Cranking Up the Will!

My dearest readers,

Sorry for my loooooong absence... It's been a tiring 3 months for me. I have much to share, but my schedule has been like a relationship of a rusty nut and bolt - Tight!

I notice the hit count is still increasing (but very slowly) despite my loooooong absence. Thank you so much for visiting my blog.

I would like to share with all of you some pictures I took during one of my gallivant to KLCC last year...

yes... last year. No pictures this year leh... I'm so looking forward for a vacation... But as for now, I'm busy building my little baby NSA together with a few good men (ladies included).

I really need to unscrew meself.

I didn't have any idea what picture I wanted to take when I was at KLCC. So, I took whatever that caught my attention, such as the wood carving. Kudos to the one who carved this piece of art - a dying breed!

The flaural carvings reminded me of life. However, it was merely a representation of life as wood is devoid of life. Man has always tried to duplicate it but none can match God's creation!

-life in all its glory! (Pictures taken at the KLCC water park)

Being humans, we are often never satisfied with the life that is given to us. We like to complicate matters in which we think will add to our happiness - chasing after the wind.

...But often times, instead of living our lives, we ended up cleaning the mess that we have created.

... Some just couldn't be bothered.

Sometimes, we need to be still and pay attention to God. He will show us a way out. (Pictures taken at the cafe at Kinokuniya).

Hope you have enjoyed my little tour to KLCC park. Will be posting more pictures soon. Catch y'all later!

Christmas 2006

This post is dedicated to all my Metro friends and especially to those who are overseas.

Christmas at Thirumal's this year was quiter than last year. Quite a number of 'regulars' didn't turn up this year. Maybe because it's on a Monday and most of us had to go back to work the next day. Also, there were a few who were stuck in foreign land... you absence did make a difference...

This year, although there was no carolling, we had a great sing-along session. I'll let the pictures tell the story...

"This is how we are gonna sing it..."

"Music..." "...and.. On the first day of Christmas my lover gave to me..."

Singing was actually a rather tiring activity. We needed to replenish our energy, and so, the eating continued...

Of course, there were a few who stayed back for the camera while the rest were pigging outside...

The photos of Christmas past (Christmas 2005), which I have held back for one year. Do accept my apologies... it is now available. Just drop me a line.

... and that's me.
Hope you have enjoyed the photos. I wish you all a very blessed New Year and may your walk with God be strengthened, and the Lord shall bring many blessings and opportunity to you for the year 2007!

Santa didn't Make It After All!

This is a sequel to "Santa Clause Ain't Comin To Town"

Date: 25th December 2006
Time: MYT 1705hr
Temperature: 33 Degrees Celcius

Sigh... waddya know... It's already Christmas. and there were no presents found under my mango tree, bonsai tree, Longan tree, and every other tree that I have planted...

Since there were no news whatsoever about the whereabouts of Santa, we could only make the following assumptions:

1) He did try to come to Malaysia. But the hot weather dehyrated his reindeers, and they all crash landed into the sea and drowned, or smashed into the mountains and fused with the rocks at the mainland.

2) Arrested by the Malaysian police while trying to break into the houses of Malaysian residence to deliver presents. (If Santa was to be arrested by the Malaysian Police, I bet his reindeers would end up being Ramli burger patties! ^o^)

3) Retired and now residing in the Islands of Caribean (=.=), or

4) THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SANTA CLAUSE!!! (*o*)

Truth is, boys and girls, as much as you would like to believe about his existence, I think point number 4 is the most likely answer. Well, you can blame Thomas Nast and Coca Cola for making Santa popular. It was Thomas Nast who breathed life to the image of St. Nicholas (a.k.a Santa Clause) and later commercialised by Coca Cola Corporation, where Santa got his famous red coat with white hairy edges. (do click on the links above to find out more)

So why on earth does the world even bother to acknowledge Santa? ...

Santa Clause Ain't Comin To Town!

