Mount Kinabalu Expedition Day 1

[caption id="attachment_856" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Mt.Kinabalu from afar"][/caption]

The wait was finally over on 13th May 2010 for our most anticipated big hike which is non other than Mount Kinabalu. The team had been planning for this expedition since late 2009 after a couple of us who visited Sabah for the first time last year went totally head over heels with the mesmerizing beauty of Sabah and of course the majestic mountain itself - Mount Kinabalu. The whole journey and preparation towards the Mount Kinabalu expedition was no easy feat and I have to give a lot of credit to our team planner, Zue for putting up with all 12 of us through those endless emails since last year for all the bookings,payments, travel ideas and etc. Also not forgetting Mr.Boss for arranging all mountain bookings for everyone cum becoming our local tour guide around Kota Kinabalu.

Since I only know a handful of people out of these 13 people in the team, it was great to know that we all ended up blending very well with one another throughout the trip. I suppose all sports or outdoor adventure people are the coolest and friendliest bunch you can ever be with and we gel almost instantly well with each other the moment we greet and meet. After a brief greeting and exciting chats later with the newly met team members (Aida,Lily,Huna and Azrul and my old time friend - Bullert) at the boarding gate, we met with the first hiccup of the expedition which was a 2 hour flight delay. All I could think of at that time was by hook or by crook, we have to be in KK the latest at midnight because our hike from the Timpohan trail will resume at around 8 am the next day and I was not going to blow this big expedition out just because we couldn't fly out from KL to KK in time for the hike. Thankfully after a quick gobble of lunch since we all got kicked out of the plane to 'comfortably wait' at the boarding gate again, the plane started revving and up we went to the sky towards Kota Kinabalu.

The plane trip was sucky because I got a wailing toddler sitting  just behind me and if that was not enough the little kid went kicking at the back of my seat too. The last 15 minutes of the flight was so horrible and I was like come on, get me out of here quick! The toddler for some unknown reason went on a wailing fit for a good 15 minutes or more right until touch down but regardless of that I'm thankful to be seated next to an adorable old Chinese couple who were really pleasant during the trip.

After gathering our bags and a couple of quick photo sessions later, we met up with another half of the team who came from Penang the night before. Zue got really excited seeing me after what had been years and we had loads of XOXO's moments going on and after that followed by more XOXO's moments with Azleena too. A brief hello from a couple of others ensued before we hopped into the van for dinner and towards Kundasang to rest for the night.

The trip from Kota Kinabalu towards Kundasang is a long, winding 2 hours trip and I really enjoyed the trip because our driver, Nik is a pretty competent driver and by that I mean fast, local driver. However one of us surely did not enjoy the road trip as much as I did because apparently we had to stop Nik twice during the drive to give way for Aida to puke by the roadside. Hehe. I was told by her that she always get nauseous during long, winding drives and I really feel sorry for her to puke all her dinner out during the short trip. Ouch!

[caption id="attachment_855" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Mountain RestHouse at Kundasang"][/caption]

This is the place we overnight on our first night at Kundasang, Sabah - Mountain RestHouse. The price is RM 15/night. The rooms have no heater but because it is a tiny room with two double decker bed enough for four people, we managed to get the heat from everybody collected inside the tiny room and that works very well as the heater for the night. Plus they also provide nice thick blankets so it was warm enough for the night. The restrooms and showers have no heater too but that didn't determined me to not bathe for the night. I thought after a nice cold bath later I should be able to have a good night sleep but I was wrong. I dozed off finally around 12 ish pm and woke up around 2ish am thanks to the rats running and bumping the ceiling noisily above me. I ended up tossing around bed, listening to two couple  who just arrived at the room behind me around 3 ish am chatting and finally decided to wake up at 4 am just before my alarm went off.

Oh another major point I need to mention here is the crazy packing and unpacking of stuffs during the night just before bed. Initially I had decided to bring my bigger bag to carry all the way to Laban Rata but it ended up being ridiculously heavy and I finally transferred everything that I wanted to carry into the small bag pack leaving the  bigger pack to be kept with Mr.Boss and another vacuum plastic bag filled with clothes to be used at Laban Rata and for the summit hike set aside for the porter to carry. Packing can be really sucky and the tips here is to always minimize your load as much as you can and always repack again after you have done with the packing just to lower down on your loads. Haha.

Since I woke early and the earliest amongst everyone, I got to check out the sunrise at 5 ish am around the rest house and it was getting pretty chilly in the morning. Next up we had a quick briefing with Mr.Boss until our next hiccup for the 2nd day begins.

Fun beach run and swimming a.k.a mini Biathlon

I was watching a lot of marathon and triathlon events on the Sports Channel lately and it got me itching to have a fun beach run and swimming on the beach thus making my very own mini Biathlon. I did exactly that two weeks ago and man, I really love it. The beach run was awesome especially when you get to breathe in cool, salty morning sea breeze and the weather was just perfect too. I suppose I made approximately a 1km run along the beach mostly making 100 m or so of repeated laps and I made one long run on another end of the long beach during the final lap. There weren't a lot of people on the beach that morning so the run wasn't interrupted by overcrowding beach goers.

Since I weren't keen about running shoeless on the beach because I was afraid to step on some sharp seashells, I was running with my open-toes sandals which was a bad idea. I kept brushing my big toe on the side of the sandal and thanks to that, I had to poke a blister out from the side of the toe later that day. It felt good though to poke your blister although I'm not sure if it is a recommended thing to do when you get a blister.

After the fun beach run, I went straight on for a couple of laps of swimming in the ocean. It was tough because I was getting out of breathe and tired from my beach run and now I have to strain the lungs with breathing in the water. I didn't get to do much laps because I was tired by then and I stepped on a sharp thing in the water, so I called it a quit after a couple of short laps. The biathlon ended soon after that and I have a newfound respect for triathletes out there for their strong endurance and stamina.

Since I had a pretty mini Biathlon, I got to play around with my camera on the beach. So check out the pictures and tell me what do you think? Care to have a mini Biathlon with me perhaps? =p



[caption id="attachment_839" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Beach run aka Mini Biathlon"][/caption]

Breathing techniques while running or hiking

If you are finding yourself gasping for air after a short time of running or ascending hiking, you may want to try out the proper breathing technique for your run or hike. So, how is it done?

It works simply by following the standard 3:2 ratio of breathing where it is a 3 deep inhale for the first 3 steps and 2 slow exhale for the next 2 steps and repeat. As you get used to this 3:2 breathing technique, you can see yourself running or hiking steadily but most importantly you will be relaxed and are able to keep a constant pace or momentum throughout your run or hike.

Do note that the way you breathe differs from one individual to the other and following the 3:2 breathing ratio may be difficult for first timers. I know that very well because initially, I did find it hard to get used to the 3 deep breathe with 2 exhale and at the end found myself gasping and panting even harder than before. If that is the case with you, you can vary your breathing to 3:3 breathing ratio and alternately changing to 3:2 ratio later on during your run. For fast running or sprint, most runners implement the 2:1 breathing ratio while most elite long distance runners do the 2:2 breathing ratio throughout their miles of running.

It is also vital to know that good breathing techniques particularly as I have recommended which is deep breathing may help your body to function well and efficiently. It works quite simply by making your body more oxygenated. Enough oxygen in your blood cells help to process more energy for your body to function better especially during strenuous long run or hill/mountain ascent. Moreover, deep breathing can give you a calming effect during your run or even your daily life and it is the easiest fix for stress.

Keep on practicing and working on your breathing techniques to build your overall stamina and performance. It is also very much recommended to breathe (inhale and exhale) using your nose instead of using your mouth and nose because nose breathing helps to filter impurities from the air and regulate the body temperature. Will that all said, never take your breathing technique for granted because if you get the technique right, it will do wonders in your running or ascending hiking performance.

Shoe Review: Adidas Response Trail 16

A couple of months back I got myself a new running shoes as the one I had earlier was pretty much battered. The sole came out and there are little traction left on the sole. I was looking for a trail and outdoor running shoes and finally decided to get this – Adidas Women's Response Trail 16 Running Shoe


httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grRsHdzF9Ls

How I feel about the shoe while running on different terrains:

1.Jungle trekking – going uphill and downhill
Since the sole is new, I still slipped a couple of times while walking on slippery tree branches and rocks. The traction is pretty good although I was expecting for better grips on the sole while going uphill the slippery jungle path. Coming downhill, I feel rather confident with this shoes because it provides great toe support at the front of the shoes.

2.Running on grassy trail
Traction is great because the grass was dry. I have yet to test it out on wet morning dew grassy trail but I expect it to be an excellent run with this shoes. I feel comfortable running with this pair but do watch out for blisters on your ankle if you wish to wear a low cut/invisible socks. Since this is a really new pair of shoes, it is best to put on an ankle length socks to avoid blisters before the shoes starts to season as you frequent the shoe's usage.

