I run because..

I run because it’s the simple leisure of life.

One does not always need a bombastic reason for everything.

I run because it strengthens not only the physical body; but the mind and spirit.

Since I am naturally a weak person.

I run because it builds character;

that I can be a better instrument to serve the society.

I run because it can inspire people, including myself.

Running teaches people the power of perseverance;

To never give up.

I run because running can contribute to charity,

and to raise funds for the under-privileged children who are being loved so little.

I run to prepare myself for the rigours of mission life in the future;

for I know to serve in the mission field with my loved one would cost us everything.

I run because I want to experience pain and suffering.

Pain reminds me that I am a human and I’m still alive.

I run because it is therapeutic to my heart;

to the wounds and emotional baggage that I carry.

I run because I want beat the Enemy that lives within me;

who always pours out lies and tempts me to do things which I don’t want to.

I run because I want to meet God.

And in meeting Him, I know who I am.

Food For Thought

Hey guys, here's a response to a comment, made by Dragon in the post, "We Are Go!"

It goes:

"To Ray Mun & Jimmy,

Hi. I'm a student from IMU. Heard bout this run recently & seriously, I was very impressed by what you guys are doing. Combining your passion for marathon with charity is somewhat a win-win situation for both you people & the children from the Shelter. It's not easy to raise fund esp from IMU students (well, look at the IMU ball committee people... but unfortunately they did not motivate me to donate... to me such money should be channeled for a better & more meaningful use instead for sheer enjoyment & fun... well, that's what I thought & you may not agree :))

Nevertheless, from what I know, the Infinity Milers is also organizing a Climbing-Mount-Kotakinabalu trip in this coming July. Is the trip still on?

If I'm not mistaken, the original fee for the mount climbing is RM 1000+. & after subsidized by SAD(or whichever sponsers you guys get, which I didn't know), each participant still needs to pay at least RM 500-600. This does not include the fees for the food, equipments, & various accessories required for the Mount Climbing.

I'm confused.

If those of you who are joining the KK trip (if it's still on) are able & willing to pay the sum for it, I don't see why it's so hard for you people to raise a sheer RM 500.

RM 1000+ is not a small sum to certain people, & so is RM 500 you guys are trying to raise.

But it's not the sum that matters.

Hope it's just me thinking too much & you guys can help clear my doubt."

Hello Dragon,

First of all, thank you very much for your support and your comment! It's always refreshing to receive some feedback, which I feel is extremely necessary for us to improve ourselves or to clarify certain issues.

Your comments are very interesting! Before proceeding further, please allow me to comment about the Mount Kinabalu climb on July 27th. This climb is not an Infinity Milers climb, but rather an M207 batch climb. However, I am not participating in this climb but I am assisting my batch mates to organise this trip.

Yes, the total cost of the trip (3D2N), inclusive of airfare, transportation, lodging, guide fees, park fees and food will total up to about RM1000, and we are not receiving any form of sponsorship to subsidise our trip. At any one time, only a limited number of climbers are allowed up on Mount Kinabalu, hence the RM515 that has been paid is to reserve the lodgings for the climbers at Kinabalu Park and Laban Rata during the hike. The remainder of the fees such as guide fees and park fees will have to be paid, eventually.

Either than running, mountain climbing is one of my other passions in life. Although I may not agree with the price that has been charged to climb Mount Kinabalu, there's nothing that can be done as this price has already been predetermined by the company that manages the climbs up Mount Kinabalu.

Moving on to other things, I always believe that if life, charity comes in two forms - charity for others, and charity for ourselves. There is a need to care for others - the weak, the underprivileged, but it is also impossible for us to be so selfless that we sacrifice our personal goals and ambitions in life for the sake of others entirely. Aside from loving others, we must learn how to love ourselves. Hence, a balance is needed.

There is nothing wrong with what you've said. The way I look at things, IMU Ball 2009 and the upcoming Mount Kinabalu climb are forms of charity for ourselves. For IMU Ball, donations were needed in order for the event to go ahead as planned. Imagine what life in IMU would be if we graduated from IMU Bukit Jalil without any proper farewell or ending!