Date: 24th December 2006
Time: MYT 1810 hr
Temperature: 30 degrees Celcius

... Still no signs of Santa Clause. Wonder if he will come tonight... I have been a good boy this year. I should deserve some gifts. Let see what gifts he will bring... Deep down in my heart there is a doubt that I will receive anything from Santa. Not because I have not been good, but because I'm in Malaysia. I figure, if he were to come to Malaysia, he'd probably crash land into the South China Sea (If he were to be coming from that direction). The logical reason would be IT'S TOO DARN HOT IN SOUTH EAST ASIA!

His reindeer would probably dehydrate before arriving at the Malaysian shores. They would have passed out and spiraled into the open sea. Should that happen, Santa's thick red coat would have soacked up so much water during the crash, and its weight would have dragged him down into the abyss!

Anyway, these are just my anticipation... Let's see what will happen tonight. If he survives, he'll have one more hurdle to go through. There's no chimney in Malaysia, so he will have to break into the house from else where. He'd better be good at picking locks! Suppose he manages to break in, I hope he knows where to leave the presents because we have mango trees, Yam trees, Bosai trees, Neem trees, and all sort of other trees but Christmas trees. Okay... maybe I'm exaggerating... we do have fake Christmas trees... But, what does Christmas has to do with Fir trees, Cedar trees, or Spruce? (These are the few common species of trees used as Christmas trees if you do not know it by now)

If he does his job right, he should just leave the presents and go off. But if I find him kissing my mom (for the all wrong reasons), you will have to get your presents from him at the Sungai Buloh Jail next year. Don't expect to get luxurious presents by then because the good ones would have been confiscated by the jail wardens.

For now, I'll just be patient...

The Day That I Fell ...

All my life of hiking and climbing, I have sustained injuries like scratches, cuts, hit by a bicycle saddle at my groin, but never one so serious that I had to be on crutches, or in a wheel chair.

On the Sunday of 10 December 2006, everything changed...

I was again hiking up Bukit Tabur with two friends. It was a beautiful morning. The sky was clear and blue. This time, Lydia was setting the pace. We were hiking into the lower parts of the hill, at the second decend. This part of the hill is usally well shaded and cool - a perfect habitat for moss and algae.

While busy chatting, I misplaced my footing and slipped. My body weight pushed my right leg downwards, perpendicular to the ground. The angle of the rock where I steped on caused my foot to twist inwards. The forward motion of my body caused it to further bent leftwards. To absorb the impact, I lunged my body forward and leftwards (to avoid falling off the edge). The leftward motion pushed my ankle further in. This caused a huge jolt at the Calcaneofibular ligament and the Anterior talofibular ligament. The downward force applied at my ankle during this moment was approximated to be more than 1400 pounds (body mass (kg) x gravitational force x 2.205).

The pain was excruciating. I quickly elevated my foot and checked for damage. There were no swelling, bruises, nor crunching sounds. All seemed fine except for the throbing pain. I was thinking to myself "God, help! Christmas production in 3 days away, and I'm one of the cast! Oh let me not me cast away! Please heal me..."

I stood up to test my foot. I could still stand, and walk with a little limp. I was quite confident that there were no broken bones nor detached ligaments. Saw, my good friend passed me a make shift walking stick and advised me to turn back. But I insisted to continue as we were more than three quarter of the way to the sweet spot. And so, we pressed on. It was worth while as you can see... sunrise at Bukit Tabur.

The view changed as the sun warmed up the morning air...

Miss Bukit Tabur shying away from the sun until...

She noticed my camera aiming at her... (actually I asked her to post for my camera lah)

My good friend Saw eager to get into the scene as well...

I must say, they sure no how to post for the camera!

The lady and her homemade carrot cake... though the cake didn't turn as how she expected, it still tasted rather good! (what did I do to crack her up like that?)

Saw and my walking stick...

That's my injured foot, basking in the glory of the 8 a.m. sun!

All was well untill after breakfast at Melawati town. That's when my foot swelled up. It was so bad I could not walk. Saw had to send me to the hospital, and that was when I had to walked on crutches and sat in a wheel chair! This was indeed the day that I have fallen! But thank God, the doctor confirmed that there was no fracture, only torn ligament. (what were the names of the ligaments again?)

