Nostalgia is extremely romantic,
It brings back guises of hope,
Sans the pain of what was,
It glows like warm embers on a cold night.
Have you seen her upturn face,
The smile that captures memories,
And savours them?
Oh yes, nostalgia,
Right below the sternum,
An ocean of memories brew,
The espresso of memories lightened with timely milk,
Her latte; at the right temperature,
In the best of time.
That leaves us with a sigh of peace,
Of knowing the past is its bygones,
Of realising time past were opportunities best savoured.
Like her love for rose gold,
Nostalgia is romantic.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Saturday, July 19, 2014
My Soliloquy of Books
Particularly what we call sad books, or emo books. If you have not watched The Fault in Our Stars, please do not proceed as this post is mostly inspired by the movie, don't blame me for spoilers.
I love words. I love words for how they make me feel even when I do not totally get the perfect context in which it can be used. For example, I believe "serendipity" shares the same meaning with "epiphany" - which many will disagree and I might be an ignorant (bliss-ed one at that) fool for ignoring meaning...but isn't language invented for us to give meaning, which means that we do get to define it? I believe that is semantics? Don't correct me if I'm wrong, allow me this chance to be at ignorance's bliss.
Okay, back to books. My top 3 favourite love stories of all time that appeals to the anima in me, all share a common thread - they all don't have the typical happy ending. One Day someone dies, living with cancer is exactly The Fault in Our Stars and if we ended up with someone else than the person we once love, we would probably ask If You Could See Me Now. /wink wink
But they reflect life, or rather my perspective of life for in Mitch Albom's words, "The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live." Elisabeth Kubhler-Ross has some great quotes on grieving too. It's not so much of dying or loss that I'm interested in but the journey that people go through when death or loss is an imminent reality to them. It could be perceived, it could be real but you cannot unknow death nor loss nor the chances of that happening. Because I'm a person who is naturally risk-averse, the living human part of me feels the courage from reading these journeys. And to be fair, the only time I overuse the verb "feel" in my vocabulary is when I'm describing a book that has encapsulated me; me being a soul who has walked the periphery of the lives of who I am and who the book allows me or reminds me of.
So, on TFIOS, I've read it and while it's a big weepie, oh my God, John Green is good at stringing sentences. I'm the kind of reader who reads and reads into the meaning and the flow of sentences. And sentences that flow right, feels like a part of my soul being fed with comfort food. Stories like TFIOS inspire me to be witty and increase my affinity to words which leads to my tendency of trying to string pretty sentences and use bombastic words wherever inappropriate. Stories like TFIOS also remind me that it is not 'just a love story'. Heck, it's not about how two people love each other despite cancer and how sacrificial that is. From my point of view, it is about how people live by what they define themselves to be and how that spills over in every facet of their lives. Such as Hazel defining her life through cancer and while that makes her a witty, matured teenager, it also brought up the rebellious sides of wanting closure, expecting to be treated the way she has defined herself (a cancer patient) but also wanting the freedom, if anything, from herself to live a "normal life". Sure the love story part is damn sweet but that's just because all human beings need some level of connection and the best life experiences to live vicariously often come in the form of the story of some type of relationship.
On a more selfish level, these books that I love to read feeds the part of me that needs to feel reinforced that I'm also a witty, smart lady. Again, as I mentioned, there is a sudden rush of exhilaration after being with these stories that make me want to write something so amazing because I am so inspired. Inspired enough to write all this out without being fearful of the lack of correctness - because sometimes we all need to take risks. It is absolutely valid that this risk comes in the form of writing a long, partially incoherently thought out personal thoughts on books while attempting to minimize the amount of backspace frequency.
I love to read, it's one of the things I've always been grateful to be blessed with other than being able to swim. It's my alcohol, drug and all things that influence our dopamine center. Plus apparently it makes me more date-able (taken, oops!). I did not say that, please see this source. Nevermind that it is an Elite Daily article, haha. While it's exciting that I've lived a thousand lives, I do wonder if my partner feels the same - I do the overthinking bit quite a bit.
Now that I have finally done a word purge, the soul feels rested. I could do more I'm sure, but I'm guessing too much purging at once may lead to dehydration, and it's past midnight.
P.S. To the one who asked me whether you are now allowed to smoke, NO. And I would rather hear a thousand simple "I love you's" within our infinity than the nicely strung sentences in another's infinity - we will leave that to them.
I love words. I love words for how they make me feel even when I do not totally get the perfect context in which it can be used. For example, I believe "serendipity" shares the same meaning with "epiphany" - which many will disagree and I might be an ignorant (bliss-ed one at that) fool for ignoring meaning...but isn't language invented for us to give meaning, which means that we do get to define it? I believe that is semantics? Don't correct me if I'm wrong, allow me this chance to be at ignorance's bliss.
Okay, back to books. My top 3 favourite love stories of all time that appeals to the anima in me, all share a common thread - they all don't have the typical happy ending. One Day someone dies, living with cancer is exactly The Fault in Our Stars and if we ended up with someone else than the person we once love, we would probably ask If You Could See Me Now. /wink wink
But they reflect life, or rather my perspective of life for in Mitch Albom's words, "The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live." Elisabeth Kubhler-Ross has some great quotes on grieving too. It's not so much of dying or loss that I'm interested in but the journey that people go through when death or loss is an imminent reality to them. It could be perceived, it could be real but you cannot unknow death nor loss nor the chances of that happening. Because I'm a person who is naturally risk-averse, the living human part of me feels the courage from reading these journeys. And to be fair, the only time I overuse the verb "feel" in my vocabulary is when I'm describing a book that has encapsulated me; me being a soul who has walked the periphery of the lives of who I am and who the book allows me or reminds me of.
