/scholarship. Hmmm... even though there's a funding package, I read somewhere that on average single PhD students would be about USD$10k in debt at the end of their studies, and married students (with kids and non-working spouse) would be about USD$30k in debt.

On a personal note, the fact that NA universities give funding to their PhD students is a plus point, not just in terms of giving financial support to qualified students. Let me be honest (and I do admit I might be bias in my opinion of NA universities)... I think when you're charging for studies at the PhD level, it becomes more of a money making scheme rather than about "developing a scholar"... there's a tendency to admit as many students as possible without giving attention to student-supervisor ratio. And when you have the student, there's a tendency to get them out without a more holistic training. Churn them in and out without really developing the skills needed to become an academic. Oh well... just my 2 cents...

Pengalaman PhD: Siri 1

2011-10-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

You there... yes you, let me just admit that I like to talk about work. Work, my work... yes, mine and not yours. For years I've listen to you talk about your work... complain about your ignorant bosses, incompetent co-workers and your unfair/stifling company culture. Now let me talk about my work... so you know a bit... so that the next time you see me and I open my mouth you won't think I'm over dramatic. Because doing a PhD is not a walk in the park... and no, I am not being over dramatic.

First off, let me get this straight. Doing a PhD is not a walk in the park, yes, I've said that already. But it needs to be stressed... needs to be hammered in that head of yours. No matter where you choose to go to, it is hard... but some places are harder than others, and some supervisors are more difficult to work with than others. I realize that most Malaysians choose to go to UK. Hey, most of the people that I used to go to work with are in the UK doing their PhDs or did their PhDs there. I have all the respect for them. But then, I'm in North America... Canada to be exact, where the system is similar to the United States. I'll refer to it as the North American (NA) system.

Also, I'm doing Information Systems and here it is in the business schools. In Malaysia and UK it is usually (though not always) that you'll see this field under its own schools or faculties - e.g., Faculty of ICT. If in Malaysia you think of business schools as cikai... I mean really sape pandang bebudak business, admit ajelah... you only look up to engineering or medic students... but in NA it is different. Business school professors usually make more money than professors in other fields including engineering and even medic. Susah nak percaya kan? Pergilah Google... and tengok reports about faculty pay in NA. So, suffice to say, bila banyak bayarannya, maka banyaklah cekadaknya.

Anyway, let's not digress... This entry will touch on the differences between NA and UK/Malaysian (I view the Malaysian system as pseudo-UK) PhD systems in general. If you want the specifics, don't worry, I'll tell you later in other entries hopefully. Why you need to know? I don't know... I write for me, this is my way of letting off steam. By the way, the NA explanation is based on my own experience as a student, while the UK/Malaysian is from my own research (from friends and reading blogs) as well as experience while working in a Malaysian university. Basic differences in the two systems:

Getting in:

Both requires application form, referees, academic transcripts, TOEFL/IELTS and application fee.
NA system - You need to have a GMAT (some schools also accept GRE) and write a statement of purpose (SOP). Most top b-schools require a GMAT score of 700 or more... but my GMAT didn't even get close to that. I think I got in because I used to work with this big shot in the field and I have previous research experience. There is no real cut off point. Though I think prior research experience trumps almost everything else. But needless to say, make sure that your score is respectable. In your SOP you need to write why you want to do a PhD, what are your potential research interests, how your background would help you in your PhD, and why you want to do a PhD in university X. Your SOP is usually limited to a few pages (2-3 at most). You need to tell them general things... nothing specific (e.g., research questions, or methods, etc).
UK/Malaysian system - Write and submit a research proposal. This will include the research questions, hypotheses statements, and some idea of your research plan (research method). I have heard that in a lot of cases, you'll end up re-writing this research proposal. A student might even end up with a different topic than the one initially suggested during his/her application.

I have the experience of applying to both systems. Overall, I think the NA system has a higher barrier to entry. The GMAT is hard to crack and each department/area usually takes in only 2 to 3 students per year. And the financial burden is more for NA as well (need to pay for GMAT along with the application fees).

Getting through:

NA system - Typically advertised as 2 years of coursework and 2 years of research, with total of 4 years. In reality, it is usually close to 5 years or even more. 4 years ni considered minimum lah. I've heard of schools in which the average is up to 7 years.
UK/Malaysia - Straight into research, advertised as 3 years in total. Though there's a trend to change to the NA system. And most Malaysians that I know off completed their PhDs in 4 years.

Getting out:

In both systems you need to complete your dissertation or thesis, and pass the oral exam or viva.
NA system - There's the dreaded comprehensive exam after coursework, usually taken at the end of the second year. At the end of their studies, graduates usually have a string of conference papers, at least one published journal article (likely 2 to 3), some experience in teaching, writing a research grant and reviewing for journals/conferences. In other words, you build your CV during the program. Of course, these requirements vary by schools and supervisors... and I know of a few Malaysians who do not even need to work on these things (especially the journal publications, which I think is the hardest) because they plan to go back to Malaysia, and don't really need to compete for a job there - e.g., those sponsored by local universities. However, supervisors usually expect their students to write for conferences (at the very least). The attrition rate is extremely high, only 50% of people complete their PhDs.
UK/Malaysian system - From what I've seen, students usually have a few conference papers near graduation.

Anyway, that's that. I'll tell you more later.

On Recent Events

2011-04-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

Yup, it is official... I'm going nuts and need professional help. My tasks this week are:
1. Exercise at least 30 minutes daily
2. Eat only when I'm hungry
3. Sleep before midnight

My homework before the next meeting: Figure out what my core values and goals are... and also, what I can change.

On Fortune and Cookies

2011-01-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't been exercising. The last time I ran was about 3 weeks ago... on the treadmill for 30 minutes. That was it... I see people running, cycling... exercising. New year resolutions I'm sure. But I'm just not in the mood... Worse is that I can feel my glands swollen... back of the neck, lower left side, upper left side... and lower right side... they are everywhere. Yeah, I have swollen glands...especially when I'm stressed out... not exercising and not eating right...

Anyway, just had a fortune cookie about 5 minutes ago. My fortune read:

"To exercise the body is to purify the mind"

I take this a sign...

On 2011

2010-12-31T11:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

On Hamba Daif Kenit

2010-12-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

I had a short-lived Skype conversation with my significant other about two hours ago. Here's an excerpt (as I remember it):

Me : So how was the run?
Significant other : Good. I got lost...
Me: I thought you were running with "Hamba Daif Kenit*" (shall be referred to as HDK from now on)
Significant other: I was... but he's slow right, so he told me to run ahead.
Me: How slow? Like me?
Significant other: He's not that bad...

Suffice to say, I stopped listening after that last sentence from him. It's not that I'm against this HDK person, far from it. I think he's amazing. I saw pictures of him completing marathons and triathlons and such. But, I also got a chance to pass him during Siemens 10K 2009. I remember thinking that he was walking as opposed to running. I saw this guy finish the run.. about 15 minutes after me. Can you just imagine how miffed I am with significant other?

I'm thinking of two possibilities here. Two reasons that made significant other think that HDK is "not as bad" as I am:

First, I really am that slow and I just don't realize it. The Siemens run was just a fluke. To this... well, what can I say? I do admit of being a penguin runner and will never be Boston material (except if I maintain this pace for 30 years). You pay for the experience of running in a race, and the longer you run the more you will experience. Hence, more bang for the buck.

Or two, significant other perceives (or assumes?) me as slower than HDK because I carry the XX-chromosome, while HDK carries the XY-chromosome. Some guys do get REALLY miffed when they get passed by a girl; "get chicked" as they call it. Now, don't get me wrong... I don't think significant other is sexist or chauvinist. He does his share of the household chores. That's not all sexist or chauvinist is it?

But see, I do think that there's some innate -ism in all of us. It's not a definite yes or no... black or white. Each -ism lies on a spectrum; where it lies depend on one's upbringing, experience, and current environment. Just think about it. Well, don't think about the crazy KKK... but just your ordinary person. Everything is underneath, not on surface, just at the back of one's mind.

Here are some of the subtle -isms that I've seen and/or experienced:

1. Examples of sexism: Boys are better at science and math; girls are better in the humanities (if anything at all); girls do well in school because they are hardworking, but boys (ahemm) are naturally smart. I pity those who never had the chance to meet boys who excel in the humanities, or girls who excel at math and science. As to the last example, I don't see anything wrong with being hardworking. Remember that genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.
Darn, I remember an immigration officer who stamped my passport as I was leaving for the States saying, "nie boleh ke budak pompuan belaja oversea? Boleh hidup ke?" That was around 1997-1998. Interesting isn't it?

