My Cowtown Experience

So this weekend I ran my first ever race! I was thinking I'd do the 10k but my friend was doing the 5k and I figured a buddy would be good so I decided to start with that. Here's a little back story, I have always had an issue with running. I think I just had a mental block with it and refused to do it. I would be walking on treadmills at speeds that most people jog/run at. So I finally decided that was silly and opened my mind to the idea of running. Thanks in part to a friend/former coworker that's a runner. (She ran the ultra marathon, 31 miles; you can read about it here) So last year I decided I would start running. I started off doing run/walks and built up to just running. After doing that for a while I decided it was time to step my game up and start doing races! This brings me to Cowtown.

My race was at 8:15 on Saturday morning in downtown Fort Worth. I ran it with my friend Justin and it was so much fun. I had no real goals as far as the race went I just wanted to run as much as possible. I had been doing a lot of running on treadmills and forgot what cold air (it was 49 degrees) + asthma + running does to me. I thought I was going to end up having to walk most of it but I was pleasantly surprised. I only stopped running 2or 3 times and I'd say it was only for a total of about 1 minute. I forced myself to the 15-20 second break ONLY if I really needed it. I'm glad I did. I was able to keep a 10.08 pace throughout the race even with those mini breaks. I ran the 3.2 miles in 31.37 and was really pleased with my time.

That's me up at the top.

Having never run before I wasn't aware of how high tech everything was. We started about 5 minutes after the gun time but they tracked my time based off a band I connected to my shoe. I thought that was so clever. It's activated when you cross the start line and stops when you cross the finish. You can't really read the print screen above but it's just some of my stats. The first one is when I finished based off when the gun started the race, that's why it says 38 something instead of my actual time. The second row is my actual start time from the activated band.

Now that I've gotten my first race out of the way I can totally understand how people are addicted. It's so cool running with a bunch of people that like to do what you do. The spectators are also awesome and I enjoyed having people at mile markers to let you know what mile you're at. I also loved finding people to run with. I did have any kind of fancy watch to track anything so I just found people that seemed to be running at a nice speed and ran with them. At one point this guy shouted out "IT'S BEEN 28 MINUTES!!!" and it cracked me up. It was around 2.7 miles and I appreciated him giving me that extra push. Once I hit mile 3 I was kind of feeling it in my lungs more than my legs and I happened to lock eyes with this guy and for some reason he motivated me. It was almost as if he knew how I was feeling but we both wanted to get a good time and kind of sprinted to the end.

Having people you don't know cheering you on is a wonderful feeling. I think next year I'd like to be there for some of the people running the longer races and help cheer them on. Overall it was just a really great experience and I can't wait to do it again. I'm hoping to do 2 more 5ks in March/April and then find myself a couple 10ks to do. My goal is to end the year with a half marathon so we shall see. Either way I'm really glad I did it and want to send a big thanks to Dominique for inspiring me with her running!

Now time to tackle this Monday! I've been so busy all weekend that I haven't had time to really do anything. Everyone have a great day and expect an Oscar recap sometime in the next day or two!

83rd Academy Awards

This is last award ceremony of the award season this year!!
It started with the Golden Globes, SAG, BRIT, Grammys and now finally the Oscars.

It was a fantastic day at the red carpet!! Everyone was gorgeous...
Colour of the day is RED

Anne Hathaway, the gorgeous host of the night in Valentino Couture! She changed to many outfits while hosting and all were beautiful! She's so pretty and have an awesome body!

Jennifer Hudson also in Valentino. She just keeps getting better on the red carpet. I would say, she's the biggest improvement.

Sandra Bullock also in red. This is by my favourite designer, Vera Wang! The colour looks great on her! When I saw her on TV, I'm like she's so beautiful!! Everyone in red was HOT!

Penelope Cruz with husband Javier Bardem. Penelope's wearing more to maroon. For a mother who just gave birth to a daughter a few weeks ago, that's just unfair to have that body! Like she never got pregnant at all!

Next, purple...

