Second chances

How many people actually get second chances in life?

Not many.

If you do get a second chance, wouldn't you grab it with both hands and never let go?

I would.

And I am :)

You are free..

Choong Woon Leng
07.07.1976 - 17.06.2010

Until we meet again...

Doctors explained that her brain cells were shutting down which caused the seizures. There is no saying if she will ever regain consciousness.

I remembered being very calm when he explained this to me. It was in the wee hours of morning as he was going on his rounds. I had spent the night huddled in my sleeping bag at her side, keeping an eye on her as she had a troublesome breathing tube which kept slipping out whenever she coughed.

I prayed fervently for God to be merciful and not let her suffer. I sang mantras as I stroked her hair and hands, or massaged her feet. I helped the nurses clean and dress her. All the time praying she never had to suffer.

Then came May. I had made plans to climb Mount Kinabalu. My family and I turned the matter over and decided that I should proceed with the climb even as grandma was slowly slipping away.

A few days before my departure, I whispered my goodbyes to her. Although we have promised never to cry in her presence, I couldn't hold back my tears. I told her I was leaving her bedside to conquer the moutain and if she could, would she please wait for me to return so that I can share my victory with her.

She waited for me well into a week after my climb. She even regained consciousness just before her birthday. I was elated and very certain that she would wait for me. I got caught up with work (it was a critical turning point in my business as well) and put off rushing back to see her. I called home everyday for updates and she was showing positive signs of recovery. I snuffed that little voice that taunts "calm before the storm". I willed her to wait for me.

Alas, she slipped away on Thursday morning just after dawn. She passed away in her sleep. My mom called to break the news. I prayed and thanked God for leading her to the afterlife.

It's been 9 months since her passing. This blog entry has been sitting my draft box since June. I still cannot control the tears whenever I read this draft, even now as I sit in a bus full of strangers, making my journey from Prague to Vienna.

It was grandma's dream to visit Europe or, as she puts it "ang moh kok kar" (red haired man country), as I conclude my trip which took me from Budapest to Vienna to Prague and back, I feel that she is with me, enjoying the sights, the cold air, the general experience of being in a foreign land. I know she is smiling because I am (",)

Travelling solo.. and photographs

I've pretty much decided that Europeans, in general with a handful of exceptions, are more concerned with photographing the subject person rather than the backdrop / scenery.
In a non-intentional experiment involving me stopping random strangers to help take my photo in front of a particular statue, monument, building etc of interest, they (whether man or woman, no gender bias here) tend to focus on me as the subject at the expense of the sight. I have several megabytes of photos to prove this. There you have me, full length from the top of my woolen cap down to the toes of my boots, but the focal point of interest is reduced to a partial background of no particular memorable significance.
Wassup with that?
So I've resorted to self-snaps which are often hit or miss but the good thing about digital cameras, we can erase the mistake and re-take as many times as needed. The only problem is in the biting cold, patience is a virtue. So cue camera timers and my ever indispensible "octopus". Such nifty inventions they are (,")

Cheer up

Was feeling rather low lately but seeing this in my bowl of "doll" noodle at Kim Gary perked me up a little :-)

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart by the Bee Gees

I can think of younger days when living for my life
Was everything a (wo)man could want to do.
I could never see tomorrow, but I was never told about the sorrow.

And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend a this broken (wo)man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again.

I can still feel the breeze that rustles through the trees
And misty memories of days gone by
We could never see tomorrow, noone said a word about the sorrow.

And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend this broken (wo)man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again.

Could she have known?

My hand absent-mindedly fiddled with the gold bangle on my right hand. I glanced at it and smiled. It was a gift from my grandmother earlier this year. She was in the pink of health then.

Two months after the Chinese lunar new year, grandma started sorting through her jewellery and gave instructions to my mom and aunt as to whom each piece was to go to in event of her passing. I was to take a photo of each item and tag it with her voice recording.

Having dealt with the major items, she showed me the remaining odds and ends and asked me to choose one. I picked the bangle simply because I have the baby version of it.

I wore it often as it made me feel close to grandma. It reminded me of the time she told me a secret.

