Changes, changes!

This week's birthday girl getting younger by the day.

After stepping neatly into the breach last weekend, Kee Ling's professional engagements have necessitated that she step out of it again. But happily R2D2 has pulled some strings and Ork Dork will now fill the role of co-hare. And wouldn't you just know it, one change begets another as the relentless march of one-wayism has reached Ban Dan so that the familiar directions to Saturday's runsite have had to be changed and now read:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1734, Saturday September 6th, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: R2D2 and Ork Dork
Misdirections: From the Kao Seng intersection, take the old Yala road for 8.1k and make a U turn at the far end of Ban Dan School. Come back Northwards 100 meters and turn left at the other end of the school then go 1.5 meters (about 100 meters beyond the rubber tappers' sala) to the runsite on the left.

HH3 on Sunday will be set by Robocop and Sex Racing and will be from the other football field in Th. Poonakan, i.e. the one near the ITV station, about 7k from Wat Keow Kloy on the right.

Meanwhile there is a significant birthday this week as Crackwurst hits 21 again. The party starts at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, 4th September in Songkhla at Bai Meang in Th. Sadao.

Also on the agenda is a Full Moon H3 run next Tuesday, September 9th, when Kai Jeow and possibly Moo Sahb will entertain HFMH3 at the water tower in Napong. There'll be another announcement about that one early next week, just in case your memory fails you, but put it into your personal organizer!

Not the 1000th!

The race is on...

...to see...

...who will publish the...

It could be YOU!

1111 - an appreciation

It would be easy to dismiss Saturday's run as the demented product of a deranged mind with sadistic tendencies, so let's take the easy way out and say that Saturday's run was the demented product of a deranged mind with sadistic tendencies. Not that there weren't some excellent trails and great views, but as we slid down the backside of the hill near the Chinese temple that "Why the **** am I doing this?" question raised it's ugly head just for a second or two. By that time half the pack had become detached from the Hatyai tendency, largely because they had attempted to short-cut up the hill avoiding the false trail that should have sent them down into the jungle again, before ascending the hill by a different route, thereby ending up going down the hill before meeting Conebrain coming up the hill by the correct route (got that?). Then just as things seemed to be back under control, it all seemed to fall apart at the end as the paper, which had rarely been better than patchy, became less and less prolific and finally seemed to disappear completely just as it hit the short run which by all accounts had been erratic, and didn't actually lead back to the run site. The upshot was that just about everybody ended up on the road and Conebrain, whose disappearance was greatly exaggerated, took the sensible decision to miss out the runsite altogether and head directly to the restaurant.
From that point everything got better and better. The end of the circle (always a good sign) coincided with the beginning of the rain and more or less with the serving of the food. The kids disappeared into the karaoke room and shut the sound-proof doors which didn't quite stifle the sounds of pitiful agony emanating from within. The beer kept mysteriously appearing even after the generously donated Leo had expired, and casks and flagons of wine of various hues and flavors did the rounds. Eventually at about 10 o'clock it was decided to move the party to Softy and Temp's house where it teetered on until about 2:00 p.m. accompanied by champagne, Elton John and Bruno Mars. Remarkably some of the party animals made it to HH3 the following day (see below) many didn't!
Thanks to Stick Insect for a memorable afternoon and evening and for his generosity in sponsoring the T-shirts commemorating his achievement as well as the wonderful food at Tung Jaeng. Thanks also to those who sponsored the beer, notably, Sex Sprinter, Porn Star and Ru Man Kap, and the wine, particularly Softy and Temp and whoever produced the champagne later which helped keep the party afloat.

Short, short, shorter

Total length including false trails: 8.6km (not that anyone is likely to have done it). Total ascent: 327m. First back in 1:06, last by 1:12. No need even to mark the short run here since the long runners didn't break the checks and so the short runners had to short cut their run too. Click to see it big.

So I tried two things today I thought the HH3 boys would like: an easily short-cuttable route around the bottom of that gawdawful hill that we usually go straight up, and a nice generous 700km dirt road finish for some Hollywood sprinting. In fact nobody sprinted or cared about the run-in, but they certainly seemed to enjoy the short-cutting possibilities. Robocop was especially lavish in his praise, probably because he came in first (despite having run a half-marathon in the morning), not that we keep track or anything. OK, so next time I'll try to do one where going off paper will be rewarded with a fall off a cliff face or a plunge into a swamp.

The mystery logo

1953

Despite spending way too much time on it this morning, I've had no luck in tracking down the strange logo on last night's quiz that we were told belongs to Singapore Airlines. That airline in fact has had only one logo since its formation in 1972, though here you can also see the corporate symbols of its two predecessors.

1966

But not to quibble. Big Alex set a pretty good quiz and the hash team, after a few recent humiliations at the hands of the teachers, roared back with a vengeance. Victory felt especially sweet as one of our key members - he shall remain nameless here - had decided to desert our three-man team and join another. And not just any other, but the remains of our nemesis, the dreaded teachers.

1972

We were especially gratified to see the formation of the first women's team we can recall at Quiz Night. While they didn't win they did have the best team name of the night: "Show Us the Front Side of Your Bum".

Meanwhile, modest in victory as he is graceful in defeat, honorary hash team captain Egghead simply commented, "Nyaa-nyaa-nyaa-nyaa! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"  

1111 Stick Insects

Another milestone will be reached in the career of our illustrious leading active runner on Saturday when he reaches his one thousand and eleventy first run. To celebrate, there will be a special Stick Insect run, and dinner to follow at Tung Jaeng. Named SH3 runners at the runsite will also be eligible to receive a souvenir of this glittering occasion, which will be available in green, brown or shades of grey and will need to be fed on juicy leaves from the Bong-Bong tree. Contributions of food beyond snacks that can be consumed with fingers are probably not necessary, but donations of beer are always welcome, although if possible these should be purchased at Tung Jaeng to support the good people who so generously host these events, particularly if we are minded to ask them to look after our birthday run again in a couple of months' time.
Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers run #1733, Saturday August 30th, 4:30 p.m.
Hare: Stick Insect
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the new Yala road for about 7.2k and look for a sign directing you to park on the unused section of the right-hand carriageway of the road just after the top of the hill. (Dog-owners note that the run will involve crossing the road at the beginning and end of the run although this can be avoided by parking in the old wood yard on the left hand side of the road which can be accessed directly from the new Yala road with great care.)

Sunday's (31st August) HH3 run is a bye-bye Beaver affair, as the amiable rodent is off on his travels again next week. Misdirections from Songkhla are: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.6k and turn left for 8k then right for 7.5k (at Wat Khao Kloi down Th. Punnakan). Turn left into Th. Baan Nai Rai and go 1.3k then look for the runsite on the left under the power lines. Hare: Sex Focus.

Finally, there is a quiz night this Friday (29th August) at the Office Bar at 8:00 p.m. when the Hash team will attempt to salvage its pride after last months annihilation at the hands of the evil bald people formerly know as the teachers. The quiz master is Big Alex who sets a mean quiz, and everyone is welcome, particularly if they are female as it would be really, really, really nice to dissipate the air of male domination which tends to pervade these events!

Transgenic mutants and birthday girls

People definitely came to party this weekend. Good runs on both Saturday and Sunday but even better circles and on-afters. Beer consumption: massive.

The entity formerly known as Khai Jiao has been taken over by the pod people.

Muu Sap denounces . . . what could it have been? Oh yes, Khai Jiao!

Sinners!

Birthday girls before new shirts and cake.

. . . and after.

Some of the more hardcore revelers, about 9 pm.