3. Hiking on wet terrain
Of course the Response Trail 16 will get absolutely wet if you have to cross a little patch of water as deep to just below your knee which in my case that's what happened and I had to cross the water trail to move further into the trail. Despite getting all drenched, the nylon mesh upper on the shoes is quick to dry and it has a lightweight-breathability function which is great for any wet or damp trail running condition. With good exposure from the sun during your trail running, you can expect for the shoes to dry as you run along. Also since it is a mesh upper, it can get pretty breezy at the front of your toes especially if you tend to run towards the wind direction.

Conclusion:
This Adidas Response Trail 16 is great for outdoor trails with great traction from the ForMotion control . The price is pretty reasonable for a new arrival in Adidas Stores throughout Malaysia. I got a 20% off from the original price, hence it was a good buy for me. Go get one of your own Adidas Response Trail 16 for your outdoor runs right now by clicking the link  here.

The most anticipated month has come!

Yes, the most anticipated month of the year has finally arrived. It is another 8 more days left for us to do some last minute 'muscle acclimatization' and finally just DO IT! I'm talking about the big hike of course.

I've been doing preparations for this Mt. Kinabalu hike since a couple of months back although in the initial phase, it was a mere pathetic twice a month little hill hiking and later on proceeding into some long distance walking on the golf course with probably once a week of jogging. Yes, I've picked up golfing and ditch the game altogether during this whole duration. Not until exactly 29 days ago, I've begun to literally put up a chart, hang it up beside the mirror and chart out on daily basis on what workout I've done on a day. I was ambitious like any typical goal setter will be because I wrote a little remark by the side of the chart that was written " TO RUN 5 KM IN 45 MIN OR 30 MIN/DAY - NON STOP BY 17/4/2010. Yes there are all in caps so that it stands out and would eventually stuck into the brain that it is highly important to achieve this goal regardless.

Of course I could never keep up with the 2 weeks duration to run 5K non-stop I've ambitiously given myself and up until now, my best record was to jog/run non-stop for 15 minute for a distance of 1.2K. Despite not being able to run non-stop in 45 minute for a 5K, I've managed to finish up a 5K in a record of 40 minute by doing a combination of jog/run/fast walk/jog and a good 200m final sprint towards the end. Come to think of it, I've actually reached my goal of running 5K in 45 minute don't I? Next time around it is going to be a 10K in an hour. Oh yeah!

Besides the running and jogging, of course there is the hill hiking. My last proper hill hike was last week. I didn't clock my best time during the uphill battle and I was struggling to breathe until later on I went home and read up on proper breathing techniques for running because it sure helps a lot to keep you going farther uphill or running for a longer duration. Other practices are going uphill on a 100m stretch and repeating the process five times or more. It gets easier on each hike as you begin to master the deep breath and slow exhale technique. However the best workout so far was doing almost a 1K beach run and later on swimming in the sea. The run was fun although people were of course watching because I was the only one running on the beach. On the other hand, I was having shorts of breath during my short breaststrokes laps probably because it is very tiring indeed and I really think those triathletes are really very strong people.

It is about a week's left before we will fly to Kota Kinabalu and I still need to get some stuffs ready. I've been missing some jogging because it is more of a 'do more hill running or walking' week. I hope all will go well next week and I have to admit that we are all getting excited on this and we are having the 'summit fever' alright.

Animals Anecdotes 3: Kitty in the rim

This is one of the rare occasion when little kittens or any cats in general will do when they switch into the panic mode. Never mess with a panic, scared animals. In this case a kitten. This little kitten hissed and literally screamed its lungs out as we tried to help it get out. This is what happened to it:

[caption id="attachment_804" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Little kitten stuck in between the rim. It is wet, panicky and most definitely very agitated."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_805" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kitty in the rim with one leg out"][/caption]

We thought hosing the kitten out with water would eventually helps it to slip out and get the heck out of the rim. But it only helps to make the kitten wet and scared more than anything. Later on, it finally struck to us that ,"Oh yeah, cats hate water right?". A very smart move indeed.

Until a couple of wasteful minutes later, we decided to stand away from the stuck animal and went inside the house. Probably it can slip out on its own if we just keep clear of its view. True enough, minutes later, we heard a tiny meow right on the front door. It was the wet kitten calling out for its mother I suppose. The next seconds as we appeared out of the house, the kitten was gone and there I was thinking , "You better not hide in those rims again or we are just going to get moving along with you stuck between it."

We never saw the kitten again for the next couple of days until weeks later, I saw it playing around with its mother, looking all happy and healthy at my neighbour's house just back door.The mother cat is missing a kitten and God knows what happened to it. The lesson here is never mess with a panicky kitty because man that little creature can really hiss and scowl.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

This is the second time around I'm reading this book entitled Into Thin Air authored by Jon Krakauer. Most times I will only read books once and stash it away on the bookshelves. However this book is an exception to that and since the count down for the major summit hike is less than a month, it is best to re-iterate pages from this awesome outdoor adventure book once again.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster was listed as the number one  New York Times Bestseller back in 1997. The book is about a  personal account of the Mount Everest disaster back in 1996 where Krakauer, the author himself with a team of other climbers attempted Mount Everest.

Here are some of the reviews received on this book in verbatim:

Ranks among the great adventure books of all time. - THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism. - PEOPLE

Wrenching ...lucid...it is impossible to read this book unmoved. - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Every bit as absorbing and unnerving as his 1996 bestseller Into the Wild. - THE NEW YORK TIMES

You got to get your hands on Into Thin Air and it is a definite must-read for every avid mountain climbers for it gives a lot for us to ponder about on taking risks, achieving big and almost impossible plus insane goals in the name of strong will and pure determination.

Animals Anecdotes 2: May it R.I.P

Actually, I've draft a post particularly for this Animals Anecdotes numero deux. However, after much thought, I've decided to do away with the anecdotes due to its gory and almost inhumane details which I'm afraid will spark some tension and questions among any animal lovers out there. With that said, may this little creature R.I.P.

[caption id="attachment_786" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Baby rat on the open ground before the 'inevitable execution'"][/caption]

Saying no more on things but that picture was taken before the 'inevitable execution' which ended into a horrible mess. Either way, the little baby could not have survived long in the open ground and since life is just a constant cycle, it is glad to say that this tiny cadaver was not put into waste. The ant soldiers were quick to march into action and carried pieces of the remains away. May it rest in peace.

Buff Headwear Review

If you are on a look out for a versatile, multifunctional headwear to use on your daily outdoor or sports activities, you have to get one of these buff headwear now!

The buff headwear is a  tubular, seamless, made of microfibre fabric that  comes in variant of designs that can function into a scarf, bandanna, cap, headband, wristband, beanie, face mask, balaclava, tube top and many more. Below is a snapshot on how to wear a buff and the various way to style it.

[caption id="attachment_766" align="aligncenter" width="290" caption="Various ways to wear and style with a buff"][/caption]

The original Buff headwear has been around since 1992 and is known worldwide when the buff is worn by all the contestants of the TV Series Survivor. Notice the colorful range of tube headgear on the contestants? That's a buff alright.

This buff headwear is made special and different due to the material or fabric used to design it. It is made from a wide range of material such as 100% polyester microfiber, 100% Merino wool from the Merino sheep,CoolMax,Polartec,Windstopper and Polygiene in order to design the many types of buff available from the Buff factory.

To get your own buff, simply order it online from their website at www.buyabuff.com . If you are in Malaysia and you don't want to go through the hassle of international shipments and duty tax etc, COREZONE Malaysia has stocked up its store with a series of buff headwear since a couple of years back. So there is no problem to get your hands on these really awesome buff. The price of a buff ranges between $USD 12 - $USD39 or MYR 79 - MYR108 ( from COREZONE) depending on the type of buff that you choose. It may seem a little pricey for a small little tube but I still think it is an affordable and must buy item if you are one of those cool and avid outdoor adventure guys. What's the wait? Go get one of your own buff now!

Animals Anecdotes 1: Jojo scares me out!

Jojo is a very friendly creature. I am not so sure with its gender but I am going to guess that its a female. Her hair is going all over the place and in need of a quick trim. Looking utterly cute with its short legs, wiggling its tail as you call her. Ah, so adorable.

I have the tendencies to get scared of sudden movements from animals. I called Jojo and she looked at me, eyes all round. I was just calling to check out if she recognizes me, after all we are neighbours. Out of the sudden, she starting making quick tiny steps more and more towards me. On automatic, I panicked and ran towards the gate without a single reason why. Apparently Jojo only made a couple of steps towards me but I guess she stopped upon seeing me fleeing. I bet you Jojo thought I was acting all weird. All she wanted was to play with someone but she scared me instead.