She had a mild stroke shortly after the lunar new year. After her discharge from hospital, I went back to visit her. When she saw me, she tearfully said, "Amak boh yong" (I am useless). She felt bad for falling ill and making us worry. I wiped away her tears, hugged and kissed her, held her hands and told her that it's not her fault. She then told me that I was her favourite grandchild. No ones else heard except mom

It was after this incident that she decided to put her affairs in order. Before that, she never wanted to even speak about her wishes for "send-off", the ceremony rites or her will. But after that stroke, she asked my mom to engage a will writer and made plans for her possssions.

A few months after her will was signed, her health started to deteriorate. She was in the hospital for longer stretches each time. I went home every weekend to be with her sometimes working from her bedside at the hospital.

Mid-April, she suffered several successive fits attacks and became unconsciousness. She regained consciousness shortly before her birthday and was discharged from hospital. There was nothing more that the doctors could do.

Grandma went home and passed away 4 days after her 84th birthday. It was a Thursday.

Had she known that her time with us was running out? Was that why she gave me a momento while she was alert and well? Was she also preparing us when she was preparing her will?

blogging from my E71

Caution: Man with big ego driving big car

Ever noticed that majority of people who drive big cars ergo are financially well off are morally and humanely bankrupt? Case in point: it was chock-a-block traffic downtown. A guy driving an XC90 was bumped by a man driving a less expensive car. For the sake of simplification, let's call the guy in the XC90, Mr V and the chap in the less expensive car, Mr M.

The damage was not catastrophic but there was a noticeable scratch along the side of Mr V's car. The damage to Mr M's car was hidden from my view.

Mr V stormed out of his car, guns blazing, gesticulating furiously at Mr M, colourful language spewing forth from his mouth. He was turning various shades of red, working himself into a frenzy. Perhaps the fact that Mr M remained in his car and not firing back made Mr V even more agitated for his voice increased several decibles and attracted the attention of the traffic policeman presiding over the congested intersection.

By now, Mr V was livid and was inconsolable. Mr M refused to participate in his shouting match and the traffic policeman was trying to smooth over the situation.

My question is: what did Mr V have for sahur (the meal before commencement of fast at dawn) this morning? Gun powder? Isn't the fasting month supposed to be one of quiet reflection, calm and finding peace with oneself and one's surroundings? Why did Mr V feel the need to work himself up like that? He must have been living a particularly stressful life being rich and driving an expensive car.

Second case in point: I was driving past the exit of a parking lot. Mr Camry came barreling out so I gave way. He nay said a word of thanks nor did he gesture an acknowledgement which led me to conclude that people who drive big cars have no manners.

Rich in material gains but bankrupt in curtesy and manners. What to do? Life's laidet (",)

blogging on the go with my E71

Drama...

Woke up this morning and spent 3 hours on the phone with various people. By the time I put the phone down, it was already 11am. Time to make a quick dash to Batu Caves for (hopefully) 6 laps of stairs, shower and pop into the office. Sounds like a simple plan, right? How wrong could I be...

The sun was high in the sky when I rolled into the car park. Several tour buses just arrived and spewed streams of tourists, totting cameras and water bottles.

I set the workout tracking software on my phone and started the 1st lap, working up a healthy perspiration. Halfway through my second lap, I got a call from my client in Klang. So I stopped by the side railings and attended to his call. Several tourists passed me by.

All of a sudden I heard a faint puncturing sound and a hiss. Then felt a slight jab on my right shoulder. I turned and looked into this hissing simian face. Phreak! The blurdy monkey bit me!

I moved away in haste but was still talking to my client. He was going on about how he felt about my latest audit report blah blah... I was pacifying him and figuring out a solution while continuing my climb to the top of the stairs. All this while my wound was bleeding a trail down my arm.

When I finally manage to placate him and cut the connection, it was a good 5 minutes past. First thing's first, call JH. He confirmed that I should go to the nearest clinic and seek treatment. Ok... Easy enough.

While I was setting the GPS to direct me to the nearest clinic (thank God for this wonder device), JH called again to tell me to go to the hospital instead. Apparently, hospitals are better equipped to deal with such emergencies. So I reset the GPS to General Hospital, KL.

Next, call my cousin (Dr PL) in GHKL for instructions, i.e. where to check myself in. I am to go to the A&E (accident & emergency).