By God's grace, I will be able to make it for the musical! I even invited the doctor to come.

Come and watch Word On The Street and experience the Spirit of Christmas at the Grand Ballroom of Flamingo Hotel this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (15, 16, 17 Dec 2006, 8pm) - more details at www.christmas.metrotab.org

Paintings of the Almighty

A dedication to my Maker, friends who couldn't join me that day, and friends who are now over seas. Also, I dedicate this to Poh Lynn's father whom I met on my way down from the hill.

It was a gloomy morning, about a week or two after the hazy days in KL. "The haze is finally over! I need to climb! No matter rain or shine, I need to go outdoors!" Why am I so gungho? Cuz I knew that the haze is going to be back... question is, when? So I called a few friends (only one managed to join me), and told them we will be starting our climb at 6.30 am. And so, we did...

Date: Sunday, 11 Nov 2006
Time: 6.56am onwards...

Mid way to my favourite spot of the hill... We could hardly see the Klang valley... The fog kept getting thicker and thicker...

I looked back to take a peep at the east side of the hill. Lo and behold...

I was mezmerized by its beauty. The sun was rising fast. We hurried to our favourite spot, where we can get the best view of God's art. When we arrived, the sun was a little too high up, but the view was still 'Jaw dropping'!

We chose a spot and sat on the flatest rock we could find. The morning breeze quickly swept our sweat away, as we rested and feast our eyes on the beauty of the hill. You are looking east of the hill. On the right, is KL city, and on the left is the Klang Gates damn. At the horizon is Pahang.

The breeze that came from the north gathered dense fog from the Pahang rain forest, and was trapped at the hills. It became so thick that it overflowed into the other side of the hill. We could feel the chill of the water droplets that made up the fog as they gently brushed against our cheeks when they passed us by.

When we started our journey, we thought it would rain. The clouds that we thought would bring rain was actually a very thick layer of fog that had engulved the entire Klang valley and major parts of the Pahang rain forest. As the sun rose higher, the clouds from the stratosphere onwards dispersed and revealed the blue sky.

The rain forest soon revealed its crowns as the fog dispersed.

The fog soon achieved a level of equilibrium as it spilled itself over the hill to fill up the entire Klang valley.

The scenary slowly transformed into one that resembled the limestone hills of Guangxi province, China. However, this is a granite hill. Such view is rare and only appear several times in a year (during the rainy seasons). I thank God for that day...

I could hardly spot KL city accept for the distinctive KL tower and Petronas tower.

We would sit there the whole morning, but I had to rush back to reality - the hustle and bustle of life... On our way down, the glitters from a spider web caught my eyes.

... and there were more... I was hoping for a bigger one so that I could take a good shot. ... and I actually found one! This spider is called a Signature Spider, or Argiope sp. of the Araneidae family.

It was when I was taking the photograph of this particular arachnid that I met Poh Lynn's dad. I should have taken a photo with Mr. Ng, but I was rushing down...

Another jewel caught my attention!

We then hiked through the lower parts of the hill, where it was dense with vegetation. The ray from the morning sun penetrated the thick foliage and lighted the jungle trail with a beautiful glow...

... which interestingly reminded me of a verse in the Bible, Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path".

That morning itself, I felt like I have travalled to several places around the world, although I have only climbed up the back yard of Taman Melawati - Bukit Tabur.

I must say that this is is one of the many show cases of God's magnificent paintings. It never ceased to amaze me.

At first, I was a little hesitant to show the photos I took. I feared that more people would frequent this place, and as a result, the entire hill could risk being damaged by tourists. People might come and take whatever that might appeal to them, and leave their garbage behind.

I am not being selfish about this place. I very much would like to share its beauty with the others (hence, this post), but are they willing to share its beauty with other people?

Already, there is enough damage caused by some climbers now. There are huge rocks disappearing from the hill, and plants being dug up from the soil. There are even grafiti on some of the rock walls. There are garbage scattered along the trail.