This is definitely Natalie Portman's year!! Once again, congratulations to Natalie for winning best actress in Black Swan! She's lovely in purple and this dress doesn't really show her growing bump which is good! It's flowy and very comfortable looking. Love Natalie =))

Scarlett Johansson looking sexy in lace. The lace is actually quite see through especially the behind. Luckily, her recent divorce from Ryan Reynolds didn't damper her fashion style!

Mila Kunis in lavender, a lighter shade of purple. This Ellie Saab dress is very young looking on her and very fresh.

More colours..

Amy Adams is stunning in glittery blue. Although it's simple, I really love the dress coz of it's outstanding colour.

Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa. For such a young girl, it was very age appropriate. Oh, one thing, she actually helped design this dress! Cool! She's so sweet and fresh!

Halle Berry finally redeemed herself from all the other red carpet disaster. She's gorgeous in this nude colour dress.

Hilary Swank was also lovely in this feather-y dress. I just think perhaps a little accessory will be much better.

Nicole Kidman went for something different for the Oscars. I'm not sure I'm a fan of this gown. For one, all I see is white. Her skin is pale, the dress is white and nothing very flattering.  

Reese Witherspoon, on the other hand, shows that keeping it simple is sometimes better! I'm in love with her hair tied up in that style. She's beautiful =))

I'm quite shocked to actually see Aishwarya Rai at the Oscars!! What was she doing there?? But, oh, she's splendid in this earth coloured gown. She's the most beautiful Bollywood celeb!

The men were also very sleek and dressed up to the nines;

Congratulations to Colin Firth for winning Best Actor in the King's Speech- yet again! He looks good and I'm quite a fan of him!

Andrew Garfield is as neat as always. I can't wait to see him in the Spiderman's costume =p

Zachary Levi, from the geek in Chuck to this handsome man on the red carpet. You should see him sing with Mandy Moore on stage! That guy can sing!

Justin Timberlake in Tom Ford. He said that the suit was especially tailored to fit him like a glove and he can't breathe in it *laughs* Well, all for the sake of fashion =p

Biggest absence on the red carpet are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie(where are they??) and George Clooney. Also James Franco as the host didn't walk the red carpet =(

The winners as predicted all came true. It seems Anne Hathaway and James Franco didn't fulfil expectations as co-hosts like how Hugh Jackman put up a fantastic show last year. I saw bits and pieces of the award show but I was more focused on E! Red Carpet arrivals. From what I gather, Anne and James were not that funny but Anne can really sing! I say give them a break! This is their fist time and they did put up a nice show!

What a survivor!!

Have you heard of Aron Ralston??

He is a mountain climber who one day crushed his arm against a big rock while climbing in Utah in 2003 and was forced to do a one hour surgery on himself to amputate his own arm!!! Are you cringing already??

After spend­ing several days pinned against the rock, he had exhausted all options for freeing his arm, as well as his supply of water. On the fifth day, Aron finally began the procedure he'd been contemplating all along and amputated his right arm. Ooooooooouuuuuuuch!!

Finally freed, Aron was still 8 miles from his truck and he had no mobile phone. He had to rappel down a 65-ft cliff, then hike out of the canyon in the hot sun. Eventually meeting other hikers, Aron was given food and water and rescued by a helicopter search team. Aron was then taken to the hospital for surgery.

He videotaped the horrifying ordeal with his videocam so as not to leave unexplained on what happened. The video also expressed his love for his parents whom he didn't tell that he was going climbing hence no one came looking for him sooner when he went missing.

Now, very much alive, Aron still climbs mountains and is as active as ever. He is a public speaker and the author of his book as well:

His story about survivorship was so inspiring that it's made into a movie...

This Oscar nominated movie depicted by James Franco is all about Aron's adventure; his horrifying ordeal and the amputation of his arm. 

The movie was quite slow initially because he was trapped with the rock and couldn't do anything but towards the end where he freed himself and fought to survive was painful to watch. He was in excruciating pain!!