The 7.2km (as the GPS says) drive to GHKL was spent on the phone with the office, my mom and uncle and a couple of friends who called to make lunch plans. Only my mom didn't laugh when I told her I got bitten by a monkey. Also took a photo of the wound while waiting at a traffic light.

Arriving at the hospital and looking for a parking was a nightmare. It was visiting hours and all visitor parking spaces were taken. I had to park about a mile away and, totting my notebook pack, walk that mile to the A&E.

When I got to the triage window and told the fellow behind the counter that I got bitten by a monkey, he looked enquiringly at my face to see if I was joking. I showed him my bloodied arm.

After getting my blood pressure checked, I got an anti-tetanus jab and got my wound dressed. Not before the nurse had a go at me ("monyet tu gigit you sebab you terlalu seksi kot"). Yeah... That's comforting. I got bitten by a female monkey!

Now the waiting begins. Wait for myself to be registered and given a queue number. Wait to see the doctor. I was #130.

I whiled the time away watching tv and people. For the time that I was in the emergency room, I was the only Chinese. Tells you something, doesn't it?

My turn came to see the doctor. He asked me what happened. I told him I got bitten by a monkey and he had this "oh-oh" look on his face. He looked at me and I could tell that he was trying to figure out whether to take me seriously or not.

When he figured that I wasn't kidding, he tried to cover up the "oh-no-what-to-do-now" look on his face. He looked through a pile of books on his table and asked his assistant to the "black book". She gave it to him and the cover says: Emergency Solutions. G-R-E-A-T!

Bad news! His book only covered dog/cat bite. He left the room (presumably to consult with his colleagues) and came back with a crest fallen look on his face. He daren't meet my eyes when he told me to wait outside the consultation room and he will come get me later. At this point, nothing can surprise me. Maybe it was post-traumatic shock.

More time passed when a nurse called out my name. I went into the see the doctor and he had written out a prescription for antibiotics and a slip instructing me to go to the nearest clinic to get a daily dressing for my wound.

On the left column on the slip was written "monkey bite" under "penyakit". I didn't know it was a disease *lol*

I took a walk to the main pharmacy and took another queue number (#4320). While waiting, I went to the cafeteria for a sandwich. Hadn't eaten all day. Felt kinda selfconscious with the big piece of gauze sticking out of my shoulder like a piece of armour, so I packed and left. Sides, the aroma in the cafeteria made me feel slightly sick.

My queue number was called. I received 2 foil-packed antibiotics. You know it's expensive stuff when they pack it in foil. That done, I trekked back to my car and drove home. All in all, I spent 2.5 hours at the hospital. Not bad for government service.

Dr PL called to asked how things were. I told her the episode with the doctor. It turns out when he left the room, he put out an enquiry to all the medical staff in the hospital. Dr PL's colleague told her while they were making their rounds at the wards and her colleague commented: who would get bitten by a monkey in KL? To which Dr PL said: that's my cousin!

It turns out that Dr Get-Help prescribed me a top of the line antibiotic which costs RM6 per tablet (I received 14 tablets in total). If I were to have gone to a regular, private clinic for treatment, this whole ordeal would have easily cost me RM50 not inclusive of medication. Guess how much I paid at GHKL?

That's my tax dollars put to good use! (",)

Anyways, here's a look at the wound in the evening.

Incidentally, I think Dr Get-Help went on the Net for solutions because I found this site when I got home (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/768875-treatment).

Of Making the Connection

My Friday ended at 0130 hours on a Saturday only to begin again when the alarm went off at 0615 hours. Hitting the snooze button, I stole another 3 minutes of shut-eye before JH gave me a wake up call. No more snoozin', time's a-loosin'. I was out the door at 0630 hours, driving towards TPM to meet the rest. Today, we're going to train at the steps of Batu Caves. 10 showed up.

A little background about Batu Caves for the uninitiated. There are 272 steps from rising from the foot of the hill, demarcated by a charming archway decorated with several avatars of the Lord Murugan / Subramaniam, to the mouth of the cave complex that houses the shrines of several Hindu dieties. It's approximately 28.9km away from TPM which took us about 35 minutes to get there (this after discounting the time wasted making a wrong turn).