So, on TFIOS, I've read it and while it's a big weepie, oh my God, John Green is good at stringing sentences. I'm the kind of reader who reads and reads into the meaning and the flow of sentences. And sentences that flow right, feels like a part of my soul being fed with comfort food. Stories like TFIOS inspire me to be witty and increase my affinity to words which leads to my tendency of trying to string pretty sentences and use bombastic words wherever inappropriate. Stories like TFIOS also remind me that it is not 'just a love story'. Heck, it's not about how two people love each other despite cancer and how sacrificial that is. From my point of view, it is about how people live by what they define themselves to be and how that spills over in every facet of their lives. Such as Hazel defining her life through cancer and while that makes her a witty, matured teenager, it also brought up the rebellious sides of wanting closure, expecting to be treated the way she has defined herself (a cancer patient) but also wanting the freedom, if anything, from herself to live a "normal life". Sure the love story part is damn sweet but that's just because all human beings need some level of connection and the best life experiences to live vicariously often come in the form of the story of some type of relationship.
On a more selfish level, these books that I love to read feeds the part of me that needs to feel reinforced that I'm also a witty, smart lady. Again, as I mentioned, there is a sudden rush of exhilaration after being with these stories that make me want to write something so amazing because I am so inspired. Inspired enough to write all this out without being fearful of the lack of correctness - because sometimes we all need to take risks. It is absolutely valid that this risk comes in the form of writing a long, partially incoherently thought out personal thoughts on books while attempting to minimize the amount of backspace frequency.
I love to read, it's one of the things I've always been grateful to be blessed with other than being able to swim. It's my alcohol, drug and all things that influence our dopamine center. Plus apparently it makes me more date-able (taken, oops!). I did not say that, please see this source. Nevermind that it is an Elite Daily article, haha. While it's exciting that I've lived a thousand lives, I do wonder if my partner feels the same - I do the overthinking bit quite a bit.
Now that I have finally done a word purge, the soul feels rested. I could do more I'm sure, but I'm guessing too much purging at once may lead to dehydration, and it's past midnight.
P.S. To the one who asked me whether you are now allowed to smoke, NO. And I would rather hear a thousand simple "I love you's" within our infinity than the nicely strung sentences in another's infinity - we will leave that to them.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Macarons and Traffic Lights
"Tell me a story of happiness"
"It was one of those tiring-life-zoned-out days. Despite date night, shopping and a green tea latte, meh was probably the word to describe how I felt. He was really concerned. More than that, he felt bad for dragging me along. I don't think it helped that in the midst of buying him a macaron, I actually got it for free. That itself gave me a sparkle in my eyes, something he didn't see the entire night. The free macaron is flattering really, and that gave some moment of euphoria"
"Oh, so happiness is that euphoric feeling?"
"Yes.
And no. That fades, and fades very quickly. When it fades into the background, what remains is a tiredness of a high. That's a happy feeling. But joy? Joy is when after that euphorically tiring episode, you sit in the car, see the face of the person you love illuminated by the traffic lights, leaning into his shoulder and feeling like there's no where else in the world you can feel this sort of safety, and love. That is something no free macaron can ever leave and sustain"
"Does he know?"
"I hope he realises, and he knows that while he may not be happiness every day, he is joy, and that remains long after happiness fleets."
Thursday, August 8, 2013
From Mountain to Sea, Plus a Little Sky
Will you climb KK again?
Probably not tomorrow, and maybe not in the nearest future. But yea, it sounds like a fun challenge to re-do, especially if we had to go through the 2.30am hike to the summit. I know it may sound a bit weird, but it really hasn't sank in that I've climbed a mountain of that height, it still does not register in my brains.
How hard is it to climb KK?
Challenging? Yes. Mentally Challenging? Yeap. Do-able? YES.
Seriously, despite thinking I'll never be able to complete it when I was an hour away from the peak, I know in my heart it's very do-able. But the mental challenge was significantly more difficult than I imagined it to be. Couple it with menses, lack of sleep, lack of oxygen, it's the perfect combo to not want to finish it. But looking back, if anyone were to ask me whether it's possible for anyone to climb KK, and confirmation bias aside, I am very sure it's possible. What really matters to me was two things; motivation and preparation.
For me, my motivation was definitely from my boyfriend, and friends. It was at the point where I was ready to throw in my towel, and I could not convince myself to go over the wall. For my other friends, it was the need to reach the peak personally, the goal was their strongest pull. We all have different sources of motivation. If you intend to climb KK, try to remember what is your motivation, whether it's from within or externally supplied.
As for preparation, please see my two cents as below:
Prepare yourself beforehand.
This is especially crucial for your physical fitness. Unless you have asthma or physical disabilities, I reckon you can still climb KK, just at a much longer time and with increasing difficulties. I started training with my boyfriend climbing steps (around 5 rounds average with 3kg backpacks) 1 and 1/2 months prior to the hike. I do yoga once or twice a week, and generally I'm healthy despite being weak occasionally. Even so, I was very thankful for the exercises because it taught me to be aware of my body under duress circumstances. I know when I can push myself, and when I need a break. In increasing altitudes, this is key to ensure you can pace yourself to reach the top. Otherwise you might be panting and thinking you are actually going to die when it's just your body trying to obtain more oxygen.
For mental preparation, I reckon it comes as you practice and exercise but most importantly for me was 4 words; I can, I want. That carried me from the foothill to the top along with motivation from buddies.
Don't overprepare.
This is with regards to your backpack and luggage. Pack lighter clothes to the top and no, you don't need 6 bars of chocolates, 10 bananas and 5 packets of peanuts. Chill. Bring along lighter but high calorie foods just enough for the range of your hike (i.e. Foothill to Laban Rata). Especially important if you tend to tire first, or not as physically prepared. I ended up having to use services of my personal porter aka boyfriend 3/4 way up to Laban Rata and an hour away from the Summit because I was just too tired.
Bring essentials.
