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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Broga Hill in 2011 - Things Have Changed A Lot Over The Years

It is almost like a ritual now for me to hike up Broga Hill at least on an annual basis. I did write about how things have changed tremendously at Broga last year. This time around, our plan to climb Broga Hill was a last minute thing. It was something that has been brought our during my losing game of bowling. Hehe. Despite thinking that Bukit To'kun hike at Bukit Mertajam, Penang could possibly be the closing hike I would be doing this year, I was totally wrong about that. I'm game and all gear up to do more outdoor activities during this year ending holiday season.

So let's get talking about Broga Hill at least from how I see it last weekend.

What is new at Broga Hill now?

- I spotted a couple of make shift toilets hidden away at the corner of the oil palm parking lot and another one just at the beginning point of the hike

- There weren't a lot of people last week comparatively to the throng of human processions I've seen over the days. I'm blaming the holiday seasons so people are getting out of town.

- There are more food stalls and the usual Chinese aunty who sells her cold drinks is still there but she is sitting way up to the starting point which will be the first stall hikers will meet as they reached down from the hill. Business is getting really competitive these days at Broga Hill. hehe. Surprisingly there is also a burger stall. I was like WT* for a second there thinking that it is so out of place. People someone should note to them that people who are hikers are usually health conscious and we care about what goes down into our stomach. Burgers will mess up with our system dude!

- As for the track itself : it is the usual track. I was wearing someone else sport shoes and it does get a bit slippery on some trails. We didn't climb up the last point of the track too. It was rocky, with a bit of rope climbing and not to mention slippery because we were people watching and so quite a few slipped down and got them hanging on the ropes. But not to worry, it is fairly safe provided you have people around to give you a hand.

- I think quite a number of people were actually climbing up Gunung Tok Wan which starts at the highest point of Broga Hill. Yes, I was somewhat suggesting to my fellow hikers to do this Tok Wan hike last month but we didn't because the timing was all off. So yeah, I have enough reason to come back Broga Hill again next year so that I can finish up Tok Wan.

- The view has always been stunning at Broga Hill so I didn't bother to really pose and have a nice shot taken. I'm silly like that so silly is the only thing I know when it comes to posing for pictures. It's fun though and you should do it too!

There you go! The final report on the things that has changed at Broga Hill for 2011. I'm expecting things to 'develop' more at this place. I hope it's only  for the better. You still have this weekend and next week to hike up Broga Hill if you haven't already. Go there. Get hiking. Get sweating. It's really fun and hiking never gets old despite how many times you walk up the same trail.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Quote of The Day : If You Hesitate or Doubt on Something, Don't Go For It

I'm going to make this one short and this quote should be able to help you to make a decision on what is your best next action to take when you are stuck in a crossroad.

Quote of The Day is : If You Hesitate or Doubt on Something, Don't Go For It!

When you have to make a choice and if ever you start to hesitate even on one small thing, you SHOULD SKIP it, PICK another and yeah, get on with the next best thing. Hesitate = doubt = your subconscious mind telling you, " Don't do it baby!" :)

Friday, December 16, 2011

Hiking Up Bukit To'kun at Cherok To'kun, Bukit Mertajam | Tokun Hill BM, Penang

The last of my hiking activities with my fellow hikers was back in early January at Bukit Tabur, Taman Melawati. Oh goodness, that was ages ago. Haha. Hence to wrap things up for the year end, I had another last hiking trip for the year somewhere up north which was at Bukit To'kun or  it is either known as well as Bukit Tokun or Tokun Hill located at Cherok To'kun, Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Most of my fellow hikers resides in Penang and they have been posting loads of beautiful hiking pictures at Bukit To'kun with the Mengkuam Dam view that made me said to one them that I really need to go there and check that place out. Thankfully, I had a chance to drive down to Penang for a wedding and of course, I had to extend the stay for another day to check out Bukut To'kun.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Mengkuang Dam, Bukit Mertajam, Penang"][/caption]

If you are thinking for directions to Bukit To'kun, I truthfully cannot direct you from here because my friend was driving us all along and the next thing I new, I saw the Cherok To'kun signage, we passed the Mee Ketam Pak Man Restaurant around the corner, approached straight to Taman Rimba Bukit Mertajam, drive farther up a bit and the journey begins.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bukit Tokun clouds taken from the wooden platform"][/caption]

I was told that there are 2 routes to hike Bukit To'kun which is the off-road jungle tracks or the tarmac road which was the one that we used since all of us girls want to take it easy and slow and no wants to get wet and dirty in the jungle track.

What do I feel about Bukit To'kun?

I think people in Bukit Mertajam (BM) are really lucky. The place is jam-packed, loads of people are hiking, young and old - I'm talking grannies and grandpas with sport shoes and walking sticks hiking solo all the way up the really steep hill. It is a tough hike because of the gradient level/slope and these veterans are really rocking it out man. For younger and more adventurous ones, they are really a lot of cyclist - properly dressed of course, cycling up the steep hill and I saw one guy, he must have cycled a lot and I thought his calf muscles is going to break out of his skin at any time. That is exactly how intense it really is to climb up Bukit To'kun with your bicycle.