I just cannot believe this is based on a true story. How one amputate his own arm still remains a mystery to me. I cannot imagine myself to even hurt any part of my body let alone perform surgery on it. But lucky for Aron, he made a smart decision. Because or else, he would have died without food and water and now he survived, got married and had one child =)

This is such an inspiring story of a survivor who fought to live. One thing great was that even after what had happened, it didn't stop him from his climbing activities and he continued to do the things he love and build a family.

A model-wanna be?

From the title, are you all guessing whether I am model-wanna be? or what?
Nah~ I am a part-time model/ part-time blogger/ part-time promoter/ full-time student/ full-time girlfriend

♥

and more.

What else can I be?

*Ps: All the pictures are OLD pictures, just for sharing purposes =D*

#1 A top that very challenging for me to match with any bottom. =/

#2 A dress that is very loose.
I am too slim? o.O

#3 Thinking whether I have the intention to show half of my boobs or not. =/

#4 Pink Polka dots..........
*dot dot dot*

OMG!! So cute!!

2 year old Ella singing 'Baby'-Justin Bieber @ Yahoo! Video

This video got me LMAO!!!
She is soooooooo darn CUTE!!
Not to mention soooooooo clever!!

My Weekly Roundup!

The gossip stories, books, and other things that filled my week! Let's get to it.


John Galliano arrested/suspended from Dior




Hangover 2 Teaser Trailer is released.


In WTF news of the day. Allegedly he verbally assaulted some couple in a cafe and made antisemitic remarks? I can't believe that sh*t. I hope it's not true and I hope that this is all cleared up. I love me some Galliano.


Bodyguard remake.



Completely unnecessary. That is all.



Gas!



So this week gas went from 2.99-3.19 in 5 days. FIVE DAYS PEOPLE! I'm sorry but that is just ridiculous. There are plenty of other places to find oil and reserves so I don't really see a need for gas to be this expensive. Also, they're predicting it will be 4 dollars a gallon by Memorial Day but I bet it's sooner than that. I can't take it. That is just completely unacceptable! I'm about to invest in a hybrid.


These 2 are dating?



So they were spotted a hockey game last night. I can dig it. I think they would be an adorable blur of blondeness. That being said, Tay Tay can get a bit clingy with the boys she dates so we'll see how long it lasts.


Water for Elephants



So on Goodreads I saw a friend of mine reading this book and thought "what the hell" and gave it a try. I heard it was being turned into a movie and on the off chance I went to see it I thought I'd read the book first. SO GLAD I DID!! This book was so good. There was not extraordinary about it just a solid story from start to finish. It flowed seamlessly and was a great, easy, fun read. I highly recommend it.


This idiot is writing a book.




Why oh why do they keep letting "celebrities" (and I use that term loosely) write books. NO one, and I do mean NO ONE, cares about your book Jesse James. We all know you're a racist slut. You don't need a book to tell us that.

Kanye West tweets hilarity.



Kanye West is insane and I love it. Whether or not I agree with what he tweets the conviction with which he says things is amusing/interesting. If you ever get a second go look and see for yourself. My friend is trying to get someone to make a collage of all his tweets to hang in his room. HA! Really, they're that entertaining.


Theriot Family True Life



This was awesome! They focused on one family instead of multiple stories and the family lived on the bayou in LA. It was kind of awesome to see how they lived. It reminded me of the most awesome show ever, Swamp People! If you've never seen that show please check it out! Anyway, The Theriot family or "The Riot" family as they like to be called were pretty entertaining.


The Carmelo trade



This was almost as bad as the Lebron fiasco. I don't care if people get traded but please don't make it a big ordeal. Also, if everyone knows you're going to a team then your big announcement means nothing.


The new Rachel? I don't think so!



Jen Aniston got a haircut. It was big news. I think Tuesday was a slow news day. I kind of like the hair though.



Biebs also got a haircut on the same day. You would have thought world peace was achieved by the amount of media attention he got. It's ugly, as was his old hairstyle. *shrugs*


Black Swan wasn't nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design?"