In no order of priority, these were the essentials that saved my life and allowed me to hike
1) Good shoes - I bought an Adidas trail running shoes. Totally saved my life especially on descending trails because it stopped my feet from moving too much and putting pressure on the soles and ankles. Plus it had a good grip which helped me descend the slippery rocks and dried pretty fast when it gets slightly soaked in streams
2) Walking stick - This was my extra energy going uphill and extra support leg going downhill. Super helpful to take the pressure of my whole body and it was useful as a guide on where to put my next step. Thank God for walking sticks!
3) Good backpack - I bought a Deuter AC Lite which while it was expensive but so worth it because its design took strain off my back. Despite being tired and having to let it go to my porter, at a 5kg weight I felt it was moulded into my back most of the time and didn't feel like extra baggage. There were just enough pockets and it fit a hydration bladder which was more convenient that water bottles
4) Headlamp - Otherwise we would have been stuck in the jungle for good. Yea, we may not need it unless it's dark, but without it, you cannot possible navigate the dark, feels so much safer too
5) Magnesium spray + 100 plus drink - Used the magnesium spray on my calves the night before the summit hike and it probably saved my life. This replenishes lost minerals in one's body which might take a while to replenish through food nutrients. 100 plus was useful as we were hiking as the little pick me up of energy.
I reckon there are different essentials for different people, but these were the supporting materials that really made my hike possible.
P.S: If you are shit scared of the cold like me, bring thin layers and one good thick but light jacket. Heavy stuff makes the hike stressful.
I'll end my experience from the mountain to sea with a little break in the sky post with some lessons I gained from this entire journey.
Patience.
Not my forte, yet so relevant in life. The numerous times I had to tell myself to calm down and pace myself in order to get to the end, to not get ahead of myself before the right time, to push myself at the right moments. More importantly, how I deal with people under stress and I can tell you patience is not my first reaction. Sometimes I think I really am the least nice person when I'm under stress. But I've began to learnt its importance in patiently navigating relationships in difficult times. Really grateful for a boyfriend who sees this through with me as we both learn to understand each other when things get challenging.
Humility & Trust
Nature is amazing. How these trees root themselves over centuries, how the rocks and boulders come to form natural stairs, how nature lovers build in wooden steps and hung ropes so people like us could admire this beautiful mountain reminded me how I'm just a small speck in life. That I can do a lot of things, but I can also do a lot more things with and for the people around me. With that, comes a strong dose of trust lesson, especially towards others. In his words "You never listen unless you perceive the person to know better than you". Huge wake up call there that I cannot deny. It really is a challenge to learn that, heck, I'm still thinking how am I going to learn that, haha.
Being Present & Grateful
Whether it's down the steps into the valleys, or when the cold wind blows hard or at the summit of the final peak, the experience only realises when you are present. When you feel the wind sharply on your face, as you listen to your breath racing, as you see as far as your visual brings you. I didn't think I manage that well on the summit because I was just too tired, in a way I wished I had been more present. Yet, the knowledge of that was helpful on my way down when every step in the dark forest made me realise how strange the feeling of being in the forest, an unfamiliar territory can be. And following that, how grateful I am with every step we make where no one slips or trips, and getting closer to that final gate.
It's a very uncomfortable season for me recently, as I type this. But as I finish typing this, I am reminded of my four words; I can, I want.
Probably not tomorrow, and maybe not in the nearest future. But yea, it sounds like a fun challenge to re-do, especially if we had to go through the 2.30am hike to the summit. I know it may sound a bit weird, but it really hasn't sank in that I've climbed a mountain of that height, it still does not register in my brains.
How hard is it to climb KK?
Challenging? Yes. Mentally Challenging? Yeap. Do-able? YES.
Seriously, despite thinking I'll never be able to complete it when I was an hour away from the peak, I know in my heart it's very do-able. But the mental challenge was significantly more difficult than I imagined it to be. Couple it with menses, lack of sleep, lack of oxygen, it's the perfect combo to not want to finish it. But looking back, if anyone were to ask me whether it's possible for anyone to climb KK, and confirmation bias aside, I am very sure it's possible. What really matters to me was two things; motivation and preparation.
For me, my motivation was definitely from my boyfriend, and friends. It was at the point where I was ready to throw in my towel, and I could not convince myself to go over the wall. For my other friends, it was the need to reach the peak personally, the goal was their strongest pull. We all have different sources of motivation. If you intend to climb KK, try to remember what is your motivation, whether it's from within or externally supplied.
As for preparation, please see my two cents as below:
Prepare yourself beforehand.
This is especially crucial for your physical fitness. Unless you have asthma or physical disabilities, I reckon you can still climb KK, just at a much longer time and with increasing difficulties. I started training with my boyfriend climbing steps (around 5 rounds average with 3kg backpacks) 1 and 1/2 months prior to the hike. I do yoga once or twice a week, and generally I'm healthy despite being weak occasionally. Even so, I was very thankful for the exercises because it taught me to be aware of my body under duress circumstances. I know when I can push myself, and when I need a break. In increasing altitudes, this is key to ensure you can pace yourself to reach the top. Otherwise you might be panting and thinking you are actually going to die when it's just your body trying to obtain more oxygen.
For mental preparation, I reckon it comes as you practice and exercise but most importantly for me was 4 words; I can, I want. That carried me from the foothill to the top along with motivation from buddies.
Don't overprepare.
This is with regards to your backpack and luggage. Pack lighter clothes to the top and no, you don't need 6 bars of chocolates, 10 bananas and 5 packets of peanuts. Chill. Bring along lighter but high calorie foods just enough for the range of your hike (i.e. Foothill to Laban Rata). Especially important if you tend to tire first, or not as physically prepared. I ended up having to use services of my personal porter aka boyfriend 3/4 way up to Laban Rata and an hour away from the Summit because I was just too tired.
Pack light!
