Live Life Free!

Sedap! - Haji Sharin Low (Muslim Chinese Food)

2012-01-27T20:35:00.004+08:00

I was waiting for my hubby the other day..and he was late as usual.
And him, knowing the best way to my heart..is always through my tummy..So we decided to drop by a restaurant near Bangi and actually located in Sungai Merab..a restaurant that I've been dying to try - Restaurant Haji Sharin Low.

A friend of mine was just there the other day and gave such a good review that we had to try some of the dishes that she had..Not surprisingly, I can't remember all the names from the menu, but I'll just tell the keywords. Below are the extremely delish food that we ordered that day:

Iced Chrysanthemum Tea for the guilty..

Tofu soup with vegetables - i don't remember the full name but it had delicious seaweed in it..

Fried sharks fin with eggs - surprisingly it was not so dry as expected

Salty egg crab - this dish i remember the name because this dish is the reason I wanted to dine here..who knew telur masin could be cooked so creatively other than rebus je?

Dessert - Water chestnut with white fungus (hot) - yumm! but by the time for dessert we were too full to enjoy it..

Everything was more delicious than I had expected..Being the food enthusiast that I am..by the end of the meal I was practically eating the soft crab shells with my bare hands..and licking the sauce off the plate..I thank god for a good husband that is not ashamed of his wife's bad table manners..he he he..

The restaurant has a promotion too! If you advertise about the restaurant in facebook with the tagline "Sumpah Sedap!" you could win yourself a free dish! The catch? You would have to spend a minimum RM88 in a single receipt and repeat 5 times..And we were almost drawn in to the free meal too..except that we were short a few ringgit of RM88..*aww shucks*..but hey, maybe you could try..

Am i ready to quit?

2011-08-12T12:26:00.003+08:00

As i was reading through today's posts on facebook..a friend suggested to read a book titled "Before you quit your job".

So I decided to google on the book, and found this article called "10 Questions to ask before you quit your job". I'm not saying that I hate my job or I'm being an ungrateful ingrate..But I was wondering if I could do better in a better job. I've always decided to be happy in my job, regardless whatever else happens in my life. So, let's see my answers on the questions in the article:

1. What specifically about my current situation is frustrating me?
-->The complications of each problems during each project execution as well as the people handling that frustrates me to the max..imagine the same question being asked over and over again but expecting a different answer?

2. Is my current work environment abusive or unbearable?
-->It's bearable on most days..prolly once in a while it makes my hair fall out, while other days I just have anxiety attacks..

3. Have I taken every action possible to make my current job workable?
-->I guess not, prolly cause I feel like I can always do better, just still trying to figure out how..

4. Ultimately, what do I want for my job, career and life?
-->Ultimately, I want a job that I love, a career that I can balance with the rest of the people in my life, and it pays enough to be able to support my lifestyle..

5. Do I have a thoughtful, realistic plan for attaining my next job?
-->Ah, no..

6. Do I have enough saved to cover nine to 12 months of expenses?
-->Er..no with a big N..

7. Am I willing and able to forego benefits like health insurance and retirement contributions?
--> Aaa..eat sand?

8. How might I cut expenses or earn income while between jobs?
-->Babysitting?

9. Do I have the support of my family and friends?
-->hmmm..i've yet to ask..

10. Have I timed this appropriately?
-->errr...aaa...hmm..

Based on the above response, it has been concluded that NO, I'm not ready to quit my job...tak dapekla nak bukak gerai nasi lomak...

Harian Metro

2011-08-12T09:39:00.004+08:00

My travel to 6 countries in 20 days caught attention a friend who works with Harian Metro..
This is the online version -- Harian Metro Article

Episod: oh sedapnya mulut..

2011-08-11T17:23:00.003+08:00

Now why would people intentionally be sarcastic during ramadhan? Even if it's not ramadhan, I would say that putting your foot in your mouth on purpose as an idoitic move..

The time: 4.30PM

The scene: Office exit while waiting for lifts that takes forever to stop

The culprit: Also waiting for lifts to exit

The foot in mouth statement: "now why are YOU going home early today, as if you have kids to pick up from school..oh no waitt...you have to coook!!"

My response: "err..I don't care!" (As in, i don't really care what you have to say.)

Translation: Oh sedapnye mulut kau. Dah kau pon balik awal, pandai pulak ko mengata aku. Macamla kau balik awal tu ko pon masak, sah-sah bini ko yang masak kan?

