Virus Attack

 

Oh No! Virus is attacking our family and family members are getting sick with Fever, Headache, diarrhea etc. 

Smash Circuit 6.0 - 2026

After winning the Smash Circuit 5.0, Hong Yi is named the first seed of this Smash Circuit 6.0 competition therefore having a Bye in the first round, which help significantly for his quest to defend his Single Title. He won four matches (and a bye) inclduing winning his final opponent Wei Loong who resign mid way through the game amid battling with cramp. HY also won a Bronze in Doubles category again. 

Badminton Rackets- Yonex Astrox 88D Brothers (Updated July)

The Yonex Astrox 88D Brothers and their achievements

Tour Racket (bought in 2006)

Achievement

- MSSD Single Gold (2026)

- MSSD Double Silver (2026)

- Smash 5.0 Single Gold (2026)
- Smash 5.0 Double Bronze (2026)

- KLSL Team Double Gold (2026)

- Smash 6.0 Single Gold (2026)

- Smash 6.0 Doubles- Bronze (2026)

Game Racket (bought in 2005)

Achievement

- MSSD Single Bronze (2025)

- Titan 1.0 Single Silver (2026)

- Smash 5.0 Single Bronze (2025)

- AIMS Team Double Silver (2026)

- AIMS Team Single Silver (2025)

- KLSL Team Single Gold (2025)

Play Racket (Bought in 2004)

Achievement

- MSSD Double Bronze (2024)

- Achieve Cup Single Bronze (2025)

- Achieve Cup Double Bronze (2025)

- AIMS Team Single Silver (2024)

- KLSL Team Single Bronze (2024)

 

Score Half Marathon 2026

Pretty disappointing race as I "bon" after 11km and start walking at 17km mark.

Final result is 2'11 with average pace of 6'12 (versus target of 2'06). This is my 9th fastest race in 12 total races. 

Score Half Marathon 2026- Pre-race

Score Half Marathon 2026 coming up. This is my second race of the year and the first half marathon of the year. Very low or absolutely no expectations due to the combination of (1) injuries to the left IT band (2) low running millege (3) no intense workout/training (4) overweight. 

This will be my 12th Half Marathon race. My target is below Pace of 6'00 and time of 2'06. Should I achieved this goal, it would be my 8th fastest time out of the 12 race. 

Rank 11:    Generali 2024 (Pace: 6'52, Time: 2'24) *

Rank 10:    Twin City 2024 (Pace: 6'19, Time: 2'14) *

Rank 9:    Twin City 2022 (Pace: 6'13, Time: 2'12) **

Rank 8:    Garmin 2022 (Pace: 6'04, Time: 2'10) ***

Rank 7:    XiaoMi 2026 (Pace: 5'58 Time: 2'03) ***

Rank 6:    Penang Bridge 2022 (Pace: 5'53, Time: 2'05) *****

Rank 5:    Generali 2025 (Pace 5'50, Time 2'03)  ****

Rank 4:    KL City Day 2023 (Pace: 5'46, Time: 2'02) ****

Rank 3:    NPE Highway 2023  (Pace: 5'41, Time: 1'59)  *****

Rank 2:    Hatyai 2023 (Pace: 5'40, Time: 2'00) ****

Rank 1:    Cybercity 2023 (Pace: 5'38, Time: 1'59) *****

Best Steak Update 2026

Time to update the Steakhouse listing after recent great steak at TME and Emily.

Best Steak 

1. Chamber's Grill @ KL Hilton 

2. Maria's Steakhouse @ Sunway

3. Senja @ Saujana 

4. The Meat Expert @ 3 Damansara

5. Emily's Steakhouse @ KL City

6. Butcher Carrey @ Sri Hartamas 

7. Meat Point @ TTDI 

Steakhouse to try in near future. 