2. Examples of Fair-is-beauty-ism:
--"Ohhh... cantiknya baby nie...puteh melepak" - so kalau baby not so puteh melepak, hodohlah agaknya ya?
--Ad in Malaysia with the statement "putih itu darjat" - no need to say what kind of product this ad is promoting
--Read the recent hu-ha about Elle magazine whitening the ever so pretty Aishwarya Rai Bachan

3. Examples of racism: Picture in your mind a world-renown professor in sociology, now computer science, and now mathematics. Which one is white, Indian, Chinese? Perhaps this is more stereotyping, but what is stereotyping but a manifestation of racism?

4. Examples of Western-is-better-ism: I am definitely guilty of this. What can I say? After, years in North America, my mind is "captured" and I am now a prisoner of Western civilization. There are a lot of the Western values that we should emulate such as punctuality, cleanliness, and less acceptance of power based on formal positions. Pity that we tend to emulate the values that are negative though. When I hear of Malaysian politicians referring to the moral decay in the West, I think this statement is an exaggeration. Isn't it us (the East) that's actually experiencing moral decay? Just read the Malaysian daily newspapers.

Most of us (especially those living in the Western countries) are very PC about things. We don't say it, but we think it, and unfortunately, we subconsciously act upon it. How sad for somebody who has all the -isms against him/her (e.g., think of somebody like me who is a Malay female with dark skin). I think the world is getting better though, with more and more people leaning on the better end of the -ism spectrum and judging me "not by the color of my skin, but the content of my character."

*I'm using a pseudonym to protect the innocent...

PS) To significant other... I accept the fact that I'm slow. I don't mind getting chicked or bloked ("dicked"would have a totally different connotation to it, wouldn't it)... but two things that you should remember not to say: First, I "bulldoze" my way through research. Second, HDK runs faster than me. I am a simple person, and I ask the simplest things from you.

On Procrastination

2010-12-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

I've been procrastinating so much lately. I think it's because I've been going on full steam during the semester... going kaput now. It's so hard working almost non-stop, when you don't really have a downtime. There's always something to do... at night, over the weekend, during holidays...

Anyway, it was a good day today. I successfully took the kids to watch Yogi Bear after lunch. We took the bus to the cinema. They really like the movie... it was funny. Arman was jumping around, so excited. He said the movie was "awesome and the best movie ever." I think younger kids would definitely like Yogi Bear... the jokes are easy to understand and well, can't go wrong with a bear who is smarter than the average bear.

And now I'm in the living room... sprawling in front of the TV again. I'm being very productive though... I have sour-cream banana chocolate muffin in the oven, laundry in the drier, and just wrote two short entries in the "Kembara" blog. I might be procrastinating though... still have a few things to finish up, yup... not one, not two, but three papers to write. But then who says procrastinating is not good, as long as you spend your time doing other (hopefully productive) things...

Oh... my top-10 list of how to avoid procrastination:

Squash some tomatoes
Set goals for the day and reward yourself for achieving those goals; warning: do not reward yourself with food
Break large projects into smaller chunks and focus on the details in completing those smaller chunks
Get started - don't wait for the right time or the right mood
Tackle the hard tasks first, since the easy ones usually take care of themselves
"Have to" usually doesn't work, "want to" usually does
Internet can be distracting **cough, cough, cough**
Try to balance things out - spend time with family, get regular exercise, and try to get enough sleep **cough, cough, nosebleed**
At the end of the day, look at the things that you have accomplished and feel good about them
If you really have to procrastinate... do something productive (hence the muffin, laundry, and blog entries)

“Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the “someday I’ll” philosophy.” - Denis Waitley

On Insomnia & The Full Monty

2010-12-18T22:38:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep... just sprawled out in front of the TV and computer doing absolutely nothing. It's almost 2am here... somewhat sleepy, but too lazy to walk upstairs and get ready for bed. Ada ker macam tuh? Maybe I am still on Vancouver time? Perhaps Insomnia?

Was watching The Full Monty. Yup, that 1997 movie about 6 steel-mill workers going all the way... stripping naked... hence, the full monty. Hey, it might be an old movie but it's funny, with lots of heavy issues underneath the humor... father's rights, unemployment, body image, etc. They threw eroticism out the window with the skinny, fat, old, pasty, and/or totally ungraceful male stripper-wannabes. And plus, the thought of a father doing the full monty in front of 400 spectators so that he can provide child support is kinda heartwarming. In real life you see fathers running away from their responsibilities... even though they drive a Bentley and the monthly support is only a measly RM300 per month... Yes, AC Mizal, I am talking about you...

On Time Flies

2010-12-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

They say time flies when you're having fun... I don't think I'm having that much fun... but still time flies... how is that possible?

Anyway, have so much stuff to do recently. Correction, have so much stuff to do RIGHT NOW... but am procrastinating... and Roy is not around (not sure how that factors into my procrastinating)... perhaps nobody to vent to and bounce idea with... just me in Kingston with the kids. They've been good though, such troopers. But then, it has only been two days. I know they can be quite a handful... the screaming, and fighting, and computer time...**sigh**

New year is approaching in two weeks. Am wondering if it is time to make some new year resolutions. Previous years' resolutions have never really come through. Well, some do... and some don't... and some tend to creep up again, and only noticeable when clothes don't fit as well... :)

But then I've always enjoyed making new year resolutions... that's when time really flies...

On TBL: Angah vs. Uteh

2010-10-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

So, me and Uteh are organizing our own TBL... Angah versus Uteh version. Here are the rules:

No diet supplements
First round will commence on Monday (October 18, 2010) and end on Monday (November 15, 2010)
Weekly weigh-in on Mondays and reporting; results will be posted on this blog in terms of actual and percentage weight lost
Both participants will engage in bi-weekly challenge (or mini challenge) and the winner will be announced at the end of the challenge
Winner of each round is determined by percentage of weight lost; the one with higher percentage wins
Prize?

Did I forget anything else? Oh yeah, first bi-weekly challenge is the contestant who can drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Winner will be based on the number of days the contestant can successfully adhere to drinking minimum at least 8 glasses per day.

On A Difficult Decision

2010-07-04T21:10:00.001-07:00

I have been raking my mind over this matter for weeks... weeks, I tell you. I asked several people for their opinion. Roy said, "OK." Melur said, "so-so." And Arman didn't say anything... he just looked at me, blinked his big beautiful eyes, and went on and about without even acknowledging my question. Does anybody actually listen to me?

I'm not giving up in trying to find an answer. I've been doing research on my own... the Internet, forums, articles, and event direct observation. I still can't make up my mind though. I don't know when I'll ever be able to give a definitive answer.

So, what do you think? Should I (or should I not) run in a running skirt? Hey, I might not be fast... but at the very least I run in style..:)

On A Bike

2010-06-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

New toy...

Behold... my new toy. Yup, finally got a bike for myself (or more accurately, Roy got this for me). The kids are so happy and excited, now everybody in the family has a bike. They're already planning for a trip to the K&P Trail on the weekends. Anyway, this new bike is for my latest project. Will not mention the specifics... suffice to say that it'll be something that I can be proud of, if accomplished.

Some statistics:

Frame Material: 6061 Alloy
Front / Rear Derailleur: Falcon MF22 front and Shimano TY18 rear
Kick Stand: Yes
Saddle: Black cover with white bumper
Rim Type: Alloy
Tire Type: Road
Bike Gender: Women's
Frame Size: 26"
Wheel Size: 700C
Gears: 21
Tire Width: 38C

Oh also...Roy bought me this bike...Hmmm, did I mention that already? Maybe I did, but it is definitely worth mentioning again. An early 10th year wedding anniversary gift... Yes, we've been married for a decade... How time flies...*sigh**

Thanks so much honey!

On Personal Revelations from Detroit, Michigan

2010-06-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

Attended a 2 and 1/2 day course on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in Detroit, Michigan. Was very excited to go... that feeling lasted only one day. The first night in Detroit, was already SO bored and missing M & M. Plus, missed their Islamic School's graduation ceremony as well. Went to the gym late evening, because didn't have anything else to do... There's never anything good on TV in Kingston or Detroit. Spent a good hour at the gym. The rest of the night was uneventful. Watched TV while having dinner in bed. Not so inclined to venture out since there was nobody else to venture out with. Unfortunately, made the mistake of spending 10 minutes watching "The Ghost Whisperer." 10 minutes... that was all it took to spook me for the whole night... could not sleep... thoughts were along the lines of I cannot see dead people, or can I?...woke up at 3am... 5am... 6:45am... 6:50am... you get the picture. By 7:30am was already wide awake, and decided to get ready for my first day of SEM.

Endured 3 nights in Detroit, and 2 and 1/2 days listening to the conceptual foundation of SEM. Do I really need to know the meaning of lambda-x, lambda-y, theta-epsilon, phi, psi, and gamma in Lisrel?