6 countries in 20 days

2011-05-09T11:11:00.012+08:00

Ever tried the impossible? Try travelling 6 countries, 5000++km and on top of that jet lag too in 20 days..

Let me tell you the tale of adventures, excitement, drama and the funny moments of a group of asian tourists travelling the mighty cities and towns in europe..

Border-less countries. It's not a new concept, but it is a much foreign enforcement in Asia where we all need to go through immigration, apply visas and much other process before entering a neighboring country. But hey, for European countries, many are within the EU (European Union), to be specific 27 countries. There are definitely pros and cons of being in the EU which includes on currency, economy, language, education, tourism and many others. I'm not the expert, but there are several observations that I deduced during my trip there..

So challenge no 1 - foreign signboards.
---------------------------------------------

A successful English education will not be enough to read the signboards here. You will have to make assumptions, speculations and manipulations to be able to find your way around. Hence why most people would not opt to travel by car, rather by the famous bullet trains which would have been cheaper if we planned our itinerary. But being the adventuresome we were, it was day 5 when we finally bought our map, and yes it was the traditional map not the hip GPS Garmin or "tom-tom" which is among the famous GPS in Europe. Most signboards may very well match the towns and cities written in the map that we bought in a holland petrol station. If we had bought one in Malaysia, it might as well be very little use since we would probably be confused where prague, vienna or munich would be since here they call it praha, wien and munchen..

Challenge no 2 - walking, walking and more walking.
-------------------------------------------------------

In holland, the first thing I noticed were the considerable less number of cars around. Many walked while others rode bicycles. Tthey even had their own lanes and by god, don't even think of trying to ignorantly walk in the bicycle lanes. They would ring their bells and whizz past you before you could even turn your head. This was unheard of in Malaysia. The first thought that came to our little minds was that this must be a poor country, look at all those people riding their bikes, they can't even afford to buy cars! The dutch would probably laugh their heads off if they could hear our thoughts, reason being that they very much cared for their environment and are a great believer in DIY. No money wasted in hiring experts for plumbing or renovation as they would do it themselves and buses mostly operated on battery so pollution was greatly reduced. With exceptional public transport, who needed cars?

Challenge no 3 - oh windy wind breezy winds
------------------------------------------------

Long coats in Malaysia? It's unheard of. With the sun, rain, sun and more rain, we would sweat or soak to death with heavy clothings.

Berkelah di berkelah - 26 - 27 Nov 2010

2010-11-28T17:01:00.005+08:00

At 8.00pm, I was still deciding what to pack for this trip. I wasn't feeling well and having second thoughts about going..

Finally, around 9.30pm, I succeeded in hauling myself out of the house, packed and ready to Kamp's & Apiz. After dinner, we headed straight to RNR Bentong to meet up with the rest of the gang.

It was almost 12.30am when we reached RNR Bentong. After a short break and a change of driver, we proceeded to Berkelah, Maran. Sleepy and exhausted, we arrived at the parking spot for Hutan Lipur Berkelah at around 2.00am. We made camp there, and slept until dawn.

After freshening up and a very light breakfast, we started our way up the waterfalls at around 7.30am. Enjoying the very scenic view, and stopping every few steps to take pictures of the high drop beneath the waterfalls. I felt giddy and was very careful not to slip, as it would be a long fall down if I did.

At around 9.30am, we finally settled down at a very strategic camping site. Starving and very excited, we set-up our fly & ground sheet, worked on our Brunch and began eating with gusto.

After eating, I was ready to fall right back to sleep, while others went further up the waterfall to find a larger pool to swim. They were not disappointed. The pools were very deep and it was a popular spot for those who dig diving.

As for me, an hours sleep was enough to re-energize and I went on for a short dip in the nearby pool. It was not so deep as the water was only short below my waist. I'm not such a big fan of swimming in rivers, but the water was so clear that you could see the fishes from the outside! I was thankful that we still had a few rivers in malaysia that are still kept away from pollution, even though the camp sites were slightly dirty with campers leaving their trash behind. How I wish everybody was more sensible while camping.

After drying up, we filled our growling tummies with our late lunch at around 2.30pm. As if right on cue, the sky began to darken and we were blessed with rain. It was a cold, wet afternoon and the perfect weather to fall asleep..
It didn't stop raining up until 5.00pm when we split our group. Half of us remained on camp while others including myself began our short trip down to head back to KL.