Do these people actually think forward before doing anything like this? I figure they did but just couldn't care less. If everyone who frequents there takes a stone, or a plant, very soon, the entire hill would be totally destroyed in time to come. The implications could be larger than you and I could imagine!

However, I have decided to publish the pictures in hope that those who sees them, will learn to love the place and conserve it. Bukit Tabur is a priceless comodity, and it is one of the last few natural wonders standing in KL city. I would call such place a natural gymn, a place to destress, a place of inspiration, and a painting of the Almighty. Naturally, it also serves as part of a natural reservoir as well as a baricade to the Klang gates dam. It acts as a natural protection for our water source.

We now live in a fast moving world, where nothing last as long as it used to be. Parents seldom pass anything down to their children anymore as most of the items can be purchased with money. The sense of conservation is not as strong as it used to be in our society of this era.

No doubt, clean air, natural resources and natural wonders, in a way can be bought with money. However, unlike handphones, clothes or cars (a.k.a. perishables), we cannot produce them. If we lose them, we lose them forever! As such, we cannot treat natural resources like we would treat the perishables! If we continue with our current consumer attitute, we will have nothing left for the generations to come.

As a child, I cherish what my parents gave me. As a parent, I would like to give my children something to cherish. Showing our children such natural wonders is something worthwhile giving. Though I'm not a father yet, but I would like to see my future generation experiencing a piece of God's wonderful painting.

Therefore, I urge you readers out there, the next time you plan to go to Bukit Tabur, or anywhere at all, go with a heart to conserve! The earth, no matter which part of it we are at, is our home. Protect it!

Gen2:15 "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it"

Crap!

...Sometimes I wonder... "when will I ever make it?". There were so many others in the queue ahead who were much bigger, and stronger than I. ...when will I ever make it...

As the time went by, the volume of the alike increased. They all come in different shapes and sizes. This really makes me feel nauseatic, not to mention vulnerable... when will I ever make it... I seemed to be pushed further and further behind...

I figure that if I want to make it out there, I will have to fight for it! I will need push my way forth, ahead of the giants! I will need to keep moving, and act accordingly! Sitting there will not justify my success!

Thus, having decided my goals, I orchestrated events to propell myself forward! There were times I get pushed aside, and trampled upon. But life's like that... whatever it was, I was determined to make it out there, SOON!

It's dark in here. It's chaotic! There was no fun being squashed between the rest. As the volume increased, I pushed forth. Finally! I was in line with the leaders! I could see the gate... Oh, when will it open?

During my wait, the wall began to cave in, compressing all of us. I wasn't sure of what was happening. But I have heard the elders mentioned of such events... whatever it was, it was terrifying! I found myself being pressed against the rest of the leaders, being pushed ahead in a one-way-ticket motion... I began to oriented myself to check if I was getting closer or away from the gate... I was overjoyed! I was the first to arrive at the gate! I was so exited I kept knocking at the gate hoping for someone to quickly open!

In a nick of a moment, I saw light! Bright lights! The compression continued, pushing all of us into the gate! Colour didn't make sense then. But now, it gave a whole new meaning! I could see shades of pink, baige, and strands of black!

Later, I found myself suspended in mid air! I never felt better! I looked back at the gate, I could see a few of my comrads behind me! They were overjoyed too! All around me was shiny white walls! Beneath me was a reflective, but wobbling surface. Whatever it was, It sure looked better than where I came from - total darkness, crowded, and humid...

"SPLASH!"... After that short lived moment, I found myself in a rather familiar environment... beneath me was again, dark, though much more spacious... This time, it was not humid, but totally wet! I landed into a water world... I was floating around, could move up or down... I felt paralised! Oh, what have I done! I could see my comrads around me... some of them submerged immediately... some didn't make it in one piece as they were smashed when they crashed into the white walls...

Moments later... we were still floating around... we couldn't move... some progressed well into the dark. I looked up and saw that the gate rose further and further and then, we were left all alone...

Suddenly, cascades of water came gushing down from the sides of the wall! The situation became very chaotic! The force of the water caused a whirl pool, and it sent us tumbling into total darkness!

