Conquering Kinabalu

So... Blogger has changed their layout for their dashboard. The blogs themselves look pretty intact so those of you who just read blogs won't notice.  I feel so... sterilized.  Really.  It looks like some kind of sterilized menu.  Barely any color -- though I do like the orange accents.  But, it is neater.  So that's a plus.  Here's a picture attached.

So... It has been literally months since I last updated.  Good lord.  Anyway, in brief I climbed up Kinabalu in the middle of my semester, failed Mechanics & Heat -- climbing Kinabalu had nothing to do with it, honest --, finished my semester break & started my 4th semester.  Oh, & I'm going to be doing a triathlon in July.

Mount Kinabalu was an amazing adventure.  Outdoorsman/woman or not, you MUST try it.  The second morning as you make the ascent to the summit at 0200 hours is one of the most magical parts.  It's so punishing because you're exhausted but the view is so magnificent.  Unhindered view of the starry night.  All you have to do is look back.  You're so high up you almost feel like you're among the stars.  The climb up is no less amazing, especially if you take Mesilau instead of Timpohon.  The change in altitudes, micro-climate, as well as flora is something to behold.  My favorite part is right after a particularly gruelling set of stairs.  You can literally feel yourself ascend from tropical mountainous rainforest to something no short of a garden of willow-like trees.  By this point, you are already in the clouds so at times, you will be engulfed in clouds.  It was always just dense enough to create the sense that you've entered a completely different, more mystical world.  It's just so poetic.

Descending through Timpohon is no less fun.  It is slightly better serviced and less scenic but you do feel the transition in flora better.  Making it back to Timpohon Gate is so rewarding after the tough trek.  Mesilau to Laban Rata -- the halfway point before attempting the summit -- took us eight hours.  The night in Waras Hut at Laban Rata was not easy.  It was very cold, the water was literally numbingly cold & there was no heating.  Not for the water, nor for the room.  Somehow, I slept soundly from 1945 to 0130 when I awoke to get ready.  That sleep however cost me as my legs were hurting to the bone the next day.  I attribute this to the fact that once the you go into R.E.M sleep -- Rapid Eye Movement -- your body & brain start repairing itself.  Being extremely exhausted & not accustomed to the exertion of the previous day, my body needed extra rest but I didn't get it so my body couldn't 'complete repairs' so to speak.

For those interested to attempt Kinabalu, I have some pointers for you.

1. Make sure you are fit.  This will not only determine whether you'll make it on time for dinner at Laban Rata -- dinner ends at 1900 by the way -- but it will also determine whether you can conquer Kinabalu & enjoy it.  I would say at the very minimum you need to be of average fitness.
2. Shave those pounds! Not your body weight but the things you bring up.  Forget the shaver & eau de toilette for the gents, & perfume for the ladies.  Bring bare necessities.  A porter will cost you RM80 per 10kg but I find being able to carry most of your things up & down more rewarding.  Otherwise you can carry a shit ton of things, get the porter(s) to carry everything as you speed up & down the mountain.  Where's the fulfillment in that, I say.
3. As the popular saying goes; "take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."  I take this to heart.  There are garbage cans along the way at rest huts where you can throw away your food wrappers.  If you finish your food on route, stuff'em in your pockets. That's what my whole family did.  Imagine finding a skittles wrapper your house guest dumped halfway up the stairs to your house.  Bothering isn't it?  Same concept.  Don't be a litter bug.  No one likes a litter bug.

Here the pictures from Kinablu in case you wanted to see them. :) I guess that's all for now.  I'll do my very best to keep y'all updated on my triathlon in July.

An Thought Sparked by a Simple Facebook Status

I saw this status on Facebook once; "You're 10 & you have a laptop, iPod & Blackberry. Dude, when I was 10 all I had was a Tamaguchi". When those things came out I practically begged for a Tamaguchi. Didn't get one. Instead, I had already been given something better. I just didn't know it at the time.

When I was 6 or 7, my parents enrolled me into swimming class. The coaches said I was like a fish in water. Kept going & I almost made it to the State team. By this time I was still young, 12 at most, and didn't want to continue. Kept swimming for fun, though. In between 6/7 and 12, I had gotten a bicycle and I loved to cycle around on it. It was basic & had to use training wheels at first. One day, I realized that I didn't need the training wheels and convinced my dad that I didn't need them. That feeling when I first rode without training wheels, I felt like I was going really fast!