It was a short but painful trip down. Trekking over stones proved to be very slippery even with rubber shoes, moreover cause of the rain. I almost sprained my wrist holding myself from rolling down the slippery steps, but hey, I fall on each of my camping trips, so it was no big surprise..

At around 6.30pm, we started our trip back to KL, dropped by Taman Nirwana to feed my mom's craving for sate station, had our dinner and went home..

Bukit Saga 31102010

2010-10-31T20:06:00.025+08:00

I started out very late in the morning. My wake-up call came around 7.00AM upon which I continued sleeping until 7.40AM (sorry guys! hehehe). Around 8.00AM I went on to pick up kamp, went over to wan's and switched cars. We finally arrived at the starting point for Bukit Saga around 10.30AM. The sun was already burning hot for a morning hike.

Fortunate for us, the track was quite cooling beneath all the tree branches and the slow morning breeze eased the way up the many..many steps up to Bukit Saga's peak. There were many residents of Taman Saga along our way up the track. The way up was quite challenging at some point in which we used the ropes alongside the track to prevent from slipping.

Many rest stops were prepared for trekkers to breathe in the fresh air and for trekkers requiring a bit of rest. We stopped at the first "pondok" while waiting for everybody to arrive. Some of us even had time to catch up on much needed sleep!

After almost and hour of trekking, we reached the peak of Bukit Saga. It was lively at the peak with kids running around, adults stepping into endless conversations and people sleeping on the readily available hammocks. Who would have known that a place could co-exist in a residential area at the heart of the city?

After half an hour of rest, we proceeded our journey to the much anticipated river of Bukit Saga.

At the start of the journey, I had imagined the trip up to be quite easy as Bukit Tabur or Broga. How I underestimated the looks of Bukit Saga from the outside.

The trek to the riverside was on level ground for around 30 minutes in which we reached the next pit stop. After that the track began to turn downhill for another 30 minutes in which we finally reached the river.

Fortunate for us, most of the morning trekkers had gone home, and the evening hikers had not started to arrive yet. At around 12.30pm, we were the only ones around. To celebrate our arrival, we all sat down to a round of nasi lemak. Once everybody was full, some began to fall asleep while others made hot milo. The slow sound of the river just added nicely to the peaceful surroundings. As for me, I began to drift into a dreamless sleep..

I woke up to the sounds of extremely excited voices, only to find out everybody was in the water, splashing around. The small rapids were very tempting but sorrylaa..I tak bawak baju spare..So at 3.00pm when we began our journey home, I was the only one in dry clothing. sob sob.

The trip back was much speedier. While some ran down the steps, I enjoyed the scenery of trees surrounding. Even though the weren't much rare flowers or trees, the track was quite easy to enjoy.

We arrived back at our cars at around 4.30PM, and everybody was eager to go home..

East Tabur 10.10.10

2010-10-12T23:08:00.019+08:00

Fortunate for me, I slept pretty early the night before. At 5AM I was wide awake and ready to run, except that everybody else was fast asleep. After almost an hour, my ride came and we went to Petronas Jalan Melati and waited for the others to arrive. Another hour went by and we finally reached the parking spot for the East Tabur Trail. Despite my preparation in taking GPS coordinates, I wasn't surprised when nobody bothered to save the coordinates including myself. What's getting a little lost if not adding more adventure right?

At 8AM we started our climb and it was a pretty steep start. I was pretty much out of shape despite the climb up Loloh, Nuang two weeks before. But the weather was pleasant, the noise polution bearable.

Slowly we climbed across high roots, blocks of lime stone and pulled ourselves up the trek with existing ropes. The view on my left was of the beautiful Ulu Klang Dam. The lush trees below and the hills high above made it the most absolutely breathtaking view from the city. Feasting my eyes on the view really made me miss all my previous trips uphill especially on Trans TitiWangsa.

Except when I turned right, all I could see was tractors, residential construction in progress which was a complete eye-sore. If it wasn't for the sound of motors and machines, it would have felt like we were anywhere but at the heart of the city.

I guess we should just be grateful that bukit tabur is still there for us trekkers. From the trail, we could see the peak of West Tabur. The peak was much higher thus the longer trekking time required to reach the top.

After reaching the end of the trail, we decided to just relax and chill. It was a long way down and even the looks of it gave me the shivers. Warning: Do not attempt to fool around here. Any stunts will most probably result in a drop a long way down.