SAY WHAT!?!?! I'm not even sure how that's possible. Apparently it happens all the time though. Movies with AMAZING costumes don't get nominated. The Oscars are kind of on the Grammy level with the voting parties so I suppose it makes sense. However, what Rodarte did for Black Swan definitely should have been recognized.


Gaga tweets lyrics to new songs



“I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel, but I’m still in love with Judas, Baby,”


I'm thinking I may like this song more than "Born This Way". Excited to hear it.


Glee does alcohol awareness!



OK, THIS was amazing! Glee has been back on their game lately. I wasn't sure anything could top the Valentine's Day episode but this did it. The party at Rachel's and the "Ke dolla sign Ha" performance were both EPIC!


Rihanna is a slore? OK, then!



Apparently she was sexting Colin Farrell and hooking up with Ryan Phillippe. I find all of that hard to believe but if it's true then more power to her!

There you have it! Hope everyone has a good weekend!
♥

Burlesque

The only entertainment I have these days are movies...So I just watched Burlesque!!
I got to say it went beyond my expectation.
Christina Aguilera was FANTASTIC!!

I didn't know Christina had it in her as an eye-popping performer and actress. Her voice was superb and I only have praises for her in this movie...

Wow, where have you been all these time, Christina?? I liked her during her 'What a girl wants' days and I like her even more now!

This movie is very stage-y meaning it revolves around performances, dancing and singing on stage. If you're not a fan of stage performance I suggest you don't watch it. I'm very fascinated with dance and performances so I was very impressed by Burlesque.

Also, it helps that it has hot eye candy Cam Gigandet:

Yes, he wears more eyeliner in the movie than I do but that's because he's working in this Burlesque place where all guys wear eyeliner *laughs* But he definitely has a great body with that 6 packs going on!

I love the whole story about a small town girl living the dream and the music was very catchy and fun!
Burlesque is a thumbs up!

Taking Law

I just HAVE to say this!!!!

To those of you who plan to be a lawyer in the future, I must say, law is not for the faint hearted. And suicidal people should NEVER EVER take law.. Don't say I've never warned you...

Yes, being a professional may be looked up to, earn a better salary and what not but....there's always a but, before you even become one, you must go through HELL-literally!

So, think twice if you ever want to take up law...

If you want to practice in Malaysia, the final Certificate of Legal Practice(CLP) will make you go bonkers before you pass that exam. You have to study 10 bulky subjects in 8 months!!!!

Oh, and before you can even reach up to CLP, the degree exams itself will drive you insane. The amount of cases, the amount of facts and bullshit you have to memorise and write a 5- page essay answer in 45 minutes is just INSANE!!?? Is it even meant for humans??

Not to mention, my college's extreme timetables are not helping-at all!! They have classes 6 days a week on a GOOD time or else it's 7 days a week classes...I mean we're not labourers! Even labourers get paid and we pay to suffer!!

OMFG!! What did I get myself into??

I'm saying this because before I took law no one warned me about all of these...I so need to spread the word out so that people will not be duped to thinking taking law is quite easy, especially not in my college-dammit!

Daphne Iking married!

The Malay Mail has just reported that Daphne Iking just got married!!! Surprise! Surprise!

With everything that's going on with legal battles surrounding her, I'm actually quite stunned she got married so fast. She's married to a Malay businessman. She converted to Islam last December and got married this year...

She has one very cute daughter from her previous marriage.

Another preggers celeb

I haven't heard anything about Alyssa Milano, till now...

Well, she's pregnant at the age of 38 with husband Dave Bugliari!

She hasn't really been up to much after her TV show Charmed ended. I used to be a hardcore fan of Charmed.

This was my first English TV show that I followed faithfully every week. Oh, going down memory lane...
Missed the three sisters with witch powers...

But anyway, congrats to her!!