Then at around 14, I picked up golf. Wasn't that great at it but golf taught me patience & perseverance. Something my then-7 year old brother had yet to appreciate. Due to studies (namely PMR & SPM), I had to give up golf & never picked it back up. I also tried kayaking & snorkeling whenever we went on vacation by the beach. When I was 15, I joined my school rugby team & wasn't too bad at it. Loved it & worked hard at it. Ended up earning a reputation for passing fast balls & having the most stamina on the team. At the same time, I was cycling to school. At first it was only for extra-curricular activities but at 14 I convinced my parents to let me cycle back & forth. Being able to that was definitely a feeling of independence. For my 16th birthday, my parents got me a really good mountain bike. I love riding & my friends can attest to that.

When I was 15, my family went on vacation to Fraser's Hill & I loved it. The fresh air, the trails, the wildlife, the flora, it was amazing! It was new, it was eye-opening. We went there again last year for my 18th birthday; with our bicycles this time. The experience was even more enjoyable. For Christmas, we went to Singapore, just to travel out of Malaysia & to experience something new. This year I am turning 19 & we kicked off the new year with a bang; my family & I conquered Mt. Kinabalu, the tallest peak in South East Asia.

Indeed, this is a lengthy post but bear with me.

Also, throughout primary school & high school, they have always supported me & are the ones who encouraged me to take up debate & public speaking. They didn't mind ferrying me & my teammates to competitions & paying for whatever fees were needed. Occasionally, if they were free they would come to watch & support me.

I'm sure the question playing on your mind is "what does the story of my life have to do with the status?" The answer is this; it's not what your parents get you, it's what your parents give you that truly matters. My parents may not have gotten me a Tamaguchi but they gave me patience, perseverance, a good work ethic, chivalry, an appreciation for the environment & the world around us, but most importantly, confidence & independence. In my opinion, that's a hell of a lot more valuable than a toy.

So, go & give your parents a big hug, tell them you love them & say thank you for all they've done for you.

If you have read it up this point, congratulations & thank you for taking your time to read it. It is very much appreciated. :)

2012

It's that time of the year again, when we say goodbye to one year & join another. :)

So far, 2011 has been a good year. Alhamdulillah. Insyaallah this will keep up. Looking back at my new year's resolutions I realized that I have achieved 5/6 of them. The only one I didn't achieve was the last one; getting elbow/forearm guards, which as the year progressed just fell out. Guess that means that I achieved all my goals. 8D

Next year is poised to be another rocking year although I can see one or two potential speed bumps on the horizon. So, 2012 resolutions?

1. Maintain an absolute minimum of 3.0 CGPA. At the moment it's at 2.98 which is frustrating as I could've gotten 3.0
2. Start digging around to start applications to the States
3. Finish upgrading my bike

So, without a further ado,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wrapping Up the Second Round

I've really been neglecting my blog. Even my journal is starting to become neglected. :/ Anyway, the Rugby World Cup has come and gone. It was a whirlwind tournament!! New Zealand went all the way to the finals undefeated AND won!!! Their first win since the World Cup's inception in 1985. O_O. Talk about a well-earned win.

My finals are next week. -Gulp-. Akid has finished his UPSR examinations so he's busy playing the PS3 night and day. Hehe. On top of that, he got straight A's too! Congrats lil bro!!! So we've gotten 4 new games. 2 of them came with more than one game. We got Batman: Arkham City, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection -- which consists of MGS3: Snake Eater, MGS2: Sons of Liberty, and MGS: Peace Walker. The games have been updated graphically as well as achievement-wise for the PS3. from the PS2 and PSP systems, respectively. The next game we got was Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Awesome awesome game. I love Uncharted!!! The latest game we got was Assassin's Creed: Revelations, which also came with Assassin's Creed. 8D. Always wanted the first one. So that's a total of like 7 full games. O_O. Ay carumba!!!

Phew. Oh, I got voted as best speaker for Public Speaking this sem. 8D Yaaaay!!! So happy!!! Muahaha!! I wonder what the margin is/was. Hmm. Need to ask Ms. Yati some day. This past Saturday, I went riding with some friends in PCP & did the full length of the DH (red) track. Next time I want to try Bukit Ramlee. B) Booyeah!!

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My blog is really really slowing down isn't it? :/ Not good. The worst part is that it's not just my blog. I've virtually stopped writing. Hmm.

I suppose now that I'm in college, I should have more things to blog about. Well, I do, but I haven't been dilligent. Did I blog about getting into the ADTP Committee? What about the 4th of July Pool Party we organized? I can't remember. The blogger app I'm using doesn't allow me to check a number of things, including past posts & tags.