I ended laughing at myself. I felt silly too. Jojo went back to the front of her gate and sat watching me. Oh Jojo, next time if you feel like approaching me, give me some kind of signal will you? It is not you, it is just me. Scared of little sudden movements especially when it comes from furry or flying animals/insects. Haha.

Oh if you still can't tell, Jojo is a little doggy. I am not sure of her breed but it is one of those black and white little dog with almost curly looking hair. A real cute little doggie.

Not so quick update on Mt.Kinabalu latest happenings

Ever since I was totally hooked on Mt.Kinabalu via ferrata activity conducted by non other than the Mountain Torq company, I was quick to follow them on Facebook just like any typical ardent fan will follow their ultimate favorite band which in my case I fan DJ Tiesto and The Prodigy on my Facebook. Gosh, I just love them. Sorry, just cannot help myself from getting off track from the topic. =)

Anyhow, since I am following Mountain Torq or the Via Ferrata Asia group in Facebook, I have the privileges of getting updates on anything regarding Mt. Kinabalu. Of late I have been getting news about water shortage at the mountain due to the dry weather. Without rain for close to four weeks since late February it resulted to low water reserve on the mountain * this was update I received on March 9. Due to that facilities on the mountain are forced to go on the water conservation mode by limiting water usage strictly only for cooking and drinking. No showers allowed for guest's accommodation. As on March 21, the group updated that rain finally showered the mountain however it was not heavy enough to fill up the water reserve.

Other updates...

I just found out there will be a charity climb on the mountain conducted by Shelter Home for Children, KL. The charity climb will be held from 18-21 April 2010. I am not sure if you can still participate in the charity climb with them since if I read correctly, the registration date was closed on the 26 February. However, if you are interested to donate towards their drive to raise RM100,000 for their Shelter Home you can still do so by contacting them directly here. What is interesting about this climb is that a one legged young man is going to attempt the climb towards the summit and if you happen to be climbing Mt.Kinabalu on the same date as them, do give your support for these climbers. Too bad I am only climbing in May.

I just hope the weather will get better and the mountain will see more rain in days to come. On that note, I should be training more since April is coming pretty soon. Yikes! My stamina is still not up to standard and April is going to be a do  or die training regime. Until more updates, happy training to my fellow comrades and safe climbing for all climbers.

What's new at Broga Hill this year?

We've been up Broga Hill for a couple of times last year with each trip being uniquely different from the previous one. By all means, 'we' represents myself and my equally adventurous partner,FF. If you have read my older post about my hiking trips on Broga Hill, I was proudly mentioning that

you can never turn down an invitation for a hike at Broga when the sole purpose of climbing is to capture images of the scenery and the climbers!

As far as I am concerned, that statement was so last year. It is because there have been a lot of changes going about in and around the hill. It is sad to say that the changes I have seen a couple of weeks back will draw me further out from making future hiking trips up this hill. Here are the reason why.

To begin with, every frequent hiker at this hill knows about the palm oil plantation parking lot. It used to be a free parking for all visitors but not this year. Either pay up a parking fee of RM 2 or decide to park else where like by the roadside which is right before entering the plantation. A lot of people resorted to parking by the roadside because of the parking fees and if you are a frequent hiker at Broga Hill, I find it just not worth the money simply to pay some fees for parking. Just not worth it.

More over, you get to see a couple of sign boards from the starting point of the hike right to the summit. Putting up sign boards of course is a good thing because it shows that the hill is properly taken care of. Well at least that is what we think.

[caption id="attachment_735" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The grass started to grow green again despite being totally pitched black a couple of weeks black. Only the branches left blackened."][/caption]

Next, for the past couple of weeks, the hill for some unknown reason was badly burnt at the summit and the formerly green, tall grass turned into tall strands of blackened sticks and leaves. An aerial view of the hill shows that a good portion of the hill was badly burnt down. The only possible reason for the burnt I guess was because of the dry spell, the grass got all dried out and eventually burnt on its own due to the heat. That is what I think though.

Lastly, ever since the hill has been getting a lot of publicity thanks to television - I suppose it was the 8TV Quickie Show, weekenders varying from youngsters, students, families and hikers like myself throngs the hill like a tiny procession towards the top right from before sunset. The last thing I wanted was to brush shoulders with some bunch of strangers on some hill. Hill hiking suppose to be a fun-filled outdoor activity to be closer to nature, not closer to more people.

Therefore if you have yet to visit Broga Hill or have some thoughts of going over there this weekend and if you are an ardent hiker trying to explore new terrain at this hill, try going after my suggestions here:

1. Avoid early morning weekend hike because that is the peak hour time where many will flock the hill to view the sunrise. Come on you can have better sunrise view elsewhere where it is peaceful and serene.
2. Recommended timing for hiking will be around 8 am or later. You can also try evening hike or best do it on weekdays.
3. If you are thinking to save some bucks because if you are coming from KL or PJ area, it is a long drive to get here, thus it is best to park free by the roadside. Just watch out for the immediate left of the roadside right before the plantation entrance because the surface area there is slightly steep and not stable. You do not want to see your car toppled to the side at the end of your hike.

With that all said, FF and I figured that the hike we had at Broga Hill two weeks ago will be the first and the last at least for both of us this year. But come to think of it again, you'll just never know. We may make our return trip here but just not anytime too soon.

Must do at Mt. Kinabalu - Via Ferrata

Another must-do attraction up Mount Kinabalu wil be none other than the Via Ferrata experience right from the summit of the highest mountain in Borneo. I first came across the Via Ferrata experience from another local outdoor adventure blogger but I didn't give so much notice about it. I was thinking, oh well, it was just another person climbing up Mt. Kinabalu.

A couple of months later, I stumbled upon the Mountain Torq's website while Googling on "how to prepare for Mt. Kinabalu climb" since I will be stepping foot yet again over at Mt. Kinabalu pretty soon. After checking out the Mountain Torq's official website and watched through their video, I was so amazed and excited about it that I really wanted to do the Via Ferrata too!

First up, what in the world is this Via Ferrata?

A via ferrata (Italian for "iron road". Plural vie ferrate. In German, Klettersteig) is a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities. Walkers and climbers can follow via ferratas without needing to use their own ropes and belays, and without the risks associated with unprotected scrambling and climbing - Wikipedia

Still clueless about it reading the definition despite above? Oh wait, you didn't bother to read the little Wiki definition I pasted above right? *wink

Alright then, this is a via ferrata.

* a print screen of the Google Images search for "via ferrata mt.kinabalu"

[caption id="attachment_714" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption="Via Ferrata at Mt.Kinabalu, Sabah"][/caption]

So as clearly seen here, via ferrata is where you climb a rocky mountain that has been fixed with special equipments which allow anyone without rock climbing experience to safely maneuver the mountain. Also, via ferrata by all means is not the same as rock climbing.

What is it doing at Mt. Kinabalu?
For all that I know, it's the World's Highest Via Ferrata and it's right here in Borneo, South East Asia. So what more are you asking? It's the highest in the world so you better land your feet at this via ferrata.

How to get to the starting point of this Via Ferrata?

I don't know if you already have an idea on how to get to this via ferrata. Obviously, if you are used to mountaineering, you would have instantly know the answer to this question. But being silly me, not dumb ( that's an understatement, haha), I just have no idea about where and how to start this via ferrata at Mt. Kinabalu. After much reading, I finally figured that you first have to climb the mountain up until the summit and the ferrata experience starts if you choose to descent down the mountain via the ferrata route. So it goes to show that, if you want to experience the highest via ferrata in the world, like it or not, you have to climb the highest mountain in Borneo- Mt. Kinabalu first. That makes a lot of sense right?

Furthermore, pre-booking is obviously necessary if you choose to follow this ferrata route and most certainly a bigger budget for your all together, unforgettable Mt.Kinabalu experience. As for this coming May which is the month I'm going to climb this mountain, we will not try out on this via ferrata. Hence, there will be more reason to come back to Sabah again soon just for the sake of the via ferrata experience.

If you happen to have done this particular via ferrata, do drop down some comments over at this post. Probably you can share some experience and stories about it with us. =)

When you have so much to write about, you ended up writing nothing.

I've been having series of ideas flowing into my head since the past couple of weeks but the worse part of all is, I never come around writing them. The most I've done is to write down titles of topics that I should be writing for this blog and it just stopped there. Just mere titles and no articles.

Right now I'm just going to write up this post and publish it in between myself writing another Travel/ Outdoor Adventure post in this blog. I reckon it's best to put up a post to fill up the gap I've been making for not publishing anything for the past couple of days, or has it been weeks already now? Erk...

To add on a wee bit on this post, let's just talk about the weather.

The weather has been insanely hot and humidity is high all the time. It has been going on for a month or so that way not until yesterday where things started to get better. It rained heavily and it was pretty much a thunderstorm. For the first time after what has been a long time,I found myself searching blindly for my blanket last night. It was chilly last night and that's a great sign that the weather is going to be back to normal soon. At the time of writing, it just started to rain a little bit with some noise of thunder. If the weather forecast I'm seeing from Yahoo! Weather is correct, thunderstorm is expected through out the weekend too. Yay!