I Am Number Four Review (Mild Spoilers)

Let's start from the beginning. About 2 months ago I saw a random trailer on TV for I Am Number Four. Immediately after seeing the trailer I thought "I shall research this!" and the first thing I found was that it was based off of a book. Unlike most people when I find out something is based off of a book I go out of my way to read the book first (I'm currently reading Water for Elephants for this very reason). I think it's important to read the book first because 99.9% of the time important things are left out of the movie. I also like to decide how characters will look in my head first. Anyway, I read this book in about 2 days, that's with working 16 hrs of those 2 days as well; needless to say it was fantastic! This made my excitement over the movie even greater!

The premise of the book is there was a planet similar to Earth called Lorien and a group of evil aliens came and destroyed the planet. Apparently this same group of aliens is now on earth hunting down Loriens and plotting to take over. Nine children and 9 guardians escaped and were sent to Earth to live. There was a spell put on them to keep them safe and if they are to be killed they have to be killed in number order. The book/movie starts with the death of number 3 and the main character is 4, thus I Am Number Four. They all discover when one is killed because of a scar that is burned into their flesh after each one's death. If at any point more than one of them is in the same place together the spell is broken and they're all up for grabs (this is important later).



So Friday, with limited expectations, I went to see the movie and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. After finishing the book I wasn't sure about Alex Pettyfer as John but he actually ended up being great casting. He embodied the character perfectly as did Dianna Agron. I'd like to pause to say that Agron's voice drives me nuts. For those of you that don't know who she is she plays Quinn on Glee! She has this overly breathy voice that really begins to grate on the nerves after a while. Aside from that, her portrayal of Sarah was spot on.

The blonde one


The movie itself was very fun to watch. It had amusing lines/scenes and most of the casting was great. I did have a bit of an issue with the guy they cast to play Sarah's ex boyfriend, Mark. He didn't really fit what I was thinking of in my mind. I think the main issue was he's supposed to be hot and I don't think he was. He also was to be a star of the football team and I got more nerd vibe from him. That being said that one casting issue doesn't really bother me because nothing shall ever be worse than the casting catastrophe that was Twilight. Don't even get me started on Taylor Lautner as Jacob!!!!



Mark


I would give the movie a solid A. As far as movies based on books, especially young adult books, this one rocked. It was true to the book as far as characters and plot go for the most part. I did have some fundamental issues with specific things that happened in the movie vs the book. My main issue was with the introduction of 6. OK, SPOILER ALERT skip the rest of this paragraph if you haven't read the book/seen the movie. Number 6 comes at the end of the book and saves the day! It's one of those cool things where you honestly are so distracted by the 10 other things happening that you don't even see it coming. There are no hints given to the reader that she will show up in the book. Her coming completely changes the course of the big battle scene in at the end and it's such a great surprise! In the movie, you see #6 within the first 25 minutes. FAIL. They don't tell you who she is but she's tracking him throughout the whole movie and then shows up at the end. There's no real element of surprise like there is in the book. Again I say, FAIL!



That's 6



The Older man is Henri, John's guardian.

My second major issue was with how everyone discovers John is, shall we say, different. Again, SPOILER ALERT, stop reading now if you plan to see the movie and/or read the book. In the book without getting too specific there's a party, a fire, and John runs into a burning building to save Sarah. People take videos of it put it on the internet and then the bad aliens come to find John. This is also how #6 finds him. In the movie, all this minor nonsense happens and John goes to the party, the cops show up, and then John just begins flashing his powers all over the place. It's really, REALLY, unrealistic.

Aside from those two things I didn't really have any other major issues. I was mildly irritated by the powers that #6 and John have. Read the book and you will understand what I mean. I also had a major issue with something in reference to Henri's character. Without saying anything, something major happens to him and when it happens in the book it makes WAY more sense than when it takes place in the movie.



In the end I found this film to be refreshing. I loved the book and enjoyed the movie as well. I'm very excited for the rest of the books to come out. It's odd when a movie actually comes out before the entire series is finished but oh well. The next book will be out on 08/23/11.

So get your ass to the library or your local bookstore and go get I Am Number Four and then go see the movie!! And yes, you have to go in that order! :D