[caption id="attachment_2579" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Cyclist at Bukit Tokun, Cherok Tokun, BM"][/caption]

We pretty much took our time to hike and there were lots of stops and picture moments. Hence we round up the hill as in our return trip up and down took us about 2 hours 43 minutes. We only took 44 minutes to come down hill so you can guess how much time we spent for the photo taking sessions. I was really looking forward to see the view of the Mengkuam Dam at the wooden platform area, somewhere just a couple of meters away from the peak and that was basically the highlight of the whole Bukit To'kun hike. We had a pretty good day, cool and it rained the night before and we got to see beautiful clusters of clouds just beneath us, as though suspending right below from where we were standing and it was hands down the best view of the day. At some point, it didn't feel like we were in Bukit Mertajam but felt instead more like we were up on a really beautiful mountain view.

Most people who hike up the hill are usually regulars and it is really a very vibrant and exciting place to meet a lot of people. I really love that kind of exciting hiking vibes where everyone is so friendly and nice. We even met with a friendly bunch of guys and one guy fell victim to become our unofficial photographer. Friendly guy, very nice to chat with but no one bothers to at least get his Facebook name. Hahaha.

Anyway, if you are a Penangite and hiking is your thing, this is the place to go. With 2 routes to choose from, there are more fun to come back at Bukit To'kun often enough. For you hardcore bikers, this hill is the place to be! I'm thinking probably some path may be up to 45 degrees incline or slope which is really intense and will make you work it, man! For social hikers like me, this place is really worth to find and hike especially if you intend to travel down to Penang although this place is located at Bukit Mertajam not in the island. So yeah, Bukit To'kun or Bukit Tokun or Tokun Hill or Cherok To'kun hill (however you want to call this place) is really great, vibrant, happening and has an incredibly beautiful view right at the wooden platform. This is a must place to go hiking all the way in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

*pictures thanks to Miss M :)

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Photo Travel : Kuching, Sarawak | East Malaysia, Borneo

For today's Photo Travel it is about Kuching, Sarawak. Sarawak is the biggest state in Malaysia and it is located in Borneo which is a huge island on its own. To find out more about Kuching which is the capital city of the state of  Sarawak check out this Sarawak wiki link.

Let's get down to the pictures and I hope you will enjoy them.

[caption id="attachment_2553" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Postcards of the ethnic people of Sarawak: The Iban"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2554" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The Charles Brooke Memorial, Kuching"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2555" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Charles Brooke Memorial - The Iban Warrior"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2556" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Chinatown, Kuching"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2557" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The Old Court House, Kuching"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2558" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The General Post Office, Kuching Town"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2559" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Indian Mosque Lane, Kuching"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2560" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Masjid Bandar Kuching - The Indian Mosque in India Street, Kuching crammed amongst the shop lots"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2562" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The super old skool spice shop along India Street in Kuching"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2563" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Three prominent buildings/landmark in Kuching"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2564" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Boat cruise along the river at the Kuching Waterfront"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2565" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Bot Tambang at the river Kuching"][/caption]

 

Friday, December 09, 2011

Top 5 Things You Essentially Need For An Awesome Road Trip

I really love road trips and I wish I could do it more often like on a weekly basis sort of things. Anyway, I had one of the best road trips a couple of weeks back and I would like to share with you the Top 5 Things You Essentially Need For An Awesome Road Trip. Let's get started with the list.

1. Find yourself not just a good travel partner but an awesome travel partner.

This can be difficult to find in most cases but you know what, take your time, experiment and finally figure out who is the right person you are willing to have around for the whole duration of your road trip.As for my case, I'm indeed lucky because I could still nicked a few days out of my newly married best friend to become my partner in crime for the road trip. She's the best because there are always non-stop talking and stories to tell which are super juicy, haha and we haven't met for the longest time since she got married and there are a lot to catch up on. The next thing we know, we are already arriving at our destination. Time really pass with good chat and company.

2. Always have a sense of direction or a map or GPS handy.

For my previous road trip, we couldn't technically rely so much on the GPS or the Google Map Apps from the smart phone but I wouldn't say it didn't help us to find our way. Overall, the best combination for a direction is to have your co-driver (your travel partner) to read the map and direct the way for you while you just focus to drive on the road and traffic. With excellent communication and before hand knowing some sense or landmark on where you are heading, you will reach for your destination without any hassle, on time and there are less chance for you to get lost if you have an awesome partner who is really good at directions.

3. Never travel or continue with your road trip with an empty stomach.

You know what they say, “ When the stomach is full, the talk is good.” Hence, it applies to pretty much on anything in life and on this case for your road trip. When you feed your stomach accordingly and preferably on time, you can think right, hesistate less and you can make better decision making in reaching your destinations. Therefore, always have some snacks and drinks handy when you are traveling and stop for breakfast/lunch/dinner breaks.

4. Spend time to really go all out on taking pictures, posing in pictures and basically enjoy your moments of cam-whoring!