You have no idea how many layers we had to take off 5 minutes into the journey, too warm.
Bring essentials.
In no order of priority, these were the essentials that saved my life and allowed me to hike
1) Good shoes - I bought an Adidas trail running shoes. Totally saved my life especially on descending trails because it stopped my feet from moving too much and putting pressure on the soles and ankles. Plus it had a good grip which helped me descend the slippery rocks and dried pretty fast when it gets slightly soaked in streams
2) Walking stick - This was my extra energy going uphill and extra support leg going downhill. Super helpful to take the pressure of my whole body and it was useful as a guide on where to put my next step. Thank God for walking sticks!
3) Good backpack - I bought a Deuter AC Lite which while it was expensive but so worth it because its design took strain off my back. Despite being tired and having to let it go to my porter, at a 5kg weight I felt it was moulded into my back most of the time and didn't feel like extra baggage. There were just enough pockets and it fit a hydration bladder which was more convenient that water bottles
4) Headlamp - Otherwise we would have been stuck in the jungle for good. Yea, we may not need it unless it's dark, but without it, you cannot possible navigate the dark, feels so much safer too
5) Magnesium spray + 100 plus drink - Used the magnesium spray on my calves the night before the summit hike and it probably saved my life. This replenishes lost minerals in one's body which might take a while to replenish through food nutrients. 100 plus was useful as we were hiking as the little pick me up of energy.
I reckon there are different essentials for different people, but these were the supporting materials that really made my hike possible.
P.S: If you are shit scared of the cold like me, bring thin layers and one good thick but light jacket. Heavy stuff makes the hike stressful.
I'll end my experience from the mountain to sea with a little break in the sky post with some lessons I gained from this entire journey.
My break in the sky, photo credits to Kenny Foo Photography
Patience.
Not my forte, yet so relevant in life. The numerous times I had to tell myself to calm down and pace myself in order to get to the end, to not get ahead of myself before the right time, to push myself at the right moments. More importantly, how I deal with people under stress and I can tell you patience is not my first reaction. Sometimes I think I really am the least nice person when I'm under stress. But I've began to learnt its importance in patiently navigating relationships in difficult times. Really grateful for a boyfriend who sees this through with me as we both learn to understand each other when things get challenging.
Humility & Trust
Nature is amazing. How these trees root themselves over centuries, how the rocks and boulders come to form natural stairs, how nature lovers build in wooden steps and hung ropes so people like us could admire this beautiful mountain reminded me how I'm just a small speck in life. That I can do a lot of things, but I can also do a lot more things with and for the people around me. With that, comes a strong dose of trust lesson, especially towards others. In his words "You never listen unless you perceive the person to know better than you". Huge wake up call there that I cannot deny. It really is a challenge to learn that, heck, I'm still thinking how am I going to learn that, haha.
Being Present & Grateful
Whether it's down the steps into the valleys, or when the cold wind blows hard or at the summit of the final peak, the experience only realises when you are present. When you feel the wind sharply on your face, as you listen to your breath racing, as you see as far as your visual brings you. I didn't think I manage that well on the summit because I was just too tired, in a way I wished I had been more present. Yet, the knowledge of that was helpful on my way down when every step in the dark forest made me realise how strange the feeling of being in the forest, an unfamiliar territory can be. And following that, how grateful I am with every step we make where no one slips or trips, and getting closer to that final gate.
It's a very uncomfortable season for me recently, as I type this. But as I finish typing this, I am reminded of my four words; I can, I want.
Friends always help, always.
Add in a (stern) boyfriend for good measure.
Friday, August 2, 2013
She Was in Kota Kinabalu (Pt.2)
One does not realise the joy of having hot showers and sleeping with comforters until one does not have it.
That is one of many life lessons I got from my hike up the mountain.
Base: Marina Court Condominium
Location:4/5
Environment:3/5
Room:3.5/5
In comparison with Gunting Lagadan, this probably will get a 6 out of 5, haha. A very nice place to stay especially with your friends. The whole bunch of us got a 3 room apartment to ourselves so it's like a nice homey stay for the next two days. Amenities were very complete, we even had a washing machine haha. One downside was that the electricity tends to trip at certain time in the night, but when we asked the landlord, apparently that's the case with electricity in KK *shrugs*. I love the area we were staying in. It's not near a beach per se, but super convenient to go around on foot to convenience store, supermarket, FOOD places. I would say this is a pretty decent place to stay especially if you got a group of people
Day 4
Gaya Street
Mamutik Island
Sapi Island
Helen Beauty House, KK Centerpoint
Filipino Market
Started our morning with breakfast at Gaya Street in a restaurant famous for it's laksa, Yee Fung Restaurant. We ordered a few different dishes to share among each other, the Sarawak-ish Laksa, Koay Chap, Tuaran Mee and Claypot Chicken Rice. Dishes were good overall but my personal favourite is the Koay Chap, beef yumyum. Headed to the Marina Harbour to take our speedboat to the first island, Mamutik Island. From mountain to sea, and with a break in the sky - I did parasailing which was super fun! Some of my friends went on to do Flying Fish, and it was hillarious watching them in that Flying Fish contraption dragged by a speedboat. Had a 'meh' buffet lunch on the island before proceeding to the next island.
At the next island, Sapi Island, some of us went snorkelling while me and the bf lazed on the beach reading our books. Really quite relaxing save for the huge amount of tourists in the area. To be honest, the beach experience could be better as I find it too commercialized and there were people EVERYWHERE. That said and done, the beach itself was definitely pretty compared to those on the West Coast of peninsula Malaysia.
After a beachy day, we headed back to mainland for a rest before going out for a massage. We chose a decent one at KK Centerpoint which was a 5 minutes walk from where we stay. The foot massage I got was about RM32 while my friends went for the 1 1/2 hour body-foot massage for RM75 and they loved it. The place was also rather comfortable so I reckon it's pretty worth the money especially after the whole mountain to sea plus a bit of sky experience.