An hour later, we decided to climb down the track to beat the morning heat. It was almost 11AM and the sun was beginning to really SHINE. The climb down the rocks were pretty slippery and I was thankful that it didn't rain. With rubber shoes and sturdy ropes, we all managed to climb down safely and just in time before it began raining cats and dogs..

Ramadhan & Syawal

2010-09-10T08:28:00.000+08:00

It is a privilege to be able to spend hari raya in your own country.
In your own hometown.
With family members and close friends.

There was a time when we had to make our own celebrations for raya.
We put on our own raya songs on the radio.
And recordings of old raya videos especially made for those raya spent abroad.
Cooked our own food cause we couldn't just buy them by the roadside.
A time when nobody in my class was fasting but me, and they asked me, "why aren't you eating khairin?"
I would answer, "it's the religious month of ramadhan and as muslims we have to fast"
My classmates would nod and go off as if they understood.
And then there was the time when "balik kampung" was a joyful event consisting of 3 days 2 nights train ride to KTM station butterworth.
I remember sleeping in the above compartment and imagining myself on a spaceship.
I'll never forget the first time we celebrated with "bunga api" and burned a hole in my shirt.
I was six.

I miss those days when embah lanang & embah wedok was still around.
When malam raya consisted of watching TV3 with all my cousins no matter what show was on.
And when nobody really slept on malam raya because we were too busy cooking, too excited to sleep and there really was no space to squeeze in.
And on pagi raya, when we traditionally took our family photos.
Raya seemed magical.

I'm sure everybody has their ramadhan & syawal stories. These are just fragments of mine.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI, MAAF ZAHIR & BATIN TO ALL!

Welcoming Independence Day

2010-08-31T08:30:00.001+08:00

How much do you value your freedom? Do you love your country?
How would you feel if anybody took away your country & your freedom?

Where would home be?

Remember that nobody owns your freedom & your country.
Our ancestors fought for their home, so we would have one.
Our fathers, grandfathers, risked lives to obtain citizenship.
Value your identity, remember where you came from, fight for your country.

It is far better to be a first class citizen in a third world country
than move to a first world country and become a second class citizen.

Happy Birthday Malaysia.

Pine Tree Hill - 9 & 10 July 2010

2010-08-22T16:11:00.049+08:00

It had been a while since I last went trekking. I forced myself to rest for two months after my Kinabalu Trip in May 2010 because of the frequent cramps I'd been having since. So on a whim, we all decided to go up Pine Tree Hill trail in Fraser's Hill.
The trip began with me picking up several participants at 9.00pm on friday where we would meet the others at the RNR Rawang. As we arrived at 10.30pm, I went to check out the food stalls while others were on their way. When everybody had arrived, we continued our journey to Bukit Fraser. Lucky for me, Pokju took over the driving and I slept the whole way up waking once or twice to warn on the speed limit. We arrived in town approximately at 1.00am. After much discussion, everybody agreed we would camp near the Bukit Fraser Mosque.
The weather was super-chilly and I began to cramp up. Fortunately, I brought my sleeping bag and snuggled comfortably until azan subuh where there were several comical incidents not appropriate to be told here..

After solat, breakfast and registering ourselves at the nearest police station, we started our journey to find the Pine Tree Hill Trail. Several U-turns and much speculation (on directions!) later, we found the starting point up Pine Tree Hill. The beginning of the track was pretty level and didn't require much effort. We stopped to appreciate the morning sun and the beautiful scenery as we were already quite high on altitude. The weather was just nice and sunny.
The billboard on the trail claims that a return trip would take only 7 hours per average person. It was around 8.00am when we began trekking from the starting point. Several minutes later, we reached the first pit stop which portrayed resemblance to a bus stop. It had started to drizzle with rain but we weren't too worried because the skies looked very much clear.Several times, we found sign stones reflecting the borders for different states.

After almost an hour trekking, we started to climb up & down steps which were quite slippery considering the slight rain. Then began the climb up. By this time, our team had split into two. Some had chosen to just enjoy the breezy path, while others looked forward to reach the acclaimed beautiful water source. When all had gathered at the water point, we decided to break for several minutes and fool around with the camera. As usual, I was the first victim of "pacat" attacks. ergh.