Pictures are memories so don't hesistate or let the memories fade by not capturing great and mostly really fun moments with your camera. I always find taking pictures very relaxing and the best part is I get to do some crazy, nutty and silly poses in the photos which makes the whole picture taking ordeal absolutely fun!

5. Travel with good spirit, energy and please be fit to travel!

I know this is a bit too much to ask especially about being fit to travel. There is a very important reason to that.

Personally for me, a road trip means a non-stop, constantly moving travel and the only time we make a long pit stop is when we call it a night and finally crashes on to bed before another long day starts the next day. You need a good spirit, energy and fitness level to last more than 12 hours of constant moving or walking or driving or talking or partly eating and walking again. So there is a lot of work put in together for a jam-packed but totally worthy road trip in a day. Hence, if you don't have the good spirit, energy and good fitness level, I doubt that you are going to have an awesome road trip. The worse that could have happened if you are lacking on those three thing is that you are just going to be a drag for your travel partners which you really want to avoid doing. The whole idea of a road trip is to have a good time and if you think you are not cut out for some mega awesome time with multiple, constant activities, then it is best for you to just stick around at home. Ouch that sounds harsh. :)

So there you go, The Top 5 Things You Essentially Need For An Awesome Road Trip. So travelers out there, would you care to be my travel partner for yet another awesome road trip of your lifetime? Leave me a comment and we'll see if we can make it work!  *Subject to terms and conditions that is.

Monday, December 05, 2011

I Got One Hand In My Pocket | Alanis Morissette

This song seems like THE perfect song tonight. Let's listen to this :

Hand In My Pocket by Alanis Morissette

http://youtu.be/LQ8D5Ihe4hg

Hand In My Pocket Lyrics:

I'm broke but I'm happy
I'm poor but I'm kind
I'm short but I'm healthy, yeah
I'm high but I'm grounded
I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed
I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby
What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five
I feel drunk but I'm sober
I'm young and I'm underpaid
I'm tired but I'm working, yeah
I care but I'm restless
I'm here but I'm really gone
I'm wrong and I'm sorry baby

What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be quite alright
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is flicking a cigarette
And what it all comes down to
Is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving the peace sign
I'm free but I'm focused
I'm green but I'm wise
I'm hard but I'm friendly baby
I'm sad but I'm laughing
I'm brave but I'm chickenshit
I'm sick but I'm pretty baby

And what it all boils down to
Is that no one's really got it figured out just yet
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is playing the piano
And what it all comes down to my friends
Is that everything's just fine fine fine
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is hailing a taxi cab

Sunday, December 04, 2011

My Personal Taste Bud Rating Over Penang Road Famous Teochew Cendol

Penang Road Famous Teochew Cendol! What do I think about it?

[caption id="attachment_2525" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Penang Road Famous Teochew Cendul. What do you think about this cendul?"][/caption]

My take is it was alright. Okay-lah kind of rating!  I thought I've tasted something better than that. Hehe. Probably because we ordered the cendol without the kacang so it kinda have a missing ingredient. Also, it is a strictly hawker style cendol stall and yes, you have to line up by the busy roadside to order, grab a bowl, stand and gobble up your cendol while watching out your backside for incoming vehicles from your front or back. It is one of those quick slurps kind of cendul eating and something you can't really take your time to really indulge. No, not this place.

[caption id="attachment_2526" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Order up and gobble down your cendul while standing"][/caption]

Whatever it is, my taste bud has tasted a much better tasting cendol which is :

1. Nyonya Cendol  at Oceon Cafe in Melaka with its really thick Gula Melaka that gives it an extra edge than other standard cendol.

[caption id="attachment_2528" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Nyonya Style Cendol by Ocean Cafe Melaka - loaded with thick and sweet Gula Melaka"][/caption]

2. Cendol James located right smack at my hometown in front of the Sitiawan Hindu Temple . I don't know man, there is something about James Cendol that seems to be so perfect to have on a blistering hot day to quench your thirst with some sugary, iced cendol.

[caption id="attachment_2531" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Cendol James At Sitiawan Temple"][/caption]

Anyway, enjoy the Cendol pictures ya'll. I bet you will be hunting down for some cendol when you are reading this post. :) Happy Cendol-ing!

Saturday, December 03, 2011

What is the simplest yet memorable thing you can gift to anyone?

I have a simple question to ask. The question is "What is the simplest yet memorable thing you can gift to anyone? "

My humble yet simple answer for that question is this :

The simplest yet memorable thing you can ever gift to anyone is to sincerely  from the bottom of your heart, to say something really awesome and nice to a person because that is one of the best qualities that you can see deep through inside them. Also, sometimes that is exactly what they needed to know about how awesome they really are deep inside.

Always look at people for what they really are as a person deep inside their heart and don't look at people for what they appear to be or look like on the outside. Every single one of us is born beautiful and it is a matter of really seeing and looking deep into a person to figure out their special 'gift' that has always been with them.

Hence, next time around if you really want to gift something memorable to a person, look deep inside them and tell them exactly how 'beautiful' they truly really are deep inside their hearts.