Here we were again... stuck in the dark... Crap!

A little trip up Fraser’s Hill (Final Episode)

A vacation log, dedicated to all who went for the trip

Time: about 6.30 am onwards.
Date: Still 3rd September 06

“Arise! It is first light! We have much to do!”. “Can we just stay here? Besides, it is very cozy where we are…”. “Time to leave your comfort zones! Do you want to eat or not!?”

I could smell the morning dew even from my room. The temptation was too great! I had to get out of bed to enjoy the fresh morning air! When I got out of the room, it was already bright. Nevertheless, the hill tops were still covered with mist, and the early sun, still casting a golden glow at the crowns of the Dipterocarps. It was a pity I did not take a picture of this morning scene, but this was truly a sight for sore eyes. It would be very sad to see all these be replaced by highways… Aren’t we already consuming more than we need?

Anyways… Talk about consumption… there we were again… eating…

“Why do we have to do this every morning?”. “If you want the best, you have got to work for it!”. “Can’t we just stay there so that we don’t have to travel so far the next time?”.

The breakfast was lovely. The morning walk was even better! The sky was still very blue then (the pre haze days)


Along the way, I noticed there were faeces on the side of the road. They looked like human waste. Who would be so dumb to do it by the road side when there are toilets in the house? They were all along the road. It made me wonder what sort of animal would produce such familiar by product!

“It’s them again! Better stay high and quite! Shhhh….. “.

“Look! Over there! It’s them again!”(can’t remember who said that). It was the family of gibbons we saw yesterday! They were right above us, literally hanging out on the branches!


“I think they are harmless. Besides, that black thing the creature is holding doesn’t look like one of those that took down Gibby. I think it’s safe. Come with me!”


“No! it’s too dangerous!”

It was a magnificent sight! I have heard of them in the wild, but this was the first time I have ever came so close to them, or rather, they came so close to me!

We stood there and stared at them with a sense of awe and wonder. Such magnificent creatures!
“Don’t worry. These bozos really are harmless! That black thing the creature is holding is harmless as well. If I'm not mistaken, I think it is a D70s Digital SLR Camera. I think it is just a devise that captures light and stores it into fragments of electrical charges, which later can be decoded into some other form of information. If they were harmful, they would’ve attack us already! Come on!”. “Well alright… we are coming…”


The big one took the lead in getting across the road via the power cables, much like a high wire traverse artist. The rest, after much hesitation, followed him. They quickly disappeared into the forest, which I think were fruit trees planted by the owner of the bungalows. Nice!



After I took a few snap shots of the gibbons, it was time for us to go.


… We felt a little reluctant to leave… Fraser’s Hill has provided us a wonderful refuge for the last two days from the crazy life in the city. The weather at Fraser’s Hill has been fresh and cooling. Its greenery stretched as far as the eyes can see. However, patches of bald spots have slowly emerged at some parts of the forest. Certain areas of the hill have also been converted into a dump site. Just how much more damage do we need to make before we realise we are destroying our heritage? Or should I say, no one really gives a damn about the future...

A little trip up Fraser’s Hill (episode 3)

A vacation log, dedicated to all who went for the trip


Time: about 7.30pm onwards.
Date: Still 2nd September 06

We arrived at Kuantan House (The bungalow we booked) at around 8.00pm. It was twilight. I took my stuff, switched on my head lamp, and ran up the stairway towards the bungalow. There were no lights. I didn’t take any pictures here though cuz we were all hungry and we were rushing to cook dinner.

The main entrance of the house was locked. The keys that we received could only gave us access to the entrance at the back of the house. I headed towards the backyard. There was a cold and eerie feeling there. I was greeted by an old wooden door painted in pale white, and slightly greenish. Maybe it was my head lamp… I took out my keys to open the doors. It was rather difficult to open. I had to be empathetic with the lock, then “Click!” As the lock was undone, the door opened by itself, probably due to its weight and the position of its hinges. There was a familiar squeak as the door opened, followed by a gust of chill wind. The dim light from my head lamp gave the old furniture a peculiar glow. Beyond the furniture was total darkness! My mind started to play tricks on me. I began to hear voices! “Be still in Jesus name!” my heart spoke, and the voice was gone. I switched on every light bulb and lamp I could find in the house. As I was inspecting the rooms, the door banged “Boom Boom Boom!”