So glad to be (almost) back! Right now am blogging at Toronto Airport, while waiting for the coach bus to Kingston. Coach should be here in about an hour plus some. Anyway, here are a few random personal revelations from Detroit, Michigan:

You never regret the times you spent exercising at the gym, but you always regret the times you don't - Went to the gym on my first and second night in Detroit, but caved in to mental fatigue on the third night... and decided not to go. Wishing that I did right now...
Some people think that the MIS field is bunked - "I don't believe in MIS... what are they really... a bit of CS but not really... doesn't work," this coming from an OR gentleman sitting next to me during lunch. I respect your opinion, though I disagree with it... not surprising though, coming from failed mathematicians wannabe...
I don't like sleeping alone. Been married for almost ten years (end of July). Much prefer to sleep with Archie and Hermione, then alone.
As an instructor you must listen to the FULL question first before answering the question - The SEM instructor was good... quite an expert really. But he has listening issues. He kept interjecting when workshop-ers were asking questions. Hard to give an answer when you don't listen to the question first.
You can muti-task tasks but not people. When talking to others please make the necessary eye contact, and focus on the conversation. If you need to do other things, please excuse yourself and explain politely. If not, you are just being disrespectful.
Elvis Presley's Graceland is in Memphis, not Nashville. Memphis and Nashville are both in Tennessee.
Must remember to eat only half of the dessert served. Satisfying, and yet not over-indulging.
Rumors abound that me and family are moving to the States. Why? How? When? Huh?
Any form of moving transportation can induce me into a temporary coma - Evidence: (i) Slept right through the bus from Kingston to Toronto Airport, woke up with the driver announcing Terminal 3 Toronto; (ii) Slept right through the flight from Toronto to Detroit, got off the flight with the stewardess saying, "look who's awake"; (iii) Slept through the flight from Detroit to Toronto, woke up with the lady next to me, "girl, you can sleep through anything"; and (iv) same as (i) but change the announcement to Kingston bus terminal.
Am not very good at photography. And here are some random (and dreary) pictures from Detroit:

From the entrance: king-size bedroom with en-suite living room

Sweet dreams...

The sofa bed - this room accommodates 4 people. Could have had the whole family here with me... But then the kids only like hotels with a pool

Tunnel going to concourse B and C at Detroit Airport... the tunnel changes color and they kept playing this weird twilight zone-like music

Water fountain... Detroit was so warm was thinking of jumping in here at one point

On Not Beating Beethoven

2010-06-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 6th 2010

1:05am - Went to bed thinking that I'll be with the kids tomorrow cheering for Roy in Beat Beethoven 8K. We both registered for the race, but I couldn't find a babysitter for the kids. We sort of decided to have Roy run, and I'll cheer for him on the sideline with the kids. Fell asleep thinking that I should go to bed earlier.

6:30am - Alarm clock went off... switched it off thinking that I heard rain outside... went straight back to sleep...:)

9:00am - Woke up. Roy was looking outside, "its raining and I don't think I wanna run today." You sure? (err... pretty sure I asked him this and he nodded). Went straight back to sleep again...:)

9:30am - Woke up for real this time around. I guess Roy is not running today.

9:37am - In the bathroom and brushing teeth, looked outside... Hmmm, definitely not raining. Honey, you sure you don't wanna run? "Yes," he answered from downstairs. Get the kids ready. I think I'll run today.

9:47am - Not enough time for a proper breakfast so drank 1 cup of chocolate milk instead. Roy and kids are already in the car waiting, rushed out. Roy drove us to Kingston's City Hall. Registration closes at 10am. Runners were heading away from the City Hall. Why? Is it cancelled? Please, let it be cancelled. Too lazy to run now. Raining and wet.

9:53am - Nope, not cancelled at all. Nice lady in the registration tent told me where to pick up the timing chip. The volunteers are so nice... Picked up the timing chip. I guess I'm running today.

9:57am - Waiting for the start on the sideline with Roy and kids. Why can't they just cancel the run... The rain got heavier, and we moved under the registration camp for shelter. It's so cold... a lady just changed her 8k run to a 4k walk. Can I change as well? Too late... People are already heading towards the starting line. Hopefully the weather gets better.

10:11am -All runners lined up... went straight to the back. I know I'm slow... don't wanna get trampled by the pros in front.

10:17am - Caught snippets of the speech by Kingston's town crier... fit and fit wannabe (yup, that's me)... run like a heard of gazelles (errr... OK)... chased by a Labrador? (I don't like dogs anyway). Saw an old lady in a fuchsia windbreaker. OK, I'm running with her... she looks slow. Everybody clapping... and excited to start. Can I just follow the 4K walkers? OK, I'll just follow them... I'll turn when they turn... But won't they know that I'm supposed to run the 8K?

10:30am - Gun went off... the front runners are moving.

10:31am - Finally stepped on the chip mat. Can I not run? Why am I here? The rain pelting my face... hands are very cold. Looked around for kids and Roy. There they are. Melur waving and shouting, "go mommy go!" That's a good start. Changed my watch to stopwatch. OK, if I can run under 50 minutes I can beat Beethoven... yeaahh, rightt!

4min - Running with people with strollers and kids on bikes. Next year should do this with the kids.

8min - Running way at the back. Oppsss...watch out for that big puddle in front of the hospital!

10min - Kids and Roy waving at me in front of the city park...Love them!

14min - Going uphill... OK, don't panic... when there's uphill there must be downhill. Looked ahead and saw the old fuchsia windbreaker lady running about one block ahead. Ran alongside a tall lady runner in green and black windbreaker. Said hi.

19min - Raining more and more... and strong gushes of wind. How far have I ran? 5K? Errrkkk... the 3K marker is down ahead. So much for 5K...

20min - Still running towards the 3K marker...

21min - Finally reached the 3K marker... OK, 5K to go.

30min - Running in front of Pembroke...Kids in the car in front of the house...waving again...Awww, guys you are so sweet! Melur wearing Roy's Beat Beethoven t-shirt.

31min - Water station right in front of the store that I don't go to again...

39min - Kids in the car...again waving and cheering... If you love me, you'll ask me to stop running.

45min - Water station at the cricket field...

48min - Kids and Roy waving from the car. Guys, can I join you? Please ask me to join you guys in the car...

49min - Passed the lady in fuchsia windbreaker. Yayyy, I can run faster than somebody's grandmother! Thought about the tall lady runner in black and green. What happened to her? Finally reached the 7K marker... Yup, definitely not beating Beethoven this year.

1:00hr - I can see the finish line... people cheering... One guy from the side ran with me clapping and telling me that I can go faster. These people are so nice. OK, must pick up the pace, can't be a wuss now.

1:03:06hr - Crossed the finish line, and heard the announcer, "now Beat Beethoven 2010 is officially over." I guess I'm the last one to cross the finish line... That's OK, just happy to finish.

1:04hr - A group of people just crossed the line. Hmmm... I guess I didn't finish last.

Course map for the Beat Beethoven Kingston 2010

On Ottawa Half Marathon

2010-06-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

"I'll never do this again!" Yup, that's what I was thinking when I crossed the finish line at Ottawa half marathon past weekend. But I can't chicken out since I'd already registered, and paid for the hotel room. So I ran anyway... even though I didn't train for it. My longest run so far was a measly 4 miles, and the half is 13 miles.

It started off being a good day. I woke up at 5:45am and got ready for the race. We stayed at the Hampton Inn, and I think the race attracted lots of people from other cities as well. When I went for breakfast the cafe was full, half of them wearing the race shirts. The weather was slightly cloudy on that Sunday; perfect weather for a run. I started my run at the back of the pack... way, way back really, and joined the 3hr running group. My pacer was doing a 10 minute walk and 1 minute run. I thought I'll just follow the group until I can't go on... and then, walk (or crawl) until the finish line.

I managed to follow the pack until the 19th km. I was already falling behind the group, when I saw Roy and the kids. They were cheering for me and waving. Melur even made a poster that read, "Go Mom Go!" I can't give up now. And I was almost there. But the last km was the longest stretch. And the organizers put up signs all the way... 750m to finish... 500m to finish... 250m to finish... I think I looked quite bad such that people started cheering for me... Some were just blatantly lying, "looking good." Yea, right... I think I looked like a walking zombie. I also heard some people cheering with different variations of my name (since "eruani" was printed on my bib)... eruan, ervan, erwah... Well, they tried.

I finished the run in 3:01:47 hours. I could not walk for two days. And now I have a slight cold and am walking like John Wayne. But it was a nice run though. The route was nice, probably the most scenic... and so well organized. They really did a good job there...

PS) Am creating a training schedule for my next run in September...

On 2010 Resolutions (Addendum)

2010-02-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

I'm experiencing a very early mid-life crisis right now. If I were a man, I'll be having a meaningless fling with somebody twenty years my junior. But then, I'm not... and I place great value in being faithful to my significant other. Not to mention that twenty years my junior means an under-age minor! Instead, I'll have to be content with the next best thing. I'm going to run a marathon. I'll be adding the Niagara Falls International Marathon on October 24th to my 2010 resolutions. The only marathon that crosses two countries - US and Canada.

