Messages At Midnight: Weddings Malaysia

Editor's Letter in JFT 2011 / 2012 Issue

Without realising it, Journeys For Two : Destination Weddings For The Stylish & Chic is in its 5th year. I still remember that faithful morning 5 years ago, sitting at Old Town Kopitiam in Sri Hartamas with Kris where we decided, yes, this was something we would do and see where it took us (just as long as I do not have to deal with any numbers was my only criteria. Haha!) and in a flash of a flash, it had taken us into our 5th issue.

For the last 5 issues, every year was a learning curve for us - well, I can't say I speak on behalf of the team. It was definitely a learning curve for me. How do we do better for the next issue? How can we hit more sales? How can we make the content more relevant? More interesting? What sales strategy do we deploy in closing the sales? How do we expand our reach? Etc.... Etc...... For me, every year saw me getting more and more organized and focused with the targets and working on newer angles for contents..... but still, this is a team effort and decisions are largely based on how the team feels (err,... the team here would mean my boss - Kris Wong. Haha.) since most of the time, I come up with some brilliant idea that is just not executable :P

For me, part of the learning curve was also about putting one's ego aside while doing the editorial work. It's OK to have your articles edited by the Managing Editor :) "How come it is different from what I wrote??!" is usually my first question - but no hissy fit, please. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing - a great magazine and brand out there in the market which will continue selling itself every year...... (and thus paying for some of my holidays, and most recently, my tri race participation!). The real kudos of course, goes to the team from Weddings Malaysia that works on the magazine too!

And after a year's work to get the last issue out (and it IS out now, sold at major bookstores - woohoo!), we are starting to work on our 6th issue already and I'm keeping my fingers crossed to be able to clinch this new content deal across the borders - since already gotten the green light from Da Boss Man :) So, with some luck, we'd have yet another exciting issue serving up! Who knows where this issue will take us then, since we had been trawling exotic beaches and beautiful highlands, embracing different cultures, appreciating history and heritage and keeping up with growing trends thus far.

p/s : Despite the perception of Kris Wong being anal and whose virtue really isn't patience, it has been a breeze working with him. We just both have to answer each other's emails on time. ROFL. Here's to another GREAT issue, Kris!

(for photo credit of the above picture - go get your copy of JFT now!)

Team Weddings Malaysia & Team JFT

For those of you who have been following my blog would know that I was in pretty ill-shape for the Bali Triathlon. Nevertheless, my stubbornness ensured that I was right there at the starting line on the cloudy morning of 26^th June 2011, together with my wedding industry friends and MOH who formed the relay team of Team Weddings Malaysia and our official cheerleaders : Shirley Hoo, Mama & Papa Lui. The damn cough and the damn pain in my left ribs were the major issues and I had been trying to ‘hide’ this for the past couple of days after we all met up in Bali – for fear that, you know, I might be curbed from taking part in the competition.
Having Kris, Lee Kuen, Shirley and my parents around really took my mind off the stress I was going through – imagining that I will not complete the race. Aaargh! I definitely do not want a DNF in my record! Kris was particularly funny, cracking jokes about racing, teaching us how to pose for the camera (“gaya mesti ada”) and making us all laugh like KKC (not helping the pain in my ribs though).

Oh – oh! I also had the honour of meeting Richard Sambera – the ex-national swimming champ for Indonesia! I got his autograph, a photo with him and his V-shaped bod (very impressive for a retired sportsman) and a few good tips from him about swimming in the open-water. Most of the Indon national team and most of the top athletes from Australia were competing too. Well, not so bad, right? Team Weddings Malaysia and Team Journeys For Two were competing amongst the best-of-the-best!
Bali in June is chilly. I looked at the choppy waves forlornly and say a silent prayer. I was not going to kid myself – I prayed that I completed the race safely and I prayed for Team Weddings Malaysia to complete the race safely too. We all know that in races like these, as well-organized as they may be, anything can happen (and obviously, it did). There was a bit of a panic during my prep-time since my Mom was holding my prep bag and she was at the swim start instead of the bike transition area. They had to do a power walk in the dark to deliver the bag to me so I could lay-out my stuff. Not funny then, but funny now :)

When the Bali governor sounded the horn for the start, it was a “here we go again” moment for me. I jumped into the water, along with two hundred over other athletes competing for top places, prize money and personal glory (Team Weddings Malaysia had a later start since they were doing the Sprint Distance). The swim in the freezing waters of Jimbaran Bay was particularly enjoyable, except for the choppy waters. Although I started at the back of the pack, I kept good pace and the cold numbed the pain in my ribs. One mantra remained in my head while I kept my pace and rhythm – “please don’t let me finish last, please don’t let me finish last..” I thought I was doing well as I overtook a number of swimmers, and then I touched the shore at 44mins. This was particularly de-motivating since my worse timing previously in the open waters was 38mins. Eeesh. (Later, I found out that we swam more than 1.5km since the bloody buoy shifted position!!) I ran the 800m to the transition area (again, a first for any tri I’ve been in) to get into my bike gear and head on out. Of course, Mommy dearest was cheering at the swim finish and Shirley was snapping away on the camera – therefore, must perk-up and smile for the camera, not look like half-dead (although she promised the photos of me coughing and dying were not going to be posted on FB!)