Despite the distance, the journey was quite mild with minimal climbing which was made easy with all the tree branches & roots to hang on to. We didn't bump into anybody else while going uphill. Ropes were also tied at each difficult spot to assist those not confident enough to hold on to nature. It was a pretty commercial track with trekker's safety kept in mind. After 3 hours of trekking, we finally made it to the peak of Pine Tree Hill. A victorious celebration ensued..
A half hour later, it started to rain persistently. Not confident enough in the weather, we decided to install our flying sheet while preparing for lunch. Our chef was Ggey & Lia, specially imported for this trip. While some of us assisted in preparing lunch, others began a knot-tying class. The menu for our lunch was more than our usual. Most of our daypack trips had consisted of having maggi noodles for lunch. Nothing beats instant gratification. Except for a full course lunch of hot rice, chicken, veggies and excellent appetizers. Everybody waited anxiously for the food to be served..

After much preparation, we finally had our lunch an hour later. The food was fantastic, we ate with much gusto. A big hearty thanks to our chefs Ggey, Lia & Boyan (Papa Dom) for preparing our lunch since early morning..As we were wondering on how to wash the dishes, rain started to fall steadily..

Trans Titiwangsa - Day 5 (01 Aug 2010)

2010-08-22T10:59:00.025+08:00

We needed to wake up early in order to catch the last bus, so by 7.30am I was up. Despite very little sleep, it was quite comfortable since our camp was already on a lower altitude. While waiting for the rest to wake up, our chef was already starting on our breakfast and some, busy snapping away pictures. Many were eager to head home,while some felt melancholic. When everybody was finally fed, packed and ready to go, it was already 10.00am.

Our target was to reach cameron highlands before 4.30pm, so we needed to arrive at blue valley before 2.00pm. Everybody was happy, the weather was very pleasant and many were singing cheerfully. Songs of the day include "kebahagiaan dalam perpisahan" by Shahir (it's a sad song, but it gives motivation!) and "pelangi petang" by Sudirman (lagu mama!). The first peek of civilization was the vegetable farm of blue valley. We took the chance to capture this joyful moment. Everybody whipped out their cameras and began to pose. The landscape began to change from soft, crunchy land to hard, solid stone. My shoes were no match for the slippery surface. After two painful lessons, I sledded (almost crawling) down the track.
We arrived at the cabin at 12.30pm and took a break while waiting for the rest of the team. I decided it was time to let go of all my rations and celebrated our victory with snacks. Everyone was in a cheerful mood and thankful, for we made through our tough journey safely and happily. So, we goofed around. A little while later, we went on to cross a beautiful river and a unique path with water cables. Unlucky for us, the cables were also slippery. A few found themselves stepping into muddy puddles, while others got stuck mid-calf in a mini-dirt pool.

Next came the steps. Some said it was 282, others 250. Thankful for my knee guards, I stepped slowly, one by one. At last, with the final step we arrived safe and sound to our last pit stop before going home. As we waited for our truck to arrive, we took the oppurtunity to bathe & perform our prayers there. It felt refreshing to be able to bathe properly and to wear my jeans for a change. For lunch, we had ramen (maggi!) all of almost 10 packets. It was the best meal I've ever had which involved instant noodles probably because we tend to appreciate the simple stuff more than usual when going hiking. While packing, our 4WD arrived at around 3.30pm, so we hurriedly climbed and took our positions on the truck. The ride was not so bumpy, but still gave an unusual adrenaline rush, especially when riding with 14 people and 15 bags together on a winding road with lots of vehicles.

After a change of truck, we arrived at our bus station in cameron highlands slightly after 5.00pm. Several were quite worried that we had missed the last bus as some had to travel home to N9 & JB while others were working the next day. There were no more buses to KL, but only limited tickets to Ipoh. So, we decided to part ways,for those who needed to get home urgently would take the bus to Ipoh and take the bus to KL from there while others (including me!) would stay another night in Cameron and catch the morning bus tomorrow.
As we parted ways, tears were shed, hugs were exchanged and hands were shook. It was an intimate moment which we knew would never repeat under the same circumstances. We had created a powerful memory that would be talked for ages. Wishing everbody well and promising to keep in touch, I'd hope that the bond we created by a shared experience of fighting pacats, close and intimate meals, private jokes, tears and laughter, would last forever. I will always cherish the moments we walked soaking wet in the rain, the motivation speeches at our weakest moments, the helping hands that was always there when I just couldn't reach that crucial branch to pull myself up or was too squirmish to pull the pacats off my feet.
Thanks to Jon, Amir, Mama, Kak N, Apiz, Kamp, Ajid, Wan, Botak, Abang Padil, Tom, Yazid, Khairi & Doc. We will always remember Trans Titiwangsa 28 Jul - 01 Aug 2010.

