The mountain beyond the clouds

Strange, I wrote 2 posts within these few days but I have to keep those amazing memories and experiences before I'm too busy to remember. Today is the second day of my third year and I already have many paper works to do. Oh, I wished I can stay at Sabah for few more days. Miss the calm sea and silent mountains because they are so soothing to look at.


Today is the 5th day after the climb to the peak as well. I set only one target for Mount Kinabalu adventure, that is the Low's Peak which is the highest point of the mountain. And yes, I did it. It was just 10 days before I found out about this trip and took me less than 3 seconds to decide, I never regreted.


I couldn't find a word to describe. If I have to say, it's simply AMAZING. There are so many wonderful things in the mountain that you have to see for yourself. Megabiodiversity, environment, the hike, the rock and many more that we don't get to see in everyday life. This is certainly an eye-opening experience for those who love the natural environment and wish to escape from the busy-hussle life.


I climbed the 4th highest mountain in Malay Archipelago and it makes me want for more. I'm looking for another mountain beyond the clouds, probably after I graduate and have some financial stability because mountain climbing can be costly sometimes. =)


I never know my limit until I put myself to the ultimate challenge. I want those activities and adventure to fill my life and experience until I'm too old to do so.


Finally, looking back in those photos reminds me of the poster in Lin Hui's study table 'Your attitude determines your altitude' the mind is the factor that brought me to the peak of the mountain.

The land below the wind

This was my first flight and the destination was Sabah. The first thing I noticed was all the plat number on the cars start with S and end with alphabet (A,K,Y etc)

I came here just to climb the mountain. Yup, Mount Kinabalu. On the way, I felt quite comfortable because I was worrying about getting cultural shock here. It turned out to be fine. Well, except for the Catholic churches, I accounted over 20 of them and only 2 mosques on the way to Kinabalu Park.

Hmmm...I kinda love this place as it is very peaceful and secured, unlike those busy and never-ending business back in uni life. This is definately the type of vacation detination before I end my sophomore year and start my third year. The state capital city, Kota Kinabalu, is a nice city, the size is just like Teluk Intan or Kuala Lumpur in the 70's.

I know I will return for more.

To the rescue

It has been years since I rear dog. Months ago, two stray dogs came to my home and became our house dog. The male dog is named CharSio (although sometimes my dad would call it GehQiang, meaning toothpick) and the female one is named Mary (but I insist calling it Maria for some unexplainable reasons =S). CharSio is naughty, energetic and playful while Maria is more gentle and shy. The dogs have become a part of my family. (although I don’t really take them in as much as my little sisters because stray dogs are very independent and like to switch area sometimes, so they may leave the home anytime)

Last Saturday evening, I took two plates of food to feed them. CharSio was waiting at the front door as usual but Maria did not. I gave one plate of the food to CharSio as I called out Maria’s name all over the compound but she was nowhere to be seen. I thought she might have gone to the food centre nearby for some stray food so I kept the food till the bedtime and decided to feed CharSio with Maria’s share.

The next day my whole family went to Puchong to install and paint our new house. Before we leave the house, Maria was still away. Since the dog was a stray dog, it would be normal that it went out for snack like it always did.

Tuesday, we packed for home. On the way, we had BakKutTeh as lunch at Klang and stopped at Bukit Melawati for awhile before heading home. On the way, mom said that Maria might have left the home to other places. Made sense. When we reach home, CharSio welcomed us with his tail wigging, accompanied by XiaoTou. (a newcomer dog with a very small body size) Still, Maria was absent.

As I walked to the gate, I heard dog barking from a distance. I was so sure that it was Maria. Zhuang, Mom and I quickly walked to the sound. We found Maria in the final, locked in the bedroom of an empty house which is a few units from my house. She rushed out from the house, greeted by CharSio with happy barks which I can tell from the way he jumped around Maria’s skinny body. I noticed she had several wounds all over her body.

Who in the hack in this world would have done that to a kind dog? Heartless, cruel and totally inhumane. She must have been locked in the house since last Saturday, four days without food and water. I was curious of why the dog did not give any responds when I was looking for her that Saturday.

We fed her with a loaf of bread brought from Tesco and of course, CharSio shared the reward. The evening was a peaceful and happy one.

The Big Dipper

I was looking at the sky. Venus was so bright even it was just after sunset. And the most obvious star group that I could watch was the Big Dipper. Slowly I walked to the basketball court and enjoyed this peaceful moment. It was so nice and reminded me of the night I slept under the bright full moon in Langkawi during Wilderness Adventure and the other night I blanketed myself with billions of stars and cotton candy clouds during Outward Bound, Lumut.

=the big dipper=from google image=

Many people know that I like outdoor activities, out there playing in the natural environment, doing extreme activities and testing my strength and power. Yup, I lead people across the sea in kayaks even I never do it before and not knowing how to swim, walked through thick jungle with compass and map for the first time ever, I made them shelters that can withstand heavy rain, gathered firewood at the midnight with a parang and a headlight, pulled a one tonne whaler boat to the shore, cooked and watched the night with two other girls while the guys were snoring inside their camp. I always take things as a challenge--the more I do, the more I learn and the stronger I'm gonna be. I become stronger--physically, socially and most importantly, psychology.