Oh well, that's enough updates for now. Praying for more interesting posts, good weather, good health and more money to come! Hope you guys will stick around for more updates in Yasz Amzah.com pretty soon! =)

I need a banner and logo design for YaszAmzah.com

This site has been pretty bare and naked from colorful designs for a couple of months now. Hence, I need a banner and logo at least somewhere by this month.  I've been thinking to put up a banner and logo that reflect myself, me, the rightful owner of this blog/site which ever you want to call it. But thinking is as far I've gotten to do until now. The action part is coming in pretty slow which is not a good thing at all and I'm sure you readers are dying to see some colorful change over at this site. Believe me, I do too!

If you guys have any suggestions on where I can get my hands for a really cool, fully customized banner and logo designs or any tutorials for me to create my own design, do give me a heads up. If the design is worth the buy at a real bargain, I might as well buy it. Otherwise, I really don't mind tweaking my own designs with some help from tutorials but that will mean I have to push myself to actually sit down and put into action on the designs. Seriously peeps, I need huge help in the banner and logo department of YaszAmzah.com and I do hope you guys can help me out here. Thanx!

A remedy for de-stress, it's penniless!

If you happen to be all stressed out because that's how life is for most people, help yourself to de-stress by doing these:

1. Have a slow walk in the nearest park or better, have a nature walk at a jungle trail near you. There are a lot of nature reserves in KL, so there is no excuse to say that you live in a city and the nearest 'jungle' is far away from you. The fresh air, the sound of nature and the greenery helps to de-stress and bring out a better mood in you.

2. If you still can't find the 'time' for a short walkabout in the jungle, listen up to Birdsong Radio.com while you are working behind your desktop or laptop. Birdsong Radio plays specifically songs from singing birds. Yes, birds do sing and they have good melody too if you find time to listen to them attentively.

3. Alternatively, you can download  free mp3s by searching  keywords like Nature Sound Free downloads or visit my other favorite nature song website by Peter Mumme'. There are a good collections of nature songs from animals, oceans sounds, rainforests sounds and etc available at this site.

Try this remedy out and hope it'll help you to de-stress from your super hectic lifestyle. Happy jungle walking and listening!

p.s: I will share to you in future posts on the nearest jungle walk you can go to in KL. So do stay tune on Yasz Amzah.com!

Clearwater Sanctuary Wetland for Par 3 Golfing

I'm running out of creative juices for today, hence I'm letting you guys feast on some of my pictures while attempting some beginners Par 3 golfing over at Wetland - Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Resort located at Batu Gajah, a mere half an hour or so from Ipoh, Perak. This wetland sanctuary was once the filming location of the movie "Anna and the King". Most of the filming props have been taken down but this course has a really beautiful fairway and green, what more with a great ambiance of a true wetland environment.

The green fees for this Par 3 Wetland course is RM 30 for a 1-9 game. If you come in a flight of three, you get to pay RM 20/pax. Meanwhile, if you are looking for the real deal, 18 holes course, head on to the main golf course for a great and fun golfing experience. Enough said and let's just move on to the pictures. Happy viewing!

[caption id="attachment_665" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sunrise view at 1st hole of the Par 3 golf course"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_666" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Lovely lake view at Wetland Clearwater Sanctuary Golf course at Batu Gajah"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_668" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="8th hole for the Par 3 course at Wetland Clearwater Sanctuary.One of the best views and most challenging hole because you have to tee off and hope the ball will cross over the lake."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_669" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Myself with the clubs failed miserably to tee off over the lake. Hence I resorted to snapping some pictures."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_670" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="More lotus plants as you cross the path towards the green"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_671" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="If you are lucky, you can catch a sight of the local beaver rolling around on the green and watching over your balls"][/caption]

Sad truth about how kids are growing up today!

Have you ever sat in a fast food restaurant trying to catch a quick bite for lunch during your tight lunch hour with the place all crowded with hungry luncheons and not forgetting wailing little babies or kids scrambling noisily all over their young mum or dad for their food? Do you see anything wrong with this scenario? If you can't find anything wrong with this, you are fitting into the right candidate to spoil your future or current children with bad eating habits and helping to further promote towards overall unhealthy lifestyle for your kids.

I feel sadden and almost helpless to see this poor little babies, some are hardly a year old and young children being fed with high sodium, high fat and oil, all sorts of MSG and God knows what 'healthy' fast food ingredients  for lunch, dinner or probably even breakfast. Things have taken a huge change from how we used to eat and the kind of food our mums used to feed us when we were a toddler and just a kid. I cannot remember being fed junk food or eating fried food only ration when I was growing up except for just a once in a blue moon kind of thing.

Parents have to be particular about their children food intake and the type of food that the children are taking in because as we all should know children is constantly growing. Their brain cells are growing by the hour perhaps , of course I'm no doctor to prove that statement. However, it is most important for parents to really take care after their children diet. Their little bodies need to have the right amount of nutrients, vitamins, antibodies and etc to help in their growth. If most parents are taking this food issues lightly and have little knowledge on feeding the proper food for their children, then they have to be ready for the worse once the children gets older.

Children with bad eating habits are most susceptible to growing up being unhealthy with complications probably like obesity, diabetic, hyperactive,slow in learning and malnourished too. Of course there are other factors that influenced a kid's overall health but the one described are some of the common issues we are seeing more and more today. So the whole point here is if you love your kids so much, don't you ever dare to be lazy and feed them that super salty,fatty fries and burgers with an extra large coke.

The way you are taking care after these little ones are going to determine on how and what they are going to grow up to be. Lastly, some people just gravely in need to go for some parenting education to knock some proper parental senses and knowledge into their heads. I am not a mum and no I don't have a little toddler to raise, but I do know a thing or two about what's best and what's not for these little ones. For all the little children out there, good luck kiddos!

Mangrove Swamp Park, Manjung

If you happen to visit Pangkor Island at Lumut, you will be missing another awesome nature preserve if you do not pay a short visit at Manjung's Mangrove Swamp Park or locally known as Taman Paya Bakau, Manjung. The mangrove swamp is  located a couple of minutes drive from Lumut town or more precisely located at *Desa Manjung Raya, Sri Manjung.

You may be asking, what is so special with this mangrove swamp?

I am no geoscientist or a geologist but I do know that mangroves are not easily found anywhere except around the coastal wetlands of the tropical and subtropical regions. Mangroves are known to survive in both salt and fresh water. They play a major role as a vital provider of the habitat for animals and plants. Mangroves too help a great deal to protect the mainland from damages of the hurricanes and tidal waves besides working to avoid shoreline erosion.

With that said and  I am sure I have bore you peeps down just a little bit ( I hope not ;)) with a tiny history of a mangrove swamp, so let's just check out the pictures from this beautiful, mangrove swamp of Manjung.

[caption id="attachment_645" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The mangrove type is known as "Bakau kurap""][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_646" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The nicely built pathway surrounding the mangrove area"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_647" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="This is a mangrove tree with its roots sticking out"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_648" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="More views of the mangrove swamp, Manjung"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_649" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Another view of the mangrove swamp towards the end of the pathway"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_650" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="A new edition of the park which is the hanging bridge"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_651" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hanging bridge from the top view"][/caption]

Hope you enjoy the pictures and do pay this mangrove swamp park a visit if you happen to come down to either Lumut or Pangkor Island or Sitiawan. =)

* To find the exact location of this park in Google map, simply set the direction to Taman Paya Bakau, Manjung.

Pop Quiz: Are you the perfect travel partner?

As I am writing this so-called quiz, I am straining my eyes just a little bit because I am so exhausted. The internet connection has been a real pain in the butt lately and TM you suck big time! Boo! It's a love-hate relationship when it comes to dealing with them. Enough about my lament and let's get to the quiz shall we.

If you think you want to try traveling for the very first time to just about anywhere, you will most probably need a travel partner. Unless you are a true gutsy person and cannot stand traveling with another person or in a group, you can skip this quiz altogether. Let's cut to the chase and get on with my all time top 8 - "Are you the perfect travel partner quiz?".

1. When you are booking for a hotel, do you only look out for a

A : 3-5 star but preferably 5 star hotels.

B: anything with a clean bed and bathroom for shower will just do.

2. When you pack you luggage, do you pack them in a

A : the largest, huge-ass suitcase that you  can buy in the store to carry all your different type of day wear, beach way, dinner way, shopping wear, casual wear, club wear, night wear so you'll look like a real fashionable tourist during your travel.

B : pack as light as possible in a back pack so that you don't have to check in your bag and with the thought in mind to rotate the pants and tops a couple of times during your travel.