Similarly, although the climb up Mount Kinabalu is expensive, the rewards from it is priceless. I have done my fair share of climbs, and the friendships fostered, memories obtained and the harsh lessons that I've learned through climbing cannot be bought using cold hard cash. No two mountains I’ve climbed are the same. It's unfortunate that the cost of climbing Mount Kinabalu is exorbitant, as I feel that the mountain is becoming too commercialized for it’s own good!

Having said all that, it is up to one's personal preference on how one chooses to spend his or her money. Whether the money ends up for personal charity or charity for others, is not for us to decide. I have learnt to respect that. It is just human nature.

If we look at Run For A Cause, one can choose to support this charity event in many ways. One way is through, of course, monetary contribution. I cannot deny that without the money that has been graciously put forward to be contributed to SHELTER – Home For Children under Jimmy and myself, we cannot qualify for Run For A Cause.

However, charity does come in different forms – moral and physical support, words of encouragement and motivation – things which remind me that the effort I’m putting is worth the pain and trouble. I have received plenty of morale support from a lot of people, including my batch mates who will be climbing Mount Kinabalu. They have contributed immensely, from contributing money to pick-me-up conversations, and I consider morale support as equally as important as the monetary contribution itself!

In a nutshell, charity is not compulsory, it is a choice. We cannot force people to donate or to help, nor can we expect people to contribute selflessly whenever necessary. There is no right or wrong. However, on a personal level, I hope that our (Jimmy and myself) strivings in Run For A Cause can inspire people out there to challenge the near impossible, for a cause higher than one’s own self. That is one of the many reasons why I’m running.

Dragon, I hope this answers a lot of your questions or doubts. Please feel free to reply whenever convenient. In fact, we can talk over coffee in IMU whenever you are free. If so, please do not hesitate to email me at raymun@gmail.com.

Thank you once again for your sincere comments :)

Your humble servent,
raymun

We Are Go!

Hey guys,

Would just like to make a few announcements:
1) Jimmy is finally back from Indonesia! He will be sharing his thoughts with everyone one of you as soon as he pens down his articles. I shall not reveal too much of it's contents, but knowing Jimmy, anything he writes is something to look forward to!

And as the days tick down to June 28th 2009, we will start sharing with you more of our personal thoughts - on why we run, on our motivation when it comes to running and on how our other passions in life have influenced our lives. I expect Jimmy's entries to be thought provoking and well written, so please stay tuned to Why Do You Run. :)

2) Finally, after weeks and weeks of delay, Roderick, Jimmy and myself finally sat down to discuss our training regime. We came to an agreement to volumise our extended runs gradually as we have approached the 7 Week mark before Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009. Here's a rough sketch of what we've sorted out so far:
a) 16th May 2009 - 20KM
b) 17th May 2009 - New Balance Pacesetters 15KM (Lake Gardens)
c) 24th May 2009 - 25KM
d) 31st May 2009 - To Be Confirmed
e) 7th June 2009 - Klang Pacers Setia Alam Half Marathon (21KM) + 11KM Recovery Run
f) 14th June 2009 - 35KM

All extended runs will be conducted at the Bukit Aman - Sri Hartamas route, at about 0600 - 0630 hours. Anyone who's interested in joining us, please do not hesitate to contact us :). Besides, we'll be doing our own individual runs every day/other day throughout the weeks before finally tapering off 2 weeks before the marathon starts. This break would give us the opportunity to visit the other 3 homes of SHELTER - Home for Children, as promised. Things are still sketchy at the moment, but we will be updating everyone as soon as possible.

3) The "Help Jimmy and Ray Mun Run For A Cause" Facebook Group has been launched! It took some time for the contents of the group to be finalised but it is all go as we speak. To be very honest, it was quite difficult for me to set up the Facebook Group. It was a matter of ethics as I didn't feel good at all to use it as a means of raising funds for Run For A Cause, considering that we are dealing with the collection of money.