They may not know that the best moment from these activities is when I feel connected to the nature. The breeze, sounds made by the plants and animals when I close my eyes. The beaches, islands, mountains I may never get to discover that I had conquered one by one. Breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. It doesn't matter if I need to become a leader in a group of strangers even when I'm the minority one or do more work than other group members during camp out. It is because very seldom you get the chance to go for these outdoors for free. I enjoyed every second I have with the environment. I'm always awake during camping in the wild because I scare if I might miss out any beautiful moment that I can seldom find in the civilized world.

Suddenly, I miss those campouts so badly. I dream of going back in time and wish I never wake up. I'm so glad that I found the CD I got from my trainer in Wilderness Adventure. Me leading the team... =) That day was Miss Lin Hui's birthday and I met her at the base camp. I was so happy but she refused to give me a hug. (T_T)

Group photo - Capella (name after a star in the galaxy)

It was full moon on the last day.

A memo I made for Outward Bound. =D

New babe

I love running shoes but at the same time I need to hate them. This is because all of them won’t last more than 2 years. Sports stuffs are the things that would make me spend generously. The most expensive purchase was my Taekwondo uniform (250 bucks) but it will last for many many many years because my previous uniform was worn by my eldest and elder sisters. Yup, I’m the third party and that old uniform is still in good shape after what?! 15 years!!! The toughest clothes ever in human history. The best buy I had ever done was my lovely Reeboks in red but it is going to retire soon. It cost only 175 bucks after 50% discount.

=Reeboks Red when I first bought it on March 2009=
Sunday was a pretty sunny day so it was the best time to stuck yourself in a shopping mall. I went to al-ikhsan, to look for a new ‘baby’. After one hour of comparing and testing, annoying the salesgirl, I decided to buy a pair of new shoes, it’s called Nike Air. She should thanked me for the commission she got from the purchase. Money's gone, baby's here (I’m not going to tell you the price =P) How long can it last under my feet?

=Nike Blue bought on 23 May 2010=

So excited I tested it on Monday, Tuesday and today is the third day. Nike Air has better traction but my Reeboks is more comfy. However, that’s because it is new and I think I’ve well-adapted to the shoes so as the shoes to me now. But after today’s running, I noticed that my ‘baby’ is dirty, stained by red laterite of the field track. =( Yeah~so what? This is the faith that you have to accept if you become my running shoes. ;)

=Posing with my signature pose during competition=

Good pair of shoes definitely improves running and protects the feet (if I still want to walk when I get old) and this is the reason why I insist the best for my sports footwear.

Trip Memo

After this hectic semester, all of us want to have something special to say bye bye to our 2nd year. We had a 2days 1night outing. So after the trip, I decided to highlight some special moment of the trip so I make the photos into video. After many trials, I finally uploaded this video(after I compressed it into smaller file size)



Ancient fortress? Good food? Biodiversity?Beautiful hill? Mangrove swamps? Pretty beaches? Endless paddy fields? Paranormal activities? Ask Selangor and here’s the answer. From Klang to Kuala Selangor and Sekinchan, we had tasted delicacies that these places are famous for. The swamp, hill, beach and paddy field, indescribable is the only word. We watched the sunset and celebrated the night under the Christmas trees, unwrapping surprises one by one. We played too much and took too 'few' photos, just try to be low profile like KES does. LOL...what's next?


This is the second video I made one week after the first one.

The athletic side of us, playing and acting...in our own world. Plus some funny photos of us during the trip to end up this video. =)

Frankly speaking, this was the third time I brought friends to my hometown. (First time was with Ing Ting and Sze Yhinn while the second time was my ex-roomie, Yee Len) This time, I think I showed them almost everything they can see with the limited time.

In a nutshell, it was a memorable trip indeed. And for sure, this trip had enhanced our friendships.

A day of hope and miracle

Today is the 20th day I am staying in Sekinchan this year. For a person who is studying in Kuala Lumpur, this is a really scary statistics and seriously, I don't feel like a Sekinchan person anymore. By the way, I finally get to have some rest and good time at home. Throughout this busy 2nd year, I have learned a valuable lesson - no matter how busy life is running, never ever forget your family.
Afternoon, I had some entertainment watching Uber Cup final. I seldom felt so restless watching sports, shouting the lungs out of my mouth and sweating(due to the hot weather), not even while I was watching the Thomas Cup Semifinal (Malaysia vs China) yesterday. Most people would expect that China to win since they have the world's top players in the lineout. But the Korean shocked the world proving that even they may not have the best players, the fastest smashes, they have the biggest heart than any other players today. They won 3-1 against the Great Wall of China. They fought with courage and spirit that no words can describe, I saluted them with "my head and four limbs on the ground".
I think China failed to handle the pressure when they lost the first point to Korea and didn't regain strength to overcome the spirit of Korean players. This is what happened when we were put under pressure. Certain pressure can push us to strive upon our limit but once it exceed the limit, we will break no matter how strong or powerful you are.
I don't practice any religion but I have self-belief. And most of my self-belief is gained from the sports I played and sometimes I am emo, specifically agressive and cool. (*I think most sports people behave like me. Maybe that's why I don't talk much while playing sports - self meditating, acting cool and playing psychology game, I guess. LOL...) I felt inspired watching ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Thanks to the Korean. Now I know that I must not push myself too hard sometimes because my friends told me that my face is damned scary when I get serious. I should manage stress in a better way. (*no more scary face next time, I try)

Believe the unbelievable, achieve the unachievable. I can because I believe and I can achieve it.