Note: All pictures were courtesy from Kamp, Apiz, Kak N, Wan, Abg Padil, Ajid, Tom & Doc. Tq all!

Trans Titiwangsa - Day 4 (31 July 210)

2010-08-22T03:38:00.020+08:00

I woke up to check the time only to discover it was already 9.00am. It was the best rest I've had in days. Everybody was reluctant to wake up since we hardly got any sleep the night before. Breakfast was ready around 11.00am and by the time we began a move, it was already 1.00pm. Good thinking from our guide in preparing pre-packed lunches and distribute to all 15 members as we had to save time and there would be no long lunch breaks on track. We would just have to eat whenever we could.
We stopped at H2O peak for pictures and walked according to our pace. My plan was to have lunch at 4.30pm, but hunger took over around 3.00pm. Around 3.30pm we stopped to gather and ensure everyone was okay. Once the last person arrived, we went on to continue our journey to Mt Yong Belar's Peak.
It was 6.30pm. We stopped to refuel our water supply at Camp Kuali. The water source was amazing. Beautiful, small streams of water flowing in between rocks from high above downwards to the ground. This was where we took our wudu'. After performing Zuhur & Asar Jama' prayers, we waited for sunset to perform Magrib & Isya' prayers. The view was incredible.
Just before 8.00pm, we trekked in a group upwards to Mt Yong Belar. We arrived at approximately 9.00pm. The weather was extremely icy cold and the wind unbearable. Despite that, everyone was cheering for we finally made it to the last peak destination of our trip. The best part was we could see the whole city of Ipoh beautifully lit spread out below.
Everything just seemed worth the trouble.
As agreed before, the guys prepared to boil water and made coffee for all. Since I couldn't stand the cold, I wrapped myself under my loyal heavy-duty trash bag, all hands and feet covered with plastic. Thank god for great team mates who offered sips from their cups.
Not to be forgotten, a tribute to the birthday boy also my patient sweeper (tengs!), Apiz, celebrating his big day on top of Mt Yong Belar. Somewhere between the celebration and drinking hot coffee, I must've fallen asleep as I woke up with a start. I was exhausted and the wind totally wiped me out. At around 11.30pm we made our way to our camp site. Who knew it would be 4 hours away?
Then began the most challenging part of the trip. Until today, I'm thankful for all the moral support from my fellow friends and their patience in entertaining my untimely rants (special tengs to wan, kak n & ajid!). Imagine being in the most vulnerable condition mentally, physically overcome with fatigue, famished, and out of water supply. In the face of all these conditions, all of us managed to arrive at our final camp site, Camp Tudung Periuk, at 3.30am. Some of us were even injured. At some point, I felt like sleeping on the track. Some were singing. Others were chatting away heartily. A few times we stopped to refuel and provide support to those who needed most (mainly me!). We made through the toughest of times, and it did nothing but bring us even closer together.
At Camp Tudung Periuk, speechless and full of mixed emotions, I slumped on top of our ground sheet. It took me a while to recollect my thoughts and recompose myself. This was the first time I had trekked for 14 hours, though today I consider that quite a feat, at that point in time I only felt relief. Special thanks to Ajid for his help during my moment of weakness. After I could feel my feet again, I quickly changed clothes & got ready for bed. Forcing myself to grab a bite, we snuggled together for our last night in the woods and finally fell asleep at 5.00am..

Trans Titiwangsa - Day 3 (30 July 2010)

2010-08-22T01:12:00.016+08:00

On our third day, everyone woke up quite late due to the freezing weather. Our fly sheet were dripping with morning dew and everybody was in an uncomfortable position as we camped on uneven land. Even some of our team mates found themselves sliding several meters away from their original sleeping position.
When everyone finally had their share of yummy fried rice prepared by our guide (Jon got tired of waiting for everybody to wake up and decided to take matters into his own hands..thanks Jon!), we re-packed our stuff and took care of the trash. By the time we were ready, it was already 11.00am. Jon had become anxious that we wouldn't be able to keep to our schedule.
It was a new day, and spirits were high. We arrived at Korbu's peak an hour and half later and I was very excited. We finally reached our first peak, and I managed to climb the seecond most highest mountain in peninsular malaysia.
It was a very moving moment.
With renewed enthusiasm, we climbed to our next destination which was Mt Gayong's Peak. It took about half hour to reach the junction point where we dropped our bags and ran to the next peak which only took around 10 minutes. We proceeded to monkey around for the next 20 minutes while waiting for the rest to arrive. The result was many controversial photos.