1. Prime @ Le Meridien (Rating 4.5)

2. Vantador @ Sri Hartamas (Rating 4.5)

3. The Beato Steakhouse @ Publika (Rating 4.5)

4. Jake's Charbroil @ Medan Damansara (Rating 4.3)

5. Kay's Steak and Lobster @ Putra Heights (Rating 4.6)

6. Grub by Ahong @ Section 17 (Rating 4.6)

7. Stoked Seafood & Bar @ Medan Damansara (Rating 4.0)

8. Tamaruya Meat Master (Rating 4.5)

9. Ynot Garden Cafe (Rating 4.6)

10. Bunny Wok & Grill @ Sri Petaling (Rating 3.8)

11. Corks Out @ Subang

Turtle Run - GPX Art

We did the legendary Turtle Route - GPX Art. It's a 10km route with the arms, leg and tail at slight uphill. There are many more famous GPX Art such as the boy with the balloon and the snail. 

This isn't exactly the first GPX art for me. Afterall, KLSCM is Dinosaur route in a way. 

 

Cheerleading

Hong Xin's medals and trophies at home are piling up. Here comes a Silver Medal in Cheerleading Group. Congrats Hong Xin.  

Smash Circuit 5.0 - 2026

After years of trying, HongYi finally won a Badminton Open competition - Smash Circuit 5.0 (2026) Single Gold Medal (following a 5 games gruesome battle).

Looking back at history of Open competition.

Joined 4 competitions in 2023 but never go past round 2.
Joined 5 competitions in 2024 but never go past round 2 (plus Lake Club Gold)

Joined 6 competitions in 2025 and achieved 2 bronze.

Joined 5 competitions in 2026 so far and achieved 1 gold 1 silver (plus gold in MSSD)

HY also won a Bronze in the Doubles category. Performance is inconsistent but is entertaining. 

 

Lai Meng School Sports Day 2026

This is the last Lai Meng Sports Day for our family as Hong Xin is Standard 6.

The result this year is amazingly good. Hong Xin received 1 bronze in 2025. In 2024 she received 1 gold and 1 silver. This year Hong Xin received total of 4 medals- 1 gold for 4x100m, 1 silver for 80m, 1 bronze for Shot put and 1 silver for Inter-school 4x100m. This is amazing results and excellent final chapter for her time in Lai Meng.

Xtep Time Trial - Results

The Race is over! Although it is not as good as my personal best, it is still worth celebrating. The final result is 55 mins 51 seconds, (avg 5'35), much faster than the goal time of 58 mins. Final few km is particularly encouraging. The final ranking, however, is 530 versus total runners of 1066. That's 50 percentile, one of my worst result. This race is really filled with elites and members of running clubs. 

Xtep Time Trial

8th of May 2026 will mark the first running race this year. Its a FOC 10km race. With the "form" I am in now, my goal is relatively low.

Gold: 55 mins or 5'30 min/km

Silver: 58 mins or 5'48 min/km   

Bronze: 60 mins or 6'00 min/km

Note that even the gold level is no way close to my personal best. 

Parent Child Badminton Competition

First Parent Child Competition (excluding Teo Chew Association friendly matches) since 2024.

Results 1 win 1 loss (versus 2 losses in 2024) so there is some improvement.  

The matches are now Under 16 (used to be Under 15), so there is another year of opportunity. 

April Fool

Here are some of this year's best April Fool Picture:

And obviously, don't forget Da Bing's edition.

HAPPY APRIL FOOL EVERYONE!

 

A.I.

Getting to learn A.I. and its many function as much as I could. So far I am more into Gemini, although image generated by Chatgpt is more favourable. 

Ever wonder what AI looks like? Here's my assigned AI's profile picture. It is indeed very knowledgeable. 

Laptop

The hunt of Laptop is over. The final winner is HP NB (14-EM0225AU) at just under RM 2.8k. 

In summary, the specs are AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, 12GB DDR4-3200 (1x8GB, 1x4GB), 512 GB SSD, AMD Radeon Graphics, 14" inch.

There are plenty of other laptop on offer, particularly gaming laptop at insane value. 

The final choice is decided based on its lightness of the laptop, which is 1.4kg (versus many gaming laptop that is around 2-3kg). 