The marathon is a few days prior to my birthday. I'll get this out of my system (whatever "it" is).
And that's that.

On 2010 Resolutions

2010-01-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

It might be a tad late to post my new year's resolutions, seeming that it is seven weeks past January 1st. But then, better late than never. So my new year fitness goals include completing the following runs:

* Limestone Half-Marathon (Date: April 26)
* Ottawa Half-Marathon (Date: May 30)
* Beat Beethoven 8K (Date: June 20)
* Brockville Half-Marathon (Date: September 11)
* KRRA Anniversary 10K (Date: November 7)

I've only started training for the Limestone Half this week (see training log on the side bar). Keep picturing myself being the last person crossing the finish line (still OK), or crossing the finish line on a stretcher... errrrkkkk!

Also, I've planned for some fun events for the kids:

* Rock climbing at the Kingston Boiler Room (Date: March 27)
* KS4Kids 1K Family Run (Date: June 20)
* Triathlon for kids (Date: July 31)

On Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T20:59:00.001-08:00

Wishing everybody a Happy New Year!
Hope that all of your resolutions will come true for 2010.

On Welcome to Blogger, Uteh!

2009-12-30T17:34:00.001-08:00

Dear Uteh has started(?) a blog. No posting though. I am not sure if she has chosen an appropriate blog title: Start To Finish. Is setting up a blog without a posting an actual start? If you run in a race, they'll announce ready, set and go... go means start. In her case... it's more like the ready and set part of the race, without go. If you've never actually started, how are you going to finish?

Despite the lack of go, I'm still hoping that she'll provide some postings every now and then, so that I have something to read. Already added her blog to my blog list on the side bar.

Welcome to Blogger, Uteh!

On Skype, Blackberry, and Virtual Teams

2009-12-24T17:34:00.000-08:00

So, Hubby is working as part of a virtual team. In the morning he works with the client, and at night he talks to the engineering team in Malaysia. Almost all day long he's plugged in. He has Skype and Zoopin (to take care of the visitors going into the company's website). Even when he's out... he has Blackberry. Everything goes into the Blackberry - email alerts, Skype messages, Zoopin messages, etc. You can hear it bleeping every now and then whenever we go out. Having dinner outside, he'll be glancing at his Blackberry... anxiously checking for messages and what not.

As somebody who believes in the advantages of technology in general, and computers specifically, I can say with absolute certainty that THIS is one BIG problem. The Skype and Blackberry are blurring the line between work time and family time, in most cases work time wins. There is no private time. There is no more exclusivity. When can you put away work and concentrate fully on those around you? Is everything in life about multitasking? Life is now shared, either with the clients or with the engineering team in Malaysia.

Another issue is with working in a globally distributed team. There are differences in public holidays between the three countries (US has clients, Malaysia has engineering team, and Canada has Hubby), and differences due to the time zone... makes things even more difficult. Hubby observes the US holidays so he's not free when the rests of the family is on holidays, and the engineering team has no qualms in calling him when he's on his holidays, since most of the time they are working in Malaysia... He can't take his holidays on non-US public holidays because then there won't be anybody taking care of the clients. There is always an emergency of some sort. Clients will have problems... engineering will need something...

About the time zone... we'll lets just say that the engineering team has as much qualms calling him at odd times during the day (or should I say... any time of the day and night) as calling him during holidays.

Work is invading the family. Technology is the key enabler. We end up with Azroy from Quickshools 24/7.

On Asics Gel GT-2150

2009-12-21T16:26:00.001-08:00

My new running shoes. Am proud to say that the lady at Running Room declared that, "these [old running shoes] are toast." I logged in about 270 miles on my old New Balance for January until November 2009, but I bought those shoes in March 2008. Probably had about 300++ miles on them already.

Didn't think that I'll ever buy anything other than New Balance though. But the Asics fit quite well... I tried several at the stores, different brands... but this pair is the best. I have very wide front feet for a girl so not all brands make their shoes with wide cuts. Nikes for instance, have really narrow cuts for most of their shoes. And well... my feet are almost flat with no arch (the whole family is flat-footed). I don't mind running with heavier shoes, which is usually a trade-off in shoes that support flat-foots like myself. But the Asics are quite light, and feels great on my feet. They should be though... spent $190 for them... :D

Nevertheless, hope to get the new Asics toast as well.

On Two Thousand Nine (Part 2)

2009-12-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping tabs on how much I've been spending this year for fitness related items. I think it's time to tally everything and see the grand total.

Athletic clothing (shoes, shorts, shirts, etc)
Strength training gloves - $12
Sports bra - $98
Running jacket (windbreaker) - $25
Swimsuit - $86
Running shades - $30
Socks - $45
Brand-spanking new running shoes (Asics Gel GT-2150) - $180
Ponytail hat - $40
Total for athletic clothing - $516

Fitness classes
Vinyasa yoga (Jan - Apr) - $78
Vinyasa yoga (Sep - Nov) - $95
Swimming (Adult 201) - $61
Total for fitness classes - $234

Equipment purchase
Strength training bands - $40

Gym membership
Golds Gym membership at $30 per month (Jan - Aug) - $240

Health Supplements
Calcium and Vitamin D - $50

Grand Total - $1080

So that's how much I spent for 2009 on fitness related stuff. I've started to keep tabs on the expenditures for 2010 - already registered for yoga classes starting January 2010. Looking forward to the start of the new year.

On Two Thousand Nine (Part 1)

2009-12-18T18:46:00.000-08:00

The year 2009 is almost over. I think it is time to look back, and see what I have accomplished.

Running
I ran 6 races altogether.
* Harry 8K Spring Run on March 8
* Vancouver 10K Sun Run on April 19
* Telus Science World 1K Fun Run on May 31
* Longest Day 10K Run on June 12
* Scotiabank Half Marathon on June 28
* Siemens 10K (Malaysia) on July 19

I can't really think of anything else. Am feeling quite pathetic. Life BK (Before Kingston) was quite healthy. I exercised about 4 to 6 times a week, and ate healthy as well. But it has been difficult to incorporate those things right now. I need some sort of game plan...**sigh**

PS) I'm trying to update my blog so that my sisters have something to read during work

On A New Mindset

2009-11-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy lately. Haven't been eating right, haven't been exercising... and haven't been getting much sleep either. I'm determined though to set things right, one step at a time. So, here are the things I set to do from Nov 8 to Nov 14:

Exercise: Sunday, Monday, and Friday (Run 5K) and Thursday (Yoga)
Sleep: 7 hours/day
Food: One cup of coffee per day

And yeah, I've also developed the bad habit of drinking lots and lots of coffee everyday. From someone who never took coffee before...

OK, we'll see how things go after Nov 14. Good luck to me!

On Buying & Owning A House

2009-08-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Wrote this a few weeks back... didn't get a chance to post it until now.

I was recently asked by a recently-married sister on tips for buying a house. I keep thinking about my own experience a couple of years ago (more like having nighmarish flashbacks really). I think my own experience was, for lack of a better word, so intense that I promised myself that if anybody ever asked me about my experience regarding this matter, I will give them a no holds barred version of what happened. Maybe so that they won't have to go through what Hubby and I went through.

So here goes... no hyperboles...

When we bought our house at No 44 SS1/11 Kg Tunku, we didn't put much thought into a budget. We simply calculated that we can afford a house based on the down payment money that we had... which was the total of all our cash savings. As for the monthly payment, I'm embarassed to admit, but we never even sat down and discussed/planned it properly. We just assumed that things will continue as it was... even with a new baby coming, pervasive layoffs, and the generally negative economic outlook at that time. Anyway, I think owning a house requires a detail (and honest) look into your finances, as well as your spending habits. After signing on the dotted lines... the money we had (and earned later on) grew wings and simply flew out the windows because we had to pay for:

Down payment & misc:
Down payment of about 10%, stamp duty, and legal fees.We also took up financing from the bank (if you can pay cash for a house, I salute you!). So, we paid for the valuation and more legal fees (for the legal agreement between us and the bank).
Note: I heard that the intial cost for buying a house from a developer is significantly less since you can get up to 100% loan, and a waiver for the legal/valuation fees.

Monthly payments
Our monthly payment was 50% of our combined income. I can only say that we were CRAZY!
The financial gurus would say 30% of total income. The bank qualifies you for loans based on gross income. But, if I were ever to buy a house in the future, I'd be MOST conservative and aim for 30% of NET monthly income instead.
We had to deal with so many emergency situations that required money... but, we were so cash strapped we could hardly breathe. Think of medical bills, raya celebrations, kindergarten fees, and half of our roof falling (yups, you got that right... our front porch fell... it was like we were hit by our own private tsunami). We ended up having to pawn jewellery and/or relying on generous gifts from Mak to cover these emergencies.