However, looking at it in a different perspective, Jimmy and I decided to go ahead with it anyway. I hope that everyone can see the Facebook Group and Run For A Cause as a means of raising awareness to the public, that anyone out there can make a difference, so long they are committed to the cause. We've been receiving plenty of supportive messages from close friends and colleagues, which has been highly encouraging. Monetary donation is one means of supporting the Run For A Cause and SHELTER - Home For Children, but so does every single message of encouragement that you send to us. Your words of encouragement will further strengthen our resolve and motivation to raise the funds and to finish the race well. So please, keep them coming :)

4) Speaking of which, the money collected from the students of the International Medical University has been counted. The official amount will be revealed shortly, together with an explanation on into who's account (Jimmy or myself) the money will be credited into. Patience, guys!

That's all for the moment, thank you once again for your support! :)

Contemplations

Today, something totally random came across my mind.

I went to the local aquarium shop, and decided to do a little 'shopping'. I bought 2 pairs of juvenile Ikan Patin, 5 juvenile Ikan Jelawat and 20 Ikan Lampam, which I wanted to release at the Taman Lembah Kiara Lake - my normal training area.

It was close to noon when I carefully lugged the plastic bags containing the fishes into the park. It was totally deserted, except for the security guards and the odd family or two. Wanting some peace, I walked to the far end of the lake where the clear mountain river meets the murkier waters of the lake. There were even other fish there, mainly the Cichlids.

Not too bad a place to release them, I thought to myself.

I released the Ikan Lampam first. They were the shining silver ones, which were quick to escape from the bag and soon enough, they darted off into the depths of the lake.

I released the Ikan Patin next. They were black in color and slightly slower to swim away. A smaller one even started swimming towards the shore. I turned it around and soon enough, all 4 swam off into the depths of the lake.

Lastly, I released the Ikan Jelawat. They were sleek and silver, with a tinge of redness on their tails. Powerful swimmers they were. Before I could even release them properly, 2 jumped out of the bag. The other 3 made their way out of the bag eventually. In a blink of an eye, all 5 swam off into the depths of the lake.

Then, silence.

I stayed at the bank, hoping to have a glimpse of the fishes that I released, wanting to know how they'd survive in the wild after being born and bred in captivity in their such short lives. At first, there was nothing.

Then, I saw them. The 4 Ikan Jelawat, which were the quickest to leave, begun swimming towards the mountain stream. They kept to the shallows. For some strange reasons, the Cichlids were swimming with them, surrounding them as they go! They made splashes as they swam against the current, but always keeping to the shallows. Their beautiful red tails were apparent even from the bank. I hope that they grow up, big and strong, and become even more beautiful as they do so.

Next, the Ikan Lampam showed up. They were chasing the smaller Cichlids in the lake! I'm not sure if they were preying on them or just teasing them, but they sure made their presence felt. Even more splashes were seen, as they darted from one side to the other, oblivious to my presence just 2 feet from the bank. There were 20 of them in the lake now. I hope that they thrive, so that a healthy population of fish will be produced, so that the visitors of the park will actually have fish to feed in the lake.

But, I never did see the Ikan Patin. They never did turn up after I released them. However, I know that they will grow up, eventually. They are hardy fish, not needing much to live on. And they're not much of a social fish, always keeping to themselves whenever possible. Occasionally, you can see their splashes on the surface of the calm lake but for the majority of the time, they're always one their own.

A lone ranger.

Sometimes, I feel just like the Ikan Patin.

