dua minggu selepas raya..

..kakilarik kembali menyarung kasut sukan dan berlari untuk 4th malaysia international ekiden 2009 pada pagi ahad, 4-oct. sangat sesuai waktunya. larian tahun ni juga di putrajaya. tahun lepas, satu team aje tapi tahun ni, aku berjaya tarik tiga team.



same route like last year, the run starts and ends at istana keadilan. to be fair i think, the distance for last leg has been extended so every runners now run almost the same distance of 3km. this year, i run the fourth leg. there are about 385 registered teams and in our category (men open), there are about 80 teams.



but there was a last minute change on the day of the event. selain ekiden, ada ironman putrajaya jugak pagi ni jadi laluan kena ubah. kalau dulu changing zone kat dataran putra, kali ni kat lebuh bestari. dan yang penting, laluan 1km terakhir tu mendaki! aduh..punya lah penat memecut naik bukit sambil nak menyumpah-nyumpah lagi. still i managed to finished my 3km around 12mins.

kakilarik : no.26

cepat ye! : no.52

kakilarik ql : no.73

macam tak puas pulak lari kejap aje..hehe!

larian kebun bunga

setiap kali balik kampung, aku mesti cuba cari masa untuk pegi berlari di kebun bunga jb. terletak dalam kawasan istana besar, kebun bunga ni dibuka untuk orang ramai datang bersiar-siar ambik angin, piknik dan beriadah. istana besar pula telah pun dijadikan muzium yang menempatkan koleksi diraja johor.






kebun bunga ni memang cantik dan bersih dijaga. hijau dan menenangkan. laluan untuk berlari (atau berjalan) cukup menarik di celah-celah pokok-pokok besar yang redup. boleh pilih samada jalan yang landai atau berbukit.






penat berlari, boleh berehat di taman bunga yang mengadap selat tebrau sambil menghirup udara segar. pelbagai jenis pokok bunga ada termasuk sikudangan yang cukup wangi tu. dalam kebun bunga ni juga ada taman jepun. siap ada tea house. dan di atas puncak bukit pulak ada gazebo. pagi-pagi ada senaman taichi kat sini.






dipinggir kebun bunga ni jugak letaknya istana bukit zahrah. sayang sekali bangunan ni terbiar dan semestinya patut dibaikpulih dan dipulihara(read my previous entry). dihujung kebun bunga ni pula letaknya bangunan pejabat kebun bunga istana besar yang asalnya istana marble.



feel so proud with my hometown everytime i run here. i just love this beautiful lush garden.

save the royal heritage!

located within the compound of istana besar johor, istana zahrah was once the residence of sultan abu bakar when the royal family moved from telok belanga in may 27, 1889. the palace was built in 1886 and named in honor of his sister.






in 1913, the istana was turned into the bukit zahrah english school. my late father was one who went to had the education here. in the 1970s, the school was turned into sekolah agama bukit zahrah, a religious school. i can still remember seeing the young students running around the building in white baju melayu and black sampin when i sometimes followed my late father to wisma persekutuan, the goverment complex nearby.






the influence of western architectural can be seen in the layout and the use of classical columns, the verandah with arch shape pillar, plasters carving on walls, segmental shape windows and decorative glass above the windows and doors. the main feature of istana zahrah was the audience room caled balai cengkeh or balai zahrah. designed like a clove, it split into four to accommodate four main groups of foreign dignitaries of malays, english, chinese and indians during the royal functions. sultanah khatijah was crowned here and the palace was also the venue for the proclamation of sultan ibrahim on sept 7, 1895.





i think, it was in late 1980s when the school was closed. the building has since been vacant and left abandoned. over the years, the condition of the building has been deteriorating and now in a very poor state. being a historical venue, i strongly believe that this palace should be conserved and appreciated. not necessarily restored to its former glory, it should at least be kept clean and maintained(like the ruin of kellie castle or ktmb building in sentul park) and can simply be turned into another historical attraction.

the sun, sea and sand

aidilfitri tahun ni, sempat aku pegi beraya ke rumah makcik sujinah kat singapura. lepas kenyang makan mee rebus, kitorang pun keluar nak jalan-jalan kat kota singapore. jalan sekitar bandar banyak ditutup sebab hujung minggu nanti ada f1 race. siap pasang penghadang lagi tak nak bagi orang curi tengok. jalan pun banyak yang sesak.


akhirnya, abang bawak pegi east coast park. divided into different zones, this beach park streches over 15km and offers various activities. boleh berpiknik dan boleh bersukan. seimbang lah kiranya. the lush park looks so calming and the sandy beach looks so inviting.





it was a perfect afternoon. bright day with blue sky and fresh see breeze.





but swimming is not allowed here. walaupun berhadapan dengan pelabuhan, airnya nampak bersih tanpa sampah-sarap.


boleh lah kalau nak memancing..




budak-budak boleh main pasir. sampai masuk dalam mata..








boleh jugak main basikal. memang sesuai kalau nak berlari ke roller-blading ke sebab taman ni panjang. atau main layang-layang kat tamannya yang hijau tu. angin pun kuat.




this is the place to sit back and escape the bustling city. the best thing is this gateway is located in the city!