Annual payments
Annual taxes that we needed to pay - cukai tanah (quit rent) and cukai pintu (assessment rent). We also needed to fork up money for insurance. I think ours was about RM700 per year. Quite steep... especially considering that we were cash poor in the first place.

Cost of entry
Our house was extremely dillapidated when we purchased it. The house was left empty for years. We had to do a lot of renovations to make it livable - fix the roof, electrical wiring, tiles, windows, and the list goes on. The basic renovations itself cost about RM65K. We borrowed RM34K from Hubby's parents for renovations. 2 years after selling the house, we still owe them RM7K... I loathe to be in debt.
After basic renovations, there were also costs to make the house more livable. The kitchen was about $7K (we shopped around quite a bit... and I think we got the cheapest kitchen possible), light fixtures, air-cond (how to live in Malaysia without air-cond?), water heater, and curtains. Oh, also deposits for water, electricity, and phone services. It was like money here, money there... dire need of money everywhere.

Maintenance
Yes, money for maintenance. Doesn't look important... but a BIG necessity actually. Case in point, when we first moved in... we skimped on mowing the lawn. So, we had overgrown grasses, which made the house look empty. As a result, visitors for our neighbours started to park in our driveway, and of course, the house got broken into. So yeah... make sure you budget some money for maintaining your house. Things like lawn maintenance (if you have a lawn that is)... and general fixing/repairs.
I also read somewhere that as a general rule of thumb, you'll detect defects in your new house only after 6 months of purchasing.

To sum it up, my own 3 life's lessons on budgeting for a house:

1. Quite straightforward - the bigger the house... the more you need to spend on it. Something akin to the Malay proverb "besar nasi jadi besarlah kerak." Think about it, the bigger the house the more you need to spend on things like curtains, lawn, insurance, quit rent and assessment rent... since a bigger house would have more windows, bigger lawn, and more square footage. On top of that, a bigger house generally consumes more utilities, which implies a higher utility bill as well.

2. Must have a thorough and honest financial plan before purchasing. We didn't have one,and we simply sufferred. Our initial choice was to eliminate expenses that we deemed as frivolous, like entertainment and clothing allowances. Big mistake! Why? Because it was not practical to live without spending money on these "frivolous" items. Even the typical financial advice is to budget 10% of income for entertainment, and about 3% of income for clothing. It was miserable not being able to eat out, or watch movies every now and then.
So we tried to increase our income whenever possible. I was pregnant a year after purchasing our ex-house, but I took on extra teaching at my work place, extra teaching at OUM (a "university" which I totally disagree on), and more extra teaching during the semester break (when most of my colleagues would be vacationing abroad). On top of all that I was holding an administrative post, which gave me headaches most of the time. Even with all the extras we only had "just enough." I was so tired... so worn out... and so miserable... that most of the time I was wishing that I wasn't pregnant anymore.
Note: A horrible thought... I know, which is why I never mentioned this to anybody. It was just THAT bad...

3. Expect to pay for good renovations. To keep renovations cost to a minimal, we (1) hired unprofessional contractors, and (2) hired those in (1) who is a family friend. To say it blankly... we hired contractors simply because they were cheap. A very bad decision because the workmanship was so shoddy such that living in that house was:
- Unsafe: The electrical wiring was not done properly. Several of our appliances blew up. I think we ran through 3 rice cookers and 2 kettles during the 3 years we were living there. And did I mention our front porch fell off? Luckily, it happened when nobody was around.
- Generally uncomfortable: Leaky roof... we are not talking about small drips here and there, but buckets and buckets of water when it rains. After moving to Vancouver, I asked Melur what she likes most about the house in Vancouver, and she answered, "it doesn't get wet when it rains." You don't think kids notice these things... but they do.
- From time to time sakit hati: Looking at the haphazard tiles.. leaky roof... added to our feeling of down-trodenness... Hmm, also I'll take the liberty of telling all my readers (like I have readers in the first place) that the family friend/contractor we hired had the gal of emailing Hubby and telling him that the pay for the tiling work wasn't enough... that HE felt cheated... and had to take a loss. Well, I (personally) didn't have anything to do with hiring HIM, and why did you agree to the price in the first place? Stupid ribut taufan...

I think the experience was so painful for us (maybe I'll blog about the other things that went wrong with the house later on)... such that we were miserable during our years in Malaysia. If anybody asked why we've decided to immigrate to Canada... to live far from family and friends... I can say that for me (and I think for Hubby as well), it was due to No 44 SS 1/11 Kg Tunku...

On Being Positive

2009-08-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

To all and sundry: I'm almost over my culture shock...

I'm thinking that the best way to start my life in Kingston is by focusing on the positives. So, here is my list of top 10 reasons why life in Kingston is going to be GREAT:

1. We (finally) have a car
When Hubby and I started our family in Malaysia 7 years ago, we bought a (catastrophic) house that we couldn't afford. We were so broke that we resorted to borrowing cars from relatives. Then we moved to Vancouver, and we had to deal with the high cost of living there. We did our best with public transportation, and later on a Zipcar about once a month.
We finally have our own car now... long overdue. But, we bought our green 2002 Ford Focus Wagon in cash... courtesy of cashing-in early on our Malaysian ASB savings. I'm proud that we didn't need financing; and hence, go into debt. It is definitely easier to get around with a car. Plus Kingston is such a small town, which means very mild (almost non-existent) traffic. The kids definitely love the car... not a bad way to start out.

2. Kingston's affordability
Sure, Vancouver is a nice place... beautiful, good weather (for the most part), diverse, and lots of family-friendly activities. Unfortunately, it is also VERY expensive. One of the most expensive cities in the world. If money is no object, then Vancouver would be a great place to raise a family.
But reality is, based on our income level (and income levels of many I think)... Kingston is much more affordable. Each time we do our groceries, Hubby and I just marvel at how much cheaper things are in Kingston. You can get 6 whole corns for $1, broccoli for $0.99/lbs, and asparagus for $1.99/lbs... And I LOVE asparagus! Boiled... baked... stir-fried.... asparagus... asparagus... cheap asparagus...
I spent the past 2 days working on our family budget. Things are looking good. We can't (and don't) live in luxury, but we have enough to start saving regularly. I can even plan for facials with my monthly pocket money. Got to love Kingston for that.

3. Work
I am very EXCITED about starting my program at Queen's. I'm grateful that I got accepted with a scholarship. I had a very difficult time at UBC, which actually scarred my overall experience of Vancouver. I'm just so ready to start fresh... am a hundred percent roaring to go!
Hubby also thinks that his work hours are much better here. Same time zone as New York, where most of his clients are located. No more weird meeting hours for him.

4. School & activities for the kids
We were lucky enough to find a rental place within our budget, and within the catchment area of the school that we wanted for Melur and Arman. Next week we're registering them to the Winston Churchill Public School.
We'll also get the kids into their groove - Kumon, swimming, and piano lessons. Plus, evening instructions at the Islamic Centre twice a week. This is something that wasn't really available in Vancouver. There is a weekend school in Burnaby, but the language of instruction is Arabic, and a 2-hour commute from our old place. Hmmm... I guess it was available but not viable? Errrkkk... Hubby's sleeping so can't ask him... sometimes I feel like I'm married to a walking English dictionary/grammar police.

5. Planned vacation(s)
We're planning for a short vacation next summer. Niagara Falls. Nothing fancy, probably 4 days and 3 nights... maybe even squeeze in a short drive to Ithaca, NY. This is possible due to item 2 (Kingston's affordability), and the fact that we're only about 3 hours away from Niagara Falls. Hoping to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary there with the kids.
By the way, we're also planning to visit Italy and Greece in 2011. OK, so this is just me planning (read: day-dreaming). But well, if this is not a go, then Montreal is about 2 hours away. It'll be like going to France.

6. Queen's Centre
I know this is a bit weird but, I'm looking forward to the opening of the Queen's Centre. They promised lots of cardio and weight machines. And lots of fitness classes - yoga, pilates, and spinning - the whole works! The place is only a block away from the business school. I can schedule workouts before/after classes, or during lunch hours. Well, that's the plan anyway.

7. Running again
I haven't ran in weeks... months... feels like years. I'll start again soon. I promised my running shoes that I will take her out in a day or two.

OK, I said 10... but I can only think of 7 right now. Hubby says that we've only been here for less than 3 weeks. He thinks we'll find out more stuff later on. Unlike him, I'm not an optimist (not in general anyway). But I trust his judgment. Peace out!

On (Un)Welcome to Kingston!

2009-08-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, we moved... the whole family. Packed whatever we can... and sold/giveaway/discarded the rests. We are now in Kingston, Ontario...