Have a meaningful Wesak Day :)

52 Days To Go!

Argh, such a busy week! Just to keep everyone in the loop, here are some updates for the week:

1)I was invited for an extended run last Sunday by Mr. Kelvin Ng. We met at the Sungai Buloh R&R on the way back from the Bidor Half Marathon, which he took part in as well. We had a small chat and next thing I know, we exchanged numbers and I was invited for an extended run from Bukit Aman to Sri Hartamas and back. Now, that's a good 21KM! We met at 630am and began running through Bukit Tunku and the Jalan Kuching Roundabout before reaching Sri Hartamas. We made a quick water break at the Petronas at Sri Hartamas before running back again, the entire 21KM taking 2 hours and 20 minutes. The highlight of the morning wasn't the run, but Mr. Kelvin himself! He seem to know every runner whom we met along the way and miraculously, he was laughing and talking non-stop throughout the entire run! I have to say, he's one of the more eccentric runners I've met. A jovial chap who has run 18 (!!!) marathons himself, Kelvin was an excellent running partner as we exchanged thoughts about running, life and our backgrounds. Later did I find out that he's the Pacestters Vice President of the Tasik Permaisuri Area Group! He's part of a group known as DER PACEMAKERS, a running community which is a subset of Pacestters. Argh, if only I had more time..

2) YAY!

My first RM100 for my Run For A Cause Category!!! I just found out about it last Thursday as I was preparing the "Help Jimmy and Ray Mun Run For A Cause" Group on Facebook! So happy! At first, I thought it was some random stranger who...shared the same believes as I did? But only later did I find out that it was contribution from Miss T, Kah Hwee and Hamsap Mustaqim! THANKS THANKS THANKS, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! Now just RM400 to go!

3) The Distribution Box has been circulating around University, mainly in M207 this week and ME109 and ME208 in previous weeks. I was actually quite pessimistic about raising funds from my University mates, that they wouldn't see the truth in my cause. But how glad am I to be wronged, the Contribution Box is getting fuller day by day. THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT GUYS! And I always believe that support comes in all forms - be it monetary, physical or morale, of which the latter I received today:

Thanks a lot for the book and well wishes, Kai Rou, Shi Hoay, Xin Ying, Ying See, Wei Sheng, Szu May, Whei Ying, Le Min, Justin, Jeannie and Roderick! :D

4) It's 52 days to the event and I've yet to run this week! I had my IMS presentation today and thank goodness that it's done! I'll just have enough time to catch a breather, before clocking up another 40km later this week. Come early June, I will need to clock up at least 70km a week, inclusive of a 30KM extended run! But before that, there's this little problem called "In Course Assesment" to settle on May 29th. *grumbles*

Till then, cheers!!! :)

SHELTER - Home For Children (Part 1/4)

HELLO!

Before I start, many thanks to Miss C for designing the blog header! RAWR! Only thing now is to get Jimmy to start blogging and the blog will be OFFICIALLY up and running. Once again, thank you Miss C! :)

Okay as mentioned above, this entry will be about My Cause in the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009's Run For A Cause - SHELTER Home for Children! I thought that there was a need to know more about SHELTER and it's cause, and at the same time, spread this information to the people around me, including - YOU!

From what I got from SHELTER's website, SHELTER is a non-government welfare organisation which provides a safe haven for abused, abandoned and neglected children, from all walks of life. When I mean safe haven, it literally means the provision of a suitable living environment for growing up, character building and spiritual nourishment. For this means, they have 4 different homes, each addressing a separate agenda of the organisation's initiatives. Each home is simply named Shelter 1, Shelter 2, Shelter 3 and Shelter 4. Besides, they aim to raise awareness among members of the public on child abuse and child protection, plus a whole lot of other causes.

Well, that is what they say. And I thought to myself, why not see it for myself!

And that is exactly what I did, on this lovely Saturday morning. From SHELTER's website, only Shelter 1's phone number was listed, which I took down and called. I was greeted by a middle-aged Indian women, who graciously invited me over to Shelter 1 to have a look at their home. Although they were already having some visitors, she said the visit of just 1 person wouldn't be a problem. After taking down their address, I was on my way.

The first thing that hit me about Shelter 1 was the house itself, just off Jalan Gasing. The home was a double-story bungalow, with ample space around it. They had a van parked in the driveway, which was probably used to ferry the children from place to place. And remarkably, the place was extremely well kept, unlike other homes which I've visited in the past.