3. The whole point you bought your plane tickets for your travel is because

A : you want to shop, shop, shop, and shop some more and look like the perfect tourist so that you can get ripped off by the locals.

B : you just want to discover the particular country's beautiful flora and fauna,culture, language, food and tradition to discover about people other than yourself with the only souvenir to bring home is the new experience gathered through out the travel.

4. When you are looking out for food during your travel, you most likely will visit

A : either the Chinese/Indian/Indonesian- Malay restaurant in that country of your travel because you cannot eat without having a taste of your Malaysian food.

B : eat like the local and be adventurous with your taste buds just for the sake of experiencing a totally new cuisine from what you are used to back at home.

5. When you and your travel partner(s) ended up getting  lost in a foreign country, you will most likely be

A : yelling at everyone, be totally irritated because no one can read the map properly and resorting to fidget more and complain because you are too tired and have started to think of the worse to come because hey, you are lost in a country you have no idea about.

B : pull over to the side of the road and take 5 since everyone is tired, get your bearings correct again by reading the map over and over again, and keep going back on the road and use whatever gut feelings that all of you have to get back on the right track. The whole idea is to be calm and keep a positive thought that you will be on the right track pretty soon.

6. Since most travel involves a lot of walking, sometimes running too to catch a bus or train, you are

A : the least fit person ever. The only fast walk or run you have ever done is walking fast to chase the store in the malls.

B : always the type of person who walks fast and simply loves walking what more running just for the heck of it.

7. During your travel, something in the culture of the country you are traveling you find specifically odd and stand against your principle. So, you ended up:

A : bad mouthing the locals out loud in English without knowing that some of the locals do understand what you are saying.

B : just look, mouth zips shut and only speak about what ever that had happened once you and your travel partner are together with yourself.

8. During your travel, your travel partner just found out about a really must-visit place in that country which is not in your initial travel itinerary and the fee you have to pay for it costs a bomb but is boasted to be worth all your money. You choose to:

A: skip it right away because you would rather spend the money on something you can buy and bring back home.

B: ditch your initial itinerary for the day and go head on with the must-visit place ever in that country because it is a total waste to travel all the way without doing this one must-do thing in this country.

Okay, now you are done questioning yourself, which answer did you get the most? If you answer mostly A , frankly speaking, I won't even want to travel with you because let's face it, me and you have a total different meaning and mindset towards what travel is all about. Instead, if you answer mostly B, say, Yay! Let's travel together shall we?

* I was suppose to write 10 questions for this quiz but I was running out of idea for the 9th question. Hey, if you have other questions to add on to this quiz, why don't you share them in the comment. Probably if we have more question, we can help to filter 'unlikely' people to be your travel partner. You do not want to have a disastrous travel just because somebody else in the group has to ruin it. Hehe.

Putting 'quality content only' posts into the trash!

Hey peeps,

Okay I admit that previously I was bragging about putting on more thoughts for a quality content in  my posts; guess what, all those things I've said are up for trash. Haha. Well at least just for today though. I'm currently facing one of those connection hiccups and I'm racing against time before this internet connection goes way to slow which means I can't load up my WP page.

Anyways, I've been meaning to write a post about a little mangrove park over at my place but I'm going to let pictures do all the writing and with this kind of internet connection, I can kiss that thought goodbye for tonight. Hence, I'm just putting up a trashy post for now just to keep up with my at least three posts a week regime. Haha.

In case you are reading my posts from Facebook, thanks for reading and guys, drop a comment or two right at the comment button. I know some of you tend to leave a comment right under the link at my Facebook which is okay and great. But, think about it, if you post your comments over at this site, other people get to see your piece of thought or comment too. Sharing is caring, no? =p

Okay peeps. Gotta stop here before this laptop starts acting up with more of its annoying antiques. Til better posts to come!

Stuffs I read for my Travel Ideas

If you are on a look out for a good read to generate your new travel ideas, here is a list of sites that I frequently visit or have subscribed in my reader:

1. Matador Network - boasted as the "World's Largest Independent Travel Magazine". There are so many things to offer in this site from travel tips, to living a life as a travel journalist, a travel blogger, and reading endless amount of travel journeys and discoveries especially if you can't literally travel to a particular place. This is one travel magazine that every traveler has to read and by far is among one of my favorites.

2. Briefcase to Backpack - a great website for those looking for a career break or a gap year where you will get brilliant travel ideas and list of things you can achieve and accomplish within your gap year.

3. Travel Channel.com - what easier way to get more ideas from none other than the Travel Channel. If you can't quite catch the channel on the tv, have a quick go at their site and you won't be left disappointed for missing that favorite Travel Channel show of yours on tv.

For local travel  or more like Malaysian outdoor adventure travel,  I have subscribed to these favorite bloggers of mine:

1. Jamie Soon - I bumped into her website after googling for Sg. Kampar white water rafting event and sure enough her blog comes on the first page of the Google search. Besides topping the rank in the search engine, I'm supposing Jamie is an avid traveler and outdoor adventurer girl. You got to check out where she had been to and I must say, I want to go there too!

2. Teoh Yew Aun - this guy is an all out , outdoor adventure junkie. His writing was recently published in the local NST if I'm not mistaken. I'm also sensing he dreams to become the Malaysian version of Bear Grylls which I think is quite possible with his kind of 'enthusiasm'. It's really interesting that he takes the time to video and document his jungle discoveries. That takes a whole lot of effort man and the videos are cool too.

3. My dad's Ride a bike travel blog! He's on a mission for a Round The World trip (RTW) by 2012. If you are into bikes,go check his blog. I do hope he gets to write more though and let's hope he can document his biking journey well. FYI, my dad christened his favorite RTW bike as Camel which is a Kawasaki KLR 650. We still think Camel is a funny name to call a bike. =p

4. Zue's Cerita Travel blog. Zue is my old time friend from Penang and a true Penangnite she is. She'll be going for a Euro trip next month and I can't wait to check out on her itineraries because Euro trip is not a bad idea for this year travel ain't it? =p

Yep. There goes my list of where I read to get my travel ideas. So I want to know, where do you read to get that crazy, wild travel ideas of yours?

How far have I gone with YaszAmzah.com?

Hi peeps!

If you have noticed, most of my recent posts (which you can check out on my sidebar on the right or go straight to my Archives page that I've created just today!) are listed under the Outdoor Adventures, Travel and Sports tag. I can't help but writing about those three categories because guess what, my life is currently whirling around planning for my next travel or outdoor escapades and 'dreaming' about my to-dos travel list for this 2010. I suppose you guys are doing the same thing too yourself!

Also, I'm working to create and publish only quality contents for YaszAmzah.com and currently my weekly target is to have at least three publish posts per week. I know top bloggers have a post published for everyday of the week but for the sake of maintaining that said 'quality content', I'm sticking for just three personally written, original content as for now for this blog. You know, I do have a couple of other blogs to maintain at the same time too. However,my primary focus will be YaszAmzah.com because I'm thinking, I just need to establish that much needed self branding first. =)

With that said, I just hope you guys will stick around and check out my blog's update from time to time now. Currently, I do have a couple of travel or outdoor adventures topics that are pending for writing and do stick around to check it out.

If you have not subscribed to receive YaszAmzah.com latest updates, you can do so by clicking on this link or by clicking the subscribe to my rss feed right at the last line of this post.

Alright then, catch you guys soon!

Cinnamon Chicken Recipe - Yasz Style!

I've created this recipe a couple of days  back and when I say created that actually means I didn't even Google for any cinnamon chicken recipes on the net (God, how geeky is that...=)) and I've never experimented cooking with cinnamon powder before except using a cinnamon stick in curries of course. I just had the feeling that I got to marinate the chicken drumsticks that I have and throw in some of the spices available in my current kitchen into the marinate.

So this is how I make my original cinnamon chicken recipe:

1. Chicken drumstick washed and cleaned.

2. Throw in some generous amount of cinnamon powder and Italian seasoning ( if you don't have this, you can always use any types of mix herbs usually comes readily in a pack).

3. To add some spiciness which we Asians must always have; the spicier the better really; I added a generous amount of black pepper and this wicked Baba's Chili powder. The redness of the chili powder adds a good blend of color with the already sweet and brown colored cinnamon powder.

4. Lastly, I added some EVOO - extra virgin olive oil ( or any types of vegetable oil will do) and a touch of salt because I'm very particular with my sodium intake. Haha.

That done, mix it all together and it smells really good already. You got in here a perfect blend of original sweet flavor of the cinnamon which is very distinct in it's own cinnamony way with a touch of heat from the superb chili powder and black pepper. Leave it to marinate overnight and the longer it takes to marinate, the better the cinnamon chicken will taste. Longer time will mean extra time for the flavors to  blend well into the chicken meat.