Am having the biggest cultural shock in my life (bigger than moving from smalltown Mersing to California at 17... yeah, that's huge). Was just telling hubby that most of the people I've seen here smoke (literally left and right!), eat greasy stuff, and don't take skim dairy products... And of course who can forget the convenience store mad-lady who thought I was trying to steal a bottle of mineral water that costs $1.49 plus tax. Really? Mineral water? Me? Well, at least it was an Evian... the branded mineral water. Would have thrown a hissy-fit and karate-do her if it was for a generic bottled water...

Arrrghhh!!!!!... don't mind me... I am still reeling from the crappiest run of my life. 20 minutes of mostly leisure walking, yups, taking in the smoked-filled air of Kingston. Didn't I run a half-marathon just a few weeks ago? Will sit down and write a training schedule for a half-marathon in November... I'll be back...

On Hotdog Diet

2009-06-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went to a birthday party. Adam, the son of a family friend, just turned 1. What an adorable little boy... so manja... reminded me of Arman when he was that age.

Those adik-adik undergrad who haven't seen me for a while were quit surprised at my "transformation" (read: weight loss). I was bombarded with questions on how to lose weight. I tried to answer those questions as honestly as possible, not that I'm an expert on the subject matter, but nothing wrong in sharing what I've learned based on my own experience and reading. I simply told them the things that have and have not worked for me.

I was definitely flattered, but some of those questions (especially foody questions) made me scratched my head. The questions I received can be categorized into the following*:

Food that CANNOT be eaten.
Examples: Are eggs OK? Should I take rice? What about carbs?
My answer: I eat everything (and to emphasize this point I'll be heaping a generous amount of mee goreng onto my plate, or stuffing my mouth with the birthday cake!)

Food that MUST be eaten.
Examples: Do I need to take flax seeds? Green tea? Keep everything low fat?
My answer: I don't really have any special food/supplement (though I did read the benefits of flax seeds and green tea... I still prefer English Breakfast).

Latest diet trend.
Examples: Ranging from traditional Atkins to the Hot dog diet... Yup, you got that right... hot dog diet. 2 wieners each time during breakfast, lunch, and dinner (only wieners!)... water and fruits for morning and afternoon snack.
My answer: On Atkins... too much protein is not good for you. On the Hot dog diet... errr... I was rendered speechless.

My 10 simple rules for eating healthy(-er) are:

Plan my day and compensate accordingly. Example: birthday party with lots of Malaysian delicacies for dinner... so, lighten up on lunch.
Keep a food diary. Write down what and how much I eat and drink (almost daily). I use the BodyMinder: Workout & Exercise Journal. I went through one of these spiral-bound journals already... and am now on my second journal.
Aim for minimal of 8 glasses of water per day.
Aim for minimal of 2 servings of fruits per day.
Avoid processed food such as french fries, breaded fillet, nuggets, and hot dogs (I guess that's a NO to the hot dog diet). Try to get real food instead such as a baked potato or grilled salmon.
Adhere to the diabetic dinner plate - fill half of my dinner plate with veggies, a quarter with protein such as chicken, fish, or tofu, and another quarter with rice (I eat rice for dinner every night).
Remove temptations from my own kitchen, since (my) willpower is highly overrated.
Learn and watch out for the right serving sizes. I bought and read "The Portion Teller," which explains portion sizes quite well.
Try to make healthier choices in restaurants. Example: broth-based soups as opposed to cream-based soups.
Daily intake of multivitamin and calcium pills.

*Classifying things... definitely the research training coming out...

With Melur... sharing a slice of the ice-cream cake at the birthday party.

On PUMP

2009-06-03T21:41:00.001-07:00

Today I tried the PUMP class offered at my gym. I've been wanting to try this class for the past two weeks after bumping into Nameet, a family friend. He was promoting the Wednesday morning PUMP class with Nelly. With a bit of schedule re-arrangement (thanks honey for agreeing to send the kids to school on Wednesday mornings!), I managed to get to the gym early enough for the class...

What's the class all about?
This is the description that I got from the gym's brochure "Dedicated to muscle conditioning, this class focuses on barbell and dumbbell training for the whole body. Increase your strength and improve your definition."
My class was segmented into 10 minutes warm-up, 30 minutes strength training using barbells, dumbbells, and resistance bands, 10 minutes core exercises with the exercise ball, and 10 minutes of cool-down and stretching. The strength training segment focused a lot on compound upper body and lower body movements, such as squats with dumbbell lateral raise, and lunges with dumbbell curls. All the muscles in the body are worked, about 2 different movements per muscle. Each movement repeated in 2 sets of 15 reps. Nelly told us to start off with heavier weights, and lower them as we get tired.
Overall, it's quite an efficient way to work the whole body under limited time.

What I like about the class?

My morning class was small... about 5 people. It felt more like a group personal training session rather than a typical class at the gym. Nelly got the chance to look over our forms as we lift.
I learned quite a few new movements such as the plie squats, side lunges, and lots of different ways to work with the exercise ball.
You work with weights at your own level. Pooja was there too... and both of us were PUMP first-timer. We worked with some additional weights as well as our own body weights since we are beginners).
My core muscles are weak. I can barely complete a set of the core exercises. Maybe should consider doing Pilates at some point.
Music was good... keeps you PUMPing!

How was my overall experience?
Totally positive! I enjoyed the class... in some classes I'll be checking the time every few minutes, but not this one.

Is this class for beginner?
My instructor, Nelly welcomes students from all levels. But I think this depends totally on the instructor and target audience (i.e., some classes are only for intermediate or advance exercisers). So, talk to the instructor to get a better idea whether this is suitable for you.

Am I coming again?
Already have it scheduled in for next week, and I slotted PUMP to replace one of my weekly traditional strength training sessions for this month.

PS) Make sure you come between 5 to 10 minutes early since you need the time to get your weights before the class starts.

On Weekly Exercise Routine

2009-05-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

Me and a cup of Starbucks' latte right before the mini fun run with the kids.

I am usually a pretty structured person. With family and work... you sort of need a lot of structure in your life to keep things sane. But then when it comes to my workout, I try to keep it a little bit flexible. Every week my exercise goals are:

Cardio: At least 4 days, with a minimum of 20 minutes for each session. My main staple is running. I try to run about 3 times a week. On weekdays I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays... about 3 to 5 miles on each day. I also have my long runs (anything above 6 miles) on one day of the weekend, usually on Sundays. I'm slowly trying to increase my weekly running mileage to 20 miles per week.
I have one day that I consider as a free cardio day. I can do any cardio exercise such as jumping on an elliptical, taking a spin class, or swimming. Something other than running... since I consider it as a cardio cross-training for running. I'm taking swimming lessons on Saturdays from May until June... there's my cardio cross-training right there. I usually get a few good laps in during the lessons.

Strength training: At least 3 sessions per week. For the past 2 weeks I manage to get in 3 sessions (instead of the usual 2). I do low resistance with high repetition lifting, mostly at the gym. About 2 weeks ago I bumped into a friend at the gym, and he recommended the PUMP class. There's usually about 3 people for the Wednesday morning class... so the vibe is more like a group personal training. Starting from next week, I hope to get 2 traditional lifting sessions and 1 PUMP class.

Flexibility: I spend 10 minutes stretching after each exercise session. I used to go to Vinyasa yoga once a week. But since I've been taking the swimming lessons, I had to skimp on my yoga... I kinda miss it now. I'll definitely go to yoga again after the swimming lessons are over... maybe I can squeeze in yoga during lunch hour.

You can see my past exercise schedule by visiting my Buckeye Outdoors training log (see my entire training log on the right). I end up exercising 5 days on most weeks. Sometimes I substitute a fun activity instead of my regular exercise such as trying out the outdoor climbing last week, and today's fun run with the kids (see Melur and Arman warming up before the mini run... look at those stretches).

There are also a few exercises that I'd like to try in the future - kettlebell and bootcamp. So don't be surprise if my workout routine changes in the near future... keeping things interesting all the time.

On Reaching The Top

2009-05-23T20:25:00.001-07:00

Caution: This blog entry has a high yawning factor (read: I rambled on and on and on...)

I do my long runs on weekends. I'll call our regular baby-sitter, Kakak Jehan, to watch over the kids. Hubby and I would follow routes around the UBC Endowment Land, and run together at a conversational pace. I'll be able to hold a decent conversation with him until the 4th mile (on a good day). Beyond that, we'll run together in silence. An enjoyable way to spend time with your significant other... I highly recommend it to everyone!

Today though, we decided to try out the outdoor activities and games offered by the UBC Ropes Course. The program costs $35 per person, and is scheduled for 4 hours per session. Our instructors were Laura and Rachael. There was also another couple, Dad and Mumsie (can't remember the names since Laura kept calling them Dad and Mumsie)... They are Laura's parents who were from Ontario but came to BC for her graduation. Oh by the way, this ropes course is definitely not a couples-only program... but coincidentally we only had couples for that day.

