Malaysia Space Program

The year 2020, I will be 39 years of age, Malaysia will be a 1st world country (fingers cross) and Malaysia will send someone to the moon. It is the dream of malaysian government to send it's 1st citizen to outer space eating nasi lemak and playing congkak. If my math is still reliable, that’s like 15 years from now. Not really a distant future, but still distant enough to make it a blur image of what I would be in 15 years time, sadly alone? Or happily married? Or is it actually happy bachelor or miserably married. Hhmm….back to the topic at hand, 894 people all over Malaysia will be taking part in the first ever Malaysian space program, all the participants will need to complete a 3.5km run in just 20 minutes in order to proceed to the next round, being quite a sports loving person myself, I find that challenging, I think I can run 3.5km in under 20 minutes (self confidence is good) but that was years ago, sadly I cannot say the same now as I can see my good ol’ tummy is beginning to show its might, it is starting to emerge (oh my god!) Anyways, Malaysia is planning to send our 1st astronaut to space in 2007 with a Russian space ship. This is part of collaboration with the Russian after our government bought some Russian fighter jet for 800 million dollar. My colleague, colina happens to be 1 of the 894 participants. The 1st session was last week in Kuantan, and the following session will be held tomorrow in Subang, Klang, Butterworth, Sarawak and Sabah. I wanted to go and have a look at the run, taking some pictures but colina told me visitors are not allowed, furthermore the run will be held in Kem Penrissen (it’s a MILITARY camp), my balls are not big enough for me to trespass into a MILITARY camp, there are soldiers carrying guns in there if you haven’t notice, I think they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot me thinking that I am a Singaporean spy collecting information about Malaysian Space program. Continuing on the story, only those who manages to complete the run in the stipulated time will be proceeding to the next test, stringent medical and aero-physiological test will be conducted next, GODS know what are those test, and from the test, they will select the finest 5-10 to have more TEST in Russia, my god when will the test end, its test after test, and after more test in Russia I assume, only 2 will be selected to go for the training and only 1 lucky bastard(sorry I think a guy will be selected) will go to space in 2007. After that lucky bastard comes back space, I will bet on my bottom dollar that he(84% of the participants are men, sorry gals the first Malaysian in space will be a man) will be given a Datuk-ship if there is such a word, he will be given land and heralded as a Malaysian HERO…damn I want to be a hero too….well at least I think Ranger regard me as a hero, cause she looks up to me all the time (Ranger is my dog if you don’t know, and she’s short). Colina is not much of an athlete, and she only started her training last week, she said she can finish 3km in 25 mins, but she would vomit after that (yuck!!), so much so for her journey in the space program, I think she will not make it (I am being honest here), but nevertheless, I wish her good luck and may the force be with her, cause she sure do need all the luck and the force.