I was met at the front door by Shelter 1's manager - Mr. Nelson. I introduced myself, careful not to mention anything about the Standard Chartered KL Marathon to him. I was, "a University student who wanted to have a look around". That was what I told him.

Mr. Nelson

Mr. Nelson was informative and helpful. He began explaining to me about the history of SHELTER, on how it first started off as a single home in 1981, with only 3 children in it. As it slowly expanded, another 3 homes were built to accommodate the increasing number of children brought in, with each home handling different age categories. Right now, Shelter 1 houses 13 children, of which all of them are below the age of 13. Shelter 2 houses teenage girls, from 13 to 18 years of age while Shelter 3 houses teenage boys of the same age group. Shelter 4 is slightly different, where the children there are nurtured full time by staff who acts as the children's 'parents'. It's almost as if they're living with foster parents.

The children at Shelter 1

Back to Shelter 1! The children here consists of both boys and girls, of which all of them are schooling in different schools around the Petaling Jaya district. Some of them attend Chinese schools, one attends home schooling while a few more attend Mission Schools. As Mr. Nelson explains this to me, he brings me around the home, showing me the kitchen, toy library, male and female dormitory and the dining area along the way.

Some of the children's drawings

The upkeep of the home was good, with most of the furniture, books and toys arranged neatly. The dormitory was very well kept as well, the beds were neat and I didn't see any clothes lying on the floor. Even their shoes were arranged orderly in the shelves provided. Moving on to a financial point of view, it costs RM2000 to maintain the home monthly. This money comes from contributions from the public, and is used to pay the water and electricity bills, monthly provisions and such. They are truly blessed, as they also receive food contributions from the neighboring churches and from Gardenia, who sponsors them with bread 3 times a week.

Their makan roster!

Mr. Nelson explains to me that every child in this home helps out with maintaining the cleanliness of the house. They take turns cleaning the garden, clearing the drains, wiping the windows and such, which provides a good means of instilling independence and discipline.

I didn't get to meet many of the children, as a group of Red Crescent Society members from, of all places SMK Damansara Utama (!) were there conducting a community outreach programme. Sheeze man, what a coincidence! However, as I was exploring the garden I met up with this little boy, Vincent.

Today, his job was to help clear the clogged drains which surrounded the home. He had two Red Crescent members to assist him with his errand and I helped in as well. At first, he was a bit shy and passive. He preferred to talk to himself as he started scrapping off the moss from the drain. I tried all sorts of things to start a conversation, from introducing myself to helping with the moss, but...he was still a bit reluctant to speak?

That's Vincent, in orange

I guess it's this field where I'm weak at. I fail to understand that Vincent, who was probably a victim of neglect or abuse, is different from most children. As what Mr. Nelson mentioned, because of their past these children are quite reclusive when it comes to trust on people, moreover a perfect stranger like me.

After a little cajoling, we started talking. Bit by bit, he introduced himself and started talking more and more about himself. He was 12 years old, and wants to be a pianist when he grows up! After cleaning up the drain, he offered to get me a drink of water and asked me to play basketball with him, which I duly agreed. And he wasn't too bad at all! This 12 year old kid duly out-shot, out-dribbled and out-played his 21 year old opponent. I feel like an uncle =p.

Vincent

I think that was the one moment that really made my day, seeing Vincent running around with the ball, trying a shot over and over again whenever he misses, to hear him laugh and see him smile. Ok la, got motivation to run already.





I left the home a while later, as the Red Crescent members proceeded to conduct activities with the children. I thanked Mr. Nelson and bid goodbye, only to realize that I did not say my farewells to Vincent when I was on my way home!!! Argh! That sucked so badly...

But I'll be back, that's a promise!

ps: my apologies for the photos, or rather lack of them. i was advised against taking too many photos by Mr. Nelson.

ps2: this will the first out of 4 entries about SHELTER - Home For Children. i will be visiting Shelter 2, 3 and 4 in the next few weeks, as a build up to the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009.