For the first 2 hours, we played a few outdoor games - mostly involved problem-solving. Hubby solved one of them in a few minutes because he saw it on a game show... yup, cheaters-r-us...:) To solve one game, I ended up being tied with ropes around my chest and legs... I had to lean as far as possible with my full weight on the ropes... while the two guys were pulling the ropes on my left and right to hold my weight (good thing I lost a few pounds)... All this so that I can get “diamonds” out of a “casino vault.” No pictures though... we were too busy robbing the casino... **LOL**

The second part was more physically challenging. Two tasks – climbing a hanging ladder, and climbing a tree (about 2-storey high) and jumping off of it from a platform (something like bungee jumping). The ladies went first for the first task. My goal was to reach the very top. I struggled from the very beginning – I thought it was hard but I didn't think it was this hard. And the spaces between the wooden bar gets wider and wider. I didn't even think I could reach my goal, but I kept telling myself just one more... until finally I was all the way up there... touching the highest bar. Even the gentlemen were struggling a bit in the beginning... in all honesty, I don't think I've ever felt so proud of myself...

A few things I learned from this experience:

Set high goals: You must always try to reach the very top, if you don't try how would you know you can... and worse, you'll always end up in the middle even though you can do better... mediocrity all throughout life... what a shame...
Take it one step at a time: The way to the top is long and arduous... focusing on smaller (and less intimidating) task in front of you makes it appear less daunting and more possible.
When something doesn't work, try a different approach: I was trying to reach a really high bar with my right leg so many times, but I couldn't. Then I tried with my left leg... did it in one try... And now I know that my left leg is more flexible than my right one.
Get people behind you: Hubby, instructors, and instructor's parents were all yelling words of encouragement to me. Kept me going like nothing else would.
When you reach the top... feel good about feeling good... you deserve it!

I'm sure you've read these very same tips from self-improvement books or one of those motivational talks. I think I did too. But I don't apolgize for the redundancies. Realizing it from first-hand experience and reading/hearing the words are two different things. The former hits you like a Batman punch from those old black-and-white TV series, KAPOWWWW!!!!!!

As I am writing this blog I also realize that I'm SO very tired of living life mostly as a spectator... always from outside of the ring. I want to go out and LIVE more... rather than watching TV or reading another person's experience in blogs, I would much rather DO something that is worthwhile sharing, and then write about them in my own blog. Life's funny, isn't it? At 33-years old I finally realized that I need to go out and DO more. Why didn't I realize this before? I was in a better shape in my 20s **LOL**

Last but not least, some pictures:

Me and Hubby before the ascend.

Me facing the challenge... actually was a wee bit scared when this picture was taken. My hands were cold.

In the beginning... the struggle. Really sorry Mumsie. Not much I can do to help. I was barely hanging on myself.

In the end... the very top.

Still can't believe that I climbed that high... must be the monkey in me **LOL**

Hubby... totally enjoying the second challenge - jumping off of a tree. He went twice!

On Running in Malaysia

2009-05-20T19:07:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking about one of my fitness goals for this year – completing 8 races. So far, I've only completed 2, and have signed-up for 2 more in June. I've been logging in the miles in preparation... to make sure that I'll finish those 2 races in good shape (especially the half-marathon). But then, if push comes to shove, I'll finish my half-marathon crawling if I have to... **LOL** (not sure why this is funny since it is a possibility).

I can't say that I'm a hundred percent confident that I'll be able to complete 8 races by the end of 2009. I'll be in Malaysia for most of July. Even though there are 2 10K races in Malaysia that I'm eyeing - Siemens and Shape runs - I might not be able to do either one. The challenges of running in Malaysia are mostly environmental. Extremely hot weather and safety among other things. But top of the list is simply people. In Vancouver, I've seen those who could be somebody's great-grandfather or great-grandmother running like it's nobody's business. In Malaysia, me (read: woman in her 30s, married with 2 kids... Malay Muslim some more) running would be everybody's business... Or maybe I'm just too self-conscious, who knows... Needless to say, running in Vancouver seems easy and feels natural. I don't know whether it'll be as easy in Malaysia...

But me so gatal one... **LOL**... If I can do at least one race... or maybe 2 **GRIN**... I'll be HAPPY. I'll be down to only 3 races come August. Maybe there's still hope for nailing my goal after all... hope springs eternal.

On Strength Training

2009-05-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

I bought a book on strength training sometime earlier this year. I've been doing weights at the gym on and off before... plain unadulterated hentam strength training... **LOL** Unlike my sisters, I can't afford a personal trainer...sob sob sob... a book is the next best thing. I'm hoping to get a more structured approach to my workouts from it.

The book that I'm using is Sculpting Her Body Perfect by Brad Schoenfeld. The first chapter talks about the benefits of strength training, and reasons why women should not be afraid to incorporate strength training into their regular fitness routine. Some of the benefits include: diabetes prevention, coronary disease prevention, increased metabolism, as well as increased strength and flexibility. For fitness and weight loss, the book recommends strength training sessions 3 times per week, and cardio sessions 3 to 5 times per week. Definitely similar to what I've been reading in fitness magazines.

Anyway, I'm following the routine in Phase 1 (body conditioning) as outlined in the book. There are 2 other phases... but I'll be following Phase 1 for the next 6 months, which is until the end of the year. The book divides your muscles into several groups - chest, back, shoulder, biceps, triceps, abdominal, quads, hamstring and glutes, and calves. Each muscle group has 3 different sets of exercises divided into Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3. You're supposed to do a complete whole body workout for each session, alternating between the days (e.g., Monday = Day 1, Wednesday = Day 2, and Friday = Day 3).

Unfortunately, I've only been able to do strength training twice a week. Between running, work, and the kids... no extra time for me to squeeze a third strength training session. Oh well, just hoping that I'll still get the results even though I'll have to wait longer to see them(?).

In general, I like the book. I like the fact that Mr. Schoenfeld spent time explaining the muscles in our body, and the relationships between each muscle and a particular move.

However, there are a few things that can be improved in the future edition:

The models with big hair and lots of make-up are definitely a turn-off. Quite a few reviewers in Amacom.com also mentioned the same thing. Next time the editor and publisher should consider fitness models along the line of those in Shape magazine.
The instructions for each move are discussed in long paragraph format. It would be better if the instructions are listed in bulleted lists instead.
Maybe a dedicated section for common errors or warnings for each move.
Maybe insert cards (or smaller companion book) for all the moves. I think this makes it easier at the gym. I don't like lugging around a big book while I'm at the gym (though I've seen others lugging around huge folders).

As for whether the book can turn (my) flab into fab... we just have to wait and see. Chances are I won't look like the cover model anytime soon... but I'll be happy if I get to lower my body fat percentage by a bit...

* Malay word roughly translated as doing something without any idea of what you're really doing...

On My 5-Miler

2009-05-11T23:04:00.001-07:00

I haven't done any runs for a while. I took 2 weeks rest from running after the Vancouver Sun Run, and was using the elliptical machines at the gym to get some cardio exercise. Its definitely a different feeling... I do get a sweat out of using the elliptical, but then its just not the same as pounding asphalt... I don't feel like I am getting as much of a workout.

I'm now starting to focus on training for the Scotiabank half-marathon, which is at the end of June. Only about 7 weeks left. My goal is to finish the run without having to walk. A very modest goal since I'm a beginner, and I'm not running competitively. Definitely trying to ease back into running. This week I used the treadmill for a 3.5-mile run on Monday, and a 3.9-mile run on Friday. Excruciatingly slow runs... measly 4.5mph. It's actually more like speed walking as opposed to running...

Today, I scheduled a 5-miler. My regular loop is to run down the Acadia road toward NW Marine Drive, and then make a left on NW Marine Drive. Run straight along NW Marine Drive (which is my favorite stretch), and make another left on W 16th Avenue... and my last left on Wesbrook Mall. Yup, 3 left turns to make a huge circle around UBC campus. My final stop is at Blenz in UBC Village area. I usually end my runs with coffee from Blenz (and if I'm lucky some sample baked goodies...)

For this run, I decided to take my cue from the Jim Carrey movie "Yes Man," and took pictures during my run... making a short photoessay... **LOL**... if you can call it that.

A picture of me before my 5-miler. This was taken by Hubby right in front of our house. The kids and him were going to the Old Barn Community Centre for Chess Club. I later realized that the weather was warm enough such that I didn't really need to wear my bright pink windbreaker.

Lovely blooms on the ground. This is right in front of the UBC Rose Garden. I took this because I remember running here while the leaves were red/brown, and later on when grounds were covered with (thin) snow...

Trail 6... going into UBC Beach. I ventured into this trail once without reading the "Clothing is Optional" (Read: NUDE Beach!) sign... I learned the hard way (no pun intended) that middle-aged men have really high body confidence. Let say it together....eewwwww!!!!!!

Once... a few months back I missed a turn here and ended up running a 7-miler instead of a scheduled 5-miler...