Due to our late start, we were already beginning to fall behind schedule. Our late lunch was really late. We stopped at 3.30pm for lunch at our next pit stop, which was supposed to be the last water point until our next camp site. Unfortunately for us, the water was discovered to be undrinkable unless cooked to ensure the safety of our health. Water supply was running low and everybody's morale was decreasing by the minute. Those who had gone to Camp Cerek's waterpoint came up panting with exhaustion. Soon after eating & performing prayers, we proceeded to our next most longest journey I've ever experienced.

It started to rain around sunset.
As we put on our raincoats and our headlamps, I prepared myself mentally for the challenge ahead.
Somehow, I didn't prepare myself enough.
When we finally reached Camp H2O at 1.00am, I was cranky and extremely starving.
It had been raining heavily, the track was murky and slippery, I had countless falls and my headlamp was not working as I had hoped it would.
I was bruising badly, my hands and feet were sore and full of cuts from sharp thorns and branches. By this time, I had promised myself to buy gloves, a better headlamp and at least 3 raincoats for my next trip. As we waited for the guys to set camp, myself and Kak N took refuge under a flying sheet. It was still raining and because we had stopped walking, the cold had begun to take effect. I was starting to cramp up and was shivering badly. Once again, it was Abg Padil's tent to our rescue. We changed quickly and huddled under our tent. Whilst waiting, we helped our amazing chefs in cooking dinner. Food was yummy as always. It was 3.00am when we finally settled down and went to sleep..

Trans Titiwangsa - Day 2 (29 July 2010)

2010-08-21T16:35:00.013+08:00

I woke up abruptly at 2.00am. Everything was eerie around me. Creepy. Everybody was asleep, so I closed my eyes shut and snuggled deep into my sleeping bag..
At 5.30am, I woke up to the voices of my fellow trekkers. It was still too early for my liking, so back to sleep I went. Finally, shortly after sunrise, I woke up to the smell of breakfast. After refreshing by the river, our stomachs filled with breakfast and being back in uniform (wet & sticky clothes from yesterday's trekking), we started our journey with stretches and doa by Doc.

We had only trekked for a few hours when we once again stumbled upon our next obstacle. Another tree-slide (similar to landslides). Our guide, Jon went up one way, down another in search of a safe route. Us participants could only give him moral support while entertaining ourselves snapping away pictures.
After almost 2 hours, we decided that the tree branches were strong enough for all 15 members to cross.

Thankful enough, on our second day, there were no pacats clinging around our feet. The grounds were pretty much pacat-free as we were quite high on altitude. As we arrived to our next pit stop named "last water point" which was by a beatiful river, we decided to stop for our next meal. While others busied themselves with cooking lunch (we had really yummy bihun soup!) and making hot black coffee, Kak N and myself decided that the water was really too beautiful too waste. So we stood under the mini waterfall, took a long shower whilst giggling away (the water was stone-cold!). Our lunchbreak was longer than expected, and by the time we were about to get going, the skies were cloudy and rain really started to pour.

Lucky for us, the rain only lasted for only half hour. The route had started to become more easier than the day before and we stopped at every oppurtunity to capture the moment. View from the memorable "bonsai tonggek" point was amazing and many climbed the tree to pose. Unfortunately for us, ants also decided to make that tree their home. Riddled with angry biting ants, we reluctantly climbed down the tree to our next pit stop at "simpang krai".

The journey to simpang krai wasn't pleasant. The wind was howling and I was hungry. Not a very good combination during long distance trekking as the cold weather just made me hungrier than always which brought down my energy level. I was wondering why the next stop was so far away when I remembered that we had taken several long breaks while waiting for our route to clear up. We were already far behind schedule. When I finally arrived at simpang krai, I was starving and shivering with cold. My rain coat was no longer serving it's purpose and all I wanted to do was gulped down any kind of food. Thanks to Doc for sharing his fried rice and my fellow team mates who made hot coffee while waiting for the rest of the team. By the time everybody arrived, nightfall was looming. The original plan was for us to camp on Mt Korbu's Peak. Despite the chilly weather, majority took the vote to proceed to Korbu's Peak. Truth be told, I was relieved when our team leader decided to camp at simpang krai. I just wasn't sure if I had it in me to go on that night, we were pretty worn out. After changing into clean & warm clothes, I felt better immediately. The bitter weather had taken a toll on me and I was feeling rather miserable. As soon as we set camp, cooked & ate our dinner, everybody cuddled up to each other to fight the gusty wind around us. I could hardly sleep that night. At most, I only had two hours of disturbed sleep..