Then it was dinner! Had a late seafood dinner around 9pm at Asia City, Welcome Seafood. 6 dishes of good food (fish, prawns, shell, chicken, vege, tofu) for only RM176, shit cheap! And it tasted so good. Definitely heading back there. Note though, if you want to have crabs, it's best to go early as their seafood sells out pretty quick. After dinner, we decided to walk off the food, but the boys went berserk for food at the Filipino night market buying grilled chicken wings, grilled squid and fish. If you don't feel like having a sit down seafood dinner, consider the market as they have fresh seafood that they can grill on the spot for you as well.
Pasar Besar KK
We didn't explore KK town much due to time limit, and I guess most look-worthy sights will require a drive away from town. The last day was our shop-for-souvenirs day where we started with the wet market for nibbles and continued down the street for pretty handmade souvenirs. Haggling is possible!
Left KK town for the airport around 12. Stopped for fish fillet noodles at this place called Restaurant Kuo Man who had the weirdest auntie waitress - so rude yet so hillarious. Luckily noodles are yummy, haha. Got on the flight, and said our goodbyes to lovely KK.
Do Try:
- Parasailing; it's not as scary as I thought, and it's one of the lovelier rides as you scour across the ocean and get dipped into the water occasionally, haha
- Massage; find a decent place and it's a good way to wind down from an adventurous start of your journey
- Seafood; it's not dirt cheap but in relative to seafood in Peninsula, it's probably very affordable. Try the "Dong Fong" shells, which seems to be native to Sabah
- Food in general; whether it's Koay Chap, Tuaran Mee or Fish Fillet noodles, it's just nice to be able to go around and have some food native to the state
Tips:
- Be careful when crossing KK roads, it's hillarious but we found that the only way to cross is to ram through it especially when there's no traffic lights/zebra crossing. That said and done, please consider safety, I had an adrenaline rush every time we run across these roads, ugh.
- Haggle when it comes to souvenirs, you really get better prices
- The famous coffee is apparently the Tenom coffee available at most places and packaged in either a gold, silver or metallic blue packing.
That is one of many life lessons I got from my hike up the mountain.
Base: Marina Court Condominium
Location:4/5
Environment:3/5
Room:3.5/5
In comparison with Gunting Lagadan, this probably will get a 6 out of 5, haha. A very nice place to stay especially with your friends. The whole bunch of us got a 3 room apartment to ourselves so it's like a nice homey stay for the next two days. Amenities were very complete, we even had a washing machine haha. One downside was that the electricity tends to trip at certain time in the night, but when we asked the landlord, apparently that's the case with electricity in KK *shrugs*. I love the area we were staying in. It's not near a beach per se, but super convenient to go around on foot to convenience store, supermarket, FOOD places. I would say this is a pretty decent place to stay especially if you got a group of people
Day 4
Gaya Street
Mamutik Island
Sapi Island
Helen Beauty House, KK Centerpoint
Filipino Market
Started our morning with breakfast at Gaya Street in a restaurant famous for it's laksa, Yee Fung Restaurant. We ordered a few different dishes to share among each other, the Sarawak-ish Laksa, Koay Chap, Tuaran Mee and Claypot Chicken Rice. Dishes were good overall but my personal favourite is the Koay Chap, beef yumyum. Headed to the Marina Harbour to take our speedboat to the first island, Mamutik Island. From mountain to sea, and with a break in the sky - I did parasailing which was super fun! Some of my friends went on to do Flying Fish, and it was hillarious watching them in that Flying Fish contraption dragged by a speedboat. Had a 'meh' buffet lunch on the island before proceeding to the next island.
At the next island, Sapi Island, some of us went snorkelling while me and the bf lazed on the beach reading our books. Really quite relaxing save for the huge amount of tourists in the area. To be honest, the beach experience could be better as I find it too commercialized and there were people EVERYWHERE. That said and done, the beach itself was definitely pretty compared to those on the West Coast of peninsula Malaysia.
Alohaaaa!
After a beachy day, we headed back to mainland for a rest before going out for a massage. We chose a decent one at KK Centerpoint which was a 5 minutes walk from where we stay. The foot massage I got was about RM32 while my friends went for the 1 1/2 hour body-foot massage for RM75 and they loved it. The place was also rather comfortable so I reckon it's pretty worth the money especially after the whole mountain to sea plus a bit of sky experience.
Then it was dinner! Had a late seafood dinner around 9pm at Asia City, Welcome Seafood. 6 dishes of good food (fish, prawns, shell, chicken, vege, tofu) for only RM176, shit cheap! And it tasted so good. Definitely heading back there. Note though, if you want to have crabs, it's best to go early as their seafood sells out pretty quick. After dinner, we decided to walk off the food, but the boys went berserk for food at the Filipino night market buying grilled chicken wings, grilled squid and fish. If you don't feel like having a sit down seafood dinner, consider the market as they have fresh seafood that they can grill on the spot for you as well.
Happy food-filled, fun-filled faces
Day 5 Pasar Besar KK
We didn't explore KK town much due to time limit, and I guess most look-worthy sights will require a drive away from town. The last day was our shop-for-souvenirs day where we started with the wet market for nibbles and continued down the street for pretty handmade souvenirs. Haggling is possible!
Left KK town for the airport around 12. Stopped for fish fillet noodles at this place called Restaurant Kuo Man who had the weirdest auntie waitress - so rude yet so hillarious. Luckily noodles are yummy, haha. Got on the flight, and said our goodbyes to lovely KK.