We arrived without fanfare at 0745 hours and met PT at the base of the stairs. Our training aim today is to complete 4 laps (1 lap = completing 1 set, up and down the stairs) in 90 minutes. We took it slow with the 1st lap. Everyone broke pace and reached the top together. We took photos within the cave and walked around to shake out the kinks in our legs. Thereafter, everyone went their own pace.

I'm glad to say that the team did a good job meeting the training aim (Well done, guys and gals!). No drama, no incident, no sweat! Ok... Maybe not the sweat part. We all sweat buckets :) I, for one, pushed beyond the 4-lap aim and went for 5 laps and in the process, I struck up conversation with this uncle who "coached" and cheered me along. Thank you!

We had chilled Milo to quench our thirst at the carpark, thanks to PT. And decided to go for breakfast before going our separate ways. Me, being a weekend vegan, had a groundnut bao with "teh c special". That was lunch.

After a 30-minute nap, I was on the road again. I've signed up for the Bikram Posture Clinic in Subang. Rich Nichols (head honco for Bikram yoga teachers in this region) conducted the 2-hour clinic.

I've never been to a yoga posture clinic before and was quite surprised to see the studio packed from wall to wall. When usually we have about 4 feet between yoga mats, today there was only a 2 feet gap. The other difference was in the heat. It was not turned on and we had the windows slightly open. In spite of that, the class was sweating profusely 30 minutes into the clinic.

Today's session concentrates on correction and imparting tips on the standing series of the Bikram posture progression. Picked up some very good pointers at the clinic and I'm now seriously considering getting a tatt to commemorate conquering white water rafting at Padas and the peak of Mount Kinabalu :) Shhh..! Don't tell my parents.

Rich challenged the clinic participants to attend the 1600 hours yoga class conducted by Erik. Only 15 took him on. I must admit though, after 2 hours of posture analysis and learning even without the 40 degree heat, I couldn't make it through all 26 postures. Having said that though, I'm not disappointed in myself. As Sean (another Bikram teacher) always says, "it's yoga practice, not yoga perfect".

Since taking up Bikram, I have noted a marked difference in my physique and psyche. The improvement of the later resulted in my being able to stay focused, remember things better and push myself to achieve more because the brain is no longer setting up roadblocks for the body. It's a whole different life when your brain is not trying to sabotage your body's potential. It's the brain making the connection with the body for both to move in sync. My body surprises me everyday :)

Since signing up to join MY's colleagues to climb Mount K, we've been training together by going on hikes and treks. These have improve my cardio immensely. I find myself no longer out of breath / panting after climbing the 3 flights of stairs (a total of 63 steps) to my office everyday and, in fact, have started to take the stairs when going to JH's place on the weekend (he lives on a 4th floor apartment).

Now you are already starting to wonder: what's the point in all this? Well, I'm getting there :)

Many people have said that climbing Mount K is more mental than physical. I figured that in taking up this challenge, I am putting both to the test. In my daily grind, I find myself able to cope that much better both mentally and physically. So much so, somedays I feel almost invincible. And that is an incredible feeling.

If someone had told me 1 year ago that I would be going for 5 laps at Batu Caves (traipsing up and down 2,720 steps) thereafter attending a 120-minute yoga clinic followed by 90 minutes of Bikram hot yoga all in one day, I'd say, "Who me?" but here I sit today, blogging about it and feeling the endorphins coursing through my veins. Best feeling in the world!

Oh.. And did I mention that there was this incredibly hot Korean teacher at the clinic today. Wow! She turned my head a couple of times and I was so definitely gawking at her. She was HAWT! (",)

Hike #4: Bkt Tabur

6.30am on Saturday morning found me waiting in the dark in front of MY's office in Bkt Jalil. Woman said meet at 0630 but when I called her, she was still at home! (-_-)

Sun rises above the ridge

There were 7 of us this time around. 5 were noobs, PT (picture right) and hubby WA, JS, TL (picture left) and Tz. We made good time, scaling to 200m in 27 mins.

Group photo minus Tz

I'm glad to report that I aced my kryptonite boulder this time around. But the funny incident happened at the 2nd rope (yes, there is a 2nd rope which I neglected to mention in my previous entry - leave something out to blog about later na).