To cook it, simply heat up and lightly oil the pan. In my case, I'm using a cookingware from Fissler which is really great because once you have the lid covered over the pan, it'll speed up the cooking time and it is almost like frying plus steaming your meal. I let the chicken drumsticks to brown on one side - 5 to 7 minutes before flipping it on the other side, all the while putting on the cover. I guess by having the lid on, it helps to retain the moisture in the chicken because it won't ended up being brown and dry.

I remove the drumsticks once they are cooked and I also deglaze the bottom of the pan with some milk and water or you can use a mix of  plain flour with water to create a gravy from the brown bits left on the pan. Once that done, transfer back the drumsticks into the pan and let is mix together with the gravy. Finally, get ready to eat. It's so yummy and you are going to go for seconds and thirds on this one. You can trust me on that and it's for sure peeps.

On another note, this cinnamon chicken recipe is suitable for people who are always on the go and don't have much time to prep up for your food. You can prepare the marinate over the weekend and have a delish meal just waiting to be fried up over a pan in 20 minutes tops. Give this recipe a go and do tell me what do you think about it in the comment. Last but not least, Happy cooking!

Hiking up Bukit Engku Busu, Lumut

Bukit Engku Busu is my first hill hike for the year and up to date, I've been up there three time. The hill is located at Lumut, right behind the Lumut Police Station or just before reaching the Lumut entrance of the Naval Base . I can't really remember the last time I went hiking up here but sure enough it was ages ago, back during my schooling days.

[caption id="attachment_588" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bukit Engku Busu Trekking"][/caption]

The hill is only about 300 metres up but still it is pretty challenging for the inexperienced. Bukit Engku Busu is also part of the Lumut Forest Reserve and comparatively to Broga Hill, this hill has a pretty dense forest vegetation. It is a real jungle trail up there with lots of huge, long roots engulfing the forest floor. Some say if you are to begin your hike early in the morning, somewhere around 6ish am, you may come across some scorpions and even snakes. Thankfully, I never came across any since my last two hike uphill was in the evening. There were mosquitoes instead and they are the only motivation to keep you going up because the more time you take to rest, the more bites you'll get. =)

[caption id="attachment_589" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Engku Busu Jungle Track"][/caption]

Some of the views you'll get from third quarter uphill is the Naval Dockyard view and some clusters of islands surrounding the area. As you hike uphill, you also get to listen to the engine sounds of the ferries commuting from Lumut to Pulau Pangkor.

[caption id="attachment_590" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Naval Dockyard view from the top, just approx 5 minutes before reaching summit"][/caption]

Right on the top of the hill which we took somewhere around 38 minutes to get to, it's just an open area with not much of a view. Well actually there are views up there if you don't mind going a little bit further into the bushes which in our case, we didn't bother to go looking at all. From the top, there is also a route to climb down hill towards Teluk Rubiah which is in Manjung. But from what I see, the route is pretty dense up with bushes and I'm not sure if people still go down that way anymore.

[caption id="attachment_591" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Fallen tree at the Engku Busu track"][/caption]

Anyways, Bukit Engku Busu is still your best bet to keep up your fitness level and to pump up your heart on a very good cardio exercise. I still think our 38 minutes up and 33 minutes downhill was pretty slow. Other daily hikers can easily scale up and down in less than 60 minutes. Despite all that, mountain or hill hiking is not about reaching the summit at the fastest time but it is all about having the greatest feeling of conquering a difficult feat with sheer determination, effort and the strong mindset to constantly pushing your limits to reach the top. A feat that is worth the effort and that is exactly how I feel every time I reach the highest point of any hill and hopefully in the near future, a mountain.

I lurve white water rafting so much and Riverbug crew Rawks!

[caption id="attachment_543" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The gang before hitting the river"][/caption]

With the title all well said, yea, I couldn't resist the adrenaline cravings. Hence, I did go for my second white water rafting adventure over at Sg.Kampar yet again in December 2009. My first white water rafting at Sg.Kampar was super awesome and the second run was AWESOME-R! Hell yeah it is.

Despite being the second time I went there, it was yet another new experience for me! The river is alive you know, the environment and weather are constantly changing and so will the water rafting experience. This time around, I went with a couple of my old buddies and it was a pretty ad-hoc plan. Made some phone calls to the organizers who are none other than the Gopeng Rainforest people; the lovely David and wife, Janice. Called them up to arrange the schedule and I even forgotten to deposit some money earlier because I was too excited to go for the white water rafting. Haha. That's why, I think, David had to call me on the night before to re-confirm that I was coming all the way from KL to Gopeng the next day. Hehe.

Right, let's move straight to the 'big event'!

This time around we were late and the raft master was already waiting for us. The reason we were late because since we were all coming separately and we assumed that everyone knows we is Gopeng! Haha. Two of my friends actually misunderstood the location and they went to Medan Gopeng at Ipoh instead. LOL. The best part was when my friend was confidently talking to me on the phone saying that, " This is Medan Gopeng. This is Gopeng town la." Hahaha. FYI, Gopeng is a super tiny town or what we call it as 'pekan' and the only bus station it has is a pretty old-looking, very old school look-a-like kinda bus station. Even the buses are one of those old type ones.

Ok, being late - done, Next up was to listen to the raft master quick safety briefing. For some reason, we were noisy and laughing and we had to be 'shusshed' because there was another group listening pretty attentively to their raft master's briefing. Haha. I think Senz, our raft master was doing a real quicky on the briefing since we were very late but not late enough to have some cam-whore sessions with one of the Riverbug crew included. LOL.

I know this Riverbug crew from my previous rafting and this young lad got a handful of nicknames. The last time I went, I think people are addressing him as something else, but this time around when I asked of his name, he was telling me his name is JayZ. Haha.

Some of the things which was different from my previous white water rafting experience during this time around was we didn't go up until the 10km up river. Instead we only made it to the 7th km.  We didn't do body surfing at one of the earlier parts of the river because I was told by my raft master that the place that I had my body surfing before is no more safe. There's a lot of rough rocks underneath and it's pretty dangerous. Hell yeah it is. I did my last body surfing over that place before and bumped me butt straight on those rocks, but it was more fun and adventurous than the one we had this time.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Riverbug - whitewater adventure speacialist"][/caption]

We also ended up 'lepaking' at one of the river banks to jump from the tree and swam around the river. I was looking like an idiot , haha, while jumping from the tree into the river. One was because I've never jump from a tree into a river before. Two, I've forgotten to hold my nose before jumping and water went straight into the nostrils and left me coughing once I resurfaced. The best part, my friend Bulert told me this," Oh, forgotten to tell you before you jump to hold your nose. If not the water will enter your nostrils. " Duh! It already did, thanks man! Haha. Three, the tree was pretty high up and kinda slippery and there was nothing to hold on to before you get to the middle part of the branch, so I had to hold this kind, mat salleh's hand to get me across. LOL. I didn't know why,  but I was so dead on determine to jump from this tree so nothing was embarrassing at that moment.

All in all, the white water rafting experience was super fun and I got to do it with my super old buddies too, so that was  more the fun. Nevertheless, Riverbug crew rawks , always, and I even met my previous raft master, Max or Maxxy ( don't get me started with his full name, coz the nickname has got nothing to do with the real name at all..haha) during the drive back. He was driving the van this time and I'm glad he still recognizes me. Haha. We got talking a little and I told him about my Mt. KK trip this May and he was recommending his 'bro' who happens to be the guide, I think for the Mt. KK climb. So, if any of yous are interested to climb the highest mountain in Malaysia and Borneo, do comment and leave a message at this post. I can share with you the contact details.

P.S: If you ask me if I'll do another run of white water rafting again? My answer will be,"YES!". I'm looking forward for white water rafting at Padas, Sabah somewhere this year. I may have to scout for people who are an adrenaline junkie and don't mind to splurge for some awesome outdoor adventure fun. Mind you, Riverbug also runs the white water rafting experience at Sabah and Padas water rafting is claimed to be the longest 30KM white water rafting run in South East Asia. For more info you can visit Riverbug's website here or call them from the number here in the picture.

Riverbug Gopeng

How to make a sand oven?

The after effect of way too many BBQs and watching endless cooking shows from Jamie Oliver, Robert Rainford and anything cooking related shows on Travel Channel, we had successfully attempted on creating a sand oven during our must have BBQ sessions each year. The whole point of creating an oven from sand is to have the 'steamed' effect on the cooking and also to get back to basic when it comes to preparing simple yet delicious outdoor cooking.

Here is how you prepare a successful sand oven:

1. Your location for the sand oven should and obviously be right on the beach where there is endless supply of the sand.

[caption id="attachment_512" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="The Beach"][/caption]

2. Simply dig a little hole out of the sand to prepare the oven. Nothing too deep or too shallow. For digging purposes, have a tiny spade handy.
3. Charcoals and some fire starter to make the fire for your oven. Once your charcoals have started to burn and formed into 'bara api', dunno what you call this in English, it's pretty much ready to be tossed into the hole you've dug earlier.