Do Try:
- Parasailing; it's not as scary as I thought, and it's one of the lovelier rides as you scour across the ocean and get dipped into the water occasionally, haha
- Massage; find a decent place and it's a good way to wind down from an adventurous start of your journey
- Seafood; it's not dirt cheap but in relative to seafood in Peninsula, it's probably very affordable. Try the "Dong Fong" shells, which seems to be native to Sabah
- Food in general; whether it's Koay Chap, Tuaran Mee or Fish Fillet noodles, it's just nice to be able to go around and have some food native to the state
Tips:
- Be careful when crossing KK roads, it's hillarious but we found that the only way to cross is to ram through it especially when there's no traffic lights/zebra crossing. That said and done, please consider safety, I had an adrenaline rush every time we run across these roads, ugh.
- Haggle when it comes to souvenirs, you really get better prices
- The famous coffee is apparently the Tenom coffee available at most places and packaged in either a gold, silver or metallic blue packing.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
She Was in Kota Kinabalu (Pt.1)
Finally went on a holiday again, this time in my home country Malaysia. For the first time in 24 years of my life, I visited the East Malaysia, so fun! Main reason for the visit is to climb the highest peak in Southeast Asia, Mount Kinabalu. Never thought I would be able to do it, but more on that later.
There will be two parts to this holiday post; first the mountain, then the sea. Note that I went with an organised tour by an acquaintance, so while it's not exactly like most formal tours, there was an agenda set beforehand. Also, will give my 2 cents about climbing Mount Kinabalu and the experience itself in a separate post.
I'm blessed to be able to go on this adventure with my close friends and boyfriend. Pretty fun as it has been long since we are able to go on a holiday together seeing that we've been living in different parts of the world for the past few years. The company definitely made it extra fun, hehe.
Transportation:
As this is a tour, we usually move around with a chartered bus/van. For most other places we visited, we were moving on Bus No 11 - our feet, haha. Of course, this was the only mode of transportation for the mountain part of our journey.
Day 1
KK Town
Pekan Nabalu
Kinabalu Park
Mersilau Resort
Base: Mersilau Resort
Location: 3/5
Environment: 4/5
Room: 3.5/5
Definitely one of the better accomodations around the area. We stayed in a decent bunk bed hostel. There was a living room in the "longhouse" that had 2 bedrooms of 4 and 2 bedrooms of 8. Adequate bathrooms with proper shower. F&B was quite good with decent spread of dinner & breakfast. It's also quite nice to walk around and enjoy the scenery - take some photos!
We touched down in KK around late morning, had a quick lunch in KK town and some last minute shopping. It's essential to note what you have/don't have for the hike as from this point onwards, it will be hard to buy the necessities especially hiking gear. We got some fruits, snacks and water to bring on our hike. Also tried the famous Yoyo pearl milk tea, KK's own chain of bubble tea. Didn't really fancy it cause it was too milky but the mini pearls were yummy. Next, we started our 3 hour drive to Mersilau Resort where we will be spending the night before our hike.
Stopped at Pekan Nabalu to capture some photos of Mount KK. Really pretty scenery especially on a sunny day. If you missed the KK town stop to buy your hiking need especially food/drinks, you still can get some fruits here. Bananas are a popular choice. Continued the journey to Kinabalu Park which is the starting point for one of two trails onto Mount Kinabalu - the Timpohon trail. As that's the trail for us to come down from the mountain, we needed to transfer by van up windy roads to Mersilau, which is the other trail, and the trail we have chosen to hike up. Stayed for the night, and was super nervous for our hike the next day.
Day 2
Hike from Mersilau Resort to Laban Rata
Base: Gunting Lagadan Rest House, Laban Rata
Location: N/A
Environment: N/A
Room: 2/5
Right, so it's a bit hard to give ratings for this base simply because it's kinda the only place to stay on the mountain so there's no relative comparison. And it does not make sense to compare to anywhere else on flat ground, haha. It's not the most comfortable place to stay, but given that we're on a cold mountain, this is really the best one can get. It is COLD. No hot water, no heater in the place. I would say the temperature at this part of the mountain is between 5 -8 degrees celcius, but since I'm shit afraid of the cold, it's extra cold to me especially when the wind blows. All in all, you will be thankful to even have a roof over your head in this situation.
Woke up early to prepare ourselves. Left our main luggage with the resort who would transfer it to Kinabalu Park. Prepped our porter bags and our own backpacks. At 8.45am, we started our ascend towards Laban Rata. As we were briefed before, we need to consider our own pace especially at the beginning of the journey since it was quite significantly steep uphill and downhill. I like that terrain though because it provided variety, otherwise I would be shit tired/bored. Started the journey pretty slow because I was worried about the altitude sickness. Get a good pace, and it's really easier. The terrain was mostly a mix of rough steps moulded out of red soil, some parts had proper wooden steps installed, other times we were treading rocks and small streams. The scenery was quite amazing especially at the elevation where the bonsai trees started growing.
We reached Laban Rata around 4.45pm, so that was a good 8 hours of hiking with rests at some of the huts. SO TIRING! And we had to hike another 10 - 15 minutes up to our base for the night, Gunting Lagadan. Slept early that night since our hike is expected to begin at 2.30am.
Day 3
Hike from Laban Rata to Mount Kinabalu Summit
Hike from Summit down to Kinabalu Park via Timpohon Trail
Our hike was suppose to begin at 2.30am but it started pouring at 2am. SUPER BUMMER. We thought that was it, and we can't hike up the summit because it's usually prohibited to climb after the rain. Plus, we met some hikers along the way who told us that they didn't manage to complete their hike as well. But lo and behold, by some amazing blessing we were allowed to climb in the morning. So we got some extra sleep, and some light as well, haha.
Started our climb at 7.30am and it was challenging because I was feeling so cold, and the terrain was not the most forgiving. Come to think of it, it probably is one of the prettiest trail because we were scaling rocks while water streams form due to the downpour - like climbing a waterfall. Scenery was also gorgeous because of the habitation at that height; pretty flowers and bonsai-ish trees adorned the trail.