Anyways, there I was grappling with my decent when MY called out, "Use the 2nd knot!" and my reflex reply was, "To do what?" which incited peels of laughter from PT and yours truly. The men in the group have no sense of humour (tsk!).

More on Bukit Tabur

3 days after my most excellent adventure on Bukit Tabur, my knees developed some 'colour'. Behold...

One of my clients found it apt to point out, "Bruises cause your market value to drop, my dear." Such encouragement!

Was chatting with HT on Tuesday and he says, I quote, "i look up to u for taking the challenge.. a fren of mine broke her arm there.. didn't wanna scare u .." Now he tells me!

Keen to know more about Bukit Tabur, I did what most people would do. I Google-d it.

http://www.naturemalaysia.com/bukit-tabur.htm

Apparently, Bukit Tabur is a natural heritage site. It is the single largest quartz ridge in the world. Fu-yoh! I had no inkling that I was scrambling amongst greatness..

http://www.endemicguides.com/Tabur_hill.htm

"If you climb up Bukit Tabur, which is part of these magnificent quartz ridges, the view is breathtaking on one side and heartbreaking on the other. It is heartbreaking to see the devastation, ugly scarring and flattening of the hillsides in the vicinity of the Klang Gates dam and around Taman Melawati, Kemensah Heights, Kampung Kemensah (once famous for its streams and waterfalls which have now turned muddy) and Taman Zooview."

~ Tree Hugger @ The Star Online (Monday, 20 October 2008)

There's even a site that has dedicated pages (with photos) of how to properly decend (there are 4 ways) my kryptonite boulder

http://thetrekkers.blogspot.com/

For those who plans to conquer Tabur, do visit this link http://www.mycorezone.com/main.php?section=resource&page=resource_view&article_id=131

Bukit Tabur @ Melawati

Our group for this weekend's hike was reduced to 5. The rest had something or rather and so the 5 of us made our way to the venue for our third hike which proves to be the most trying thusfar.

MY said that it is challenging and kidding she was not. In choosing to be ignorant, I was spared the chance to chicken out and trudged on with the rest. Unbeknowst to me, this trek would test my mental strength and challenge my very psyche.

There were warning signs posted at the start of the trail citing the latest 3 accidents to befall careless climbers. Somehow, the person(s) who made the sign only cited the accidents involving women... (-_-)

Making our way up through the cover of trees was not unlike our other hikes. It took us 30 mins to reach the first rest stop.

We were rewarded with a beautiful view of a lake with the morning mist still hovering over the surface of the water. I later found out that this was the Klang Gate Dam. Look closely at the picture below and you can see the ridges that form Bukit Tabur. Looks like a stegosaurus, no?

On the other hand, is civilisation. Twas a misty morning so the twin towers were shrouded in a gossamer shroud of (haze) doom!

Our trail continued uphill from there and just when I was beginning to think that the 'tough' part was all hype, we came to the first challenge, which I would like to call my 'kryptonite'.

There were 2 options to move onto the next ridge (side note: remember stegosaurus? - see picture) either we do the "dare-devil" which involves using a notched rope to scramble down the boulders or the "wussy" which involves walking around the boulders. Being enthusiastic and knowing our K decent will involve ropes, absailing and dare-devil type antics, we chose the former. There are no wussies here.

MY and TW surveying the 'drop'. Note the rope on TW's right. That's our 'insurance'.

TW was the first to take the rope. He made it, no sweat. Next was MY. She, too aced the rope. I was next. Oh-kay... Grab the rope with both hands. Easy enough. "NEVER LET GO," said MY. "Now swing around and plant your left foot on the left boulder". Done. "Lean onto the rope. Trust the rope and let your right foot hang down to look for a foothold." Wha..? Me brain froze at "trust the rope". Haaaaaalp!

There were some tense moments where I couldn't connect my brain to my hands and feet. My right hand kept trying to hang onto the boulder when it should be firmly holding onto the rope to help my left foot support my body while my right foot refused to budge. WTF! I'm so screwed!

