i relayed for life ;)

i have come back from relay for life event and i dun have puffy eyes!!! yippeee but i am exhausted. the whole relay thingy was not as tiring and tedious... well for me that is...but for jet, it is another story.

we arrived at about 5.30p.m. there was a massive jam outside the stadium as tv3 also had their carnival jom heboh there. so imagine the number of cars and the trouble of looking for parking space. luckily the parking lot opposite the hockey stadium is huge. rm2 per entry. i went straight for registration- rm10 per person and you get a white tee shirt with a purple star in the middle. they were in the midst of officiating the event already then. so above you have the health minister there officiating world tobacco day and launching the event. the crowd was very enthusiastic and you can see the official tee shirt in different colours. white- participants, yellow- cancer survivors, green- volunteers and blue- staff.

the more than 1o0 tents one could see in the middle of the field and around as well. they were necessary for this overnight event (6p.m. to 10a.m.) they were for you to take away. just register early, pay rm50 to book the tent and you can pack them with you as you leave the next day. cheap huh? most were blocked booked by corporations which took part like astro, xixili and kajang specialist hospital. suria fm was there. herworld mag- they gave away april issue of eh! mag. nestle sponsored milo.

the cancer survivors getting ready to start the first lap for relay for life at 6p.m. i think there were about 100 of them. overheard from one of the survivors who came last year- this year's crowd was thinner and they got less rousing welcome. i guess it was the publicity. i din even know about this event if not for the sms i received. oh, mr yee came at about 6 with bags of sandwiches from subway. he called himself the sandwich man...yes, sandwich was our dinner...damn expensive as well. his friend a couple came later, and lastly his boss with his family...waaayy later. by then, they had no more tee shirts.

photos of cancer survivors strung using yellow ribbons being brought around the track.

members from different embassies were there as well but the one that came with banner was the american embassy. the ambassador and his family were there the whole night and his children really did the relay aka running/ jogging/walking. let me see what i remember of other countries- japan, ecuador, the phillipines, ...haha...that's it. getting old....but there were a few more...more than 10.

the mardi gras ladies.
the ministry of health walking together with organiser. the minister of health was pushing the wheel chair in this photo and he was blocked by the US ambassador.

xixili. their tents were all decorated with heart cut-outs.

teletubby from astro ;P

luminaria ceremony at 9p.m. white paper bags decorated with drawings and messages. a candle was put in every bag and lit by the volunteers and the owners of the bags. only rm1 per bag. going through each of the bag was quite emotional.

it was really beautiful. it was the most beautiful time in the stadium i think when the lights were dimmed and you only saw the flames of the candles. too bad it did not stay long that well. personally i felt they really wasted quite a lot of electricity in putting too many spotlights on. oh, national sports council sponsored the stadium for the event.

this is one with more trimmings and decorations.

those with messages.

and i think this sums up the spirit of everyone who attended. cancer does not equate death! well, personally cancer is such a common disease nowadays that it is not something new. with the advancement of technology and in the medical field, we have more knowledge and choices. everyone faces the risk of getting cancer so we better take good care of ourselves and live each day to the fullest. there is no point regretting or feeling sorry for yourself or for your loved ones later.

the crowd started thinning by midnight. i think only 1/3 was left in the stadium including yours truly's group. only jet, wei and i stayed. i don't need to list those who left in my group. some participants really had the never-say-stop attitude.

bravo to those who ran/walked/jogged non-stop. bravo to those who stayed till the next morning be it lingering around in the stadium or in the tents. bravo to those who stayed up the whole night and gave support to the games they had on the mini stage. bravo to the kids who never complained of fatigue or boredom. bravo to those who donated.

oh, i have to put this in as well. there was a part where local celebrities took part. those i know are sazzy fallak, jac victor, harith iskandar, aishah sinclair, aflin shauki, etc led by yasmin yusuf. they showed up, in their respective gears, they held the glow swords, they walked one lap, they left. maybe i was harsh but hey, at least you can stay and go a few more laps or be geared in the tee shirt (when u register for rm10) to show some support.

anita sarawak performed. jac victor too and this is the first time i heard her live. her voice was good! she is really a great malaysian singer. there were dances, elvis impersonator (i din catch his name), kids choir, relay races, suria fm showcase, pajama party, relay 'boy' contest (cross dressers), yoga and endurance race (2 hours). entertainment was aplenty. but it was not that crowd engaging...which i think is the letdown of this momentous event. you were just drifting in the stadium the whole time. there was no sense of togetherness...that we were all there for one good cause. well, like chailih said it would be difficult since there were so many participants from different groups, but for me, it was not something which could not be done. everyone was enthusiastic to begin with, so getting them to do group stuff would not be an impossible task.

no tent..not a problem. i got my stuff too- 2 sleeping bags (borrowed) and yoga mats. so this was where we spent the wee morning from about 2-6a.m. things had quietened down by this time so you could really catch your nap then. luckily no soreback. it was quite hard mind you...and no pillow.

jet slept the least. he was sticky all over having run about 50 laps the whole night. that crazy man. he really ran! wei ran too but i dunno how many. i only ran a handful and brisked walk the rest. i did 30 laps. nothing to shout about. both heels felt the strained. hated that sore! that was the only frustration.

the biggest group which survived till the next morning. they were all dressed up again for their group laps by 7a.m. a few of them were in traditional customes and they all had head decorations. their spirits were still high.

my 'alertness' was booosted when starbucks gave their free coffee. yes! free starbucks coffee. so refreshing and they pumped up the music at 7a.m. but... we chose to leave at 7.30a.m. feel so ashamed to reveal this here. after surviving the whole night and we chose to leave when there were only a few hours left to reach the last lap. well, jet just could not stand it anymore and he needed his bath. pity him lah soaked in his sweat and all 'marinated' already.

so off to breakfast at sri petaling and then to wei's place at bukit kinrara 5. aaaaahhh.... but the morning had not ended yet.

i went to see the pregnant pikkien as i have not seen her ballooned tummy since she was 3 months pregnant. gosh, it was bigger than a basketball. but she was healthy...good to know...and the baby is due these few days...so everyone, keep your fingers crossed for a healthy baby boy. yes, it is a boy.

lunch at pavilion, kl. yeah, i still have time to go shopping...but only for yeelin lah. went to try the offerings at the loaf. the pastry was yummyand the uhu!hu! cheesecake...but expect to pay double the price lah. luckily jet was not in hunger mood, or my wallet will be thinner. oh, they have lunch promo now. buy any two types of bread during lunch house (12-2) and you will get a cup of coffee free. their second anniversary promo.

yeelin...your watch...finally. it was a blessing in disguise that i did not get this watch on friday! cheating parkson! said they gave additional 10% discount to bonuslink members on that day...it was only 10+10 on friday. today i went, this watch was going at 30% discounts!!! i am so disappointed. how am i supposed to trust the bonuslink member sale gimmick again???

my pick-up at pavilion ;P 50% discount...our malaysian price.

nice bangle huh? no lah...i din get that...stupid to get it here. it is US$68 at www.coach.com and guess how much they are selling here? rm350! so do not ever buy retail if you wanna buy these branded stuff in malaysia!!!

no more kl until yeelin is back. phew! been 'pampering' myself too much already with these trips. time to save again. good night...i have to replace the sleep i missed.