Issues (Think about it….do something about it)

Okay, now that I’ve got your attention, please focus on the words that are coming outta my mouth.  We all have issues that we’re peeved about, right?  Stuff that makes us go “Geez, my life would be so much better if this thing were fixed”.  And I’m not just talking about touching monkeys, but real issues.

My issues often revolve around the challenges I face as an avid runner.  Like the haze, hence Project Haze Runner.  And now there is a platform that would allow me, and other Malaysians, to try and fix issues that they’re seriously pissed off about.  It’s an event called Unreason @ UrekaWeekend.  Read all about it.  It’s happening on 3-5 July 2009.

If you’re as psyched as I am, then join me at the event.  I’ll be working on details for Project Haze Runner and am looking for runners and others who would be interested to participate in this project.  Contact me on Facebook or Twitter if you’re interested!

Now, can somebody please remove these cutleries from my knees?

The first 48 hours

Alright folks, here’s my first update on what has been happening for Project Haze Runner, or “Running the Haze out of Town”.  Since the project went live on Friday afternoon, we have managed to raise USD 153 out of the USD 350 needed to come up with an initial pitch video for the local networks.

With all honesty, when I sat down with the rest of the guys, we did have some doubts about how this whole thing is gonna take off.  Malaysians are apathetic, very kedekut, cynics yada yada.  So we set a target to raise the initial USD 350 by 18th August.  And you know what, we’ve been proven wrong.  It’s only Day 2 and we’re already close to the half way mark!  The Haze Runner video has been viewed over 50 times already and there is quite a buzz going about on my Unreason project page.  Malaysians actually do care for issues that affect them personally and are willing to go out of their way to lend their support in whatever means possible.  *wipes off a tear with a tissue.  tsk tsk

Love you guys!  Keep the support coming.

Remember – Ruuuuunnnnning the Haze outta Town! *Does a jig ala John Travolta in Saturday Night Live

Running the Haze Outta Town

So let’s see, we’ve got less than 10 days to go till the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon.  And I have to say that I’m still stuck at doing 10 – 12km runs, last run having taken place on Wednesday last week.  I’m not very happy about it and it’ll definitely affect how I complete the half marathon, but I’m guessing that since I’ve done it twice last year I should be able to do it again this year.

Which brings me to my rant of the day.  We all know what’s stopping people from running these past couple of weeks.  It’s impossible to ignore that thick blanket of smoke and debris that has engulfed us recently.  Yup, it’s the haze.  So I’ve decided to quite bitching about it and do something.  I’d like to call it “Running the Haze out of Town”.  You can check it out on my Unreason page.  To make this thing work, the righteous ones at Unreason* helped me shoot a video and here’s a small snippet of what happened that day:-

There’s another video on the Unreason page, which explains the project and what we intend to achieve with it.  So check it out!

*Unreason is a movement to get ordinary Malaysian to collectively do extraordinary things to address issues that they’re unhappy about.  Cool stuff.