We reached the Rope station which was probably the hardest part because we had to depend on ropes to hike up, and it's a long long way down. Massively challenging for me because I am afraid of heights thus I wanted to do it quick but the altitude sickness and lack of oxygen really got to my pacing. Really, the ascend up the summit was so mentally challenging I was ready to give up if not for the boyfriend and my friends. At 11.30am, after God's grace and so much motivation, we actually reached the coveted peak of Mount Kinabalu. As I type this, I'm still in disbelief, especially since we could not spend much time there since we have to hurry down the mountain. Took some photos, reveled in the awesome scenery, and made our way down.
We reached Laban Rata at 2.30pm, had a quick lunch and prepared for our descend down via Timpohon trail at 3.45pm. Again, this was a challenge because the trail is downhill all the way, and made it so difficult for our knees and soles which were tired from the climb. I don't know how, but we made it out of the forest by 7.45pm. We had an hour of darkness in the forest, so thank God for headlamps.
I never knew how sweet victory felt like until we reached the doors of Kinabalu Park Resort, all stinky, muddy, tired and ever so satisfied.
That night, we headed back to KK town with an experience I less than vivid in memory, but definitely unforgettable.
There will be two parts to this holiday post; first the mountain, then the sea. Note that I went with an organised tour by an acquaintance, so while it's not exactly like most formal tours, there was an agenda set beforehand. Also, will give my 2 cents about climbing Mount Kinabalu and the experience itself in a separate post.
I'm blessed to be able to go on this adventure with my close friends and boyfriend. Pretty fun as it has been long since we are able to go on a holiday together seeing that we've been living in different parts of the world for the past few years. The company definitely made it extra fun, hehe.
Transportation:
As this is a tour, we usually move around with a chartered bus/van. For most other places we visited, we were moving on Bus No 11 - our feet, haha. Of course, this was the only mode of transportation for the mountain part of our journey.
Day 1
KK Town
Pekan Nabalu
Kinabalu Park
Mersilau Resort
Base: Mersilau Resort
Location: 3/5
Environment: 4/5
Room: 3.5/5
Definitely one of the better accomodations around the area. We stayed in a decent bunk bed hostel. There was a living room in the "longhouse" that had 2 bedrooms of 4 and 2 bedrooms of 8. Adequate bathrooms with proper shower. F&B was quite good with decent spread of dinner & breakfast. It's also quite nice to walk around and enjoy the scenery - take some photos!
Our 6-person hostel room in Mersilau
We touched down in KK around late morning, had a quick lunch in KK town and some last minute shopping. It's essential to note what you have/don't have for the hike as from this point onwards, it will be hard to buy the necessities especially hiking gear. We got some fruits, snacks and water to bring on our hike. Also tried the famous Yoyo pearl milk tea, KK's own chain of bubble tea. Didn't really fancy it cause it was too milky but the mini pearls were yummy. Next, we started our 3 hour drive to Mersilau Resort where we will be spending the night before our hike.
Stopped at Pekan Nabalu to capture some photos of Mount KK. Really pretty scenery especially on a sunny day. If you missed the KK town stop to buy your hiking need especially food/drinks, you still can get some fruits here. Bananas are a popular choice. Continued the journey to Kinabalu Park which is the starting point for one of two trails onto Mount Kinabalu - the Timpohon trail. As that's the trail for us to come down from the mountain, we needed to transfer by van up windy roads to Mersilau, which is the other trail, and the trail we have chosen to hike up. Stayed for the night, and was super nervous for our hike the next day.
Pretty sight on the way to Mersilau, reminds me of the little cottages on the Salzburg hills
The view of Mount Kinabalu from Pekan Nabalu
Day 2
Hike from Mersilau Resort to Laban Rata
Base: Gunting Lagadan Rest House, Laban Rata
Location: N/A
Environment: N/A
Room: 2/5
Right, so it's a bit hard to give ratings for this base simply because it's kinda the only place to stay on the mountain so there's no relative comparison. And it does not make sense to compare to anywhere else on flat ground, haha. It's not the most comfortable place to stay, but given that we're on a cold mountain, this is really the best one can get. It is COLD. No hot water, no heater in the place. I would say the temperature at this part of the mountain is between 5 -8 degrees celcius, but since I'm shit afraid of the cold, it's extra cold to me especially when the wind blows. All in all, you will be thankful to even have a roof over your head in this situation.
The sight of Laban Rata greets you! It's that yellow roof building on your left
Woke up early to prepare ourselves. Left our main luggage with the resort who would transfer it to Kinabalu Park. Prepped our porter bags and our own backpacks. At 8.45am, we started our ascend towards Laban Rata. As we were briefed before, we need to consider our own pace especially at the beginning of the journey since it was quite significantly steep uphill and downhill. I like that terrain though because it provided variety, otherwise I would be shit tired/bored. Started the journey pretty slow because I was worried about the altitude sickness. Get a good pace, and it's really easier. The terrain was mostly a mix of rough steps moulded out of red soil, some parts had proper wooden steps installed, other times we were treading rocks and small streams. The scenery was quite amazing especially at the elevation where the bonsai trees started growing.
So semangat before first leg of climb
Hikers unite
Closer to the summit! Not really.
Hikers still energetic.
Pretty waterfall dotting the trail.
We reached Laban Rata around 4.45pm, so that was a good 8 hours of hiking with rests at some of the huts. SO TIRING! And we had to hike another 10 - 15 minutes up to our base for the night, Gunting Lagadan. Slept early that night since our hike is expected to begin at 2.30am.
So out of breath at this point of time.