MY and TW were tops, they talked me through the whole episode and I managed to scale down the boulder but not without scrapping my knee in the process. HY (pictured right) took to the rope and slope like a duck to water. I felt like chickensh*t after that. JH had long legs so he practically 'walked' down the slope. Double chickensh*t =(

The second challenge was a climbing one where we had to scale an almost verticle, jagged slope. MY said, "you'll have to do the spiderman here". Raaaaiggghtt~! Picked up more 'souvenirs' from here. Bruises to my knees and scrapes on my right hand. I'm such an apparent noob (T_T)

The last challenge of the day was to hop over a 'longkang' (drain). This so-called longkang was actually a chasm separating two ridges and the sharp stones do not exactly make it any easier. Imagine landing on it (ouch~!). Face first (OUCH~!!). Luckily, none of that happened (whew!)

Enough adventure for the day. We started our decent through more 'friendly' terrain. By friendly, I meant more trees (handholds), exposed tree roots (footholds) and damp soil to cushion our trek. I have never been more thankful for trees (,")

Post Valentine Hike

Our second hike of the series and we're going to Apaksan in U-Lik, Cheras. I have no idea what is its official name so "Apaksan" it is. There were 13 of us this time around with 2 newbies, WR (HF's hubby) and JS (the green guy as HF refers to him).

We met in front of TL's house and set off for Apaksan in 3 cars. Upon arrival, AP went in search of breakfast. The rest of us just stood incredulously at the foot of the hill waiting for him which gave HY ample time to get busy with her camera.

A partial-group photo while waiting for AP and JT

The trek posed a bit more of a challenge as compared to Gasing. And the hill-walkers were markedly different.

Whereas in Gasing we were cheerfully greeted by the uncles and aunties who passed our group, the people in Apaksan were a sullen lot. And there was this peculiar grandpa-grandson duo and several aunties who clapped their hands in unison whilst traversing the hill. I call them the 'clappers'. I reckon it serves to 'warn' the hill 'residents' of our intention to 'pass through' their 'territory' but MY figures it to keep the tempo of the walk. Her guess is as good as mine =)

Winded, we reached stop #1 with a good panoramic view of PJ. An uncle (not part of our group!) took out his harmonica, and we were entertained to several catchy Chinese tunes.

These were the last 2 to arrive.








Short rest and on with our trek. At stop #2, we were treated to a beautiful view of KL city vista. The KL and twin towers looked like miniature pin maps. WA mentioned that someone told him of a waterfall at stop #3. We trudged on...

Before long, we reached stop #4: The Guinness Stop. Quite an interesting choice of name. And there was a rudimentary map tacked onto a tree. There were some Chinese words which I made out to represent 'top of the hill'. HY told me that the other words were 'long route' and 'short route'. Dang! I should've paid attention in Chinese class =p

We were certain we did not miss stop #3: Waterfall and surmised that WA was had. So after a short break, we began our decent down the same path we took coming up. Along the way, I learnt how to 'break' into my Vios (courtesy of AP as he once locked his keys in the trunk of his car) with needle nose pliers and that Toyota keeps several of such experts on their payroll to assist car owners who were ever caught in a predicament without their keys... call Toyota Assist.

Hike over, dim sum time! TL took us to his favourite haunt and we had to have an especially big table to accommodate all of us. I likened our breakfast jaunt to a swarm of locusts. No sooner had the food been laid before us when it was cleaned out. This happened 3 times and I lost count of the number of times we had to get our teapot refilled. Admittedly, we are a rowdy bunch and it's great that we can get along together cos, as MY said, "get use to it cos we'll be spending 5 days together" (".)

A virgin no more

It was an accident. Things just progressed too fast and getting caught up in the moment, it happened... I stepped into the gym for the first time in my life (-___-)

Twas the wee hours of morning. I dragged myself out of bed to go for Bikram but unbeknowst to me, the blurdy centre changed the schedule without prior notification. What's a girl to do at 6.30am, all geared up for a work-out but none to be had?

The answer was a row of treadmills and electronic gadgetry which are guaranteed to make you sweat. Since I'm going to climb a mountain in May, might as well work up some stamina.

Pulling on my hand-me-down Nikes, I headed for the first machine that looked like it wouldn't make me resemble a hamster running the wheel. Some sort of cross-country skiing machine maybe? Looks easy enough.