I shifted my attention towards the glass door, which was the main entrance. There were ghostly figures drifting nearer and nearer towards the door. “Chuuuun Hooooooo…” they yelled. And I answered with my usual Malaysian slang “Wait ar! Coming ler!” They were none other than Wei Yei and gang! With everyone present, we took out all our food and cooking utensils and it was time to party!

We organized the food into categories, and everyone naturally fit into specific roles to prepare dinner.



Oh, please ignore Ernie. He was just posing for the camera, trying to act like a CEO while we were all busy preparing for dinner. After being ignored his position, he contributed by cutting carrots.

Our waitress preparing the table for the feast!

Our Chef de cuisine, and her Sous Chefs preparing our dinner.

Voilà! The finished product! Our dinner:

apéritif: shreded des carottes (Shreded carrots)

plat principal: riz cuit à la vapeur (Steamed rice) et remuer font frire des oeufs avec du viande de déjeuner (Stir fried eggs with luncheon meat), et porc cuite (stewed pork)

(my french no good ar, pardon me if the grammar is way out!)

Bon Apetit!

We didn't do much after dinner... just hanging around in the garden, lighting candles and lantern, as an early celebration for mooncake festival.

After a hard day's work,





... it's time to hit the sack...

Coming up next: The encounter with the Gibbons!

A little trip up Fraser’s Hill (episode 2)

A vacation log, dedicated to all who went for the trip

Time: about 2.30pm onwards.
Date: 2nd September 06

It was pouring cats and dogs the very moment all of us entered the garage. Z opened up his poncho so that everyone could sit on the dusty floor. There wasn't much to do but to wait the weather out… minutes later; it was still raining cats and dogs. We did nothing and we waited…



And we waited…


And we waited…



… The rain finally subsided a little and we thought we should hit the road.

We headed back to our car and had lunch at a shop nearby. The food was not great but at least our tummy was filled.

During the meal, there were much debate over where we should camp. The weather was wet, and cold. So much so that it affected our decision of where we should camp. The sky was dark and gloomy. It was pouring unceasingly. The moisture from the rain began to soak into our clothes. Then, someone suggested “Let’s rent place for the night!” In my mind, I was thinking “But it was suppose to be a camping trip! This is almost blasphemous! " But hey, let’s do the math:

1) No one has camped at Fraser’s hill before. Therefore, estimated time to look for a campsite = 2.5 hours or more (factoring in the time to hike with equipments in the rain to find a sweet spot)

2) Estimated duration for setting up 2 tents in the middle of nowhere, in the rain = 25 minutes or more (considering my tent was not functioning properly)

3) Estimated time to settle in = 20 minutes or more

4) Estimated time for everyone to freshen up if there is water source = 40 minutes

5) Estimated time to unpack and prepare dinner for 6 = 45 minutes (factoring in the time taken to clean up the inside of the tent as the terrain was wet and muddy)

6) By then, the total time taken for us to enjoy dinner if at all = 5 hrs 01 minute if all went well. Let’s factor in another 20% contingency and the total estimated time should take about 6 hrs 02 minutes, which assuming if we started our hunt for a campsite at the earliest, say at 5.00pm, we should just about finish dinner at about 11.02pm and its almost bed time! We have not even factored in the time to rest, relax and wash our dishes after dinner!

Not feasible! I guess staying a night in one of those rented places was not a bad idea after all. At first, someone suggested “Let’s stay in an apartment” That sounded so wrong. Since we don’t get to camp, I thought we should rent a place that at least was able to simulate a camping trip; where we could have an open air area, and the whole place to ourselves-a bungalow sounded like the ideal choice!

Therefore, we spent almost 1 hr or so driving around hunting for one, then we spent the next 15 minutes bargaining for a good price. By the time we got our choiced bungalow, which was the Kuantan House, we still had time to drive to a waterfall nearby.