View from Laban Rata
Hike from Laban Rata to Mount Kinabalu Summit
Hike from Summit down to Kinabalu Park via Timpohon Trail
Our hike was suppose to begin at 2.30am but it started pouring at 2am. SUPER BUMMER. We thought that was it, and we can't hike up the summit because it's usually prohibited to climb after the rain. Plus, we met some hikers along the way who told us that they didn't manage to complete their hike as well. But lo and behold, by some amazing blessing we were allowed to climb in the morning. So we got some extra sleep, and some light as well, haha.
Started our climb at 7.30am and it was challenging because I was feeling so cold, and the terrain was not the most forgiving. Come to think of it, it probably is one of the prettiest trail because we were scaling rocks while water streams form due to the downpour - like climbing a waterfall. Scenery was also gorgeous because of the habitation at that height; pretty flowers and bonsai-ish trees adorned the trail.
This is just barely making it.
You have happy hikers and struggling ones holding onto ropes for dear life.
We reached Laban Rata at 2.30pm, had a quick lunch and prepared for our descend down via Timpohon trail at 3.45pm. Again, this was a challenge because the trail is downhill all the way, and made it so difficult for our knees and soles which were tired from the climb. I don't know how, but we made it out of the forest by 7.45pm. We had an hour of darkness in the forest, so thank God for headlamps.
I never knew how sweet victory felt like until we reached the doors of Kinabalu Park Resort, all stinky, muddy, tired and ever so satisfied.
That night, we headed back to KK town with an experience I less than vivid in memory, but definitely unforgettable.
This is generally the reaction everytime we manage 500m whether uphill or downhill, haha.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Zak
He's 5, turning 6 years old in November this year.
He taught me how to lose, and that competition is really the least of our worries most of the time. Try role playing a game of Star Wars with the kid, and you can be sure that you almost always end up the bad guy.
But that that does not matter, what matters is having fun during the game.
On that note, he taught me that there will be 2nd chances. Because all the bad guy has to do is pout after 'dying' 5 times, and the good guy will say "No no, now you have this shield, prringgg, you live again"
Because winning has always been important to me, and that if the chances of winning are less than losing, I rather not try to win. So, he taught me how to take risks - especially ones that involve being silly.
More importantly, he taught me the spirit of sportsmanship.
Curiousity, oh yes, he definitely taught me that. With the tons of mind-boggling questions, explanations of imaginations (which should never be explained anyway), he portrayed the importance of questioning.
And in that line, the importance of ever-learning, and even more important; patience. Have you ever tried having a conversation with a five year old? It's massively hillarious, interesting and frustrating all rolled into one.
Yet it's so important never to let that curiousity die. To know, and be reminded of the importance of curiousity, and the role I play in the continuous ignition of life's curiousity, that's key.
Can you believe he also taught me humility? To realise that you can learn the mantra "Don't worry, be happy" from a 5 year old? I remembered feeling absolutely down over a mistake I made, and this boy, this human who has only lived for 5 years had it in him to remind me something so basic and simple.
And then do be disciplined and committed in being a good role model when I want to teach good behaviour?
The numerous times I've been called out for not keeping to my behaviour/actions as promised definitely brings this 24 year old girl to shame.
Lastly, and perhaps the most most importantly, he taught me to be present. Do you remember the last time you looked at someone in the eyes, and really looked and see them there?
For the longest time, I believed myself to be present, to see people as they are. But no. Until that one day where he came in to the kitchen while I was doing some writing; I turned and looked at those earnest eyes, I had never been present before.
It's a really warm and real feeling when you are truly present with someone.
There's no lie when they say wisdom comes with age and experience, there's also truth when they say you can learn from anyone and everyone
P.S: It's been a long while since I've written, now that the other priorities in my life are more or less in place, I realised how much I missed writing. So here's attempting to get back to it. And what better way to do it then with a note of gratitude. Hey ya'all!
He taught me how to lose, and that competition is really the least of our worries most of the time. Try role playing a game of Star Wars with the kid, and you can be sure that you almost always end up the bad guy.
But that that does not matter, what matters is having fun during the game.
On that note, he taught me that there will be 2nd chances. Because all the bad guy has to do is pout after 'dying' 5 times, and the good guy will say "No no, now you have this shield, prringgg, you live again"
Because winning has always been important to me, and that if the chances of winning are less than losing, I rather not try to win. So, he taught me how to take risks - especially ones that involve being silly.
More importantly, he taught me the spirit of sportsmanship.
Curiousity, oh yes, he definitely taught me that. With the tons of mind-boggling questions, explanations of imaginations (which should never be explained anyway), he portrayed the importance of questioning.
And in that line, the importance of ever-learning, and even more important; patience. Have you ever tried having a conversation with a five year old? It's massively hillarious, interesting and frustrating all rolled into one.
Yet it's so important never to let that curiousity die. To know, and be reminded of the importance of curiousity, and the role I play in the continuous ignition of life's curiousity, that's key.
Can you believe he also taught me humility? To realise that you can learn the mantra "Don't worry, be happy" from a 5 year old? I remembered feeling absolutely down over a mistake I made, and this boy, this human who has only lived for 5 years had it in him to remind me something so basic and simple.
And then do be disciplined and committed in being a good role model when I want to teach good behaviour?
The numerous times I've been called out for not keeping to my behaviour/actions as promised definitely brings this 24 year old girl to shame.
Lastly, and perhaps the most most importantly, he taught me to be present. Do you remember the last time you looked at someone in the eyes, and really looked and see them there?
For the longest time, I believed myself to be present, to see people as they are. But no. Until that one day where he came in to the kitchen while I was doing some writing; I turned and looked at those earnest eyes, I had never been present before.
It's a really warm and real feeling when you are truly present with someone.
There's no lie when they say wisdom comes with age and experience, there's also truth when they say you can learn from anyone and everyone
P.S: It's been a long while since I've written, now that the other priorities in my life are more or less in place, I realised how much I missed writing. So here's attempting to get back to it. And what better way to do it then with a note of gratitude. Hey ya'all!
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