5 minutes later, my heart rate was up and I'm breaking a sweat. Good! But no more skiing... I can't feel my legs.

Hopping off, I scan for the StairMaster. A doctor friend recommended that I do 30 mins of stairs 3 times a week to prep for my climb. None to be found on the ground floor so up to the 1st floor, I went.

In a corner was something that remotely resembles a StairMaster, though I'm not quite sure. There was a nice gentleman resolutely stepping on the peddles and it looked like he was climbing so I decided to give it a shot (virgins don't know better).

Programming the darn thing should be a cinch but it isn't. 30 seconds later, I gave up and must have looked thoroughly baffled when the nice gentleman called out, "the higher the effort number, the easier it is". Thanks but how do I apply this information?

The machine displayed a message: lift your knees one at a time. Aah.. why didn't you say so earlier?

The effort level was adjusted to 25 (min is 1, max is 25). Then comes the next instruction: keep speed at 270 spm (presumably means 270 steps per minute). Ok.. let's go!

5 minutes later, I'm no closer to 270 spm (hovering between 130 to 150 spm) although I've never stepped so furiously before in my life. Yet the instructions kept flashing: keep speed at 270 spm. Before I passed out, I hit the "pause" button. "The higher the effort number the easier it is." Yeah right!

There has got to be an easier way, think I, the gym virgin. Let's try setting a "Goal". 5 km, I tapped with the numerical keypad. "Lift your knees one at a time". This time I lifted slowly with as little gusto as I could muster. Effort set at 3. Aw-raight!

"Keep speed at 60 spm." Hurrah! That's do-able.

Step left, step right... My calves were starting to protest. "24 minutes to end". I glanced at the timer and it's been only 5 minutes. OMG! How to survive 24 minutes? Distance stepped was only 1.5km. Keep going... "Climbing a mountain is not so much stamina and endurance but also mental strength". Right-o...

I cannot begin to describe the immeasurable relief when the "Goal" indicator blinked 5km. Yapari! I've done it. I can't feel my legs for the first few seconds but thankfully I didn't fall flat on my face.

I am so not cut out to be gym bunny :(

Getting the hang of it

Plans were made to ease the climbers into hiking and trekking which will gradually prepare us for the Big K in May (hey, that rhymes!).

After the big hoo-ha over Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year, the group was ready for our first hike. BT organised the hike, most of us turned up. Our quarry was Bukit Gasing.

We met bright and early at the 1st meeting point and set out in 2 cars ferrying 8 climbers. When we reached the 2nd meeting point, another 3 cars joined the motorcade bearing another 5 climbers. At the destination, we added another 1 to our ranks.

HY and I wore our new Timberlands to break them in. MY just lost hers the week before CNY (blurdy house thieves!). AP wore slippers (he da man!).

The hike was timed for 2 hours to give everyone ample time to finish the trail. And a hike it was.

It rained the night before so new Timmies were soon muddied. We passed a little stream (Goretex: guaranteed to keep you dry) and the highlight of the hike was the suspension bridge. Now MY is afraid of heights and she was ahead of the rest of us. Needless to say, we just had to shake the bridge when she was at mid-point. Thanks for being a good sport, MY!

When we reached the 'top' of the trail, HY whipped out her camera and recorded more "evidence". We didn't look so much worse for wear, if I do say so myself.

All in all, twas fun and I'm looking forward to the next hike. There will be 12 altogether so that should keep our weekends busy (",)

The makings of an adventure

This is an excerpt of an actual phone conversation between HF and me:

Me: Timberland shoes at RM149. Can buy ar?

HF: That's cheap. Timberland shoes are usually between RM 300 - 500. Grab it.

Me: But what would I need a pair of Timberlands for?

HF: Well... I'm sure you'll find a need for it.

Me: Like what...?

HF: I dunno... Maybe you'll want to climb a mountain?

15 mins later

Me: It's me again. I think we have to look for a mountain to climb soon.

I was on my last errand when I saw the bunting: Timberland Warehouse Sale. My curiosity was piqued. Never mind that checks and plaids are not cuppa tea, or that hiking boots and lumberjack jackets are not my thang, I just gravitated to the sale venue.