At first I thought “Hey! We could’ve camped here!” But then, the water was opaque and brown. There were plastic bottles and other food wrappers floating around. The public toilet was decorated with human wastes of various shapes and sizes! (Let’s stop here before I throw up on my keyboard)

The place was actually not too bad if not for the latter.

It was round about 7pm. We decided to head back to our bungalow. One our way however, we were distracted by a gorgeous site!

... It's not what you think!



A lovely view no doubt but the alarm in my tummy was ringing furiously! It was getting dark and we had to rush back to the bungalow for dinner.

Stay tuned for episode 3 to see what the chef was cookin!

a little trip up Fraser's Hill (episode 1)

A vacation log, dedicated to all who went for the trip

Time: 8.30am
Date: 2nd September 06

It was a cool Saturday morning. The weather seemed fairly good for camping. We were all very exited about the trip. Though no one in our gang ever camped at Fraser's Hill, we were all game to rough it out in the hills! We congregated at our church (Metrotabernacle), and did a check on our equipments;

Tents - checked

Lamp - checked

Stove - checked

Luncheon meat - checked (how could camping be fun without them luncheon meet!!?? 'm sure Lydia would say "mmmm... luncheon meat..." rather, she sometimes resembles the female version of Homer Simpson, without the belly - Thank God!)

Canned stewed pork - checked! (ooo... them oily fat fragrant pork!)

... and the list went on... All set and ready to go, we headed towards Kuala Kubu Baru, had our brunch and continued our journey from there.

... It was a while since the trip... my memory's a little faded now. But anyway, that was the first thing we headed for when we arrived - the Map!

"Where are we gonna go? Where are we gonna camp? Is there a place to camp? ..." These were the thoughts that filled my mind at that moment. Then, we headed for the tourist information counter and got ourselves some more detailed map. We decided to take the longest trail - whatever its name was... (the one where people usually got lost). But the guy at the counter (darn... can't remember his name - sorry dude) advised that if we insisted to take that trail, we'd better report ourselves at the police station.

Blah Blah Blah, after a long chat with the police, we have finally came to a decision - We would go ahead anyway! We took a sissy trail (Can't remember the name...) and then, followed by bishop's trail - I must say, climbing the stair case in my house was harder !

Not complaining... At least the air was fresh (until I started releasing a mixture of methane fumes ), and the scenery was green and soothing to the eyes. There were small streams of spring water at certain parts of the trail. Along the way, we were entertained by the Fraser's Hill Forest Philharmonic Orchestra. It was made up of a myriad of hums, buzz and chirps of different critters and plants. Best of all, we were rewarded with an awsome sight!

Notice the black thing in the picture? Well, it is a Malayan gibbon! As a season hiker, I usually hear their howls from a distant and never have I seen one of these before... But low and behold! There was not only one, but a family of them. There were four of them! Enough of gibbons...

We continued our journey. My poor friends had to endured my talking throughout the entire journey... Not to mention my addition to the fragrance of the forest - fart. I couldn't help it really... We were a few hundred metres above sea level. Preasure at such hights are usually lower, therefore, my fart happily leaked... ok.. enough of physics.

Along the Bishop's trail, we stumbled upon another trail that seemed more interesting. Despite the sign, we chose to be adventurous!

We went ahead into the forbidden trail. We were greeted by many many - and I mean many leeches! And boy, they were the most adorable creatures you could find there. They were cute, and slimy. They extended the tip of their body towards us as a gesture of their hospitality. Everyone of them were 'warm' and friendly, eager to greet us with a kiss. And above all, they Suck!

The ladies certainly felt molested by these over friendly inverterbraes. The situation was getting rather uncomfortable. The trail slowly diminished as we went in further. With the leeches surrounding us, we walked faster and faster hoping to reach the other exit of this trail alive!

Some of us were already victimised by the leeches... We knew we had to carry on, and we pushed on... until we came to a dead end. The trail was block by impenetrable bushes of thorns. "We have to turn back? And face the leeches? OH NO!".