By the way, in the end I decided to skip Blenz and joined Hubby and the kids at the Old Barn instead. I ended up sharing a glass of iced lemon tea with Melur.

On Brown Rice

2009-05-05T22:39:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, Hubby and I decided to make a switch from our regular white Jasmine rice to brown rice. After reading so many articles from the web and health magazines, we thought it would be the right thing to do for the whole family. Brown rice has so many health benefits including high contents of fiber, minerals, and phytonutrients. You can read the full benefits of brown rice on this page from Whole Foods.

We finally made the switch and bought brown Basmati rice. The cost is about 50% more expensive than our regular white rice...yes, eating healthy sometimes (not always!) can be costly... but we'll absorb that cost and make do. Another big hurdle is that brown rice is very "temperamental." It took us about 3 attempts before we found the right way to cook it such that we get the perfect rice for dinner. Here are the directions for cooking brown rice on the stove:

Soak brown rice for 30 minutes. This soaking process is important since it makes the brown rice (at least for the brand that we have) more fluffy and less sticky.
Drain the water.
Add water to the rice with a ratio of 2:1 (e.g., 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice).
Cook the brown rice on high heat with lid on for 20 minutes.
Remove the lid after 20 minutes, and cook the rice with low heat for another 10 minutes.

I use the oven buzzer and timer for the timing. But I think the most important thing to remember is NOT to stir the rice while you are cooking it. Stirring will break down the rice. You'll basically end up with mushy rice!

Most of the instructions will give a ratio of 2 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. We tried this but then our rice did not turn out the way we like it... so you might want to try 2 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice at first and then adjust the ratio to your liking. Enjoy!

On Vancouver Sun Run 2009

2009-04-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

The Vancouver Sun Run was about 2 weeks ago... and Hubby wrote a really nice account of our experience in his blog. I guess my experience is similar to his... what can I say... we ran side-by-side. I won't go into further details, but I'll just mention a few things here (from my perspective).

First, I had to revise my goal for the run. I was aiming for 65 minutes (but secretly was hoping for something below 61 minutes). My revised goal is to complete the run without having to walk. The pain in my leg was still there, and I was somewhat hesitant to run in the first place. But considering that I'm moving to Ontario and this might be my last chance to do the Sun Run (one of the biggest races in the world), I decided to hobble through. I was really afraid that I won't be able to complete the run altogether... that would be a definite bummer. Oh btw, thanks Honey for putting aside your "game face" and ran next to me the whole way. Hubby managed to take some nice pictures and film me at every kilometer.

Hmmm... so what else do I write here?... maybe a short list of the top 5 reasons why I run:

Motivation to exercise - I make a goal for every run and work hard to accomplish it. I think I'm just a goal-oriented person. It's been working great so far.
One of the things that I would like to do before I kick the dust is to complete a marathon... **Big smile*** My mom says, "berangan tak payah bayar." Roughly translated it means that daydreaming is free...
It's a guilt free alone time for me or a guilt free alone time with Hubby. Yeah, I'm out and somebody else is looking after Melur and Arman for the next hour or so... but I'm exercising so that I'll be there for them for a long time... Insya'allah.
Running makes me feel damn good... I'm addicted to endorphins. Also the fact that I've been a nerd throughout my life. Running makes me feel like the athlete that I never was.
I envision myself running with my kids one day when I'm in my fifties. And if I'm lucky enough, with my grand kids.

Some pictures from the Sun Run 2009.

Almost 55,000 runners waiting to start

Me running... I think this was half-way...

PS) A big shout to all those who participated in the Sun Run 2009... the runners and volunteers... great run!

On Left Leg and Acupunture

2009-04-27T18:27:00.001-07:00

Sometime early April (2 weeks before the Sun Run on April 19), I slipped on a curb while doing one of my long runs with Hubby. I was doing a 6-plus-miler. I finished the run and managed a few runs within the following week, but my left leg hasn't felt the same since. I went to see a doctor and got an X-ray... was told that it might be a stress fracture since the pain intensifies when you put pressure on a certain spot. Fast forward to the end of April, I called the doctor and was told that nothing out of the ordinary showed up in the X-ray... a possible shin split(?)

Anyway, I haven't been running for 3 weeks. I still feel a dull throbbing pain on my left leg and sometimes a sharp pain when walking. I decided to explore alternative medicine - acupuncture.
I've always wanted to try... why not right since it's covered by my health insurance.

After doing some research on the Internet - mainly a few good rules of thumb on how to find the right acupuncturist (e.g., make sure the person has a doctor of TCM accreditation and minimal 5 years of experience). I chose Qi Integrated Health Centre in Kitsilano. Here's my first hand experience getting an acupuncture treatment:

First, I came in and met Kiem Schutter, my acupuncturist. I was asked to fill in a form - just basic information. Two questions stumped me though... how do I rate my stress level and do I like my work... Hmmm, I think I am 50-50 on both... but took me 10 minutes to figure those out.

After the form, I went into the treatment room... Kiem checked my left leg. He twisted my foot and ankle... nothing... no pain. But apparently my calves are tight... "You must be running hard", he said. Har har har... I hope he never sees me run. My snail's pace can put a snail to shame... So my treatment will focus on relaxing my calves and getting more blood circulation through my legs.

Okay, now the time for the actual treatment. I lay on the patient bed and Kiem inserted the needles to both my legs. It was amazing since I didn't feel anything... except for maybe a slight pinch when he inserted a needle to the painful spot. I was there for about 20 minutes... before the needles were taken out. Then he put a patch on my legs. They felt warm for a few hours afterward.

Overall, I don't know if the acupuncture treatment is going to work. I hope it does... I can't wait to start running again... the weather has been so good lately. I see people run everywhere!

My left leg with the patch - reminds me of koyok....

On Status Update

2009-04-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hubby says that he doesn't like status updates... gets him a wee bit confused... when do you do an update? what do you say? He only reports progress after milestones... But I shall ignore his pearls of wisdom for today and do a quick status update on my resolutions. It'll give a brief overview of what I've accomplished (and have not accomplished) thus far.

To lower BMI
I started off with a BMI of 31.1 (yikes!!!! I know... I know), and now I am down to 27.5. I still have a long way to go though... and my progress has been slow, but I think in terms of weight loss slow and steady is definitely the way to go. I added a graphic counter on the top left corner of this blog. Keeps me motivated to see the ticker moving along...

To run 8 running events
I have already completed two running events. The Harry 8K Spring Run and the Vancouver 10K Sun Run. I completed Harry 8k under 55 minutes (I was aiming for under 1 hour) and Sun Run under 1 hour 17 minutes... I was having problems with my left foot during the Sun Run so I lowered my goal to completing it without walking... which I did.
I have already registered for two more races in June, and one of them is a half-marathon. That's the longest distance so far...

To run a mini race with the kids
I have already registered the whole family for the 1K Science World Mini Race on May 31. I think I will change this resolution to "doing something active with the kids at least once a month" or something like that... Yeah, activities like skating, or running/biking on the trails. Yesterday, we took a guided tour on the canopy walkway at UBC Botanical Garden... that was so much fun plus lots of walking. I'm covered for April and May... I'd like to go for long walks at the Nitobe Memorial Garden and Van Dusen Botanical Garden before leaving Vancouver this July... Yuppss, those are good options for the rest of the year...

Not bad so far, isn't it? I think this is the first time I'm actually working towards my yearly resolutions... I've made resolutions before, year after year. But I've never kept them past the first week of January... I wonder what makes this year different.

On Resolutions

2009-04-26T23:16:00.001-07:00

It’s almost May… half of 2009 is almost gone. But since I’m just starting this blog, I’ll revisit my 2009’s fitness resolutions and share. So here they are:

To lower my BMI to 23
A healthy BMI range is roughly between 19 and 25. However, I read somewhere (I forgot where though…) that for Asians the range is between 19 and 23. For this year, I’ll target 23.

To run 8 running events
I am targeting the following races – Harry 8K Spring Run, Vancouver 10K Sun Run, 10K Longest Day Run, and Scotiabank Half-Marathon. I am also eyeing a 10K race in Malaysia since I’m planning a short vacation in July.
Hopefully, I'll be able to add 4 more races to the list later on.

To run a mini race with the kids
I think the PMC-Sierra Science Fair Fun Run will be great with the kids. It's a short 1K run with the kids... and you get free entry into Telus Science World.

I think my overall fitness goals are very modest. The most important part of ensuring that I achieve these goals is to have a plan of action. Basically, how am I going to achieve them? I’m determined to combine healthy eating and regular exercise… Rather vague isn’t it? But if this blog doesn’t die out… I’ll talk in details about those two items.

Time out…

PS) I'm proud to say that I've achieved some of these resolutions... Check out my profile picture. That's me after completing the Harry 8K Spring Run.