[caption id="attachment_515" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Charcoal inside the hole"][/caption]

We always lit up the charcoals from the BBQ set first and later move some of it into the sand hole because by doing that, we can have two sets of burning coals. One on the BBQ set and the other on the sand oven. Also, I think if you are to lit up the charcoals straight from the sand hole, it's going to be a pretty tough thing to do because the sand tend to be rather moist the further down it is below. However, I think it's still possible to lit the coal straight from the sand hole.

[caption id="attachment_516" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Burning charcoal in the bbq set"][/caption]

4. Once you have layered the ground of the sand hole completely with your burning charcoals, put directly whatever you want to be cooked on the burning charcoals. In our case, we usually put a huge fish like the Seabass (Siakap in Malay), lightly seasoned it with salt, pepper,spices,lemon, or whatever you want on it and nicely double wrap it on an aluminum foil.
5. Next add more burning charcoal on top of your foil to have a double top and bottom cooking effect.

[caption id="attachment_520" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Covering top layer with more charcoal"][/caption]

6. Lastly, cover up the final layer with sand. Make sure you fully covered the sand hole in order for the steam to remain within the hole and create the oven effect that you are looking for.
7. After a good 30 minutes, your fish should be ready to eat and dig the hole up to seize your awesome meal! I suppose, it takes longer time if you have chicken or meat in your oven.

[caption id="attachment_517" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Lifting up the fish in the foil using a tiny machete and tiny 'cangkul'"]

Digging out your 'oven cooked' fish

[/caption]

8. The cooking result from this sand oven will produce really moist, juicy and succulent dish; in our case, the yummiest steamed fish we ever had! And this techniques never gets old and definitely a must try thing if you are looking for adventure, beach side, cooking. It is yet, another plus thing for any BBQ-lovers!

[caption id="attachment_518" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Yummy Seabass"][/caption]

Putting together all 2009 babies!

Dear peeps,

Do you adore babies? Do you feel happy or do you find yourself smiling by just looking at baby pictures or what more looking at real babies in front of you?

If the answers to the questions above are all Yes, say hooray now! Yep, hooray because you happened to have a 'baby aura' which means you are attracted to babies or children and likewise the children towards you. * Just in case you are trying to Google about 'baby aura', I'm telling you straight out now, I just came up with that term and I have no idea if the term 'baby aura' even exists. Hehe.

Okay, back to the babies...

Since most of my beloved old time buddies and beautiful girl friends are happily married either last year or the year before, a couple of them began their first journey into parentage and motherhood last year and I'm doubly happy for all of them. The thought of having the newer generations amongst the gang is something really exciting and worth to shout about.

If I got my calculation correct, for the year 2009, I became an instant aunt for four beautiful little people! The best part of all, they come from all different races. First one born for the year is a cute Indian boy, Kaviraj, second is a cute little Malay girl, Ayra Zuyyin, the third one another adorable Chinese baby boy, Ian Cheng and last but not least, another charming little Malay baby boy, Aryan Iman. And check out their names peeps. I thought their names are pretty cool, am I right?

Out of the four, I've managed to meet only both Ayra and Aryan. I've yet to make an appointment with Kaviraj's mum to have a sneak peak at him. Haha. For Ian Cheng, you are going to call me Tante Yasmin as your mum and I have mutually agreed on it since your were just a little 'jelly bean'. Haha. Nevertheless, I have this strong feeling that all babies are going to grow up becoming super adorable kids and definitely full of interesting characters just like their mummies. With that, I pray you kids the very best in this world and here are their photos for ya'll to go 'gah-ing' about. Enjoy! *pictures will be put up later. =)

* For the mumsies, I have a new found respect towards you girls, who are now officially mothers for your endurance and unimaginable amount of agony you gals had to go through during the intense delivery of your beautiful babies. I can never imagine the pain and thanks for sharing your labour experiences because that's something you can never read about from the books. XOXO to you girls ( Shalen, Husna, Paah, Marilyn)!

New Year Resolution what?

Hey ya'll! This is my first post for the year 2010. I've been caught up with loads of things since the middle of December and I can say, I'm pretty much settled down by now. Yay! I've also decorated my new 'workplace' with some cute wooden animals and other souvenirs I got mostly from my travels dated way back in 2000.

Oh yeah, New Year Resolution for 2010? What shall it be?

To tell the truth, I don't need another new year resolution this year because guess what, I make my personal target plan every month! So, why do I need a yearly resolution? Haha. Anyways, this year, I'm hoping for more travel plans - a continual outdoor adventure from last year to something more extreme this year, more cash credited into my account, meeting more beautiful people especially people from Borneo ( hehe) and most importantly,doing what I love doing best and enjoy this short life! So people, make the best of your life today and don't wait for tomorrow to start doing that thing you always wanted to do. May God bless us with loads of great things this 2010!

Where have I traveled this year that you didn't go?

Hey peeps! First thing first, do you like the title? Haha. I think it sounds a bit cocky and it is suppose to be that way anyway. It's just for fun though so don't take it personally if you have not traveled or done as much as I did this year. I know that some of you traveled a great deal this year, so why not you share and start tagging people for this post. Just to compare on the most favorable travel destinations this year.

Let's begin with my list of travel destinations for this year 2009:

1. My most memorable of all time travel destination is none other than Kota Kinabalu, Sabah! The reason I wanted to go there so badly was because I've never been to the East part of Malaysia and what more Borneo. I must say, I fall in love with Sabah and most people from the Peninsula of Malaysia who traveled there do agree with me too.

In Sabah, my co partner and I managed to squeeze a tight 3D2N schedule with activities like snorkeling at one of the islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, which was Mamutik Island. We also visited 1Borneo, UMS, Atkinson Clock Tower, Gaya Street, Pasar Filipin, KK Museum to check out all the traditional long houses and we had a great time jumping up and down a trampoline made by 100% bamboo in one of the long houses. Cool rite?

We also made a short visit at Tuaran to visit an old friend of mine and also Tuaran Crocodile Farm to check out the nastiest of all crocs in Borneo. We also did an ad-hoc hike with flip-flops and zero preparation up Mount Kinabalu. Ain't that awesome? Hehe. Mind you we only hiked up until the 2nd Station which was pretty high up, approximately around 3 hours up and down from the starting point. Not bad for a first timer and man, we had a great time up there. Fellow hikers are super fun and awesome people too. We also visited Likas, had awesome and cheap seafood on our last night there, visited Karambunai Nexus to check out the place, spend the night loitering around one of the beaches in KK and of course met some lovely Sabahan people who are very friendly, warm and they are just a bunch of really beautiful people. I love them so much! Haha!

2. A day trip down Pangkor Island which is right smack at my hometown. It was actually a mere pit stop destination right after returning from Kota Kinabalu which was like a week's gap. We had a friend's wedding to attend so we decided to make a quick day trip at Pangkor. It was fun especially the snorkeling part, sun bathing, saw a guy who was almost drown while we were snorkeling - okay, this part was kinda scary, cruising around the island with our rented car, visiting the Dutch Fort and some sort of Pagoda thingy and also taking the ferry back and forth the island. It was plain awesome and a day well spent.

3. Langkawi Island! We managed to hook up with some awesome 3D2N deal with AirAsia which was inclusive of flight and accommodation at Awana Porto Malai. It was a real bargain, only MYR300 each person. That's awesome right?

Anyways, Langkawi is great fun for more outdoor adventure activities and that's the reason we went there for. We had an awesome island hopping day, it was raining, the boat ride was very bumpy and seriously adventurous especially none of us had never been on a fast boat ride on a really heavy rained day! We also had a great time swimming in Dayang Bunting Lake where the water is surprisingly warm during that rainy day and it's kinda creepy because it's dark and green looking lake. We also saw some really huge Hawks in Pulau Lang if I'm not mistaken which was part of the island hopping trip. It was worth the money because it only cost us RM35 for that 3 island hopping trip. Oh, the last island was a beach island so we get to swim around for sometime but we spent the time sipping hot coffee instead because we got all drenched up by then already. The rain and all, I was shivering up my bones. Haha.

Other things, we did the typical touristy thingy in Langkawi like the cable ride up Mt.Mat Cincang, a little hike down a trail around the Mt. Mat Cincang area and we got to have a nice look of the bordering countries; Thailand and Malaysia. Cool rite? Other must have visiting was the Makam Mahsuri, Tanjung Rhu, Cenang Beach, Thai massage Cenang area, Telaga Tujuh crazy 100+ stairs hike, Laksa Langkawi which was not that good at all, haha, visiting Dataran Lang, visiting the newly renovated Hot Spring, driving around the whole island and last but not least, shopping!