Well, the IRB Rugby World Cup is coming soon. 8D. Quite excited. Yaay! I'll be rooting for a number of teams; namely the All Blacks (New Zealand), Wallabies (Australia), Eagles (USA), Tonga, Fiji, Japan, & Springboks (South Africa). Phew. Hehe!

Speaking of rugby, I'll be joining my college's rugby club this coming semester. I hope I'll make it to the team... Hmm. I'll need new boots. The cost of the parts needed to revive my F50i TUNiT will set me back considerably more than f I got a new pair. -Sigh-. I really hate to have to replace my F50i like that... :(

The Canterbury in The Curve was having a huge sale. Their boots were going for 40% on their Rampage models & 50% for the Wero. Sadly, they didn't have my size... I was havong mixed feelings of relief & disapppintment. Relief because I'm disheartened by the fact that I'm forced to get a new paor of boots, & disappointed because they didn't have my size -- c'mon, 50% on Canterbury boots. Who wouldn't grab the opportunity?

I think that's good. Hopefully my next post will be soon. :)

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Busy Weekend Recap

Today is the 4th of July!!! The American Independence Day. In conjunction with this, the Sunway ADTP Student Committee is orgainizing a summer pool party called "An American Summer" this evening, from 6-10. It's going to be a blast!! Hehe!

Anyway, the weekend was busy for me. I went to my mom's Family Day in Taman Rimba Kiara, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, KL. Quite a nice place. Apparently, there's also some trails there so definitely worth a look.

I used my student ID to get a discount for the first time on Saturday!! Woohoo!! Hehe!!

On Sunday, I went to Bukit Bandaraya, Shah Alam for the 3rd leg of the Token Bikezooka MTB Series. The turn up was a bit less this time around. The track was a blast!! Phew. At the beginning, they give us this massive climb. 80. Everybody was cursing on their way up. I was humming. Hehe! A trick I learned from my mom. After the climb, there's a quick descent then some tarmac where you can regain your breath. Then more climbing. This time up some ridges. 0_0. That was daunting the first time around. Then some really wicked descents! Some parts made me wish I was riding my all-mountain Polygon rather than my dad's XC hardtail. But during the climbs, I was thankful to be riding my dad's Specialized.

1 loop was 5km but it sure didn't feel like 5km. Hehe! It was quite a compact track so I guess that reinforced that feeling. The start/finish line always felt nearby. The race was staggered so the riders in the 3rd & 4th categories went first, followed by the 1st, 2nd and new riders.

We saw the pro riders go off. Lightning fast. They were practically sprinting off the start line. Anuar Manan was there again. It's kinda cool that he's been to almost every other race I've participated in.

After the race, we went to collect my life saving Bronze Medallion. Finally!!

That's all for now.

Au revoir!

What A Dramatic Day!

Today was full of ups & downs. The morning started innocently enough; I woke up on time, by 8:15 I was seated in class, waiting for the Precalculus class to start at 8:30. Graphs of Sine & Cosine was quite fun! Hehe! Then, Ms. Tan gave us the results for our Mid-Terms; I got 15/15! Booyah! Then we helped her rearrange the tables for her Calculus I class.

At Sunway Pyramid, Ajit & I browsed through the Focus Point promotion/exhibition thingy. Some nice glasses. It'll be cool to get some. Hehe! After some browsing, with Ajit enquiring about some of the prices, we headed for our cars. Before I climbed in, I took out my Season Parking Pass card. In the car, I noticed that it was gone! Huhu! I looked high & low for it before I spent the next 2 hours either running back & forth between Sunway Campus & Pyramid getting things sorted out or waiting around. -sigh-. Bummer. I ended up praying at the mosque in front of Sunway Pyramid, across NPE. Good thing there's a pedestrian bridge. I should be getting the new card around July.

I got home around 3:30 & left the house almost immediately with my dad to go to the Curve. On the way, a lady from the bank called & I referred to my dad as Dr. Sidek. She misheard me & said Dato'. O_O. After that everybody was laughing their head off. Hehe!

I had lunch at McDonald's The Curve. Their Grilled Chicken Burger isn't too bad, actually. My dad had a Chocolate Sundae while my brother had an Oreo McFlurry. Then it was off to Ikano, now called iPC (Ikano Power Centre). We went to their IT Store to buy a toner for our printer. We browsed a bit in there. I went through their selection of headphones. Quite a selection, actually; they had TDK, Audio-Technica, Jabra, Philips, Sonicgear, etc. I really liked their range of Philips' Sports headphones. Very nice. Hehe! Who knows, maybe one day. Hehe! 8)

In 2 das time is the Genting Ride! Booyah! Really excited about that!

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