Top Places to Visit in China

 Here's Top Ten Cities to Visit in China

1. Beijing- Done in around year 1995

2. Shanghai: Done in around year 2005

3. Chengdu: Not yet

4. Guangzou: Done in around year 2010

5. Hangzhou: Done in around year 2005

6. Xi'an: Done in 2025/2026

7. ChongQing: Done in 2019

8. Shenzhen: Done in around year 2009

9. Qingdao: Not yet

10. Urumqi: Not yet

Score: 7 of 10

Other cities travelled but not listed in the top ten list include Tian Jing, Gui Ling, Su Zhou, Nan Jing, Wu Xi, Chao Zhou, Kun Ming and Zu Hai. 

Things are quite different when we change the subject to 'Travel Destination' in China, instead of cities.

1. Zhang Jia Jie - To go soon

2. Jiu Zai Gou- To go soon

3. La Sa- Not in plan

4. Cheng Du- To go soon

5. Xi'An- Done 

6. Shang Hai- Done

7. Bei Jing- Done

8. Li Jiang- Done

9. Gui Ling- Done

10. Ha Er Bing- Not in near future

Score: 5 of 10

Next destination

After the LiJiang trip in 2024, we talked a lot about the next trip, hence the Xi'An trip was planned six months prior to the actual trip.

The Xi'An trip does not disappoint, comparable to the Lijiang trip. As such, it is likely that the 2026 might be plan earlier as well. 

At the moment, there is no clear favourite, although the following destinations are rather likely at this time of the year. 

1. South East Asia- Bali

2. China- BeiJing / Shanghai

3. China- Cheng Du / Jiu Zai Gou

4. Japan- Osaka / Fukuoka

5. Australia- Sydney / Melbourne

6. Sapa- Vietnam

Shoes Analyzing June 2023 - May 2025

 

Running Shoes No 13- Asic Evoride 3

This shoes are so comfortable and casual and that I used it so often that it reach the end of its lifetime much sooner than I thought. I have never used this shoes for a competition but it is really an excellent trainer. Overall a A-.

Running Shoes No 14- Puma Deviate Elite 2

The most expensive shoes I have bought to-date. RM 328 (from Lazada 9.9), huge discount from retail price of RM 929. This is the shoes that Puma sponsor professional runner to compete in Major Marathon. I am, however, quite disappointed at the shoes. The shoes are good looking and its not that it is slow. In fact, it still hold my top 3 best time for 10km race. The main issue is with the cutting, which is not suitable for my right foot. After the first 5km, I will start feeling uncomfortable on the right foot as if part of my right foot is outside the 'comfort' zone of the shoes. The shoes is still active after two years plus due to low usage. Overall a B+.

Running Shoes No 15- Pegasus 40

Another disappointment especially when I have high expectations after a good Pegasus 38. This shoes is heavy, not comfortable and low durability. The only good thing about this shoes? I bought it at a huge discount in Lazada- RM 150 versus retail RM 549. Overall a B-.

Running Shoes No 16- Given to Hong Yi

Running Shoes No 17- Xtep 2000km

The first China brand that I bought and its a disaster. First of all, the shoes are much bigger than advertised. Second and most importantly, the shoes are very hard and my foot skin will peel off after wearing it. And it happen twice under different period of time. This is really not my shoes. I have given up after only using it for 75km. Overall a F.

Running Shoes No 18 & 19- Velociti Nitro 3

Love this shoes so much that I bought two of them (of different colour). In fact I have been wearing both as normal casual shoes after their retirement and they have been travelling with me all over the world. Nothing to complain. Its comfortable, its speedy, its not expensive. Hasn't got any record under this shoes, but I did complete a Marathon (3rd fastest) with this shoes. Overall an A

Best Videos- Xi'An Trip

There are a lot more videos taken in this trip.  Best videos are as follow:

No 1: The "Ancient People"

No 2: The "Final Hike"

No 3: 清明上河图