4. White Water Rafting at Sg.Kampar. I love it so much and I got more excited because fellow rafting guides are a bunch of Dusun people from Sabah. I was like ,"OMG, I just came back from KK early this year. I love Sabah and what are you guys doing here at Kampar?" Haha. Everything about water rafting, body surfing, doing the Boom-boom, going through back to back rapids from Grade 1-3, getting to know about the Dusun gang and essentially learning more about the other side of Sabah which we Peninsula people have no idea about, really interest me so much. I love every single thing about it especially the adrenaline boost that I get from rafting that I couldn't resist but I had to do it again for the second time. The second time white water rafting experience was like a perfectly new water rafting experience to me! White water rafting is no doubt to die for if you are an adrenaline junkie and the best of them guides are these lovely,good looking, beautiful Dusun guys from Riverbug. I must admit, I <3 Sabah and Sabahan more from these guys. Hehe.

4. Hiking up Broga Hill for three consecutive times. Nothing else to describe this hill, except that it's awesome and if you do it once, you'll be telling yourself," oh I won't do this again, this is exhausting" but, when another friend of yours saw your lovely Broga Hill pictures on FB and they are interested to climb it, you just can't say no to them! Haha. That's why I went there 3 times and I really don't mind going there again and again.

5. Jungle trekking/ guided walk up Bukit Nanas which is located right in the vicinity of KL Tower. Surprise surprise! You never knew that there's a real jungle right in the middle of the city.

6. Jungle trekking/ guided walk inside Kota Damansara park. This was handled by my favourite outdoor nature society which is MNS - Malaysian Nature Society.

7. Jungle walk again inside one of the forest reserve at Bukit Cerakah or now it's known as Taman Botani Negara at Shah Alam.The place is located near the end of the park which is near the reservoir. There was also a fish rearing park and the best part is you get to feed the fishes. I also went for crazy cycling moments around the park which was fun, fun, fun. Did I just say fun thrice? Hehe.

8. Cameron Highland with a twist of outdoor activities. We went to almost all the tea plantations in the highland except for just one I think. Walking up and down the plantation still need a good pair of fit 'legs' because it's either going uphill or downhill. We also stayed in one of the best English-style cottage which was Bala's Cottage. Something like that, I can't remember the proper name of the place. It's very nice, chilly and cottage-like of course. Besides drinking a lot of cardamom teas at the plantations, we made a crazy hiking down the Robinson trail. A good one hour trekking from MARDI to one of the tea plantation at Habu. Trekking was really fun and if we would have planned things well, we could even hike up Mount Brinchang. But let's just leave that for next year okay. Hehe.

9. Gua Tempurung hike but not until the extreme version. It was just the light and easy stroll in the cave until the top of the world something something. Hehe.

I think that's most of the places I've traveled this year. I didn't go outside of the country though because guess what, there's so much to offer within Malaysia itself.

Next year, I'm hoping to discover more places in Sabah like Sandakan, Semporna for diving at Sipadan/Mabul, Beaufort for another crazy white water rafting adventure at Padas river and also reaching Mount Kinabalu summit (with God's will of course). Not forgetting, probably a pit stop down to Tamparuli just to get to know more of these Dusun tribe. Hahaha.

I would also love to go to Phuket, Bali, Bandung ,scuba diving at either Perhentian or Redang or Tioman, revisit Taman Negara at Pahang and if possible also Gua Niah Natural Park at Sarawak. Oh, also, there might be possibility for a EURO trip! Hehe. All that, wait up for next year. And since it's like less than a week for the new year to enfold, let's just plan another wicked activity for this long weekend.

So, you think you've traveled to more interesting places than I do? If you have, share it with me at the comment. I would love to see where should I go next and the places to go that I've been missing! =)

Now I get it, it sucks when ur internet conn is sucky!

I'm feeling you peeps. Peeps who are in constant fidget loathing about their damn internet connection. I begin to wonder, why services have to suck so bad when you are living either on a hilly area or your area is not 'within the coverage'? Come on, for how long we Malaysians are going to endure this issue?

I'm complaining now because my internet is suck big time. I'm not even staying in a remote area. It's a damn freaking city center. It's only slightly located on the hill. And the connection plummets down like crazy. It's far worse than my 1996 Jaring dial-up okay! Or probably it's about the same speed like it used to be more than 10 years back. Bah! This sucks!

I dreamed of a Black Mamba!

Hello readers! Yeah it's YOU! And currently I'm assuming like only 5 of yous. OMG, what is there to cry for? Anyway, I want to ask you a little question. Have you ever dreamed of a snake? Like literally, you went to bed at night hoping for a good night sleep, but you ended up having a nightmare dream with you and a snake or snakes. Have you experienced that before?

I'm asking you that question because yes, I have been of late, had some series of snake dreams. Hmm, pretty interesting or just plain weird right? Oh if you still have not figured out the correlation of Black Mamba and this post, Black Mamba is one of the fiercest snakes in the world. It literally has a black-colored mouth when it opens up its mouth. But no worries, I never dreamed of this Black Mamba before. One was just a snake, the other was a huge ass Anaconda that looked more like a monster, ha ha, and the latest was just a Python I think.

So the point here, I would like to know if anyone knows, what does it mean if you dream of snakes? In my case, I never got bitten by one. It's either it just passed in front of me or I dodged the snake from biting me or the ultimate shocking one was, I ate a snake head. Wo ho ho! All that I experienced only in my dreams alright people. Nothing ever happened in real life and I will surely be chickening out if I even see one pass in front of me.

Therefore, if you think you know some 'insights', do share it with me at the comments. I'll be more than happy to see some 'clever dream interpretations' from you lot. FYI, I'm not superstitious and more of a skeptic and I believe that dreams are just your mind playing games when you are asleep.

Hey consider this: Act like a Lady, think like a Man!

Calling all ladies to read on this very valuable post! As for gentlemen, you don't want to be reading this. You are about to get all your dirty little secrets leaked. Hehe.

This is one Boring post you don't want to read!

Like what the title says, it's a heads up and a friendly reminder of what's coming in this post.  I'll be very surprise if you are still reading this line. Hehe.

Here goes...

Cycling at Taman Botani Negara aka Taman Pertanian Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam

One of the best places to experience easy, fun cycling in KL would be this place: Taman Botani Negara or formerly known as Taman Pertanian Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam or also formerly Bukit Cerakah which is located at Shah Alam. My first visit to this place was way back when I was very young somewhere in the early 90's. I remembered it was a long journey outside of KL and the road was still new. I think most people still know this place as Bukit Cerakah instead of that botani name or the lengthy taman pertanian name.

A lil bit confused on how my site is being crawled and indexed

Lately, I've been doing a lot of testing and checking on how my site is being crawled and indexed on the SERP ( Search Engine Ranking Page). In this case how my site will look like if I run a search in Google. Oh you may be asking, why do I bother to run a search on my site? The reason is simple. The better I rank on SERP or Google, the more traffic I shall gain. And why is traffic important to me? With traffic, comes Money! Yes, as simple as that. If you are still clueless about why I'm so concern about this, go do yourself a favour and start Googling on SEO. Yep! Haha.

Rotating Banner at Life's a commotion!

Just so you all know, those rotating banner or pictures are photos captured by yours truly! Images are taken from a non-fancy-schmancy 2 mega pixels and 3 mega pixels cameras with some contrast, brightness, layer masked editing in Photoshop. I gotta tell you, I do miss doing those wall paper/ website designs with Photoshop during my very first job!

Here's a little briefing about my banners:

Dr. Oz's Seven-Minute Workout

I'm a big fan of Oprah and it's almost natural for fans to follow up on everything from the Oprah Show. And thanks to her, I begin to adore Dr. Oz! I love him because he's so downright straight forward in pointing out health issues and there are so much to learn from him. In short, he's just awesome.

Hiking up Broga Hill, Semenyih

I'm proud to announce that I've hiked or climbed up this Broga Hill for the third consecutive times now! YAY! I figured that on the second climb that would be the last of Broga for me, but what the heck, who could turn down another invitation of Broga  when the sole purpose of climbing is to capture images of the scenery and the climbers! The 'cam-whoring' addition to the climb was good enough a reason for me to continue on the third Broga Hill hike of the year and I wonder if there is going to be more hike on this hill after this.

Butt Exercise with Bob Harper

Ever wanted to have those really cute, tight hot butt? And haven't you fall in love with Bob Harper already after watching episodes after episodes of that "The Biggest Loser" show? Haha. I know one thing for sure, I love to have a hot looking butt and I think Bob Harper is so darn cute. With athletic figure and all, he is to die for! Unfortunately for us ladies, he is so taken, I think he is. Haha.

Terry Fox Run KL 2009

Terry Fox Run is listed on my list of to-dos and unfortunately, I didn't make it for the run this year. The event was held on 1st November at Taman Tasik Perdana (Lake Garden), KL. As for now, I couldn't find any reviews yet about the run this year but I've came across at people's pictures posing with their Terry Fox's t-shirts and I thought the Tees look pretty rad!