The bike route was a whole different monster, I tell you. It was an arduous uphill cycle for most of 25km – and not just that, we had to maneuver potholes and sit in heavy ‘macet’. OMG. While the chilly water had numbed my pain, the constant uphill climb had brought it all back. It didn’t help that I was coughing and having a running nose. I had snot all over me by the 10^th click. Nevermind the fact that I was on a rented bike and was just not used to it (decided not to lug my bike around when I holiday in Bali). The first three hills, I was still motivating myself and I was trying to sing Rihanna and Eminem in-between to take my mind off. By the sixth hill, I was ready to cry. I could hear my knees creaking and my ribs felt inflamed. When I hit more hills and saw some other cyclists getting off their bikes and pushing instead, I decided that was the smarter thing to do and did the same. It was faster! And then it rained. OMG. The phrase “slippery when wet” was very much real in this race. Lots of bikers lost control and crashed. I myself nearly crashed into a traffic police. Good thing he managed to stop the traffic since I had gone over to the wrong lane as I wobbled to avoid falling! I had never in my life, lost my cool during any race. But at the Bali Tri, I did. You just imagine, you are trying to gather your momentum downhill to climb the damn hill only to find that there is a bloody traffic jam in the middle of the hill and you have to stop! Aaargh! I was cursing and swearing and I wanted to punch people. It was extremely NOT enjoyable. During the race briefing, Robb Strom said “Enjoy the scenic route and suck in the very soul of Bali.” I was sucking in alright – the smog and pollution. And there was definitely nothing scenic about my route. If I did not know better, I would think I was PMS-ing :P

No, don’t get me wrong. I love Bali. I fell in love with MOH here and we made it full circle by having our wedding in Bali. But racing in the macet and avoiding potholes was a whole other matter. Besides, Bali is really overly congested and might be losing some of its charm. I’m digressing. The point is, the organizers should at least work on closing the traffic – at least one lane. It’s the 5^th year this has been organized, there should be a way!

I finally finished my 40km uphill bike battle in an unfashionable time of 1:57 – totally aargh, aargh and double aargh! I cursed all the way to the dismount area, cursed all the way as I walked in – MOH met me at the transition area (he obviously finished his 20km sprint distance earlier than I did and was spared most of the hills :P) and I was telling him how much I hated the bike leg. He told me I wasn’t the only one. Apparently, every biker who came in was cursing and swearing too.

I went ahead with my run and at this point, I just told myself to finish the race. I was in so much pain that I honestly didn’t think I remembered my own name (btw – I couldn’t even find where I parked my bike because they don’t mark the transition areas – hence, some athletes found their bikes missing when they came in from their swim!). I was coughing almost non-stop at this point and at the 4km mark, I thought I was having an asthma attack! Still, I pushed on. And then, as if wanting to challenge me further, there was no water available at the water stations. Just the Hydro Coconut Water thingy – while not too bad in taste, was not what my cough needed!! The running route was not any better. Still stuck in traffic, avoiding motorbikes and potholes. Come to think of it, it reminded me of why I do not train outdoors in da Penh :P I finally, finally finished the run leg in 1:02 – again, horrible timing – and crossed the finished line in an abysmal 3:54. My worse ever race timing clocked. My Dad – poor dude – was waiting for me at the finish line and I don’t think I will ever live down the “I waited for 3 hours, you know!!” On one hand, I was touched that both my parents cheered me on and definitely touched that my Dad stood around waiting patiently for 3 hours for me to show up. Of course, he complained afterwards, but I knew that when I didn't show up in the 2nd hour, he was worried that I might have fainted somewhere! Haha. On the other hand, I felt bad. I felt like I had let them down. I should’ve made it back faster. I could’ve. Just that the body ‘mogok’ – I couldn’t help it. MOH, however, scored a “SHUT UP” from me since the last thing I needed to hear was “I told you so.” :P :P :P

Kris offered a good consolation – he said I cannot compare this race with my other previous races because the route was tougher. Comparatively, the Top finisher finished in 3:05, so I wasn’t that ‘far’ behind. OK, admittedly, what he said did make sense. But it didn’t quite make me feel any better finishing 3 effin’ 54. Another consoling point – which MOH pointed out – was I was still Top 10 – I have yet to break that record. But yes, Top 10 out of 11 :P :P Aaargh! Fine, so Team Journeys For Two Solo didn’t do too well if you looked at overall timing (I will now need some time to get over this sore point :P).

However, Team Weddings Malaysia finished very well. Kris was super fast in the swim (12^th out of the water), super funny in his 800m transition run (a length longer than his swim – which he constantly reminded us about throughout our trip together thereafter), MOH finished his bike pretty damn fast as well (16^th finisher on the bike) and Lee Kuen completed the race in fashionable manner (20^th to come in from the run). Lee Kuen – another funny one – everyone looked worn-out after the race but she still looked posh and glamourous – like not a hair out of place! How the hell? Anyway, a BIG kudos to Team Weddings Malaysia for a great virgin race J - finishing Top 16 in a time of 1:47 ahead of many other teams J I am happy that my industry friends are starting to pick-up on my passion too and here’s to more teams forming and more races in which we can all enjoy together J

There had been many lessons learnt in the run-up to the Bali race and even while racing itself for me. I’m not going to talk about the “I told you so” lessons :P At the very least, I know that my “Never Say Die” attitude is embedded strongly and I am not a quitter. I say this easily now because I completed the race, pain and all. But I think the one thing that was going for me on race day was the fact that the sun was hiding pretty much throughout the race. If the heat was on – I am not sure I would’ve made it. I am also very happy that my parents have come to cheer me on and support me and knowing that they were standing and waiting at the finish line kept me going. Of course, thanks to Kris, Shirley, Lee Kuen and MOH too for all the laughs and jokes and mutual team support. These are all the enjoyable part of it all J An experience – nobody can give or take away from me.

And now, I shall start on writing a strongly-worded letter to the organizers because, nevermind that the route was terrible, nevermind that we had to climb uphill on the bike in traffic, nevermind that there was no water BUT what I do mind is that they didn’t have enough finisher’s medal and as such – I didn’t even get mine! C’mon, people! For the effin’ climb and the smog and all the sweat and tears – I should at least get a medal, right? Right? Right.