Trans Titiwangsa - Day 1 (28 July 2010)

2010-08-20T11:27:00.024+08:00

Day 1 (28 July 2010)
--------------------

After 3 hours of dozing, we arrive in Ipoh KTM station around 4am. Feeling drowsy, I got off the train to a quiet train platform since we were the only onces around. We settled down in the lobby and waited for our ride to Ulu Kinta. We waited. And waited. After 3 rounds of coffee, 2 rounds of food binge and many, many pictures later, our 4WD arrived around 5.30am. Lucky for us, the heavy rain that was pursuant since we arrived reduced to a drizzle when we loaded our bags and ourselves on the truck.

On the way to our destination, we hit a few pit stops for breakfast, some last minute raincoat shopping and perform our subuh prayers at a nearby mosque. Unforgettable incidents include being served RAW eggs instead of half-boiled eggs which one of our athletes bravily gulped down, wiping out the raincoat stock from the next door mini store and being asked by a group of elderly whether we were students from UTM Skudai (wow!).

Along the way, we had to change to the next vehicle due to steep roads and I experienced the 2nd most challenging ride on the back of a truck in my life (the first was a ride on the back of a lorry with 30 other people).
The view was amazing, the ride was bumpy. On several occasions we had to heed to warning from the driver--"DUCK! BRANCHES AHEAD!!"
Thank god there were no durian trees along our path.

As we arrived to our destination, our guide (Mr Jon Rambo) expressed his worries on the rapids of the river we were about to cross. It had been raining for some time and the currents were pretty strong. Hoping the best, we proceeded with stretches and decided to cross the river in a single line. Fortunately, everybody arrived safely on the other side, only to discover we had been blessed with small creatures called "pacat".

After several hours of trekking and a few river crossings, we decided to stop for lunch. While everybody else were busy scanning their body parts for the darling creatures, our chef Amir, Mama & assistant Ajid were busy preparing our food, fried kuey teow. With "pacats" everywhere, majority decided that it was safe to soak our feet in the river, but were we wrong.

After sufficient rest and carbo-loading, we proceeded our journey only to discover age-old trees had collapsed & were blocking our route. Upon our teamleader's agreement, we decided to crawl under the creaking bamboo trees despite the fact that being on both hands & feet would bring us closer to the amazingly energetic "pacats". The diversion caused us almost 2 hours of lag time. Thanks to Jon and his reliable "parang" we finally made through and arrived to our first camp site, Camp Senooi at around 7.00pm. Cold, exhausted and starving, we had our dinner as soon possible and slept through the night bundled up in our sleeping bags hoping that our lovely creatures wouldn't crawl into bed with us that night.

Trans Titiwangsa 28 Jul - 1 Aug 2010

2010-08-20T01:21:00.007+08:00

Preparation Day -- 27 July
----------------

The journey began at 8.00pm from my office to the Kerinchi LRT station.
I was struggling with my heavy backpack, strangers stealing curious looks on why this young (really?) chick was torturing her back. Apart from the wolf-whistling from mamak customers, I arrived safely to KL Sentral station.

After waiting for 2 hours there, we were introduced to the trip organizer from Outerrange Adventure. Mingling with first time introduced friends just added the exhiliration of the start of a new adventure. Moreover, it was the first time in 17 years, I was taking the conventional train to Ipoh and I was extremely excited.

Once we board the train at 11.30pm, I was extremely exhausted and only wanted to sleep, but I also wanted to get to know my new friendly friends. Alas, a half hour passed by and I was soon sound asleep..

Why Do I Love To Go Hiking?

2010-08-19T23:16:00.001+08:00

~ Why do you go through sufferings repeatedly they ask..
In the woods,
money means nothing,
politics do not rule,
power plays are meaningless games.
Perceptions are just that and everyone matters.
No one undermines your ability,
no deadlines to meet,
no people to please.
Beauty is around you,
friendship strengthens and the simplest food is considered luxurious.
You learn not to take anything for granted.
You learn that being a team player is everything.
These are the things you learn when in the woods,
and maybe someday you will learn in life.

2006-05-30T11:51:00.000+08:00

I have some serious cravings for chocolate mud cake.