This is a pure simple case of "Padan Muka" (translation: Serve you right!)... Dah lah orang letak papan tanda "Dilarang Masuk". (translation: despite the warning sign that says strictly no entry) Ko nak masuk jugak! Buta huruf kah? (translation: you chose to ignore it. Are you illiterate!?) PADAN MUKA! (translation: Serve You Right!) We really had no choice but to turn back.

hmm... the latter reminded me of repentance. I guess sometimes, we are all like that. Despite the prompting from God, we sometimes deliberately chose to be fools and disobey for whatever reasons, and later find ourselves trapped in a pit, and then blaming God for not helping us. In such case, one can either

a) deny God and choose to stay in the pit or,

b) repent, and ask for God to bail one out.

As for us, we obviously chose (b) - to turn back. We had to endure those nonsense that we endured on the way in - the Suckers. Life's like that sometimes, Ok... enuf of preaching....

Anyway, the weather got rather nasty that day. No matter what the weather threw at us, we pushed on. We came prepared! One came prepared as a garbage bag, the other - a confused between a I-know-what-u-did-last-summer and a tent, the other - a garden gnome, the other - ... well, he was just being vein, and the other -

err... He chose to go back to nature - Banana leaves. After being urban for a long time, it took him awhile to figure out how to use the leaves!

And finally, banana! He got it! What a happy man he was!

Thank God, we managed to find refuge before the rain got heavier! It was a wooden garage. The interior design was a classic.

It was getting rather late, and we haven't found our campsite yet! Oh dear....

Stay tuned for episode 2!

... magnificent.

All its life, it has been waiting for a worker to bring seeds from afar, and to transport its own seeds to another. It was strong and exhuberant! Its glory was felt from distant soils. Its purple aura caught the attention of every living creature; bugs and all tetrapods alike. It was the prime moment of its life. It reigned like no other before it! Everything that had breath made its way to pay their due respect!

But being magnificent has a high price to pay... It has attracted a creature that was at the top of every food chain, with no regard for any other living things. With a mighty pinch, it was plugged out of its green cellulose foundation. Without mercy, its life was sniffed off its radiant structure. All that was left was its fading aura, still radiating subtly but without life and purpose...





... it has not much time left. Allthough it did not fulfill its destiny, its existance did not go to waste. The remnant of its glory was absorbed into slices of silicon wafer, encrypted into fragments of binary codes, which is now being radiated through the computer screen in which you are looking at.

Its aura lived on as an ornament to this site. The rest of it was left to nurture its surroundings and its inhabitants. It has served a purpose afterall... all that was magnificent.

MOVE!

A body at rest stays at rest... Same goes with faith... Be it faith in oneself, be it faith in the Almighty, it cannot stop! Weary as one can be, one must not stop! One must press on to the very end! ... MOVE!

What's in a name?

Can anyone tell me what's in a name? Like they say, give a dog a good name! I have a dog, and I don't know what to call her yet. When I first got her, I call her bulat cuz she is round, like a football.

Aw... isn't she adorable? ... That's what you think!... my mom calls her gigi, my sister calles her fifi, and she (bulat) and I are confused... she did not grow up to be like how I named her - bulat.

She is now a hyper active, leg scratching, shoe biting, doggy snack munching monster who runs around wetting every single corner of the house despite much toilet training... Oh what should I name her? You wanna take a peep how how she has grown in just 3 months? Stay tuned!

Anyway, giving a dog a good name is important. What's more important is giving your business a good name! I've been digging into my telencephalon (a large region within the brain that is attributed many functions, which many refer to as the cerebrum) for a name for my photo biz... Finally! After months of excavation, I finally stumbled upon something that suits my photo biz! ... "The Covenant" ...

Ooooooooo! So what's next? Well... I'm looking forward to build me a website... So what's so special about "The Covenant"? There are millions of wedding photo dudes out there prowling and waiting for a kill! ... Hmm.. good question... what on earth am I doing then? I guess it's just my passion to see people getting married, and stay married for a long long time...

So, no diff... yet. Just another one of those photo biz... "The Covenant".