What happened in the next 20 minutes is summed up by the phone conversation above. What happened thereafter will culminate in a snap decision and forking out of more money to climb Mount Kinabalu, flight tickets, accommodation etc. Yes, I saved some money on a pair of Timberlands only to pay more than I saved to climb a mountain.

But I'm taking all of this in good faith. Never mind that we're sedentary women managers whose only strenuous exercise is Bikram yoga twice a week. Never mind that we have membership / access to gyms to which we have never visited since the day we collected our membership / access cards. Never mind that we have not 'roughed it out' since school days and have gotten all too comfortable in our cocoons. We're going to climb a mountain and the highest one in South East Asia no less.

As if that's not enough, we're going via ferrata, which I hear, involves walking on iron rungs and ropes sticking out of the sheer cliff side of the mountain.

And the clincher? We're going white water rafting the day before. Woo-hoo! Bring it on!

Another milestone..

I'm thankful for another healthy year gone by
A year where I realise how truly blessed I am
More friends who remembered my birthday
Extra good wishes and presents my way
That much more good food to share (more love handles!)
Creating such happy vibes and a warm glowing in my heart

Thanks to all my mates
You've really made my special day awesome
Thanks for all the well wishes and gifts
Cheers to another splendid year ahead

Spot Came Home

My dalmation (aptly named Spot) went MIA 2 Sundays ago.

What started out as irritation (he bolted out the door again!!) turned to worry (did he get run over by a car?!?!) before blossoming to utter dismay (he's gone!!!!! *sobs*).

Just when we gave up hope of ever seeing Spot again, there he sits, coolly by the gate, patiently waiting for someone to let him in.

Spot Came Home =) There's a good fella.

Personalities & Gifting

I've been reading (still in the process although got the book about a month ago) about the different personalities, their characteristics and it's simply fascinating. Put my bestest galpals and self on the enclosed test via email and figured that amongst us, we've got 2 Popular Sanguines (MY and me) and 1 Powerful Choleric (J). HF hasn't responded yet. She's not very consistent with the emails therefore suggesting that she is quite highly likely a Popular Sanguine as well ;-p

In a nutshell, Popular Sanguines are the life of the party. Always armed with a story to tell and keeps everyone entertained. The Powerful Cholerics are the leaders. They are the decision makers and like to stay in control. They keep the Popular Sanguines out of mischief.

The other personalities discussed in the book are Perfect Melancholies and Peaceful Phlegmatics. The Perfect Melancholies are the logical, thinking ones. They adore systems and make great engineers. The Peaceful Phlegmatics (nothing to do with the stuff you expell from your throat) are the "dudes and dudettes" (laidback) of the lot. They prefer to just go with the flow and have a general "whatever" view of things.

Since reading this book, I've been actively thinking and categorising my friends. Then Christmas came along and it's interesting to see the choice of gifts each personality type came up with.

Since yours truly is a Popular Sanguine, I list here my gifts of choice:-

• Barney slippers for my (unofficial) 'god-son'
• cheerful coloured, woven silk ties with just the right balance of professionalism and vibrance so as not to appear boring
• magic 8 balls to help out when making a decision is just too difficult
• bracelets of pastel coloured pearls in irregular shapes - no need to say why this gift appealed to me
• plushie giraffe for a tall friend
• eye mask for my manager with 4 kids
• UNO game for another manager with 3 kids

Gifts I received:-

• a notebook backpack from my beloved - practical gift (and color as well) as he saw that my current one is falling to bits. Me thinks he is either a Perfect Melancholy or a Powerful Choleric. Probably both.
• a candle holder with 2 adorable cherubs - me thinks the giver is a Peaceful Phlegmatic
• a mechanical pencil with very retro zig zags - I discovered that I can actually get giddy looking at it rotating in my hands. I'm thinking this friend is a Peaceful Phlegmatic (it's a pencil!)
• a book entitled "Mr Jones' Rules for the Modern Man" - an engineer gave this to me. Go figure!
• a pretty crystal pendant on a delicate sterling silver chain - definitely a Peaceful Phlegmatic
• a starter charm bracelet with a 4-leaf clover charm to start - from myself. Yep! Only a Popular Sanguine would buy herself a gift at Christmas *lol

So what did you get for Christmas?